Letters from Paul

Recently, with the ongoing debate about the mosque in New York, religion has once again been put in the spotlight of politics.  As a pastor, I do not believe it is correct to preach sermons that address political issues, but rather it is my calling to preach scripture and its application to personal lives.  With that being said, this is a blog not a sermon and it has come to light that our current president has put forth several questions such as, “Whose Christianity would we teach in the schools, James Dobson’s or Al Sharpton’s? Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy?”  continue reading more…

It has been over a month since I posted anything on my blog.  It certainly hasn’t been because of laziness, but rather busyness.   As the summer drew near, many things began to show up on the horizon.  It seemed that my children had end-of-the-year events almost every other day.  I was preparing for a youth camp which entailed writing nine sermons.  The day after youth camp was over, I officiated a wedding out of town.  The day after the wedding, my family left on vacation in Florida.  Of course, you would have to have your head in the sand (no pun intended) to not know that time in Destin, at the beach, was questionable since the oil disaster in the gulf.  When you couple all of that with preparing weekly sermons, a small building project at the church, looking for a music/youth minister, and all the preparing that will come with moving our church to a new location, it tends to make one weighted down and tired.  continue reading more…

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. – Tozer

I would guess that most everyone is familiar with the television show “The View.”  I can honestly say that I have never watched the show and from what I have heard, I’m not missing anything.  This show picks topics and four or five women sit around, argue, and/or give their view on any particular subject.  I guess that makes for good entertainment and perhaps people really do care if their view on a particular subject, lines up with the view of one of the stars on the show.  The concept certainly underscores the philosophy of today, “Everyone’s view or opinion is just as valid as the next persons.”

When it comes to God, I see the exact same philosophy, even among Christians.  I see websites and blogs, not unlike this one, in which people’s view of God is quite diverse.  Let me share just a few views I have heard from people and seen written on the internet. continue reading more…

Each day when I turn on the news, I see it.  There are people who have taken the time to creatively, I might add, make signs and attach them to poles or sticks.  These same people gather in large groups.  They take time away from their work, friends, and families in order to come together, form rallies, and protest.  When it all comes down to it what is happening is that these groups of individuals are standing up for “rights.”   Just to list a few:

The rights of minorities
The rights of animals
The rights of the unborn or the right to choose
The rights of women
The rights of gays
The rights of illegal aliens
The right to an education
The right to healthcare
The right to own guns
The right to own property
AND TO TOP IT OFF – The right to protest for my rights

Now, there is no doubt that I have my opinion concerning those rights listed above and the vast amounts of other rights that are either supported or denied by our government.  It was last week when I saw another “right” that I simply begin to think, wonder, contemplate . . . “What is the problem?”  Perhaps this declaration did not catch your eye last week.  So, here it is.  Brace yourself. “Vacationing a human right, EU chief says.”  

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This week as we continue to look at the issue of concurrence, let’s begin where we left off last week.  It is well established in scripture that God is in control of all.  Most Christians, if not the vast majority, subscribe to that view . . . until . . .   So, what is the pause?  This pause occurs when God’s control causes pain and suffering.  These quakes, hurricanes, tornados, and other events affect people.  These disasters are not happening in a vacuum.  At times, people lose everything they own and even their very lives.  Many Christians are ready to sing and proclaim “God is in Control” (by Twila Paris), but when it comes to human suffering then it is another story.  Surely, a loving God would not allow “good and innocent” people (including Christians) to suffer.  What we know is that “good” people do suffer, so then the question is “If God loves us, and it says so in John 3:16, then why is there so much pain and suffering in this life?”

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