Almost Committed

I’m not going to say anything about our SBC convention that hasn’t already been said but I’d like to give it my best shot anyways.

Acts 26:27 “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”

This is the verse that God spoke to my heart Wednesday morning as I sat and prayed about all that had transpired the day before and began preparing my heart for the events that would unfold on this particular day.

Our SBC leadership is willing to say that the Bible is God’s Word and that it is sufficient for all matters of life and Godliness. They are willing to state that we need no other analytical tools, yet they have refused to refute the Godless, divisive, perverted, hackjob known as CRT. They stood on that stage and publicly mocked good honest men and women of God. They purposefully fluffed mics, they deliberated, they even used a nonsense motion to filibuster through the allotted time for discourse.

Scores of good men and women co-signed a resolution calling for the abolition of abortion and yet it was held up in committee? Thankfully the messengers were able to force them to bring it out of committee for discussion and was voted on by SBC messengers and passed with one minor amendment.

Truth be told, I hate the politics of our denomination. I hate that you need to be powerful in order to garner a voice, or know the right person, or attend the right church. Grassroots churches are the majority throughout our convention yet they have the least representation due to lack of funds or bi-vocational pastors who just can’t leave their work to attend.

If not for faithful men like Ronnie Floyd and Paul Chitwood, groups like Founders Min and CBN, and the many fellow pastors and laypeople that I love and respect, I would have lost faith in our convention long ago. This year I came to the realization that our SBC leadership echoes the voice of Agrippa, “almost you’ve persuaded me to live, act, and lead like a Christian.”

Pray for my church and scores of churches just like mine that we remain faithful to the Lord despite what happens at the national level. I believe there are churches praying and making decisions to leave or withhold funding from the CP, pray that God gives us wisdom and courage to do the right thing. We are called to build God’s Kingdom, we are not called to build a great convention to and of ourselves.

A Pastor’s responsibility

As I was leaving our national convention today I spoke briefly on the phone with one of my church members, a 50 y/o man who has been integral in the life of my church and local association for many years. Through the course of the conversation he thanked me for keeping our church informed on the current state of affairs within the SBC. He concluded by stating that I am the first pastor who has kept our church apprised of the inner workings of our great convention. I hung up the phone encouraged but also disheartened by this information. How many churches share the same sentiment I wondered? How many pastors fail to keep up with our SBC leadership? How many pastors fail to hold SBC leadership accountable to the local body of believers?

It is a pastors responsibility to feed the flock. A former pastor and mentor told me that he didn’t like to be called the shepherd of the flock as Christ is the True Shepherd. Pastor Gary prefers the title of sheepdog. A sheepdog protects the flock and does everything the Shepherd tells him to do even at the expense of his life if necessary.

Pastors should never sacrifice the defense of the Gospel from the pulpit, pastors should never allow distractions from the Gospel from the pulpit. The pulpit is a sacred place reserved for the edification of the body of believers, for doctrine sufficient from the Holy Word of God, for correction and calls to repentance when needed, and for instruction in righteousness. The pulpit is a sacred place to preach repentance from sin and give the needed call to salvation for the lost. The church is not a hospital for sinners but an armory for the warriors of God.

Pastors, it is also our duty and obligation to keep our churches informed on the SBC to whom we entrust our resources. We are called to Biblical Stewardship and if we don’t know where our money is going or what it’s being spent on then God will not honor our giving. The days of blindly sending our CP giving are over, truth be told have been over for many years. Stay apprised of our entities, stay apprised of our seminaries, stay apprised of our leadership, and when necessary disseminate this information to your congregants. Stay engaged, encourage your church to send messengers to state and national conventions, and above all PREACH THE WORD…BE INSTANT, IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON.

Nutrition: Water Quality and Tea

leave that tap water alone.

3-D Vitality

I am a tea lover and green tea has long been a favorite both just because I like it and for its numerous health benefits. But I learned something about a simple way to amplify those health benefits.

Rather than just filling the teapot with tap water, simply use bottled, filtered or purified water. According to this study, just this one small change more than doubles the amount of EGCG, the primary antioxidant in green tea, known to boost heart health and lower risk for certain types of cancer, among other benefits.

It was found that average tap water contains various minerals, like calcium, magnesium, and sodium, along with some possible toxins like copper or lead. These minerals may affect the antioxidant levels in your tea as well as blocking EGCG from being extracted from the tea leaves, which could lower the antioxidant levels of your tea.

