A View of the Fields

 

Those are words taken from our national anthem.  America, the envy of the entire world.  Hated by many, loved by some, but no doubt envied by virtually all!!!  Why???  Is it our abundant natural resources?  I don't think so.  Is it our nation's incredible natural beauty?  Envious, but not that either.  Is it our wealth?  Surely, the standard of living here is the highest anywhere, but I don't think that isn't the source of the envy either.  So what is it???

 

 

We are a nation of people who enjoy the greatest freedoms any nation has every known.  We have rights and privileges that truly are the envy of the entire world.  Our constitution and Bill of Rights guarantee us freedoms that give us latitudes and opportunities unparalleled by any other country.  What a great nation we live in.  What an enormous privilege to be an American.

 

 

As envious as other nations are of us and as privileged as we are as a people, there seems to be a problem brewing in America that I believe threatens to undermine our freedoms and could lead someday to the collapse of this great nation.  What is it???

 

 

It is the attitude by many in our society that we DESERVE these freedoms.  And even more dangerous, is the idea that they are ASSUMED to be our BIRTHRIGHT.  This is simply NOT TRUE!!!  

 

Yes, we have extraordinary freedoms.  Yes, we are privileged beyond all measure.  Yes, we are the envy of the world.  However, to assume that this is our birthright as Americans and further assume it will continue unabated for decades or centuries to come is folly.  These freedoms, these privileges, these blessings we enjoy as Americans are not some celestial gift that fell from the sky and will continue to be available regardless of our behaviors or attitudes toward them.  They were PURCHASED AT GREAT PRICE.

 

There is a post making it's way around the internet that shares the story of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the hardships that followed this act.  Though much of it (according to Snopes) is exaggerated fiction based on particles of fact, it is nonetheless true that these brave men and thousands of others who did not sign the Declaration put their very lives on the line to secure our freedom from Great Britian.  Through the centuries thousands and thousands of others have answered the call to duty based on their belief that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, but must be fought for and perhaps even died for.  The Civil War, The Spanish-American War, World Wars I & II and all the way up to the current War on Terrorism being fought world-wide and particularly in Iraq & Afghanistan are reminders that not only is FREEDOM NEVER FREE, but that it must be PURCHASED OVER AND OVER AGAIN by succeeding generations.  I am exceedingly grateful to the men, women and families who have made the sacrifice through the years to PURCHASE, PROVIDE & PROTECT our freedom.  I will celebrate the 4th of July tomorrow we a deep-seeded sense of gratitude for my freedom.  And yet, there's more ...

 

Not only do I and will I enjoy my freedoms as an American, I am incredibly blessed to be FREE SPIRITUALLY as well.  Yet, unlike my freedom as an American, where that freedom has to be PURCHASED & PROTECTED by each succeeding generation, the spiritual freedom I enjoy will NEVER EXPIRE ... can never be STRIPPED AWAY ... will not be REVOKED.  You see, this freedom comes from another means ... it comes from KNOWING THE TRUTH.  John 8:32 says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you FREE."  That truth is JESUS!!!  On May 6, 1971, when I surrendered my life to Him, He gave me eternal life, but he also gave me FREEDOM.  Freedom to live my life with hope and joy and peace and victory.  And all because HE had ALREADY PAID the price for that freedom on Calvary.  What a gift!!!  What a Savior!!!

 

So tomorrow as I attend church and celebrate the 4th of July, I will be FREE to celebrate my FREEDOM.  But I will do so with this understanding ... MY FREEDOM WAS NOT FREE!!!

 

I LOVE SHARON MORRISON HUNT!!!  Oh yes, sometimes we fight and argue.  Sometimes we're short and snippy with each other (we've been married 42 years you know), and sometimes we don't LIKE each other very much, but one thing has been constant over these 42+ years ... WE LOVE EACH OTHER!!!  And now that she has breast cancer (actually I should say HAD because I believe she is CANCER-FREE) and having to undergo chemotherapy with all it's various and sundry side-effects and now that she is INVOLUNTARILY LOSING HER HAIR, it seemed like the absolute easiest, most logical express of my love for her to VOLUNTARILY LOSE MY HAIR!!!  Is this going to help her beat the cancer?  I don't know!  Does this make her feel better about being bald?  I don't know!  Will this help her face the public?  I hope so!  All these are questions I've dealt with as I thought about this, but none of them were a factor in my decision.  My decision was made on the basis of one criteria and one criteria only ... I LOVE HER and I want her to know that I am with her through whatever the future brings.  That's what LOVE is all about.  Tesa Hardesty (a wonderful, beautiful young lady from our time at Perryville) posted on my picture in Facebook that this reminded her of 1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-13.  Thanks Tesa.  That's what I want this to be ... a demonstration of love that suffers long & is kind ... does not seek its own ... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things ... never fails!!!  Sharon has taken care of me and basically waited on me hand and foot for almost 42 years.  Now it is my turn.  Is it fun, do I enjoy cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, washing dishes, washing clothes, washing dishes ... did I mention how badly I HATE WASHING DISHES???  The answer is NO!  But the answer is also YES!!!  And that's because of why I'm doing it.  IT'S FOR HER!!!  

 

You know, all this kinda reminds me of what Jesus did for us.  Did he enjoy the mocking?  No!  Did he enjoy having a crown of thorns smashed down on his forehead?  No!  Did he thrill at having spikes driven into his hands and feet?  Obviously not!  Did he enjoy being crucified and dying a shameful death?  No, not at all!!!  Then why did He do it?  EASY QUESTION!!!  HEBREWS 12:2 "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

 

Why did Jesus do it?  For the joy that was set before Him!!!  What was that joy?  It was the joy of knowing that once He finished His suffering, once He had shed His blood, once He died for our sins ... WE COULD BE SAVED!!!  WE COULD BE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD!!!  WE COULD BE MADE WHOLE!!!

And I don't know about you, but I certainly am glad He did.  So ... 

