i'm dreaming of a "Christ" Christmas

how many "shopping days" are left till Christmas? my response? who cares! every year i rant and rave about the commercialism of Christmas, and this year, i have really been tested on my sincerity. i heard it said once that a person often speaks loudest against the thing that they do not want people to know about themselves. while that may be true in many instances, it made me stop and look at myself. i realized that while watching an old classic at my job at blockbuster. what classic, you ask? why "a charlie brown Christmas", of course! in it, charlie is fed up with the commercial "racket" that Christmas has become. and in exasperation, he throws up his hands and asks if anyone can tell him the true meaning of Christmas. there sits linus, trust blanket in hand, and tells charlie that he knows the true meaning of Christmas and proceeds to quote from Luke 2 the very familiar passage of the shepherds and the birth of the Christ-child.

now, it must be noted that it did not hit me until later, that i am a hypocrite. this year has been a particularly tough Christmas financially for my familiy. we have struggled to buy presents for the boys, and have opted out of buying gifts for each other so that we can provide Christmas for them. well, one particular day i was throwing a pity party for myself, complete with music, over our financial situation and it not seeming like Christmas because we weren't hanging out at the malls (too much temptation to spend money we don't have) and being so busy we didn't have time to put the tree up as a family, i went to work begrudgingly in a meager attempt to keep our family afloat financially. while there, the aforementioned movie was on, and i found myself halfway paying attention to it while attending to the duties of my job. the movie went off, was replaced by another, which carried us to quitting time. this morning, i awoke and had to, rather got to spend the day with my sick 4 year old. we had a great time, putting up the tree, and watching a movie and building a train set. that's when it hit me. i had fallen victim to advertising brainwash! while it may have been on the subconscious level, it was still there, none the less. i was thinking Christmas was about buying, decorating, and carols. while these are not bad things in and of themselves, they become idols when they take our affections off of our Saviour! my Christmas idol was set up in my mind, and left me empty. i then turned back to Christ and asked for forgiveness and vowed in my mind to make this year's Christmas the best one yet, even if i don't receive a single gift!

what is your idol this Christmas? what are you looking for to make this a perfect Christmas? are you looking for snow? i just spent the weekend in rochester, ny with the marines of alpha company, and there was snow. it was nice, and i found myself dreaming of a white Christmas. are you banking on getting or receiving that perfect gift? is it dreams of the american nostalgic Christmas complete with parties, dinners, and caroling filling your mind? is it the decorating and enjoyment of the lights filling the neighborhood lawns? or maybe it is something a little more religious. is it the Christmas cantada at your church? or the Christmas eve mass or service? is it december 25th, the day itself? what happens when it is over? i always used to love the "spirit" in the air in the weeks leading up to Christmas morning, and then it was over, and i was left feeling empty and disappointed in the days following. the newness of "stuff" wore off and it became something else to pick up while cleaning my room.

this year, my prayer for myself and my family is that in our time of want, maybe we can focus a little more on the true meaning of Christmas: Emmanuel. God with us. Christ laying His glory aside to become a human being to live and die for us, so that we might have the ultimate gift of all: eternal life with Him in Heaven!

jim jones jungle juice anyone?

on a morbid, but interesting note: tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the jim jones massacre that took place in guana. for those of you not familiar with the story, jim jones was a pastor-turned-cult-leader that led a group of some 400 followers to the jungles of guana where he convinced them to take place in a ritual murder-suicide. those who refused or survived were chased down and shot by his "temple guards". they were told that guana was to be the promised land, but when they arrived, they found a place that was far from paradise, but were told they could not leave. these were intelligent people, too. they were not some kooks with iq's of 50. they were bankers, lawyers, company presidents, men, women, and children. jim jones was so convincing that he even met with president jimmy carter at one point. (and given president carter's latest meetings, it now comes as no surprise!) what happened? how could one man, lead so many seemingly intelligent people astray?

the Bible is very clear about those whom God places in positions of leadership. He says in the book of James, that leaders will be held to a far stricter judgment. Jesus said that if a person was to lead a "little one" astray, it would be better for a large stone to be tied to that person's neck and cast into the sea. God takes the role of pastor very seriously.

however, as we have seen throughout history, whenever a person who is in leadership goes astray, the results are usually catastrophic, whether that be in a church, an organization, or a country. a historian made the observation that every leader in history who was prideful, and claimed to have the answers to problems, ultimately led their followers to ruin (hitler, nero, napolean, etc.) that is one of the things that scared me about the past election. neither candidate had a sense of humility about them, but rather both were very adamant in their claims to have the answers to america's problems. it is said that pride goes before a fall, and i worry about the fall to come.

however, no other place do we see disasterous results of leadership gone awry than we do in the pastorate. wars have started because of divisions within the body of Christ. the name of Christ has been blasphemed among the people because of haughty preachers, building their towers of babel just to climb to the top and come crashing down in glorious spectacle in front of every news camera in the world. whenever a preacher starts to rely on himself and not on God, then we see destruction awaiting ahead, and the enemy blinding the eyes so as to not see the warning signs. the apostle paul said that if anyone, be it man or angel, preaches a different gospel than the one he taught, then let that man or angel be cursed. i look around, and i see many preachers that would be listed as cursed in paul's opinion.

i take this very seriously, as i am currently awaiting where God will call me, along with my famliy, to serve Him. the idea of being that leader who leads to destruction, literally frightens me to no end. and so, i have resolved that no matter where i go, or what i do, i will do my best to seek his face. i try and always remember that i am nothing special. there is no difference between me and the person sitting in the pew. we are both called to serve and to minister. the only difference is in the expectations. my standard is higher. whenever we as pastors tend to think to highly of ourselves, or of our wisdom, let us remember jim jones and the legacy he left. it is said that "there but for the grace of God, go I". that is very true. we all have the capacity in us to be a jim jones, because of our sinful nature. let us stay subject to God and His laws, and always rely on His wisdom, not ours!

