Godly Sorrow or Worldly Sorrow?

Have you ever been caught in the act of doing something you had already been instructed not to do? I’m mindful of a time when I was out in a boat with my brother and my cousins, as they were visiting one weekend. Uncle Stan and my Dad were fixing a fence at the front of our property, and Stan Jr. decided he would play basketball. That left Cliff and Kyle who joined us in the boat for a little fishing expedition.

One of the rules at our house was anytime we went out in the boat, we had to wear a lifejacket. Needless to say, the four of us got in the boat without a single lifejacket. Dad spotted us from the house and called us in to the bank of the lake, as he swatted us all for being disobedient. All four of us were punished. We weren’t sorry we disobeyed; we were sorry we got caught!

Paul addresses the church at Corinth and commends them on their godly sorrow in 2 Corinthians 7:8-10. They were truly sorry their sins had hurt God. The opposite of this is what I call the cookie-jar syndrome. When someone is sorry they got caught, it’s like getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar. That person isn’t sorry they took the cookies; they are sorry they got caught! Those in Corinth experienced something life-changing. Paul says “For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it--for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while-- I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Cor. 7:8-10).

Many people in the world are only sorry when they get caught. God is pleased when those who sin against Him are pierced to the heart, even as the multitude did on the day the church was established (Acts 2:37). When we experience Godly sorrow, we are led to repent from our sins to change our actions. Only when someone experiences Godly sorrow will they show actions worthy of repentance. Worldly sorrow leads you down the wrong path. In fact, those who only experience worldly sorrow won’t have the chance to put on their “lifejacket” when they are cast into the lake of fire after judgment day (Rev. 20:14). Which type of sorrow do you experience in your spiritual life: Godly sorrow or worldly sorrow?

Check out this concoction!

Click on the link to my sermon from Sunday night to hear it: The Problematic Potion of Envy & a Wicked Woman. No, Lola-Margaret, it's not about you. I preached this lesson to show you what can happen when you mix together the bad ingredients of envy and wickedness. We see in the Scriptures what happens to Ahab and Jezebel for what they had done to Naboth.

As I started my sermon, I relayed a dream that I had when I was in preschool/daycare in Portland, TN. This was probably 26 or 27 years ago, mind you. Darrell Rogers (who probably has no recollection of this whatsoever) had brought a toy machine gun one day, and I really wanted that thing. I wanted it so much that I dreamed that night about going over to his house and taking it. I pointed out to the crowd last night that even though it was enacted through a dream, it was still envy.

Let us learn from these biblical lessons to keep us from the wrath of God!

Shocked!

I had something happen to me today that really shocked the fire out of me. A friend of mine whom I visited with in the hospital cursed me a blue streak when I walked in the room. Not once, not twice but at least three times he was using very colorful language aimed at me that would have made a sailor blush. Needless to say, I think he was having some health issues that led to him being out of character.

The next time you visit someone in the hospital, what kind of verbal bombs will they drop out of the clear blue sky? Be calm and say a prayer with them!

Who knocked over the cat food?

I came home this afternoon with the foreknowledge that Dianna wanted to cut the yard for the last time this year. Yes, you heard me right, Dianna wanted to cut the yard! I mean, it's quite a saga around our house, because we got this brand new zero-turn mower so we could cut our yard and field. I thought it would be great, because I'll get to use it. WRONG! She comfiscated that thing, and I have only been on it for a short while.

Even though I have hard feelings about that, I was going to do my wife a favor by filling it up with gas and backing it out of our garage. When I jumped up on the mower to start it up, I saw movement under the deck which consisted of black and white fur; yes, it is what you're thinking it is! A skunk was underneath our mower while I was on top of the mower. I had just seen the bag of cat food knocked over, but I really didn't think much about it. I guess I figured one of the boys knocked it over, but I really didn't dwell on it very long. As I saw the skunk under the mower, it all made perfect sense.

