This morning I turned on my usual morning show on television, Fox 4 News, and as most people were, was shocked to discover that Don Harman had died yesterday evening. It's odd how you can feel sad about the death of someone that you didn't know personally, but I, along with thousands of others, found myself with that feeling this morning. Don was someone who could bring a smile to your face with his off the wall humor and antics and we're all going to miss that.
I don't know all the circumstances surrounding his death, other than knowing that he did take his own life. One of the leading causes of suicide is depression. For years, I thought, and I preached, that depression was a tool of the devil and you could pray your way out of it. While I still believe that to be true, and honestly believe that God can deliver you from anything and everything, including depression, I also have found that depression is a real thing. It is a scientifically proven medical condition that requires medical treatment as well.
For years I preached that you didn't need Prozac, Xanax, or any other prescription to get rid of your depression and sorrow, you just needed Jesus. Well, I found out the hard way, even people who have Jesus can still suffer from depression. I don't publicize the fact that I went through a severe state of depression a few years ago. I lost a grandmother in March 2003, was extremely busy with preaching, with my job, and numerous other things and somewhere along the way entered into a severe state of depression. I don't know how it happened, I don't know why it happened, I don't know exactly what it was that triggered it, but I do know that I needed medication, as well as the Lord to deal with it. I've been ridiculed by other christians, or people who claim to be christian, that if I want to get rid of the depression, I just need to get right with God. Well, I feel that my relationship with the Lord is strong, and growing stronger everyday, but guess what, I still take Prozac. Why? Because I have a chemical imbalance, a medical condition that requires medication. There's nothing wrong with taking medicine because you're sick. If you have an infection, you take an antibiotic. If you have a toothache, you go to the dentist. Depression is just like either one of those, it's real. Even though you can't see and infection, it has an effect on your body. Even though you can't see a toothache, you have no doubt that you have one because it hurts. Depression is the same way. Even though it can't be seen, it's there. Even though it might not cause something to grow on your body, it's something that effects your entire being. There is help out there.
No one really knew how hard I was struggling with the depression. Dealing with the public, you learn how to put on your happy face and smile and wave and be happy, but on the inside you're breaking into a million pieces. I prayed, I asked God to help me, I took time off work, I took a vacation, I saw a psychologist, I did everything I knew to do and nothing was helping. And, I was getting sicker. I needed medicine becuase I was sick! Once I finally got on the medication, I began to get back to feeling more like myself and I haven't regretted it one single day! God gave someone the knowledge to create this drug, so I don't feel one ounce less christian because I take it! In fact, I thank God for giving someone this knowledge.
We never really know what someone is going through because society has taught us that no one really cares about how we feel or what we're going through. That's not true. First, and foremost, God cares. He understands us better than anyone and He will help us. But, we also have to help ourselves. There is medication out there to help those of us with the disease of depression and we have to realize that when we're sick, we have to take medicine. We also have to realize that we have friends who are there for us and they do care. I remember going to see one of my closest friends, who happened to be in Des Moines at the time, but I knew I could talk to him and he'd do everything he could to help. In fact, he's the one that suggested starting some medication. I had been led to believe that depression was strictly a spiritual disease and that just isn't true. While it is a spiritual battle, as well as most things in our lives, it is an illness that requires treatment. I used to think that being an alcoholic or drug addict was a choice, it's not, it's a disease, an illness and it requires treatment as well. To many times we over spiritualize things and forget the fact that these bodies we have here on earth are not spiritual bodies. They do get sick, they do require medicine, they do require treatment because we live in bodies and in a world that is sin stricken.
I'm sure some out there will say that I must not be a very good christian if I don't believe that God can heal me from depression, and that's fine. If that's the worst they're saying about me, I'm doing pretty good then:) But, those are probably the same people who would watch their loved one die in agony and pray for God to heal them, but refuse to use the good common sense God gave them to go seek help from a doctor. I have no doubt that God can heal and cure all things, I know He can. But, there are times in our lives when God doesn't give that miraculous healing and we have to bear the cross of a sickness. While we bear that cross, we can seek help from doctors, medicine, technology and find some help from those sources, as well as the Lord, and still be christians.
Until we get to Heaven, these mortal and corruptible bodies that we have, will have diseases, sicknesses, illnesses, addictions, along with so many other trials, but I want to encourage you not to ignore these things. They are real. Just because you can't see depression, I'm here to tell you, it's as real as I am. Just because you can't see someone breaking apart on the inside doesn't mean that it's not happening, it's real. And just as real as these things are, there is help out there and not one thing wrong with seeking it. As you walk with the Lord, I hope and pray that you're relationship with Him allows you to remember that you and I are human and God has given us some human tools that we can use to make it through this life until He heals us all completely in that place where there will be no more sickness!
If you see someone hurting, someone who maybe just needs a hug or a smile, be a blessing and allow the Lord to love them through you!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Veteran's Day
For those of you who have known me for a while, you know that I've always felt comfortable speaking my mind. I'm sure I've said some things that many have liked and I know for a fact I've said things that some haven't liked, but isn't it great that we live in a country where we can do that?