falling away

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron
1 Tim 4:1-2 (NASB)

i know it has been a while since i posted, so i thought that i would spend some time and comment on the latest goings-on in our great u.s. of a. as a Christian, i have often wondered about what paul said in 1 Tim. 4:1-2 (see above) about many falling away from the faith. many times, i find myself with a bit of arrogance like peter, saying i would never fall away. moreover, it completely perplexes me how anyone could follow the beast that is mentioned in Revelation. however, in light of the recent election, it has become more apparent to me of the superficiality of many professing Christians.

when we read the Bible, we can see throughout time how God's children always seem to turn their back on Him and follow other gods whenever things did not seem to be going their way. we can see it in the wilderness with the israelites making the golden calf. we can see it when the israelites were exiled to babylon and many of them bowing down to baal or to nebuchadnezzar. in Jesus' time, we see His own disciples fleeing at His arrest. it seems the Bible is full of people running when things get tough. why should today be any different?

in the recent election, we saw americans come out to cast their votes for their candidate. i realized by talking to many professing Christians how easy it is for those who say that they love Christ to "fall away". the choice between the two main candidates seemed to be an easy one for those who professed to believe God's Word. one candidate was in opposition to the widespread slaughtering of innocent babies through the means of abortion, and one candidate was not only in favor of abortion, but also the reprehensible practice of partial birth abortion as well as letting a baby who survived an abortion die in the delivery room by denying him/her care. one candidate was in favor of limiting marriage to be between one man and one woman, another candidate not only favored taking away states' rights to make their own legislation concerning marriage definitions, but also favored federal legislation legalizing gay marriage as well as a new hate speech law making it illegal to say anything negative about homosexuality. while these two items by themselves should be enough for any Christian to make a well-informed, biblical decision, thousands upon thousands of professing Bible-believing Christians voted for the pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality candidate.

why would they do this? two main reasons can be noted. one, was his skin color. a large majority of the black vote went to obama simply because he was black. while it is also true that a lot of white voters did NOT vote for him because he was black, who is to say which form or racism is worst? the second reason, as many have noted, was the condition of the economy. they looked to obama to rescue them from their financial woes as some sort of pseudo-financial savior. excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but since when do we look to the government for our provision and for our financial stability? i thought God was our supply. i thought that the Bible said that our GOD shall supply all our needs? could this mean that those that voted for obama to fix the economy are looking to him to supply their needs?

this nails home one of the biggest reasons that those in Revelation will support the beast: he will hit them where their hearts are, their pocketbooks. it says very clearly that no man may buy or sell unless he receives the mark of the beast. this is why many will fall away. their precious money will be gone. it rings true, the love of money is the root of all evil. for money, many threw away any sense of loyalty to biblical teaching. please do not get me wrong. i am not saying that obama is the anti-Christ, as many have been. i say that the recent events are evidence supporting that the events in Revelation and 1 Timothy could actually happen.

so what are we as Christians to do? my pastor said it best the sunday before the election. we are to pray for our new president, and we are to yield to his authority as being given by God. the israelites wanted a king, even though they were warned what it would be like, so God gave them saul. maybe He has given america obama, because they thought that was what they wanted. when the apostle paul wrote about supporting the government, nero was caesar of the roman empire. this same nero was responsible for the widespread torture, persecution, and torture of Christians during that time. yet paul was saying that he was to be supported! if that was the case then, it is surely the case now, no matter whether we agree with our new leader or not. God knows the heart, and God can change the heart. so we must pray. we must lift our new president up on a daily basis to make decisions based on what God wants. finally, obama will answer to God one day for his sins, as we know from james that those who lead are held to a stricter judgment. at the same time, we will give an account to God on our obedience to His Word as well. "choose this day america, whom you will serve. as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

and thus ends my diatribe on the election.

a midnight prayer . . .

my cries in the night seem to fall on deaf ears. God, are you there? are You listening? i know You must be. your Word promises that You are. but day by day goes by without answers. the more i try and listen, the louder life becomes. the thorns are surrounding me, choking and tearing me, stealing my source of sustainment. the sun is not a comfort. it is a thing to fear, in a dry and thirsty land.

man overboard. i am bobbing in the waves, watching the ship as it seems to sail away, leaving me adrift. but i'm a good swimmer. i can tread water. i have mastered the survival float. the irony of being destroyed by the very element that is needed for life is a daily reality. just floating, waiting for a lifeline. wondering what lies beneath the water, waiting for the chance to pull me under.

i am the shepherd of my home. i have been given the task of guiding them. protecting them. but protecting them from whom? from the world? from hunger? from the wilderness? from me? i will protect them, if it takes my last breath. i must press on. i must continue to look for safe pastures. failure is not an option.

the enemy surrounds me on all sides, licking his lips, savoring the taste of my downfall. will You continue to protect me? my family? yes, i know You will. You are faithful, when even we are not. as i walk through strange lands, with no map or knowledge of the territory, will You be my guide? the roads are strange, new to me. they are dark, i cannot see down them. where do they lead? which is a road, and which is a dead end? which one do i dare venture down? if i take the wrong one, will i be able to regress?

and so i cry. my tears form trails on my aging face, cascading to a salty end at the corners of my mouth. i look to the heavens, but right now, all i see is the cold, white ceiling. please allow the scales to fall from my eyes to see Your face. i seek You. not money, not renown, not comfort. only You. your wisdom is a treasure, buried deep, waiting to be discovered. will You reveal it to me? i know You are listening. i know You are calling. turn down the noise of life, so that my ears may clearly hear you. i need You.