 

Again, I'm not foolish enough to think that what I've done has some magical power to make Sharon well.  It's just that I want her to know that I believe there is a HOPE and a FUTURE out there for us.  I believe it so much and I want her to know it, so cutting my hair ... shaving my head is a small price to pay.  Afterall, IT'S ONLY HAIR!!! 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been three weeks since my last blog.  It's been a very busy, in some ways very difficult and in every way a very blessed time. We had our entire family in for the Memorial Day weekend (including Josh's girlfriend Hollie) and it was wonderful!!!  Sharon had her first chemo treatment on June 1st and it has been very difficult.  We had our 400 Mile Yardsale Outreach and it was incredible.  We've had two guest worship teams (Mike Stewart, Rachel Lewis and Pat Redmon from Hillvue Heights Church in Bowling Green and Tim Richardson, David & Beth Caler and Nicole Matthews ... most from my days as pastor of Elk Horn Baptist Church and New Covenant Church in Campbellsville) and THEY WERE AWESOME!!!  But mostly, it's just been a tremendous time of watching God work!!!

 

This past Sunday I preached a message entitled:  "IT AIN'T NO ACCIDENT!"  Poor grammar, I know, but a marvelous truth founded in the Providence of God (btw, it's available to listen to here on our website under Media>podcasts).  I preached about the birth of Moses and how the timing appeared to be so unbelievably bad.  Moses was born at a time when it wasn't the most popular thing to be a boy ... Pharaoh (who didn't know Joseph and therefore, didn't know Joseph's God) was afraid of the Hebrews because they were multiplying so fast and ordered all the boy babies drowned.  Yet, because God is in control and WE'RE NOT, the timing could not have been more perfect.  You remember how when Moses' mom couldn't hide him any longer she made him a little ark out of papyrus and put him in the river.  Well, luckily for Moses ... NOT!!!  But in the providence of God, that was the exact moment when Pharaoh's daughter came to the river to bathe (major coincidence!).  Moses floated by, she saw his ark, had him fetched and (TIME OUT FOR A MAJOR STORM HERE IN HOPTOWN!!!) 

 

WOW!!!  That was a major thunderstorm (which I love btw).

 

Now back to the story ...

 

Just as she opened the little basket ark, the baby started crying (now what woman can resist a crying baby???) and the Bible says she had compassion on him.  Just then "big" sister Miriam popped out of the bullrushes and offered to get a wet nurse for her (there was a surplus of mothers whose little boys had been killed, so that would be easy).  Lo and behold, Miriam ran to her mom (major coincidence!) and brought her to Pharaoh's daughter.  The Princess told her that if she would PLEASE NURSE THIS BABY she would PAY HER.  Remember Moses' parents were SLAVES.  Slaves don't get paid.  So you see, when God got ready to send the deliverer, he was not only born at EXACTLY the perfect time, he not only floated by Pharaoh's daughter at EXACTLY the right time, but as a bonus, Pharaoh himself got to FOOT THE BILL.  He got to pay the MILK BILL, DIAPER BILL, BABYSITTING BILL ... AND in the mama was on CIVIL SERVICE!!!  AIN'T GOD GOOD!!!

 

With all that in mind, how is it that WE struggle so with trusting God to work in OUR CIRCUMSTANCES???  Are we different than Moses?  Are our circumstances somehow more complex, more difficult, more complex than sending a deliverer to deliver His children from bondage?  Or are we just TOO INSIGNIFICANT for God to bother with?  Are our problems, circumstances and struggles less important, less significant, less worthy than the other things God is busy doing???  I think you know the answer to those questions.  OF COURSE NOT!!!  We, you and I, are just as important to the Father as were the Children of Israel and He never, ever, never gets so busy that He forgets us, doesn't have time with us or doesn't care what happens to us.  So what?  What does that mean to you and me right now in our current situation?

 

It's simple really.  It means that no matter where we are, no matter what our circumstances, no matter how difficult our situation ... God is IN CONTROL and HE HAS A PLAN!!!  That was the word He had for Jeremiah to pass on to the exiles in Jere. 29:11  "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope."  

 

Our problem is that we tend to GIVE UP too easily.  When God doesn't act when we think He should act ... when He doesn't respond the way we think He should respond ... when He doesn't give us exactly what we ask for the instant we ask for it we somehow interpret that as a failure to care or an inability to act or even indifference.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I've made the following statement a thousand times over the years ... GOD IS NEVER EARLY AND HE IS NEVER LATE ... HE IS ALWAYS EXACTLY RIGHT ON TIME!!!  And He is.  Yet, even tho I preach this and believe this and tell this to others, sometimes I find myself NOT TRUSTING God and His timing.  I did it last year when I was searching for the church the Lord wanted me in.  There were times when I was angry and impatient and bull-headed (none of which hurried God up or changed His mind).  Then one day someone on Facebook reminded me (tongue in cheek) that they had once heard someone say, God is never early and never late, but always right on time.  That's when I realized I was NOT trusting God, so I repented and surrendered to His plan ... whatever that was (though I thought it was to go to a great church in south central KY).  On the night I was supposed to hear back from that church about whether or not they were going to have me come in lieu of a call ... THEY DIDN'T CALL ... instead, Bobby Outland called.  Bobby was chairman of the search committee at Eastview Baptist Church in Hopkinsville (the absolute last choice on my list).  I hadn't heard from them in two months and I had literally written them off, but here he was calling.  To make a long story short ... THAT WAS GOD'S PERFECT TIMING!!!  And the results speak for themselves.  God is at work in a powerful way and I couldn't be happier and more content with where the Lord has placed me.

 

So, are you struggling???  Tired of waiting???  Think God's forgotten you???  About to take matters in your own hands (definitely NOT a good idea)???  WAIT SOME MORE!!!  Maybe a moment, maybe a month, maybe longer, but wait whatever you do.  Because God is NEVER EARLY ... NEVER LATE ... He knows what He's doing and His timing is ALWAYS PERFECT!!!  

 

BTW, ... It'll be worth the wait!!! 

Once again I've allowed myself to fall prey to the wildly unstable and often inaccurate posts and updates on Facebook.  I am vehemently opposed to Obama in nearly every area of his policies and agenda.  I did not vote for him and I'm 99.99% sure I will not vote for him in two years.  However, I must say the kinds of partially false, sometimes misleading and factually lacking posts I see on Facebook only serve to weaken our opposition to the real problems with the Obama administration.

