Thought of the Day

A Penny’s worth of Trust
Words from God
Matthew 11:28 – 30

Many people have days when their hearts are heavily burdened. Today, I was looking in Matthew 11:28 - 30, which reads, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy lade, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and burden is light.”
I was thinking to myself about how I feel so rejected and how nobody seems to care, and today I was sent an email. It was almost like any that I get from friends. This friend, Nita, from Greenwood, Arkansas, sent it to me as a forward. It was a simple email that had been forwarded no telling how long. But, of all days, it came to me. The email read like this;
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. This gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? 'Look at it.' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words ' United States of America.’ 'In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And?' 'And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.
This penny spoke to the wealthy man’s heart, just as before. He may have very well been wealthy because he put his trust in God, but who knows? Many times we choose to go our own directions, because we get tired of fighting the world and its problems.
Today was a down day for me and God knew it. A church, in Texas, had asked me to preach to them and I had explained my divorce before I went. They still wanted me to come, and I did. I enjoyed the time there and looked at all the possibilities. Last week this church called me to come back again, and I told them that I would get back to them. My job is behind and I called to tell them that I would not be able to come on the date they wanted me too. The man told me that he was just going to call me to tell me that one man in their small congregation didn’t want me to be their pastor, so there was no need for me to waste my time coming there.
I told Becky that I was giving up on ever pastoring again, because rejection just brings me too much heartache. After I read this email I was reminded of what the Psalmist wrote in Psalms 118:8, which says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” What a statement!
Today, many of us base our decisions on what we think rather than what God leads us to do or what HE teaches us in HIS WORD. We are all guilty of this corruptible sin. We need to remember what the Lord said in Isaiah 55: 8 - 9. He said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” As I have said before, opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they all smell. When we have to make decisions about anything, we need to ask God and trust in HIM to show us what we need to do. If HE leads us to do something, then do it while we throw our opinions out the window.
When I think of the widow’s mite, I think of how Jesus used it to show us that HE wants our all. It would not be my all, if I chose to give up doing what HE called me to do. Jesus was rejected on all fronts, but HE continued to do what our Father told HIM too. The email about “IN GOD WE TRUST,” is a reminder to me that God does have something for me to do and HE is very much in control.
Trusting in God is the only way for me to serve HIM in the capacity that HE wants me too. All of this in a simple email. Thank God for good Christian friends who allows God to use them the way HE wants too. Thanks for the reminder of how I should trust in God Nita. Thank you for your encouragement Lord.

What a great day!

Yesterday I had the great opportunity to preach to a small church who has big goals. This particular church came from a sister church, but does not have a home of their own yet. For the first time ever, except in my own home, I had the great opportunity to preach in one of this church member's home. Counting my wife and I, we had 13 people. I preached from Hebrews 10:7, and 22 - 24. The title of the message was how to follow Christ. I believe the apostle Paul outlined this message very well. I have preached verses 22 through 24 a couple of times before and later found verse 7, which to me ties it all together.

Verse 7 says, "Then said I, Lo, I come to do thy will O God." What a great statement made here. God is looking for willing hearts to do HIS will. Paul wrote the following outline in this particular passage that is of great encouragement.

I. Let us draw near. (vs 22)
a. Drawing close to God is the way to have the greatest relationship to Him that anyone could have.

b. The way to draw near to HIM is;

* With a true heart.

* In full assurance of faith.

* Having our hearts sprinkled from a evil conscience, which to me means having a clear conscience.

* Our bodies washed with pure water. This does not mean baptism, but I believe it means the

change that only Jesus Christ, the living water can make in a person's life.

II. Lest us hold fast. (vs. 23)

a. Holding fast to the profession of our faith

* Don't let go of the faith, which God gives us, because it is the only way to please God.
* Faith without works is dead.

b. Hold fast to our faith without wavering.

* We are in a world that is does waver from its faith.
* Christians should maintain their relationship with Christ through faith.
* It doesn't matter what comes our way, Christ is the only stable in a Christian life.
* Let's not waver from our faith and turn back toward the world, which hates people
who stand for Christ anyway.

III. Let us Consider. (vs. 24).

a. one another to provoke.

* We should encourage each other instead of down grading each other.
* We should encourage each other in love, and not to make ourselves to look better
than anyone else.

b. We encourage one another through love by being as faithful to Christ and HE is to us.

c. We should consider the lost with brotherly love, by showing them direction to Christ in
and through our lives and testimonies.

This is not the complete message as I preached it, but anybody who chooses to study it out can sure get a blessing from it. I know I did, and I hope you do too. Pray for Faith MBC in Hewitt, Texas as they really are seeking God's direction in this church. Pray that if this is where God wants my family at that he will reveal it clearly to them and us too. I hope ya'll have a blessed day.

Your Heart's Trust

Your Heart’s Trust
A Tool to Use
Psalm 28:7

I was recently asked to pray with a lady who was broken hearted. I did not ask any questions, but when I was asked to pray with her and another group of people, I could tell she was really in pain. God knows her pain, and His will be done. Now I can imagine that everyone, at one time or another has their heart broken. We can relate to the loneliness that it brings, and even though people pray with you, it is like you are totally alone in the situation. I can remember the last time I was totally heart broke. I did not have anyone to talk too. My mom was on her death bed, not knowing anyone. My brother had bigger issues than mine to deal with, and I had no family to talk too. It was almost like when you approached people they would try to avoid talking, because they didn’t know what to say. I tried to talk to a couple of good friends, but I found that they had no words for me that gave me comfort, and in turn it made them feel bad. It really is a sad situation to be in.
David wrote, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; may heart trusted in HIM, and I am helped: there fore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise HIM.” In this Psalm, David is praying against his enemies. I find it real interesting at how he starts his prayer. “Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord my rock:” What a powerful statement this is. We are real quick to say that the Lord is all powerful, which HE is, but David seems to have a real understanding of it. How many times have we wished we could hear God’s answer verbally? David says, ‘be not silent to me: lest, if Thou be silent to me I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear my voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee” This is one of the greatest requests that I’ve read in God’s Word. He’s saying, “Lord, I need you to hear me and tell me what to do.”
If you read the whole 28th Psalm, you will find that David is addressing a need to the Lord for relief of a burden. Then in the end, David acknowledges that he can do nothing without the Lord. Wow! So what can I learn from this? We see that David continues “Blessed be the Lord, because HE hath heard the voice of my supplications,” verse 6. The burden David had is for the Lord’s protection against the enemies and for the protection of his people. As the King of Israel, he took his job very seriously and I believe he really loved these people.
The burdens we bear at times seem to almost totally unbearable. Heartaches seem to come more often than not. This world causes us to struggle with decisions we have to make. Sometimes decisions are totally out of our hands, but we have to bear the brunt of the force, so to speak. This is why Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28 – 30). The burdens that David had were tuff, but I tell you now, he knew who could handle it. This leads him to say, “my heart trusted in HIM, and I am helped”
Trusting in the Lord is the key to a happy life. When people talk about trusting in God, it is general referred to as accepting Jesus as Personal Savior. However, and I do agree that we must trust in the Lord to be saved, this is not the trust that David speaks about. Sometimes, when I really desire something, I try trusting in everything, everyone, or even myself to obtain it; when I should requested the Lord to show my heart what I needed to do, or allow happen. To me, listening to your heart is only good when you know its God speaking from it. We know that the heart is exceedingly wicked, but as a child of the King, you know when HE speaks through it. David was saying in laymen’s terms, “You know what, I gave it to you and I know you’re going to handle it. I am helped.” He worked his faith to the point that he said, “God you have a problem; I’m going to bed.”
It doesn’t matter what kind of problems we have at times, we need to realize that as a child of the king your heart trusted in HIM and HE will always help. Cast all your cares, your worries, your heartaches, and your fears upon HIM, and He will be your help. Remember; He is our strength, and without HIM nothing can be done. The key to that is allowing HIM to handle it.