grey, the color of time

as some of you know, yesterday was my birthday. another year older, another year (ahem) wiser. i don't know about all that, but i do know that my grey hair keeps multiplying like rabbits. my wife tells me that grey is sexy on a man, so i guess i'll take it. i look in the mirror each day and see my wrinkles getting deeper, my hair getting grey, and while some may view this as a malady and spend hundreds upon thousands of dollars each year trying to hide them, i wear them with a sense of pride and thankfulness. every birthday tells me two things: 1) i didn't die last year, and 2) God still has a purpose for me here on earth. one day i will stop having birthdays. but for the time being, i intend on being all that God would have me to be, and to try not to get in the way of His plan for my life too much.

i seriously wonder about these people that curse getting older. the way i see it, they have an improper view of life. the Bible tells us that our days are numbered, and that life is a gift from God, however good or bad we may view it. i think the negative feelings come in when we start looking back on our lives with regret for our past mistakes and failings. it is then that birthdays become something to lament rather than celebrate. my goal in life is to hopefully have to never look back on my life with regret of things that i could or should have done. if we live with the goal of hearing, "well done my good and faithful servant", then we will never look back with regret.

all i know is that i am blessed beyond measure. God sees fit to allow me to wake up each day and serve Him, no matter how much i may fail at it. so the way i see it, is, to quote a friend, "everyday above ground is a good day." so bring on the birthdays. bring on the top of that hill i'll be going over in a few short years. and bring on life. and for those of you who don't like getting older, i'll take those years you don't want! that gives me plenty more time with my wonderful family and to serve my God! thank You, Lord, for 34 years!

the mouths of babes

one thing that i've learned in my life, is that children are a blessing. this is not just when they are sweet, angelic little bundles of joy that bring happiness and hilarity into our lives. i've learned this through my little ones. the little darlings just bless my life every day. especially today. and, they teach me more and more about humanity and human nature, as well as myself.

as i type this, i am still somewhat fuming over something my oldest decided to "bless" me with this morning. after a weekend of visiting family over in the delta, and the subsequent spoiling of my two sons by both sets of grandparents, we arrived home at a very late hour last night. so, being the good and conscientious father that i am, i decided to let them sleep in today and keep them home from school and daycare (actually, it was my wife's idea, i just agreed with her). now, upon waking around 10 am, my oldest came walking out of his room and said that he was hungry, which was usual. being in a particularly generous mood, i offered to make him bacon and eggs for breakfast, to which he replied that he wanted corn pops instead. no harm, no foul. no feelings hurt. i said, "sure!" and whipped him up a big bowl of corn pops. i then let him go outside and play while it was still relatively cool, and even went outside with him and played for a little while. i did all the things a good dad should do. and then . . .

about 30 minutes later, my wife called and informed me that she had forgot to bring a lunch and asked would i bring her something from subway. i said i would, and loaded the two little ones into their respective car seats and we started down the road for subway. we got to subway, and i ordered my wife and myself a sandwich, thinking that the boys should not be hungry, after two bowls of cereal each only 30 minutes prior, with the intent of feeding them a late lunch. gavin, my oldest, never mentioned wanting food, never said he was hungry, never even paid attention to the food being freshly prepared in front of us, but instead was playing with his cars on the guide rail. we got in the car, and halfway back to the school, he informed me, "daddy, i want subway." i replied, "but you just ate breakfast 3o minutes ago." he said, "but i'm hungry." i said, "ok, i'll get you something a little later, i have to get mama's food back to her so she can eat it before her lunch is over." he said, "can i have subway?" and i said, "yes, but not right now. we'll go in a little while." he responded, "ok." and that was it. no more was said about the subway.

five minutes go by and we arrive at the school. lori walks out to get her food from me and greets the boys. gavin does not respond. lori asks gavin what's wrong. gavin STARTS TO CRY and tells lori that he was hungry and wanted subway and daddy wouldn't get him any! the little "angel" lied on me and made me look like a mean father who has refused to provide for the needs of his children! and then, my wife responds by saying, "chris, why didn't you get him subway? he's hungry!" the little manipulator conned my wife into chastising me for neglecting our children's needs! never once did he mention that i had told him that i would take him to subway to get lunch. never once did he sing my praises for being such a good dad all morning. instead, he betrayed me and accused me of not caring!

now, remember that part about them being a "blessing"? well, while i was fuming as i was driving back to subway per my wife's instructions to get my "blessing" some food, God, in His subtle way, said to me, "it's tough to look in the mirror sometimes, huh?" because what do i do? God can give me two wonderful, healthy children. a beautiful wife that loves me and is faithful to me. a roof over my head. a car that gets me from point a to point b without worry. a family that supports me. blessings out the ears, day after day. and i complain and cry that God isn't taking care of me, simply because i presently am jobless. nevermind the fact that i got an opportunity to spend a wonderful morning with my children that i wouldn't have otherwise got to do had i been at a job. nevermind that His Word promises that He will supply ALL my NEEDS (as mentioned in an earlier post). i betray God in my attitude. it is tough to look in the mirror, but thank God for the blessing of correcting me and keeping me in check, for His Word also says that He corrects those that He loves. now, if you'll excuse me, i'm going to kiss my little blessing goodnight.

my two blessings, gavin (left) and nathan (right)

semper fidelis

well, it's been a while since i posted last. that is because i have been gone on my annual training with the reserves and am now back and halfway settled. i was in quantico, va with alpha company of the 4th marine division, anti-terrorism batallion, who are based out of rochester, ny. there were a couple of other platoons with us from other companies out of chicopee, ma, erie, pa, and lafayette, la. all told, there were approximately 160 personnel there. needless to say, i had a very good time while there. the training started with an exercise called mout, which stands for military operations in urban terrain. this training gets the marines used to patrolling and staging assaults within general urban environments. i was one of the opfors (opposing forces) that were there to do everything we could to throw their patrol into chaos. we had a variety of tools at our disposal, including grenades (dummies with charges in them), m-16s (with training rounds), and artysims (artillery simuators to represent ied's). the next part of the training was time on the various rifle ranges, where marines spend a lot of time (which, by the way, is why all marines are riflemen and thus chaplains cannot be marines b/c we are non-combatants). from there, we ran the new cft, or combat fitness test, which is a brutal new fitness routine designed to get the marines' bodies conditioned to the physical demands of combat. finally, our training finished with us running the stamina course. this is a combination of a 5 mile run on a trail through the woods, with various obstacles to traverse or go under along the way. needless to say, after running, climbing, crawling, and hurling, i was extremely tired by the time i was done.

