GOD USES YOU! Joshua 2:1b & 21 - “...So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night...21 “I accept your terms,” she replied. And she sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging from the window.” NLT This is a fascinating account in the lives of the Children of Israel. In order for you to fully appreciate the context of my thoughts today, I encourage you to go to this portion of scripture and read the entire account. Why is it so intriguing? For two reasons. One, God uses a prostitute to bring about His purpose for the Children of Israel. This demonstrates to me again that God will use anyone who submits themself to Him. We often think we are not worthy of being used by God in some miraculous way. I think differently. I am quite confident no one on this mailing list is considered a prostitute so I feel quite safe in saying this...if God will use a prostitute certainly He will use you. This woman agreed to the terms proposed by the spies which was simply this. She would get them out of town safely if they would let her family live. The agreement was struck. There was a scarlet rope to be left hanging over the wall of her house. The spies returned safely home and made their report to Joshua telling him of their agreement with Rahab. When the Israelites came and defeated the enemy, they spared the life of Rahab and her family when they saw the scarlet rope hanging from her window. Rahab was part of a great victory. The second reason this is intriguing to me is this. Guess who shows up in the lineage of Jesus? Rahab! She became the mother of Boaz and is listed as an ancestor of Jesus! Now tell me nothing important can happen through someone who is obedient to God’s plan. God can and will use anyone who has faith in Him and obeys His commands. That means you can be used of God in mighty ways if you just believe He wants to use you and you make yourself available to Him. One other little thing that is just interesting. What color was the rope hanging from the window? Scarlet. Isaiah18:18 - “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;....” KJV What color is blood? Red or scarlet. Rahab’s life was a life of sin(scarlet). Her salvation was exposing her life, walking in faith, and obeying the terms of her agreement by leaving the rope hanging over the wall. The victory belonged to God’s people for her obedience. Jesus blood is red and was shed for the forgiveness of sin and through it we are washed as white as snow. As the scarlet rope was the salvation for the spies and the salvation of Rahab and her family, there is a scarlet rope from the place of God to place of people bringing salvation for those who grab hold. And for those who grab hold, not only salvation is theirs, but being used of God to do mighty works is theirs as well. Think you are not worthy of being used of God? Think again.

Walking Godly

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” As I read thru these verses, I reflected on the beauty of the words and reality of the truth they present. We need look no further than the news headlines of today to see the wickedness of humanity. It is on full display every day. Shootings, hi-jackings, kidnappings, murder, human trafficking and more. It becomes obvious that something is terribly wrong with our society. Humanity is living out life devoid of any semblance of even kindness let alone Godliness. If we measure the depth of depravity of humanity by the above verses it is easy to see why we are where we are. Obviously, not all of humanity is heeding the Word when it says – “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked…” If we have not already lost the blessing of God upon our land, it would seem we may very close as the base wickedness of humanity quite literally continues to creep into every level of life at a pace I have never before seen. What, then is the answer. The answer is simple, its just not easy. The Psalmist spells it out – don’t walk with the wicked. That may mean we need to do some self-reflection about the company with which we hang. Maybe we have some “friends” who in fact are keeping us from being what God intended us to be – a reflection of Him. Then he says, “his delight is the law of the Lord…” That indicates we must spend time in His Word on a consistent basis. With football season just weeks away, one of things that sets winning teams apart from others is they spend time learning the offense and defense of their opponent. If we are to be a “winning” Christian, we must spend time in the Word learning the offense and defense of walking with Christ. The reward of this lifestyle is in verse 3 – “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Wow! What this says is that if I walk away from the wicked, the scoffers, and the nay-sayers and plant myself in the Word, then my life will be refreshed, fed, nourished and prosperous. I can think of nothing better to think on beginning the year than the Word of God. Do I want to be in the congregation of the wicked or the sitting on the banks of the life giving river of God, being refreshed daily by His Word and allowing Him to prosper me as He sees fit? I know where I want to be. Come join me.