The…

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Exercise Effects On Blood Glucose Verified With CGM

You’re doing great work documenting your journey brother. Thank you so much.

cosmoscon

As a Type 2 Diabetic who has controlled my blood glucose levels by adopting the Paleo lifestyle, I’ve written before on the benefits of exercise on my blood glucose levels and it should be common practice for docs to lead with this sort of ‘therapy’ for Type 2 Diabetics but unfortunately many medical professionals lead with medicine that have horrific side effects.

Over the past month I’ve increased my exercise activity and held to a strict Paleo diet and the results from my Continuous Glucose Meter (CGM) will provide further proof to this theory that exercise and Paleo alone (without meds) will control blood glucose levels in a Type 2 Diabetic.

Here are the data to support my claim.

pre exercise cgm post exercise cgm

As you can see, my blood glucose levels are very stable in the later graph vs the earlier graph and the nighttime levels were around 100 consistently. The estimated A1c…

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Fatherless on Father’s Day

Man, this really touched me. It’s amazing seeing the man Jason has grown up to become and the obvious love that you and he share.

Shining His Light

How is it possible to grieve the loss of someone I’ve never met?

I’ve asked myself this question many times over the last almost 16 years of marriage to Jason, my husband. Our wedding day. The birth of daughters. Every significant accomplishment & milestone in our lives has passed without Jason’s Dad here to share it with. I take for granted my own relationship with my Dad because I don’t know the loss Jason suffered as a young boy who lost his Dad. I’ve not yet had to bury a parent. I haven’t walked that road but I watch the pain in my husband’s eyes every time he feels the weight of being fatherless.

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The Body of Christ

I know you can worship God anywhere you are, in fact I would encourage this sort of behaviour. But, I’ve heard a lot of folks say they don’t go to church because they feel closer to God in the outdoors or in the privacy of their homes. Well, with a few quick verses I think I can help you make that trip to your local watering hole (the body of Christ). The local church is a powerful tool in the life of the believer and the Bible stresses the importance of it. If you don’t have a Bible believing church that you attend I highly encourage you to find one. And those of you that have one available yet you don’t take full advantage of it……shame on you.

THREE REASONS FOR CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP!!
Romans 15:32
32. That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

1. FELLOWSHIP SHOULD PRODUCE JOY IN OUR LIVES.

I John 1:3-4
3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

2. FELLOWSHIP IS THE WILL OF GOD.

Hebrews 10:25
25. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

3. FELLOWSHIP IS OUR SOURCE OF BEING REFRESHED AND EDIFIED.

I Thess 5:11
11. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Godly legacy

“And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;”
Acts 17:6 KJV

What will our legacy be? What will our epitaph read? “Hear lies (insert name) a devout servant of God. He/she turned the world upside down”

Have we even made an eternal impression on our families? Children rarely exceed the spiritual level of their parents. Where does that leave our children in the grand scope of eternity? I was challenged last night by a gentleman only 20 years of age that knew exactly what God’s will was for his life and was on track to accomplish that mission. I was embarrassed, 37 years old lacking the motivation to do what I know God wants me to do. The time has come for us to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT and perform some kingdom building exercises. God bless and have a great day.

Locked in mine

On Monday my loving wife asked me to do something she’s never asked before. I have on occasion shared my love on written form but she’s never asked me directly to write her a poem. This put a bit of pressure on me to do it to perfection. And I’m not that good at perfection. All week a thought has been running through my mind so I thought I’d give this a try for her sake. I call this piece “Locked In Mine”. Just wanted to share with her a piece of my heart.

Eyes divine, shadowed joy, hints of passion.
Haunted, lonely, unfulfilled till locked with mine.
Lips divine, colored sweetly, upturned slightly.
Haunted, lonely, unfulfilled till locked with mine.
Heart divine, etched in gold, pure as snow.
Haunted, lonely, unfulfilled till locked with mine.
Joy divine, sometimes troubled, always full.
Haunted, lonely, unfulfilled till locked with mine.
Love divine, shared but spared, tempered true.
Haunted, lonely, unfulfilled till locked with mine.
Embrace divine, always welcomed, always warm.
Haunted….lonely…..unfulfilled till locked in mine!