I jumped off the mower as fast as I could while Dianna, the boys and my Mom were out playing in the yard. I tried the following non-invasive techniques to get the skunk to leave: blowing the car horn and starting the mower. Let's just say that none of them worked. In fact, when I started the mower, the skunk came out in front of me. Let's just say that was not the brightest thing I've ever done. However, that did lead to the skunk to vacate the mower and move to the grill.

I was beginning to wonder what was going to get this skunk out of my garage without me getting a dose of Pepe le peux's natural perfume, if you know what I mean. What I finally figured I had to do was attach a bungy cord to a chain which I hooked to the side of the grill, and I managed to drag the grill outside of the garage. I strategically positioned myself at side of the grill where the base boards were closer to the ground so the skunk couldn't exit the underside in my direction. As I got the grill off the concrete and on to the gravel driveway, the skunk made its getaway to the pvc pipe running underneath our driveway. I would much rather have the skunk there than in our garage.

I know I'm known for rescuing hummingbirds, but skunks? The next time you see the cat food bag knocked over, you better figure out what creature is lurking nearby in the general vicinity. It may be something that causes a big stink - literally!

When Can We Become Lawbreakers?

As a follow-up to the last post concerning the episode of Grey's Anatomy, I preached a sermon last night centered around Romans chapter thirteen. I posed the question "When Can We Become Lawbreakers?" We looked at how the authorities were established by God and how we are to be in subjection to their rules. However, I told them when a moral conflict arises, God trumps government. This became of particular interest to me when I began hearing the possibility of HR1913 being signed into law by our President. This will more than likely pave the way for a hate speech bill that would put preachers in a legal bind. If this happens, God help us to take our stand on what the Bible says. As Peter and the apostles said in Acts 5:29, "we must obey God rather than men." If you want to listen to the sermon, check it out in my sermon links to the left.

They are pushing their agenda!

Last night on Grey's Anatomy, a show which I do not usually watch, part of the episode centered around a father having a discussion with his daughter who was a lesbian. He was trying every way possible to convince her that the type of lifestyle she was living was sinful. He pulled out passages dealing with the gross immoralities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19; 2 Pet. 2:6-7; Jude 7), the commands of the Mosaical Law forbidding homosexuality (Lev. 20:13) and Paul's description of their behavior being unnatural (Rom. 1:26-27). Despite his best efforts, his daughter kept quoting the words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, as well as the command to love one another, but she was using them out of context.

It shows to me that people can twist the Scriptures to their own benefit. Even though those in a homosexual relationship are going against God's Word, they will still find a way to make it appear that those who oppose such actions are being judgmental. Politicians are pushing such agendas to eventually make it where even communication about their behavior being sinful (yes, even from the pulpit) would be considered hate speech. What they don't understand is that we do love them. We love their souls, and we want them to be saved. Peter said the Lord doesn't wish for anyone to perish, but He instead wishes all people would repent (2 Pet. 3:9). How would it be considered hate speech when we tell someone who is a gay or a lesbian that Jesus showed all of us how much love God has for us by dying on the cross for our sins?

Marcy Jo's Mealhouse

I am going to take this time to plug a great restaurant for everyone in the middle Tennessee area: Marcy Jo's Mealhouse! It is located in Pottsville, which sits at the intersection of highway 99 and highway 431 (between Columbia and Chapel Hill). If you have not munched on some tasty morsels at the mealhouse, now is the time!

Today is Thursday, and our senior adult group from the West 7th Church of Christ just returned from our lunch at Marcy Jo's. Envision with me the tasty plates of food that were set before us: pork chops covered in a mushroom gravy, corn, green beans with onions, homemade buttery mashed potatoes and cornbread (that's what was on my plate, anyway). Most everyone in our group chowed down on the special of the day, except for one who enjoyed the cheeseburger and fries. Since my lunch, I have discovered that they have homemade sweet potato fries. Let's just say I will be back to try those in the not-so-distant future! Did I mention I had homemade Coca-Cola chocolate cake with a side of vanilla ice-cream? I didn't need it, but boy I sure wanted it! It will knock your socks off, so be prepared.