The first letter to the editor I ever wrote in my life was when I was in the 4th grade. Here in Marshall the Chamber of Commerce/City Office building, at that time, was located just to the east of where the post office is now. There was a flagpole at the front entrance of the building, but there was no light on the flag. At night, that poor flag looked so lonely up there flapping in the wind. We were studying proper etiquette for displaying the American flag and when I learned that there was to be a light shining on the flag at night, I was appalled that our own city government was showing such disregard to the great emblem of our country.
I wrote a letter to the editor in our local paper, The Marshall Democrat News, raising my concern over the lack of respect that was being shown to our flag by our city government. I'm sure it was a total oversight and I know that it wasn't an intentional lack of disregard as well, but never the less, there should still be a light on the flag. The evening after my letter was published, there was a light on the flag.
The next letter to the editor that I had published was when I was in the 5th grade. We were all asked to write about a hero and a certain number of those would be published in the paper. I wrote about my grandpa, George Simmons. I didn't write about him being my hero because he was my grandpa, I wrote about him being my hero because he was a veteran. My grandpa joined the military in the early 40's and discharged from the Air Force in the late 60's, after a little over 25 years of service to our country. He was stationed in numerous places during the wars, Germany, Italy, Japan, and so many other places. He was away from his family for long periods of time, leaving my grandma to raise their two kids and make due with what little bit they had. My grandfather received a purple heart, and several other awards, but we never really heard him discuss much about his time in the service.
We are so blessed to live in a place where we can have different opinions, and we can express those opinions, without fear that the government is going to come and arrest us just because we don't agree with them. We are so blessed to live in a place where we can attend our place of worship and serve our Creator, without fear that we're going to be persecuted by the government for what we believe. Even with all of it's problems, discouraging news reports and alarming statistics, The United States of America is the greatest country on Earth; and it's because of our veterans that it is what it is today.
I've never served in the military, and can't begin to imagine what it must be like to be taken away from your family, friends, home, job, everything you know as normal and be sent to some far off land to help defend freedom. I can't understand what it's like to walk out into a battlefield and not now if you'll be coming back in the same way you went out or if you'll be shot, captured, or killed. That's just something that a soldier can only know.
To every single one of our veterans, past and present, the words thank you are so inadequate. You are all making sacrifices that can't be comprehended by people like me who have never had to make that sacrifice and I just don't know how to say thanks. But, just know this much, each time I look at that American flag flying high in the sky with it's stars and stripes whipping in the wind, I remind myself that my opinions, and my right to express those opinions, have cost more than I could ever imagine. Whether we agree or disagree with each other, whether we're republican or democrat, whether we're of the same faith, regardless of our race; the freedom that we have has come at a high price for so many and on this veterans day, November 11, 2011 we salute each and every one of you.
God bless all of our veterans and service men and women and we continually pray, God Bless the USA.
The first letter to the editor I ever wrote in my life was when I was in the 4th grade. Here in Marshall the Chamber of Commerce/City Office building, at that time, was located just to the east of where the post office is now. There was a flagpole at the front entrance of the building, but there was no light on the flag. At night, that poor flag looked so lonely up there flapping in the wind. We were studying proper etiquette for displaying the American flag and when I learned that there was to be a light shining on the flag at night, I was appalled that our own city government was showing such disregard to the great emblem of our country.
I wrote a letter to the editor in our local paper, The Marshall Democrat News, raising my concern over the lack of respect that was being shown to our flag by our city government. I'm sure it was a total oversight and I know that it wasn't an intentional lack of disregard as well, but never the less, there should still be a light on the flag. The evening after my letter was published, there was a light on the flag.
The next letter to the editor that I had published was when I was in the 5th grade. We were all asked to write about a hero and a certain number of those would be published in the paper. I wrote about my grandpa, George Simmons. I didn't write about him being my hero because he was my grandpa, I wrote about him being my hero because he was a veteran. My grandpa joined the military in the early 40's and discharged from the Air Force in the late 60's, after a little over 25 years of service to our country. He was stationed in numerous places during the wars, Germany, Italy, Japan, and so many other places. He was away from his family for long periods of time, leaving my grandma to raise their two kids and make due with what little bit they had. My grandfather received a purple heart, and several other awards, but we never really heard him discuss much about his time in the service.
We are so blessed to live in a place where we can have different opinions, and we can express those opinions, without fear that the government is going to come and arrest us just because we don't agree with them. We are so blessed to live in a place where we can attend our place of worship and serve our Creator, without fear that we're going to be persecuted by the government for what we believe. Even with all of it's problems, discouraging news reports and alarming statistics, The United States of America is the greatest country on Earth; and it's because of our veterans that it is what it is today.
I've never served in the military, and can't begin to imagine what it must be like to be taken away from your family, friends, home, job, everything you know as normal and be sent to some far off land to help defend freedom. I can't understand what it's like to walk out into a battlefield and not now if you'll be coming back in the same way you went out or if you'll be shot, captured, or killed. That's just something that a soldier can only know.
