Snow

Today here at home, we are enjoying a beautiful snow. It really is our first good snow of the year. As I drove in this morning and looked at the snow, I thought of some Scriptures about snow. Snow gives us some beautiful pictures in the Word of God:

1. Forgiveness of Christ: Psalm 51:7 describes the forgiveness of God as making us “Whiter” than snow. There isn’t much more “white” than a field of untouched snow, but our forgiveness in Christ makes us “Whiter” than snow. If you look close enough in any snow, you will find contaminants, but in the forgiveness of Christ, ALL is forgiven. Is. 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall e as white as snow...”

2. Refreshing of the Word: Proverbs 25:13 states, “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.” In the harvest time men are working hard and pouring themselves out to reap all they can. It is hard work. In those days, there was no ice machines, but rarely and at great expense, one could be sent to the top of a nearby mountain and obtain snow and then hurry back to the men working. By then there was offered to the laborers an ice cold drink of pure water. That snow represented the refreshing power of the faithful messenger. A faithful messenger these days is rare, but for those laboring in the field, nothing refreshes the soul like the Word of God.

3. Folly of a Fool: Proverbs 26:1 reads, “As snow in summer....so honour is not seemly for a fool.” The thought of seeing what I am seeing in my front yard in July is ludicrous. So, the Bible teaches, is honor for the fool. It is time we quit trying to give honor to those who live ungodly lives. It is the fool that says in their heart there is no God, and may we add to that, it is a greater fool who says there is a God, but they will not serve Him.

4. Face of God: Rev. 1:14 gives us an eye witness of our God: “His head and his hairs were white look wool, as white as snow...” What a day, when we get to behold with our eyes the pure, righteous, holy face of our God!

Thank the Lord for snow.

Why Our Girls Do Not Play Basketball

The picture to the right is that of our church's academy's girls volleyball team.  This was them displaying their trophy after volleyball tournaments.  We are very thankful for our young ladies. After volleyball season begins basketball season.  I schedule our academy's games, and each year I am asked if we have a girl's basketball team.  Each year I answer "no."  They usually ask why, and I usually answer with a vague response like "it's just not something we do."  It's an acceptable answer, but I know I didn't answer anyone's question.  I've never really given an answer.  I know there are parents who wonder the same thing.  To be honest, we would probably be pretty good after some practices, but still...no thank you.
The reason we do not have a girl's basketball team are quite simple. Now, let me make clear, I am NOT saying that others are wrong and in sin if they have a girls team.  I am NOT saying that girls should not play basketball.  What I am saying is that I chose for our girls not to based upon the following reasons.
 First, and foremost, the Lord just doesn't give me liberty to do so.  I have prayed about it, and if I were to have one at this time, I would be going against what I know God has told me not to do.  As a pastor, I try to be sensitive to the Lord's leading.  Second, I don't care for what most often is produced.  To be a "good" basketball team, your team must hustle, run, be aggressive, fight for the ball, box out, be strong, and dive for the loose ball.  Growing up, most schools I went to had a girl's basketball team.  When we first started CBA, we had a girl's basketball team.  The "good" basketball players carried these characteristics with them off the court.  Most of them were "jocks" with aggressive spirits.  When I read the Bible about young ladies and Biblical ladies, the ideas of diving on floors in front of men, fighting, boxing out, and being physically dominant is just not found.  The reality is, most who were "good" girl basketball players did not end up being sweet, modest ladies.

Third, and sorry for the awkwardness, it just many times is not modest for ladies to run up and down the court and occasionally diving to the ground for a loose ball.  Most time the shorts and culottes ride high above the knee when running down the court.  My understanding and conviction is that above the knee is nakedness as defined in Scripture (Ex. 28:42; Is. 47:2-3; 1 Tim. 2:9).  For this same reason, our boy's basketball team wears long pants.  Also, a modesty issue is the cut off sleeves along with the running up and down a court for a lady as designed by God.   You may think I am being too strict, foolish, or a sexist, but just watch most men's eyes when a lady is jogging by.

Titus 2 gives us our Biblical goals for our young ladies.  The Scriptures demand they be taught to be sober, love their husbands, be discreet, be chaste, a keeper of the home, good, and obedient to their own husband (submissive).  Playing on a basketball team helps in none of these areas in my opinion.  Rather, it teaches them to be emotional (just watch a game and hear the screams and watch the tears), strong willed, in your face, hustle at all cost, be at practices away from home, be dominant, and modesty not prioritized.  This just isn't what I desire for our young ladies.

