Reading Someone Else's Mail

Have you ever read a note that was not intended to go to you and found it really hard to understand what it was talking about? I know that around my office there will often be post-it notes that are not decipherable to anyone expect for me. I know what the content is and for what purpose it should be used.

In talking with some friends this morning, we discussed the fact that many people don't understand the Bible at all. Sure, none of us know every thing about it or can fully understand God, yet many are able to read and understand what it teaches.

The Word of God is "living and active" (Hebrews 4:12) and I am to "do [my] best to present [myself] to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:16).
But how exactly are we to handle God's Word if we do not understand it? How can we apply to our lives that which we do not comprehend?

II Corinthians 4:4 states that "The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." The apostle Paul prays in Ephesians 1:18 that "the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" that we may understand who God is.

God inspired men to write His Word as a "huge post-it" to his children (John 1:12 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God"). It is impossible for someone to understand the Scriptures if they are not a child of God! Sure you may be able to have some head knowledge about it and pick up some key points, but if the eyes of you heart are not opened to the truths of the gospel, it will all seem like foolishness.

So I want to encourage you with the following. Quit reading someone else's mail. Become part of the family of God and pray that He would reveal Himself to you and teach you His Word.

As always, I'd love to hear you from you.

PS. You may want to check out a great site called Way of the Master

You Need to Know God!!!

We live in an age where privacy seems to be everyone's top concern. So, in order to be hip and pc, I will tell the story of one of our students but changed their name to "Agnes" (any relation to a girl in our Youth Group with first name Agnes is purely non-coincidental). Some of the details of this may be a little off but here I the gist of the story.

During PE class at her school, Agnes decided to stand on the bleachers and yell out, "If you guys don't know God you need to get to know him because he is awesome. You should also come to H2O (our youth program) to learn more about him".
Way to go Agnes! Thanks for your boldness and awesome example.

Now if we cold only get Alison to do the same...

Prayer Request!


There were several fatal accidents in Lexington County over the weekend. Among them were two 16 year old students at LHS and a 20 year old college student (attended White Knoll High School). Please pray for their families and for all those affected by this tragedy.

When things like this happen, most of us come face to face with the fact that we are mortal and that our time to die will one day come. I pray we would be encouraged to share our faith with others even more during the next few weeks.

If my People Would Pray

Last night my house was overrun with Estrogen. My son and I were grossly out-numbered as Katie had 3 girls from her Bible Study group come spend the night. They did all the usual girl stuff- burped, flatulated, and talked about boys. Ok, maybe they didn't do that but they did watch "Pride and Prejudice" (I have to confess that they all fell asleep and I stayed up until 1 am watching it. Don't tell anyone, ok?).

Right before they all went to sleep last night in our living room, they asked if I would wake them up at 6:15 am this morning. I enquired as to the reason for this irrational request and they explained to me that they were meting some other girls at Lexington High School to pray for their school! I was so impressed by their evident desire to see the lost come to know Jesus.

I am reminded of II Chronicles 7:14, 15 which states that "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place." What an encouragement it was for me to know that these girls and my wife were seeking to do just that.

I am confident that God is preparing to do awesome things in Lexington. And I am convinced that it will not be because of any program that a church will offer or even a sermon series. It will all begin with prayer. It begins with us humbling ourselves and falling on our faces before Almighty God in repentance and in longing for Him. He promises (God always keeps His word) that He will forgive our sins and will heal our land.

I hope this encourages you today as you seek to do your part in bringing God's Kingdom to earth!

Be a blessing!

One-a-Day

I don't know if you have noticed yet that we live in a very health conscious society. Everyone wants to look like Johnny Bravo (well, maybe not the girls). We are constantly bombarded with ads of healthy foods, supplements and vitamins. Well this post is not about vitamins or anything like that. It is about the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.

Have you ever noticed that there are 31 chapters in Proverbs? And that some months have 31 days (I hope you all answered "yes" to the last question)? So what if we read one chapter of proverbs each day for the next month?
So read on, be blessed and share your thoughts here. We'd love to hear what God is teaching you!