Thought of the Day

Waiting on the Lord
A Way to Grow in Strength
Psalm 27:14

There is a young man in our church’s youth group that is an encouragement to me just about every time I see him. He’s really disciplined in the way he takes care of himself. He is going to be a senior in high school, where he plays football and lifts weights. As I look at him, I wonder some things about myself and some other people. If our spiritual lives for God were seen as muscle to God, what would you and I look like? This young man is disciplined in the way he eats, they way he exercises, and the way he lives.
The Psalmist wrote, “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Many of us have read Isaiah 40:31, where the scripture tells us, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Many have sung this verse in a song. This takes a discipline that many Christians do not have. The biggest discipline you’ll ever learn is waiting. Waiting on the Lord takes disciplines like my friend has in his life. So let’s look at some of these and just see what we can learn from it.
Learning to wait upon the Lord is learned by what we eat. Think about it for a second. If we eat what old Satan feeds us or this world feeds us, we soon develop, what I call, the attitude of Nike. The huge shoe monstrosity developed this saying when Bo Jackson played for the Oakland Raiders and whatever baseball team if played for. The world has this attitude toward anything; “Don’t think about it; just do it.” Christians develop this attitude and call it faith. However, when it falls short of what we want, we state, “Well I just didn’t have enough faith.” That’s not necessarily true either. There are things we do need to step out on in faith, and pray that God will use us. However, in our day to day lives we sometimes may huge decisions without waiting on the Lord’s instruction. I have learned, the hard way, that when I wait upon the Lord, He never leads me wrong. If I learn to wait upon HIM all the time then I become fit spiritually and don’t become ‘fat and lazy,’ as a Christian, lol. Lesson to learn; do not believe the world’s instructions, because it will always lead you in the wrong direction.
Learning to wait upon the Lord is learned by how we exercise. Physical exercise seems to be in the past tense for me. Amazingly, when I was 16 – 25 years old, I stayed in good shape, because I participated in sports such as baseball, softball, football, and weight lifting; and no I was not what people call ‘cut’. When I was 26 – 36 I still got some exercise, but it went way down. At 48, and yes I know I’m still a youngster to some, some exercise I get is just being able to get up out of bed, because I’m so stiff, or my back hurts, or something hurts, etc. You that are my age or older know what I’m talking about. Spiritual exercise is apparently no different in our spiritual life. I am 28 years old in my salvation. I’ve gone to church most of my life and even though I know that I do not know everything about God’s Word or God, I feel okay spiritually. However, there have been many times that I was not even okay. Spiritual exercise comes through daily Bible studies, daily prayer, and a good regiment of church faithfulness. The more we use these spiritual exercises, the easier all the things such as witnessing, preaching, working for the Lord, etc, become to us. This young man can lift more weight than I can, because he works out daily. He was not able to accomplish these goals over night, but instead he was faithful in these exercises. Spiritually strong people can do more when we exercise spiritually daily.
Learning to wait upon the Lord is taught by the way we live. I am reminded of many examples that Jesus used in the Bible that were not able to live for Christ, because of the way they wanted to live for the world. Jesus told us that we cannot live for HIM and the world at the same time. Money is the root of all evil and we all want that root. In an earlier ‘thought of the day,’ I made the comment that we need to be content. However, many of us are never content. We have to have more money. A rich young man came to Jesus and asked him, “What can I do to inherit the Kingdom of God?” Jesus told him to keep the commandments, and the young man told Him, “I have done this since I was but a youth.” Jesus said, “Then give all your money to the poor, sell all you have and follow me.” The man went away sad because he thought that was too high of a price, for he was very wealthy. Living for Christ takes a huge regiment of eating the right spiritual food, exercising with our weights daily (studying, praying and worshipping), and living our life like each day is our last day for Christ on this earth.
Many things you can learn by watching discipline athletes, but I can honestly say that God has told each of us how to become stronger for HIM. As I examine myself, I have decided that I don’t look like a big body builder in my spiritual life, but I know how to start building that way. How about you?

Thought of the Day - July 28th

Contentment in Christ
Seeking to find His will
Philippians 4:11

As I woke up this morning, it took me a little while to gather my wits about myself. Many would say that I do not have many wits about me, and at times I would agree with them. When I finally got myself going I realized it was my birthday. First I thanked God for allowing me to have another good night’s rest, and I thanked Him also for allowing me to wake up to spend another day to try to do HIS will in my life.
I have had time to ponder on the forty eight years of my life today. I have to wonder if I’m as content as I need to be. Paul wrote, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,” (Phil 4:11 KJV). I know that I’ve not always allowed contentment to override my wants. I have desires, or wants, that do not seem to be available.
Today, I heard on the radio about a girl who started off on the wrong foot as a teenager and allowed God to bring her to where she is today. During the trying times of her life she was molded by God and she allowed Him to direct her path into a better life. She allowed the mistakes of her past to be used, by God, to make her content to be the person she is in the present. I can say that if we allow God to mold us the way He wants too, HE will put us in a place that will honor and glorify HIM.
As I look on my life, I can remember some of the horrible mistakes that I have made. There is not enough time or space to cover them all. I know that probably one of the biggest mistakes I made was not listening to my mother when she tried to lead me. At times, I wonder how my life would have changed had I really listened to her. Maybe some of my heartaches would not have occurred had I listened early in my adult life for sure. Even with all those mistakes, I have many great things that happened in my life too. I have a loving wife, whom I love very much, three great sons, mistakes to the side, and most importantly I know Jesus as my personal Savior. I met HIM on October 3, 1982 and I answered the call to preach in 1999. Even though I’ve never considered myself a good speaker, I love sharing HIS WORD with people. I thank God He called me to the ministry, and look forward to the next work HE has for me, should HE have one.
With all the positives and negatives in my life I realized that God has been molding me into what HE desires for me to be and I know HE is not finished. I can’t say that I’ve always gone in the direction He wants me too, but I can say that HE is always there to keep me on track. I can’t say I’ve always been a good husband, father, or person either. However, I can say that God has forgiven me for things I’ve done wrong, because I asked Him too.
I can recall when the only church I’ve ever pastored called me. I was so excited about the opportunity and I can honestly say that the people there showed their love toward me and my family. I can remember preaching at that church, and looking back, I can see a bunch of mistake that I made in my short time there. I cannot say I was a good pastor either. However, I can say I had a desire to be one. I had a desire to be friends with all them members and they treated me like family. I still feel that I failed miserably in areas that I could have been better in. However, it wasn’t about me being a pastor. It was about me making myself available to be used of God. God used me as a tool to convey HIS thoughts and we saw several saved during the time I was there. The first 2 ½ years, I did make myself available to HIM, but the last year of my pastorate brought me much discouragement. I’ve come to believe it was mainly because I allowed myself to loose focus on my calling. I became so discouraged that I didn’t know what to do. I prayed a lot, but I saw things happening in the church that I didn’t like, which caused me to be discontent. Therefore, I grew even more discouraged. People were leaving after we had a small growth spurt, many telling me that it wasn’t me, and some who were faithful just dropping out all together. They said that they just wanted to do something else, and unfortunately I still took it personal and allowed it to discourage me. I started feeling that I was not liked anymore and I became lonely. I allowed that to cause me to loose focus and I got in the way of God doing a great work. Some of them had grown discontent just as their pastor had. I believe it is because we all stopped praying as we needed too. As any pastor does, I wanted that church to be in better shape than what it was when I arrived, should I have to leave, and I can’t say it was.
When I accepted the church, I had no plans of ever leaving. I was very happy and satisfied, and I was there until Jesus came, but things change. I lost my wife and I needed a wife who would support me and minister with me, but that was no longer there either. I needed people to pray with and for me, and there didn't seem to be anyone available. I had lost control of something I should have never tried to control in the first place. After all, it is not about me. I grew even more discouraged. Discontentment leads to discouragement.
I left the church that August and felt like I had done the Lord such a poor job as a pastor that HE would never use me again. I will say that I loved the members of that church with a deep convicting love, and even after leaving those members are still on my heart and mind. Not long after I arrived back home, I saw my current pastor. He invited me to church, but I really didn’t have a desire to go anywhere. Some of the other pastors didn't seem to want to have anything to do with me. However, he encouraged me and prayed with me and I finally gave into going on a Sunday morning. As I listened to this man preach it was like I was totally by myself. I had no family with me and I didn’t feel like I had a friend in the world. After all, I failed the only true friend I’ve ever known, Jesus. I had met the woman I would eventually marry, but I still didn’t feel like I was loved by anyone, and I sure didn’t feel of any use any longer. After services, the pastor came up to me and said, “Come back tonight and preach for us.” I told him, “I don’t know about that,” as I thought God doesn’t want me behind a pulpit anymore. I went to church that night dressed in jeans and a golf shirt, not planning on preaching, but just to try to get a hint of the vigor I had for Christ again. The pastor asked me, “Are you ready to preach?” I said, “I guess, but you don’t have to let me,” hoping that he would say okay, I’ll preach tonight, because I didn’t really feel like it. I felt like I didn’t want to make another fool of myself and that’s exactly what I felt like I was going to do behind a pulpit. I felt that if God really wanted me behind a pulpit I would have stayed at my church. What a horrible thought! God will use a willing heart. He was showing me something.
God put me in the church I’m in now for a reason, and I’m very thankful for my church family. When I first started going there, I was still very discouraged. I didn’t want to be in a church setting. I kept blaming myself for doing God an injustice behind the pulpit and the duty HE gave me. I have thought and prayed, ‘God give me one more chance to prove to you that I can do a better job, and I will give it my best,” but my prayers haven’t been answered in that direction yet, and I’m not guaranteed they will be. I was still discontent. I can only hope that the members of the church, which allowed me to be their pastor for 3 ½ years can find the love in their heart to forgive me for not being the great pastor for Christ that I needed to be. I am like any human, I could say that the reason I failed is not totally my fault, because I didn’t feel like I had the support that I needed and desired, but that would be passing the blame. That could be part of the problem, but as I look back, I see that the real problem was me. I was not content to allowing God to use me in a miserable situation as HE had in better situations; again, discontentment brings discouragement.
I have a great class that I wished was larger at times, and there are people who really love God in it. It’s a ministry for me, and I can only hope that God is using me in a way that will honor and glorify HIM. Periodically I’m asked to preach there and I love trying to do just that. I still have a deep desire to pastor another one of the Lord's churches, but for now I must learn to be content where God has me. Maybe this is the lesson I needed to learn.
I’ve said all this to state the conclusion I have come too. If we really desire to work for God the opportunities are out there. We make the decision to take those opportunities or let them pass by. When God opens doors, be ready to go through them. My prayer for this next year of my life, should God allow me that time, is that God will show me the opportunity and give me the faith to walk through those doors that HE does open. And on top of all that, I pray that HE will help me be content in whatsoever I do. Contentment in Christ is a desire that Christ has for us all.

