David E. Owen

Lord, Help Me

2012-03-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

It's been about three and a half weeks since my last blog post. After writing about depression, I have gone through some. Eleven months ago, I wrote a poem entitled "Lord, Help Me." I was talking to a friend today who told me that he had posted the poem on his bulletin board at work last year, and that it is still there. He said he often pauses to read over it and that others at the company where he works do the same. I went back and read it for myself. It's interesting that God knows what you need, when you need it.

I hope that this poem will be encouraging to your spirit today...

Lord, Help Me

By David E. Owen

Lord, help me to see what you want me to see.

And help me to be what you want me to be.

And though I feel low, please help me to know,

That as life strikes a blow, you want me to grow.

In my heart put a song, when the night seems so long.

And when I’m treated wrong, would you help me be strong?

Help me understand that you have a great plan.

And remind me again, that I can’t, but you can!

And when life is unfair, and people don’t care;

I have burdens to bear, but I still have a prayer!

I can still come and bring, all the wounds that still sting

I can rise up and sing unto you my great King!

And when I feel alone, and in my spirit I moan,

I can bow at your throne; then the burden is gone!

As I go through this day, the sky may seem gray,

But still I can say, the Lord makes a way!

“Battling Depression”

2012-02-16T12:16:00.001-05:00

It seems like only yesterday, but it was actually fifteen years ago that I went through a time of deep depression in my life. In April of 1997, I had resigned as pastor of a church where I had served for nearly five years. And because there seemed to be few indications of spiritual fruitfulness there, when I left, it was with a great sense of failure. I resigned with no place to go, and we had been living in a house that the church rented for us. So my wife and I, and our two sons, ended up moving in with my parents who lived nearly 300 miles away. It would be four long months before I found any type of job. And when something finally opened up, it was very limited financially.

I remember the day we moved, after we unloaded the moving truck, I sat weeping on the back porch at my parents’ house. I remember on another occasion after that, I was lying on the floor, looking up at the ceiling, listening to music and preaching tapes, trying to find some source of comfort in this time of utter frustration and confusion. I remember in that moment of anguish how the burning tears began to flow down my face and into my ears.

It would get worse before it got better. I remember having to slip out of a church service in Hickory, NC because I could no longer bear the heartache and despair that circumstances had planted in my life. The next morning as I tried to talk to my wife and sort out all of these feelings of emotional and even spiritual pain, I began to weep uncontrollably. I had been on this emotional roller coaster for a year and a half or more, and throughout that time I had tried to pray with sinking Simon, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30). I had tried to pray with distressed David, “Help, LORD” (Psalms 12:1). But that morning after the sobbing was finally ended and the sorrow was finally exhausted, I began the long climb out of that pit of despair.

My wife convinced me to go to the doctor. I knew that we couldn’t afford it. We had no insurance and limited funds. And I didn’t really feel physically sick as much as I just felt very sad and very empty. I didn’t want to go to the doctor. I suspected that he would tell me I was depressed. I feared that he would prescribe anti-depressant medication. In my way of thinking, and in the culture of church and ministry that I was part of, depression was something that you simply needed to trust God with. To take anti-depressant medication was taboo and unacceptable for a Christian. I admit it now … I was wrong.

As I sat there crying in the doctor’s office with my wife holding my hand, feeling very vulnerable and helpless, I began to tell him about the emotional and mental darkness that had enveloped me. He asked me several questions, took blood work and vitals. And then he began to explain to me how prolonged stress can cause chemical imbalances in our brains, and how medication can help with that problem. I felt no judgment on his part, even after telling him that I was a preacher and involved in ministry.

I don’t remember if he prescribed Zoloft or Prozac or something else, but I got the prescription filled. Actually, I think I probably asked my wife to get it filled for me. Within a week or two, I began to feel the positive effect of the medication. I started to feel more “normal” again. I continued to take the medication for a year or two. It probably wasn’t the wisest approach from a medical standpoint, but I gradually weaned myself off of it. For some people, I’m sure this would not be advisable, but my body and brain seemed to handle it well.

Lest you should think that I have ignored the spiritual ramifications in all of this, let me make it very clear that, though there were medical implications in the battle that I was fighting, prayer and communion with God was quite essential in my road to recovery.

Occasionally now, after experiencing an extended time of stress in life or ministry, I begin to feel those same old symptoms again. At some point, I may need to take medication again. But as I have studied this thing of depression in light of such Biblical personalities as Moses and Elijah and Jonah, I have found some very practical things that help alleviate the feelings and symptoms of depression.

Reach out to friends and family for help and encouragement in your times of weakness as Jethro told Moses to do in Exodus 18. God also told Moses to select seventy godly associates in Numbers 11.

Get away from your immediate area of ministry for a day or so and enjoy some relaxation, an excellent meal, and an opportunity to re-connect with God. It sure helped Elijah in 1 Kings 19.

When you’re feeling sorry for yourself or when you’re feeling angry and frustrated, get out of town, find a shade tree and listen to what God has to say. Whether he liked it or not, that’s what Jonah needed in Jonah 4.

I refer to these three men particularly, because each of them had come to the point of depression where they prayed and asked God to let them die; Moses in Numbers 11:15, Elijah in 1 Kings 19:4, and Jonah in Jonah 4:3 and 4:8.

If you have come to the point where you are so depressed that you wish you could die, do what you need to do to get help and get better. That may involve prescription medication, or it may involve more practical means. Let me tell you from experience, it doesn’t matter what somebody else thinks about it. Get the help you need in battling depression.

“When God Called Me To Preach”

2012-02-15T17:21:00.001-05:00

Some time ago, my wife asked me about the time in my life when God called me to preach. Her question prompted a flood of memories. Thirty years ago, in the early months of 1982, I was a thirteen-year-old boy battling with divine impressions that I didn’t fully understand. I began seeking the counsel of my dad, who had been a pastor for several years, and of other preachers whom I trusted and in whom I had confidence. They all encouraged me to be patient and prayerful. They also reminded me that I should be responsive to the Lord’s leading.

The long weeks turned into months as I wrestled with this overwhelming decision. Finally, in August of 1982, I yielded to the consistent confirmation of the Lord in my heart that He wanted me to be a preacher. There was an annual tent meeting held in our area, and that year it began on Sunday, August 8th. That night I went forward in the service and tried to explain to Pastor George Thompson, who was moderating that service, that God had called me to preach. The problem was that Preacher Thompson was almost completely deaf, and I’m sure in my timidity I was speaking very softly. With the combination of these two factors, he couldn’t understand what I was trying to tell him, so finally he just stepped back from the pulpit and said, “Tell them what you need to say.”

Many of the testimonies that I have heard, or read, about God calling a man to preach include someone telling them that they should not preach if they can be satisfied doing anything else. Another preacher said something like that to me before I finally yielded to God’s call. In speaking to his ministerial students, I think Charles Spurgeon said it best…

“Do not enter the ministry if you can help it,” was the deeply sage advice of a divine to one who sought his judgment. If any student in this room could be content to be a newspaper editor, or a grocer, or a farmer or a doctor, or a lawyer, or a senator, or a king, in the name of heaven and earth let him go his way. He is not the man in whom dwells the Spirit of God in its fullness. For a man so filled with God would utterly weary of any pursuit but that for which his inmost soul pants.

If on the other hand, you can say that for all the wealth of both the Indies you could not, and dare not, espouse any other calling so as to be put aside from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ; then, depend upon it, if other things be equally satisfactory, you have the signs of this apostleship. We must feel that woe is unto us if we preach not the gospel. The word of God must be unto us as fire in our bones.

Another great preacher of the past, J. H. Jowett said that a man who enters the ministry “must have the assurance that (he) has been imperatively constrained by the eternal God. The call of the Eternal must ring through the rooms of his soul … the imperative summons of the eternal God.”

I was feeling that constraint of the divine call thirty years ago. But my argument and hesitation as a young teenager had been that of Jeremiah as he said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child” (Jeremiah 1:6). In fact, my pastor at that time, Rev. Ray Aiken had counseled me from that very portion of scripture, and reminded me that the LORD had said to Jeremiah…

“Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:7-8).

That gave me the courage to stand before several hundred people that night and announce that God had called me to preach. I’m sure that given the fact that I was merely a thirteen-year-old boy and the son and grandson of preachers, some may have skeptically thought that I was “Momma called and Daddy sent.” But I have labored in the strength and surety of God’s call for thirty years now. I don’t think I could be satisfied doing anything else. So all these years, I’ve just been trying to follow Preacher Thompson’s instruction and ‘Tell the people what I need to say’ … what God has called me to say. And by His grace and strength, I want to do that as long as I live.

“My Valentine”

2012-02-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

Almost twenty-five years ago, on May 2nd, 1987, I had my first “official” date with Angela Elaine Hood. We were in school together at Tabernacle Baptist Bible College in Greenville, SC. No, Angie was not studying to be a preacher. She was an Education major, and I was a Theology/Bible major. I had decided not to take the Homiletics class and opted instead for Child Psychology, and she was in that class.

The class met once a week on Friday. And after being absent one week, I asked to borrow Angie’s class notes. Of course, I had noticed her before that. But this was my opportunity. As a grand token of my gratitude for the use of her notes, I offered to take her to Hardee’s for a hamburger and ice water (pretty much all I could afford), and then to drive her home. I actually consider this our first date, but for some reason, she doesn’t.

Within a couple of weeks though, I had asked her to go out with me. She lived on campus, so when I came to pick her up, I had to have a chaperone. Fortunately, my 9-year-old sister was able to take the hour long drive with me down the mountain from Brevard, NC to Greenville, SC to pick Angie up. Unfortunately, the kid decided to share any and every embarrassing story about me that she could think of as we drove back up the mountain.

Our destination was the Biltmore House. So after dropping my little sister back off at home and introducing my cute date to my parents, we drove towards Asheville in my Dad’s Plymouth Reliant K. (Keep in mind, I was trying to impress her.)

I don’t remember how much it cost to get into the Biltmore House back then, but my school bus driver’s paycheck allowed me to purchase the tickets and buy our lunch at McDonald’s beforehand. Hey, it was a step up from Hardee’s. The extravagance of the Biltmore Estate made up for the lack of luxury at our lunch location. It was spectacular. I had visited there at Christmas time a year or so before that. (But it had been with another girl, so I didn’t really say much about it to Angie.) For the most part, I think our trip to this magnificent mountain mansion made for an impressive and memorable first date.

