Redeemed Ranch: The Gospel Dog is a wonderful book for children, with beautiful art work, cute characters, and a relatable plot. As we all struggle with selfishness and need to be sanctified more and more, it might even be helpful for the parents reading it to their little ones. I was excited to see a book for kiddo’s covering this topic in a Biblical way, especially with the modern ME movement teaching generations of school age children to opposite values.
The Danker’s reached out to me and offered to send me a copy so that I could read it and review it. Usually that makes me a little nervous, I don’t like to give bad reviews and if it wasn’t Biblical I would have had to point it out. Thankfully, this sweet book doesn’t stray from Scripture, and it tells a fantastic story! I loved the characters, and the art work brought the scenes to life for me. I know some children need to see the characters clearly to be able to get into the story, and each page provides that.
It’s also Kayliegh approved, she read it twice! She loved the pictures as well as the story, and recommends it for children too. I think it would be particularly helpful if you have multiple kiddo’s and want to teach values for dealing with siblings. I’m grateful for families that are writing books like this, so that we have something wholesome to read to our little ones. You can find the book on Amazon, and you can follow the authors on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. They’ve also got a blog and a website, if you’d like more information.
If you’re an American reader, Happy 4th of July! If you’re reading from pretty much anywhere and you missed yesterday’s MEGA List live, you can check it out down below. I talked about this book there, as well! As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Usually on Sunday I only talk about a beautiful hymn, but today I have a hymn and something else on my mind. As you know, dear ones, if you’ve followed me long enough, once upon a time I practiced the religion of politics. I worshipped at the feet of Talking Heads. It started with the unrest in Egypt, when mass crowds of citizens came together and overthrew the dictator that had taken over their country. I watched in horror, as a military stood ready to defend its citizens against their government if need be. They weren’t fighting their leaders, but they weren’t aiming their guns at their people either. It didn’t take long before that particular leader was removed, and a new one was elected. It was as fascinating to me as it was terrifying, but I couldn’t really understand it.
Romans 8:28
I had done really well in my AP Gov classes, but that wasn’t due to intellect. I had been taught a trick for test taking that I still use anytime I need to. The answer to questions is almost always found in other questions, so if I didn’t know something all I had to do was skip ahead and I’d find the answer waiting in the form of a different question. Ironically, it was a group designed to prepare poor folk like me for college, I wasn’t going to be able to afford it so I needed to have the best grades and test results possible. Anyhow, all thats to say that I left high school completely unaware of how the world worked. But as a new mom, and a young wife, the possibility of a country going through so much change that quickly led me to constant research. Which led me to believe the answer was to be found in our elected officials. It was incredibly naive, but you’d have found me in my early twenties campaigning for Conservo-Libertarian candidates as well as rallying in the Tea Parties. I wore “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” shirts and quoted Ayn Rand. And while I still hold to most of the political views that I did then, I now hold to them for a very different reason.
Ezekiel 36:26
The answer to the problems in the world will never come from governments, rulers, or rioters. The answer came on July 4th, 2015 when God graciously saved this idolatrous wretch. He bore my sin and judgement, He bought me with His blood, and I now only obey Him. I am His servant, His slave, and so I tarry here at His good will waiting to make a pilgrimage home. The answer to murder, to hate, to arson, to theft, to sin, is the Gospel. I can’t fix the world, it’s fallen, but I can share the only good news wicked men will ever hear, there is forgiveness in Christ. There is salvation in Christ. Every sin, whether its murder or theft, will be paid for. Either Christ paid for your sin on the cross and you have been given new life and new desires, or you will pay for your sin. There is no such thing as injustice, but there is sinful men who think they’ve put off justice for the moment. But God holds the account, and there will be a day of Judgement.
2 Corinthians 5:21
We were feeling cooped up, so we took a drive. Fargo is only a couple hours from us, if the hubby drives (3 and a half if I drive, because I’m slow and easily distracted by every…single…rest stop…) so we decided to get out of the house. We were keeping a close watch on Minneapolis because it’s not far from us, but it was early when we pulled into downtown Fargo so we didn’t think there would be any danger in driving around. We were met by a young man standing in the middle of the street with his fist in the air and his face covered. It reminded me of the Occupy Wallstreet folks that camped out downtown where I worked back when politics was my religion. A group of them had stepped out into the road, fists up, trying to block me from driving by them. I saw them in time and sped around them, and took a different route to work from then on out. What I’m trying to say is, with my beautiful daughter sitting in the back seat, it freaked me out. There was a march taking place, and we were in the traffic of people taking part. Most of the signs I saw were appropriate, a few of them were not, but one of them had us turning around and driving home.
