Category Archives: Religion

A Christmas World View

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Christmas is not just another holiday. It is not just a season for retailers to see the parenthesis disappear from the net profit/loss bottom line.

The truth of Christmas is a basic foundation of deep philosophical and theological questions about the meaning of life and our existence in this world.

In just a few decades, we have witnessed a major shift in attitudes about this traditional holiday. To show how seismic the shift has been, let me ask you a question. Why was it newsworthy that in 2017, President Trump wished everyone a “Merry Christmas?”

There is a world view on public display in a manger scene or in the greeting of “Merry Christmas.” That is why organizations like the ACLU regularly demand that small towns remove manger scenes from public property and “Seasons Greetings” or “Happy Holidays” have replaced “Merry Christmas” as a traditional greeting in many places.

A Christmas world view is based on the truth of Scripture. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NASB)

That one sentence established the truth that God is the creator of all that we see. Some may mock the idea of God creating everything out of nothing.

The alternative view is that everything was already in existence and just rearranged itself, by itself, in the balanced order of nature and universe that we know today. It seems that the latter view requires a greater leap of faith than to believe in God as the Creator.

Genesis further describes God’s creation of man in the image of God. He created Adam and Eve as a special creation and gave them dominion over the earth.

The world was perfect in every way and man was perfect in every way. A perfect, holy God had created a perfect environment with perfect creatures.

His desire was a personal relationship with His creation and He had one. He walked with Adam in the garden in the cool of the day.

God gave one rule to man. Imagine, living in a perfect environment with just one rule.

Adam and Eve willfully committed the first sin and broke the one rule that God gave. As a result, sin entered the world and with it the consequences of sin.

The horrible consequences included the destructive emotions of fear, embarrassment, guilt, anger, jealousy, envy, and hatred. Those emotions led to actions of cover-up, blaming others, murder, and other destructive behaviors.

Nature itself was infected by sin. Man now had to confront weeds, thorns, and pestilence that fought to kill what had been growing freely and abundantly in the perfect Garden.

Man’s sin was an incurable genetic disorder passed down to every generation. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12 NASB)

Man sought for meaning through accumulating knowledge, establishing empires and building wealth. None of those ended the curse of death and none of those brought peace and meaning to life.

But God already had a plan to solve the unsolvable problem of sin. Because of His great love for man, He came to earth as one of us to reconcile man to himself.

2,000 years ago on a hillside near the little town of Bethlehem, angels appeared to shepherds in the field and announced good tidings of great joy. “Today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 NASB)

Jesus lived the perfect life. He promised life to those who would believe in Him. He made an exclusive claim that He, and He alone, is the way, the truth, and the life.

He took the penalty of sin on behalf of fallen man. He died on a cross and was raised again from the dead. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (II Corinthians 5:19)

He defeated death and the grave by being raised from the dead. Since the time of His life on this earth, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven, millions, if not billions, have believed in Him. He changed the world and is still changing lives today.

One day He will return. He will, once and for all, put a permanent end to the consequences of sin. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.” (Revelation 21:4 NASB)

God’s revelation of Jesus Christ is the greatest message ever given. It is the message of God’s great love and His amazing grace that He has shown to man.

Christmas is not just another holiday. The images of Christmas such as the manger scene and the greetings of “Merry Christmas” carry with them a world view, the only world view, that gives hope for eternal life.

It is no accident that you are reading this blog post. My prayer for you this Christmas is that, if you have not already, you will receive Christ and forever more have a Christmas world view.

Merry Christmas.

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The Solution

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I have the honor of serving as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Rochelle, Georgia during the interim time between permanent pastors. I received notice last Tuesday that the regular Wednesday midweek services were cancelled so that members could attend Fields of Grace 2018.

Crowd of people kneeling in prayer

Fields of Grace is a worship service, led by students in Wilcox County schools. In addition to Fields of Grace in the fall, they also have a service called Sermon on the Mound in the spring.

The student organization in the high school is Patriots for Christ. The elementary schools also have a program for students named, Little Patriots for Christ.

Local area churches support the school clubs as well as some of the teachers, coaches, and administrators outside of their duties for the school system. While there is support from these adults, the program is clearly student led.