while there, i can honestly say that i saw more porn in those two weeks than in my whole life combined. i also heard more language than can possibly be described. the marines are known for using the f-word quite frequently. all of this made me realize a few things. in aligning myself with the mission of Christ, i remembered that He came to seek and save that which was lost. that means getting out of the church, going to people whose habits and language may or may not be something that you are comfortable with, and showing them the love of Christ. i had everything from professing Christians, to agnostics, to atheists, and even a muslim that i had the responsibility of ministering to. it took a lot to gain their trust, like sleeping on the ground in the rain alongside them, eating mre's instead of hopping in my rental car and driving to the chow hall, training with them instead of sitting back and watching, and even crawling through a trench filled with stagnant, putrid water. those things, while not always pleasant, paid off. after a couple of days there, i had marines from all walks of life coming to me to ask me very hard questions about life, marriage, religion, and the ethics of war. there also was the element of being in the world and not of it. i made a point not to "preach" to them whenever they displayed behaviour that would make the average church member turn on their heels and walk away. instead, i showed them that Christ loves them despite who they are, and that i was no better than them. this opened up the path for later discussions on the detriments of pornography, etc.

this is a mission field in the most critical sense. alpha company is getting ready to mobilize to the middle east later this year. many of them will be placed in harm's way on a daily basis while there. and there is a possibility that some of them may not come back. i tell you this so that i can request your prayers for these marines. hopefully i will have a chance to see them again one more time before they deploy. in the meantime, join me as i pray that our Father will place other Christians in their paths to continue the work that i started. pray the He will keep them safe and bring them back home. but most of all, pray that those who do not know Christ, will have the opportunity to accept Him before they leave. here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

when donkeys talk

in Numbers 22, there is a rather amusing story of balaam and his donkey. God used the donkey to get balaam's attention in a quite unusual way: talking. this is one of the 2 instances in the Bible where we see animals conversing with humans. the other was the serpent in the garden. as a minister, i am very humbled by the fact that God chooses to use me as a means of communicating His Word to His people. today, i had the honor and privilege of preaching at a local baptist church here in tupelo. this morning, i had clear direction from God concerning the message He would have me preach. i followed His direction and God blessed. however, tonight was a completely different story. 30 minutes before the evening service was to begin, my wife asked me what i was preaching on, to which i responded, "i haven't the foggiest." as i was driving to the church, praying for direction, i was beginning to get nervous. i had received numerous accolades from the members of the church as well as my wife on the sermon i delivered in the morning service. while all the glory goes to God, and i truly praise Him for using me this morning, i did not want the opposite to happen tonight. i have said it many times before, that chris west has nothing to offer in terms of spiritual wisdom or intellectual scholarship, and this echoed true tonight. as i was pulling up into the parking space in front of the church, God made it clear to me that i was to give my testimony. i at first balked at the idea, as i had already made up my mind that i was going to preach on a passage that i was familiar with, which made for a "good sermon". but He didn't let up. so my testimony it was going to be.

to make a long story short, God used the mouth of a donkey to speak to balaam, and he used the mouth of another kind of donkey tonight to purvey the truth to three people that were playing the religion game the same way that i did for so many years. tears welled up in my eyes as those three stood and yielded to the Lordship of Christ and subsequently had their names written in the Lamb's book of life! praise God that He still speaks to us, and pray that we will still have the sense to listen!

marines of God

it's been said by someone i know very well, "the reason the Bible says the army of God, is because the marines weren't here yet." (sorry jerms, but you know it's true!) i start my new unit with the 4th marine division, 4th anti-terrorism unit tomorrow in bessemer, al. i'll be leaving for there tonight. be in prayer as i attempt minister to my new command. marines are known for being able to take the "f" word and use it as an adjective, adverb, noun, pronoun, gerund, participle, and any other component of the english language. the marines have been my heart since i joined the chaplain corps, so i'm excited about this opportunity. not sure though, if i'm walking into jeremiah's jerusalem, or jonah's nineveh. i just hope and pray that Christ will use me to make an impact for the kingdom while i am there. oh, and as for an update on the church situation, i've been approached by two churches so far. i met with one earlier this week, and i am meeting with another next week. God is blessing. again, be in prayer for me to wait for the best, not the first or the best paying, etc. praise Him! He is in control, and i want to keep it that way, because when i am in control, i do a fairly sufficient job of royally jacking things up. so, in honor of my new position, i'd like to share with you the following poem that was on sam shaw's (my pastor) website.

I am a Soldier

author unknown

I am a soldier in the army of God.The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer. The Holy Bible is my code of conduct. Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare. I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.

I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army; but, I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out. I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable. If my God needs me, I am there.
I am a soldier. I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up,pumped up, picked up, or pepped up. I am a soldier. No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.

I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom! No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts. I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to. I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.

I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside. I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit. When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing. If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even. I will win. My God will supply all my needs. I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph. I can do all things through Christ. Devils cannot defeat me. People cannot disillusion me. Weather cannot weary me. Sickness cannot stop me. Battles cannot beat me. Money cannot buy me. Governments cannot silence me, and hell cannot handle me!

I am a soldier. Even death cannot destroy me. For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me to a captain. I am a soldier, in the Army, I’m marching, claiming victory. I will not give up. I will not turn around. I am a soldier, marching Heaven bound.

