WORDS OF THE PREACHER

Can you Hate Religion and Still Love Jesus?

2012-01-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

This video, entitled, "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" has risen to fame via Facebook and YouTube, almost overnight. Jefferson Bethke is the author of the poem and is also the man performing a dramatic reading of the poem in the video.

Many of my friends on facebook are liking it and sharing it. If you haven’t seen it, you can view it here at this linkhttp://youtu.be/1IAhDGYlpqY

But again, I’ve been thinking about it more carefully.

Now it probably resonates with so many different people because first, no doubt many folks have been “burned” by their encounters with Christians and churches. No question. Hypocrisy and the bad practice of the religion of Jesus Christ. It’s the principle of what Gandhi said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

But second, I also think that this video resonates with folks sadly because it doesn’t take any obvious stances other than a basic rebellious attitude that claims the higher ground by supporting “Jesus” over “religion,” whatever “religion” is supposed to mean.

So let’s talk about this video. Yes, this is a strong artsy video with some great editing, good background music, a strong emotional appeal, a catchy rhyme. But it is a weak theological video. Don’t get me wrong. He makes some good points. Some denominations and individual churches do not do some of these things like feeding the poor and judging divorced people, etc. Some people assume your faith based on your political vote. And I do wish some would take “Christian” off their religious status on Facebook based on how their act. Again, I think I understand about encounters with bad and loveless Christianity and of the institutional church which in too many places only focused on “rituals” and often interferes with their personal relationship with Christ and does not changes the core of my heart and how I live my life. So yes, there are some things that he says that modern “Christians’ need to hear.

But (you knew that was coming) there are too many other false messages I take away from this video. I am not breaking down each point this guy makes but I do care, strongly on a few.

First, he says (and many others have said), that Jesus came to get rid of religion, Jesus didn’t. In fact he said the opposite if anything. (Read Matthew 5:17-19)

It is true that in the Gospels, the Pharisees and Sadducees are depicted as the representatives of organized religion at the time of Christ. Jesus constantly confronted them about their hypocritical lifestyles. But remember the definition of a hypocrite: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. Jesus actually told the disciples that they should DO what the scribes and Pharisees tell them...“…practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice” (Matthew 23:3).

Now we are also read in many of the NT epistles how there were “organized groups” that mixed the gospel with certain lists of required works and rituals. They also sought to put pressure on believers to change and accept these “Christianity plus” religions. Galatians and Colossians give warnings about such religions.

So yes, it is true that in many cases, the end result of organized religion is a distraction from the intent of Jesus Christ.

However, the Bible does speak of organized believers who are part of His plan. God calls these groups of organized believers “churches.” Now the New Testament often refers to "the church" in a universal sense, encompassing the entire saved body or family of God throughout the world (Mt. 16:16-18; Eph. 1:21-22;19-22; 5:23-25) Also, the scriptures frequently refer to "the church" in a local sense (1 Cor. 1:2).
Furthermore, what do we do with Jesus’ declaration “on this rock I will build my church” if we think Jesus hated organized religion? (Matt. 16:16-18)

The Bible authorizes no organization for the universal church, except Jesus, who is the absolute ruler and head (Eph. 1:21-22) with absolute authority (Matt. 28:18). The New Testament does present Christ's plan for the organization of the local church. (Acts 14:23; Phil. 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:1-12; Titus 1:5-11)

From the descriptions from the book of Acts and the NT letters clearly indicate that the church is to be organized and interdependent. The organization leads to protection, productivity, and outreach (Acts 2:41-47). In the case of the church, it could better be called an “organized relationship.”

So, again, yes, Jesus confronts religious people and challenges them, but he never does away with religion because of the people that are misguided. He actually comes to bring religion to its fullness, what it is really meant to be, steeped in relationship with Him. (cf. John 14:7)

Further Jesus did give further instructions on how we as His followers should actually live out our relationship with Him. You can say that the whole of the Sermon on the Mount is about how to live properly in “religion”.

So, no God doesn’t hate religion. Jesus didn’t come to throw it away. God made religion, Jesus is it’s fulfillment. (Mt. 5:13-16) God’s displeasure is not in religion, but its misuse, in religiosity that misses the point of using the system of religion to be in relationship with the One who created it.

Ultimately, as many others who have written a negative response to this video has said, there is a false dichotomy; you cannot love Jesus and hate religion. Jesus himself was VERY religious. Now the thing about religion is that it is composed of people. The thing about people is that they are not perfect. Therefore the people who practice the religion of their faith (the church) will never be perfect! Yet, God is still works through people and His church, every day!

Some other problems I had with this video.

In the video Bethke says that religion is just “behavior modification, like a long list of chores.” I think this speaks to a profound “don’t tell me what to do” attitude that dominates, if not defines, my generation. If you don’t what to be told that you’re not perfect and are in need of change, then Jesus is not the guy you want to speak to. To claim that “religion” is trying to tell you how to behave, but Jesus doesn’t want to tell you what to do demonstrates at best a profound ignorance of the Bible, in particular the Gospels themselves, and at worst a dangerous self-centeredness that is fundamentally antithetical not only to the Christian faith, but to Jesus himself. Jesus’ entire ministry was centered around how to live a particular way of life, or as Bethke said it “behavior modification.” To call it “a long list of chores” reveals a true lack of interest in fulling Jesus’ command to bring the kingdom of God “to earth as it is in heaven.”