Saturday!

Saturday! I have a day off......lol. Well, this week seemed to go by quickly. Summer time always flies by, but it becomes miserable when it is hot and dry. I had the opportunity to go to camp again on Wednesday. I was able to talk to people whom I haven't seen in several years. Bro. Paul Clark and I visited for a while. He just recently lost his dad, but is excited to know that he is in Heaven. He preached on Wednesday night and I enjoyed it. The message was entitled, "Seven Bad Things About Heaven." The camp had about 250 registered campers and I believe they had 23 saved and 3 young men to surrender to the ministry of our Lord. That is exciting. On Thursday night Becky was able to go to camp with me and I introduced her to all my friends. Roger and Carla Bachelor were there, and I've known the them for a long time. They are members of Pinkham MBC in DeKalb, Texas. They may have a new pastor already and I pray that he is the one God wants there. Camp seems to just get started good when it is time to go home. I know that anytime I've spent the week there that Friday seemed a long way on on Monday when we arived. However, the week flies by and I always wanted to stay longer. It's such a great place to get away from the world. Becky told me to schedule a week off for camp next year. I hope that God opens the door to a church, which I can take to camp. That would be the greatest thing to me in the world.

I received two calls from churches this week looking for help. One is in Avenger, and Bro. Gould is wanting someone to help him with the church. The church is struggling in attendance, and the man that lands this job will hopefully be used of God to help it grow. I will know in a few weeks if I'm to go there. I also received a call from a church in Aubrey, Arkansas who is looking for a pastor too. I've got a while to prepare for this one as I am not scheduled to appear there until September 7.

I fill in for Bro. Dale tomorrow night and I'm still working on the message.....later on this one.

Camp Time!

Yesterday brought back many memories for me. I took a load of suitcases, ice chests, and many other objects, along with my niece and Albert, to Pine Springs Baptist Encampment, in Laneville, Texas. I had the opportunity to see many friends I have not seen in years. Our church took 34 to camp this year, and I believe it was the largest for this church in some time. This is camp no. 4, the camp I was raised up in for over 30 years. I was not able to attend it every year, but I do have many friends who still do.

It was good to see many pastors whom I attended school with at TBI. They all wanted to know if I was pastoring anywhere, lol. I haven't had that special opportunity in almost 4 years. There are many of our churches seeking pastors, but it seems like God has not opened that door yet; but, HE will, one day. I always enjoyed taking kids to camp when I was pastoring, and even when I was a youth director also. The picture of this tabernacle reminds me of lots of things that happened there from the time I was a youngster to a teen. God has saved many souls in this building and continues to do so. The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ is what does it! Camp is one solid week without the world dictating you something to do. It also gives you one solid week of fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ, to worship Christ, and to preach the gospel to a lost bunch. I may try to go to camp next year, with CMBC, should I not be anywhere else.

I saw a man I've not seen in about 4 years. Bro. Paul Clark is one of the men whom I count as a great friend. He loves the Lord and preaches the gospel with a fire. God has used the Clark family for many years. He just recently lost his dad, Bro. Clyde Clark. Brother Clyde was a warrior for God too. Bro. Paul pastors in Hillsboro, Texas, and God has blessed him so much. His son, Brother Jason is a missionary to France, and I'm glad to see that God is keeping HIS ministry going on through this loving family. My prayers go out to this family during their time of sadness. However, we know that Bro. Clyde is at the feet of Jesus and suffers no longer.

For those friends of mine, who read my blogs, which I don't seem to have much time for anymore, I ask that you pray for me as many have contacted me about possibly being interested in pastoring their churches. I've really prayed hard about this, but some of the contacts I've had, have not called back as I was told they would. Just pray that God will show me without a doubt what HIS will is, and that I will have a heart to accept it and continue in what I'm doing until HE puts me where HE has plans for me. Also, pray for several churches without pastors. May God send to them the man HE wants them to have, and may these churches see who he is. Thanks.

What a weekend!!!

Monday morning! We woke up with rain, even though it wasn't more than a half inch, but it was rain. Thank the Lord for that. This past weekend was really busy. I worked on the lawn mover, and didn't get it running still, the swimming pool pump went out, had to get a new one, my Boston terrier had 5 puppies, and I was asked to preach on Sunday night. I was contacted by a church in Alexandria, LA, about preaching for them, but that didn't materialize and then I was able to go to work this morning; in the rain. LOL.

I preached from 1 Samuel 3:1 - 11 last night. The message was intitled, "Hearing God." We did have a couple respond, but I just love when God takes over and gets me out of the way. I really enjoyed preaching though. We have 2 churches in our area without pastors right now. I hope I get a chance to preach some more. I really love sharing God's Word with churches. We will see.

VACATION

Well, Monday is here! Back to reality. Becky and I just finished up a vacation that started with a wedding were Aaron and Shae were married, and then we went to Unity MBC, in Denison, Texas. We were there in their pastor's absence. We always enjoy the visit with this church. God really seems to be blessing this church, and I thank God for that.
On Monday, June 30, Becky and I stayed at home and got some things done; namely, planting trees, bushes and other plants.
Tuesday, July 1, we made the trip to Houston. Highlight of the day; Going through Norstroms, in the Galeria, on the way to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. I saw a suit coat for 1095.00 dollars and a ladies blouse that might go for 25 dollars in Wal Mart for 289.00 dollars. We enjoyed the meal and returned to the hotel. We stayed in the Indiglo Hotel.
Wednesday, July 2, started off at Chic-fa-le and then took us to the Johnson Space Center and Minute Maid park. There were some interesting things at Johnson Space Center, but overall, it was boring. It had been about 35 years since I had been there. Minute Maid park was fun, even though the Astros were beat by the Dodger 4-1. There was a nice fire work show after the game.
Thursday, July 3, took us to Galveston, after breakfast at McDonalds. We went fishing. Becky had never salt water fished before. She caught a lot of Whitings and on nice red fish, 20" long, weighing between 3 - 5 pounds. I enjoyed watching her. I helped a man with a flounder and caught one small whiting. Becky wanted to swim, but must not have been in the cards for this vacation. We stopped a Pappa's Sea Food to eat on the way home.
Friday, July 4, we slept till 8:00 a.m. We stated off at IHOP again, and then we went to the Houston Zoo and had planned on going to another park for a concert and fire work display. The zoo brought back a ton of memories for me, but the rain put a damper on some of the things. We spent most of the day there and then we went to the Katy Mills Mall, where Bass Pro Shop is. After eating at the Rain Forest Cafe, we looked around and decided to leave just before the mall closed. As we got to the parking lot, we notice thousands of people sitting on their cars and in chairs and found out that there was going to be a fire work show right there; so we stayed. It was really nice. Arrived back at the hotel around 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 5, we checked out of the hotel and went to IHOP for breakfast. We stopped at a Houston Plant and Flower store just north of Houston, but did not buy anything. Then we made the last minute decision to go fishing at Lake Livingston. After a quick stop at Wal Mart, we were off to the state park where we fished from yet another pier. I caught on striper and we both fed the fish until about 4:00 p.m., when we decided to come home. We arrived back at our house by 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 6, we went to church, shelled purple hull peas and basically rested. Now it is back to reality with our everyday life of work.

