Sunday School for 25-45 age with children, Creation and Incredible Creatures

Global Warming, A Christian Perspective/Incredible Creatures

Flying…pray!

Overview of Biblical Prophecy: 817-715-3391

The idea is this: You have a particular recurring problem or potential problem such as laziness, cheating, stealing, swearing, lust, anger, pride, lying, immorality, lack of self control, pornography, drugs, alcohol, impatience, etc.

Our Lord gives us a command (Aorist Imperative) in Romans 13:14: “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.”

How can I victoriously fight this war against my fleshly desires? As a born-again Christian with the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in me, I can find a Scripture that deals with my particular problem. I memorize that Scripture, then meditate on the Scripture by going over and over it in my mind. Then personalize it by inserting my name into the Scripture everywhere I can. I pray the verse or passage back to my Lord and ask him to use it in my life the next time the temptation or test or workshop (as Jenna Dee likes to call them) comes along.

ANGER
For example, perhaps you have a problem with anger. Look up some Scriptures that deal with anger. One that we have used in our family is Ecclesiastes 7:9: “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”
Memorize it, meditate on it, personalize it, pray it back to God. “Lord, help me not to be hasty (eager) in my spirit to be angry. Help me not to forget that You look upon me in my anger as a fool. Lord Jesus, I do not want to be a fool in Your sight. Give me the grace to walk in Your Spirit and make no provision for the lusts of my flesh.”

Are you a person who is hasty to be angry? Does your family walk on eggshells around you for fear of triggering your uncontrolled temper? Do you scream and shout and lose it at the slightest provocation? Do you express your obnoxious, pompous anger with the silent treatment? Are you eager to be angry? Do you want our loving Lord to call you a fool? You see, anger destroys relationships. It ruins families, and our Lord knows that and wants something better for us. He desires for us to have hearts full of self-control and peace. Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

So now you are angry at a family member and our faithful Savior brings to your mind Ecclesiastes 7:9. Or maybe a family member says in a quiet voice, “Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for our precious Lord tells us that anger resides in the bosom of fools.” What do you do now that you lost it again? You may have thoughtlessly slipped back into your old habit pattern of anger, but as soon as the Holy Spirit reminds you that your anger is not a fruit of the Spirit, ask that precious family member to forgive you and confess it to the Lord as the sin that it is.

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one an other, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:30, 31

Once you lose your temper, why would you not want to immediately confess this sinful behavior and gain forgiveness and regain the fellowship of the family member you have offended? The reason is called “PRIDE.” Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of relationship problems are caused by pride and selfishness. Behind the pride and selfishness is the root of unbelief. Unbelief in this sense is “I have a better idea of how to run my life than God does!” As Frank Sinatra sang, “I Did It My Way.” So I indulge myself at the expense of my family and the reputation of my Lord.

LET’S RECAP HOW TO PRE-DECIDE THE WAY WE WILL REACT WHEN TEMPTED TO SIN:

Find a Scripture that deals with the problem.

Memorize this Scripture.

Meditate on this Scripture.

Personalize the Scripture (put your name in it wherever possible).

Pray the Scripture back to God.

THEN WHAT?

Ask the Lord to use this Scripture in your life the next time (or first time) you are confronted with the problem, test or temptation!

http://www.biblicaldiscipleship.org/Essentials/Predeciding.htm

Second year doctoral studies in History

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy.  And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.              I Peter 1:3-9, 13-19

      This text tells us that God has allowed us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It tells us that we have an imperishable inheritance from Jesus that will be tested with various trials, but we will be protected by the power of God (3-9).  In verses 13-19, we are to fix our hope completely (the eternal perspective) on the future grace that will come at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  We are not to be conformed to former lusts but be holy as Christ is holy (imitate Christ, Ephesians 5:1) and the motivation for all of this is knowing and receiving the sacrifice of Christ for our sins so that we might have eternal life.

     In yesterday’s mail, one of these “trials” that came to our attention was more evidence of the ACLU’s  relentless fight to silence Christians in any and every way possible.  All other kinds of historically and traditionally aberrant behavior is allowed but NOT values based on the Judeo-Christian worldview which has become “politically incorrect.”