Some of you have seen the Overstock.com commercials with Joey and Rory, and as you might know Joey is co-owner with Marcy. I hope you'll take time to check out their website at
http://web.mac.com/rlfeek/Joey+Rory_site/Marcy_Jos.html
Take the short drive over to Marcy Jo's to experience some of that great, down-home cooking. Your taste buds will be glad you did!

Google Maps Led Me Astray!

Herb and June Lee, dear friends of mine from Searcy, AR had been so gracious to invite me to stay at their house on Selvidge Lane. I had anticipated rolling into the drive around 10:00 that evening, and I learned that Herb would probably still be awake watching the news. June had given me directions several weeks prior to my trip, but I had misplaced them somewhere amidst my desk clutter. I thought to myself it was no big deal, because all I have to do is look up the directions on Google maps.

About 30 minutes prior to arriving in Searcy, I had received a voice mail from June with a reminder of the directions. I didn't pay much attention to them since I had the directions printed out on paper, so I deleted my voice mail. Heading on to Searcy, all the turns had been correct up until my last turn into Selvidge Lane, which was seeming to evade my eyes. I happened to remember that June had given the directions again on the voice mail, so I tried to locate my deleted messages. Unfortunately, it would not let me retrieve it. After I had gone up and down Main Street several times, I finally had to call Herb and ask for the right directions. I made it in to their house in just a few minutes, but I was wondering why Google maps had Selvidge Lane in the wrong place. As the crow flies, it was only about a mile away. The street was included on the map, but it wasn't named.

I learned a very valuable lesson that night: wrong directions will lead you astray. I had been presented with the right directions, but I wound up following the wrong set. How many times in life have people been offered the proper direction for salvation in God's Word, but yet they choose to follow a different route? Jesus told his disciples in Jn. 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Peter said "and there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). If you're planning on going to Heaven, are you going to listen to the directions from the One who resides at that address, or are you going to find a different route? Google maps led me astray when I could have followed the directions of June Lee. Don't let bad directions keep you from the proper route to salvation in Christ Jesus!

I made a boo-boo!

Have you ever had to admit that you made a mistake? I want everyone to know that I'm in the middle of posting my sermon from Sunday night which was delivered at the Four Mile Hill Church of Christ in Searcy, AR. I made a reference to the group singing a hymn from Acts 20:7, and I did this off the top of my head while I was preaching. It was not in my notes, and sometimes I have a bad habit of making reference to a verse like this when it hits me in the middle of a sermon.

I was actually thinking of Jesus and the disciples singing a hymn after the institution of the Lord's Supper, which was in Mt. 26:30. They had finished the supper and were proceeding to the Mount of Olives en route to the Garden of Gethsemane. Maybe I will learn to stop doing this in my preaching. I wanted to make sure I corrected myself, or someone else would if they listened to the sermon. Yes, I made a boo-boo!

The Preacher Was Late!

Something happened to me this weekend that has never happened before, and it will probably not happen to me again in my lifetime. I was in Searcy, AR over the weekend preaching at the Four Mile Hill Church of Christ and catching up with some folks from my time in school at Harding University. Saturday morning I went fishing, but the abundant rains had left all the creeks swollen and raging. While that was literally a washout, I was able to attend a cookout and hayride for the young families' group from the congregation that evening. Many of the people there were friends from ten years ago during my time at Harding. It was great catching up with everybody. On Sunday morning, everything went according to plan. Jeremy Sciba taught a great Bible class on marriage, I preached for the congregation and June Lee cooked a wonderful lunch while my great friend, Ocena shared that time with us.

Sunday afternoon was a different story. Jeremy Sciba had invited me fishing, but I knew if we went we would have to wind everything up by about 4:00 p.m. because the church services started at 6:00 p.m., and I was preaching again. After venturing down to the Little Red River, we launched his boat into the river and tried to locate some of the run-outs coming in from the swollen creeks. After having no luck locating the run-outs and the fish, it was becoming apparent we were having some outboard motor issues.