Obedience-A Word with Lost Meaning

Isaiah 1:16 - 20

Words are not hard to come by today. Occasionally you will see new words that the Webster’s Dictionary has come up with. For example; how about the word, ‘aerobicized’ or ‘aerobicised,’ which is an adjective meaning; (of a person's body) toned by aerobic exercise: aerobicized Hollywood women. Here’s one for you; ‘twonk.’ This word means a stupid or foolish person. We all know a twonk or two; don’t we? I am amazed at how many new words people come up with. I remember when children in the south were told we shouldn’t say the word, ‘ain’t,’ and now it is in the dictionary. In fact my computer underlined the word in red, which it sees as a misspelled word. It is amazing at the new words, but what about the words people quit using. I’m sure there are many we don’t use, but there is one particular word that we see used less in our actions than any one word. The word is ‘obedience.’ This word means the act or instance of obeying; the quality or state of being obedient. Obedient means submissive to the restraint or command of authority. Of course the word ‘obey’ means to follow the commands or guidance of; to conform to or comply with. Most of us would say we know what these words mean; but do we use them?
In God’s Word, the Bible, we find the word ‘obey,’ appears 69 times in 66 verses. It appears 44 times in the Old Testament and 25 times in the New Testament. The word ‘obedience’ appears 16 times in 16 verses. They are split evenly in the Old and New Testaments. The word disobedient appears in God’s Word 13 times; 2 in the Old Testament and 11 in the New. I’m sure that there are other words or phrases that appear in the Bible, which imply obedience also.
I was reading in the first chapter of Isaiah, when the scripture in verse 19 caught my eye. As most preachers do, I love verse18, where the Lord says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This verse reminds me of what God can do to a willing person, who wants to obey what God requires of them in repenting of our sin and asking Jesus to come into our heart. There is NOTHING so bad, that Jesus can’t forgive us of. It is a copout for someone to say, “I’ve been too bad to be forgiven.” There are ‘none righteous, no not one.’ There is no man, woman, boy or girl that is worthy of the salvation that the Lord gives freely. But HE gave it to us to make us a way to get back to HIM. Thank God for HIS marvelous grace.
In verse 19, we find a condition for this act of mercy. “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” Is a person willing, and can that person obey this way? What a question. There is less obedience in this world than ever before. In fact, Paul told Timothy it would be the signs of the end time. Obedience starts with parents. If parents cannot be obedient to God and HIS Word, then how do we expect our kids to be obedient to us? Obedience is a forgotten action. We make excuses for not wanting to follow God’s Word. We make excuses for not wanting to serve God. We make excuses for not wanting to follow the laws of the land. We always have an excuse, don’t we? One thing my wife is always on me about is the stop signs. If I pull up to one and don’t see anything coming, I have a bad habit of just rolling right through it, slowly. I yield, instead of coming to a complete stop. So what’s the matter with that, huh? I am breaking the law! Now I know I’m not the only one who does this. Many who read this have done the same thing. It’s not just about that though.
To be obedient to God, we must be obedient to HIS WORD. We need to be separate from this world. We need to stand out, so people can see a difference in our lives. The world needs to see Christ in us and through us. HIS WORD is the book of instructions that show us what we need to do, how to act, and how to exemplify Christ. Judah had a problem. They were fighting against what God said to do. He told them that they had to be willing to be obedient. We need to be willingly obedient too.
Obedient kids are rarely seen today. They all think mom and dad dropped on their heads and don’t have a clue what we are talking about. Just as all adults did to some extent when we were kids. My mother had an answer for disobedience. However, today’s parents think it is insane to pull the belt off or stand against rebellious children. According to most adults, we don’t need to use the rod of correction, but give them ‘time outs,’ or ground them. This isn’t even a temporary cure anymore. Why? Because it isn’t in line with God’s Word. Proverbs tells us over and over to discipline the child with the rod of correction, and it won’t kill them, but it will make them grow up in obedience. In 2 Timothy 3:1 – 5, Paul tells Timothy, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” If you really look at these verses, you find out that all of this come from not being obedient to God. We have to be shown, don’t we? All of these, and more, that Paul talked about in 2 Timothy, come from us thinking we know better than God. We know how to do it better! If you don’t believe that just ask someone. God’s way is the ONLY way, and obedience in the key. We like to refuse and rebel against doing it HIS way, don’t we?
He has an answer for that in Isaiah 1:20. “But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” We refuse to hear God’s warnings and choose to do it our way. Elvis Presley sang the son, “I did it my way,” and we see his end. He overdosed on medication and died. His way wasn’t God’s way. Many people loose their lives, because they do it there way, and not God’s way. Many people choose to reject God and live the high life of this world, by doing it their way. What will they say in the end? “God, I love you, but, life only comes around once!” That is a true statement by the way. Life does only come around once. There is life everlasting; where you can live forever. It’s called salvation. Jesus died that all may live. That word ‘all’ is a mighty small word; because not all will take advantage of the free gift of salvation. It means you would have to give up the ways of the world for HIM. Pride comes in the way; disobedience comes in the way; and then your rebellion comes in the way. The Lord told Judah what would happen if they refused and rebelled that they would be devoured by the sword. The sword is the Bible, which will be used in the judgment of all people. We need to realize that as Judah found out, we will eventually learn that disobedience will separate you from the Lord. Yes, if you are saved you will still be saved, but there is great rewards for obedience – the biggest being that you have made your relationship closer with Him, and won’t be a stumbling block to others. The sacrifices that Judah were making was pretend sacrifices, trying to justify the fact that they were living like they wanted to, and still trying to follow law. However, as said before, Judah found out that they could straddle the fence, because God still counts it as sin. Sacrificing the worldly life for Christ brings many blessings, but we find that when we live for the world and like the world, it only brings heartache in the end.
Mike Richardson said, “Sacrifice does not always require obedience however obedience always requires sacrifice. We sacrifice the flesh every time we obey God. My challenge is to continue to try to grow closer to God by obeying Him. Listening to what He says never leads us wrong.

What A WEEDEND

Becky and I started our weekend really early. She was off on Friday and I took off before 11:00 a. m. Things have slowed down, somewhat, at work, and my vacation along with Becky's has officially started.

Friday, Becky took Aaron's fiancee' to Longview for a ladies day out. Shae got her nails done, I think, for the very first time. They also picked up the wedding cake to bring home. I mowed the yard, and weedeated.

Saturday, Becky took Shae to get her hair done and do some final preparations for the wedding, which happened at 2 p.m. The wedding went off as normal and now Aaron and Shae are married. Woohoo... The whole thing too 12 minutes. All this money spent on a wedding, and it only takes 12 minutes?!?!? The wedding, reception and all was done by 4:00 p.m. We all rush to the house, grab our things and take off to Denison, Texas to be closer to Unity MBC, where I was scheduled to preach. We arrived at the hotel at 9:30 p.m. after leaving Carthage at 5:00 p.m.