Again, any one else can do what ever they feel the Lord will have them do.  It is none of my business and I do not write this to correct anyone, but to explain why we do not participate.  Do as the Lord leads you; just make sure you have asked the Lord what He thinks about it.

An Open Letter to the Struggling

My name doesn't matter, but I represent those who go to church every week, get out of the car with our smiling family, sing the songs with a smile on our faces, and "amen" when the preacher is preaching.  I represent those who go back to church on Sunday night and the mid-week service and spend an hour or two on visitation every week.  I represent those who dress with standards, and call other Christians brother and sister each time I meet them.  I represent-the Church people.

First, trust me, we all have our problems.  Even though the above paragraph truly does represent me and my family most every weekend, we have our own struggles.  We all have our past, we all have our besetting sins we must guard against and often repent of, we all have days of tears.  Yet, there we are each week enjoying the presence of God in the presence of our brothers and sisters.

The reason I write this is because we get a bad rap most often.  A quick "google" and you can find plenty of open letters to us church people from those who have struggles reminding us that we are not perfect and how we don't understand and how we need to quit judging and how we are pushing you away.  Well, as a representative of many of these "church people," let me just answer that we know we are not perfect.  Probably, we know that more than you understand.  We are so far from perfect.  Matter of the fact, we make ourselves sick when we look at ourselves, and that's why we are so happy!  You see, I know how bad I am, but despite me and my flesh, the Lord has saved me and forgiven me!  Because of His great mercy, I get to go to Heaven!  What a miracle!  How can I not be happy?  I have given all my sin and guilt and unrighteousness to God, and in exchange He gave to me His Son's righteousness!  All this, by repenting of my sin and trusting in Jesus Christ as my Saviour!  Even after that experience, I have failed so many times.  Yet, time and time again, I confess my sin and turn from it and He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse EVERY TIME!  No wonder I smile a lot.  I know we are not perfect.

The accusation that we don't understand just isn't applicable either.  I do understand.  I am a sinner.  I have sinned and done things I so bad regret.  Our sins may be different, but we are both sinners the same.  Even if there are some sins I may have never participated in that possibly you find yourself entangled in, doesn't mean I don't understand.   All sin is addictive.  All sin is powerful.  All sin can take over your life.  I do understand what it is like to be under the power of sin.

Then there is the whole judging thing.  I speak for the great majority here, "no one is judging you."  How could someone who knows how wicked they are and how powerful sin is think they are better than someone else struggling with the same thing they struggle with?  No, we are not judgmental and no, we do not think we are better.  Matter of fact, we care even more.  We understand and we reach out our hand to help you with the Truth.  That hand out reached is not a hand pushing you away, but a hand to offer you help.  A hand to help you get up.  A hand to help you overcome.  A hand to help stabilize you.  The devil tries to get you to duck when we reach out that hand, but he is lying to you.  That hand is one that is just there to offer help.  The reason we do that is because someone reached out a hand just like that to us in our life.  Each of us have needed that hand, and we still do.  That's why we spend so much time together with our brothers and sisters.  We need each other!

The problem is many times, that the person struggling doesn't want help.  Now that statement may upset you and you may think "here he goes again being judgmental," but please let me try to explain.  We all are often like little children in the sight of God.  We all fall at times.  Then, just like I have done both physically as a child and spiritually too often, we lie there and cry because we have fallen.  What we want is for someone to lie there next to us and cry with us.  We want people to wallow in our sorrow with us and feel like no one understands what it is like to have fallen.  Reality is, we all have fallen.  Some have harder falls than others, but we all have fallen.  What did we need when we fell?  We didn't need our parent to lie on the ground and cry with us, we needed a strong and loving hand to lift us up and help us get on our feet again.  We needed a stabilizing hand to just "be there" in case we began to fall again.  It wasn't long, until that fall was behind us and we weren't even thinking about it anymore...because we let someone help us get up.

How does this work?  That "rhetoric" you hear from us ("let the Lord help you," "you must repent and turn from your sin" "you must take hold of God's hand" "you need to come to church and be faithful to services" "quit going to those places that offer temptation") is not judging, it's experience.  Those are words that we were told that helped us get up and get on our feet.  You see, we don't  think less of you because of sin, because we are right there with you as sinners.  We just have experienced the forgiveness and restoration of God and the necessity of fellowshipping with our church for strength and stabilizing.

The good news is that there is hope!  The Lord will help!

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41:10, 13

 It's not just words, the Lord truly will help and strengthen you.  His hand is mighty.  Victory comes when you are willing to get the sin out and the Lord help you up.  And I promise, we will be there offering our hand too, for that's all we know to do, because that is what the Lord and others did for us.  We love you!