When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.
This past fall I had my second opportunity to travel to Haiti. Before the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010 Haiti was already the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The earthquake devastated Port au Prince and surrounding areas. Three million people were affected by this earthquake and the most reliable death toll is somewhere around a quarter of a million people.
As a result thousands and thousands of children were orphaned. Many organizations have poured into Haiti over the last couple of years. Some are still there, many have left. Convoy of Hope remains. Convoy of Hope feeds over 50,000 children, every day in Haiti and the work continues.
You can be a part of Convoy of Hopes mission through a donation directly to them or through the church that I serve as pastor. Our ONE DAY TO FEED THE WOLRD Campaign began on Easter Sunday and continues. Many in our church have already donated the equilivent of one day’s wages toward this effort. You can do so as well.
Feel free to use the donate button located in the right hand column of this page. All contributions will be directed to Convoy of Hope and you will receive a giving receipt at the end of the year from The First Assembly of God. If you would rather mail a donation directly to the church you can do so. Make your checks payable to First Assembly of God and in the memo line put Convoy of Hope. Mail those donations to:
First Assembly of God 108 Florida Street, East Brewton, AL 36426
Be sure to watch THIS VIDEO PRODUCED BY CONVOY OF HOPE.
I like a good cup of Starbucks coffee as much as anyone. I like the casual, relaxed atmosphere that Starbucks offers.
Today Time Magazine reported that Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz has taken an even stronger stance in favor of same sex marriage telling the stock holders that if they didn’t like the position that they were welcomed to sell their shares and invest somewhere else.
Have we completely lost the battle of Biblical values in our nation? Is it time to give up and just not concern ourselves with companies that take anti traditional value positions?
According to an article in The Voice Magazine, McDonalds pulled back from a position to support gay rights because of boycotts pushed by the American Family Association.
This post is not for people who don’t drink coffee or have never visited a Starbucks. I’m talking to coffee lovers and those who love a good cup of Starbucks coffee or iced tea.
What is your position? Do you care? What will you do, if anything?
Click on this link to find my book, The Eye of A Needle.
My television watching is seasonal. During football season it’s football. During spring fever time it’s HGTV or DIY, the shows that motivate me to do projects around the house.
Right now I’m in a reality show season. Life is good in my mind when the day is coming to an end and I’m sitting in my den with a cup of coffee or something cold and American Pickers, Duck Dynasty, Pawn Stars or American Restoration is on.
Recently I’ve been seeing advertisements for a new show being aired by Lifetime called Preachers Daughters. I’ve never seen the show but he ads are enough for me. This show appears to be about pastors who have wild, loose, disrespectful daughters. It makes me sick on my stomach.
Preachers kids have enough scrutiny to deal with without this horrible reality show from lifetime.
First of all if these guys are really pastors (which I doubt) SHAME ON THEM! If they are real and if these struggles with their daughters are real (which I doubt) they have sold the soul of their family for buck.
I have been a pastor since May of 1986. I have two beautiful grown daughters who were born in 1987 and 1991. My daughters didn’t have a normal life growing up. It’s impossible when you’re a PK (Pastors Kid). Felicia and I tried to make life a normal as possible but it was hard.
Pastor’s kids live in a glass house and every move they make is watched, and scrutinized. They deal with a lot of unjust criticism and the agony of being wrongfully judged by people who are not the judge.
We had good times at our house and a few that were not but what family doesn’t. Our girls had to deal with the pressures of living in that glass house and having an extremely strict father. Strict? There were times in their young lives that strict doesn’t even qualify as a strong enough word.
When they were little girls we served a Pentecostal church in rural Florida. Back when I was a young father I didn’t believe that girls should wear pants to church. It’s an archaic belief in many Pentecostal churches that has no scriptural foundation at all. I no longer hold to that belief. Even on Wednesday nights when my girls would go to the girls program at our church they wore skirts. Felicia pleaded their case with me. “Jeffrey! Our girls are the only girls on Wednesday nights with skirts on.” She was right. The problem was that I battled more with what other people thought because we lived in that glass house. What would people think if the pastors daughters wore a pair of modest shorts to church on Wednesday night or even jeans? Isn’t that crazy?
Boys? I told them they couldn’t go on a date unless I met and had a conversation with “The Boy.” I stand by that practice. If a father sends his daughter out into the darkness of night without knowledge of the boy and without having a conversation with him, he’s crazy. Kara said, “Daddy ALL THE BOYS ARE SCARECD OF YOU!” “GOOD!” I would say.
I’ve had arguments with my daughters. What dad who really cares hasn’t? We had our difficult days. What family hasn’t?
Ok that’s the negative. Let me tell you just a miniscule fraction of the positive. God has blessed Felicia and I with two beautiful daughters who love God.
Both of our daughters were leaders in high school. Both were asked to give the closing remarks of their high school graduation ceremony. Both of my girls played in the band, did well in school. Both of our girls excelled in church related activities and were leaders.
Kara and Lauren have made their mom and dad extremely proud many, many, many times. Way too many times to put in this blog and if I’m forgetting something really important that should be mentioned I know they will forgive me.