At one point in our self-guided tour through the house, we were going up some steps into the massive room that housed the indoor pool. I reached out to offer her my hand for stability as we walked up the steps, but she quickly refused and still claims that I was merely trying to hold hands with her. I can neither confirm nor deny that.

As the school year wound down, we enjoyed a few more visits to Hardee’s, and occasionally somewhere nicer. Then, after school let out for the summer, she went back to her home state of Virginia. We ran up some expensive phone bills that summer. And before fall semester began, I drove up to Virginia to bring her back to Greenville. By then, I had started looking for a more profitable job than school bus driver. I confidently told Angie that I had opened a checking account and intended to marry her in the future. Ah, the courage of youth! I was 18, and she was 24. She laughed a little at my plan. We still laugh about it sometimes. But our first kiss and my gift of a pre-engagement ring (with a microscopic diamond) in the fall was followed by an engagement ring with an ever-so-slightly larger diamond at Christmas.

We were married the following June. In a few months, we will celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. Like most couples, particularly those in ministry, we have had our share of ups and downs, battles and blessings. But we have weathered the storms of life and marriage and ministry, and tried to learn how to appreciate the sunshine. We have grown in our love for each other.

In about a month, we are going on a little weekend getaway. We’re going to spend a couple of nights in Gatlinburg. We’ll relax, eat at some nice restaurants, and play some miniature golf. That’s our idea of fun. Before we go to Gatlinburg though, we’re going to make a stop in Asheville. I’ve bought a couple of tickets to the Biltmore House. I may even buy her lunch at McDonald’s (or Hardee’s). And … I may get to hold her hand this time. After all, she is my Valentine. I love you Angie!

(Angie and David - 1987 School Pictures)

“Jesus Loves Me”

2012-02-11T20:42:00.013-05:00

In 1860, Anna Warner gave us one of the most profound lines of poetry in human expression when she wrote, “Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so.” That great hymn writer Philip Bliss put it like this: “I am so glad that our Father in heav’n tells of His love in the Book He has giv’n; Wonderful things in the Bible I see - This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.”

I’ve always known about His love. But when the Lord saved me as an 8-year-old boy, I began to experience His love in the context of a personal relationship with Him. And I have since discovered that, even when I had no ability to save myself, and even when I was a sinner, and even when I was an enemy of God (see Romans 5); God loved me so much that He gave His Son for me (John 3:16), and Jesus loved me so much that He died for me.

I’m glad He loves me. I think that even before I became a Christian, I believed in the fact of God’s love for me. But since I came to know Him personally, I confess that there have been times when I didn’t feel His love in the way I wanted to as an experiential reality. I’ve wondered where He was. I’ve lived Job 23, verses 8 and 9 where Job said, “Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; on the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him. He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him.”

But even though there have been times when I didn’t know where He was, He always knew where I was. Job said that he couldn’t perceive the Lord, or behold Him, or see Him. But then Job said, “But He knoweth the way that I take” (Job 23:10). He loves me so much that He never lets me out of His sight. He cares about me so much that He can’t and won’t take His eyes off of me.

The writer of Hebrews indicated that our High Priest, the Lord Jesus, can be “touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). He not only knows what we’re going through, and He not only understands what we’re going through; but when you and I have “infirmities,” which means that when we’re feeble and weak and sick in body or in spirit, Christ is touched by that. He is affected by that. He has sympathy for us.

Back in 1917, in Pasadena, California, God was magnifying His love to a man named Frederick Lehman. According to his own testimony Frederick said, “One day, during short intervals of inattention to our work, (I) picked up a scrap of paper and, seated upon an empty lemon box pushed against the wall, with a stub pencil,” wrote the first two stanzas and the chorus to a song. He already had the words for the third stanza. Almost 900 years earlier in Germany, a Jewish music leader named Meier Ben Isaac Nehorai wrote a poem called Haddamut. The words of the poem have been translated into at least 18 languages.

Many years ago, a man adapted the third stanza of Meier’s poem and wrote them across the wall of his small room. His writing was not found until after he died and had been carried out to his grave. Here’s what that poor soul had scribbled on his wall, and these are the words that Frederick Lehman included in his song…

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

And Lehman’s chorus says…

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

Reportedly, the man who wrote the words on his wall was a patient in an insane asylum. And the general opinion is that the only shred of sanity that he had found in this world was when he considered the greatness of God’s love. This was the only thing that made any sense to him.

Let me say to some troubled heart who may be reading this, that the only true shred of sanity you are going to find in this world is when you experience the bestowing of God’s indescribable love upon you so that you know Him as your Saviour and as your sustainer. Can you truthfully utter these words: “Jesus love me this I know”?

“Baptism: The Badge of Belief”

2012-02-08T12:32:00.000-05:00

In September of 1977, when I was nine years old, my Dad baptized me in a cold mountain creek. Some thirty years later, I had the privilege of baptizing my own sons (Jonathan in August of 2006 and Samuel in September of 2007). And in remembering how cold that mountain creek really was … even in September, I must say that I am grateful for a heated baptistry.

This past Sunday, we had three individuals that were baptized in our evening service. I was blessed to baptize Benjamin Sanders who is 52 years old, and Nicholas Starr who is 24. Our Minister of Music, Brother Bruce Winters baptized his son Brady who is 7 years old.

I read about a six-year-old boy who told his mother one day that he had been baptized. His Mom knew that he had not been, so she questioned him about his claim and asked him to tell her what he meant by ‘baptized.’ In his words, the little boy explained, “Last night in the bathtub I put my face under the water and thought about Jesus.” Of course, we know that baptism involves a little more than that.

In talking to Benjamin and Nicholas and Brady about what brought them to the place where they were ready to be baptized, I discovered that all three of them had a different experience, and all three had walked a different path spiritually. But all three had professed faith in Jesus as their Saviour. And all three had a desire to be baptized as a public testimony of their faith, and an acknowledgment of their inclusion in the family and kingdom of God, and as a way of identifying with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.

We tell people that profess saving faith in Jesus that they need to “follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.” As a Christian (as a ‘Christ-follower’), baptism is one of the first steps of obedience in their walk with the Lord. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus instructed His disciples to “teach all nations”; in other words, ‘enroll them as pupils in the school of Christ.’ And then He said after they are enrolled as disciples, after they are saved, we are to be “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

That’s exactly what we’ve done in all the churches that I’ve been a part of and all the churches where I’ve served. Whenever I’ve baptized someone, I’ve asked them to share a word of testimony affirming their faith in Christ as Saviour. And then I will say something like this: “Because of your profession of faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and in obedience to His command, I baptize you (my brother or sister) in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Buried with Him in the likeness of His death.” At this point, I will immerse them in the water. And then, as I am bringing them back up and out of the water, I will say, “Raised to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.”

We practice baptism by immersion so that the person’s entire body is submersed in the water. ‘To immerse’ is actually the meaning of the English word “baptize,” which is transliterated from the Greek word baptizo used in Matthew 28:19 and throughout the New Testament. When Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, the Bible says that “they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him,” and then “they were come up out of the water” (vs. 38–39). This indicates that Philip fully immersed the believing Ethiopian into the water when he baptized him.

When you read through the book of Acts, you discover that the people who are baptized are people who “believed” (Acts 2:41; 8:12; 8:13; 8:36-37; 16:30-33; 18:8). It would be unbiblical to administer ‘infant baptism,’ because an infant is too young to believe and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. The only infants that we should ever baptize are those who are ‘new-born’ Christians.

Let me also state that baptism has no saving power. A policeman is a member of law enforcement whether he has his badge or not. But that badge is a token of his authority, and it identifies him as a member of law enforcement. Being baptized doesn’t save someone, and it doesn’t add to the reality of someone’s conversion. Baptism and being immersed in water is meant to symbolize our faith in Christ Jesus and the fact that we have been immersed in Him as Paul discussed in Romans 6:3–5 and Colossians 2:12. Further, baptism publicly identifies us with the Lord Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection.

My wife and I love the old Shirley Temple movie, The Little Colonel, especially the scene where Shirley’s character is ‘baptizing’ little Henry Clay. Before she dunks him, she says, “Have you got the right stuff?” He nods his head. When she brings him out of the water, she says, “Are you saved?” And Henry Clay shakes his head ‘no.’ So Shirley says, “Well, we’ll have to do it again.”

Now baptism can’t save you. The preacher can dunk you as many times as you like, but if you’re not really saved when you go under; if you don’t have ‘the right stuff,’ (i.e. faith in Christ), it’s like someone who’s not a policeman but has a badge. It might look good, and it might be impressive, but it doesn’t really mean anything.

But when that person who has been given ‘newness of life in Christ Jesus’ goes into the baptismal waters … whether it’s a cold mountain creek or a heated baptistry, they declare to the world through that external token that there has been an internal transformation. They are marked and identified with Christ as His follower. Baptism is their badge of belief.

“Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining”

2012-02-03T13:26:00.002-05:00

The sun is shining beautifully today. But it’s been the exception for this week instead of the rule. There have been several gloomy, overcast days recently. That may have been true of the weather, but sometimes it seems like it’s true of the world. I think there are days when most of us feel like the character of Schleprock from some of the old Flintstones cartoons, or the Joe Btfsplk character from the Li’l Abner comic strip, both of whom were often seen with a dark, rain cloud hanging over their heads.

Most everyone has heard the expression, “every cloud has a silver lining.” It is a picturesque phrase indicating that the hard situations and adverse circumstances of life are like dark clouds hanging over our heads on a gloomy day. And an oppressive difficulty readily evokes the image of an overcast day when the brightness of the sun has been blotted out by the billowy, sometimes blustery blanket of cloudiness. The “silver lining,” though, suggests that there is a good and positive aspect or an element of hope and encouragement even in the bad situation. On one particularly dark and difficult morning recently, I had a reminder of this as I was going down the road in my car and saw rays of sunlight slicing a hole through the thick cloud cover, creating the ‘silver lining’ effect. It was a precursor to the wonderful sunlight of today.

Apparently, John Milton coined the phrase ‘silver lining’ in 1634, when in one line of Comus he wrote, “Was I deceived, or did a sable (black) cloud … Turn forth her silver lining on the night?” Then in 1840, in a magazine review of the book Marian, it was said that one character from the novel had the perspective that “there's a silver lining to every cloud that sails about the heavens if we could only see it.”