 

 

He is going on vacation!!! He is NOT speaking at the traditional Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary.  However, he is speaking at the Lincoln Memorial Cemetary in Chicago. 

 

 

Is he the only President who missed this ceremony? No, my hero, Ronald Reagan, and both Bushes at times did not attend the ceremony. Bill Clinton, whom I opposed, did attend and speak all eight years of his term.  Yet the zealots on Facebook have made this a flashfire issue that has generated posts and polls and all sorts of other activity all in the name of Conservatism.  I even allowed myself to get caught up in this without doing what I'd promised myself I would do ... INVESTIGATE ... RESEARCH ... SUBSTANTIATE prior to posting.  I am ashamed and sorry for allowing this to happen in this public forum I love called Facebook.  So I want to attempt to set the record straight in this blog. 

 

 

Does the President deserve a vacation ... do I have to answer that???  My entire family is traveling to Hoptown this weekend for a holiday vacation. My boys and I are playing golf Saturday (I am absolutely ecstatic for this rare and precious opportunity).  We will have a cookout and celebrate Josh's birthday Sunday.  We will enjoy this mini-vacation and try to make some memories to last the rest of our lives.  We will laugh together, play together, eat together and enjoy each other's company in a way we very rarely get to do.  And oh yeah, we will observe the Memorial Day holiday in church and in other ways.  We are an extremely patriotic family and would not think of failing to honor our service men and women (particularly those who paid the ultimate price for our freedome to worship and meet together and all the priceless freedoms we enjoy).  My dad joined the Navy at 17 to fight in WWII in the South Pacific.  I served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and my son, Josh, an Army Ranger, served on 4 deployments in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan.  We love our military and support them to the fullest.  So I think the President (who is much busier and much more stressed out than I am) deserves some time with his family and friends as well.  

 

I've researched and found that Obama is NOT going to Hawaii as I've read and he is indeed speaking at the Lincoln Memorial Cemetary in Chicago rather than the more traditional, but not exclusive site for the Memorial Day ceremony. He is even leaving Chicago tomorrow to go to the gulf to check on the oil spill (his first visit there since the spill, so a little tardy in my opinion). The family is going to their home in Hyde Park (suburb of Chicago).

 

 

So, do I like him ... NO.  Did I vote for him ... NO.  Will I ever consider voting for him in the future ... I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT SCENARIO.  Do I pray for him and respect his office ... ABSOLUTELY.  I believe that is the responsibility of every single American ... Republican, Democrat or Independent.

 

I've said this before and I say it again, I will not post or re-post anything I haven't researched prior to posting. Not being an Obama supporter, the worst thing I or others who oppose his policies and agenda can do is participate in erroneous attacks. It makes any attempt to criticize for a legitimate reason suseptible to mistrust by others and only serves to weaken our cause.

 

Having said all this, I sincerely hope you and yours have a wonderful Memorial Day holiday and take some time to remember and thank those who've made your weekend possible.  God bless America.

Harvey Gee and I went to see Chris yesterday at the Christian Co. Jail.  He's doing great!!!  He's been reading about Paul and all the times he was thrown in jail.  He even asked me "How many times was Paul in jail?" which I didn't really know because I'd never thought to count ... but it was a lot. 

 

Anyway, Chris is already having Bible study every evening with his three cell mates.  He seems legitimately content to be where he is and intent of making an impact for Christ while there.  Only 359 days to go. 

 

I am checking with the chaplain to see if I can go there to hold an Experiencing God class.  Please pray for God's direction in this matter.

 

If you'd like to write Chris (he can only have 2 15 minute visits per week), please email me at:  brodan@eastviewbc.org and I'll send you the address.  Pray for Chris to continue to let the light of the Lord Jesus shine through him.  Only heaven knows what incredible things can come of this.  Our part is to pray and offer Chris our support as our "missionary in Christian Co. Jail."

I am a blessed man. Ever since that warm May evening way back in 1971 I've experienced a deep, rich, exciting, challenging, miracle-filled walk with Jesus. I've witnessed God move in ways that sadly many people never do. I have literally feasted on the goodness of God for over 39 years now.  And yet ... I HAVE A PROBLEM (stop laughing!).  And it just may be that you have a similar problem. What is it you ask? I have a TRUSTING problem. Even with all the miracles. Even with all the last minute (to me, not to God) rescues. Even with the amazing and abundant provision throughout these years ... I still have a problem trusting God in my crises. Amazing huh? Well, it's even more amazing than you think. Let me explain.

AN EARLY MIRACLE:

I got out of the U.S. Navy on April 2, 1971 and moved back home to Flatwoods, KY. Sharon and I had been married almost three years and our son, Danny, was a year and a half old. I was fortunate to be able to come back to my job as a clerk on the C&O Railroad. Over the next five months we bought our first home, I was saved, and life was good. I mean really good. UNTIL ...

Until early September 1971 when the coal miners up in West Virginia decided to go on strike. No big deal I thought. Let'em strike. It went okay for a week or so, then it happened. I was LAID OFF from my job. You see, when coal miners don't mine the coal, railroad cars have no coal to move and when they have no coal to move, they don't move either. So suddenly, there was no work and since I was low on the seniority pole, I was laid off.

Fortunately for us, we had been very frugal and had managed to pay ahead on our bills. No problem, the strike will be settled soon and I'll be back to work before our money runs out ... NOT!!! If you know anything about miner's strikes, they can be long and longer. Eventually, our money ran out. I had been out of the Navy too long to draw unemployment from them and had not worked at the railroad long enough to draw unemployment from them. So we literally had no money and no money coming in. We were going to Sharon's parents one evening to eat and my parents the next.  We were broke in the brokest sense of the word.

To make matters worse, we were brand new Christians and had no idea of God's promises. We didn't know much about prayer and we had never seen a miracle. We were crying ourselves to sleep each night worrying about what WE were going to do.

I found a job with my best friend opening and closing his gas station for $5 a day. I would get up and open from 6-8 am and then go back to close from 9-12 pm. For you young people that's $1.00 an hour (and I was thrilled to get it). Sharon was "taking in laundry" from the neighbors to make a couple of extra dollars to buy food and formula for Danny. So we cried a lot and did all we knew to do, but we weren't going to make it. Our bills were about to become past due and we had no hope ... OR SO WE THOUGHT!

