Our boat is faster than yours!

Several years ago, I had the privilege of travelling to Alberta, Canada to bear hunt and fish with my family and some other good friends. One particular day, my brother and I, along with Bob and Rob Simpson, were doing some fishing at one of the lakes in two separate boats. At the start of this particular fishing expedition, it was very apparent that the boat Chris and I were in was much faster than the Simpson's boat.

As Chris and I decided to showboat our speed advantage, we started going around their boat in circles yelling, "our boat is faster than yours!" The Simpsons just smiled and took it at face value, knowing there was nothing they could do to outrun us. We were in a race car, and they were in a 4 cylinder!

As we were really enjoying our bragging rights, just then, it happened: we ran out of gas! Suddenly, the boat that was running circles around the other, was out of commission. We had to swallow our pride and yell "we're out of gas." As much as we hated to do it (mostly because of how we had acted), we had to rely on our friends (if they still were) to bail us out of this embarrassing situation.

To ensure that they got a hand up on us after what we had done, they decided once they caught up to us that they would just wave goodbye to us and motor along the water. I don't know about Chris, but one of my thoughts was, "maybe that wasn't the brightest idea!" Thankfully, the Simpsons circled back around and came to our rescue, towing us back to the shore. Yes, you're right if you guessed that around the campfire that night we got quite a ribbing from everyone.

I wanted to tell this story just for fun. I saw Bob Simpson at my parents' fish fry the other night, and I hadn't thought about this incident in several years. Yes, there are some spiritual applications, but I'll save those for another time. I hope you enjoyed a laugh at my expense. I hope you have a great day!

Booneville Senior Adult Rally

Today I travelled with some of our senior adults to Booneville, Mississippi as the church there hosted their annual senior adult rally. The Booneville congregation is such a warm and loving bunch, and they cook a fine meal for lunch on this special day. I want to say thank you to Jim Estes and his crew who worked hard to make this day a success. Lance Foster, who preaches in Iuka, MS, was the speaker for the day. He did a tremendous job speaking on the theme "Older Should Mean Wiser." It was nice to be with the Fosters, with whom I found out I had several connections. It's truly a small world!

Special thanks also to Greg Pollock. I was able to sit down and chat with him, which I had never really had a chance to do before. It's always great to connect with some preacher friends and share some stories. He is doing a wonderful job preaching for the Booneville congregation.

I look forward to our senior adult rally September 26 with James Watkins, and I hope to see you there!

The Science of It All

I uploaded the link this morning to my sermon from last night. I was inspired to speak on such a topic after listening to my cousin, Kyle Butt. He squeezed into 90 minutes a wealth of information to prove inspiration of the Bible. Last night we studied the scientific foreknowledge of God's Word. I wished I had more time to discuss it at length, but I managed to speak for approximately 32 minutes.

I encourage you to listen to the sermon, but I highly encourage you to read Kyle's book, Behold the Word of God, which is available as an e-book on apologeticspress.org. Many questions will be answered for you: who is Ignaz Semmelweiz?; what's the big deal about the water of purification?; what's behind the command not to eat certain animals in the old law?; were all of the medical prescriptions by the Egyptians good?

Next Sunday evening, I'm preaching on the proof of the Bible's inspiration by using some material that Wayne Jackson has compiled on the prophecies concerning Babylon. Again, I will post this lesson to my blog the following day. I'm really looking forward to it. One of the great things about preaching is the ability to learn more as you go about teaching others.

I hope you have a great week!

I Thought I Knew the Right Way!

I recently spoke at my home congregation in Portland, TN for their summer series. After finishing a great supper with my parents, I made my way to the church building ahead of them. Before I got to the building, I decided to take a stroll down memory lane and drive by the park where I used to play baseball.
After noticing how much the park had changed, I then decided I would drive by Watt Hardison Elementary School to bring back some early school memories. After enjoying my stroll down memory lane, I decided to go on to the church building. When I came to the stop sign, I turned right. Whoa, what just happened!? I knew immediately I had turned the wrong way. It had been so long since I had been through there, but I thought I would at least remember which way to go. I thought I knew the right way!
I believe many times in life we think we know the right way. In the overall longevity of humanity, this has been one of the problems that has plagued mankind. What we often think is the right way turns out to be in fact the wrong way. I'm not talking about taking a wrong turn on the road!
What really plagues us is when we make a decision that we think is right, but it is actually the opposite of the direction God wants us to go. Think about people in the Bible who turned down a path that was opposite God's path: Eve (when she allowed the serpent to deceive her), Cain (when he killed Abel) and David (when he chose to commit adultery with Bathsheba). I know the Bible is full of examples like this, but these are some with which we are very familiar.
Have you made a wrong turn lately? One of the great things about life is the ability to learn from our mistakes. The next time you have a choice to make, consider what direction God would have you go. Jesus said in John 8:29 "...I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."