Aei Pistos!

who told you that you were naked?

being a parent is very rewarding. for those of you who have kids, you will understand what i am about to say. for those of you who don't, i hope you get the pleasure one day. one very important aspect of being a parent is that it teaches you about God's relationship with us on a daily basis. i'm just glad God is patient with us because i know how frustrated my sons make me.

while spending the fourth of july at my aunt's house and swimming in her pool, my oldest son, 4 year old Gavin, decided that he needed to go "tee-tee", so right there, in front of God and everybody, he drops his shorts to his ankles and procedes to water a shrub. while we all laughed at his innocence (and i took an opportunity to have a daddy-son moment of instruction on the wheres and where-nots of urination) it reminded me of the innocence that was lost at eden. adam and eve, if you recall the story, disobeyed God, ate the fruit, and saw their nakedness. they then proceded to cover themselves with the latest in fig-leaf fashions. when they ran into God that day, He asked them, "who told you that you were naked?" don't get me wrong here, it's not as if God didn't already know, but they gave themselves away with the fig leaves. but i love the way they start making excuses as soon as God asks them the question. "the woman YOU gave me" and "the serpent said". for those of you with kids, does that not sound familiar? they give themselves away by doing dumb things and saying dumb things, and when they are called on it, they begin to back-pedal. this turns into excuses. Gavin's excuses usually start with "but", usually followed by a person. for example, "but Nathan took my monster truck", or my favorite, "but mommy said". it's no wonder God calls us His children. we act just like children.

as for Gavin, i admire his innocence and his naivete' to the world. while his choice of bathrooms may not be socially adept, he knows no difference. maybe some of that innocence that was present in the garden, was given as a gift to us when we were children. as we get older, we lose it. perhaps that's why Jesus said that the attitude of little children was necessary to enter the kingdom of Heaven. once adam knew his sin, he was also told of the consequences of that sin. i heard it said once, that childhood's over the moment you know you are going to die. adam's innocence lost turned to the foreknowledge of physical death, and the impending doom of spiritual death. however, when we are born again, as the Bible calls it, we become as innocent as little children again. oh, to one day regain the innocence permanently and no longer remember what it is like to be separated from God! i look forward to it! so for now, i shall be watching out for Gavin's or Nathan's next reflection of my own relationship with my Heavenly Father!

they are so unlike your Christ

(note: this post was written earlier this week, but forgot to post it. better late than never)
not long ago, i saw a bumper sticker on a car that read, "i like your Christ. i do not like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ." this sticker at first angered me, as i saw it as another piece of propaganda designed to bash Christianity. however, as i have thought about that sticker over the last months, it has really challenged me more than it has angered me. in my recent bout with joblessness, i have been going through the routine of updating my resume' and beginning to seek out a ministry position that God has for me. i have a few leads on churches that i will be submitting my resume' to, as well as supply preaching at a local baptist church that recently lost their pastor. as of now, my search continues. in doing so, i have talked with many ministers that have been in my position. as i have talked with them, they have all told me of negative experiences that they have been through with churches. this honestly frightens me as i am possibly going from a non-traditional ministry position to a church position.

it is amazing to me how we as Christians can treat our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. most of the adverse treatment is due to our own selfishness and pride and the attitude that we deserve to have our desires fulfilled, even at the expense of others. countless pastors have been asked to resign over trivial issues such as the way he preaches, or because he decided to stop preaching in a tie. numerous other reasons, all equally as trivial, have been the cause of many pastors being forced out of their churches and out of their homes. all done by those who call themselves followers of Christ. i have heard of pastors chasing down youth ministers on their day off and finding them at a friend's house and yelling at them in the yard over a disagreement. this is the environment i find possibly awaiting me, and that makes me nervous. i can name one church right now that has gone through a pastor a year for the last decade. this is all because of a select family that rules that church.

in my own church, i have heard members, commenting on the current changes that the church was undergoing, say, "i feel like we are losing our church." our church? what happened to God's church? if it's our church, then it's not God's church, and i want no part of a church that is not God's as it is no different from the pagan temples in the ancient roman empire, set up to worship the god-emperor. after all, if it is our church, then we are worshipping ourselves, are we not?

i see Christians treating each other worse than sworn enemies on the battlefield. churches have split, relationships ruined, and lives even ended, all because of disagreements between professing Christians. are they Christians? i seriously doubt it. the Bible says that "by their fruits, you shall know them." if the fruit displayed is hate, anger, selfishness, and the like, then i question what kind of tree it is. an apple tree does not grow oranges, nor does a Christian produce these kinds of fruits. this does not mean that a Christian will not stumble occasionally and give in to anger, but it is not a pattern that is habitually repeated.

ghandi spent a year living with a Christian family. while there, the behaviour that he witnessed there repulsed him so much that he made the following statement: i would become a Christian, if it weren't for Christians. how reprehensible. pray for grace in dealing with church folk, should God call me to that arena. i'd almost rather take my chances with al qaeda.

prophets? today? hmmm. . .

i would like to comment on a topic that is widely debated among us fellow baptists. did you know that if you put 3 baptists in a room and asked them to discuss a topic, you would get 8 different views? crazy, huh? but i digress. somebody once told me that certain gifts of the apostles are no longer valid, or to put it bluntly, have gone away. one of these is the gift of prophecy. now, there are two different meanings to the word prophecy, both relating to the root definition of "telling". one is forth-telling, meaning that the prophet conveys a message from God. this one is generally accepted, but only in limited circumstances. the other is fore-telling. this is the definition we see evidence of in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament and the gospels. this literally means to tell of things to come. this one is the one that is specifically debated the most as being strictly a gift for biblical times. i, like many theologians, am not quite sure how i sit on this issue, and am convinced that it's not a hill worth dying on. however, i believe i recently saw evidence of both definitions of the gift of prophecy in two of my close friends.

ever since my recent job loss, i have talked with a few of my close friends about the situation and have gotten some wonderful support from them, for which i am extremely grateful. i mentioned one in my last post, who told me that he was praying for me that morning that i lost my job. thanks again, taz. moreover, he also told me that day after i called him and informed him of my job loss that i needed to wait on God and not jump on the first thing that came my way just because of the perceived need for a job and money. then, i talked with another very close friend in south carolina. mike told me that i did not need to put God in a box. he told me that he didn't know why, but God was saying to him to tell me to be open. he said if someone asks for your resume, give it to them. if you hear about a job, talk to them. "you can always come back and say, 'no!'"