That all changed on a Wednesday night. We went to church and then stayed for choir practice. We had revival coming up soon and we were practicing special music for it. As a matter of fact, we had been practicing on Wednesday and even on Monday evenings. But that night we didn't practice. Instead, our Song Leader, Bill Simmons, sat us down and read us a scripture I don't think I'd ever read before. It was John 15:7 "If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you." Then he told us his story.

Bill didn't have a car. He worked as a salesman in the Sears store in Huntington, WV and hitchhiked the 25+ miles each way to work everyday. As you can imagine, this meant he spent a lot of time on the road each day trying to get a ride (even though it was much easier back then). So the previous Sunday night Bill and his family (wife and three boys) knelt in prayer and claimed this verse. Bill asked God to give him a car so he could make it for choir practice on Mondays and Wednesdays to get ready for revival. He didn't ask because he was tired of hitchhiking or because he felt deprived. He asked so he could fulfill what he believed was his calling to lead our choir.

That next night we met for choir practice and Bill was there. I was sick (or maybe they'd kicked me out of the choir because I can't sing ... I don't really remember why) and was sitting in the pews watching them practice when a man came in and sat down behind me. I turned to welcome him and he asked if this was the church where the song leader hitchhiked to work every day. I told him it was and he sat back and watched the entire choir practice.

When practice was over, everyone left and the gentleman waited until Bill was alone. Then he asked Bill if he was the songleader who hitchhiked to work. Bill embarassingly admitted it was him. When he did the gentleman looked him in the eye and said, "I'm here because God told me to give you a car." Bill was ecstatic. He didn't know what kind of car it was and he didn't care. Any ol' clunker would be good he thought. As the man waited, he locked the church and they headed around the building and down the sidewalk. To Bill's uttter amazement, there at the end of the sidewalk was a 1969 Ford Ranchwagon stationwagon. Power windows, power doors, air conditioning ... the works. The man told Bill the car was his and asked if he had money for insurance. Bill said, "No." so the man took him to his insurance agent and purchased him a six month policy. He also filled the car up and only asked for one thing ... that we would pray for his wife who was still and unbeliever. WOW!!! Can you imagine the excitement in our choir that night as Bill shared that bonafide miracle with us. It was incredible. We were so excited we couldn't go home, so we went to Sharon's sister, Dorothy's house for a snack. When we got there, Dorothy looked at us and said, "God can do that for you too, you know!" Immediately, tears filled our eyes and we fell to our knees and began to pray. We told the Lord we were abiding (remaining) in Him as best we knew how and we wanted to honor Him in whatever way He had in mind, but we had some needs we needed His help to meet.

We went home that night and slept for the first time in weeks. It was the sleep of peace. The sleep of knowing that our God was in control and we really didn't have a need He couldn't meet.

The next morning at 7 am there was a knock on our door. A man named Rod Howell whom I worked with on the railroad was standing there. He apologized for waking us so early, but he had a problem. The night before the electricity had gone out at his house and he had a bunch of beef from his freezer that he needed to get rid of. "Would you take some?" he asked. Would we??? He had several bags of steaks, hamburger, roasts and other items. We barely had enough room in our freezer to fit everything. When Rod left, Sharon and I hugged and danced around (we're not all that Baptist I guess). We cried, we praised God, we laughed, we sang. Then Sharon remembered that the night before Bill had given her an envelope with music in it for her to practice for the revival. Since we were excited and singing already, she might as well make good use of the opportunity, so she went and got the envelope of music. Yeah, you probably already guessed it ... along with the music, the choir had taken a love offering for us and there was $120 in the envelope. I have tears in my eyes as I write this remembering that as the first time we realized God is bigger than any need, any problem, any obstacle we can have.

To make a long story shorter, all day long things like that happened. People brought us food or gave us money. As a matter of fact, that afternoon Sharon was outside watching Danny play when a neighbor down the street called for her to come down. Now you need to know this neighbor didn't like us. I had kicked a football through her awning and into her picture window (it broke the awning, but not the window ... thank God!). But when Sharon got down there the woman held out a $20 bill and told Sharon she didn't know why, but she felt she should give Sharon the money. Sharon stuck her hand out fingers up, palm facing the woman and started to refuse the money when a bee flew up and stung her in the palm of her hand. She says that was when she learned never to refuse what God wants to do for her. By the time I returned from my Navy Reserve drill that night we had a refrigerator full of food, the cabinets were full, the table was full, the chairs around the table was full and we had over $250 in cash. What an awesome God!!! Then kinda like icing for the cake, as I walked in the door, the phone rang. It was the C&O calling me back to work the next morning.

WOW!!! And that was just the first of what has been a long list of God's miraculous provision and protection in our lives. There are dozens more I could tell you about. If there is one thing I know and know for sure, it is that GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! So ...

WHAT'S MY PROBLEM?

Why do I still find it hard to trust Him? Why don't I simply trust Him with all my heart? I think there are a couple of reasons.

1. WE'RE NEAR-SIGHTED

I don't mean that in the classic optomotrist sense. I mean we can't see the forest for the trees. Instead of REMEMBERING His miraculous provision all those times when God came through and simply acknowledging He will not forsake us now, we FOCUS on the immediate problem. Let me illustrate.

Have you ever taken a rock or small pebble and held it up in front of your face? By moving the rock closer and closer to your eye, you can literally block out objects many times bigger than the rock. You can even block out the sun with the rock. Now does that mean the rock is bigger than the sun? Of course not. Scientists tell us the sun is so enormous you could fit 1,000,000 earth's inside it. So how does a small, little rock obscure something so huge? It's a matter of perspective. It cannot possibly obscure the sun, but when placed so close to our eye it can appear to do so.

That's like our problems. We get so close to them we allow them to obscure the awesomeness of the God we serve.

2. WE LISTEN TO THE WRONG VOICES

When Sharon and I were going through that first crisis in our lives we were ignorant to what the Bible said. We were new Christians and didn't know God's Word well. Therefore, we were easy targets for the negative, gloom and doom voice of the enemy. We thought it was up to us. We thought we had to do it. We thought we had to come up with a solution to our problems. Then we encountered the power of God's Word. In the midst of the negative words of the enemy we heard the powerful, positive, certain Word of our God. Proverbs 3:5-6 have become a couple of my favorite verses over the years. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

3. WE HAVE SHORT MEMORIES

When did God ever fail you? When did He ever forsake you? When was the last time He came through with the miracle you had to have or you'd have been sunk? REMEMBER!!!