1 Samuel 12:24
It said “If you can’t change the system, scare it.” I had seen enough videos of the neighboring city burning to know that a small group of the hundreds of people walking the street would stick around to cause trouble, to “scare” the system. Obviously, we drove home after that, and I’m not feeling cooped up this morning I’m feeling thankful for the safety of my home. But there was something else that chilled me to the bones, as we drove home, we passed a dozen or more armored military vehicles all heading for Fargo. Last night the mayor declared a state of emergency. My husband is a very wise man, he must have seen a glint of the old man in me, that dead and rotting corpse that was plagued with fear of all the things I couldn’t fix, and the things I couldn’t control. He pulled up R. C. Sproul’s last sermon and listened to it with me, then he played me John MacArthurs eulogy for the great theologian. We talked about eternal things for most of the drive home. Why Sproul’s last sermon? Why the eulogy? Because my husband knows I need to be reminded of the only answer to sin. He knows I need to be reminded that we have this great hope. Below is a beautiful hymn from Fanny Crosby, and in case you need to be reminded like I did, I added links to that eulogy and sermon. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Emoji’s
When my life work is ended, And I cross the swelling tide, When the bright and glorious morning I shall see; I shall know my Redeemer When I reach the other side, And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him, And redeemed by His side I shall stand, I shall know Him, I shall know Him, By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul thrilling rapture When I view His blessèd face, And the luster of His kindly beaming eye; How my full heart will praise Him For the mercy, love and grace, That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him, And redeemed by His side I shall stand, I shall know Him, I shall know Him, By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the dear ones in glory, How they beckon me to come, And our parting at the river I recall; To the sweet vales of Eden They will sing my welcome home; But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him, And redeemed by His side I shall stand, I shall know Him, I shall know Him, By the print of the nails in His hand.
Through the gates to the city In a robe of spotless white, He will lead me where no tears will ever fall; In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight; But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
CONGRATULATIONS to Troy Paylor who was accepted into seminary this week! I’m so proud of this young man, please join me in praying for him as he continues to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord!
Death Knocking at the Door, Yet Eternity Awaits
Hello to all, as I write this, I know various people today are so worried about staying healthy, not getting sick from the coronavirus and wear a face mask and such. As we can tell from this pandemic more than anything is that man is scared of death. One of the reasons we can conclude of those who don’t believe is because man doesn’t believe in God, and definitely doesn’t believe in eternity, but whether they believe in eternity or not doesn’t vanquish the eternity that awaits every soul. The anxiety of this country has skyrocketed causing people to do whatever possible to make sure they don’t contract this disease or whatever is the label attached to it. Now, with this being the case I know the fear of death is supremely higher than ever before. This pandemic has caused man to ask questions that may not have ever arisen in his mind, yet seem to become louder and louder each day as they take a step outside and feels the fresh air come across their face. Wonders of freedom make us all long for days to be able to roam again, to get back to jobs that we consider for ourselves essential, yet the probing question remains to all who haven’t faced death only to lose to its gripping consequence; what happens after I die? Is that it? Is there an afterlife? If so what must I do? Well whether the lost man believes it or not Eternity exists, and the opposition may come with well I can’t see it or feel it, yet the same could be asked well can you see or touch air? No but it seems to be what you believe is true.
The same can go with gravity and various forces that we don’t question, just believe it to be true, well because everyone believes it. Well to those who face the questions of death and so forth who are lost, I want you to know eternity is real, there are two places you can dwell forever, either Hell because of not repenting and believing in Jesus Christ, or Heaven because of the repentance and believing in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. For the Bible says what? “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”Romans 6:23 ESV. You all probably think, well what do I have to do to be saved? The answer isn’t accepting Him into your heart, first dear person you must know that you don’t keep any part of the Ten Commandments or the rest of God’s law perfectly. You must admit yes that you are a sinner, but that doesn’t just do it for the wages of sin is what? Death. Because Jesus says He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. So that means you can’t even live a good enough life to merit heaven. Heaven is for blood-bought sinners who repent and believe in Christ. You probably think yourself to be a good person, but compared to God, you are a sinful wretched being, for Jesus says he didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners, so you must know how utterly short you fall of God’s law. You must repent of your sins, which means to turn from your sin to God, to forsake your sinfulness and turn to Christ Jesus, why? Because he is the only way you will be righteous before God, and make it into Heaven.