"okay, chris," you're saying, "what's so odd about that?" well, if any of you were with me about 2 years ago when i was looking for a job in this area, you will remember that there was not much to be found. so i was expecting much of the same this time around. however, here are just a few of the things that have come my way since monday. i was offered active duty with the navy as a recruiter during my reserve weekend. this is very much a possibility. i was told about a youth pastor position at the big church down the road from us that recently came open. i was informed about another youth pastor position that is open at another church here in town. then, this morning, i was called by the chief of chaplains at comnavresforcom (military alphabet soup meaning reserve headquarters) and i am being offered two months active duty in yokusuka, japan. while this is not permanent, it would be a significant amount of money that would help take care of us while i look.

so i said all that to say this, i haven't even finished updating my resume yet and already, my prophets', er friends', words are already coming true. this means that i really need prayer as to where God is wanting me to go. the navy is VERY tempting, especially looking at the financial side of it and my enjoyment while serving. the negative is that with the two month stent, that's two months away from my family. for those of you who know me, that is very difficult. my family is a top priority in my life, and being without them is like having to go without water. there are positives and negatives on each one. so your prayers for discernment are especially needed right now. i want the best, not just the good, as i said before. i will keep you posted on any new developments.

along came chris walking on the . . . glub. . . glub

ever tried walking on water? i did one time. i was fishing with my uncle in one of the many backwaters of the mississippi river in the delta and hooked a good sized bass. when i got it close to the boat, i leaned over the side to grab him and unbeknownst to me, my uncle also leaned with me to look. and then, as i went headfirst out of the boat and into the water, i happened to catch out of the corner of my eye, the sight of a six foot gator gliding into the water from the bank. not eagerly wanting to stick around and find out where that gator was going, i made for the bank, which was about 15 yards away. i made it to the bank, pole in one hand, fish in other, and was dry from the waist up! this wouldn't seem too amazing except that we were fishing in about 7-8 feet of water! that was my only experience in walking on water, except for this weekend.

i know in my last post, it sounded like i was mr super-Christian, completely trusting in God and not being phased by the circumstances at hand. well, to tell the truth, it has been far from that this weekend. while making my two and a half hour trek to drill in meridian, ms, i found my mind wandering quite a bit. it typically followed this path: lori brings home x-amount of money on her check, we have bills a, b, c, d, e which total y. y is greater than x. panic. worry. knot in my stomach and lump in my throat. then, God would remind me that He's in control. this scenario played itself out numerous times throughout the weekend. it also did not help that i was alone in the evenings most of the time so i would have plenty of time to just think. my water walking quickly turned to water treading.

it reminds me of peter. peter is personally one of my heroes of the faith. perhaps because i relate to him the most. when we read the story of peter walking on the water, we tend to piously think, "come on, peter. how could you lose faith? you were on the water walking!" however, being a sailor, i have learned a few things about the sea. one, you get out to sea, and you can't see land, no matter how high you are. that can be unnerving in and of itself. two, the waves out at sea can get pretty large. our carriers' flight decks sit anywhere from 11-17 stories off of the water, depending on the size of the carrier. there are waves at sea that are higher than the flight deck when you sail into high seas. these weren't little choppy waves that peter was walking on. these were waves like you see in the movie "the perfect storm". monstrous walls of water that would capsize a small boat in no time. so before you start thinking that you would be dancing on the waves like gene kelly in "singing in the rain", ponder peter's predicament. he's not walking on a glass surfaced sea, he's climbing waves. it's no wonder he looked around and panicked. that's what i found myself doing this past weekend. i looked around at the seemingly insurmountable waves cresting over me, threatening to pound me to davy jones's locker, i got scared.

that leads me to my favorite part of the story. peter called out to Jesus to save him, and the Bible says that Jesus reached out and grabbed peter. it didn't say that Jesus "ran over, jumping waves, to get to peter just before he went under for the last time. it said that Jesus was already right there. he knew that peter would sink. i personally do not believe peter even got his neck wet, much less went under. it says he began to sink. Jesus caught him before he even was in imminent danger. and every time i started to go under this weekend, God would speak to me in that still small voice, saying "I gotcha." He would sometimes use a fellow brother or sister in Christ that would call me or text me during a low time to encourage me. what a wonderful God we serve! so thanks to all of you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your calls! God has used you in ways that you never realized! i thought back to friday morning, when my friend taz called and left a voice mail on my phone telling me that he was praying for me, because God had placed me heavy on his heart that day. even before i knew what was awaiting me at 1500 that day, God was already activating His prayer warriors to lift me up! thank you!

finally, to my amazing, beautiful, loving wife. you are my best friend. your support during these last few days has meant more and done more than you could ever know! i used to hear stories at behavioural health from men whose wives had left them because they had lost a job. you have shown amazing strength and have been an inspiration to me! i am truly blessed to have a wife as wonderful as you! thank you!

so to everyone out there who is venturing out over the side of the boat, remember to keep your eyes on Christ. do not rely on your own strength, for it will leave you sinking. speaking of which, does anyone have a life-jacket i can borrow for the next little while?

