Married FOUR times!

I get a weekly e-newsletter from one of our District's pastors, and at the end of them, he has a funny joke to share, which I like to post here...

The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten married – for the fourth time.
The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband’s occupation.
“He’s a funeral director,” she answered.
“Interesting,” the newsman thought. He then asked her if she wouldn’t mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.
She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she’d first married a banker when she was in her early 20s, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40s, later on a preacher when in her 60s, and now in her 80s, a funeral director.
The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.
She smiled and explained, “I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.”

Wesley's Covenant Prayer

I came across this prayer from Nick Poole's blog and I thought it was great for every believer to read and know. I plan to plug this into my message on Sunday Morning...it is a good one for us all to consider and meditate upon.

John Wesley's Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,

exalted for you or brought low for you;

let me be full, let me be empty;

let me have all things, let me have nothing;

I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal
And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father,Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine, and I am yours.

So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

This prayer was the heartbeat of one of the most dynamic movements for the renewal and expansion of the Christian movement. Maybe it can be a motivating prayer for a movement within our hearts once again?

Mr. President

Well, I want to drop a few comments here on my blog in regard to the elections last night. I have to admit that I am disappointed with the results, and have a certain amount of hesitation in reference to our nation and where it may be going in the near future. However, I must remind myself that God is STILL on the throne, and He has not changed His heart towards America or Americans. Truth be told, we might get too wrapped up in the whole election thing anyhow...

In any event, I want to give some thoughts from my heart in regard to what we see happening in our country.

First off, Judges 21:25, "...everyone did what was right in their own eyes." This is what I see transpiring with our own country. As for voting morals and looking at the character and integrity of a man...I feel that these days are over. It seems to me that people are more concerned with the "what's in it for me" kind of thing. I saw this one lady on the news who said she was voting for Obama because when he is president, she won't have to worry about putting gas in her car, or food to eat...as if he will cure everything. What was she doing.? Exactly what seemed right in her own eyes.

Which leads me to this second thought. In I Samuel 8, when the people didn't care for Samuel being their leader, and they wanted a king to judge them instead. It was not God's best, but because they wanted something, ie. the king, God gave it to them. Then Saul came on the scene, and we all know where that ended up. Well, here we are as Americans. But for those who know the Word, we know that sin and lawlessness will increase. Not to mention the liberal mentality of Americans...therefore, it is not surprise that a liberal won. It is only a reflection of the heart of Americans. What is more sad than that is that it reflects far too many "Christians" too. I mean, just as simple as this, what Christian can vote for a man that supports the act of killing the unborn? Who can support something that is clearly unBiblical?

This only reminds me of Matthew 24:12, where it says that "because lawlessness is increased, the love of many will grow cold." This election reminds me that we are living in the last days, and that we who know the Lord must get busy telling others about Jesus! So, let's get motivated because the time is short.

All in all, I am not mad that Obama won...I have no anger about that. But what is happening in my heart is that I am sobered at the thought that we (Believers) must get busy to reach out, and make a difference because the Lord is coming soon! The trumpet is about to sound!

My last thought as to why the elections went in the direction they did. Isaiah 55:9 - "So are My ways higher than your ways. And My thoughts than your thoughts." Maybe we don't understand why things went this way, but we have to trust in our reliable God who has everything under control. Again, He is STILL on the throne!

The elections are coming!!!

Came across this from one of our District's pastors...thought it was some good advice for us all.

Will You Speak About the Election?
by Jeff Leake

As Election Day approaches, I am being asked this question from a growing number of people. What do you think? McCain? Obama? Who should a Christian vote for? Now, I know in just listing this question on the blog, there is the potential for a flurry of comments for or against candidates and issues. Can I ask for you to guard your words in leaving comments? Please don’t use the comment section as a plea for one or another of the candidates. (Read on to see why)

First, my hope for the future of the USA does not rest in this election. I believe in voting. I also believe that good leadership is critical to any nation, church, family, or business. But I believe that God is big enough to work in and through whatever happens on Nov 4th and beyond.

Second, my primary concern is with the Kingdom of God and not with the United States of America. I know that sounds almost offensive to some people. But the USA is not the centerpiece of the vision that God has for the world. His primary concern is with souls coming to know Jesus. Often it seems that Christians in the USA think that God’s main concern in the world is with our own nation. The world is so much bigger than that. He is just as concerned with Rwanda or Nicaragua as He is with the USA. Mostly He is concerned with the lost, the hurting, the poor, the innocent, the vulnerable.