Now they’re all grown up. Kara is married to a young man with a heart for God and the ministry. She is the mom of our first grandchild Jackson. She is a worship leader and vocationally she teaches music to elementary school children. Her mom and I couldn’t be more proud.
Lauren (our youngest child) is married to a young man who is a full time music pastor. Lauren has a heart for God and for people.. Right now she is leading the youth drama teams at here church. She is gifted in many, many ways. Vocationally she is a nurse at the wellness center on the campus of Florida State University. Her mom and I couldn’t be more proud.
Kara and Lauren are survivors. They have survived being the Preachers Daughters.
Follow this link to find my book, The Eye of A Needle.
As the sun began to set and the temperature began to drop somehow I felt like darkness would finally bring some peace and much needed rest. I pulled my coat around my neck to try and make myself warmer. My makeshift shelter had just enough room for me to squeeze in. I leaned against the tree. So tired! tired from the stress of the gunfight from earlier in the day.
It was do or die. I’m not a violent man but back me up against a wall and I’m coming out, gun’s blazing. The man who was trying to kill me proved to be no threat and no contest for my gun.. With adrenalin pumping my draw was faster than ever. Faster than his.
Now the intenseness of that moment is gone and my eyes are heavy. I pull my hat down over my eyes and wrap my jacket even closer to my body. I need to get some shut-eye. I need to be on the move at first light.
Suddenly I could hear the beat of their drums echoing through the valley. It was so spooky. Chills from the cold and the sound of the drums covered my neck. It was the drums of the Blackfeet Indians, the most furious of all of the Indian tribes. What did the drums mean? Were they making the sound of celebration, or could it be music for a war dance? I had faced death once already was I about to face it again? I didn’t know. I didn’t know that I was so close to one of their encampments. Earlier in the week my friend Daniel Boone warned me to watch out for them.
In spite of the sounds my eyes are getting heavier. Surely I will be safe at night. I purposely didn’t build a campfire. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. At first light I’ll move toward the east. Farther away from the trouble I had been in earlier and farther away from the sound of the drums.
I’ll go to sleep now. Wait! The drums have stopped. The only sound is the trickling water in a nearby branch. That sound after dark is a lullaby. As my eyes get even heavier I begin to hear the chirps of crickets and the bellowing of bullfrogs. Its a definite sound that the sun has gone down.
As I drift even deeper into sleep I hear another sound. It’s from far away. “Supper’s ready, come home!” I waited, keeping quite. Was it a trap set by the Blackfeet? Again I heard it. “Jeffrey! Come home, suppers ready!” How did they know my name? Surely it was some kind of a trap.
Again it came. Come home! Now the voice behind the sound is familiar. It was a bitter-sweet sound. Bitter because I knew my adventure had come to an end. Sweet because it was the sound of my mamma and I knew there was some good grub waiting for this this weary pioneer.
Crawling out of my make shift fort I began to make way from the woods to the dirt road that would lead me home. Still watching out for the Blackfeet I would make out a light in the distance. What was it? A campfire? The torch of a search party maybe? No, wait. It’s getting clearer. It’s the back porch light and there standing on the steps to the back porch is my mama calling me to supper.
“Go wash your hands for supper.” She said. When I sat at the table I dug in. Fried chicken, peas, butter beans and mashed potatoes with gravy, um good. The funny thing, it fit right into my story as a country lodge I happened upon while fleeing the Blackfeet Indians.
Once upon a time we played outside.
I’ve become weary with the mentality that Christians are not supposed to express their opinions about social and political matters. If you say something is wrong you will be accused of hate or being hateful. Many believe that Christians should be silent and invisible. I actually can point to places in the Word where Jesus’ words were sharp, abrasive and confrontational. Are we not supposed to be like Jesus? WWJD? I have been criticized for speaking my opinion. Not by people outside of the church but by those who claim Christ. Those who would rather we are silent and invisible.
There is too much at stake. So here’s what I believe Christians should do about social and political situations.
#1 Pray – If my People……
#2 Fast – Isa 58:6 “Is not the fast that I have chose: To loose the bonds of wickedness……
#3 Be involved in the political system. We don’t need more greedy lawyers in Washington. We need real people who know God and want to please Him. Run for office.
#4 When running for office do not run with parties that have un-godly platforms. If you can’t find peace with either party, run as an independent.
#4 VOTE- If conservatives had gone to the polls in our last election like they should have things might be different (for the good), maybe.
#5 Speak – Don’t let pseudo Christians intimidate your voice.
#6 Pray!
I’m just one person and this just happens to be my opinion and I’m standing by it.
Follow this Link to my book, The Eye of A Needle.
I don’t know exactly what to call it. Being in a winter funk, writers block or something else. I love to write however it seems that the last few months I’ve drawn a big fat blank when it comes to writing.
Writing experts say that writers should write everyday. No matter what, write something. I’ve failed miserably at that.
It hasn’t helped that I’ve been dealing with a painful health issue for the last couple of months. It’s some kind of back thing that causes sever pain in my leg. It’s called anterolisthesis . I’ve been under the care of my physician who has really done nothing for me and now I’m seeing my chiropractor. The whole episode has put me in a bit of a funk with the pain and pain medication. Well enough excuses.