One of the things God made sure the Children of Israel did was REMEMBER. God told them to remember, rehearse, retell the great stories of His deliverance and provision. Write them down, share them with your kids, tell them to your friends. Why? Because when we remember what God HAS done, we are reminded of what He WILL do. It's funny how quickly and easily we forget.

I'm reminded of Moses and the Children of Israel. If ever there was a group of people who should have trusted God ... THEY WERE THEM!!! (I know that's horrible grammar, but you get the point). Deliverance from Egypt, crossing the Red Sea, water in the wilderness, quail, manna, provision, protection, guidance ... they had it all. They never had a problem that God couldn't and didn't solve. Yet, everytime something happened. Everytime the enemy surfaced, they would act like God had never ever acted in their behalf.

So what do we do? It's simple really.

1. FOCUS ON GOD, NOT OUR PROBLEM.
2. LISTEN TO GOD'S WORD, NOT THE NEGATIVE VOICES WITHOUT AND WITHIN.
3. REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS DONE, NOT WHAT YOU CANNOT DO.

I just couldn't wait till next Monday to share what I found out this afternoon.

 

A couple of months ago, EBC served a meal to the soldiers at Ft. Campbell.  These soldiers were only a couple of days away from shipping out on deployment.  Several of our folks made the trip down to the base and we served some delicious bar-b-que and fixins to these brave men and women.  Everyone who went believed this was more than just preparing and serving a meal.  We believed (AND STILL DO) that this was a divine encounter ... an opportunity God was giving us to impact the lives of men and women we'd never met before and might never meet again.  So our people engaged these soldiers in conversation assuring them of our prayers and support while they were away. 

 

Most of the time we don't expect much to come out of these chance encounters, but sometimes God surprises us.  Today was one of those days.

 

I received a call this afternoon from Katie Gee (yep, the same lady who had fed the "travelers" Sunday night).  She was so excited and began to ask me if I remembered a particular female soldier from the last meal.  I did and when I said so, Katie told me she had received a card from the young lady that day.  Mary (the soldier's name) thanked her again for the meal and told her that her and her fellow soldiers had been deeply impressed and impacted by our church and our willingness to feed them and care for them.  She also commented to Katie that she planned to stay in touch and when she returned to the States, she planned to come worship with us at The View.  Katie was almost beside herself with joy.  We've placed the young lady's address in our bulletin this Sunday and encourage those of you from The View to write her, send her a care package or whatever the Lord lays on your heart.  If you don't attend Eastview and you'd like the address, please email me at brodan@eastviewbc.org and I'll get it to you. 

 

In addition to this card from this young lady, our ministry overseas is going strong through Chaplain David Hicks.  David is leading 15 soldiers through the study of Experiencing God and has baptized (I think this is the right number) 7 soldiers with several others making professions of faith. 

 

Can God touch a world through you and your church?  Do the seeds of love and evangelism you plant take root and grow?  Is all this just some accident or coincidence?  You'll never convince me or the people at Eastview of that.  We're experiencing first hand what God can and will do through a people wholy surrendered and committed to obey Him.  With that in mind ... DIVINE ENCOUNTERS ... BRINGEM ON!!!

Yesterday was a benchmark day for Eastview Baptist Church.

 

God brought a young man named Chris, who is going to jail for a year this Tuesday, to church yesterday morning. He came back last night (actually attending our Experiencing God class) and after taking the time to minister to Chris and asking him to tell us his story, I spoke with him privately and he was saved. Hallelujah!!!  However, because he will be incarcerated for a year, it was going to be difficult to baptize him.  When we presented Chris to the church at the beginning of our evening study (on Spiritual Warfare no less) I mentioned that we didn't have time to fill the baptistry to baptize Christ, so one of our ladies, Kathy Collard, volunteered her pool (which is already filled ... think she's anxious for summer???).  About that time, Harvey & Katie Gee volunteered their hottub, already filled AND WARM at their house.  So we decided that after the service we would all load up, go to the Gee's and baptize Chris.

 

We finished our service and as we were leaving the church, standing outside were three of the dirtiest young men you could imagine. They told the ladies outside they were hungry and asked us for something to eat. We don't keep food in the church and since they were heading to Bowling Green (Cumberland Falls as their ultimate destination) we told them there was nothing open up the road. They didn't ask for money and when we told them we couldn't help them, they politely thanked us and walked away carrying their backpacks (they are hitchhiking around the country to see this great country [in their own words] "before we get too old to do so."

Sharon & I went to our car and people were starting to pull out of the parking lot. As we neared the young men I asked Sharon if she would mind if we picked them up and took them to Fairview (3-5 miles on down the direction they were heading).  At this point it was beginning to rain again (that's all it's done in Hoptown for a month) and Sharon said tentatively, "If I wanted to." So we did. While driving to Fairview they asked if we knew of a bridge that direction they could sleep under for the night and I told them I didn't think there was one that direction. Sharon mentioned the shelter at the monument (Jefferson Davis monument) and they said that would be great, so we took them there (Understand, there is a small convoy of cars following us down the highway at this point).  I had $48 dollars on me, so I gave that to them and told them to get something to eat in the morning at the little store in Fairview.  Sharon and I had left our convoy when we went to the monument, so I needed to get back to the Gees (just down the hill a couple hundred yards), so I asked them if they were Christians and they said they yes, so we left to go to the baptism.

 

As we started down the hill, we met the search party that was looking for us and probably thinking we had been kidnapped, mugged and killed by then.  We went back to the Gees and when we got there, there were already plans in the making to get these boys something to eat.  We crammed into the Gees and Chris and I got into the hottub and I had the wonderful privilege of baptizing him.  I can't wait to see what God does in the Christian Co. jail as Chris submits to the Lordship of Jesus.  We already have volunteers lined up to visit and minister there.  I'm hoping to be able to do an Experiencing God class there.  It is so exciting to watch to see where God is working and join Him.

