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.