It's Feeding Time!

At the present time there are five small largemouth bass in our aquarium. We were going to get tropical fish, but Chandler couldn't keep his hands out of the aquarium when there weren't any fish in there. We managed to catch some small bass one day, and now we have pets!
You should see these dudes when it's feeding time. I take the boys outside every other day to catch grasshoppers for the fish. We put them in an empty water bottle, then Conner dumps them into the aquarium. I know this is on a very minute scale, but they look like sharks coming to chum!
I wonder sometimes how life might be different if more people would be that hungry for the Word of God. I am as guilty as anybody of neglecting holy writ while I let the good book sit. Jesus said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Mt. 5:6). The Bible truly is sole source for leading us to righteousness. David, speaking of the Lord in the 23 Psalm, said "He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (3b). If we're willing to follow the Lord, great things can happen in our lives. We've got to be willing to follow His direction. It's feeding time: are you hungry?

Reflection on the 23 Psalm

I'm doing a funeral today for a member of the church, Mrs. Mae Sands. I guess this is one of the privileges of visiting the elderly; I am humbled and honored that I am often asked to take part in the funeral service for such people. I wanted to offer a few insights about the 23 Psalm which I will mention today at the service.
David mentions being guided by God in the paths of righteousness. Truly those of us who have followed God's will for them have lived the kind of obedient life which will enable them to put on the crown of righteousness that Paul talks about in 2 Tim. 4:8. Thanks be to God that His paths of righteousness will lead to the crown of righteousness.
David also mentions being comforted by God in the valley of the shadow of death. Family members of those who died in the Lord can have the assurance they are asleep in Jesus. Paul had said those who fit in this category are unlike those who don't have the hope of eternal life, which would bring about a different kind of grief according to 1 Thess. 4:13.
David finally mentions dwelling in the house of the Lord forever. Jesus talked to his disciples about Heaven being comprised of many manions or dwelling places, and He wanted them to be where He is. When our lives on earth are over, we need to make sure that our calling and election are sure so that we can have eternal life. Peter says "...be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you" (2 Pet. 1:10-11).

Portland Summer Series

I want to offer a special invitation to all of you in the Portland, TN area to come to the summer series at the Portland Church of Christ on Wednesday, August 12. I will be returning to the area to speak that night on the Promise of Jesus' Return at 7:00. I know there are several of you in the area that I've not connected with in several years, so hopefully I will see you there. Come study with us that night to learn about one of the greatest and most precious promises in God's Word. Jesus is coming back, not to set up a 1,000 year reign on earth, but to take us up together with him in the air to the judgment as Paul addresses in 1 Thessalonians chapter four. I hope to see you there!

Ever Feel Like You're Being Watched?

So the kids were out of town at my Parents' house in Portland, TN this weekend, and Dianna was working at the hospital on Saturday morning. Finally, this gave me the opportunity to go creek fishing all by myself. This was my time to relax out in the elements, and the place I chose was Fountain Creek at Scribner's Mill.
Let me first say the fishing was terrible today, but that's not why I'm writing this. I was fishing a decent looking hole when I began hearing a faint sound that resembled a distant running chainsaw. As I continued hearing the noise, which was beginning to distract me from fishing, I noticed that the cadence of the sound was not the same cadence as a chainsaw. That's when it hit me that it had to be some kind of wild animal that was upset at my presence.
I was facing east as the sun had just topped the rise over the rock bluff at which I was looking in the direction of this peculiar noise. I decided I would walk toward the bluff to try to get a better glimpse. Continuing to hear the noise as it got a bit louder, I finally caught a glimpse of what I'd been hearing.
I saw a bobcat stick its head over a rock at the top of the rise, and it was evident that he or she did not like me being there. I will take this time to let you know I was only about twenty yards from the bobcat as it was at the top of the bluff and I was standing in the creek below. It finally walked off as it continued to issue that high-pitched whine, similar to what you might hear a house cat vocalize when it's upset.
The next time you go fishing, though there might not be any people around, remember that you're never alone in the great outdoors. Ever feel like you're being watched?