 

Well, when we finished the baptism we sang and everyone was fellowshipping when Bobby & Dottie O. came to me and said they were going up to get the three young men and take them to their vacant rental house they just completed remodeling so they could spend the night in a nice soft bed.  Wow!  What a gesture.  The food would be delivered to the rental house later so they could sleep on a full stomach too (all they had eaten Sunday was a can of Spaghetti-O's ... COLD I might add).

 

As I was leaving Pat T. came running up to me and said, "I want to hug you again (he had already hugged me two or three times that evening) and thank you."  I asked "Why?" And he said, when they got in their car his wife Nickie had turned to their kids and said, "Kids, tonight you saw the church being the church."  So he wanted to thank me for leading our church to BE the church.

 

I haven't heard anything more about the three travelers and what happened after I left.  I don't know what's going to happen with Chris when he goes to jail Tuesday.  I don't know where all this will lead.  But I do know this ... when the church decides to watch to see where God is working, then obediently joins Him in that work ... the church then gets the opportunity to really BE THE CHURCH.  Eastview Baptist Church is on the verge of becoming THAT CHURCH.

 

THE REST OF THE STORY ...

To say I was a shy kid would be an understatement of apocalyptic proportions. I was so shy that when I returned to my high school for my ten year reunion they had to look my picture up in the annual to make sure I was part of the class. I rarely talked to anyone except my three best friends and didn’t have my first date until my senior year in high school. She was a freshman baritone player in the band (I played baritone too) and after spending the entire school year trying to work up the nerve to ask her out and when I finally did, to my utter amazement, she said, “Yes!”

We set our date for that Friday night. I cleaned out my mom’s 1962 Chevy Impala (not exactly a chick magnet), did extra chores to earn some “date” money (I’d never had to do that before), put on my best clothes, shaved (though I had absolutely no facial hair), and set out on my date. I picked her up at 7, took her to a movie, bought her a hamburger and had her home by 9:30. I remember the strange look she gave me when I walked her to the door (It was barely dark), but I simply didn’t know what to do with her. Remember, I told you I was shy.

Well, when word got out to my three friends about my “date.” The ridicule and kidding were intense. They made up nicknames for me. They told everyone they could about my misadventure. They wrote embarrassing things in my yearbook. To put it mildly, the last part of my senior year was a fiasco. Then came summer break.

Everything was going as usual until one evening one of my friends named Ron called me with an exciting proposition. A BLIND DATE!

It seemed that his girlfriend at the time had a cousin visiting her and the only way she could go out was to get a date for the cousin too. That’s where I came in. Ron asked if I would like to “double date” with him and his girlfriend and they would even provide my date. Well, since I wasn’t having the best luck in the romance area, I agreed. Then came the kicker!!! Ron had lost his license because he had too many points against them and couldn’t drive (remember this, it is important later). So he asked if I could “borrow” my mom’s car and drive.

Now you need to understand my mom was “funny” about her car. One night she was napping when I asked to borrow the car and when she grunted I took that for a “yes.” An hour later I was stopped by the State Police for “stealing” my mom’s car. Apparently, what I had taken for a yes had been merely what I thought it was … a grunt. So under those circumstances, I wasn’t terribly confident about being able to borrow the car, but when I told mom it was for a date, she immediately gave me the keys (even though the date was three nights away). I guess she had been having nightmares about having me live with them when I was forty.

So the big night finally came. I had my money. I had on “Hai Karate” aftershave (another story). I brushed my teeth (I had found out you actually get to kiss the girl if the date goes well). I was ready. Ready that is except for one small detail … I was driving my mom’s 1962 Chevy Impala four door sedan with an automatic transmission. Back in that day, that was about as “un-cool” as you could get. But, nonetheless, I picked up Ron and we headed out to pick up our dates.

I lived in the little town of Flatwoods, Kentucky and at the time Flatwoods was so small there was only one red light in the entire town … the corner of Powell Lane and Argillite Road. On the way to the girls’ house, Ron and I were discussing what a disaster my mom’s car was. Impala! Four doors! Automatic transmission! Most of the guys at that time had their own cars. They weren’t bought by their parents and they weren’t fancy, but they were cool. One thing that made them cool was when they had a Hertz four-speed transmission. Now obviously, most cars didn’t come with a Hertz four-speed transmission, but the guys who had their own car would buy a Hertz four-speed transmission kit, cut a hole in their floorboard, and install their “cool” transmission. The truth is this was pretty dumb because when it was raining or when you hit a mud hole, water would fly up through that hole and drench everyone in the front seat. But they were COOL! And I wished I had one.

Now I knew my mom would never ever consent (even if I told her I was getting married and moving out that weekend) to allowing me to cut a hole in her floorboard and put in a Hertz four-speed transmission, BUT … I could pretend!!!

All I had to do was drape my left wrist over the steering wheel and lay my right arm down in the seat. Then when I took off I would smash down the gas pedal for a couple of seconds (like I was in first gear), then let off the gas. I would then move my right arm forward to simulate shifting into second gear and smash my foot on the accelerator again. This process would continue until I was flying in fourth gear. It was a great idea and it worked. No one really thought I’d torn out the floorboard of my mom’s nice car, but it looked real enough and besides, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

So when Ron and I came to the red light on Powell Lane, I draped my left wrist over the steering wheel, laid my right arm down on the seat between us and waited for the light to change. I was about to demonstrate what “cool” really was. The light changed and after turning right on Argillite Road I jammed down my foot, prepped my right arm for the impending shift, and lifted my foot off the gas for that crucial shift into second gear. Just as I slammed my make-believe shift rod into second gear and punched my foot down on the gas pedal as hard as possible, I noticed him.

There in the on-coming line of traffic waiting at the red light sat a Kentucky State Trooper. It was one of those life changing instants that seem to last forever. Just as I saw him, he saw me. Our eyes locked in that crucial split-second and I had a decision to make.

I needed to do something and do it quick. I was straining my make believe second gear to the max. I had to do something. About that time I looked over at my friend Ron. Remember Ron, the guy whose license had been suspended because of poor decisions and too many tickets! The guy my dad had warned me would get me in trouble someday. I looked at Ron. Ron looked at me. I looked at the Trooper. The Trooper looked at me. I hear my dad’s voice in my head saying, “It’s never right to do wrong.” I looked at Ron. Ron looked at me. I looked back at Ron.