To every single one of our veterans, past and present, the words thank you are so inadequate. You are all making sacrifices that can't be comprehended by people like me who have never had to make that sacrifice and I just don't know how to say thanks. But, just know this much, each time I look at that American flag flying high in the sky with it's stars and stripes whipping in the wind, I remind myself that my opinions, and my right to express those opinions, have cost more than I could ever imagine. Whether we agree or disagree with each other, whether we're republican or democrat, whether we're of the same faith, regardless of our race; the freedom that we have has come at a high price for so many and on this veterans day, November 11, 2011 we salute each and every one of you.
God bless all of our veterans and service men and women and we continually pray, God Bless the USA.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Faith
You know faith is kind of a relative term. Faith is so easy to talk about and so easy to walk in when things are going the way that you want them to. When we have money in the bank, it's easy to pay our tithes because it really doesn't require any type of sacrifice or even really stepping out in faith for that matter. When our health is good, we really sometimes don't even find time to pray, but we still have faith. But, things change when we get the news that there is an illness, or when we have to decide which bills can be paid this month, this is when faith really kicks in.
The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. This past week, I can honestly say that I saw faith to its fullest meaning. I have some very dear friends of many years who are great ministers for the Lord. My friend, Angelia Pack Carpenter and her husband, Thomas, have been faithful workers for the kingdom of God their entire lives. Angelia is the daughter of ministers, who have preached the word all over the world; Thomas is the son of ministers, parents who have faithfully preached the Gospel.
Last Thursday, I received a call that Thomas and Angelia's son, Buck, had been in a terrible car wreck, along with Thomas' mother. Just a couple hours later, I was called and told that neither one of them, 8 year old Buck, or his grandmother, Sister Nelma Carpenter, survived the accident. I drove to Little Rock late Tuesday to attend their funerals on Wednesday morning. When I took the exit off of the highway to get to the church, I couldn't figure out what the holdup was in getting through, it was people waiting in line to get parked for the funeral for Buck and Nelma. The funeral director told me that they had well over 3,000 people come by Tuesday evening for visitation and I'm sure there were well over 1,200 at the funeral. I was prepared to cry, which I did, because it was so sad to think that these Godly lives were taken so soon. But, when I saw Thomas, Angelia, Rev. Carpenter (Nelma's husband), all of the Carpenter family, Aaron and Jeanette Pack and their families, I was reminded of what faith really is. Faith is still lifting your hands and thanking God for His goodness and mercy, even in the valley's of our lives.
When the service started, the congregation stood as the family entered. Once the family was in and seated, the music minister invited everyone to remain standing as the sang the opening hymn. They began singing the old song "Oh, I Want To See Him", and you could definitley feel the presence of the Lord in that place. The family lifted their hands in faith and began praising God for the lives of their loved ones, and not only for their lives here, but for the faith they have of seeing them again in Heaven. The ministers began to talk about Sister Carpenter and Buck and told many stories of how they had influenced so many people. More songs were sang and their lives were truly celebrated as this was not a funeral, but a celebration for their homegoing and a celebration that we're going to see them again.
I don't know how I would handle the same situation if I were in their shoes, and I don't think you can even begin to think of how you would handle it unless you've faced that same thing. To lose your mother and son in an accident and still be able to stand and proclaim to the world and those watching that Jesus is still in control and He is still the master of the wind, folks, that is faith in action.
How do you handle the trials that come your way? Do you allow your faith to grow in the Lord and allow God to give you the strength that you need? Do you stand and still say "thank you Lord for all you've given us and blessed us with" when your world is crashing around you? I think if we all strive harder to truly live by faith and not by sight, I know that God will begin doing the unimaginable in each one of our lives!!
Just some thoughts......WH
The Bible says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. This past week, I can honestly say that I saw faith to its fullest meaning. I have some very dear friends of many years who are great ministers for the Lord. My friend, Angelia Pack Carpenter and her husband, Thomas, have been faithful workers for the kingdom of God their entire lives. Angelia is the daughter of ministers, who have preached the word all over the world; Thomas is the son of ministers, parents who have faithfully preached the Gospel.
Last Thursday, I received a call that Thomas and Angelia's son, Buck, had been in a terrible car wreck, along with Thomas' mother. Just a couple hours later, I was called and told that neither one of them, 8 year old Buck, or his grandmother, Sister Nelma Carpenter, survived the accident. I drove to Little Rock late Tuesday to attend their funerals on Wednesday morning. When I took the exit off of the highway to get to the church, I couldn't figure out what the holdup was in getting through, it was people waiting in line to get parked for the funeral for Buck and Nelma. The funeral director told me that they had well over 3,000 people come by Tuesday evening for visitation and I'm sure there were well over 1,200 at the funeral. I was prepared to cry, which I did, because it was so sad to think that these Godly lives were taken so soon. But, when I saw Thomas, Angelia, Rev. Carpenter (Nelma's husband), all of the Carpenter family, Aaron and Jeanette Pack and their families, I was reminded of what faith really is. Faith is still lifting your hands and thanking God for His goodness and mercy, even in the valley's of our lives.