Going, going, gone . . .

time to put my money where my mouth, er fingers, are. in a previous post, i talked about trusting God. well, turns out life has a sense of irony, or God has a sense of humor, or maybe a little of both. either way, i am now without a job. i have done my grieving this afternoon, and the numbness has worn off, and now i am staring down reality barrelling down the tracks at me and wondering how God is going to derail that train before it hits me full force. regardless, God is in control and is sovereign, and He is going to provide for me. as i said before, my supply is God, not north mississippi medical center (all our best, right?) and He knows my situation even before it happened today and already has a plan in place. just wish i could get in on the joke.

the cherokee indians had a very interesting ritual of a boy becoming a man that comes to mind right now. when the time came for a boy to make the transition into a man, his father would take him out deep into the woods and would sit him on a stump blindfolded. the boy's instructions were simple: do not take the blindfold off, do not call out, and do not get off of the stump until morning, at which time his father would return. he then was left by his father to spend the night on that stump blindfolded. while there, he would hear all kind of sounds that were terrifying to the young boy away from the safety of his village. his mind would be filled with the images of wild animals surrounding him, savoring the easy meal to come. every ounce of his being wanted to take the blindfold off, get off of the stump, and run. but run where? it was dark and he had no idea where he was or how to get back. so he sat. by the time morning came, his skin was so sensitive to the atmosphere around him, that the warmth of the sun's rays could be felt, alerting him that morning had arrived. when he took the blindfold off, he would find that his father was sitting just behind him, having spent the entire night there. even though he felt as if he had been abandoned to the beasts of the forest, reality proved to be that he was being protected from them by a warrior far more skilled than he, one that loved him and would give his life to protect him. God is the same way.

right now i am being marched into the forest, blindfolded. i can already hear the strange sounds of unfamiliar territory. i know the one secret that the young cherokee lad did not, however: that my Father is there with me, protecting me, and has already given His life for me. i can only imagine what kind of warrior God is preparing me to be at the end of this test. what a wonderful God we serve!

Happy Daddy's Day!

i was awakened from my migraine this morning by my two young sons, Gavin and Nathan, who came in saying "Happy Daddy's Day!", beaming and grinning from ear to ear with a present in their hands. as much as everything in me wanted to pull the covers back up over my head and black out the light and sound, i wouldn't have missed this wonderful God-given opportunity to love on my boys. they got me a cool "life is good" shirt with a guitar player on the front! while my migraine prevented me from exiting my bed and going to worship with my sons, it is still a day of worshipping the God who has so graciously blessed me with two of the best sons a dad can have! now, most dad's say that, i know. but the reason that every dad can say that is because their sons are the best, specifically tailored for them by our heavenly Father, whom the Bible says knows how to give us good gifts! He has given me the best daddy's day gifts in my two bestest buddies! now, if you will excuse me, i'm going to take some more migraine medicine and find a dark place in hopes that i can knock this thing out so i can hopefully take my oldest fishin' this afternoon! happy daddy's day!

Father knows best . . .

as i spend a lazy saturday trying not to fall asleep on my couch, i ponder on the topic of fatherhood. one of my favorite channels on tv to watch is tvland. this is mainly because it is one of the few channels that i can watch and not be overly concerned about the content my young boys are being exposed to. i bring this up for the purpose of contrasting the view of fatherhood from days past to the view of fatherhood prevalent today. our entertainment is a direct reflection of the values held by the society that creates it, as has been the case throughout history. therefore, if we were to look at some of the shows that are on television today, what would we learn about fathers? the simpsons portray the father, aka homer simpson, as nothing more than a blithering idiot who has no control over, not to mention little respect from his children. compare this to the fathers on tvland from past shows such as leave it to beaver, and like shows, and you'll see my point. the same dismal view of fathers is present on the radio as well. there is currently a commercial for a cell phone company that portrays fathers as clueless, loveable guys that should be appreciated as such. while some may find this trend amusing, i for one find it disturbing. what does it say about us as fathers? it says that we have abandoned our calling as a whole. working at the hospital, i see a flood of babies being born to mothers without a father around. to add to that number, i have youth from past and present groups whose fathers have left them. it's no surprise that fathers have become the laughing-stock and much lamented group of human beings among today's generations. this has astounding implications not only for today's family, but for today's churches and theology as well.

how does this impact us today, you ask? in quite a few profound ways. one, is in the survival of the nuclear family. many young adults have become so disillusioned with the family that they grew up in that they have abandoned the traditional marriage commitment and have instead opted for living together. this inevitably results in a chain reaction effect on fathers abandoning their children because there is no longer a strong commitment to an institution greater than the two entities to hold a couple together. so it's very easy for men to go around to different places fathering children by different women in different areas, as if they were setting up franchises. they have become nothing more than glorified sperm donors. also, if fathers are shirking their role, then the cycle continues as our young men have no one to mentor them as to what it means to be a father. they are merely acting upon the ideologies that their experiences have taught them.

this leads to another problem perpetuated by our dwindling fatherly responsibilities. our young men have become a generation of men raised by women. i know this will spark some controversy, but i will bear saying it anyway. i will then open my arms to make it easier for those in disagreement to crucify me. psychological studies have shown that men who fail to make a connection with their fathers or another strong male role model have a greater propensity for homosexuality and gender identity issues. with absentee and derelict fathers, it's no surprise that the homosexual lifestyle is increasingly growing in exponential rates. the women of today's generations are not immune to this growing cancer. girls who do not have the love and affection of a father are more likely to seek it in other places. to quote buckwheat, eddie murphy's character for snl, they are "wootin por nub in aw da wong paces." this has contributed to our teen pregnancy and std rates growing to record numbers. while i know that the fatherhood crisis is not the sole cause of these calamities, it is a major player.

however, the most important effect that our fatherhood crisis has on today's generations is in terms of our theology. there is a growing trend that doesn not like to refer to God as a Father. and why should they? their fathers have been so useless and detrimental in their own lives that the idea of an all powerful father is not comforting by any means. a good picture of today's attitude towards God is the following quote from the movie fight club:

our fathers were our models for God. if our fathers bailed, what does that tell you about God? you have to consider the possibility that God does not like you, He never wanted you, in all probability He hates you. it's not the worse thing that can happen [cause] we don't need Him. [forget] damnation, [forget] redemption. we are God's unwanted children? so be it!

it is this attitude that i believe has led to the rise of feminist theology, perpetuating the notion that God is a female. this is blasphemy and a direct contradiction of Scripture. but this is the bed we have made, and unless we strip it and remake it, we must continue to lie in it.

fathers, we have to reclaim our roles. we have to start living up to the blessed position that God has graced us with if we are to ever salvage future generations of fathers!