The program last night featured the Big Brother and Big Sister mentorship program. A student from Patriots for Christ paired with a student from Little Patriots for Christ for several weeks before the service to teach and learn Scripture and Bible Stories.

Throughout the service, one after another, two students, one from high school and one from the elementary or middle school would come to the stage and have a conversation. Both introduced themselves and their grade in school.

Some selected favorite Bible stories. Some selected favorite Bible verses. The two students summarized the story or verse and then told how it helped them in their lives.

Some students sang a favorite song or shared a personal testimony of how Christ affected their lives. The students were not assigned verses. They made their own selection and the selections were independent of each other.

As I listened to them sharing testimony and Scripture, I began to see a pattern or theme of these verses. They spoke of a personal walk with God and a sense of confidence and courage. One read from the Psalm 23, “He leads me beside the still waters.” One read Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” One read from Luke 18:27 “what is impossible with man is possible with God.”

One of the most moving parts of the service was not part of the program. A young boy asked for the microphone. He could not have been more than 10 years old. He said that one in his family had cancer and asked for prayer. Later, the entire field gathered at the front and humbly kneeled, praying for healing and freedom from worry and anxieity.

I titled this article, “The Solution.” In a small Southwest Georgia county, a new generation of leaders is coming on the scene. Teenage high schoolers are teaching the truths of God’s Word to single-digit-age elementary school students.

These young people are not demanding, “safe spaces.” They are growing as leaders to stand on the solid rock of eternal truth and they are passing the truth to the next generation.

These young leaders already face a hostile world but they face it with courage, confidence, and an unwavering committment. Fields of Grace 2018 is a reminder that, while the world may be going mad, God is still at work building leaders for the future of our nation.

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He Still Remembers D-Day

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Young American soldier

“There were body parts flying everywhere.” 93 year old Julian Parker of Cordele still remembers D-Day, June 6, 1944, wading on that beach in France. He said that the Germans had two big guns that were supposed to have been knocked out before the Americans landed.

The young soldiers wading on the beach were like sitting ducks. Julian said that some thought they were being smart by huddling close together. From his point of view, that just made a bigger target. He put a little bit of distance between himself and other groups as he made his way up the beach.

After the landing he moved through France and Germany. He saw the horrors of Nazi Germany and the death camps. At one place he said that bodies were stacked up like cord wood where the Nazis had executed thousands.

Julian does not talk a lot about his experiences. A medal display in his room shows, among others, two Purple Hearts and one Bronze Star. He pointed to his head to show where he was hit one time. He said that sometimes he still feels bits of shrapnel in his body.

He did not remember what he did to get the Bronze Star. He said that they wanted to promote him on the battlefield, but he turned it down. As he put it, he told the Army that he did not want to be there to start with and just wanted to get the job done and go home.

As a young teenager, Julian lived near the Georgia coast. He was still in school when he turned 18 and was drafted. After basic training in Mississippi, he went to London, and from London took the cruise across the English Channel with 500,000 other troops to land on a beach in France.

The war had an immense impact on Julian. He said that when he returned home, he went to his house and got his old hunting rifle that he owned since he was a boy. “I took it to the woods, dug a hole and buried it. I had seen enough killing and didn’t want anything more to do with it!”

On the day those men stormed the beaches, parachuted from planes, and flew gliders behind enemy lines, President Roosevelt addressed the nation and prayed for victory. The prayer is about 6 minutes and it is worth your time to hear it.

Read or Listen to President Roosevelt’s D-Day Prayer Here

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A Community in Prayer

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I recently received a letter inviting me to attend a community prayer vigil in my community of Cordele, Georgia.Community praying in Cordele, GA I was familiar with the name of one of the three organizers but not the other two.

It was scheduled for 3:00 pm on Sunday, January 14, 2018 at the Cordele community club house. The letter said that it was a prayer for the community and, in particular, the problem of crime in the city.

I will be transparent.  I did not know what to expect and a few unfounded thoughts ran through my mind. Was this going to be another one of those “unity” gatherings with prayer tacked on to be sure that something religious was included?