Is there experiential truth to be found in this expression, or should we discard it and categorize it as optimistic drivel? Is this merely a clever turn of phrase, or is there something substantial and real in this saying? From a meteorological and literal standpoint, every cloud may not have what appears to be a ‘silver lining.’ But we can say with certainty that even though there may be clouds in the sky, the sun is actually still shining. And though those glorious beams of light may not have pierced the cloud, revealing a silvery periphery, they are nonetheless burning across the tops of the clouds. In one of the darkest hours of his life, when it seemed like his 14-month-old daughter was going to die, the light broke through, and my dear preacher friend Tom Hayes wrote these words…

You’re in the darkness, your soul is reaching

For any promise you can hold on to

But soon you’ll see just what God is teaching

The light from Heaven will come breaking through

For the sun is always shining

Though the clouds may hide its view

You may not see a silver lining

But any day now, someway and somehow

The light from Heaven will come breaking through

When we remember what the Bible has to say about clouds, we discover that there is insight and encouragement that can be found even in the clouds themselves and not simply in the ‘silver lining’ displayed as the sunlight peers through. A simple search of the term “cloud(s)” in a Bible concordance will show that the glory and guidance of God is frequently associated with a cloud. Obviously, the “pillar of a cloud” first seen in Exodus 13:21 was the manifest token of God leading His people each day. In 1 Kings 8:10-11, we are told that “the cloud filled the house of the Lord” and that “the glory of the Lord had filled the house.” In Psalms, it says that God’s “pavilion” is in the “thick clouds of the skies” (Psalm 18:11), that “clouds and darkness are round about Him” (Psalm 97:2), that He makes “the clouds His chariot” (Psalm 104:3). Isaiah 19:1 says, “Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud.” I think my favorite is Nahum 1:3 where it says that “the clouds are the dust of His feet.”

These scriptural statements show us that even in the dark and dismal clouds (even when there doesn’t seem to be a ‘silver lining’), there is the vivid and visual reminder of God’s presence. You may not see the sun shining. The circumstances of your life may seem very overcast and cloudy. But according to these and other Bible verses, even the clouds are a token of the fact that God is there. He is still glorious, and He is still guiding. He is present even in the dreary days. And even on the gloomiest of days, you will know that He has been walking around and moving, for “the clouds are the dust of His feet.”

I guess every cloud does have a silver lining. It is in the fact that God is there. Amen!

(This is the song written by Tom Hayes and recorded by The Ruppes.)

"Have You Had A Special Friend?"

2012-01-31T12:00:00.002-05:00

In November of last year, some dear friends were about to move several hours away. As I reflected upon their friendship and the fellowship that we had shared, it prompted me to think of several individuals whose hearts have been knit with mine. If you have some folks like that in your life, then you are truly blessed. As an expression of tribute and thanks for these special people whose paths have intersected with my own, I wrote this poem on November 12, 2011 entitled...

Have You Had A Special Friend?

Have you had a special friend … One you knew that God did send?

Have you ever had someone … With whom you had a lot of fun?

You could speak of joy and pain … Share your heart and not explain.

Who’d lift your spirit with a smile … You could visit and just stay a while.

Have you had a special friend … One you knew that God did send,

Accept you with your funny ways … And feel you’d known them all your days?

They brought a sense of calm to fears … Shared with you in shedding tears.

Though hurt, they didn’t hold a grudge … When you were wrong, they didn’t judge.

Have you had a special friend … One you knew that God did send?

I’ve had a few of these in life … To top the list, there is my wife.

To this short list I’d quickly add … My loving Mother and my Dad.

A handful more I would include … I’ll speak of them, and then conclude.

Along the way, I’ve had a friend … Someone I knew that God did send.

There’s not too many on this list … Some have gone, and they are missed.

Some are in my thoughts and prayers … I often think of them and theirs.

Some ebb and flow like ocean tide … When things are tough, they tend to hide.

But now and then a special friend … The ones I knew that God did send,

Whose kindness I did not expect … My heart with theirs, they did connect.

Now in our lifetimes, brief and swift … Such friendship is a special gift

And as I think of all the friends I knew … My friend, I thank the Lord for you!

"Sowing Seeds Of Kindness"

2012-01-26T09:04:00.000-05:00

I was in church nine months before I was born. My Momma and Daddy had much of their courtship and wedding at the Selica Baptist Church. When the leaves were off the trees, you could see the little white church building from the house where I was raised. Momma played the piano, and Daddy was a young preacher who supported the pastor.

Momma’s family went to church at Selica for several years before she and Daddy were married. One old man of God who preached there used to say that he remembered little Pat Huggins playing the piano at the church before her feet reached the floor.

My mother’s mother, Blanche Huggins (who I called “Mam-maw”), was a strong woman. She had to be because of some of the adversities that she had faced in life. But she had a kind and loving heart. She passed away when I was about ten years old, but the memories that I have of her are precious memories. Whether it was stopping by the bakery in town where she worked when I was just a tyke, or spending the day at her house, I always felt loved by her.

Mam-maw could bake, but she could also cook. Oh, how she could cook! On any given Sunday, you could go by her house and enjoy a feast of fried chicken or roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and biscuits or cornbread with some sort of cake or pie for dessert. And on any given Sunday, you were liable to find Pastor Willard and Dorothy Rhodes, or later Pastor Kermit and Sallie Reese, plus any visiting preacher sitting at Mam-maw’s kitchen table for Sunday dinner. By the way, “dinner” was the mid-day meal; not lunch. And “supper” was the later meal. And on Sundays, supper usually involved eating leftovers after the evening church service. My Mam-maw was a lot like Tabitha in Acts 9:36; a woman “full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.”

There is an old song (written in 1874 by a preacher named Knowles Shaw) called “Bringing In The Sheaves.” In this technological age, the agricultural reference to a sheaf or bundle of wheat and the plural “sheaves” gathered in harvest time is almost archaic and foreign to us. But Shaw was drawing upon Psalm 126:6 where it says, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” However, I want to highlight some words from the first line of the song which mentions “Sowing Seeds of Kindness.” Today, we might refer to that notion as performing “random acts of kindness.”

That’s what my Mam-maw did. She was “sowing seeds of kindness.” She was ministering to those who ministered by feeding them a hot meal and offering them a comfortable chair or couch where they could sit down and fellowship or take a nap after Sunday dinner.

Now when the Bible speaks to us about sowing and reaping, we learn that when we sow seed, “in due season we shall reap” according to Galatians 6:9. It makes sense then, that since my Mam-maw ‘sowed seeds of kindness,’ there would come a time of reaping. For almost thirty years now, I have been preaching God’s Word. And many times over the years, as I have ministered, there have been people who ministered to me. It may have involved preparing or providing a Sunday meal. It may have been showing hospitality to me and my family. It may have been some other expression of kindness. But in some respects, I have long felt that I am reaping the harvest from the seeds of kindness that my Mam-maw sowed all those years ago. She knew that her son-in-law (my Daddy) was a preacher, but she had no idea that her grandson would be a preacher. But I believe that God has honored the kindness that she showed to God’s men way back yonder by prompting folks, even today, to show kindness to her preacher grandson.

As you go about your daily tasks, whether it be ‘in the morning … in the noontide … (or) the dewy eve,’ be mindful to ‘sow seeds of kindness.’ As sure as you do that, there will be a harvest “and the time of reaping.” It might be you that personally comes rejoicing, “bringing in the sheaves.” Or God may bless your kind deeds and kind seeds so that it positively impacts your children … or even your grandchildren. As you go forth today, go forth “sowing seeds of kindness”!

"Hope"

2012-01-25T15:17:00.001-05:00

Do you know what it is to have hope? Hopefully you do. Or perhaps you’ve lost a sense of hope, though I hope not.

I recently read the poem by Emily Dickinson that says…

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

Isn’t that a great way to visualize and describe the concept of something that is so vital to our spiritual and emotional well-being? With similar imagery, Ana Jacob wrote, “The wings of hope carry us, soaring high above the driving winds of life.”

Such a noble and lofty view of hope has not been shared by everyone in history. For example, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was quoted as saying, “In reality, hope is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs man’s torments.” The agnostic, Robert Ingersoll said, “Hope is the only universal liar who never loses his reputation for veracity.” Sounds rather hopeless, doesn't it?

What do we mean when we talk about hope? While some may consider “hope” to be synonymous with a wish or desire, it is actually a stronger concept that goes further than that. According to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, HOPE “implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it.” When you merely wish for something, the whispers of reality in your mind remind you of the unlikelihood of achieving or acquiring that which is wished for. In contrast, Webster said that hope is “a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable.”

When we read of the concept of hope in the scripture, it is often in reference to the confident expectation that someone has placed in the claims and promises of God. The Bible speaks of our hope being placed in God and in His Word. As a Christian, it would be accurate and appropriate to say with the psalmist that the Lord God is “my hope” (Psalms 71:5). We read of the “blessed hope” of believers in Titus 2:13, connected directly to “the glorious appearing of … Jesus Christ,” indicating that we can have a confident expectation that Jesus is coming again. Hope is that anticipation that the believer has in their heart that God’s plans and purposes will indeed be fulfilled, and that His assertions and actions will be for our good and His glory.

One of the greatest examples of hope is Abraham in Romans 4. In verse 18 of that chapter, it says that Abraham “against hope, believed in hope.” As Matthew Henry explained, “All the arguments of sense, and reason, and experience, which in such cases usually beget and support hope, were against him. … But, against all those inducements to the contrary, he believed; for he had a hope.” The natural fact of Abraham and Sarah’s advanced years did not support the supernatural claim that he would be the “father of many nations.” But “against hope,” he “believed in hope”!

There are times when the clouds of doubt and fear and life tend to blot out the bright rays of hope. Mark Twain said, “Lord, save us all from a ‘hope tree’ that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.” I declare that if hope ever ceases to bloom, it will be a bleak and gloomy season in life, to be sure. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.” When hope is “deferred,” it means that the fulfillment of that which is hoped for is delayed. The disappointment that we feel when it seems like God has forgotten us and postponed His work in our lives is aptly described as a heart that is sick. Even Abraham felt that frustration on occasion (cf. Genesis 15:2).

How can hope be renewed in your heart when your future and the path you are on seems very hopeless? I want to highlight two verses from Psalm 42. The fifth verse says, “Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” The eleventh verse says, “Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance.” God doesn’t have a look of discouragement or defeat or hopelessness on His face, so when I look to Him, it renews me and brings health and hope and help back into my face and my heart.