So what is the Gospel? That God, in the beginning, made everything good, including mankind, but Adam and Eve sinned against God, disobeying the one command given, which was not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, yet man did. Because of that, humans became mortal to where death is the actual reality all have to face, yet God would bring one who could fulfill the law and die in sinner’s place taking the full wrath of God in Himself for the sheep. Christ born of a virgin, lived the sinless life, that no man besides Christ Jesus could do. Christ was Truly God and Truly man, so lived a life always pleasing to the Father, died in our place, and rose the third day. He was God in the Flesh, and told all who want to be saved, that you must repent and believe in Him to be saved. For Christ is the righteousness of those who repent and believe and Him and you shall dwell in eternity. Without Christ, none will see heaven, so to all, I urge you to repent and believe in Christ Jesus, for death awaits, it’s only a matter of time before it comes to you, and it’s not going to matter how good of a person other people thought you were but did you repent and believe in Jesus Christ, and did you continue to repent of your sin and live a life for the Glory of God. So remember that, although coronavirus is scary and lethal, remember that death awaits and it’s important where you dwell forever. God bless you all and to the lost I urge you to repent and believe in Christ Jesus who is the most precious treasure, ““The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 ESV.
The above was written by my brother-in-Christ and friend Troy Paylorfrom Christ Marked. You can hear his testimony here,and as always beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”Philippians 1:3-11 ESV
As I look at this passage and known I’ve went through this same passage twice and every time that I come back to it, there seems to be more treasure in it than I found before, speaking of the exhaustive word of God and all the blessedness of His word. While this is true my message is to the church, mainly the Providence Baptist Church where I’m so glad to be a part of, but doesn’t exclude others from this. For I can as with Paul more clearly now that ever before get a deeper understanding of his words. Although my imprisonment isn’t in a jail, yet I can’t be at my church with the members there who with me share in a commonality that unites us all that we are blood bought sinners of Christ Jesus. Christ died in our place and rose again and church what great news that is, that our Savior who born of a virgin lived a sinless life, died in our place and rose the third day. Oh like Paul, how I long to see you and miss you all with the affection of Christ Jesus, though mine isn’t perfect I’m without brothers and sisters in Christ, though we shouldn’t let this stop us, in fact we shall advance. More than ever during this time we should be spreading the gospel of Christ Jesus, for we worship the Risen one who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
How I do long to see you all, yet I pray for you all too, that you may seek the word of God and be in communion with Him, so that you may continue grow in knowledge and discernment so that you may approve what is excellent and honor and glorify God in all you do. Continue in being sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit for soon we shall all be together again, and at that point rejoice, but even now we shall rejoice, what a wonderful time more than ever to draw closer to our Savior. Dig deeper into the word, for the Bible is living, active, and sharp, pruning the fruits in us that are of the flesh and water and nurturing the fruits of the Spirit and in all may you all seek Christ Jesus and Him crucified. To God be the Glory, Forever and ever, amen. “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:11-14 ESV.
The above was written by my brother-in-Christ and friend Troy Paylorfrom Christ Marked. You can hear his testimony here, and as always beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Today, dear ones, we’re very excited to have the privilege of holding our first ever live panel discussion on Tulips & Honey! Joining us this afternoon to discuss church and evangelism during social distancing is Justin Peters, Susan Heck, Dawain Atkinson, Doreen Virtue, and Phil Johnson! We’re so honored to have each of these dear brothers and sisters-in-Christ joining us. If you follow us on Facebook, you’ll be able to watch live and ask questions there. If you prefer Youtube, you can head straight to the event by following the link below. Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss any future events. Next Monday we’ll be dropping an episode interviewing our brothers-in-Christ from the RazaReforma Podcast, it was such a blessing to hear their testimony and see how God led them to where they are today. If you missed it, this past Tuesday The Aquila and Priscilla Hour released an episode about Pragmatism in the church and today The Chuck and Lo Show dropped an interview with Be A Berean’s Michael Coughlin. Don’t miss Emma’s newest episode tomorrow continuing in her series on glorifying God over on Always, Only.
