Checking Out

Turning off my computer for the last time here in McMinnville. Hopefully we will be checking in as soon as we get internet coverage in Chattanooga. God bless You in Christ Jesus the King!

Throw the Word - Part 1 of 3

This is the first of 3 blogs I'm writing on the three words in the title of our blog, "Throw The Word!"


Throw the Word.

"To direct or send forth."

"To bring to bear or invest."

"To cast, fling, or hurl."

Why do the throw the Word?

1 Corinthians 3:6-9
6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

We throw the word because God is growing something. He's building a building. He doesn't need our help. He doesn't need to wait for the growth process.

In the beginning, when He came out of nowhere, stood on nothing, and told everything that exists to be, all it took was one word (uni-verse). No waiting. No delay. No process. Only "God said.....and there was."

Except for us.

Genesis 2:7
"Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.."

For us, there was a process. God took a hands-on action in our creation. And today, as He builds His kingdom and adds to His church, He has ordained for us to take part in the process. Our part in that process is like planting a field.

In farming, all a farmer does is plant the seed. God causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall. Likewise, as we sow the Gospel, all we do is throw the Word. It is still God who causes the growth.

Isaiah 55
"10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

So many times, we try to build upon the Word. How many evangelism techniques are there? There are videos and dramas, questionnaires, charts, graphs, printed tracts with pre-printed "sinners prayers."

But the Gospel alone is the power unto salvation. That's why we must hide God's Word in our heart, so that any time we have the opportunity to THROW the Word, the Holy Spirit will bring it to our memory. (John 14:26, what a promise!) Then we throw the Word, and God grows the word and brings about the fruit of salvation.

We are on the move!

Kinda excited! We are going into the last week prior to our move to Chattanooga.

In the mean time I want to share this with you (we will be singing these in the morning).

A Shocking Experience

I just had to share something exciting that happened last night.

I was at work last night when a strong thunderstorm swept through the area. I walked outside with a friend to get a good look at how hard it was raining. Tennessee has experienced a drought for the last two or three months. In fact, I think we have gotten more rain in the last two days than we have since July 4th. But right as I opened up the back door, a bolt of lightning struck a tree about 50 yards from where I was standing.

Edit: Evidently, after an investigation by an electrician this morning, the bolt hit the ground about 30 yards from the store and branched out, striking, among other things, a light pole with a mounted security camera about 10 feet from where I was standing. The electric current then flowed through the cable into the store and shorted out our entire security system.


It was pretty intimidating. Talk about a jolt! It took a few seconds to realize what had happened. If you've ever been unexpectedly flashed in the eyes with a camera, that's what it was like. Also, it was possibly the loudest sound I've ever heard, and I've been around guns all my life. I've heard plenty of shotguns fire, and the lighting was louder by far. My ears were ringing for quite a while.

Of course, there was a huge adrenaline rush. My heart was pounding and I was breathing hard. All this because of a flash of lightning!

So how would you respond to such an experience? Would you be scared? Or perhaps need a change of clothing?

The first thing I thought about was the story of Martin Luther. As you may know, as a young man Luther was traveling during a storm when a bolt of lightning struck near him. Historian Roland Bainton described this scene as follows:

“On a sultry day in July of the year 1505 a lonely traveler was trudging over a parched road on the outskirts of the Saxon village of Sotternheim. He was a young man, short but sturdy, and wore the dress of a university student. As he approached the village, the sky became overcast. Suddenly there was a shower, then a crashing storm. A bolt of lightning rived the gloom and knocked the man to the ground. Struggling to rise, he cried in terror, ‘St. Anne, help me! I will become a monk.’

The man who thus called upon a saint was later to repudiate the cult of saints. He who vowed to become a monk was later to renounce monasticism. A loyal son of the Catholic Church, he was later to shatter the structure of medieval catholicism. A devoted servant of the pope, he was later to identify the popes with Antichrist. For this young man was Martin Luther."

I now have a greater appreciation for this story. Such an experience can certainly be terrifying.