My dear friend, your circumstances may seem very hopeless. But let me encourage you today: “Hope thou in God”!

"Not Until"

2012-01-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

“Not Until”

By David E. Owen

I can see the rainbow,

But not before it’s rained.

And I can feel revived,

But not until I’m drained.

The vine can bring forth fruit,

But not until it’s pruned.

And you can experience healing,

But not before the wound.

Can a heart be restored to calm?

Not till anxious thoughts provoke.

Can that tender heart be mended?

Yes, but first it must be broke.

To appreciate the mountain view,

You must see the valley first.

And to comprehend the best in life,

You must have had the worst.

It requires some pain and sorrow

For someone to ever grow.

And without the midnight darkness

You’ll not see the morning glow.

If you’ve felt the blows of hatred,

Then you’ll know when love is real.

Things can be better than they were,

But you won’t know until…

"God Will Make This Trial A Blessing"

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

The year was 1940, and the place was Jackson County in the mountains of western North Carolina. The sudden and copious rainfall on the evening of August 30th led to a devastating flood on the Tuckasegee River. In fact, according to The Sylva Herald:

“The 1940 flood was the worst ever recorded on the Tuckasegee, killing four and causing property damage estimated at $2 million. What were termed ‘cloudbursts’ and ‘waterspouts’ that occurred mainly in the Canada and Caney Fork sections sent the river on a rampage that destroyed every bridge in Jackson County that crossed the Tuckasegee’s main stem.”

That same week, my grandfather Rev. Ranzie Owen had been preaching a revival at Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Tuckasegee, just a few hundred feet from the river. Nothing was really happening in the revival meeting up to that point. There was very little response, and no one had been saved … until the flood took place. The newspapers and historical archives will tell you about the flood, but not about the pouring out of God’s Spirit that followed in that little church.

You see, when the crisis came, the hearts of these distraught people were suddenly receptive and open to the gospel. There were nearly a dozen children in the Shook family in that congregation, and several of them were saved in the revival services following the flood, including 26 year-old Martha. She and her sisters had watched with terror as boulders and livestock and even houses were swept away by the torrential waters. And something about that experience opened their minds and hearts to the truth that they too were being swept away in the onslaught of sin. They needed to be rescued, and only One could save them: the Lord Jesus Christ. And they realized, as Edward Mote wrote in 1834 that Christ with “His oath, His covenant, His blood” can support you “in the whelming flood.”

In the weeks and months that followed, 29 year-old Ranzie fell in love with Martha, and they were married on December 19th, 1940. The next year, my Uncle J.W. was born, followed by my Dad in 1942 and my Aunt Barbara in 1944. It shouldn’t be surprising that God can take a catastrophic, disastrous event like that flood and work in such a mighty and miraculous way so that souls are saved and a home is established in the aftermath.

When the apostle Paul was in prison, facing persecution, opposition, and criticism even from some professing Christians who should have been supportive of him, he said that through the prayers of God’s people and “the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,” the situation would “turn” to his “salvation” (Philippians 1:19). In spite of all the adversity in his life, as Warren Wiersbe said, “Paul expected his case to turn out victoriously.”

Several years ago, a man named Terry Tidwell wrote a song. And the title of his song encapsulates the truth that I am trying to communicate. “God Will Make This Trial A Blessing.” God is able to bring something infinitely good out of something overwhelmingly bad. Have you faced terror, or tragedy, or trials? Trust that God can bring a testimony out of a tragedy. He can turn your trials into triumph. You may not be from Tuckasegee or from Tarsus, but God can make your trial a blessing.

(Aftermath of the Tuckasegee River flood of 1940)

“He Restoreth My Soul”

2012-01-13T17:01:00.003-05:00

Almost three weeks ago (on Christmas morning, to be exact) at about 1 a.m., I woke up feeling as sick as I have ever felt. I still don’t know if it was some type of stomach flu or food poisoning. Since then, I have jokingly suggested that Santa Claus left me a biological weapon as a present. Those first 24 hours were absolutely miserable. And even now, three weeks later, I still feel very weak and not quite “normal.”

After several days of seeing nothing but ‘Bed, Bath, and Beyond,’ I was ready to rise from my bed of affliction and rejoin the world, at least the world of cyberspace. As I tried to catch up with emails and online banking, I decided to browse some church web pages for a bit of spiritual edification since I had not been able to go to church on Christmas Sunday. Much to my disappointment and frustration, when I entered the virtual foyer of one church’s site, my computer was infected by a Trojan virus. I didn’t think anything could make me feel sicker than I already was, but this did.

This cyber church environment should have been a safe place; a place where I was not subjected to such an attack. Unfortunately, the malware that affected my system and others in the virtual church environment reflects the malice that has sometimes affected my spirit and others in the actual church environment. The fact is that churches are made up of flawed human beings. And even those who have been truly regenerated by the grace of God are subject to be both hurt and hurtful in church.

I have not rebounded from the physical sickness as quickly as I had hoped. The path to restored health has been slow. At least I have finally graduated from 7-Up and Jell-O to more solid food. Similarly it took quite a bit of time to rescue the files on my infected computer and then to format the hard drive and restore the operating system.

What about those who have experienced heartache and hurt? What about those whose spirit has been suddenly attacked by a malicious word or viral action? Is hope and help and restoration possible for someone whose very soul has been infected and affected by the common cruelties of Christian experience? Absolutely!

As I worked on my computer (and ate my Jell-O), I realized that the process of formatting the hard drive was wiping away the terrible virus that had hidden so many things that I didn’t want to lose. This internal, infernal virus had caused my searching to lead me to wrong destinations. But the slow process that had begun would ultimately correct all of that. All of my sermons and songs would be put back in the right place. Once I had reinstalled all of my Bible software, I was able to get the Word of God back into my system.

As this process continued, I began to think of the spiritual applications of all of this. Specifically, I thought of a succinct statement in the 3rd verse of Psalm 23 which says of the Lord, “He restoreth my soul.”

This means that the soul that has become weary or sick is brought back to a proper and functional state of operation. The healing, restorative touch of our Shepherd brings back our vitality and vigor and renews our strength. He is able to reach into our innermost being and wipe away any infecting element.

These days we hear about videos or other online media “going viral,” and that means that it becomes rapidly prominent in cyberspace almost to the point of taking over. If some infectious element has quickly spread and ‘gone viral’ in your heart and soul, my dear friend, the Lord is able to restore your soul. Amen!

"Welcome To 2012"

2012-01-04T16:11:00.001-05:00

There has been much said and written over the past year or two about an ancient Mayan calendar’s prediction that December 21st, 2012 will mark the end of an era and reset the date to zero, thus signaling the end of humanity.

Will the world, as we know it, end in 2012? Not with the total destruction of the human race. Does this new year begin a countdown to the apocalypse? It actually continues a countdown to the apocalyptic events described in the book of Revelation.

This world is on a collision course with a future that will include the sudden removal of millions of Christians, the toppling of governments and nations, the rise of one global government that will prove to be corrupt in an unparalleled way. There will be worldwide war, and famine, and death. It doesn’t sound like a very bright future, does it?

Will this terrible, tribulational timeline begin to unfold in 2012? Let me give you my scholarly, educated conclusion in one word: MAYBE. You see, we know from the book of Revelation some of what will happen, but we don’t know when it will happen. There are some pretty clear-cut statements in Matthew chapter 24 and chapter 25 telling us that nobody knows when these things will happen.

But when you think about it, that is true, not just prophetically but also personally. None of us knows what is going to happen in the days ahead. Among all of the wise sayings in the book of Proverbs, one is especially relevant to this fact: “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

I wish that I could promise you that everything is going to turn out great in this new year; that you will meet with success and prosperity ‘wherever you delve in 2012.’ I can’t make that promise. Trials may come your way. You and I may walk through difficult valleys and face uncertain days filled with hardship, change, or sorrow. As Ira Stanphill wrote back in 1950…

I don’t know about tomorrow;

I just live from day to day.

I don’t borrow from its sunshine

For its skies may turn to grey.

You see, I don’t know what tomorrow holds. And neither do you. But in the timeless words of Stanphill, “I know Who holds tomorrow.” He is the God who does not change (cf. Malachi 3:6). And He is still the same God in 2012; still trustworthy, still faithful, still all-powerful. So just keep trusting Him and looking to Him and living for Him in this new year.

"The Cradle And The Cross"

2011-12-23T10:36:00.002-05:00

Today's blog post is longer than usual. It is a sermonic article that I wanted to share. Unless the Lord changes my direction, I plan to preach this on Christmas Sunday. I have preached this message on several occasions in the past, and out of all the Christmas sermons that I have prepared and preached, this is my favorite. The birth of Jesus is overshadowed by His certain death. Read about the comparisons between the two in...

The Cradle and the Cross

(Luke 2:1–12)

As we study the events and details surrounding Jesus’ birth, we realize that there is a great deal of suggestion found in the elements of His birth scene. For example, the fact that there was no room for them in the inn suggests that “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). The fact that he was placed in a feeding trough suggests that we can partake of Him as “the bread of life” (John 6:35). But perhaps more than anything, the aspects of His birth suggest the aspects of His death. We cannot build doctrine upon shadows and types, but we know that Jesus in a unique sense was, as Ron Hamilton wrote, “Born to die upon Calvary”; and even in His birth we see the shadow of His death. The cradle of Christmas points to the cross of Calvary. Let’s notice some things about His birth and then draw some parallels with His death.

We immediately see a foundational comparison between these two events. For in Luke 2:6-7, “the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son.” We know then that His mother delivered Him in birth. But we also know that His Father delivered Him in death, for the Bible mentions “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all” (Romans 8:32). As we begin…

I. Let’s Consider The Places Involved In His Birth And In His Death

Bethlehem lies roughly six miles to the southwest of Jerusalem, and the two events that we’re talking about were separated by a span of 33 years. Yet we discover a fascinating intersection of thought between these two places as we survey the similarities between the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem and His death at Jerusalem.