Now I want you to know I knew exactly what I should do. I should take my foot off the gas and if the trooper turned around I should pull over to the side of the road and take my ticket like a man. I knew that and knew it well. BUT …

In that moment, with my mind swirling, my heart pumping, my dad’s voice screaming in my ear, I looked at Ron. And Ron said the strangest thing. He said, “Kick it!” SO I DID!!! Told you my lettuce done slipped off my hamburger! In that instant I made quite possibly the dumbest decision of my life. Seventeen years old, driving my mom’s car, going to pick up my blind date, I shoved it into third gear and crunched my foot down on the gas. I saw Mr. State Police Man do his best Starsky and Hutch routine by spinning his car around and following in hot pursuit.

I learned quite a few lessons that evening and one of them was you get where you’re going a lot faster at 75 than you do at 35 (which was the speed limit on Argillite Road). So before I knew it, flying along Argillite Road at 75-80 miles an hour, State Police in hot pursuit, my friend Ron yelling “Harder, kick it harder!” I was suddenly where I was going. The driveway to the girl’s house was a gravel one and there was a telephone pole on the right hand side of it. Now I think you need to know I wasn’t a really great driver back then. As a matter of fact, I failed my driver’s test four times before a new trooper finally had mercy on me and passed me on my final try. But, I had another decision to make … and I made it.

Without worrying about what gear I was in (actually, I had never shifted out of third) I slammed on my brakes, turned the wheel sharply to the left and dove down into the driveway. How I missed that pole will forever remain a mystery to me. I fish-tailed down the driveway, spun the car around and unbelievably the garage door was open with no cars inside, so I drove in. Talk about a great first impression on a date!!! I drove into the garage, jumped out of my car, raced to the corner of the house just as the Trooper’s car flew past. Momentarily I wiped my forehead and said, “Praise the Lord” only I really said something else. BUT …

I noticed on the sidewalk just past the driveway where I’d turned in there was a little old lady sweeping her sidewalk (I’ve never really understood why old people do that!). As I watched, she looked down my way, took her broom, raised it in the air and started waving it while she shouted, “He’s down there! He’s down there!” Then I heard the screech of tires as the trooper stomped his brakes. Just a couple of seconds later his lights flashing and his siren blaring, he turned down into the driveway and pulled up to the garage door.

When he got out of the car I promise you his first words were, “In a hurry, son?”(Do they teach them that at the police academy???) Truthfully, I don’t remember the details of the next few minutes. I don’t think I ever got to see my blind date. I don’t remember whether a crowd gathered or what. All I remember was having my head shoved down and being placed in the backseat of the cruiser. I honestly don’t think the officer handcuffed me (I weighed 145 pounds soaking wet with all my clothes on and I was scared to death). I also remember thinking to myself I hoped they gave me a life sentence because if they didn’t my dad was going to give me a death sentence.

Finally, the trooper got into the front seat and started to backup and head out of the driveway. As he did, I saw the little old lady with the broom standing by the telephone pole smiling like this hardened criminal had been captured and she had helped insure my doom. I looked at her through my window and thought about how much I’d like to take her broom and … when I blurted out to the trooper, “You wouldn’t have caught me if it hadn’t been for that lady.” I will never forget his next words. He was looking me straight in the eye as we backed up the driveway and when he got to the top, he smiled a quirky little smile and said, “Son, I didn’t see the woman. What gave you away and how I knew where you went were the SKIDMARKS you left on the road. They gave you away.”

You know what? We’ve all got skid marks on the roads of our lives. Or should I say we have “sin-marks.” They give us away. They tell the tale of bad decisions, of willful disobedience, of disastrous choices we’ve made along the road of our lives. They’re there as a testimony to our fallibility, our failure, our inability to live clean, pure lives. And to paraphrase a well known passage of Scripture, “the wages of sin-marks is death!”

I was extremely lucky with my skid marks. The trooper took me to the Flatwoods Police station where they called my dad. He came and picked me up, paid my fine and they set me free. I was infinitely more fortunate when the gracious God of the universe looked down at my sin-marks and decided to send His only begotten Son to erase those sin-marks by dying for me on that cross in Jerusalem. I eventually repaid my dad for the fine he paid for me, but I could never repay Jesus for paying my sin debt. The awesome thing is … I don’t have to! That same verse I paraphrased earlier closes by saying, “but, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, His Son.”

Skid marks? Time and traffic have a way of erasing them off the highways.

Sin marks? They can only be erased by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And guess what … He’s willing when you are.

 

These have been stormy days!!!

 

This past weekend, the western Kentucky and middle Tennessee region was inundated with massive storms that have caused the worst flooding in generations for Nashville and surrounding cities.  Hundreds of homes have been destroyed.  Cars, businesses, parks, roadways and anything else in the path of the raging torrents of water have been devastated.  Worse yet, an undetermined number of lives have been lost due to these ferocious storms and terrential rains.  Those of us who live in this region will never forget the three days of darkness, downpour and deluge.  They were horrible, painful and destructive.

 

YET ... when I awakened this morning I did so to a brilliant blue sky bordered by the luscious green of the trees that are in full bloom.  It was breathtaking!!!  Then I had the strangest thought ...

 

 

We just could not see it because of the storm clouds.  Just as radiant ... just as brilliant ... just as beautiful ... just as breath-taking, but hidden by storm clouds that attempted to convince us the sun had stopped shining and the blue skies would never return.  BUT THEY DID!!!  And do you know something ... I don't know if I've ever seen a more beautiful blue sky than I'm looking at right now outside my office window.  It was not gone.  It had not abandoned us to a lifetime of gray and black.  No, the only temporary thing was the storm clouds.  Destructive?  Yes!  Harmful?  Sadly!  Savage?  Of course!  But, permanent?  NOT A CHANCE!  And then it hit me ... that does not just apply to the weather, but also to our lives.