     The ACLU is now trying to use intimidation and political pressure to silence a part of the Gideons International ministry going on in Florida. For many years, they have been dispersing Bibles with absolutely no duress or monetary charge to schools, hotels, businesses, or any other places they are given the opportunity to disseminate Bibles.  Recently, two Gideons were peaceably giving away Bibles in public domain (exercising their First Amendment rights) when they were arrested and put in jail overnight!! One would have to question how giving something away FREE (no bombs, no death threats) and in America (the land of the free and the home of the brave), could merit such severe action.  These Gideons were not slitting throats or threatening any lives, but merely passing on information that could be life-changing to those who might accept it and read it . . . a total free choice of those recipients with no life-threatening consequences. The ACLU constantly attacks the Truth of Scripture but takes no action against the smut and filth that saturates our society; it is only the Christian worldview that is anathema.  Much money is spent by the ACLU to persecute and prosecute many Christians who are not being disruptive or perpetrating violence through their actions.  The flyer that we received is from the Alliance Defense Fund, and the book that further delves into this is The ACLU vs. America (Alan Sears, Craig Osteen).  Americans are now daily seeing more of our religious freedoms and rights taken away or put under the control of the government as an increasing number of Christians are silenced and jailed for exercising these privileges and rights (as guaranteed by the First Amendment)! The ACLU understands that ideas DO have consequences, and the antithesis of what the ACLU represents is Biblical Christianity. Napoleon once said that in the end the sword is always conquered by the mind. How true that the pen is mightier than the sword!  We thank God that His Word is eternal and has the power to set men free (John 8:32).

    For the Christian, Hebrews 4:12 tells us that it is God’s Word that is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.  A true believer has experienced the reality of the Word engrafted, and there will be life changing effects which should produce the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). We pray that each of you will have grateful hearts for your inheritance in Christ and that if and when persecution may come, we will all be ready to suffer for the sake of righteousness bringing glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. Our behavior and responses are the true gauge of what we really believe.  Actions speak louder than words!

We love not with word or tongue, but with deeds and truth (I John 3:18).

     It has become a long hot summer even with the wonderful rain-filled spring and early summer.  After sustaining water damage (A/C plugged drain) in late June and subsequent painting and re-carpeting, we began to realize last Friday that our A/C was not cooling adequately from Friday to Monday morning. We had heard no dripping water, so “knew” we were “safe.”  Not so! Our coils had built up 3” of ice and, of course, some “dripless” (and soundless) water infiltration, AGAIN, into Taryn’s newly carpeted bedroom! Being reminded of James 1 to “count it all joy” when we suffer ANYTHING, was a great encouragement to us all!  This summer has been one of being in the waiting closet for many things. We praise God that our guest house schedule was such that the girls could live between there and the house for these past weeks. We have had some fun and profitable ministry opportunities with the NEA, Colorado ministries, two Houston home school conventions, and ministry in several churches from Alabama, to Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas. We need continued prayer for Jobe’s health; Taryn and Mirren’s safety, health, and ability to do well in school (Their oral comprehensive exams are early next summer and they also need prayer for effective dissertation research amidst class work.); for the possibility of a Incredible Creatures Vol. IV DVD; for the Russian translation of the book; and for the on-going challenges of travel and catch-up.  We are daily grateful for the many blessings that the Lord provides through ministry, our daughters, our forty years of marriage, the faithful prayer and support partners of BDM, but most of all for our eternal destiny in Christ! Ephesians 1; 1 Peter 1!

September/October 2007 Schedule

2^nd: Taryn and Mirren leave for Pensacola, FL, second year doctoral studies in History

16^th: Metro Bible Church, Trophy Club, TX, Church, Overview of Biblical Prophecy:  817-715-3391

20^th: Leave for Toronto, Canada  (flying…pray!)

21, 22, 23: Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada:  Evolution/Creation Issues and Assumptions

22^nd: Bronte Seventh Day Adventist Church, Oakville, Ontario: Global Warming, A Christian Perspective/Incredible Creatures

24^th: Return to Dallas

30^th: First Baptist of Carrollton, TX, Sunday School for 25-45 age with children, Creation and Incredible Creatures

30^th: Leave for Pennsylvania

2^nd: Millersville University, (College Bible Fellowship) Lancaster, PA: Global Warming, A Christian Perspective

3^rd: Heritage Baptist Church, Seven Valleys, PA, Wednesday evening service: Creationism: (717) 428-1765

4^th: Institute for Scientific and Biblical Research, Lancaster, PA, 7:30 P.M. Updates on NEA Conventions, Incredible Creatures

5-6^th: See family in Perryopolis, PA

7^th: Glasgow Baptist Church, Newark, DE: An overview of the Creation/Evolution Issues: (A.M. and P.M.) 410-398-2733

8^th: See family in Pennsylvania en route home

9^th: Back to Texas

14^th: Stepping Stones Church, McKinney, TX: 9:15 & 10:30A.M.  (972) 548-1300: Creation and Incredible Creatures

16^th: Jobe’s cardiac appointment

18-22^nd: Seventh Day Adventist Church, Manchester, New Hampshire: Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution/Creationism

 26-28^th: Kerrville, TX, Couple’s Retreat with friends and emphasis on fellowshipping around the Word and Hymn singing! J

31^st:  Howard Payne University, Brownwood, TX: Chapel:  Creation or Evolution, Does It Really Matter?

(Questions about schedule contact 469-338-1195)