Live Panel Discussion
For our MEGA List today we had some help from our wonderful Humblebee’s that sent us great recommendations. Starting with Jan who recommended this homemakers Facebook group here. Luke Schmeltzer, host of Steady Anchor Podcast, recommended the free Ligonier series which will be available all summer, as well as these resources here. He’s also just released a new episode titled “Christ and Corona” which I highly recommend. As I mentioned above, Michael Coughlin is joining Chuck and Lo today, but you can also find him on his blog, or hear him refuting atheists on his podcast here. Our honorary BrotherBee, Patrick Studabaker, from Cave To The Cross Apologetics has a great video editing and website design business, a talent he uses to not only bring us great content on his own podcast, but also to bless churches. If that is something you have a need of, or you just want to support our brother-in-Christ, check it out Manos Media LLC. If you’ve tuned in to the latest Aquila and Pricila Hour you heard Emily and Zack discussing a helpful article by Tim Challies, which she recommended and you can find here. I also want to slip in a shout out to her and Zack for creating a brand new website which you can find here! Doesn’t it look great? Well done y’all! Last recommendation was added by Becca herself! She found a devotional on the Youversion app created by one of our BrotherBee’s, Joel, who has been so very encouraging to us from the start! Fear in the Time of Coronavirus is available here. Thank you to all our listeners who sent us these helpful links, you’re all such a blessing to us! I hope you’re all able to tune in today at 1:30 CST for the live panel, please pray that all goes well with technology! As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Hello, dear ones, I hope this post finds you all doing well. Ordinarily I like to share a testimony on Wednesday, however I’d like to do something a little different today. Dr. Steve Lawson has done such a brilliant job of giving a Gospel presentation in the clip below that I wanted to share it with you. Todd Friel is correct, we should be ready to share the truth of God’s saving grace! I hope this will be a blessing to you, as it certainly was to me. Have you shared the Gospel recently, if so I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourself approved.
Courtesy of living directly next to a Mormon temple, I’ve now had the opportunity to invite a third set of missionaries over to discuss religion and share the Gospel with them. They suggested that the reason the previous two did not show up was due to their being transferred to a different location. While I’m eager to return to the Social Justice series I began some time ago, I’ll be spending the day in prayer, study, and preparation for hospitality. In truth, having the chance to invite two young adults, made in the imagine of God, into my home to practice the command of being hospitable is something I cherish. However, I am, once again, reminded of my weakness, and great need for Gods help.
One thing is certain, I have delved deeper into Gods truth with every pair of missionaries that I’ve come across. Hopefully, this time, I’ll be able to share the truth of the Gospel with these young men. Please pray for me, and for them, dear ones. And as always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
***Update***
The two missionaries did come by, and after learning that my husband was home just asleep, they agreed to come in. We talked for over an hour and a half, all of which they agreed to allow me to record. I hope to review the recording and pull some clips for anyone else who may get a similar knock at the door. While I was able to share the Gospel with them many times, the last sentence they said was that they knew what they believed was true because the Holy Spirit had revealed it to them. Please keep these two young men in your prayers, I gave them an Apologia Gospel tract before they left. Pray that they will read it.
I previously reviewed this movie here. A few months ago they released a shorter, free version that includes some encouraging testimonies mixed into the last 15 minutes or so. I think we probably all have lost friends and family that are just not going to sit down and watch a two and a half hour movie about the Gospel. This shorter version is only 40 minutes long, but still as Biblically accurate of a Gospel message as the original. I thought this would be a great Wednesday post with the multitude of testimonies they’ve added at the end. For me, coming out of the Word of Faith movement, I love to see Gospel presentations that specifically call out those teachers that have compromised or watered it down. That way, when the fruit of Gods Word is the salvation of the lost, they know who to avoid.
Image-from-American-Gospel-Movie
Yesterday I watched a clip of a beautiful young woman professing to be a Christian while bragging about her promiscuity. My heart broke as I listened to her explain how Jesus loves her anyways. Happy and healthy is the gospel of today, even if what makes you happy is sinful. We need hard hitting, Biblically truthful and accurate depictions of the Gospel today. The watered down, easy-believism that is preached in so many places has become spiritual poison, as deadly as anything nature has to offer. I pray that this video will be a blessing to you, and that those you share it with will have their hearts softened. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Hello dear friends! Today I want to review the documentary American Gospel: Christ Alone which was released in October 2018. This film was written and directed by Brandon Kimber, and can be found for rent on Vimeo. Unless you’re wanting to purchase this in DVD form, I have yet to find another source showing the documentary thus far. That might change in a few months, if so I’ll update this post. As you can see from the trailer below, it’s packed full of some heavy hitters.
