Head-dibs

by Andre Rogers . May God bless the hearers and doers of His Word. Think about success, what is it, what does it look like? We miss God when we do all the right things for the wrong reasons. Psalm 1 is the blueprint for what it looks like to be blessed, fulfilled. Define “success”: it does not mean that you have the right stuff or attitude. Success is living by true obedience to the Word of God. I. Model God's Word (Verse 1) Don't take counsel from people who leave God out. And don't be like the ungodly, and give counsel that leaves God out. The ungodly have no foundation, no fellowship, no future but punishment (see verses 4-6). We hang around sinners to point them to Christ, not to let them transform us. The things of God are nothing to scoff or laugh at, no joking matters here. II. Meditate on God's Word (Verse 2) There are only two occasions we are to meditate on the Bible: day and night, not Sunday and Wednesday. Make our delight in what He says. Make it a "no...

The twelve apostles included “Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him ” (Matt. 10:4). "God can use even an apostate like Judas to teach us some important lessons. Judas is history’s greatest human tragedy. He had opportunities and privileges known only to the other disciples, but he turned from them to pursue a course of destruction. Yet even from his foolishness we can learn some important lessons. Judas, for example, is the world’s greatest example of lost opportunity. He ministered for three years with Jesus Himself but was content merely to associate with Him, never submitting to Him in saving faith. Millions of others have followed his example by hearing the gospel and associating with Christians, yet rejecting Christ. Tragically, like Judas, once death comes, they too are damned for all eternity. Judas is also the world’s greatest example of wasted privileges. He could have had the riches of an eternal inheritance but instead chose thirty pieces of silver. In that respect h...

"Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and - oh, Auntie Em - there's no place like home!" Friends, my "Dorothy" came home! Praise the LORD!

A few years back my wife, two of my children and me were in a horrible car crash. We were on our way to a friend’s house to pick up my two oldest daughters and to spend the rest of the evening in fellowship. My wife was driving our brand new GMC Safari, our baby daughter strapped in her car chair in the front, while I sat with our two-year old son in the very back seat. We turned from the highway onto the road that took us to our friend’s house. From the direction we were coming, the road made a “V”, curving off sharply to the left, while our friend’s house was straight ahead—as a matter of fact, we could see our daughters playing in the front yard up ahead. Suddenly, and without warning, a car came flying around the curve from our left and overshot the center line. My wife saw the car coming and (though we were going slow, from having just turned off the highway) began to move off the road onto the shoulder. The speeding car kept coming straight on and slammed into the front of o...

My Bible reading today caused me to consider a very serious, sobering thought about heaven, which was this: there’s going to be a lot of people there. Think about that for a minute . . . a lot of people. Who are those people? The Bible tells us those in heaven are those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! That’s who they are, people from whom all blemish and spot of sin has been removed! But who are those people on this side of heaven? They are the tax-collectors, the Zaccheus’s of our locale. They are the stinky, the dirty, the poor whom perhaps we have told to sit “over there,” out of the way, where we can’t smell them or look at them. We prefer to associate with people who draw crowds, not with those who chase crowds away. We like beautiful people. The truth of the matter is: heaven is going to be populated by people who don’t fit our preferences. Heaven is going to be filled with people God loves—without our consent. “Sunday Morning Worship” has become the most segregated hour of al...

A couple of months ago I was on the campus of USC sharing the gospel with students in "The Horseshoe." I was going through the law with this guy to point him to his need for Christ: he admitted he had broken the 9th and 8th and 3rd Commandment. When I asked if he had committed adultery, he said he had not. I pointed out that Jesus said that if you look at a woman so as to lust after her, that adultery had already been committed. He got extremely agitated and raising his voice fired back, “You can’t quote what Jesus said because his words are contained in a humanly written book that is filled with errors!” I wanted to ask him who wrote the textbook in his hand if he thought the author was right in the ever-changing flow of understanding. I didn’t. Instead, I held out my Bible and asked him to show me some of those errors. He stepped back and declined my offer. He sarcastically asked, “prove walking on water archeaologically!” I confessed I could not, but that’s why such events...

" Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you .'" (Jn 1:48) “' Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?'” . . . From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all the things that I have done .'” (Jn 4:28, 39) ********** Searcher of hearts, from mine erase All thoughts that should not be, And in its deep recesses trace My gratitude to Thee. Hearer of prayer, O guide aright Each word and deed of mine; Life’s battle teach me how to fight, And be the vict’ry Thine. Giver of all—for ev’ry good In the Redeemer came— For raiment, shelter, and for food, I thank Thee in His Name. Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost, Thou glorious Three in One, Thou knowest best what I need most, And let Thy will be done. (Words: George P. Mor­ris, 1838.)

The result of our recent move has put us within the boundaries of a changing neighborhood. A local church is fronting an initiative called “The Nehemiah Project” that includes affordable housing and cleaning up the neighborhood both aesthetically and spiritually. Though I think we are the only white people for quite a few miles, I actually delight in God’s providence for us to be in this area, though we are not part of that local church—I am sure He is going to do something great. I mentioned before about the party that took place next door: the loud music, the debauchery and language being broadcast without shame into the neighborhood. I was outside doing some gardening last night when I suddenly heard an eruption of profanity and abusive speech from two bickering females (I just can’t call them “ladies”) two houses down—yes, two houses down. About once a week they erupt and I shoo the children inside . . . I never have been able to tell what their problem is, but all the guys do ...