When the service started, the congregation stood as the family entered. Once the family was in and seated, the music minister invited everyone to remain standing as the sang the opening hymn. They began singing the old song "Oh, I Want To See Him", and you could definitley feel the presence of the Lord in that place. The family lifted their hands in faith and began praising God for the lives of their loved ones, and not only for their lives here, but for the faith they have of seeing them again in Heaven. The ministers began to talk about Sister Carpenter and Buck and told many stories of how they had influenced so many people. More songs were sang and their lives were truly celebrated as this was not a funeral, but a celebration for their homegoing and a celebration that we're going to see them again.
I don't know how I would handle the same situation if I were in their shoes, and I don't think you can even begin to think of how you would handle it unless you've faced that same thing. To lose your mother and son in an accident and still be able to stand and proclaim to the world and those watching that Jesus is still in control and He is still the master of the wind, folks, that is faith in action.
How do you handle the trials that come your way? Do you allow your faith to grow in the Lord and allow God to give you the strength that you need? Do you stand and still say "thank you Lord for all you've given us and blessed us with" when your world is crashing around you? I think if we all strive harder to truly live by faith and not by sight, I know that God will begin doing the unimaginable in each one of our lives!!
Just some thoughts......WH
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Trials and struggles
One thing is for certain; no matter who you are, what your religious views might be, what political party you belong to, what race you are, what sex you are, there are going to be times of struggle and heartache in your life. In the last week I have seen so many of my friends going through these very trials. From people who have been in full time ministry for well over 50 years to people who didn't necessarily attend church regularly, yet this one thing they all have in common this week...they have experienced tragedy in their lives.
Tragedy is a pretty broad term. It can mean the loss of the loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of a friendship, so many things are encompassed by tragedy. In the last two weeks, I know people who have suffered all of these losses, and some have even experienced multiple losses at the same time. It's extremely hard to understand why. I'm sure some wonder why God has allowed all this tragedy to come about, why God has allowed their hearts to be broken into a million pieces, and as much as I wish I could say I'm about to give you the answer in this little ramble, I can't. I truly believe there are many things that we will never understand this side of Heaven.
The Bible assures us that God works in mysterious ways, and I believe that more and more as I go through life. But something else the Bible assures us, is that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28) We have to keep in mind that even in the darkest times and hardest trials of our lives, God is working His purpose and plan in our lives. God won't always change our situations and trials, but God is always changing us. As He changes us, we begin to see a little more clearly His divine plan in our lives.
But, regardless of knowing all that, when we go through these types of terrible and difficult tragedies, our faith is shaken to the very core. It's easy for me to sit and type about how all of these things are working to make us stronger and that God is working in our lives, because I'm not the one directly facing all these situations. But, to my dear friends who are, just know that God is still with you. He is still going to be with you, He is going to strengthen you, He will be your peace if you'll just leave things in His hands. Tell God how you feel. If you're angry at God, tell Him that you're angry. If you're upset with your situation, tell God that you're upset with your situation and trials. He may not change the trial, but He will change you. God is a big God. He can take our anger, our hurt, our pains, our broken hearts, and He can bring about a peace that passes all understanding, if we'll let him.
For all of my friends going through struggle, know that there are many people praying for you. Know that we're lifting you and your families up in our thoughts and prayers, asking God to give you His perfect peace and to speak peace be still to your storms.
Like the song says:
Life is easy when you're up on the mountain,
And you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known;
But then things change and you’re down in the valley:
Don’t lose faith for you’re never alone.
You talk of faith when you’re up on the mountain,
But the talk comes easy when life’s at it’s best.
But it is down in the valley of trials and temptation,
That’s when faith is really put to the test.
For the God of the mountain is still God in the valley:
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right;
And the God of the good time is still God in the bad times,
The God of the day is still God in the night.
Tragedy is a pretty broad term. It can mean the loss of the loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of a friendship, so many things are encompassed by tragedy. In the last two weeks, I know people who have suffered all of these losses, and some have even experienced multiple losses at the same time. It's extremely hard to understand why. I'm sure some wonder why God has allowed all this tragedy to come about, why God has allowed their hearts to be broken into a million pieces, and as much as I wish I could say I'm about to give you the answer in this little ramble, I can't. I truly believe there are many things that we will never understand this side of Heaven.
The Bible assures us that God works in mysterious ways, and I believe that more and more as I go through life. But something else the Bible assures us, is that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28) We have to keep in mind that even in the darkest times and hardest trials of our lives, God is working His purpose and plan in our lives. God won't always change our situations and trials, but God is always changing us. As He changes us, we begin to see a little more clearly His divine plan in our lives.