A. In Both Of These Places We See The Overwhelming Crowd. The Bible tells us “there was no room for them in the inn” (vs. 7). Because of the taxation or census of Augustus, Bethlehem would have been filled well beyond capacity. And while hospitality was, according to some writers, a key element of Jewish life, the homes and private guest chambers had all been filled long before the arrival of Joseph and Mary. Thirty-three years after his birth, the Bible mentions a “multitude” in Jerusalem (Luke 23:1), and then we are told that as Jesus was led to Calvary “there followed him a great company of people” (Luke 23:27). Just as 33 years earlier a census had gathered a crowd, now, 33 years later, a crucifixion had gathered a crowd. We might also contrast the “multitude of the heavenly host” that wanted to glorify Him in Luke 2:13 with the multitude of the hateful host that wanted to “Crucify Him” in Luke 23:21.

B. In Both Of These Places We See Outside The Camp. The Greek word for “inn” in Luke 2:7 implies some type of simple building of varying size known as a khan or a kataluma, and these would offer the traveler the protection of walls and a roof, and water, but little more. According to Cunningham Geikie, often the inn would consist of a rectangular outer perimeter of rooms surrounding an open square. If this was the case in Bethlehem, then they were forced to go outside of the rectangular, enclosed area of the inn to accommodate the birth of Jesus. Just as there was no place to receive Him in birth, there was no pardon to release him from death. For “they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him” (Luke 23:21). And the Bible tells us that Jesus “that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). Just as they had gone outside of the rectangular, enclosed inn for his birth – they had gone outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem for his death.

C. In Both Of These Places We See The Overshadowed Circumstances. Then as darkness crept across the Judean hills and valleys around Bethlehem, Mary began to experience the pain and sorrow of childbirth as “she brought forth her firstborn son” (vs. 7). Jesus would later speak of the pains of childbirth when He said, “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world” (John 16:21). He essentially said that in the process of birth, joy follows sorrow. And His particular birth brought joy, not just to a woman, but joy to a world. Similarly, at the time of Jesus’ death in Jerusalem, the Bible says that “there was darkness over the whole land” (Mark 15:33). And “Jesus ... for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). He knew that in the process of His death upon the cross, joy would follow sorrow.

II. Let’s Consider The Personalities Involved In His Birth And In His Death

To read of the Nativity of Christ and the Passion of Christ is to become acquainted with a number of individuals. The categorical diversity of the sexes is not a limitation, for in both of these wonderful events, we find the involvement of both men and women. Cosmological diversity of spheres is not an issue, for we find the inclusion of both human beings and heavenly beings.

A. There Are Those Who Have A Close Involvement In These Events. After His birth, two individuals were closely present – a man named Joseph and a woman named Mary. Perhaps it was Joseph that “wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger” (Luke 2:7) as Mary looked on. Correspondingly, after His death, three were closely present – a man named Joseph and two women named Mary. Mark tells us that Joseph of Arimathaea “bought fine linen, and took Him (Jesus) down, and wrapped Him in the linen, and laid Him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where He was laid” (Mark 15:46-47).

B. There Are Those Who Have A Connected Involvement In These Events. It still thrills my heart to hear of the abiding watchmen, these shepherds, who were “abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). Every shepherd may have been “an abomination unto the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34), but these particular shepherds have had the privilege of being indelibly connected to the herald angel who announced the birth and visitation of the Divine One. But in like manner, we also see the attending women who, “when the sabbath was past … had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint” Jesus after His death (Mark 16:1). “And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment” (Mark 16:5). And it is here that we find their connection to the angel who announced the victory of the dead One Who was now risen.

C. There Are Those Who Have A Comforting Involvement In These Events. In the time following the birth of Jesus, when the angel of the Lord interrupted the stillness and silence of night, the Bible says that the shepherds “were sore afraid” (Luke 2:9). But then we’re informed of the comforting words of this celestial being who said, “Fear not” (Luke 2:10). What a comfort to know that a Saviour is born (as we read in Luke 2:11), that He has come forth from the womb! Likewise, in the days following the death of Jesus, We again find an angel making a comforting announcement to some very frightened people. We might even say that these women were “sore afraid” as they saw this whitely robed young man. But “he saith unto them, Be not affrighted” (Mark 16:6). In other words, “Fear not.” What a comfort to know that “He is risen” (Mark 16:6), that He had come forth from the tomb!

III. Let’s Consider The Particulars Involved In His Birth And In His Death

The French novelist Gustave Flaubert said, “God is in the details.” I do not dispute this. In fact, as we continue to observe these striking comparisons between the birth and death of the Lord Jesus, the more I am convinced that there was Divine design in all of these details. It seems increasingly clear that the Blessed Babe of Bethlehem was meant to be the Crucified Christ of Calvary. It seems increasingly certain that this same Jesus was born to die. Let’s look at some particular aspects that bear this out.

A. Notice The Particular Clothes In These Two Situations. The Bible tells us in Luke 2:7 that Mary “brought forth her firstborn son,” and perhaps Joseph assisted by wrapping the baby “in swaddling clothes.” In his book on Bible manners and customs, James Freeman describes the swaddling process. He writes, “They tightly wrapped His body and limbs in these broad strips of common cloth to protect the baby’s weak limbs. Miss Rogers, an English lady (who had traveled extensively in Palestine), describes the appearance of an infant thus bandaged: ‘The infant I held in my arms was so bound in swaddling-clothes that it was perfectly firm and solid, and looked like a mummy’.” In the same fashion, after his death, Joseph of Arimathaea “bought fine linen, and took (Jesus) down, and wrapped Him in the linen.” No doubt, the body was so wrapped “that it was perfectly firm and solid, and looked like a mummy.”

B. Notice The Particular Cots In These Two Situations. At the time of His birth, Jesus was laid in a crib. And I use the term “crib” in both senses of the word – both a baby’s bed and a feeding trough. We see Him laid in this “manger” (Luke 2:7), which was thought by some to be a hewn-out or hollowed-out piece of rock. James Freeman indicated that archaeologists discovered mangers in the region that were “cut out of limestone and were approximately three feet long, eighteen inches wide, and two feet deep.” Just as He was laid in a hollowed out stone crib after His birth, He was laid in a hollowed out stone crypt after His death. For the Bible tells us in Mark 15:46 that Joseph of Arimathaea “laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock.” And in all likelihood, the stone slab inside this hollowed out rock also had a length twice the measure of the width. My dear friend, all of these comparisons cannot be mere coincidence. I say again that it points us to the fact that He was born to die!

C. Notice The Particular Contrast In These Two Situations. As intriguing as the comparisons are between His birth and His death, the truly inspiring element in all of this is seen in a point of contrast. After the birth of Christ, the angel came and said to the scared shepherds, “Fear not … Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10,12). Basically, they were told that if they looked in that hollowed out piece of rock, they would find the Saviour. But here’s the critical and notable difference. Three days after the death of Christ, the angel came and said to the worried women, “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come; see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:5-6). Basically, they were told that if they looked in that hollowed out piece of rock, they would not find the Lord. Why? “For He is risen as He said!” Truly, He was born to die, but He died to live again, and now He is alive forevermore!

F. W. Farrar wrote, “As the east catches at sunset the colors of the west, so Bethlehem is a prelude to Calvary, and even the infant’s cradle is tinged with a crimson reflection from the Redeemer’s cross.” Farrar wrote this specifically of the circumcision of Jesus, but as we have observed these numerous comparisons, we realize that it applies to so much more. As we celebrate Christmas again this year, if you only see the babe of Bethlehem, you’ve missed out. Jesus is not just a son in a manger. He’s the Savior of mankind!

"Today I Pondered Bethlehem"

2011-12-21T09:05:00.000-05:00

By David E. Owen

Today I pondered Bethlehem; and thought of Jesus’ birth

I read again the glorious words of joy and peace on earth.

I thought of favored Mary, and of fearful Joseph too

I thought of how they trusted, and God’s will they did pursue

I read about those shepherds who did watch their flock by night

And then suddenly an angel gave them all such a fright

But when they heard of Jesus in the manger, they went there

Then having seen, their hearts were full; they told it everywhere

We have also heard the tidings that those blessed men did hear

And perhaps you’ve also shared it; or perhaps you’ve had some fear

Go and tell the old, old story; Go and blow the gospel horn

Go and tell the world that Jesus Christ the Savior has been born

But don’t stop at the manger; tell them too of Calvary

When the Ornament of Heaven was hung high upon the tree

They wrapped the gift named Jesus; placed His body in a grave

But He rose again; and now, if they will trust Him, He can save

(Written on December 25, 2010)

"The Voice"

2011-12-19T13:06:00.001-05:00

A weeklong battle with sinus issues brought me to the point yesterday of nearly losing my voice. Of course, preaching twice and then going out into the cold air didn’t help the situation either. I have been (quietly) thankful this morning as I have considered what a blessing it is to be able to speak and use my voice. For someone whose calling and vocation are wrapped up in preaching, the prospect of losing one’s voice is rather distressing.

I’ve never seen it, but I heard about one of the latest in a long line of reality, talent programs on television called “The Voice.” Though he lived nearly two thousand years before the premiere of that show, a man known as John the Baptist was the first to claim that title. All four gospels connect John to the statement drawn from Isaiah 40:3. But in the fourth gospel, we have the record of some priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem who said to John, “What sayest thou of thyself?” To which John, quoting Isaiah, replied, “I AM THE VOICE of one crying in the wilderness” (John 1:23).

The word “voice” here is translated from the Greek term phone (Strong’s Concordance #5456) from which we get our English words “phonetic” and “phone.” These words have to do with the expression of sound. In our modern vernacular, a phone (shortened from “telephone”) is a channel of communication, an instrument that allows you to hear a message that originates from somewhere else. That’s exactly what John was. The message was originating from God, but John was the channel of communication through which the message was transmitted.

Let me also insert that the word “crying” (as in “the voice of one crying”) means shouting. Yes, John described himself as one of those loud, hollering preachers. John was a boisterous preacher, and he was a bold preacher. As Paul Lee Tan said, “John the Baptist was not forced to preach in the wilderness and eventually beheaded because he preached, ‘Smile, God loves you!’” John’s message was a message of repentance.

And John wasn’t just killing time when he preached. He had something to say; a needed message. Chuck Swindoll said that some pastors preach “longhorn sermons,” a point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in between. But that doesn’t describe John.

In Matthew 11:7, Jesus said that when people went to see John preach, they were not going out to see “a reed shaken with the wind.” As J. Vernon McGee said…

“John was not the reed shaken with the wind; he was a wind shaking the reeds! In our day, the pulpit has become very weak because it is in subjection to somebody sitting out there in the pew who doesn’t like the preacher. Or the message is tailored to suit a certain group in the church. Too often the pulpit is a reed that is shaken in the wind. Thank God for John the Baptist, a wind shaking the reeds!”

