The Need for Narrow Navigation

Last night's sermon outline is as follows:

The Need for Narrow Navigation
Luke 13:22-30
I. Those who are lost will be wondering (why can't we enter the narrow door?)
II. Those who are lost will be weeping (in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth)
III. Those who are lost will be watching (part of the misery in Hell will be having to watch the saints enjoying the blessings of eternal life)

Make sure you are measuring your life right now to see if you will fit through the narrow door found by walking the straight and narrow road.

Lost and Found

Here are some excerpts from last night's sermon on Zaccheus:
He didn't let an obstacle become a debacle!
Whether it was sheer curiosity or intense desire, he climbed a sycamore tree to lift him higher!
Just like Zaccheus, many people need to rush to get to Jesus.
Many people react negatively when accused of things (hence the recent Derek Anderson accusation when he was caught laughing on the sidelines during a football game the Cardinals were losing badly and he rebuked the reporter for questioning his professionalism), but Zaccheus actually saw the need for repentance.

For all of my preaching friends, here is my basic outline from last night:
Lost and Found - Luke 19:1-10.
Zaccheus rushed for investigation (1-4)
Zaccheus responded without hesitation (5-6)
Zaccheus repented for salvation (7-10)

New Audio from Revelation Class

We were able to meet for our Revelation class at Antioch after being postponed last week due to the weather. Our lesson was actually a merging of two lessons into one because of the cancellation, so we covered the background behind the book as well as the spiritual condition of the recipients of the letter. This lesson is just over an hour, so make sure you have time to listen. I hope it's helpful.

Sunday Morning Surprise

It was an ordinary Sunday morning much like any other previously passed, but this one would turn out to be a little different as things transpired. A morning trip to the bathroom for a shave and a shower aren't usually too exciting, but this particular Sunday proved otherwise. After I made my way into the bathroom and commenced with the turning on of the shower, there was what looked to be a toy snake on the floor about five inches from my toes. It was behind the trash can next to the wall and toilet. It didn't move (as a toy snake shouldn't) until after shaving I proceeded toward the trash can again to see the snake revert to a defensive pose. That's when I knew this was not a toy!



If Dianna had been the one in the bathroom instead of me, there's no telling what noises and commotion would have sounded forth through our house. Since the snake was acting defensive the following attempt to procure the specimen did not entail laying hands on it. Let's just say the snake was cleverly corralled into a mesh net that used to hold bathroom toys. After some pictures were taken for proof of the sneaky serpent, the harmless reptile was relocated to the mulch bed in front of the house on that cold, Sunday morn. It was not permanently disposed of due to the rodent population around the Butt house that needs to be kept in check. This will be one of the few times that PETA would be proud of me, but the details of other hunting and killing excursions will be intentionally unsaid at this time.



Jesus told his disciples as he was sending them out to "be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). It seems as if the snake had a bit of wisdom as it found its way into a warm house to escape the cold of the winter. Can you blame the serpent for relocating to a comfortable climate to station his scales. It's just that the scales needed to be stationed somewhere else before Dianna awakened!

We are told by James to "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (4:7). This was something Adam and Eve did not do, as they gave in to the tempting powers of the serpent. The snake was trying to flee from me even though it had nowhere to go but into the net that captured it. Are we living our lives in submission to God to make the devil flee from us?

New Class in Revelation

I cannot believe it has been this long since I've posted anything, but I do want to catch you up to speed on what is going on in my life. I have recently started teaching a new class on Tuesday nights at the Antioch congregation pertaining to the book of Revelation. This is a condensed study which should last about eight weeks, and we are meeting on 6:30 Tuesday nights. Anyone is welcome to come if you are in the area, but I will also post the audio to my sermon files on the blog the following day after class. I hope they will be helpful to you, as I have tried to make it as simple as possible. For anyone interested, I'm using Ken Butterworth's Revelation Workbook. It's the best concise explanation of Revelation I've ever seen. You can purchase it from Promise Publishing in Columbia, TN or even likely from your local Christian bookstore.

I hope the New Year is being kind to all, and I would love to hear from all of you as to what's going on in your life right now. God bless all of you!

Baby Update

Baby Caroline arrived on Friday, August 20 weighing 7 lbs., 7 ozs. We are extremely happy and tired at the same time. I'm sorry it took me a while to update this on my blog, but I have posted more on Facebook than I have on here.

I also have some new sermons uploaded on here, as I've been a bit delinquent about adding them. We are currently studying the seven churches of Asia Minor on Sunday nights, so you will see these as the most recent sermons. I hope they will benefit you, as I know they have been beneficial for me.

Lunchtime Lunker

Some people spend their lunch breaks eating lunch, catching up with friends and various other things. I, however, prefer to spend mine chasing those brown fish of middle tennessee. I have spent my summer free time on the quest for a twenty inch smallmouth, and my appetite had increased after catching two smallies of eighteen inches and several others sixteen and seventeen inches. My lunch break on a Monday found me trying to accomplish the feat of catching one of those big smallies.

Having found a feeder creek into the Duck River, I was sweating like a dog on one of those sultery, Tennessee summer days trying to locate a trophy fish. After catching a few spots, a largemouth and a decent smallmouth, I decided to wade downstream in the river to make an attempt at landing another fish on the Zoom Super Fluke. I knew my time was about to come to a close, as I was needing to head back to the church office to finish up some study time in the book of Romans for my Bible class.

As I was walking along in the water having noticed a couple of good structures in the current, my eyes panned ahead to notice a long, black fish facing upstream at about a forty-five degree angle. I knew by the appearance it was a trophy smallmouth. I flung my fluke downstream past the fish, working it back toward the lunker who was lurking in the current. About the time my fluke reached the fish, it looked as if my bait would go unnoticed. What happened next was a different story.

Just as the bait got right over the fish, the predator changed positions, whirled around and attacked the artificial minnow with a vengeance! Struck with an incredible force, the fight was now on to see who would win. Even though I have caught many good smallmouth this summer, I have lost my share of fish on the fluke. As I was reeling in the monster, I had the thought of what disposition I would have if the hook just popped out of the fish's mouth.

Thankfully, I managed to land that big smallie, and the photographs ensued to verify my catch and provide more long-lasting memories. This was the biggest smallmouth I had ever landed, and the quest for the twenty inch smalljaw had come to an end. I now had a twenty-one inch trophy. This was a very rewarding angling experience.

The next time you're thinking about what you're going to eat for lunch, try a change of pace and wet your line in one of our middle Tennessee streams or rivers. You just might wind up with a prize fish that will make you forget about your appetite. Oh, by the way, do eat something as I don't want you to starve!