So I’m writing this ramble about the fact that I haven’t been writing hoping to just get the juices flowing again.
I know that in order to make this blog a success and build a readership I have to write and post regularly. I’m going to really try to get back in the groove.
Maybe you can help me. Give me some subjects to write about. Subjects such as Family, Christian life, leadership etc. etc. etc.
Please check out my book, The Eye of A Needle at this link.
Recently I heard a highly respected pastor talking about replacement theology. This pastor is well know among Pentecostal ranks and pastors a very large church. I have an enormous amount of respect for this man and that has not changed.
First of all in case you don’t know let me give you a quick, simple definition of replacement theology. Simply put, some have taught that the New Testament church has replaced the Jewish people and the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people. Not so!
In his attempt to explain replacement theology this is what the pastor I am referring to said. “For example, we hear pastors preaching that II Chronicles 7:14 is a promise to American. It’s not, it’s a promise to Israel.”
This is where I have a problem. I do agree that the promise of II Chronicles 7:14 was and is for the nation of Israel and not for the United States. However I would take it a step further and say it is a promise for the church in the United States, a promise for those who have accepted Christ.
Note the words of the apostle Paul recorded in Galatians 3:26-29.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
The photo to the left is a recent one of my dad and me. My dad taught me to do. Get a job! Cut the grass! Do Something! It didn’t kill me to have to DO at a young age. It built character and a work ethic in me.
I have to ask the question which of the follow carries the most power? What I THINK, How I FEEL, or how I ACT. Some high THINKING individuals would say that they are all connected. Are they? They might say that all three carry the same amount of weight of importance. Do They?
Let’s use a story from the Bible to weigh out the matter. You will have to excuse me in the fact that with this story I must read between the lines. I’m not creating doctrine by adding to scripture. I am merely using my imagination to wonder if.
Matthew chapter 14 tells the story. The disciples are in a boat and it’s dark, “shortly before dawn,” and Jesus approaches the boat, walking on the water. It scared the disciples because they thought He was a ghost or something. So, Peter says, “Lord if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water,” to which Jesus replied, “Come.”
This is where my imagination kicks in so bear with me. Not wanting to be outdone James and John are considering a walk on the water right along with Peter. James says, “I THINK a walk on the water is highly possible since Jesus is doing it and He said to come. John says, “I FEEL something powerful in the air, I FEEL goose bumps all over my body. I just FEEL as though I should walk on the water to Jesus.
While James is talking about what he Thinks and John is talking about what he feels, Peter is already in the process of climbing over the side of the boat and putting his feet on the water.
Which one carries the most weight; Thinking, Feeling or Doing? Two Thousand years later James and John are not even mentioned by name in this story.
You can talk about what your going to do but until you put actions to your words it’s just words. You can expound upon what you feel but until you put your feelings into motion with some action you’ve accomplished nothing.
James 2:14 – 20
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
It applies to everything.
What do you think?
Get a copy of my book, The Eye of A Needle.
Like you, I have been horrified and grieved over the last few days as a result of the massacre of little children and their teachers at Sandy Hook elementary school.
In spite of that horror I managed to somehow manage emotionally until, until the news stations began putting their names on the screen. Just seeing the names was almost too much to bear. Then it was pictures. We saw many of their faces in school pictures and family snapshots.
I live in Alabama. It’s a long way from Connecticut but not any more. Now it seems as though the people of Newton CT. are our next-door neighbors. Neighbors we care deeply about and our hearts are broken for them.
I have seen pictures of some of my neighbors in Newton who had just found out that their child was among the dead. I’m sure that the looks of horror and grief on their faces cannot even begin to tell the pain that they were feeling at that very moment and the pain that they will deal with for the rest of their lives.
Why did this happen? There are no clear-cut answers, but we do have a clue as to why our society as a whole is shattering beneath us.
Former Governor of Arkansas, Presidential candidate, Fox news personality, talk radio host and former Baptist preacher Mick Huckabee said this. “We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we have systematically removed God from our schools,” Huckabee said on Fox News. “Should we be so surprised that schools would become a place of carnage?” The far left has done their typical howling at the very suggestion that an attack on Christianity had something to do with this tragedy.
Huckabee later explained that he in no way was suggesting that if their had been prayer in school that the shooting would not have happened.
The fact that prayer, mention’s of God and any symbol relating to him are being systematically removed for the public life of our country must be noted, noticed and declared.
We’ve heard much over the last few years about the war on Christmas. Most people, even Christians roll their eyes in their head in disbelief that anyone would make such a deal over something so trivial. Is it trivial? Is it??
Visit your favorite department stores in your local mall. Look for even the word Christmas. Visit their websites. I just did. I was surprised to find that the word Christmas was used on most of the sites but in very small insignificant ways.
It’s not trivial that our nation has turned its back on God.
Will we ever return as a nation to our Christian roots? I’m not optimistic. I will tell you this. If every person in the United States who claim to be Christian would stand up and be what they say they are some things would change, for the better.
Continue to pray for these parents who are hurting so badly and for the community that now has to begin the process of moving forward.