Sunday! I had the great opportunity to preach to a loving church. I preached from Isaiah 1:16 - 20, entitled, "Obedience - The Key to a Healthy Relationship to God." The church had Sunday school, then the Choir had an Independance Day Contata. It was really great! The message was delivered, the seed was planted, and God was honored. What a great day... Then it was eatin' meetin' time. The church had great food and there was great fellowship. Afterwards, Becky and I were back on the road by 1:30 and we got home about 7:00 p.m. We stopped at the outlet mall in Terrel and then at the mall in Tyler. Of course what's a trip without stopping at Braums to eat some ice cream; Becky's treat. Now, Becky and I will be on vacation this week. We are headed to Houston on Tuesday to have so time together by ourselves. Good to go...I hope. LOL.

Another day

Well, this past weekend was surely busy. Not only did I have to work, but afterwards I accomplised a great deal at home. Becky and Aaron worked on putting 12 x 12 pads down while I worked on my chicken pen. We have about 26 chickens, and I'm thinking that I'm going to get rid of some. We will see. The exciting news was the fact that Carthage is still classified as a dry city. The whole county is dry, and in this man's opinion it needs to stay this way. We are thankful that there are still people who vote for right against wrong.
Rain is on the way. We need it, but without the hail and a tornadoes. After the weekend, Monday brought some bad things down at work, but hopefully they will get better or God will put me in a new church or mission to work in. We will see.

Another rainy day.

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged. Normally I put a 'Thought of the Day," on here, but I've not been to motivated lately, since I've been working seven days a week. Lots of things going on at my house. We had all of our pine trees cut down, along with three sweet gum trees. It has really opened up our yard too. We also had to have a new septic system put in our yard, because our old one's field line was destroyed by our neighbor's tractor; long story. With all of this done, I still have ton's of work to do.
Since I blogged last time, I had the opportunity to preach at Old Union MBC about a month ago. They are currently seeking a pastor, and again, I'm not the man. I've grown really discouraged in the fact that there are so many judgmental people in our work. Shame on us. However, if God is true to HIS WORD the way I believe HIM to be, HE will use me somewhere, one day.
I wonder, sometimes, if God is ignoring my prayers. I have such a desire to pastor again, but, yet, I am not giving the great opportunity to.
Aaron has moved back into our home. He is engaged to a girl, and they are supposed to marry in June. What bothers me about this is that neither one of them show the fruits of salvation in their lives, and both are unemployed, and not really looking hard for a job either. I find it hard to welcome him back into my home, because the boy needs to work, and he has not self motivation. Becky, nor I, could stand by and see this boy and his girlfriend live on the streets any more. For those who may read this, pray for both of these kids, because they need it badly.
Rain moved in to the county today, and there was even a tornado that touched down between my house and Beckville today. Mostly trees are damaged. Nobody was hurt that I know of, thank the Lord.

What a weekend.

This past weekend was as busy as it gets. I was called by Hopewell Baptist Church, in Clarksville, Texas, to come and preach to them. Working seven days a week is tough, but my boss let me off. This churches' pastor died after pastoring there for 45 years. Becky and I went up that way on Saturday night and stayed in Mt. Pleasant. I called a double header in Hughes Springs late Saturday evening. The first game was Hughes Springs 1 and Avery 0. The second game was Pittsburg 4 and New Boston 2.

Becky has been sick. She has coughed for about three weeks. When I got to the motel on Saturday night, she was running fever. However, it broke and she was able to go to Hopewell with me. These folks are really nice and seemed interested in me. However, we shall see. I preached the morning service and then we ate at the fellowship. I enjoyed some raisin pie. We left there around 1:30 and came back home. Becky wasn't able to go to church at our home church that night, but I made it.

We woke up on Monday with more rain. I hate to work on Mondays after I've preached on Sunday, but I made it. Looking forward to going to other churches one day. I pray that God will open that door for me.

Thought of the Day

Free Life Insurance!
Guaranteed Satisfaction
John 3:15 – 18

I think we will all agree that we are in a day and age when insurance is a necessity. We have to have house insurance, liability insurance, car insurance, medical insurance and the list just keeps going. I recently heard a commercial about life insurance. They asked, “What will you leave your family when you die?” They continued by saying that a death in the family usually puts the survivors in a bind and that is what life insurance is all about. Life insurance is for the surviving family. I often think of the life insurance policy on my wife and me both. Is it enough? Should I get more? All too often we think about how good of shape we leave our family when we leave. It’s a last gift from us to them, I suppose. One time I heard a life insurance man make a comment about a policy that made me think. He said, “The policy isn’t for the dead, but for the living.” When you pay so much for insurance, you think well how can I afford it or how do I benefit from it?
When we buy a car, we usually want the best protection that money can buy on it. We get the insurance for it, a warranty insurance policy for it, and if we could get one, a gas insurance policy on it, so if our gas gets stolen we can get the gas replaced. I say that laughingly, but there is something I would like for us to think about. What insurance policy is there that benefits the person who dies? So here is an idea; life insurance that dead people can benefit from. Guess what? It’s already there! It’s called everlasting or eternal life! And on top of all this, IT’S FREE! It doesn’t cost you anything and it has satisfaction guaranteed, too. Our Father in heaven made a way for us all. It came through the death, burial and resurrection of HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON JESUS CHRIST. Jesus said, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3: 15 – 18 KJV).
This is a no risk policy that cost you absolutely nothing, nadda, zip; nothing at all, well except the fact that you must become a new creation in Christ. The policy includes, but is not limited to, contentment, peace, happiness, and above all, it insures the person who accepts this policy the absolute freedom from ever having to go to hell when they die. It also insures that these emotions, though not limited, are for eternity. Now you may ask, ‘Why do I need this?’ It’s simple; because ALL, including you and me, have sinned and come short of the glory of God, (Roman 3:23). Because of this sin we have eternal damnation ahead for all, including you and me. Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death ;”(Romans 6:23), and this death is not just a physical death either. The writer of Hebrews said, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” (Heb 9:27 KJV). It’s guaranteed that you and I will eventually die from this old body. Our bodies are dying simply because of the sin in our lives. If a person could actually see how they looked in a mirror because of sin, well, none of us would look at ourselves. Even the pretty girls and handsome guys are not exempt from this death. Of course, most people live like they will never die, but that’s another subject. The death that Paul is talking about is the spiritual death; eternal separation from God, FOREVER. There will be no partying there; you will not see friends, have nice visits, or anything like that. There will only be weeping and gnashing of teeth, (Matthew 24:51), where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, (Mark 9:44 – 48). Paul continues in Romans 6:23 by saying, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD. It’s a gift for the taking, and did I say, IT’S FREE!?!?
We need to understand that hell was not created for men, women, boys or girls, but for Satan and his angels. However, when we reject the free gift of eternal life or the insurance policy, of God, and die in our sin, that sin cannot enter into the kingdom of God. If you still don’t understand this need, let’s review. We’ve established that we, you and I and everyone else included, are condemned to hell for sin in our lives. If we die without accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we will be separated from HIM forever. Jesus paid that debt for us though. That’s right, you and I put Jesus on the cross to die in our place. However, He rose again on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, waiting to come get those who have this insurance policy that HE paid for. You cannot earn this policy, like it was a coupon at a grocery store, for the good works that you might do on this earth. There are no brownie points! “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” (Ephesians 2:8 – 9). It’s a free gift for the asking, but it is not just handed to you because you think you are not a bad person. Did I mention that it is FREE?
Daniel was shown something that backs everything up. He was shown things that would happen in the last days of this earth, and he was told. “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt,” (Dan 12:2 KJV). This eternal life insurance has been around since the beginning of time, and something that eventually will not be offered again. The Lord deals with people for a while and eventually does not talk to those who continually reject what HE is offering them, for FREE. It will be for a limited time, up to HIS discretion. There may come a time that you want to seek God and not find Him as Esau did. “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears,” (Heb 12:17 KJV). It is time for man to seek God. Isaiah addressed that when he said, “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon, (Isaiah 55: 6 – 1 KJV).
So, it is decision time. What are we going to do with this FREE offer? It is a no–brainer for those who really want eternal life. Jesus is the only way to the Father. HE said, “I am the way, the Truth and the Life: No man can come unto the Father, but by ME, (John 14:6 KJV).” Here’s you chance: what will it be; Eternal life or eternal death? His will is simple: (John 6:40 KJV) “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” This is a life insurance policy that nobody should turn down.