With unflinching boldness, John called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “generation of vipers” (Matthew 3:7). John Piper explained that “when anybody said you were the seed or the brood of a viper, it was the same as saying you were sons of the devil.” That’s pretty bold preaching, wouldn’t you say?

In a boisterous way, John told people how they should believe. In a bold way, John told people how they should behave. But in a beautiful way, John told people how they should “BEHOLD.” Twice we have the record of John proclaiming these words, “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36). With power, he preached to people about judgment. But with passion, he pointed people to Jesus. You see, John’s ministry was not about John. It was about Jesus. Quite simply, he was “The Voice” declaring “The Word” (John 1:1, 14-15).

There was an old preacher who lived and pastored in northeast Mississippi, virtually in the shadow of the famed Camp Zion located in Myrtle. Estus Pirkle was a great and well-known preacher in his own right. But his most enduring achievement was the biographical volume that he penned and published documenting the life and ministry of his friend, Dr. Percy Ray who founded Camp Zion. Estus Pirkle’s legacy was ultimately wrapped up in the life of another man.

The same could be said of John the Baptist. In fact, John said it best: “He (Jesus) must increase; but I (John) must decrease” (John 3:30).

I pray that the same could also be said of me, that my life and legacy is wrapped up in the life of another man … a man named Jesus. I want to simply be a “voice” (even a raspy one) that declares “The Word.”

“O Come All Ye Faithful”

2011-12-16T11:52:00.001-05:00

Over the next couple of weeks, I suspect that there will be fewer people in attendance at the Sunday worship services at our church than we normally have. I once heard a story of a church service that was so poorly attended that when the minister said, “Beloved,” one woman blushed for embarrassment. Hopefully, our diminished numbers will not be that dramatic.

In a November 30th article from Baptist Press, Chris Turner said, “A LifeWay Research study of 1,000 Protestant pastors shows that 91 percent of Protestant pastors plan to have services on Christmas Day.” To paraphrase Jesus’ question to the one thankful leper in Luke 17:17, ‘Where are the nine (percent)?’

In the same article, Turner quoted the president of LifeWay Research, Ed Stetzer who said…

“Having church on Christmas Day when it falls on a Sunday seems as if it would be as much of a given as having Thanksgiving on a Thursday. … (But) just because an overwhelming majority of pastors think that way doesn’t mean those in their congregations necessarily share their perspective … since (Christmas) is also such a family day, particularly the morning.”

As I understand it, the reason we worship on the first day of the week, on Sunday, is because Jesus rose from the grave on the first day of the week. The early church began gathering on that day particularly, rather than the Sabbath, as a weekly occasion to honor and worship the risen Savior. So with Christmas being on a Sunday this year, you’re going to have to decide which takes precedence in your life. Will the family gathering take priority over the faith gathering? Will your traditions of Christmas be more important than the triumph of Easter?

I believe we have presented our congregation with a balanced schedule for this special, Christmas Sunday. We will have no Sunday School or evening worship, allowing additional family time in both the morning and the evening. We will gather together for the Sunday morning service at 11 a.m. We have no plans to expel people from the church fellowship if they do not attend that Sunday morning service. For most who are absent, it won’t be the only service they’ve missed this year.

And some people who will attend church on that Sunday may simply come to “make,” as Paul said in Galatians 6:12, “a fair show in the flesh.” They will make it a point to be there so they can ‘see or be seen.’ If you come to church on Christmas Sunday (or any other Sunday for that matter), don’t come for that reason. Come to worship and adore the risen Christ who was born in Bethlehem!

I’m sure the lowly shepherds who attended that very first Christmas gathering were few in number. But they came for the sole purpose of seeing Jesus the Savior. After hearing the angelic declaration and doxology, they said, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass” (Luke 2:15).

It was the simple and sincere desire of these shepherds that inspired John Francis Wade some three and a half centuries ago to write these words…

O come, all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant!

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold him

Born the King of Angels:

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

To the faithful (and perhaps few) who come this Sunday and next Sunday on Christmas day, I say, “Come! Let us adore Him!”

"Jesus: The Reason For The Season"

2011-12-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

By David E. Owen

What a joyous time and season

This most blessed time of year

And Christ Jesus is the reason

That we have this Christmas cheer

So in all your celebration

This I wish for you my friend

That you would have a recollection

Of the gift that God did send

As you eat your Christmas dinner

As you gather round the tree

Remember when you were a sinner

Jesus came to set you free

As you long for snowy flakes

To gently fall on Christmas morn

Know Jesus came down for our sakes

For unto us that child was born

As you make your preparation

And try to set the Christmas mood

Recall the great gift of salvation

Give to Christ your gratitude

"Smiling's My Favorite"

2011-12-12T15:23:00.002-05:00

One of my wife’s favorite movies to watch (repeatedly) at this time of the year is one made in 2003 called “Elf.” This goofy little story about a human raised by elves at the North Pole, who goes to New York City to find his real father, is full of humorous dialogue. There’s one scene where the naïve, but happy, title character is in Gimbel’s Department Store in a section decorated for Christmas. He is grinning from ear to ear, and the manager says to him, “Why are you smiling like that?” To which Buddy the Elf replies, “I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite.”

Now let me offer a disclaimer. I don’t believe in Santa Claus or elves. Everyone at our house is mature enough to understand that these are fictitious characters that have nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas. Our family enjoys this movie more for the humor factor than the holiday factor.

Another disclaimer that I should disclose before I go any further is that smiling is not always my favorite. In fact, my personality tends to be very stoical. I’m introverted and often very quiet, unemotional, and unexpressive. Just because I’m not talking or smiling, it doesn’t mean that I’m “an angry elf.” Many times, even when I may not be smiling, I feel great contentment and happiness.

Most of us do not go around grinning all the time like the movie character. Have you ever seen pictures of individuals or groups or families that were taken many years ago? In the majority of those black and white images, no one is smiling. They look more like mug shots than snap shots.

I recently took my youngest son to the driver’s license office to get his driving permit, and they instructed him not to smile when they took his picture. I guess for the purpose of identification, people are rarely smiling if they are pulled over by law enforcement, and they need to be recognizable in their driver’s license photo.

I read that in one of his lectures to his young ministry students, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “When you preach on heaven, have a face that reflects the sweetness of God; when you preach on hell, your normal face will do quite well.” I suppose a smile-less countenance is pretty standard for most people. Many who are entrenched in the struggles of life find little motivation to smile. As Proverbs 15:13 says, “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

But do you recall the little saying, “Smile. God loves you.” At the risk of sounding trite and coming across like a spiritual cheerleader, the fact that God loves us is actually a really good reason to smile and exhibit a happiness of heart.

There is an old Stamps Quartet song written in 1924 by Otis Deaton that says…

Give the world a smile each day

Helping someone on life’s way…

Help to cheer the lone and sad

Help to make some pilgrim glad

Let your life so be that all the world might see

The joy of serving Jesus with a smile.

It’s a good song and great advice. Smiling may not be your favorite thing to do today. And under some circumstances, you may not even feel like you can ‘grin and bear it.’ But at least give it a try.

By the way, that smile that you muster up today may just elevate your own mood. Even better, it may just be contagious and encourage someone else that you come in contact with. So smile. J

(A rare picture of C.H. Spurgeon smiling.)

“Are You Ready For Christmas?”

2011-12-10T10:55:00.002-05:00

Are you ready for Christmas? That’s a common question at this time of the year. Most of the time, when someone asks me that question, I will usually tell them: “I’m about as ready as I’m going to be.” But actually, there are quite a few things that I still have to do to be ready for Christmas (especially with it being on a Sunday this year).

There’s been a lot of preparation throughout our church for Christmas related events. The church has been beautifully decorated. The children have prepared for the Christmas play, and the choir has practiced and prepared for their Christmas cantata. By the time the programs are presented tonight and tomorrow night, each song will have been practiced many times; each line will be memorized (hopefully). All of the costumes will be ready, and every prop will have been strategically placed. The stage will be set for the grand performance, and every segment and movement will have been calculated with great deliberation and planning.

But all of this pales in comparison to the preparation that Almighty God put into the very first Christmas production—the birth of His Son, Christ Jesus. Every fact and facet of this momentous event was calculated by God with great precision and forethought.

Shakespeare wrote that “all the world’s a stage,” and Luke 2, verses 1 thru 4 details how God set this stage for His grand and glorious Christmas production! In fact, more than seven hundred years before we come to the scene of Jesus’ birth, the prophet Micah told us that the setting would be Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Talk about planning and forethought!

Was it coincidence that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem? No. God had been making arrangements. As one writer named De Boylesve said, “Augustus, while sending forth his edicts to the utmost limits of the East, little knew that on his part he was obeying the decrees of the King of kings.” God’s direction is evident even in the movement of the population. Caesar had thought to feed his pride and eventually fill his coffers through this census and taxation process, but God was using this to get Mary and Joseph where they needed to be. W.H. Van Doren wrote that “to locate an infant’s birth, 60 millions of persons are enrolled.” God prepared a world and set the stage for His Christmas production.

God had already been working in the lives of Mary and Joseph. He had the angels ready to appear to the shepherds, who were in their place. All of the details came together on that holy night. No doubt, God is just as interested in the details of what is taking place in our lives, our families, and our churches. It behooves us, then, to trust and respond obediently to God and His direction just as Mary did, just as Joseph did, just as the shepherds did. I don’t know about you, but I look forward to what He has planned for this Christmas. I’m asking for lots of His “presence” for Christmas this year.

May God give all of you joy and blessing as you get ready for Christmas!

"Feliz Navidad"

2011-12-07T12:57:00.011-05:00

It was unusual for me to be in a Starbucks. It’s just not my cup of tea … or whatever. Nevertheless, I was there. And while I waited for my overpriced, venti hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, I resisted the urge to purchase a pastry and opted instead for a CD of Christmas music by Michael Bublé. This, again, was not the norm for me, but I thought my wife would enjoy this collection of Christmas crooning.

When we arrived at Track 15, I was able to bestow some of my knowledge upon my wife and children by translating “Feliz Navidad,” thanks to Señora Galloway from my high school Spanish class. The literal translation is “Happy Nativity,” but we associate the phrase with our expression “Merry Christmas.”

