Aubrey Anderson Update

I got this note from our church today.

Aubrey Anderson
We have great news! Aubrey had the catheter removed from her tummy yesterday, and the surgery went well. Her bun (which measures her kidney function) was 19 this morning, which is in the "normal" range! Praise God! She has made great improvements over this past weekend. When her lab results are all in the "normal" range, and she is able to eat and drink without throwing up, she will be headed for home!

Mt Hope Audio

Here is the audio of the message I was allowed to bring in Mt Hope yesterday.

Click HERE to download it and save to listen at your leisure.
(right click on link and choose save file as) Otherwise a quicktime player will play the audio.

Click HERE to stream it right now.
(Click this link and Windows Media player will open and stream the file)

Message is 36 minutes long so please set aside some time. Maybe download it to your mp3 player or burn it to CD for the next road trip.

I pray God's Word will do it's work and I pray that we may know Him better though the Scriptures.

Of course as always I love your questions and feedback....Let's just work through it in truth and love.

Welcome Back!

I have taken the last few days off just to rest (and work). I was preparing for an opportunity to bring the message at Mt Hope Federated Church today. It's always an interesting process to prepare to go to a church. Often times you don't know much about the church. You don't know what they have been studying or much about what they believe. You just take a passage and prepare it as best you can and go "fire away". A church that loves God and loves the truth of His Scriptures will love you for it, no matter how hard the message. In fact people who are in Christ love the pure teaching of the Word. I don't know if today's message was "hard"...I presented it as clearly and as lovingly as possible but there we definitely words in there that you wont hear in the majority of churches in the United States today. That part makes me somewhat nervous. If it is a church that has a "tastes great, less filling" approach to God's Word. Or if it's a church totally void of truth such as "feel good" ministries like Joel Osteen...I am pretty sure the message would not be received well at all.... Well today this was a church that loves the truth of the Scriptures and it went well. I hope I handled the text faithfully...that's my biggest worry. Knowing there is a greater judgment for those who teach. Woe to the man who leads Christ's sheep astray!

That having been said I plan to post the message so you can hear it. It is the truth of God's Word from Hebrews chapter 10. Some may get upset with it's contents, others will rejoice at the Truth it contains. I am just praying that anyone who hears it will do this.... Simply examine the text with me....my teaching of the text is either right or wrong. If I am right, some are faced with a fork in the road. If I am wrong I am now in a very serious and dangerous position before the Lord. I believe the text is very clear and I invite you to join me in Hebrews 10 when I get it posted. (Should have it for you tomorrow).

Father thank You for the safe delivery of our families back to our homes after a wonderful time we got to spend together. I pray our love for one another was strengthened. Strengthen our love for our Savior who died our death so that we may rest in the forgiveness that we have through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Tomorrow I will return to the Daily Prayers.... I am still praying about what section of Scripture we should take on next.

Thanksgiving Poem-author unknown

A THANKSGIVING POEM

May Your Stuffing Be Tasty, May Your Turkey Be Plump,
May Your Potatoes 'n Gravy Have Nary A Lump,
May Your Yams Be Delicious And Your Pies Take A Prize,
May Your Thanksgiving Dinner Stay Off Of Your Thighs.

Daily Prayer 11/20/07

Father tonight I just thank You for all You have done for us this year. Many trials have tested us this year, but I also think You have caused a lot of growth. I just pray for our safety as we travel and I pray for sweet times with our families. Give us opportunities to talk about Your goodness.

Father show us what book we should start in next with our daily prayers. You know what words we need the most, I pray for wisdom and guidance.

Tonight I just rest in You and we offer You our simple thanks for Who You are and what great Love You have shown us in Christ Jesus Your Son. Amen.

Five Finger Prayer

This is so neat. I had never heard this before. This is beautiful - and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.


1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Daily Prayer 11/19/07

Tonight we finish the book of 1 John. It may be difficult to get the big picture of a book taking it in such small bites, but I just pray we are taking little bits away from the Scriptures each day and growing slowly in God's Word. When the daily events of life pop up, I hope that some of God's truth will pop into your mind. That's the Christian life. To first be saved from our sins and then just slowly put one foot in front of the other as we walk after Christ. Scripture is our guide that pops into our mind to guide us. How can we be guided in life without the Scriptures? Without our light and guide, we are stumbling in the dark and in danger of falling into a pit.

Let's finish this very black and white testimony of John.

1 John 5:18-21 We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in {the power of} the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.