Something was out of line with Jeremy's prop, as it was vibrating pretty bad. As we were wrapping up our fishing to head back to the boat ramp (it was 4:00), we noticed the vibration got much worse. He had already tried to take the propellor off attempting to straighten it, but it was to no avail. After replacing the prop, Sciba fired up the motor again. As we were trying our best to make it back to the ramp, Jeremy pulls out his cell phone. Let's just say I knew that was a very bad sign. He makes a call to Brian McDonald who was fishing in the area, and a plan was developed for them to rescue us from our peril on the river.

I kept looking down at the time on my phone, and I was realizing that this visiting preacher might be in trouble. At about 5:00 we learned that Brian and his friend were on the river; about ten minutes later, there was no sign of them. Sciba calls Brian to find out what's going on, and Brian told him that they were now having engine trouble. I was really starting to get a little squirmy. They got their problem resolved and picked us up about 5:20. Sciba had to tie his boat off on the bank, and his truck and trailer were back at the other boat ramp down river. That would have to be remedied later. Needless to say, we were in a hurry, as these boys wanted to make sure the preacher got where he needed to be!

I had already called June Lee to inform her about our trouble, but I had assured her I would be there. At this point in time when we loaded up in the truck, I was beginning to wonder if I would follow through on my staement of assurance. While riding in the back of the truck, I called Casey McDonald (Brian's brother) who is one of the preachers at Four Mile Hill; he was going to be leading singing that night. I told him of my dilemma, and I could hear him kind of snickering. I told him if he needed to sing up 'til about twenty after, then do it! We had to go from Liberty Valley all the way over to the Wal-Mart in Searcy, but we arrived at my car at 5:47. I still had to go back to Herb's and June's to change clothes and grab my Bible and notes. Can you picture how big of a hurry I'm in now?

To make a long story short, I arrived at the Four Mile Hill building at about 6:13 or so. They were meeting in the fellowship hall due to auditorium rennovations, so I came in behind everyone and stood by the bathrooms. Casey was in the middle of leading singing when I walked in. As he looked up in the middle of the song to see me standing there, he grinned from ear to ear. A few of the people had turned around to see me, but only a few. After the prayer, Casey announced the invitation number and had everyone open to the next song to be sung before Jeremy brings the lesson. Herb Lee kind of looked around to both sides, but he didn't see me. He looked at June with an expression that told me he was about to have to preach. As he grabbed his Bible, I knew that I would have to stop him from getting up to talk. I decided to start walking toward the front before Casey finished the last few words of the chorus in the song. As I walked past Herb, I kind of tapped him on the shoulder, and you could tell by the look on his face that he was very relieved.

I decided to start off my sermon with a little humor about what I had been through that afternoon. Given the circumstances, I knew there would be some people wondering. I asked them what do you get when you have a visiting preacher, a deacon in the local congregation, an afternoon on the Little Red and a bad prop on an outboard motor? The answer was stranded on the Little Red River! They all got a kick out of that as I told them I made it by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin.

It never ceases to amaze me at things I experience which provide me with unforgettable memories. This definitely fits in that category. I'll always remember what happened when the preacher was late!

Delayed Sermon Addition

I posted a new audio sermon today from the past Sunday at Odd Fellows Hall in Giles county. You might remember that I had a post a while ago on the importance of Bible study, and this sermon corresponds with that blog entry. I had preached this a few Sunday ago at the Bridge, but I had one particular statistic that I needed to change, as I had it wrong. Yes, I'm admitting that I was wrong!

Anyway, there is some singing included at the beginning of the sermon, so feel free to take that in as well. Odd Fellows Hall is known for their singing, so I hope you'll take advantage of that. I hope you enjoy the singing and sermon, and I look forward to any feedback you might have for me.

As a side note, I will be away at Searcy, Arkansas this weekend. I am preaching both services Sunday at the Four Mile Hill Church of Christ, the congregation I worshipped at pretty much my entire time at Harding. I will have a lesson posted on the restoration plea upon my return, as I'm delivering that sermon on Sunday evening.

2nd Highest Total Ever!

Last night at our worship service at the Bridge, we had thirty-eight people in attentance; that's the second highest total ever for our four-month time span! I preached on a very timely suject: Almost Persuaded (the non-conversion of King Agrippa). If you would like to hear the message, click on the link over on the left with the same title.