The second thing I thought of was this psalm, which was fresh in my memory from last week. Actually, I read it after having a discussion with a brother in Christ about whether the tornado in the book of Job that destroyed Job's family was caused by God. I shared verse 8 with him on Sunday morning.

Psalm 148

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.

2 Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.

4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.

6 He set them in place for ever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,

9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,

10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,

11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,

12 young men and maidens,
old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14 He has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the LORD.

And finally, I wanted to share this picture that I found on the Internet. It is very close to what I saw last night.

To be honest, I wasn't really scared. Because I know that lightning, like all of creation, is under God's control. May you be blessed as you consider the wondrous handiwork of the Creator. The Most Hight God has created everything to serve the purposes of His will!

My New Favorite Photo!

My girls are really developing into quite the bloggers!

Look at this artwork!

¡Muerto!

Muerto is Spanish for dead. I've been thinking about death a lot lately. For one reason, several people have died recently. Dr. D. James Kennedy died early Wednesday morning, Luciano Pavarotti died yesterday morning, and just a few moments ago I received word that the pastor of a large local church passed away after a short fight with cancer. That will make three days in a row someone at work has come in and said, "Did you hear who died this morning?"

With all this thinking about death, its also significant that we are starting a study of Deuteronomy in Sunday School this week. Obviously, we don't know when we will die. And we are not always privy to its nearing. It could come at any moment, by any means, as the Lord so chooses. But in many instances, because of old age or illness, we are made aware of our impending end and we are given the remarkable opportunity to take advantage of the time we have left.

I see this same attitude in Moses as he writes Deuteronomy. As an ill or aged man dispenses a last word of wisdom or a final reminder of important lessons learned, Moses recaps for God's children their priorities as they enter the Promised Land. Moses stresses the importance of keeping God's laws and remaining separate from the people of the land. He instructs Israel to pursue obedience. He reminds the young leaders of the history of their people, of how obedience was rewarded with blessings while disobedience resulted in defeat, discipline, ultimately, death.

What does Moses say is the most important action? "Love the Lord!" "Serve the Lord!" "Walk in His ways!" "Fear the Lord!" "Keep His commandments!"

Above my bed I have an heirloom painting of an old man sitting at his breakfast table, his Bible in front of him, his eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer. I've often imagined a similar scene as a goal for myself. Should God grant me a long life, I pray that I would become a devout man of God who never grows tired of spending time with my Savior in prayer and study. And should I be given an opportunity to share the lessons of my life, I hope that I would be as forceful and cognizant as Moses in his final book. I would agree with Moses in assuring believers that the Lord's portion is His people. He will provide the atonement for His land and His people!

Look at what my girls have found.

Kevin... I will be answering your post shortly....

In the meanwhile....

Look at this!

Why Blog When You Can Read, Right?

Seeing as we've not been blogging for several weeks, I think it is about time to see what everyone has been reading. I know that's why noone has been blogging; we've all been diligently poring over the great thoughts of others, right? Right??!?

In the past month or so, what have you been reading? This is what I've read in the past two weeks:

What is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever- this book just came out and I could not recommend it enough. I love Mark Dever's passion and philosophy for the church (and I got to meet him last week!). The first few chapters of this book are new, while the second half of the book is really just his pamphlet, 9 Marks, all over again. I'd say the first half of this book is great for anyone who thinks that it is not important to be in a local church, and one that is made up of a healthy diversity. Everyone should read this book; it is not long and is very easy to read.

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill- this is a fascinating read which highlights just how important the Irish were in saving literature and much of the early Latin culture from the destruction and illiteracy of the early Middle Ages. Cahill also paints a rich picture of early Irish religion and culture (warning- some of Cahill's imagery is a little graphic, and not for children).

The Kiterunner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Houseini- I read these on the recommendation of a good friend of mine. They are intense stories about relationships, war and the incredible cruelty that humans are capable of. More importantly, they are stories that branch over the last thirty five years of history in Afghanistan, and although I can't speak to the historical accuracy of these books, they have certainly been eye opening for me. When I watch news from Afghanistan now, I feel like there is more of a connection. These books are not for the faint of heart however. They are both tragic stories of war and cruelty, and at parts can be very difficult to read.