But, regardless of knowing all that, when we go through these types of terrible and difficult tragedies, our faith is shaken to the very core. It's easy for me to sit and type about how all of these things are working to make us stronger and that God is working in our lives, because I'm not the one directly facing all these situations. But, to my dear friends who are, just know that God is still with you. He is still going to be with you, He is going to strengthen you, He will be your peace if you'll just leave things in His hands. Tell God how you feel. If you're angry at God, tell Him that you're angry. If you're upset with your situation, tell God that you're upset with your situation and trials. He may not change the trial, but He will change you. God is a big God. He can take our anger, our hurt, our pains, our broken hearts, and He can bring about a peace that passes all understanding, if we'll let him.
For all of my friends going through struggle, know that there are many people praying for you. Know that we're lifting you and your families up in our thoughts and prayers, asking God to give you His perfect peace and to speak peace be still to your storms.
Like the song says:
Life is easy when you're up on the mountain,
And you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known;
But then things change and you’re down in the valley:
Don’t lose faith for you’re never alone.
You talk of faith when you’re up on the mountain,
But the talk comes easy when life’s at it’s best.
But it is down in the valley of trials and temptation,
That’s when faith is really put to the test.
For the God of the mountain is still God in the valley:
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right;
And the God of the good time is still God in the bad times,
The God of the day is still God in the night.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Death and angels
As most of you know, I have been a funeral director and embalmer pretty much since I graduated from high school. You also know that I have been preaching since I was 14 and that I preach a number of funerals. One thing that I have heard over and over again, all with good intention and meaning, when someone dies is "mom, dad, grandma, grandpa or whoever is now an angel watching over us." Or, I've also heard that "God must have needed another angel", and while this does seem to bring some comfort, it's not scripturally correct. There are a couple things about angels that we have to understand. First, angels are created beings, they have never lived in an earthly body. The number of angels never changes. They were created when God commanded them to be created (Psalm 148:5). The number that God created then is the number it still is today. Again, they were created and not formed.
When we die, the Bible tells us that we receive a new body. We will have a body that is not corruptible, a body that is not mortal; meaning that we won't ever get sick again, we won't ever hurt again, we won't ever have a misunderstanding, we will never shed another tear. We will have bodies that are perfect because all things in Heaven are just that, perfect.
Back to angels :) I think it's such an honor and a blessing to think that God took the time to form and create mankind. He didn't speak us into existance, the Bible says "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7). He took the time to form us, mold us, and create us in His image. The angels were spoken and commanded into existance. Genesis 2:7 continues on to say "and breathed the breath of life; and man became a living being." He not only formed us in His image, but He breathed the breath of life into His creation.
When Adam and Eve chose to sin, the world and the perfection that God had created was now destroyed. So many things changed and now there had to be sacrifices made to atone for sin. Angels, good and bad, and yes, there are bad angels have never known what it was to have sin atoned because they have no soul. Remember that satan was an angel who chose to go against God and he was cast out of Heaven along with those who decided to follow satan. So, yes there are angels that are not good and we refer to them as demons. Those demons can never ever be redeemed because they never had a soul, their final destination, along with satan is hell. The ultimate sacrifice, and the only way to get to Heaven, was when Jesus died on the cross. His blood was the final sacrifice for all mankind. All the sin of humanity was placed upon Him and He died to give us life eternal.
When we get to Heaven, though angles do praise God, our praise will be a type of praise that the angels can't understand, because they have never needed redemption. When we sing the words to the song "Amazing Grace", we should really listen to those words and understand that the angels in Heaven can't sing that song because they don't know redeeming grace as we do.
So, all of that to get to this. Don't ever think that God doesn't love us, or doesn't care for us. Look at how He formed and created us. Look at how He sent the very best Heaven had, His only begotten Son, to die and atone for our sin. Don't ever think that God isn't aware of what we're going through when we grieve becuase He knows the feeling of losing something so precious because He gave us His Son.
Also remember that when we get to Heaven, we're going to know our loved ones, we're going to know everyone there for that matter. We will never say goodbye again because death won't be there. When you grieve, realize that we're grieving for us, not our loved one who has gone on to be with Jesus and other loved ones. And keep in mind that if you trust in the Lord and what His blood did for us at Calvary and accept Him as Lord and Savior, you're going to see them again. It doesn't mean that we aren't going to hurt or that we aren't going to cry and mourn; it just means that we know that these tears are a temporary thing and that one day soon, God Himself is going to wipe every tear from our eyes.
When we die, the Bible tells us that we receive a new body. We will have a body that is not corruptible, a body that is not mortal; meaning that we won't ever get sick again, we won't ever hurt again, we won't ever have a misunderstanding, we will never shed another tear. We will have bodies that are perfect because all things in Heaven are just that, perfect.
Back to angels :) I think it's such an honor and a blessing to think that God took the time to form and create mankind. He didn't speak us into existance, the Bible says "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground" (Genesis 2:7). He took the time to form us, mold us, and create us in His image. The angels were spoken and commanded into existance. Genesis 2:7 continues on to say "and breathed the breath of life; and man became a living being." He not only formed us in His image, but He breathed the breath of life into His creation.