You're Confessions ! by St. Augustine You're a sinner, you're a saint, you do not feel ashamed. Well, you might feel a little ashamed of your past, but it did such a good job of teaching you what not to do. Now you've become a devout Christian and have spent more time ruminating on the world to come rather than worldly pleasures. Your realizations and ability to change will bring reverence upon you despite your hedonistic transgressions. Florida will honor you most in the end. Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid .

I may have already mention Aiken to you. He's the guy I met downtown a few weeks back. He was sitting on a bench listening to his CD player when I approached him with the gospel. He told me he was saved already, and an ordained pastor to boot! But the Lord prodded me not to let him go. I asked him what he understood about salvation. He told me he had received the Word of God into his life, so he was saved and he was happy; however, he was not going to church because he was mad at God because he was homeless, but he fellowships with God on a daily basis in the wind and the sunshine and rain, etc. I see Aiken every time I go to the park, just sitting there on the bench, listening to his CD player, mad at God and fellowshipping with Him, saved as a snug bug in a rug. Or is he? Just the other night I stayed up quite late while the neighbors celebrated a drunken, boisterous birthday party (most folks left at 2:00 a.m., but the debauchery continued until at least 4:00 a.m.), scre...

She loved it! The deep blue four-inch vase sat in her glass cabinet for thirty years until her death. I'm convinced that she loved it more every year she lived. She didn't have to say much about it. Just that fact that it sat there among other valuables and was dusted with cherished thoughts was enough. You could see mom having good memories. I remember when I bought that blue vase for mom. I was on a trip with a school group when we stopped at a truck stop. There on the shelf was the blue vase, and in my pocket was some of my very own money. I'm not sure, as a grade-school boy, that I had bought anything costing three dollars on my own before, but I didn't hesitate. I really wanted to buy it for mom. When mother died, I took the vase and put it in my own cabinet. It represents the unselfish, encouraging nature of my mother. She was always like that—making out that you were so special. She always told us that the four children were equally loved and appreciated, but I k...

My wife and I enjoy watching some of those “specialty” cable channels like The Food Network, Discovery Channel, and HGTV—a lot of the latter. Matter of fact, I’ve watched it so much I think I noticed a pattern in the shows. This one house was being renovated and had some tall shutters outside the windows that the decorators wanted removed. The next show was something about one-room make-overs and the decorator on this show goes, “I know just what this room needs,” and produces this set of shutters, laying out the plan on how to spiff them up and mount them inside the room as a faux window. I keep seeing stuff like this from time to time and wonder . . . just what does it take to keep up with the Jones’? We talk to our kids about peer pressure and the dangers associated thereunto, yet as adults, create entire TV networks that use peer pressure as the driving motivation for each show. The competitions, the makeovers, the cutting edge, the sound, the taste —everything has to “pop” just a ...

Not too long ago I was talking with this guy about his need for Christ and was listening to him list off excuse after excuse upon being confronted with his sin. When confronted with the 9th commandment, he made sure I understood that lawyers make their living by mishandling truth. When I asked if he had ever taken anything that didn’t belong to him, he gave me this “desperate times call for desperate measures” story. He said that if he had no food, he would rather steal it than work for it. “I’m not certain that laziness qualifies for desperate time or desperate measures,” I told him. He laughed. I couldn’t. There was a time in my life when I had that same attitude. I had dropped out of college in late fall of 1985 and winter approached. I felt like I didn’t need to go home as I spent more time drinking than going to class and did not want to face the shame and guilt of my “poor choices.” I had to find a place to stay. A friend told me of a mobile home he was going to rent and somehow ...

Wednesday evening I met Victor and Jennifer, two operators from a company that rents out inflatable play toys, those large contraptions you can climb on and jump in and whatnot. They were just sitting there in the trailer, minding their own business when I approached. I actually think I stumbled upon a special “smoking” session because 1) the funny way I was greeted; and, 2) the funny smell in the air. I tried not to let on that I noticed anything as I just wanted to share Christ with them. We talked for a while about the play equipment and the unique features of set-up, cleaning, packing, moving and other things. I tried to show interest in other things, but they wanted me to go away call the home office for details. I asked Victor and Jennifer if they ever thought much about eternal matters. He looked away and she looked at him as if to say, “Oh no, here we go again.” I asked if they went to church somewhere. They both said, “No.” I asked them if they thought good people should go t...

David Gerrold, the science-fiction writer who gave us “Trouble with Tribbles” said, “Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.” Do you know what the number 1 killer in America is? Death. 10 out of every 10 people in the world die. That’s one-for-one. Amazing, isn’t it? And somewhere between the birthing and the dying this crazy little thing called “life” is supposed to happen. Like children who pull the comforter over the head to ward off the monster in the closet, people pull comforts over their heads to ease the pain and struggles of living. From sun up to sun down folks like clothes comfortable, food fast, commutes unhindered, work easy, play-time long, movies good, food great and bed exquisite. Face it: nobody likes trials, struggles, discomfort. No, I take that back . . . struggle should be relegated to the gym where we can grunt under the strain of shaping our six-pack (I’ve got a keg) and sho...