Anymore, it seems like when the simple words “Merry Christmas” are uttered, you may as well be speaking a foreign (or even forbidden) language. Our secularized society seems offended by any sentiment that involves Christ.

As a child and as a young Christian, I found it rather offensive when a local grocery store put up a huge sign using the abbreviated word “X-mas.” I now understand that this shortened form, utilizing the Greek letter ‘Chi’ (X) as representing Christ, has often been used in the English speaking world for more than a thousand years. Historically, “X-mas” was not a way of excluding Christ from Christmas. But in our modern culture, I seriously doubt that this would be the case.

I also realize that the word “Christmas” is a composite of the terms “Christ’s Mass.” I suppose that Protestants and non-Catholic Christians could understandably be reluctant to use the word “Christmas” because of its etymology and the Catholic implications of the word.

I know that December 25th is probably not the precise date of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. In fact, as Elesha Coffman wrote in a 2008 article from Christian History magazine, “For the church’s first three centuries, Christmas wasn’t in December—or on the calendar, at all.” There were those who did (and some who still do) celebrate the birth of Christ along with Epiphany on January 6th. Though Christmas is now inextricably linked to December 25th, the celebration is not so much about a regimented date as it is about remembering that “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law” (Galatians 4:4–5).

There are those in Christian circles who fundamentally oppose the inclusion of a decorated tree, or lights, or even the exchanging of gifts in any Christmas festivities, citing that these things had their origins in pagan practices. I suppose that if your décor is prompted by a deliberate pursuit of pagan practice, it would be wrong. But in most cases, in the Christian home at least, I don’t think that would be true.

I am not necessarily opposed to using the expression “Happy Holidays,” knowing that the word “holiday” is clearly derived from the phrase “holy day.” And while I’m sure that there are any number of reasons (unwarranted, in my opinion) why people would avoid the celebration of Christmas or the use of the familiar nativity salutation, I’m not really concerned about offending the cultural curmudgeons or the confining Christians. It brings joy to my heart in knowing that Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem, and I intend to celebrate and enjoy this special season with that in mind.

So as the songwriter said, “I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!” And for my Spanish-speaking friends, “Feliz Navidad!”

"Wise Men Came"

2011-12-05T13:54:00.001-05:00

Although the wise men didn’t find Jesus until some time after his birth, we generally include their quest in the events of the Christmas narrative. The leading light of the star, their diligent search for the child Jesus, the lavish gifts they gave; all of these things blend together in a powerful way in Matthew chapter 2.

The designation “wise men” is often used in the scripture to refer to the Babylonian or Persian magicians and astrologers in the book of Daniel. Babylon would have been one of the closest pockets of civilization east of Jerusalem in that day, so it seems likely that these “wise men” who came “from the east to Jerusalem” (Matthew 2:1) were natives of either Babylon or Persia.

It has been suggested that this guiding star was a comet or a meteor or perhaps a strange aligning of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. Whatever the explanation for its physical manifestation, there is no doubt that this was a divinely ordered phenomenon. The light of the long ago star was pointing the way to Jesus just as the light of God’s Word does today. This star attracted the attention of men whose occupation was astrology, or looking to the stars for guidance. God knows exactly how to get someone’s attention and reach them on their level of need.

The magi rejoiced as the star revealed the object of their quest. And when they came into the house of Mary and Joseph, they fulfilled their objective of worshipping Jesus (verse 11) by presenting their special gifts. Gold was always indicative of wealth, and it was a fitting gift for this “born King” (verse 2). Frankincense was a dry resinous substance used as a perfume, frequently seen in the Levitical worship sacrifices. What better gift to bring to our “great high priest” (Hebrews 4:14)?

The third gift, myrrh comes from an unknown tree or shrub in Egypt or Arabia, and the bruising of the leaves produces a gum-resin that formed globules of various colors and sizes, and when crushed, the substance was used as a medicine. The bruising and the crushing process vividly symbolizes the Christ, the suffering Prophet, who was “bruised for our iniquities,” by whose “stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

These gifts also remind us that we can bring our substance (as seen in the gold), our supplication (as seen in the frankincense), and our suffering (as seen in the myrrh), and lay it all at Jesus’ feet.

The Bible says that after they had met Jesus, God spoke to them in verse 12 about the direction they needed to take. God got on speaking terms with them, and they got on listening terms with God. We’re told in that same verse that after meeting Jesus, “they departed into their own country another way.” It literally means that they took a different route back home, but it suggests the fact that they were walking in a different path spiritually now.

What a great portrayal of those who seek Jesus, and those who meet Jesus, and those who worship Jesus. While it has become almost a cliché in this hour, the truth remains that “Wise Men Still Seek Him!”

Below is a song entitled “Wise Men Came.”

I wrote the song, and it was recorded by The Monk Family from New Albany, MS.

"Peace"

2011-12-03T14:37:00.001-05:00

While driving down the interstate yesterday, I was listening to the radio broadcast of one of my favorite preachers, Dr. David Jeremiah. His sermon was on “The Stress of Life,” and he made this statement…

“Someone has said we are all impacted by the five ‘C’s’ of stress: Change, Conflict, Criticism, Concerns, and Crisis. And if you haven’t felt one of the stinging ‘C’s’ of stress, just wait; it’s on its way.”

As I have interacted and communicated with many people this past week, I have seen the impact of stress upon their lives. And some of these precious people, through their testimonies have verified that there is one “C” of solace that is greater than the five “C’s” of stress, and that is Christ!

Is it any wonder that Isaiah prophesied, more than 700 years before Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, that one of Jesus’ names would be “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)? This designation suggests that when it comes to peace, He would be first in rank and class. He is the master and steward of peace, so it is within His power to distribute peace. Writing of this descriptive title “Prince of Peace,” the Presbyterian preacher and commentator Albert Barnes said…

“This is a Hebrew mode of expression denoting that He would be a peaceful prince. The tendency of His administration would be to restore and perpetuate peace. This expression is used to distinguish Him from the mass of kings and princes who have delighted in conquest and blood. In contradistinction from all these, the Messiah would seek to promote universal concord, and the tendency of His reign would be to put an end to wars, and to restore harmony and order to the nations.”

But this peace as an absence of and contradistinction to human war is only part of the picture. The Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says that when the angelic host proclaimed “peace” on earth to the fearful shepherds who were hearing about the birth of Jesus for the very first time (Luke 2:14), they were speaking of peace in the sense that it is “the tranquil state of a soul that is assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.”

This is the peace that Horatio Spafford had in mind when, after tragically losing all of his children in the early 1870’s, he wrote, “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

This is “the peace of God” that Paul wrote about, “which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). It is incomprehensible peace, unexplainable peace, stabilizing peace; peace that brings calm to our hearts in the midst of chaos and trouble. It is peace from God, and a peace with God, and the peace of God.

Some of those that I saw and spoke with this week were experiencing this peace, and there were some who needed to experience this peace. Whatever is going on in your life today, whatever anguish or battle or crisis, the Prince of Peace can bring peace to your heart.

“I Will Glory In The Cross”

2011-11-30T13:14:00.005-05:00

“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross.” Thus begins the great hymn of George Bennard published in 1913. And last week on Thanksgiving Day, I was vividly reminded me of this dear old song.

After a bountiful and delicious Thanksgiving feast at my Momma and Daddy’s house in Brevard, North Carolina, some of the family drove fifteen miles up the mountain and just across the South Carolina state line to a YMCA camp established in 1912. Perched on the edge of a mountain amidst the 1,600 acres of Camp Greenville was our specific destination, Symmes Chapel.

This little open-air, stone and wooden structure is more commonly called “Pretty Place,” and rightly so. This spot is one of the most beautiful places in the world, as far as I’m concerned. The chapel is lined on either side with wooden benches that slope downward to the front where stands an old, rugged cross. And beyond the cross, there is a scenic mountain vista that extends for miles and miles.

As you enter the chapel and begin to see the cross standing against the backdrop of the panoramic view beyond, it is absolutely breathtaking. The journey to the chapel has required passage along a very narrow, curvy road that in most places is surrounded by a shadowy canopy of trees. But beyond the cross, you can see the brilliance of the daylight dancing across the mountains and hills below.

The drive getting up to the chapel is beautiful; the old stone and mortar structure of the chapel is striking; the view of the landscape is magnificent. But the distinguishing element in all of this … is the cross. Without that centerpiece, the entire scene would seem empty somehow.

And that is true of my life. Without “the wondrous cross on which,” as Isaac Watts said, “the Prince of glory died,” and without His redemptive sacrifice on that cross for the atoning of my sin, the entirety of my existence would be empty.

The first time I travelled down that curvy road and saw that old cross at “Pretty Place,” I was just a child attending a wedding there. I’ve never forgotten it. Over the years, I’ve bragged to many people about what a beautiful place it is, and I’ve told them that they must go and view the cross on the hill.

The first time that I looked to the cross of Christ and by faith trusted in Him and what He had accomplished there for me, I was just a child. I’ve never forgotten it. (And by the way, because of that cross, one day there will be a glorious wedding involved.) Over the years, I’ve bragged to many people about how amazing it is, and I’ve told them that they must go there too.

That’s really the only thing that I can brag about. As Paul said in Galatians 6:14, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I’m going to keep on bragging about it. “I WILL GLORY IN THE CROSS!”

“Rainy Days and Mondays”

2011-11-28T15:06:00.006-05:00

Do you remember the 1971 song that was sung by The Carpenters, the song that said, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down”? I won’t go so far as to say “always,” but I will say that Monday is often a challenging day for me.

In a twitter post earlier today, Ergun Caner, the former dean of the seminary at Liberty University, said, “I pray for Pastors on Monday rather than Sunday because Monday is when most pastors RESIGN, TRANSFER, or just QUIT!”

He’s right. Monday is usually the day that I try to relax and find new strength for the week ahead, but some weeks I can’t because I am battling the doubts and fears and weakness that Monday so often brings to those who have served the Lord in the church in some capacity on Sunday.

It’s not always the critical or cynical word (or even vibe) of someone in the congregation that causes me to feel this way. Sometimes, I sense that it is out-and-out spiritual warfare instigated by the one that Revelation 12:10 calls “the accuser of our brethren.” I hate to give the devil credit for anything, but he does a good job of beating up God’s servants and tearing them down.