When Adam and Eve chose to sin, the world and the perfection that God had created was now destroyed. So many things changed and now there had to be sacrifices made to atone for sin. Angels, good and bad, and yes, there are bad angels have never known what it was to have sin atoned because they have no soul. Remember that satan was an angel who chose to go against God and he was cast out of Heaven along with those who decided to follow satan. So, yes there are angels that are not good and we refer to them as demons. Those demons can never ever be redeemed because they never had a soul, their final destination, along with satan is hell. The ultimate sacrifice, and the only way to get to Heaven, was when Jesus died on the cross. His blood was the final sacrifice for all mankind. All the sin of humanity was placed upon Him and He died to give us life eternal.
When we get to Heaven, though angles do praise God, our praise will be a type of praise that the angels can't understand, because they have never needed redemption. When we sing the words to the song "Amazing Grace", we should really listen to those words and understand that the angels in Heaven can't sing that song because they don't know redeeming grace as we do.
So, all of that to get to this. Don't ever think that God doesn't love us, or doesn't care for us. Look at how He formed and created us. Look at how He sent the very best Heaven had, His only begotten Son, to die and atone for our sin. Don't ever think that God isn't aware of what we're going through when we grieve becuase He knows the feeling of losing something so precious because He gave us His Son.
Also remember that when we get to Heaven, we're going to know our loved ones, we're going to know everyone there for that matter. We will never say goodbye again because death won't be there. When you grieve, realize that we're grieving for us, not our loved one who has gone on to be with Jesus and other loved ones. And keep in mind that if you trust in the Lord and what His blood did for us at Calvary and accept Him as Lord and Savior, you're going to see them again. It doesn't mean that we aren't going to hurt or that we aren't going to cry and mourn; it just means that we know that these tears are a temporary thing and that one day soon, God Himself is going to wipe every tear from our eyes.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Ministry
I don't do this very often, but really feel compelled for several different reasons to do this. First of all, if you're reading this, I hope you realize that this is written out of love and not anger, though some of the things I'm about to put out there are going to be extremely straight forward. I've never been one to mince words in my personal life or from behind any pulpit I've stood in. I received a note from the minister of a church nearby, and I appreciate the information it contained because there is a lot of truth in it. The reason I received this note is because, and I'm copying and pasting from the message I received, "Willie, we are sending this info to you about the Gay Gospel. To give you info to preach against this lifestyle. We felt like you were promoting this lifestyle by the statements you have made on a facebook page." I did delete the person's name mentioned, just because it's not relevant to the note.
First of all, I ask God what to preach about and take direction from Him. I lean on Him to help me know what to preach because I only see the outside and He sees the inside of man, so God knows the need of mankind much better than I do. Secondly, I have never backed down from preaching against homosexuality. The Bible clearly states that it is sin, and when God lays it on my heart to preach against it, I have and I do.
But, my comments are made in the sense that no longer are preachers asking God what to preach about, they're taking what they find to be sinful in their eyes and preaching against that. They aren't preaching against sin, but they're preaching against people. I have never, and pray that I never will, preach against any person, because that's not what I've been called to do. I hope and pray that I will always preach against sin and if that begins to deal with a person, then I leave that up to God to take it from there. If we would spend more time preaching against sin and not people, we might see our church attendances increase and people have a desire to hear more of the Word. I have people telling me what to preach all the time, becuase they know someone/something that is going on and they want someone to preach about it.
Well, think about this. There is a divorce rate of over 50 percent in the United States today. Let me give you a few scriptures about what the Bible says about divorce: Matthew 19:8-9, (this is Jesus speaking) "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, committs adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced committs adultery."
There aren't many preachers today preaching against the sin of divorce. Why, because it would affect the majority, according to statistics, of their congregation. I preach against the sin of divorce because it's sin, not because I want to get at somebody. Do I think people who get divorced and remarry are going to hell or are less saved than someone who has been married 70 years, absolutely not.
Here's another. I've sat in churches where preachers brag about how much they're going to eat after the service is over. Let's see what God says about gluttony. "Hear my son and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, or gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." Proverbs 23:19-21. I don't hear many preachers preaching against the sin of overeating. I hear many taking part of this text, the drunkard part of it, and preaching it to death, but we don't want to preach against things that hit home. We pick and choose. This body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. When we sit and stuff ourselves with every chicken leg we can find, do you think that's good for the temply that houses the Lord? Yet, we don't preach against the sin of gluttony.
I've seen deacons, choir members, ushers and members of churches standing on the church parking lot having a smoke because they're addicted to nicotine. That nicotine that you're ingesting is known to cause cancer, and you my friend are destroying the temple of God. You're murdering the house that God dwells in, yet I don't hear many preachers preaching against the sin of tobacco abuse. Why, because the few people left in the church that weren't divorced or overweight, would probably fall into this category and we'd have no one there to preach to. The church is, and should be, full of sinners, but we want to decide which sinners we let into the house of the Lord, God help us!
It's time that the Christians of this world quit shoving "their" doctrine, "their" beliefs, "their" idea of Christianity, and start preaching about Jesus and preaching against the sin. If we were to preach against the sin of divorce and gluttony, first of all, well over 75 percent of the pulpits would be empty because the preachers wouldn't be able to preach against the sins they're in the middle of, but our churches would be empty.