Why? Romans 11:33 - “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” NLT For those you of who have ever had children or have been around children for any length of time you might remember this - “Why?” Why this and why that until you get to a point where you have no more answers for the “Why?” I am like that when it comes to God. Not tough questions, but question like - “Why do you allow evil?” “Why do good people die seemingly before their time and evil people just seem to live on and on and on?” “Why are some people healed and others die of disease?” "Why are there so many floods?" “Why - why - why?” Paul sets up the “Why?” question with this statement - “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!” When we can agree with this statement it is not hard for the “Why” to be resolved. Think about this for a moment - God’s riches are great. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He holds the wealth of nations in His hands. He knows where all the oil reserves are and holds those in His hand as well. He knows where the diamonds are - and holds those in His hands as well. Beyond those temporal things, He holds all eternity in His hands and who can put a value on that - priceless. Who can measure His wisdom? A portion of the wisdom of God is displayed in the wisdom of Solomon who was the wisest of men to ever live. Yet the wisdom of God is greater than that. His knowledge is so great the Word says he knew us before we were even conceived! How great are the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. If that is true, and it is - then it is logical to make the next step. I cannot understand His riches, wisdom and knowledge. They are so great they go beyond my understanding. In fact they are so great my mind cannot even begin to conceive. In light of my inability to even conceive of the greatness of God’s riches, wisdom and knowledge, can I be content to NOT understand the most difficult “Why?” If I cannot even conceive of His greatness - why should I be concerned with my very small perception of this world? Why should I be conflicted with things that make no sense to me? Very easy answer - I am human, finite, a small dot on the page, a mere speck of dust in the universe, unable to see the picture for the perspective of God. That leaves me with two thoughts - one, though I am a small speck of dust, I am the object of God’s great riches, wisdom and knowledge. He loves me so much He shares those things with me. Two, because I am a small speck of dust in the universe and because God’s riches go beyond my understanding, I can lean on His understanding, trust Him and know He will direct my paths. “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!” Please continue to lift up all the families who are victims of the recent floods that seem to be going on in many places. You are loved, Pastor Roger

Thinking out loud…

Thinking out loud…. We have become a people who no longer worship the True God of creation. We have become a people who worship at the feet of financial security and lifestyle convenience. It no longer matters that these are not the things God called us to. God calls us to complete obedience to His Will and Purpose. Within that purpose can be those things, and many have found those things, but we are not called to those things or even to achieve those things. Obedience to God, complete obedience, will include struggle and hardship-John 16:33 “ I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.].” There is no promise of financial security and convenience of lifestyle. There is the promise of Peace and Victory over hardship. We are not to trust in the chariots of government or the security of financial institutions. We are to trust in God and God alone. He will supply your needs. He will supply the things necessary for life. 2 Peter 1:3-“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.” We now have some calling for “blood” because they are not getting thier way and the things they want. Those are people who have yet to understand the provisions of God. Government is not God. For many government has become “a god” and they worship at its feet waiting for provision, safety and security and when they don’t get what they want they throw themselves into fits of anger fearing for thier life. However, is this to be expected? Yes. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 - “1But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. 2For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, 3[and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, 4traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith….” Even those who have professed Christ have bowed down to the god of self and have become involved in this ungodly worship of security and of lifestyle convenience while ignoring the tenants and instructions of God Almighty and His call to complete obedience. Unless, or until people look to the Heavens for thier strength and security we will find our end as that of old-destruction and enslavement to the gods of self, security and lifestyle convenience. Time after time, king after king, leader after leader led the people to the foot of the idols of the gods only to become enslaved to evil more vile and more corrupt than before. The slope of serving the god of self is not just slippery, but leads to destruction and death-at least spiritually but sometimes physically. Ministers of the Gospel, I call on you to call people to Christ and His power to save. Jesus is coming soon and I want to be found as a mouthpiece blowing the trumpet and calling attention to the end of time as recorded in the Scriptures. Leave behind the promises of security and convienience. Embrace the security of serving and onedince to the One True God Who provides everything you need for life and Godliness.