Third, I believe that a believer should consider moral values, character, and vision when they make their decision to vote. I think that every voter should get educated about the candidates that are running, not just for president, but for local offices as well. Some of the values that I will be thinking through will have to do with the unborn, the definition of marriage and the family, with helping the poor, the end of racial injustice, and with standing up for human rights in parts of the world where people are at risk (just to mention a few).

Fourth, my responsibility is to pray for and even bless governmental leaders, even when I disagree with their policies. Whoever is elected as President, I will bless. I am not going to speak evil, spread false rumors, or run down my leaders. Some people’s Christianity will be tested on the Wednesday after the election as to whether they will act in love, faith, and blessing toward the person who has been elected.

Fifth, I think at times we can over-estimate the election season. As I look back on the past 16 years, we have had 8 years of Bush, and 8 years of Clinton. Neither one proved to be the messiah and neither one was the devil. Both have been imperfect people who accomplished some good and some not so good. The next President will be the same. And regardless of who is elected, we need to remember that we can still influence policy and decision making by staying engaged in the process.

Sixth, my passion is to represent Jesus well in the world. Partisan attitudes often divide. When we speak harshly or unfairly of one candidate or another, we affect things as much by our negative fear based attitude, as we do by our words. One reason why younger people in our nation are closed to the church is due to the perceived anger and self-righteousness of people identified as Christians. I believe we should stand for what we believe in, but with humility, kindness, patience, and grace.

Seventh, I want to protect the unity of the church (not just APC but believers all throughout this nation). I personally know many believers who are passionate for Obama. I know many who are just as passionate for McCain/Palin. I like to imagine what it is like to worship in Rwanda where Hutu’s and Tutsi’s worship in the same church. Remember that 800,000 or more died in genocide a few years ago in Rwanda, but somehow these of different parties have learned to forgive and live in love. In the church where my father-in-law pastors, there are Contras and Sandinistas who worship together. These two groups had been in civil war for years. Surely, Republicans and Democrats can worship together and yet disagree on who to vote for?

Finally, I like to consider what Jesus did regarding politics when he walked the earth. The Governmental Leaders in his day were corrupt, evil, and murderous. King Herod slaughtered 2 year old boys. A few years later in Rome, Nero burned the city and blamed Christians. Some Roman Emperors fed believers to lions in the Coliseum. Wow.

Do you know what happened? The Kingdom of God advanced! In fact, in harsh governmental environments, the Kingdom of God often flourishes most. In the past 80 years, China has been under some severe rulers. But the Kingdom has exploded in that nation in spite of the fact that it is against the law to openly preach Christ. Jesus never hung his hopes on a change in political leadership. He worked for a greater Kingdom reality in the hearts of men and women.

I think it is safe to say that neither Obama nor McCain is the hope of the world. That is Jesus. It is also safe to say that neither candidate will be as much a threat as Nero, Herod, or Mao. If the Kingdom can expand under their leadership, I am confident God can continue to work no matter who is elected in 2008.

So I will be voting. I will vote based on character, values, and vision. I will pray for the election. And when I wake up on Wednesday, I will commit to pray for whoever is elected. I will not give into a spirit of fear but I will continue to walk in faith. And more than anything I will seek first the Kingdom of God.

as seen in Pastor Jeff Leake’s blog “The LaunchPad” on Wednesday, October 29, 2008.

Hope this was of some help in regard to your voting choice this Tuesday. In any event, just vote!

Converting a Bear

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher, and a rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn’t really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their experience.

Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs, went first. “Well,” he said, “I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.”

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, had one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, “WELL, brothers, you KNOW that we don’t sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God’s HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus.”

The priest and the reverend both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out of him. He was in really bad shape. The Rabbi looked up and said, “Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start.”

White haired!

Here is a great quote about wisdom...

"A wise man learns by the experience of others.

An ordinary man learns by his own experience.

A fool learns by nobody's experience."

James 1:5 tells us that if anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God for some... Could anyone use any wisdom? We all could use it, and the only one who can truly give it is God, who holds ALL wisdom.

This weekend I will continue one with the series, "Jesus is in the House!" and we will be looking at what John saw of Jesus...His white hair. Speaking of His wisdom He has for all who are in His house!

Noah's Ark

I was sent an e-mail about this amazing feat by a creationist in the Netherland. This guy built a replica of Noah's Ark. Pretty amazing pictures of what he created, and seeing the size of this thing makes you appreciate what Noah did by himself, with ridicule, for years on end.

Here is the link to pics and info... http://www.pbase.com/paulthedane/noahs_ark