Thought of the Day

Forgetting Humility
Thinking Highly of Ourselves
Romans 12:3

My wife and I just love watching animated movies. On Saturday we watched the movie, ‘Cars,’ again. In fact I probably like this movie to a point that would give kids a run for their money. I can remember my boys getting hung on movies when they were little. They would watch them over and over again until their mom or I would say enough. Amazingly enough you will find things in movies that will catch your attention and make you think. This movie is about a race car that thinks he is the very best, and no rookie could do what he was doing. He has fired several crew chiefs and lost his racing team, because he considers himself a one man show. He doesn’t think that the cars and sponsors in the background had helped make him who he is. He is sponsored by old rusty cars that he is not thrilled about, and is working for a new sponsor whose driver is retiring. In fact, the retiring car told him that he was a good race car, but that he was ‘stupid.’ He began telling him what he needed to do, but he got wrapped up in his dream of this retiring race car’s sponsor and didn’t listen to the experienced car’s advice. As the movie goes on, he gets lost and finds himself in a lone lost town named Radiator Springs, in Carburetor County, on Route 66. Except for a classy looking sports car, he finds himself surrounded by a rusty old wrecker and some older model cars while he serves a sentence handed down to him, by a judge, who turns out to be an older racing car legend, who was basically put to the side in racing after having a wreck. Lightening McQueen was having to fix a road that he tore up, so they hooked him up to an old asphalt machine named, “Bessie” and he endured some rough times trying to fix the road while focusing on the big race and himself. He wasn’t getting the picture, but that would change in time.
Paul told the people of Rome, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think: but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith,” (Romans 12:3). Lightening McQueen, the car, was full of pride; or as my Grandmother would say about people like that, “He’s full of himself.”
There are people in this world that believe they are the best at what they do. I find that people that think they are okay, but do know what’s going on, are usually the best at what they do; and they don’t usually toot their own horn. Pride is the downfall of all men. Solomon wrote that the Lord hates pride, (Proverbs 6:16 – 17). Most men have to be brought down hard from pride, with humility. James wrote in James 4:6 KJV, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
As I watched this movie, I laughed at Mater, the rusty old wrecker, but I found that there was humility in him. He enjoyed the simple parts of life, and loved other cars for who they were. There is a lesson there too. We are told that we are to love one another. We remember how Jesus answered the lawyer in Matthew 22:35 – 40. Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” I know that this seems hard to do, but very often the reasons we find it hard to love our neighbors is because of our own prideful self-centered egos. We ask ourselves, ‘what would other people think?” This is the same kind of attitude that Lightening McQueen, the car had. Doc, the old racing car asked him, “When was the last time you thought of anybody beside yourself?” He couldn’t answer that question, because he was being humiliated.
God has a way of making his children humble. Humiliation hurts us most of the time. The reason it hurts is because we are use to seeing things done our way and not God’s way. Sure, we say we love the Lord and we follow HIS leadership, but truth is, most of the time we have to make ourselves a convenient time for HIM. In this movie there was a car, named Sally, who takes Lightening McQueen for a drive. They stop at this old run down spot that used to be a hotel and she explained how she wished she could have seen it in its day. Stickers, as she called him, was having a hard time understanding, so she started explaining what had happened to her. She was a big time lawyer in LA, who got tired of the big life and took a drive. She broke down and Doc fixed her up in this little town. She said she was taking a drive and fell in love. McQueen asked, “Were you rich?” She answered with, “That was a different life.” He then asked, “Did you fall in love with a Corvette?” She then took him over to this cliff and showed him the scenery and told him, “I fell in love with this, and decided to stay.”
Sally had given up her high priced life, which was no doubt full of pride, and traded it in for the humility of a little town that she was trying to help rebuild. A humble life is for the taking of those who seek Christ in their lives. It starts off with salvation, which means a person has to put his/her pride to the side and admit that God is right and they are wrong; that he/she is definitely lost without Christ. Then they must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and repent. They must then believe He died on the cross for their sin and was buried and arose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. They must confess HIM before man. Paul said, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” (Rom 10:9 – 10 KJV). Salvation is only the start of seeking Christ, and it is available to all people; backgrounds don’t matter. Christians must seek humility in their lives on a continuous basis. We must not live our lives in the past any longer. Remember that all the old things are passed away and our lives have changed through Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Humility allows us to quit living our lives like we did before we met Christ, and causes us to start seeking the positive things that Christ has provided for us. This, then, gives us the opportunity to praise HIM for what HE has done for us, and helps us lead people in the direction of Christ.
As the story goes in this movie, Sticker learns a great deal. He finishes his sentence of rebuilding the road and then he starts helping the other cars in this community, by buying things from them, and acknowledging them. He is later rushed off to the race without saying good bye to Mater, the tow truck. As he is about to get out of his haul truck, he starts trying to focus upon himself again, but humility has hit him so hard that he could not get his mind where it needed to be. When he does start the race, he goes fast, but starts losing focus. Suddenly, all of his friends show up to the race. Doc Hudson becomes his crew chief and the rest of the cars, except for the three or four back in Radiator Springs, become his crew. He has the chance to win the race, but sees the car, which is going to retire, knocked out of the race by another car which was just like he used to be. Stickers stopped, didn’t win the race, and in humility goes back to the other car and pushes him to the finish line. In the end, he really is the winner.
His humility made him real friends. He also had the opportunity to go to the big racing sponsor, but after his lesson of humility, he decided to stick with the old rusty cars that gave him his break. He had seen the light of what it was supposed to be all about. In our prideful ways, we think we acquire friends only to find out in the long run that they aren’t friends at all. Humility usually gives us tons of friends. Through humility we can gain a friend that is closer than a brother and HE never turns HIS back on us. HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST. We gain HIM through salvation.
This man, for one, has learned that life is full on peaks and valleys. A friend of mine, who resigned the church he was pastoring recently, told me, “I believe that the mountains are overrated. When we are on the top of the mountain we only have self to look at. That’s where pride is. It’s in the valleys that we remember where we’ve been and who we depend on, because it’s then that we have to look up.” This is a very truthful saying. So the moral of this lesson is simple. Let us take the advice that James once said, and Peter reiterated in 1 Peter 5:5, “be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

Thought of the Day

God’s Images
Have Men Forgotten Who They Are?
1 Timothy 3:7


I went into Life Way Christian book store yesterday with the idea of finding another CD of a choir that I just love to hear sing. They didn’t have any CD’s that I was interested in, so I decided to start looking at other things, such as Bibles, books and other stuff. As a minister, I could spend hours in a store like that, because I just like it. I’m a person who likes watching other people too. I have sat in malls before waiting on the lady of the house to finish shopping for whatever she is buying, and I have really been amazed at the things I see other people do. Sometimes I wonder if we aren’t like robots. Every family is unique in their own way, but we are basically all the same. It makes me look at what God has done with even greater amazement.
In 1Timothy 3:7, Paul wrote that in the last days men would be, “Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” When thinking about people in general I have a tendency to wonder what it was like in the beginning. When was the beginning? Scientist and Bible scholars alike have their opinions, and I’m not arguing when the beginning started, because right now, it really doesn’t matter. Today, there are people trying to second and third guess a God that exist and today they try to put a disclaimer on the fact HE even exists, and HE didn’t create them. It seems like the smarter man becomes, the dumber he is. We loose sight of truth. Despite what some people are trying to prove or disprove, my Bible tells me, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by HIM; and without HIM was not any thing made that was made,’ (John 1:1 – 3). In the book of Genesis we find that man was created from the dust of the earth, chapter 1:26. Not only was man made, he was made in the image of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is proved when the Lord said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:” That is why people look the same. Sure HE made different races, and some of us weigh more than others, but we are made just like God, by HIM. Isn’t that exciting?
There is something much more exciting though. Despite all of our wicked ways, HE has made a way for us all to go to heaven. HE died on the cross in our place. That’s right; our place. People in general do not deserve the blessings God has given us much less the salvation from our sins HE offers us. Many people in America say that they believe HE exists, but few there are that accept HIS FREE GIFT. People in general think they can live the way they want to, and never pay attention to God or accept HIS free gift, and when they die from this life that some man will preach them into heaven. After all, how many funerals have you ever heard preached that a person died and went to hell? Most of the time a person is lifted up on this earth as a good person, and people are shown the qualities that person may have had during their lives. Still, many forget that you cannot get to the Father, but only through Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life.” He is the only way to heaven. And still, we do not deserve this gift.
We need to remember that our bodies will return to the dust from which it came. As a great teacher I had in seminary said, “We are a cup of dirt, with a little water to hold us together.” So, the next time you think you look good, remember; YOU’RE DIRT. Funny, huh? Where is this leading too? Let’s remember that even when we think we are getting by with something; somebody knows. HE knows our every thought, every saying, every action, and our every movement. In John 2:24 – 25, the scriptures says, “But Jesus did not commit HIMSELF to them, because HE knew all men and need not that any should testify of man: for HE knew what was in man.”
A person can tell a whole church, their friends, and their family that they know Jesus, but does Jesus know that person? Yes, HE knows every person, but if you read this chapter, you find that many believed in HIS actions, but they did not accept HIM for who HE is. John wrote, “HE was in the world, and the world was made by HIM, and the world knew HIM not,” (John 1:10). There will be a time that men will find out whether or not Jesus really knows them. HE will say, (Mat 7:23 KJV) “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The people who accept HIM now, can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” (Matthew 25:23).
Unfortunately, people ignore God, even folks who accept HIM as their Savior. The things of the world drag us down to the point of not paying attention to the things of God. Of course, some of it is selfishness on our part too. We work our hours, play our hours and then we think Sundays are our sleeping day, and again, God doesn’t fit into our time; what a shame. It’s time for us to quit being like the disciples were when Jesus asked them to pray while HE did in the garden. Both times HE found them asleep, and I’m afraid HE would find many Christians asleep if HE came back today. So, if this fits you, ‘wake up!’ We have a God that loved us enough to die on the cross for us, and now we should seek HIM. If you look around you will see HIS image everywhere. Some of the images know HIM and some don’t, but they should all remind us of HIM and what we should do for HIM. Man can continue to try to disprove the points made in God’s Word, but I choose to believe it. You may ask, “WHY?” It’s simple: IT’S THE TRUTH, AND I BELIEVE IT.