I'm amazed that we want to crucify, and I mean crucify, homosexuals because of their sin and we want to brow beat them into feeling they are less than human, not worthy of the love and mercy of God, yet we want to laugh and make fun of the fact that 40 percent of our country is obese, nearly 60 percent of every marriage will end in divorce, that we have churches on every corner because people can't get along, so they start they're own church with their own doctrine. If churches, preachers, ministers, christians, would get into the word, realize that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, and pray one for another, we could see great things happen in our world. Again, I'm not condoning or promoting any kind of sin, but I'm telling you that we're all sinners and that there are no degrees to sin. Sin is sin, plain and simple, that's what God has told us.
God put each of us here and He makes no mistakes. Humans do. I'm a far cry from perfect and struggle with sin just as much as anyone. I'll be the first to admit that I have failed, and fail God, in many areas of my life, but there isn't a single one of my 1775 friends on here, or a single one of the 6 billion people in the world, that can tell me that the grace and mercy of God doesn't cover my inequity.
Preacher friends of mine, if you want to continue to seperate and segregate the sins that you're going to preach against and about, you have that right, but just remember when you stand before the Lord, you're going to give an account as to what you preached. Instead of asking the "Mecca" of your denomination what you should be preaching, some should start seeking God and asking Him what to preach. Many ministers today get their sermons from the internet and God help them when they stand before the Lord. I know I said this earlier, but I'm gonna go at it again, don't preach against people, preach against SIN!
Many families are torn apart because the "christians" in the family can't show the love of God to other family members. If I were to walk away from family and friends that were divorced, that were overweight, who had an occasional drink, who have committed sins in the past, well, I'd be living in a lonely world, plus the fact, they wouldn't want to be around me, because I'm guilty of sin.
So, for anyone to assume that I'm "promoting" any lifestyle, you're wrong and I'm not afraid to say it. For anyone that says I'm condoning any form of sin, you're wrong. For anyone to tell me "here's information for you use to preach against ___________(you fill in the blank)", you're wrong. When God tells me to preach something, I'm going to preach that because it can't be wrong. If you have a problem with someone's life, pray for them, don't toss them to the side, that in itself is sin, but hope that they would do the same for you.
There are so many other sins that are listed in the Bible, and that's just what they are, sin. From idle words, overeating, being a drunk, being a homosexual, being an adulterer, being a stumbling block in someone's way, those are all sin and we need to preach against the sin that's being committed, not turn away from the sinner.
I know that this is a novel, and I apologize, but I'm tired of us as christians, picking and choosing who and what we're going to consider sinful. God has already done that, now it's up to us to help each other in this world of sin that we live in to find the love, grace, peace, mercy and forgiveness of the one who sent His only begotten Son to die to give us eternal life.
And finally, for those who are going to leave critical comments, tell me that what I've just typed is sinful or going to cause someone to sin or live in sin, I'm never ever going to stand before you for you to judge me, nor will you stand before me to be judged. But, when I stand before the Lord, I hope that I've been faithful to what HE has called me to do.
I just read everything I typed to make sure I want to put this out there, and I do. I know there will be some who will never come to hear me preach again, and I can live with that, because whether you like it or not, I'm going to preach the Word of the Lord, not the word of Willie. There may be some churches that never call me to preach for them again, in fact there might be some who call and cancel some preaching dates I already have, and guess what, I can live with that too. Taking a stand as a christian isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially with other christians, but tonight's my night and I'm going to do it.
Whoever you are out there, whatever you are, where ever you've been, whatever you've done, just remember this one thing...."God's grace will always be greater than sin."
First of all, I ask God what to preach about and take direction from Him. I lean on Him to help me know what to preach because I only see the outside and He sees the inside of man, so God knows the need of mankind much better than I do. Secondly, I have never backed down from preaching against homosexuality. The Bible clearly states that it is sin, and when God lays it on my heart to preach against it, I have and I do.
But, my comments are made in the sense that no longer are preachers asking God what to preach about, they're taking what they find to be sinful in their eyes and preaching against that. They aren't preaching against sin, but they're preaching against people. I have never, and pray that I never will, preach against any person, because that's not what I've been called to do. I hope and pray that I will always preach against sin and if that begins to deal with a person, then I leave that up to God to take it from there. If we would spend more time preaching against sin and not people, we might see our church attendances increase and people have a desire to hear more of the Word. I have people telling me what to preach all the time, becuase they know someone/something that is going on and they want someone to preach about it.
Well, think about this. There is a divorce rate of over 50 percent in the United States today. Let me give you a few scriptures about what the Bible says about divorce: Matthew 19:8-9, (this is Jesus speaking) "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, committs adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced committs adultery."
There aren't many preachers today preaching against the sin of divorce. Why, because it would affect the majority, according to statistics, of their congregation. I preach against the sin of divorce because it's sin, not because I want to get at somebody. Do I think people who get divorced and remarry are going to hell or are less saved than someone who has been married 70 years, absolutely not.