I did not want to promote something just because it was framed as a time for prayer.  I decided to go and see for myself. At the very least, I could bow my head and pray silently.

The unfounded thoughts that ran through my mind proved to be just that – unfounded. Not just unfounded, totally false.

The crowd was not very large but it looked to be a fairly good turnout to me. There were maybe three dozen people gathered. There were men and women, boys and girls, black and white.  The racial makeup of the crowd was probably 80% black and 20% white.

The prayers were about the community of Cordele, Georgia.  There was no focus on the West side or East side of town.

The prayers were that crime would be stopped; that families would be strengthened; that there would be jobs for the unemployed; that children would learn and be safe in schools; and that public servants would have wisdom and strength to serve.

What was not talked and prayed about was as significant as what was mentioned. There was no mention of political parties. There was barely a reference to race and that was only in the context of praying for everyone in the community no matter what race. There was no distinction of economic class.

In short, the prayers were about the people of our community. They were prayers that one would hear in churches anywhere in our region. They were heartfelt and humble.

When it was over and I was getting in my car, it dawned on me that something else was never mentioned in that gathering. There would have been nothing wrong had it been mentioned.

On the weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, his name was never mentioned.  It was because the focus was not on Dr. King, but on The King of Kings. For one hour on a chilly afternoon in the small Southwest Georgia town of Cordele, three dozen citizens of the community humbly gathered and bowed to pray.

Thank you, Joyce Williams Mitchell, Shannon Penny Nipper, Lavater Hall Bass, and the others who responded to a leading. We need to do this again, soon.

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Charlie Gard and President Trump’s Speech in Warsaw

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Eleven month old, Charlie Gard, has been granted what is the equivalent of a stay of execution. The Great Ormand Street Hospital had requested and won the right to keep Charlie in its custody and remove his life support.

According to a story in the Daily Mail, seven international experts presented evidence that the baby has a much higher chance of survival than originally thought. Based on the evidence, the hospital requested a new hearing in the High Court.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Slapping Martin Luther King’s Dream in the Face

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Joy Reid of MSNBC sent the tweet below about the shooting last Wednesday at the practice for the Congressional Republican baseball team.  She decided to play the race card and the gender card along with private and personal details about one of the agents.

In the famous speech of Martin Luther King, he preached that he had a dream about a future in America. The memorable line from that speech was plain and clear.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

Why I Support Karen Handel

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Karen Handel for Congress

Click on the Banner Above to Donate to Karen Handel

I have been reading a book published by Hillsdale College entitled, The US Constitution, A Reader. The book is a compilation of original writings by our founding fathers and those who influenced their thinking.

You may wonder what this has to do with the title of this post – “Why I Support Karen Handel.” It is a reminder that the platform on which Karen stands is not something new. Her philosophy is grounded in the same philosophy documented over two centuries ago.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

A Farmer and His Faith

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On Tuesday, April 25, 2017, at the United States Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas, a Georgian, administered the oath of office to Sonny Perdue, a fellow Georgian, to serve as the United States Secretary of Agriculture.  Sonny Perdue joins President Trump’s administration with unique qualifications.

He grew up on a farm and has experienced the full cycle of life in farming. He knows what it is like to prepare the soil, plant the seed, care for the growing crop, harvest, move it to market, set aside proceeds from the fruit of his labor, and start the process all over again.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

An Appeal to Georgians Who Vote Democrat

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I know Georgians who vote Democrat.  Some come from a Labor Union background. Many are African-American. Some are elderly Caucasians who loved Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The common denominator is that they are fed the line that Republicans are greedy, uncaring, and out of touch with the common people. That is a false caricature.  The truth is that the Democrat party is not the party of the common man. It took a sharp detour from that path long ago. FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather

The Governor Who Prayed for Rain

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President-Elect Trump formally announced former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as his pick for Agriculture Secretary. The first headlines from mainstream media were about Sonny’s call for prayer for rain in 2007.

Sonny Perdue is a man of faith. He grew up on a farm. It is virtually unheard of to find a farmer who does not acknowledge reliance on divine Providence. Praying for good weather conditions is a part of life in a family and community dependent on agriculture.FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmailby feather