While the documentary does mainly tackle the prosperity gospel, it also address Roman Catholicism and the dangers of ecumenism. It also goes further than just refuting prosperity preachers, but also shows the damage done by the Word of Faith movement. There is, in particular, one young lady whose journey from atheism to born again believer winds through a dramatic health crisis. You see her in the trailer with tubes in her nose. Her, and her husband, were both saved because of her many illnesses which alone destroys the idea that God does not use sickness or pain to draw His lost sheep to Himself. There are others who went into financial ruin, others who just did not understand that true Gospel of grace, and some who felt guilt and pressure from being told their problems were due to their lack of faith. All the while good, sound, Biblically accurate theology is being explained between interviews. All together, this makes for a very powerful two and a half hours of documentary.
A couple things need to be mentioned, before I get ahead of myself. One, with men like Dr. Steve Lawson and Dr. MacArthur, Ray Comfort, and Paul Washer, we feel the absence of one man of God. R.C. Sproul. This is one of the first major collaborations done since he went on to glory, and his wisdom and love for Gods Word was missed. We rejoice that he has finished his pilgrimage, he ran his race well, yet those of us who remain feel the lose. The second thing is that, with so many pastors involved in this documentary, it’s very likely there may be someone included you’ve come to disagree with in one way or another. I hope that doesn’t discourage you from watching, and sharing, this tremendous resource.
Not only does this video repeat the Gospel several times, making it evangelical gold, it also explains the whys, where’s, and how’s that we might not be able to get to within a short Gospel presentation. If you have family, friends, or co-workers that hold to a prosperity gospel, WoF, NAR, or Roman Catholicism, this documentary would be a great opportunity to open dialogue. Ask them to watch this if they can, it’s only $4.99 to rent right now, and then ask what they thought of it. Maybe even consider purchasing a copy to share. This documentary would be great for a youth movie night, women or men’s study, or a family event. In other words, dear ones, I recommend this to everyone! Especially if you feel like your understanding of a Biblical Gospel presentation is lacking. Have you watched this yet, brothers and sisters? If so, let me know what you think! As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Hello dear ones! I hope this post finds you all doing well. Today I want to discuss my experience at the Chiefs history making game last week. I’ve never been to a NFL game before, and as Cowboy fans I certainly did not expect my first game to be enjoyed in a sea of red. Thanks to my husbands savvy shopping we were able to sit a dozen rows up from the field, something that would have been impossible at the Cowboys stadium due to the outrageous ticket prices. So, what were my expectations, what was the reality, and how will this edify and encourage? Great questions!
First, let me point out a flaw in my character which happens to get me in a lot of trouble. I am optimistic to the point of naivety. Case in point, the very first car I ever bought. My now husband, then best friend and sweetheart, took me to a small used dealership. I had a wallet full of cash and was ready to get behind my own set of wheels! At 19 years of age I knew I was too irresponsible to make payments, so it had to be a cash car. The dealer was giving us details on a cute red car that looked like the kind of car a 19-year-old would drive. At the time, just to give you all some needless context, my sweetheart was in college several hours away, and I was carpooling into my clerical job in downtown Dallas. The unthinkable was happening, I was missing his baseball games! I needed a car. Low and behold, way in the back, was a 1989 Oldsmobile Elite 86. I didn’t even stop to ask how much or if it was running, I interrupted the business deal happening before me to holler out “I’ll take that one.” Can car dealers smell suckers like sharks can smell blood? If they can, this guy missed his mark. For just two grand I drove my tank off the lot (back when gas was under two a gallon thankfully) and joyfully drove her for years. Her previous owner had taken great care of her! I named her Bertha after my great grandmother. She was the car we drove Kayliegh home from the hospital in. I never stopped to consider if the car was safe, I optimistically slammed down the hundreds and signed papers without a second thought. Naive. Joyfully naive.