Gas, Groceries, and God

yet another day has gone by and i have once again been approached by numerous people complaining about the high prices of food and gas. while listening to one such person, it suddenly occurred to me that i had seen this very attitude within myself as of recently. i also realized that it is something that is discussed frequently from the pulpits of countless churches across our land. now, this entry is not to support the many theories out there about the possibility that we are in the end times as talked about in St. John's Revelation (as opposed to the much mispronounced "Revelations", a pet-peave of mine!), rather it is to discuss the unbibilical attitudes that are plaguing our churches. many have resorted to avoiding the news stations because they get depressed after a 15 minute session of news reports. the problem that hit me today is our reliance on everything but G-d.

Phillippians 4:19 says that G-d shall supply ALL your NEEDS. first, our supply comes from G-d. not from the government's tax rebate incentive bone that they threw us last month. yet the government acts as if we should all be lifting our hands and singing its praises for giving us back some of the money that we gave them. moreover, many Christians have been duped into doing just that. if we would take our eyes off of others for our provision, others who are limited even in what they can provide, we would be able to focus on G-d's provision and rest in Him.
second, the verse says that G-d will supply ALL. not some. ALL. that means G-d knows about (gasp) the price of gas. and He knows about the price of (gasp) food as well! He also knows what our income is. hold on to your hats here, folks. he knows how much your taxes and other deductions are and the difference between your net and gross income! i know, that's just too much, right? what's really going to bake your noodle is that He knows EXACTLY how much money you need to make it to the next pay day. so, if G-d knows all of this, do you not think that He can provide the money for the gas in your car? what about food? is He not the one who created the organisms that our food comes from? so is He not able to make sure that you have food? and even if He does not provide for you in the way you expect, is He not able to give you the grace needed to make it through hard times?

that brings us to the final thing that His Word says: all your NEEDS. that does not mean all your wants. sorry joel osteeen, but G-d is not obligated to give us a 6 bedroom mansion, nor is He obligated to give us prime rib from the choicest black angus cattle at every meal. no. He says He will meet our NEEDS. the problem is that we don't know what our needs are. we think we know. moreover, too many times the line between needs and wants becomes muddied. however, Almighty G-d, who created our bodies and our minds, knows exactly what our bodies need to function to carry out His will for our lives. He promises that He will take care of us. period.

so, the next time you watch the news, throw your head back and laugh at satan as he pitifully attempts to discourage us to take our eyes off of G-d for our provision. after all, even if we lose wealth, health, and body, if we are in Christ, then we are still better than we deserve! Aei Pistos.

Puppies Vs. Toddlers

where does true happiness lie? in knowing the truth, or in denying it and living in the faux peace of denial? many of us can echo the words of zach de la rocha, lead singer for the now defunct "rage against the machine", who states: if ignorance is bliss, then knock the smile off my face!
the truth, while not always pleasant, is liberating. that is the motivation behind this blog. i hope to challenge others to seek the truth, and to look inside themselves and determine if they are voluntary blind men, or are they seeing the world through the eyes of the enlightened.

that being said, the topic for my first post has to do with a disturbing trend that i have witnessed over the last week in my own hometown paper in tupelo, ms. a home on a rural county road was raided last week by law enforcement. this raid was spurned by the death of a two year old boy, who was essentially starved to death. however, the death of the two year old was not the main story that was reported from the raid. the main headline in the paper the following day had to do with a "puppy mill" that was found on the property. some 150 dogs were taken from the property that were diseased and malnourished. the story about the abused and neglected two year old who died? one column off to the right side of the paper. i am an animal lover as much as the next person, however, when exactly did the lives of animals take precedence over the lives of children? this is evident in the movies, as well. a movie can show humans of any age, gender, or race being tortured, murdered, or any other gruesome fate that man in his depravity can imagine. however, at the end of the movies, there is always the disclaimer that no animals were harmed during the making of this film. there is no disclaimer about people, even when filming documentaries. i do not hear a public outcry. i hear silence. why? because human life is trivialized. this disturbing trend began with the introduction of evolutionary teaching into the schools in the 50s. if humans are nothing more than glorified animals, then we are worth no more than that. from that came roe v. wade, allowing the further trivialization of the lives of the unborn, based on their inabiltiy to contribute to society and their subsequent burden on society. i forsee this trend to soon be transferred to other groups, such as the mentally and physically handicapped, the elderly, the homeless. "never," you say? many germans said "never" when first told about the atrocities that were being committed by their own government. in reference to the aforementioned article, other articles have graced the front page of the paper in the days following the raid, all having to do with the puppies. nothing more was said about the unfortunate two year old except that the parents were being charged for his death. like an ostrich, we bury our heads in the sand. this way we do not shatter our utopian view of man's "inherent goodness". if man is not inherently good, then we have to admit that there must be something wrong with us. but we judge ourselves based on others, and not on the standard Almighty G-d has set for us. in response to the puppies, G-d's Word says that we are of more value than many sparrows. puppies as well. if only we all held to that view, maybe our world would be a better place.