I did not know if anyone had been listening to my sermons until an old friend, Chuck Williams, told me he was listening. It goes to show that you never know who's checking on you, so you better be on your best behavior! If anyone ever has any input for me, I would be glad to hear you on the matter. If you're new to my blog, thanks for stopping by to see what's happening.

Blood-sucker or Man-eater?

I've put up with mosquitoes all my life. Whether it's been fishing trips, bear hunting in Alberta, Canada or goofing off in the backyard, mosquitoes have been a staple in the activities of this southern boy. I've had many bites from these pesky critters, but I have never contracted any of the illnesses sometimes associated with them. I thought I had seen everything you could see when it comes to these bugs in the south. Boy, was I wrong.

The other day I was putting up a ladder stand for deer season when I popped a mosquito. Looking at my hand which showed the remnant of the bug, I was astounded by the size of it; instead of an actual mosquito, it looked more like something from a horror film. After having one fly in my eye, I was ready to get out of there. On the way out, my buddy and I managed to have one of those giant mosquitoes trapped in the truck with us. I took a picture of it before I smashed it with a hat, then (as crazy as this sounds) I took it home with me to get a better picture.

The picture inserted for you shows you how big some of the mosquitoes are in Maury county. I am now questioning whether these are blood-suckers or man-eaters! You be the judge.

The Spiritual Applications of a Treestand

Ever since mankind became hunters after the global flood, there have been many methods employed to pursue our game of choice. Some hunters prefer a good spot and stalk, using their knowledge and ability to sneak up close to the prey. Some hunters like the community effort of a good "deer" drive, whereby they attempt to flush out the game to some other human predators lying in wait. Other hunters prefer to find a stationary spot on a good crossing or feeding spot, at which they place a treestand to remain hidden up in the perch of a concealing tree. Myself, I prefer a stand in a tree to surprise the unsuspecting deer that happen to wander by my undisclosed locale.

Have you ever thought about some spiritual applications of the treestand? While we are often only focused on the hunt itself, I am mindful of some spiritual truths which can be found above the ground in the security of a tree-hugger. The following is a plethora of treestand truths from a young man who has spent many hours in God's great outdoors.

Spiritual application #1 - Place your stand in the best possible spot for close encounters. Especially true for bowhunting, make sure your stand will offer you that shot at a close proximity. Just as deer are a target of many bowhunters, our targets for evangelism are those who don't have Christ in their life. If we are going to reach people, we need to be in close proximity to the people. Jesus called us to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17), so it only makes sense to be around the people. You can't catch men unless you're in their midst.

Spiritual application #2 - Make sure to secure yourself so you don't fall. Safety belts can be life savers, even if you're only hunting ten feet off the ground. Likewise, we have security available for our spiritual lives. We are told in the Bible that we can fall from grace and drift away(Galatians 5:4; Hebrews 2:1; 3:2; 4:11). We need to make sure we are secured through salvation in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Those who have been obedient to the gospel can be secure in their salvation by walking in the light (1 John 1:7), and we can know that we're saved (1 John 5:13). My brother, Chris, fell out of a treestand one time and lived to tell about it. Those who fall spiritually will not be able to secure themselves once they die or the Lord returns.

Spiritual application #3 - There are many different types of treestands. Climbing stands are beneficial when you are going to be in the area temporarily. Hanging stands are great options for the season when you need a low profile in the tree. Ladder stands are great when you've got lots of cover, and perhaps you've even got one to accomodate two people. Just as there are many types of stands, the church is made up of many different kinds of people. There is one body, but there are many different parts (1 Corinthians 12:12ff; Romans 12:3-8).

Spiritual application #4 - The aim of a treestand is to lift you above where you are. If you're hunting on the ground, you don't need a treestand; their purpose is to get you above the ground. Likewise, Christians are to set their minds on things above, not on things of the earth (Colossians 3:2). I'm mindful of the song Higher Ground and the line that states "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground." Think about this the next time you plant your feet in the lofty heights of your treestand.