Those who are pastors, or ministry leaders, or preachers or teachers of the word will likely never win any popularity contests. But you do need affirmation sometimes that what you are doing is worthwhile and bearing fruit to some extent. So let me take a moment on this rainy day and this Monday to encourage and remind you (as well as myself) of what Paul said … “that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I told someone recently that anytime you try to do something in your service for the Lord and His church, there will be somebody that doesn’t like it. It may be the critical congregant, or it may be the devious devil. But in some form or another, there will be opposition. We can count on it. And if today is not your day to be discouraged and on the frontlines of battle, please pray for those of us who are.

It’s easier and safer to stand on the sidelines and do nothing. It’s easier to give up and quit. But Paul said that we should keep serving the Lord.

It may be the weather, or words, or weakness, or worry, or warfare, or a combination of all of these that has you feeling down and defeated today. But don’t give up dear servant of God. Your service for Him may be in rain … but it “is not in vain”!

"Here I Raise My Ebenezer"

2011-11-22T14:50:00.006-05:00

In 1 Samuel chapter 7, there is an interesting account in the Word of God. In chapter 6, the Ark of the Covenant which had been taken by the Philistines was returned to the Hebrew people. And after its return, it was to stay at Kirjath-jearim in the house of a man named Abinadab for nearly a century.

After the Ark of the Covenant had been there for twenty years, the prophet Samuel called upon the people to return to the Lord with all their hearts and put away the strange gods and only serve the Lord (1 Samuel 7:3). As Warren Wiersbe said, “The ark had been returned to Israel, but Israel had not returned to the Lord.”

The people did return to the Lord with a deep spirit of repentance. A spiritual revival took place as they gathered under Samuel’s leadership for a great prayer meeting at a place called Mizpeh. But when the Philistines got wind of this huge gathering, they assumed that the Israelites were preparing for war. So the Philistines marched against Israel in a pre-emptive strike.

Israel was in no position to fight against Philistia, so they begged Samuel to pray that God would help them. Samuel did pray, and God did help. In one of the most powerful scenes of military victory in the Old Testament, the Bible says that “the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel” (1 Samuel 7:10).

In order to commemorate the tremendous victories that Israel had experienced that day, both spiritually and militarily, Samuel set up a stone “and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12). “Ebenezer” literally means ‘the stone of help,’ or ‘the builded stone signifying help.’

In the 1700’s, a minister in England named Robert Robinson wrote a number of hymns, but judging from a well-known story, this man who only lived to be 55 experienced much difficulty in his later years. The account is that one day, Robinson encountered a woman who was studying a hymnal, and she asked how he liked the song she was humming, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” a hymn that he had written. In tears, he replied, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds (if I had them) to enjoy the feelings I had then.”

In the second stanza are these familiar words…

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I’m come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Perhaps at some point, Robert Robinson had gotten away from his Ebenezer. But I hope that I never get away from mine. I want to raise up a marker and boldly declare it today: “THUS FAR THE LORD HAS HELPED ME!” And I am confident that He will help me to arrive safely in Heaven at the end of my earthly sojourn.

My dear friend, let me encourage you to raise up your own mental memorial, and always remember that the Lord has helped us! Never forget it! “EBENEZER!”

"To God Be The Glory"

2011-11-21T12:05:00.005-05:00

I remember 30 + years ago hearing Andraé Crouch’s song “My Tribute” for the first time. The song is perhaps better known by the repeated refrain of the chorus, “To God Be The Glory.” It begins with a rather deliberate and reflective type of music and these words...

How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me?

Things so undeserved, yet You gave to prove Your love for me;

The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.

All that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.

And then the sound of the music changes to more of a triumphant anthem and these simple words...

To God be the glory! To God be the glory! To God be the glory, for the things He has done.

How can we say “thanks” for the countless things that the Lord has done for us? No doubt, many thousands of years in eternity will be spent in the giving of thanks to our gracious God. As we come to Thanksgiving week, saying “Thank you” feels like such an inadequate way to express our gratitude to God. Nevertheless, I do want to sincerely say, “Thank You Lord!”

Saying “Thank you” feels equally insufficient to express my appreciation for some of the exceptional people in my life. However, I do want to say a heartfelt “Thank you” to some very special people.

To my parents, Wayne and Pat Owen, I am enduringly grateful to you both for bringing me into this world and for pointing me to the world to come. You have given me both a human heritage and a heavenly heritage. You have loved me without restriction and encouraged me regularly. Thank you for the parenting, the provision, and most of all the prayers.

To my dear wife, Angela Owen, I am profoundly grateful for your love and your consistent support in my life and ministry for the past 23 years. There have been many times in the journey when I could not have made it without you. You have believed in me when others did not, and even some times when I didn’t believe in myself. You have given me honor and respect in an unconditional way. You have been the counterpart to my heart. Thank you!

To my sons, Samuel and Jonathan, I am grateful for the young men that you have become. It is a blessing to see the two of you merge into manhood and have a heart for God. So often I have felt like a failure as a parent, but the character and integrity and faithfulness that both of you exhibit blesses my heart. Your desires and aspirations for the future gives me great satisfaction as a father. Both of you make me proud and thankful to be your Dad!

To the dear saints at Piney Grove Baptist Church who tolerate my weekly preaching, I am appreciative. Since I was thirteen years old, I have wanted to preach God’s word, and I am thankful for a church family that graciously gives me the opportunity to do that every week. Thank you too for being the channel through which God provides for our family. You all are both gracious and generous, and I am grateful!

The precious people that I have mentioned and their involvement in my life are all manifestations of the goodness of God to me. Therefore, I would pause and join Andraé Crouch in saying, “To God be the glory for the things He has done!”

God's Been Good

2011-11-18T11:55:00.001-05:00

A few years ago, two ladies named Sue and Belinda Smith wrote a song that was made popular by the singing group Legacy Five. To me, this is not only a popular song, but it is a powerful song. The chorus says…

God’s been good in my life.

I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams when I go to sleep each night

And though I’ve had my share of hard times, I wouldn’t change them if I could,

‘Cause through it all, God’s been good

Have you thought lately about the fact that God’s been good? There are several references in the scripture to “the goodness of God” and “the goodness of the Lord.” The first time this expression is used is in the 13th verse of Psalm 27 where David said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”

The inscription on this psalm tells us that it is a psalm of David. Four times within the context of the psalm we see David refer to his enemies (vs. 2, 6, 11, & 12). This tells us that the psalm was probably written when David was either running as a fugitive from King Saul, or when he had left Jerusalem because of Absalom.

There is a clear division in this chapter between verses 1 thru 6, and verses 7 thru 14. The mood of the first section suggests that it was written during a time of victory, a time that might be described as the mountaintop of faith. In sharp contrast though, the second section reveals a valley of fearfulness. It would seem almost as if these two sections were perhaps written on different days. The contrast of the two sections reveals very vividly the ups and downs of the Christian experience.

It is in this second section, in verse 10, when David depicts himself as a lonely orphan who finds the acceptance of God. He mentions his “enemies” in verse 11, the “false witnesses” and “such as breathe out cruelty” in verse 12. All of these factors of frustration bring David to a point where it almost too much to bear. He felt that he had no more strength, and it is as if he begins first to sigh and then to cry. And he would have given up, “unless …” He says, “Unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).

What kept David going when he felt like giving up? He believed “the goodness of the Lord,” and he beheld “the goodness of the Lord.”

What can keep you from fainting and fleeing when you feel so weak? Just remember that “God’s Been Good”!

"The Lord Makes A Way"

2011-11-16T14:46:00.004-05:00

I love Isaiah chapter 43. A few years ago I preached a series from this chapter, and I noticed a powerful phrase that is used twice.

In verse 16, the Lord indicated that He is the one that “maketh a way in the sea.” This statement reminds us of how Almighty God made it possible for the children of Israel to cross over the Red Sea on dry ground. The Hebrew people faced an impossible situation. The Egyptian army was behind them and the Red Sea was before them. It seemed like they were trapped with nowhere to go and no way to escape. But when there seemed to be no way, God made a way!

Then in verse 19 of Isaiah 43, the Lord said that He would “do a new thing.” He said that He would “even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” The heavenly Father is still able to do this for His children. When it seems like we are crossing through barren, wilderness, desert places, and it seems unlikely, even impossible, for us to get through such an environment in our lives, the truth remains … God is able to make a way when there seems to be no way!

The current troubles right now may be taunting

While yesterday’s sins may yet still be haunting

Tomorrow’s task might be very daunting

But the strength of my Lord will never be wanting

There are times in my life when I don’t have a clue

There are frequently days when I feel very blue

I’m oft filled with weakness and fear, it is true

But the future for me brings a heavenly view

So when I’m in doubt, I must learn to pray

And when I want to run, I must learn to stay

To yield my life to the potter, for I am but clay

To know when all seems so hopeless, the Lord makes a way

You may feel like your individual situation involves a huge obstacle or an uncrossable desert. Friend, I want to encourage you to pray, to cry out in your desperation to the God who makes a way when there seems to be no way! He can still minister to your heart personally. The Lord makes a way.

"Count Your Blessings"

2011-11-14T13:24:00.002-05:00

The oft-quoted preacher and commentator Matthew Henry was once accosted by thieves and robbed. After this experience, he wrote these words in his diary:

“Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”

We can always find something to be thankful for. Even in the most adverse circumstance, some blessing can be discovered. The apostle Paul put it like this: “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). However, Paul told Timothy “that in the last days … men shall be … unthankful” (2 Timothy 3:1–2). An ‘attitude of gratitude’ is conspicuously absent in too many individual lives, homes, and churches.

As we go through the month of November, we eagerly anticipate the fourth Thursday of this month as a day to sit down with family and friends, to share a sumptuous meal with turkey as the main entrée. But the centerpiece of this special day should be the giving of thanks.

In 1897, the Methodist preacher, Rev. Johnson Oatman, Jr., published his hymn “Count Your Blessings.” Since then, this grand old song has been sung all over the world. The song is a simple reminder that even in the storms of life, the hardships, or the conflicts, you can still…

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

I challenge you this month to do that very thing … Count Your Blessings. It’s been my experience that bitterness and thankfulness cannot co-exist. When we acknowledge the blessings that Almighty God has bestowed upon us, it reduces our fear and fretting because the very God who brought us through need and crisis yesterday is the same God today.

Thankfulness subdues pride and selfishness as we are reminded of how truly unworthy we are of God’s blessings. I am too prone to accentuate the negative elements of life, but gratitude brings a renewed joy. As Oatman wrote, “It will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”

So go ahead and make a list in November. “COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!”