Thought of the Day

Liberal Christianity
No Labor with Full Benefits
Psalm 116:12

Last night our men had a brotherhood meeting at the church. Our pastor brought a lesson on “The True Christian Attitude.” He gave us some good points and talked about how we should be working harder to please the Lord. So, as I was working this morning it was pouring down rain, I had a thought. The cold front that was predicted came through with a vengeance. Oh, well, it’s not quiet that cold, yet, but after 3 days in the 70’s with beautiful sunny skies, it makes it seem like a vengeance anyway. As I was in the middle of finishing my well test the thought came to me about the benefit of having a job. It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I do not want to work on Sundays, and in March we start 7 days a week. I enjoy teaching my class and the occasional opportunity to preach, and I’d much rather be with family in church. The question that came to me is this; if the Lord paid us to work for HIM, would we still have a job, now? In our thought for today I am reminded of what the Psalmist asked, in (Psalms 116:12 KJV). “What shall I render unto the Lord for all HIS benefits toward me?”
If you were offered a job, and the company told you that they were going to start you off at a wage that will afford you anything and everything you would every need and give you insurance at no cost, how long would it take you to say yes? The first thing that most people would want to know is what type of job it was, and how many hours a week it would require. However, the money and benefits would cause most people to jump on the job, but for the fun of it, this job also allows you freedom to do what you want, but you needed to do this job every opportunity you had. I bet you can see where this is going, can’t you?
Fact is, the money and luxuries that would be available to all of us would show us just how greedy we are; and this should make all of us ashamed. Granted we all want the perfect job, but guess what? That’s life. I don’t have the desire to work a secular job on Sundays at all, but for now that is what I have. I’m praying God will open a door to pastor the church HE has for me, but that opportunity hasn’t opened yet. However, we do have a job to do, and if we examined our lives we would see that we have benefits, freedoms, and all of our needs taken care of, pretty much. Do we earn this by doing our job?
We live our lives for the one letter word, ‘I’. God usually isn’t right where HE needs to be in our lives. When things seem to be going good for us we are happy go lucky, but when the first stone in the road comes and the road seems to get bumpier as we go down it, we then ask the LORD, ‘What’s going on? HELP ME!’ If He doesn’t answer fast enough, in our opinion, and then we start paying attention to those things of the LORD that we were totally ignoring during the good times, huh?
In today’s world if you don’t do what you were hired to do, you usually become unemployed pretty quick. The Lord hasn’t hired us to do anything either. Yet, HE has required us to be busy. We need to remember that Jesus has paid our sin dept by dying on the cross and HE offers us salvation by grace. So our dept of sin was paid for. However, we are often guilty of taking HIS grace for granted. We live for self and not for Christ. There is nobody who can really and truly prove that statement wrong either. We are not faithful to Christ whatsoever. I can hear people now saying, ‘Wait a minute! I go to church…’ Shame on us for saying we are faithful just because we go to church. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t go to church, because we need too! That is not all we have to do to be faithful to HIM though.
Paul wrote, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful,” (1 Corinthians 4:2). What are we suppose to be faithful at? The word stewards means manager. His children are supposed to manage HIS kingdom business down on this earth. How is this done? We do this by being obedient to HIM and what HE has told us to do. We are to be faithful in a number of things; going to church, studying our Bible, praying, witnessing, making disciples who make disciples, etc., and there are scriptures throughout HIS Word that backs these up. However, it doesn’t stop there. We are to be faithful to HIM! Personal question; Are you faithful to HIM?
Many people who profess HIM as their Savior trade HIM in for their lusts and desires to fit into this world. We ignore the scriptures that tell us to be separate from the world, to abstain from all appearance of evil, and not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to reprove them, and we do things like Elvis Presley used to sing, “Our Way.” The scriptures for all of these are 2 Corinthians 6:17, I Corinthians 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:22, and Ephesians 5:11. I left out the fact that you can’t love the world and God too; that’s found in 1 John 2:15. What about the change that Christ brings into your life, (2 Corinthians 5:15 – 21)? You can say you’ve been saved and pretend all you want too, but if there was no change in your life, then you by all accounts were not saved. That’s what the Bible teaches and I believe it.
People don’t like to hear messages on servitude, but being faithful to HIM and serving HIM is what life is all about. Truth is, if we started serving God as hard as we have served this rotten world and the sin in it, then our lives would be more dedicated to God. We need to be FAITHFUL TO HIM! HE is ALL that matters! It’s not me, you or anyone else that matters, but it is HIM. Until a child of God decides to be faithful to HIM, that child will never be satisfied in their lives, because this world offers no permanent satisfaction; it is all temporary. God’s satisfaction lasts for an eternity.
We want to quote Matthew 28:18 – 20, which tells us to ‘go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,” but does our lives show these verses in our actions, and do we do it? There is a misconception that it is only the pastors, deacons, and teachers who are responsible for spreading the gospel. We need to understand that it is every child of God’s responsibility to lead people to Christ. This is our job. Jesus told the disciples and others who watched HIM ascend into heaven, “ye shall be witnesses unto me, (Acts 1:8). Talking the talk is easy to do, but walking your talk is very hard, if you aren’t faithful to HIM. So, with this thought in mind, let me ask the question again, in a different way. If everything you have in life now depended upon how you served God and were faithful to HIM, meaning you could loose it all; would you still have it now?
Unfortunately we do get involved in things that bring us away from Christ and HE suddenly gets dimmer and dimmer in our lives. He still offers grace and peace to those who return to HIM, but at one point in our lives we must really see how important it is to be faithful to HIM. It’s not a game. We have a job, and we have been paid more than enough to do it. HIS love is enough. So, would you be fired today by God because of your performance for HIM? Unfortunately most of us would be unemployed. Thank God for HIS bountiful and wonderful grace.
Finally, Paul said it best about our work for God when he said, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire,” (1 Corinthians 3:9 – 15).
This should cause us to render the question, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all HIS benefits toward me?”