Some encouragment

The Day of the Lord Psalm 12:1-2 - “Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.” NLT All I need to do is watch the news for a few minutes and I can see a number of things happening in our society. One, I see more and more Godlessness among the nations. Two, I see more and more hatred being directed at people who live in the same neighborhoods, even on the same streets. And finally, I see adults and children disappear off the streets and even out of homes. I often ask - “What is going on in our world?” After reading today’s scripture I know the answer. We are living in a day when the Godly are fast disappearing. Our Christian meeting houses are losing attenders - except for churches where the true Word of God is preached. The ranks of believers in the United States is shrinking as a whole. There are pockets of encouraging words coming from some of our University campuses and third world countries. But, cults and false religions are increasing in numbers exceeding that of Christ followers in many places. (Just a side note - it is reported there are over one million believers in Iran-pray for them as this conversion can cost them their lives.) So where does that leave us? Hopeless? Discouraged? Depressed? No, not at all. In fact, just the opposite. If we read just a couple of more verses, we find God’s answer - “I have seen the violence...Now I will rise up...” I truly believe we are in those days described in the Word as the days before the coming of the Lord. As I understand scripture, what we are seeing is exactly some of the things we are to see before the return of Jesus Christ. Sin will abound, pestilence will increase, disease will increase - Mark 13:12 - “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.” NIV In my opinion, for what it is worth, these are days for us to begin to look to the heavens. These are days when we should strengthen our faith and our resolve. We should refresh our commitment to God and His purposes for us. These are days when we put fear behind us and look with eager anticipation toward the coming of the Lord. These are days we should grow desperate in our prayers for the lost. These are the days when we keep our families, spouses, children, and grandchildren lifted up before the Lord - asking God to save those who have yet to experience the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, the Godly are truly disappearing from the earth and neighbors are lying to each other, but it is not a time to fear - it is a time to rejoice in the truth of God’s Word. This is a prophetic Psalm. God does see from Heaven and answer. He is about to bring everything to an end as we know it. Those who are alive in Christ are not far from their eternal reward. Hang on - hang in - stay the course - keep praying - tell others - and never forget God is with us so who can be against us. You are loved and prayed for, Pastor Roger