 

As most of you know, Sharon and I have been encountering our own storm.  She recently found a lump in her breast that a biopsy reveal was an agressive form of cancer.  Without delay our doctor, Dr. Matthew Robinson, performed a mastectomy on Sharon last Tuesday.  He is a pragmatist and did his best to prepare us for the worst case scenerio.  We knew going in there was at least a strong chance that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.  However, when they took out some likely cancer infested nodes at the beginning of her surgery ... NEGATIVE!!!  No cancer.  Upon further testing (a standard procedure) the initial report was confirmed and as far as we know, Sharon is cancer-free.  For that we are immensely grateful.  However, I want you to know we aren't nearly as grateful for the final "cancer-free" report as we are for the fact that all this storm did was remind us anew that storms like this are temporary.  They do not last forever, but some things do.  Quickly allow me to share a few of them.

 

 

Through this ordeal, there has been one thing that is irrefutable.  The fact that God loves us.  That fact was established once and for all time on Calvary.  We experienced afresh the heights and depths and breadth of God's amazing love for us ... just when we needed it most.  What an awesome God!

 

 

Oh how Sharon and I thank God for our friends.  Wow have we been blessed.  During this storm we've heard from people from Afghanistan to Arizona, Texas to Vermont, South Dakota to Florida and dozens of places in between.  Friends we've know for decades (from our home church in Worthington, KY to those wonderful college kids from our first tour of duty in Campbellsville) to friends we've only known a few weeks (our infant brother Joe for instance).  Their words of encouragement and love were inestimable in carrying us through this time.  Thank you friends.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

3.   GOD'S PROVISION IS ALWAYS ADEQUATE AND ALWAYS ON TIME

Of all the books in the Bible, there is one I turn to over and over again when I’m … discouraged … disappointed … struggling … impatient … frustrated … or a number of other emotions that tend to cause us to lose sight of our goals, dreams and calling. “Oh, yeah, Psalms!” you say. Nope, not the Psalms, as encouraging and uplifting as they can be. “Well then, it’s got to be John or one of the gospels!” No again, as much as I love to read about the life of Jesus and revisit all His sermons and miracles and parables, that’s not it either. Give up? Well, it’s the most exciting, the most encouraging, most POWER PACKED book in the entire Bible … it’s the book of Acts!!!

Why Acts you ask. Simple! It is the story of how God birthed the church and how He wants to empower the church to accomplish His purpose of bringing the gospel to the nations. It is filled with stories that teach us valuable lessons about life together in community. About the unlimited power working in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. About God’s design for the spread of the gospel and the ushering in of His Kingdom. It is a personal account of just what God can do through individuals and people who are determined to obey Him and live their lives in His presence.
You see, I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I can read and I can believe that what God did through those early disciples as they surrendered to the lordship and leadership of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, HE CAN DO THROUGH US TOO!!!

Are there problems in Acts? Are you kidding? Problems, difficulties, struggles, fierce opposition, physical pain … all of these were commonplace. Imprisonments, punishment, threats and the like happened with crushing regularity, but still the book of Acts is a testament to God’s ability to overcome and advance. That’s what I want. That’s what I want on my tombstone. I want people to know that though I had struggles and sure there were times I wanted to quit, through the power of the Holy Spirit, I overcame and advanced.

So that’s a brief synopsis of why I turn ever so regularly to the book of Acts. It’s also part of the reason I believe the Lord has led me to preach through the book of Acts. So, this Sunday I begin the first segment of that journey with a four sermon series I’ve entitled: POWER PACTS! Over the next four Sundays I will preach about the PROMISE of Power, the PREPARATION for Power, the POURING OUT of Power and finally, the PRODUCT of Power.

If you are close enough to The View (Eastview Baptist) to join us personally, please do. If not, check out these messages on our website. I trust you’ll be inspired and blessed.

The story is told about a couple of sailors from the Great Lakes Naval Training Center who were in Chicago for a night of revelry and fun. They had heard about a particular bar they wanted to frequent, but being unfamiliar with Chicago, they didn’t know the exact location of the bar nor how to get there.

After a good while of trying to locate the bar on their own, they gave up and started to ask passersby for the location. No one seemed to know the whereabouts of the bar until they finally asked an elderly street person. They said, “Sir, could you us find the bar named, “The Gates of Hell?” The old man thought for a moment, then his expression brightened and he began to give them directions. He said, “Take this street down several blocks till you come to a big church called Calvary.” Then he looked them in the eyes and said, “Keep going fellas, the Gates of Hell is just past Calvary!”
I don’t know if that story is true or not, but I do know that the statement is. The Gates of Hell are literally … JUST PAST CALVARY!

As we enter this Easter season with all the commercialization of easter baskets and chocolate bunnies and of course, Cadberry Eggs and Reese’s Cup Eggs, let’s not forget the real significance of this “holiday.” It’s really NOT about egg hunts or chocolate or even making an annual trip to church. It’s about Calvary. It’s about a resurrection and an empty tomb. It’s about a sacrifice so great it is beyond human comprehension. Easter is about God’s love for even the most sinful of men. It’s about God paying a debt for us that we could never, not in a million years, pay ourselves.
This year continues the trend of the past couple of years in that we are bombarded by bad news. Bad news about the economy. Bad news about corrupt politicians and leaders. Bad news about the war. But my friend, the worst possible news you or I or any other person could possibly hear is found in Romans 3:23 & 6:23. Those verses say …
“For ALL (emphasis mine) have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

And

“The wages of sin (one single sin … which covers all of us) is death …”
Now that’s BAD NEWS!!!

That literally means that each of us, every single person should … deserves to go through the Gates of Hell. We’ve all sinned. We all deserve punishment. We all deserve condemnation. Remember the verse said … SIN … one singular sin … deserves death.

BUT …

Thank God, because of His great love for us … because of His determination to give us the opportunity for redemption and life, God placed Calvary JUST BEFORE the Gates of Hell. God made it possible for us to escape the condemnation and enjoy the forgiveness that only Jesus’ death on the cross could obtain.

So this year, as we prepare to celebrate Easter, won’t you take a close look at the path you’re traveling. Won’t you make this major course adjustment and give Jesus the opportunity to unburden you of the sin, the guilt, the pain, the hopelessness that weighs you down. Make a stop at Calvary and you just might find the Gates of Hell CLOSED!!!