Thought of the Day

Serving God and Loving Him
A Commitment to Obeying
Honoring Your Parents
Exodus 20:12

The fifth Commandment turns to rules for living in the world, so to speak. The first four Commandments deal with what God requires in serving Him, and of course, we know that we could speak for days and not cover everything that it really takes to totally serve Him. The fifth Commandment goes directly to the point of what a child should do in his life concerning his/her parents. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
If there is anything in this world that really gets neglected is that many parents or most of us do not enforce the fact, with their children, that they are required, of God, to honor them with obedience. Is this totally the children’s fault? We can all say that each person, even children, have the right to make decisions. Many will make choices that are not good in their lives, but usually wrong choices are made because parents drop the ball. We can find scripture throughout God’s Word that tells us how to raise a child. What happened to the generation of kids that new that obeying and honoring your Mom, Dad, Grandparents, and adults in general was an understood thing? That generation still exists today. That generation of kids is parents or grandparents today. We knew when Mom or Dad told us to do something that there was no arguing about it. We just did it! As a teenager, my mother had strict rules for me. I was not allowed to go to the skating rink, which was only a half a mile away from me until I turned 16. There wasn’t anything wrong with skating, in my mind, but when Mom said no, she meant it. My mother required so much respect from my brother and I that if we thought a smart thought, we were slapped before we knew how to say the thought. What’s wrong with this picture?
Many so-called scholars would tell us that discipline and spanking kids is emotional and physical abuse to children. However, the scripture tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV). The key to this whole statement is the world ‘train’. The scripture also tells us, “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell, (Proverbs 23:13 – 14 KJV). How does a parent train his/her child to honor them with obedience? Solomon goes into great detail with showing parents how to train their children. The key to raising obedient children is discipline, and God is very big on it. He told us, through Solomon, the writer of Proverbs, that a very good tool to train a child with is using the rod when it is necessary. In fact He tells us if we do not discipline or children by spanking that that we do not love our children. “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (Proverbs 13:24 KJV).” Parents should also own up to the fact that we teach our kids to disrespect us and not obey us, by our actions toward God. OUR ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. If we, as adults, cannot obey God, then why do we think our children will be obedient to us? Raising a child is not an easy thing to do. In fact, I can remember when my mom would tell me, just before I took a good swat with the belt. ‘This is hurting me more that it is you.’ I did not understand that fact until I gave my own child a good spanking. Children, now, are just as we were when we were kids. They have the same ideas we had by seeing just how much they can to get by with. Just as all of us parents were, they also were conceived in sin.
Kids do not take responsibility for their actions today, because they are trained to be that way by their parents. We are quicker to take up for them and defend them than we are to hold them accountable. When a child is an infant, the mom and dad are so proud. I dare say that it may take a couple of weeks to finally soak in that the child is a responsibility, but it takes years to find out that they are big responsibilities. My laughing joke is that the only bad thing about babies, besides the dirty diapers, is eventually they grow into a hormonal maniac called a teenager. Remember when you mom would say, “One day you will pay for your raising with children of your own?” I’m not trying to say that children are not a blessing from God, because they are, without any reservations. God puts these children in our lives so we can “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:4 KJV). They are God’s children given to us to raise the way HE wants them to be. Unfortunately, many of us fail this great test.
So, how do we raise them to be obedient and respectful to parents and adults in general? We do this by being obedient ourselves; to God. Parents cannot tell children, “Do what I say and not what I do.” This simply does not work. If we do not have discipline in our lives, how can we expect our children to obey? The writer of Hebrews, which I believe is Paul, talks about the Lord disciplining HIS children. Paul writes, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live,” (Hebrews 12:6 – 9KJV)?
Any teen or young child that reads this might think they have excuses for the way they live, but they don’t. I know that I have drastically failed my kids in parts of their lives, just as many parents feel they have done also. However, the fact still remains that they have to make choices just as we did when we were their age, but we can teach them the difference between right and wrong by showing them how to be obedient and how to be held accountable. The Lord holds HIS children accountable, just as we need to hold our children accountable.
Children need to be taught that for every action, there is a reaction in anything that is done. This applies to everyone; adults and kids. Rejecting Christ guarantees a person who dies with that action, an eternity in hell. Kids can be lead toward Christ with discipline in their lives. Solomon said, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him,” (Proverbs 22:15), and then he gives another answer by saying, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame,” (Proverbs 29:15 KJV). These answers are a full proof plan on how to get a child headed in the right direction in their lives.
Honoring our parents is a never ending thing. We should always honor them; even when they make mistakes. Marriage or leaving home to live your own life does mean we have the right to disrespect our parents. Obeying our parents is the right thing to do, in the sight of God. How do we honor them? We honor them by obeying them as we obey God. Being obedient to God is a way to be closer to God. That’s what the Ten Commandments are written by God for. They teach us how to become closer to God with obedience in our lives. Remember; The Ten Commandments are laws with purpose.

Thought of the Day - 02/04/08

Cleaning Up Our Lives
A life’s Chore
2 Corinthians 7:1

This past weekend, Becky and I spent all day Saturday cleaning up the house. We both work so much that we just allow things to keep going until we finally say enough. I had already started on my mess, which took all day to relocate, while she started in probably the cleanest room in the house. However, as she worked toward my location, she slowed down too. Even though she accomplished more than I did, I was reminded of how filthiness slows us down in our lives too. Thinking about that, I was reminded of what Paul told the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 7:1. He said, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Life, in general, has a tendency to drag a person down. Christians are no different. A statement that David made about ‘the wicked prospering,’ shows us how much we desire to be like the world. We can’t seem to separate ourselves from it, can we? Amazing enough, we should know that we are obligated to live for Christ. He gives us direction in our lives, through HIS Word, but at times we choose our own roads in life too. I can’t count on my hand the number of times I went my own way, thinking, ‘I know this is wrong, but…’ Sin is sin, no matter how much man tries to totem pole them. In God’s eyes, no one sin is greater than another, except for the sin of blaspheming the Holy Ghost. That is an unpardonable sin.
If we study up on the church at Corinth, we find that this particular church had many issues. I think that many of the issues that they had where based upon the fact that maybe they weren’t growing spiritually like all Christians should. Paul laid out a grand example of how Christians should live in Roman 12: 1 – 2. Paul begged the Christians at Rome to surrender their lives to the Christian duties. He said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
This particular passage is often preached in many churches simply because it directs us with an authority that stands out more to some people. However, we need to examine the directions that Paul is stating in this passage too. Paul said to present your bodies a living sacrifice. This means that we should strive to live for the Lord with all we have. We need to discipline our lives to where HE can been seen. It’s all supposed to be about HIM anyway, right? It will be about HIM, whether we try to make it about HIM or not. The part of Romans 12 that catches one’s eye after the charge in verses 1 and 2 is verse 3. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he out to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.’
For a person to be able to clean up the filth in his life, he must first humble himself and allow God to show him how dirty he is. Obviously the people in Rome, just like the people in Corinth, had what is called an ‘I’ problem or ‘me’ problem. ‘Look at me, I’m so important!’ Most people have a big problem admitting that they are wrong. Why? The answer to this is easier than we think; nobody wants to admit that they are sinners. The reason for this is simple; we have an inferiority complex, to some extent. If we don’t fit into a certain group of people, we don’t feel needed or wanted. Nobody wants to admit that they are bad. We can’t believe that God would actually allow somebody to go to hell when they die, simply because they don’t accept HIM as their Savior, by repenting of their sins and asking HIM to be LORD of their lives. After all, where’s the justice in that, huh?
We all need to realize that hell was created for the devil and his angels; not for man. If a person chooses to live his life for himself and rejects God, then they put themselves into hell at death. It’s not God’s fault! He paid every person’s way into heaven by allowing HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to die on the cross for us. It’s not HIS fault if a person doesn’t choose to pick up their paid ticket. There are people who have accepted the free ticket, but choose to live life as they please. These folks, like many others, need to clean their life up. Paul instructs us to ‘be separate,’ (2 Cor. 6:17). He also stated to ‘abstain from all appearance of evil,’ too, in 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
Cleaning our lives up for Christ’s sake is the only way we can truly have a relationship with HIM. Sin separates us from God, and the call of repentance is loud. We should be challenged today to listen to HIM and ask HIM to show us what needs to be cleaned up. We need to give HIM our all. If you were served food on a dirty plate who you be willing to eat the food? That’s how some of our lives are; we expect God to bless us and accept us with our plates full of dirt. The main reason that the church of Corinth was so dirty was the same reason we are today. There is no real fear of God in our lives. Oh, it’s pretty easy to say we fear God, but does our life show it? We love to talk our talk, but we don’t necessarily want to walk our talk, do we? Walking our talk is a great way to “cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” It’s just a thought.