Here's another. I've sat in churches where preachers brag about how much they're going to eat after the service is over. Let's see what God says about gluttony. "Hear my son and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, or gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags." Proverbs 23:19-21. I don't hear many preachers preaching against the sin of overeating. I hear many taking part of this text, the drunkard part of it, and preaching it to death, but we don't want to preach against things that hit home. We pick and choose. This body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. When we sit and stuff ourselves with every chicken leg we can find, do you think that's good for the temply that houses the Lord? Yet, we don't preach against the sin of gluttony.
I've seen deacons, choir members, ushers and members of churches standing on the church parking lot having a smoke because they're addicted to nicotine. That nicotine that you're ingesting is known to cause cancer, and you my friend are destroying the temple of God. You're murdering the house that God dwells in, yet I don't hear many preachers preaching against the sin of tobacco abuse. Why, because the few people left in the church that weren't divorced or overweight, would probably fall into this category and we'd have no one there to preach to. The church is, and should be, full of sinners, but we want to decide which sinners we let into the house of the Lord, God help us!
It's time that the Christians of this world quit shoving "their" doctrine, "their" beliefs, "their" idea of Christianity, and start preaching about Jesus and preaching against the sin. If we were to preach against the sin of divorce and gluttony, first of all, well over 75 percent of the pulpits would be empty because the preachers wouldn't be able to preach against the sins they're in the middle of, but our churches would be empty.
I'm amazed that we want to crucify, and I mean crucify, homosexuals because of their sin and we want to brow beat them into feeling they are less than human, not worthy of the love and mercy of God, yet we want to laugh and make fun of the fact that 40 percent of our country is obese, nearly 60 percent of every marriage will end in divorce, that we have churches on every corner because people can't get along, so they start they're own church with their own doctrine. If churches, preachers, ministers, christians, would get into the word, realize that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, and pray one for another, we could see great things happen in our world. Again, I'm not condoning or promoting any kind of sin, but I'm telling you that we're all sinners and that there are no degrees to sin. Sin is sin, plain and simple, that's what God has told us.
God put each of us here and He makes no mistakes. Humans do. I'm a far cry from perfect and struggle with sin just as much as anyone. I'll be the first to admit that I have failed, and fail God, in many areas of my life, but there isn't a single one of my 1775 friends on here, or a single one of the 6 billion people in the world, that can tell me that the grace and mercy of God doesn't cover my inequity.
Preacher friends of mine, if you want to continue to seperate and segregate the sins that you're going to preach against and about, you have that right, but just remember when you stand before the Lord, you're going to give an account as to what you preached. Instead of asking the "Mecca" of your denomination what you should be preaching, some should start seeking God and asking Him what to preach. Many ministers today get their sermons from the internet and God help them when they stand before the Lord. I know I said this earlier, but I'm gonna go at it again, don't preach against people, preach against SIN!
Many families are torn apart because the "christians" in the family can't show the love of God to other family members. If I were to walk away from family and friends that were divorced, that were overweight, who had an occasional drink, who have committed sins in the past, well, I'd be living in a lonely world, plus the fact, they wouldn't want to be around me, because I'm guilty of sin.
So, for anyone to assume that I'm "promoting" any lifestyle, you're wrong and I'm not afraid to say it. For anyone that says I'm condoning any form of sin, you're wrong. For anyone to tell me "here's information for you use to preach against ___________(you fill in the blank)", you're wrong. When God tells me to preach something, I'm going to preach that because it can't be wrong. If you have a problem with someone's life, pray for them, don't toss them to the side, that in itself is sin, but hope that they would do the same for you.
There are so many other sins that are listed in the Bible, and that's just what they are, sin. From idle words, overeating, being a drunk, being a homosexual, being an adulterer, being a stumbling block in someone's way, those are all sin and we need to preach against the sin that's being committed, not turn away from the sinner.
I know that this is a novel, and I apologize, but I'm tired of us as christians, picking and choosing who and what we're going to consider sinful. God has already done that, now it's up to us to help each other in this world of sin that we live in to find the love, grace, peace, mercy and forgiveness of the one who sent His only begotten Son to die to give us eternal life.
And finally, for those who are going to leave critical comments, tell me that what I've just typed is sinful or going to cause someone to sin or live in sin, I'm never ever going to stand before you for you to judge me, nor will you stand before me to be judged. But, when I stand before the Lord, I hope that I've been faithful to what HE has called me to do.
I just read everything I typed to make sure I want to put this out there, and I do. I know there will be some who will never come to hear me preach again, and I can live with that, because whether you like it or not, I'm going to preach the Word of the Lord, not the word of Willie. There may be some churches that never call me to preach for them again, in fact there might be some who call and cancel some preaching dates I already have, and guess what, I can live with that too. Taking a stand as a christian isn't always the easiest thing to do, especially with other christians, but tonight's my night and I'm going to do it.
Whoever you are out there, whatever you are, where ever you've been, whatever you've done, just remember this one thing...."God's grace will always be greater than sin."
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