Responding With Wisdom to Ferguson

 

Wanted to share this article from Pastor Brian Broderson. I think that he offers some great council in the midst of the chaos that we are witnessing in Ferguson right how.

In the aftermath of the events in Ferguson, Missouri, surrounding the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson and the subsequent decision by the grand jury not to indict the officer, I feel a few comments are in order.

First, for a thorough analysis of the situation from a Christian worldview perspective, I would recommend listening to Albert Mohler’s briefing from 11/25/14, which you can find at albertmohler.com.

Second, since most of us know little to nothing about the facts of the case, less talk and more prayer is the wisest response. As I watched things unfold with the grand jury announcement and saw the reaction of the parents of Michael Brown, my heart broke for them and I began to pray that somehow, in the midst of the anguish, Jesus would meet them and help them through this terrible season. But I also realized that Darren Wilson and his family need prayer too. I can only imagine what it must be like to mentally relive the incident where you took another person’s life, especially when it was an unarmed teenager. I have friends in law enforcement who, in the line of duty, have taken the lives of dangerous criminals, and even then, they have had to wrestle through the reality of taking another person’s life. How difficult would it be to look back on a situation like this one and second-guess everything you did? Darren Wilson needs our prayers as well, not only because of what I’ve just mentioned, but also because there are those who, regardless of the facts, have already condemned him and would perhaps seek to take the law into their own hands and bring harm to him and his family.

The whole community needs prayer, and that’s something we Christians can do irrespective of where we live. But I would especially encourage prayer for the churches in the region. The gospel is the only real hope for healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation in St. Louis, and the churches have a unique opportunity to step up and show the way forward through love, patience, mercy, understanding, and grace. Pray for the church to come together as one for the healing of the community.

Finally, let us not forget that although sin is an ever-present reality that every person and every community lives with, we by God’s grace can work to overcome the effects of sin. Racism is a reality in our culture. The denial of that on the part of Christians of any skin color is not helpful. Whether racism played a role here or in other similar situations, I don’t know. But, we shouldn’t dismiss the feelings of large numbers of Americans, especially if we’ve never been in the shoes of a minority. The African American community has suffered discrimination both from the culture and the government. This issue is of the utmost importance for Christians because we, more than anyone else, know that all men are created equal.

Pillsbury Doughboy Obit

It is with the saddest heart that I must pass on the following news:
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.
The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and complications from repeated pokes in the belly.
He was 71.
Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin.
Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess
Twinkies and Captain Crunch.
The grave site was piled high with flours.
Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.
Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes.
Despite being a little flaky at times, he still, as a crusty old man, was considered a roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough; two children John Dough and Jane Dough; plus they had one in the oven.
He is also survived by his elderly father Pop Tart.
The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

"We've Got a Problem Houston"

Even the Canadians have figured out that we are in the midst of a Constitutional crises here in the United States.


http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/11/07/fasten-your-seatbelts-canada-and-get-ready-for-the-battle-for-america

Blessings

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.
—Oatman

"But Jesus Never Said Anything About Homosexuality." Really?

Voddie Baucham gives a great response to those who many times say that Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. Watch the video. It's only about four minutes long.

Give Me the Doubly Offensive Jesus, Please

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2014/11/17/give-me-the-doubly-offensive-jesus-please/


This is a very interesting read.

Performance

Reading a book right now called Perspectives on Our Father Abraham: Essays in Honor. One of the comments that the author makes is that while Adam and Eve refused to rely on the promises of God and took the word of the Devil instead, Abraham chose to believe God even when His promises to him were almost incredulous (i.e., having a child in his old age).

The author's final point is that ultimately, it is not our performance that makes it possible for us to have a relationship with God, but it His performance and our response to it.

Good stuff!

Sparky!

Here is our school mascot getting all into the collection of show boxes for Samaritan's Purse.

Preacher's Moving

Dr. Harold Sightler said in a message that he preached in 1984 that he didn't see any need for pastor's to be moving. After all, he said, it's just as easy for a deacon to move as a pastor.

If you are a pastor, that statement needs no clarification.

The Teaching of the Rapture

Here is an excellent message by the late Dr. Harold B. Sightler on the issue of the Rapture. With so many people questioning it today, I found his teaching to be refreshing.

I've heard teaching on each side of the issue and studied it own my own. In the end, I am even more convinced that the Lord will rapture out the church just prior to the Tribulation.

The New Testament Rapture

Sighing and Crying

The Lord told Ezekiel in Ezekiel 9:4-5 to "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. (5) And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity."

The Lord is saying that he is going to destroy everyone in the city of Jerusalem that did not "sigh" and "cry" over the abominations that were being done at the time.

I don't know about you, but that is a pretty convicting verse to me. Do we sigh and cry over the abominations that are committed in our day?

House

We looked an absolutely beautiful old home this afternoon that meets all of our needs. It's a Greek Revival, about three thousand square feet, and sitting on three acres. No neighbors in sight. It certainly does need a little TLC, but will be worth it. Going to speak to the realtor and the bank to see if it can happen.

Anger

I attended a Bible study in Siler City, NC last night on the issue of anger. The name of the preacher's message was, "The Demon-like Nature of Anger". The text was Ephesians 4:26-27. I was impressed with much of what he said. It even challenged some of the things that I have taught in the past. I will comment more later once I have had a little more time to digest it.

Facebook

Seriously, I have all but given up on facebook as a platform for any kind of serious conversation. It just doesn't matter what you say, all of the "armchair theologians" come out of the woodwork to give their usually unscriptural opinions. The sad thing is that it really shows just how shallow the church in America truly is. They are not grounded in Scripture, but the "opinion" of the day.