Now that you understand the extent of my optimism, you’ll understand why my expectations were utter nonsense. I had in view families, like mine, smiling in their matching fan gear for pictures. Foot long hotdogs shared, well behaved adults, and cheers as loud as they come. In short, I expected MLB fans. We go to the Rangers at least once a year, and try to make our way to the nearest stadiums as we travel. We once had the opportunity to meet Charlie Pride in Arlington! NFL fans are not like MLB fans, the two games move at entirely different paces. I naively expected those sitting around us to see a young child and attempt to watch their language, innuendos, and hand gestures.
What was reality? The game was moved back from noon to three, which gave tailgaters several extra hours to drink. This, combined with a large amount of college age folks in the stands, and the added effect of their team making history, seemingly created the perfect storm. I’m still not so sure how college students can afford to go to these games, or to sit so close, but some how they managed to in large numbers. Here and there were spotting the grey haired, well behaved, adults I expected to be surrounded by. One or two families could be seen, although there were very few children as young as ours. As the Raiders we’re increasingly embarrassed by the Chiefs (which I say unbiased, Cowboys fan here) the few fans wearing black became rather unruly. One man insisted on walking up and down the stairs brandishing one finger salutes as high as he could. In MLB that man would have been removed, evidently, for Kansas City at least, there was no issue taken. Although this is the loudest stadium in the league, the fowl language managed to ring through the cheers. The one thing I didn’t see, that I actually was not optimistic enough to assume we wouldn’t see, was inappropriate clothing. The ladies were all bundled up, the wind in the stadium made sure of that!
So, is it all bad? No, actually the game itself was fascinating. I love statistics, numbers, and complex puzzles (such as the rules to why little yellow flags are constantly flying) so football is a very enjoyable thing for me to watch. I have to admit though, it’s far easier to understand when a computer is generating yellow lines on TV. For those in the crowd that were not inebriated, we all high five’d the good plays, cheered the players, and sang respectfully the national anthem. The food was delicious, the employees were very kind and helpful, and there were heated elevator rooms where we could go warm up. The jet flew over, the flag was waved on the field, the quarterback made history, these were the highlights I’ll never forget. It was actually really fun, minus the young, immature, intoxicated fans.
There’s one other aspect I should point out, that might help anyone reading this wondering what the big deal is. I have sensory overload issues, and while we’ve recently figured out what the underlining neurological reasons for this are, I’m not being treated for it yet. I don’t have the ability to block things out, if there’s movement, sound, smell, or touch, it distracts and overwhelms my sensors. Most people can probably go to a game and not see the man out of the corner of their eyes waving their one finger. You might even be able to go and not hear all the conversations happening around you, in which case you won’t hear the fellow making suggestive remarks about the cheerleaders, or the other one who seems to be unable to make complete sentences without cursing. This might all be chalked up to my brain not working like it should.
So what’s the encouraging or edifying reason why I’m writing this? First of all, like I mentioned in my last post, this behavior should be what’s expected and not just because it’s reality. The young people in our nation have been told their entire lives that we came from apes and have no purpose. They’re actions are reflections of their worldview, enjoy as much as you can as quickly as you can, because there’s no other point to existence. This means that the harvest field has been primed for you, brothers and sisters, walking around with the only hope for salvation, the Good News! This particular group of people are not lukewarm, they do not have one foot in and one foot out, they are utterly lost and fully aware of it. If you’ve ever tried to share the Gospel with someone who was raised in works righteousness you’ll understand why this is truly a wonderful thing.
Recently I listened to Todd Friel sharing the Gospel with a young man, 13 or 14, who was with a group of buddies all acting immaturely. As Todd asked questions he found that all the other boys considered themselves to be Christians, except this one, this one boy who said Hell didn’t exist. As Mr. Friel opened up the Law (at which point all the friends left) and reasoned with him, understanding dawned, he realized he was in trouble. The Gospel was shared, and met with teary eyed respect from the previously rambunctious boy. We don’t know what happened to him after hearing the Law and the Gospel, but we do know that he was the only one that stayed to hear it. Please, friends, hear me, do not let the depravity of man discourage you. If not for the grace of God we would be equally, if not more so, depraved. Rejoice that God has saved you, and go share the Gospel with those in the same straights you were once held in. I apologize for the length of this post, I truly hope it blessed you all. As always, beloved brethren, be good Berean’s and study to show yourselves approved.
Tulips & Honey 