I recently ran across this article. I would gladly give credit to the composer, however I cannot find his name to attach to it. Also, I have done a fact check on the content and found it in a number of places on the internet - so it is a true recollection of the author. I find it to be so descriptive of our current place in history. We have lost our way on so many fronts. Take time to read... Twenty years ago, in Nashville, Tennessee, during the first week of January, 1996, more than 4,000 baseball coaches descended upon the Opryland Hotel for the 52nd annual ABCA's convention. While I waited in line to register with the hotel staff, I heard other more veteran coaches rumbling about the lineup of speakers scheduled to present during the weekend. One name, in particular, kept resurfacing, always with the same sentiment — "John Scolinos is here? Oh, man, worth every penny of my airfare." Who is John Scolinos, I wondered No matter; I was just happy to be there. In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung — a full-sized, stark-white home plate. Seriously, I wondered, who is this guy? After speaking for twenty-five minutes, not once mentioning the prop hanging around his neck, Coach Scolinos appeared to notice the snickering among some of the coaches. Even those who knew Coach Scolinos had to wonder exactly where he was going with this, or if he had simply forgotten about home plate since he'd gotten on stage. Then, finally ... "You're probably all wondering why I'm wearing home plate around my neck," he said, his voice growing irascible. I laughed along with the others, acknowledging the possibility. "I may be old, but I'm not crazy. The reason I stand before you today is to share with you baseball people what I've learned in my life, what I've learned about home plate in my 78 years." Several hands went up when Scolinos asked how many Little League coaches were in the room. "Do you know how wide home plate is in Little League?" After a pause, someone offered, "Seventeen inches?", more of a question than answer. "That's right," he said. "How about in Babe Ruth's day? Any Babe Ruth coaches in the house?" Another long pause. "Seventeen inches?" a guess from another reluctant coach. "That's right," said Scolinos. "Now, how many high school coaches do we have in the room?" Hundreds of hands shot up, as the pattern began to appear. "How wide is home plate in high school baseball?" "Seventeen inches," they said, sounding more confident. "You're right!" Scolinos barked. "And you college coaches, how wide is home plate in college?" "Seventeen inches!" we said, in unison. "Any Minor League coaches here? How wide is home plate in pro ball?"..........."Seventeen inches!" "RIGHT! And in the Major Leagues, how wide home plate is in the Major Leagues? "Seventeen inches!" "SEV-EN-TEEN INCHES!" he confirmed, his voice bellowing off the walls. "And what do they do with a Big League pitcher who can't throw the ball over seventeen inches?" Pause "They send him to Pocatello!" he hollered, drawing raucous laughter. "What they don't do is this: they don't say, 'Ah, that's okay, Jimmy. If you can't hit a seventeen-inch target? We'll make it eighteen inches or nineteen inches. We'll make it twenty inches so you have a better chance of hitting it. If you can't hit that, let us know so we can make it wider still, say twenty-five inches.'" Pause. "Coaches... what do we do when your best player shows up late to practice? or when our team rules forbid facial hair and a guy shows up unshaven? What if he gets caught drinking? Do we hold him accountable? Or do we change the rules to fit him? Do we widen home plate? " The chuckles gradually faded as four thousand coaches grew quiet, the fog lifting as the old coach's message began to unfold. He turned the plate toward himself and, using a Sharpie, began to draw something. When he turned it toward the crowd, point up, a house was revealed, complete with a freshly drawn door and two windows. "This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids With our discipline. We don't teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We just widen the plate!" Pause. Then, to the point at the top of the house he added a small American flag. "This is the problem in our schools today. The quality of our education is going downhill fast and teachers have been stripped of the tools they need to be successful, and to educate and discipline our young people. We are allowing others to widen home plate! Where is that getting us?" Silence. He replaced the flag with a Cross. "And this is the problem in the Church, where powerful people in positions of authority have taken advantage of young children, only to have such an atrocity swept under the rug for years. Our church leaders are widening home plate for themselves! And we allow it." "And the same is true with our government. Our so called representatives make rules for us that don't apply to themselves. They take bribes from lobbyists and foreign countries. They no longer serve us. And we allow them to widen home plate! We see our country falling into a dark abyss while we just watch." I was amazed. At a baseball convention where I expected to learn something about curve balls and bunting and how to run better practices, I had learned something far more valuable. From an old man with home plate strung around his neck, I had learned something about life, about myself, about my own weaknesses and about my responsibilities as a leader. I had to hold myself and others accountable to that which I knew to be right, lest our families, our faith, and our society continue down an undesirable path. "If I am lucky," Coach Scolinos concluded, "you will remember one thing from this old coach today. It is this: "If we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard, a standard of what we know to be right; if we fail to hold our spouses and our children to the same standards, if we are unwilling or unable to provide a consequence when they do not meet the standard; and if our schools & churches & our government fail to hold themselves accountable to those they serve, there is but one thing to look forward to ..." With that, he held home plate in front of his chest, turned it around, and revealed its dark black backside, "..We have dark days ahead!." Note: Coach Scolinos died in 2009 at the age of 91, but not before touching the lives of hundreds of players and coaches, including mine. Meeting him at my first ABCA convention kept me returning year after year, looking for similar wisdom and inspiration from other coaches. He is the best clinic speaker the ABCA has ever known because he was so much more than a baseball coach. His message was clear: "Coaches, keep your players—no matter how good they are—your own children, your churches, your government, and most of all, keep yourself at seventeen inches." And this, my friends, is what our country has become and what is wrong with it today, and now go out there and fix it! "Don't widen the plate I can hardly say anything more. We run from the word "accountability" anymore as though it were some sort of poisonous serum that if found in our system we would have to take responsibility for our actions and words. In reality, it is just the opposite. Accountability is a truth serum that should run thru our veins making us willing to first, check our words and actions to assure they are in line with truth and honor. Second, accountability should cause us to re-check what we have done or said to assure it aligns with truth and justice. King David, in Psalm 51 was confronted with the truth of his sinful and horrendous actions with Bathsheba and attempting to cover his sin by having Uriah, her husband killed. In today's society, he might have denied, denied, denied and blamed everyone around him to save his position. However, King David did the right thing - he held himself accountable for his actions, confessed his sin and became a man after God's own heart. As a nation, we are lost. As a church we are floundering. As individuals we find ourselves daily confronted with blaming others or being accountable for who we are and what we have done or said. The question is will we allow ourselves the freedom found in taking responsibility or the bondage of living in denying accountability? Just some thoughts...

Thoughts on Prayer

I recently saw a post on FB - "Worry - temporary atheism". That got me to thinking about how many times I worry about things. Most of the time I worry about things over which I have no control whatsoever. In speaking to the issue I came up with this thought...Worry is something we do when we want to be in control, but we can't be and we end up trying to figure how we can be. We spend hours trying to figure out how we can control or manipulate a situation in such a way as to bring about a conclusion we think is best. Often, we attempt to control situations that have nothing to do with us, but everything to do with those around us and we have convinced ourselves need fixing. In all our worry to control and fix we only end up loosing sleep, over/under eating, and bringing disruption to our own lives while never really affecting anyone around us - except we make them miserable by our constant attempts to fix them. In the words of a friend of mine, Eddie Smith, "Prayer is the ability to listen to the music of the future. Faith is the courage to dance to it today." Perhaps we should spend more time praying to a God Who IS in control, believing He already knows about the problems, spend less time worrying about the problems, and dancing to the music of God's resolution to the problem -even though we may not yet set the results.