Father-

We know no one is perfect, but as John tells us here we must look at our pattern of life. If the pattern of our life is sin, we are not Your child. We are not "born again" as Jesus said in John chapter 3. A changed life is the proof of something happening internally to the believer. My family knows me Lord and if they will only remember back before 5 years ago they will remember a young man who was very different from the person You have made me. Help them to remember and help them to see my wickedness. We all know that something has happened. No one can convince me something serious did not change in my direction and pattern of life. This is a change I did not pursue or want. You chased me down like the hound of heaven and set me on a new path. If we think Christ has died for our sins, let our pattern of life be our evidence to ourselves. Do we pursue and desire to be more like Christ? Your Word says this is the evidence of our salvation that we love You and hate sin. There is a very sharp contrast between the one who belongs to You and one who belongs to satan.

Again as Psalm 1 says there are only two possible types of people in the world, the righteous and the wicked. John says "that the whole world lies in {the power of} the evil one" The whole world is under satan's dominion. How else could he say to Jesus....Luke 4:5-8 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.' " Who handed it over to satan Father? Adam in the garden of Eden took the power and control You gave him in his submission and obedience to You (theocracy) and handed it to satan by obeying a lie. May we heed Christ's words as He quotes the first commandment to satan.

Funny Lord that satan the evil one would have the audacity to quote scripture to the eternal Christ, the creator of even satan, lucifer himself!

As John closes this book with a great proclamation of the Gospel...

"And we know that the Son of God has come, Father the virgin born set aside His pre-existing glory and became like us...to die a human death we should have died...to feel the separation and bear the punishment along with the required blood sacrifice to cover sins as You established long ago with Israel...even before that Lord! A death had to occur even in the garden of Eden to cover Adam and Eve's sin. You killed and provided the covering for them even then!


"and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true;" We do not love You and want to draw near and learn more about You because we are smart. It's only because You have GIVEN us understanding so we CAN know You. Does anyone want to know You? Let them pray and ask for understanding.


"and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ". Father if we are "In Christ" who can take us out of Christ? As Romans 8 says:

[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


"This is the true God and eternal life." Lord just as Jesus said Himself "I am the Way the Truth and the Life...no man comes to the Father but by Me."

"Little children, guard yourselves from idols." Here Father John's final words to us may seem like an abrupt closing, but in light of the verses before....what else is there to say? We should belong to and be fully dedicated to Jesus Christ our Savior who created us and died for us and will save us will His might hand from death! Will we foolishly give ANYTHING in this life more importance than that? Will we still sin and forget that first commandment? YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY. What do we serve before You. What will we enjoy before You? Football on TV? Our possessions? Our careers? Our families? What will come between us and our Lord? What is the price that can purchase our attention away from the greatest commandment?

This is a hard book Father because it is so black and white. I know I have beat myself up over it several times over the last five years. Help us to remember this: It's the PATTERN OF OUR LIVES Not one sin and we are terrible heathens who hate God, but we strive for holiness. Our flesh will never be able to serve You as our new hearts desire to. Only when we arrive in heaven will we be perfect. But help us to examine our life to see if we are "in Christ" then help us to walk. Daily may we take one step forward with slow steady progress towards holiness. Like a child we will stumble and fall, but will we get up and run away to the evil one who is waiting with a sweet smile and open arms to devour us? Of course not, we will continue towards the Good King the Great God and Savior who died for our sins and who truly loves us.

Father for Aubrey hear our prayer. Heal her kidneys and help her to stop throwing up. Give the doctors wisdom and bring this family we love so much back home to us. We miss them so much at church, but understand they are away at work for You.

For baby Thaddeus, we pray for continued positive news. May each trip bring more and more good news. Victoria was telling me of a baby with a large hole in the same spot as Thad's and by some way the doctors can't understand it healed itself completely before the baby was born. We know it was You and You can and are willing to do these good things in accordance with Your plans. We hope we have a great story like them to tell one day. May we always tell the story of how God healed our baby boy's heart!

For this weeks Thanksgiving travels I pray for our safety. It's not looking too good Lord for our making it home. I will just leave this in Your hands and go where You want me. I also give You thanks for the opportunity to preach in Mt. Hope this Sunday. Please give me careful words and discernment as I handle Your Word. It's a job I will do with great care and concern for Your sheep.

In Your Name Lord Jesus we ask the Father...and to Your Name Lord Jesus we give all our love and worship....amen!