And in this connection, where does James 1:27 fit in the hatred towards “religion?” James said, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Now, keep in mind that James 1:27 is NOT intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive definition of true religion as some have mistakenly thought. But James clearly says that the real outward manifestioan of a genuine faith is in the practical life. True religion or worship will best express itself by action.

Here’s a side bar observation: I’ve noticed that one difference between emerging progressive and more traditional evangelical Christians is how they conceive holiness. Emergents seem to often more than not to see it primarily in terms of social action. A holy person is one who cares for the poor, and they tend to be less concerned about that person’s swearing, drinking, gambling, or sexual activity. By contrast conservative evangelicals tend to view holiness much more in terms of sin avoidance. Thus you can be considered “holy” by avoiding a long list of sins, but without ever lifting a finger to serve the needy.

James reminds us about the balanced definition of pure religion.

Now, also, Bethke promotes what is at the heart of modern Protestant doctrine and it’s idea that we are saved by “faith alone.” He says “which is why salvation is freely mine and forgiveness is my own. Not based on my merits but Jesus’s obedience alone.” Well, yes and no. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer would be quick to remind us “ye were bought with a price…and what was costly for God must also be costly for us.” Likewise, we don’t have ownership of our forgiveness. If we did then it would be something we purchased or earned which would be counter-intuitive to Bethke’s argument. And while he’s right that that forgiveness stems from the actions of Jesus and not us or what we do, nonetheless, we are saved by “grace through faith.” (Eph. 2:8-9) Grace is God’s part. Faith is our part. And true saving faith is obedient. (cf. John 3:36; Rom. 1:5; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; James 2:22-24) Our obedience is the demonstration of our acceptance of that grace and forgiveness. The two are not as separate as soon many have come to believe.

Bethke also says, “See because religion says do; Jesus says done.” – So is he implying Jesus doesn’t want us to “do” anything? That he doesn’t want us to act a certain way? That he doesn’t want us to treat other as we would like to be treated? Your interpretation of Jesus as something that is already “done” implies that there is nothing left to do. That is a very dangerous assertion, and one that is very damaging to the church you claim to love. We can appreciate, love, and worship what Jesus has done without throwing our hands up in the air and saying “well, I guess that’s it then, let’s go do what we like!”.

Again, what about what James said about true and undefiled religion: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

Sounds an awful lot like we’ve got something to “do.”

I like what J.F. Arnold wrote when he blogged about this video: “The problem with the ‘relationship’-exclusive language–particularly when it jettisons ‘religion’ language–is that we have a generation of people who ignore or deny the importance of church (be that fellowship or history or wisdom of old), which strikes me as problematic. It isn’t that I think we need to be extremely strict with how this plays out, but if we end up systematically opposed to all things that sound like ‘religion,’ then suddenly it doesn’t matter whether I have fellowship with other believers. All that matters is me and Jesus.”

Exctly. We hear a lot of the popular sentiment, It’s not a religion, but it’s a relationship” from people are not active or apart of local congregation of Christians. But when we seperate Jesus from the religious community then we are left with a Jesus out of context whom we are free to shape and mold in any way we see fit.

So for me this video is a mixed bag of some good but too many erroneous thoughts. And I do care when Christians do not know the Bible enough to even recognize when a lot of this is questionable.

Now let me say I hope that some of the good things he does say in this video will be remembered and taken to heart and even the errors make the truth to shine all the more brightly.

I’d also encourage you to check out Trevin Wax who works as managing editor at LifeWay Christian Resources and his excellent review of this video at:http://taidochino.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/should-have-kept-my-mouth-shut-aka-thoughts-on-why-i-hate-religion-but-love-jesus/

Sincerely,
Robert Prater

Praise Him 2012!

2012-01-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday night nearly 600 members from the Shawnee area churches of Christ came together for Praise Him 2012. We once again, rented out the Shawnee Expo Center and had a guest speaker, Tim Lewis and guest song leader Gary Jones Jr.
It was a terrific night of worship, unity and fellowship for the body of Christ in the Shawnee area. The event was sponsored by the five Shawnee area churches of Christ including Central where I preach, and I’d guess there were probably at least 5-10 other area congregations represented in attendance.

It hasn’t been that many years ago when congregations in a local area made it a point to join together for regular fellowship, worship and Christian service. Many remember the uplifting “area wide singings” of the past when Christians from a wide area would meet at one of their buildings and raise their voices in unity to God.

In today’s culture of churches we tend to withdraw and isolate ourselves, not so much because of differences, but because we rut ourselves in the routine of what we do. Sunday night at the Expo truly uplifted us spiritually as it lead to an increased sense of brotherhood with our neighboring congregations. We joined together to praise God for what He has done for us in Christ and our hope of eternal heaven.

Now, check out this link and video: http://youtu.be/o_MGG8j4aMY whcih was shown Sunday night in which members from the various congregations were interviewed and asked the question: "Why they want to go to heaven?" (Our theme for the night was “Why I Want to Go to Heaven”) Some of you might recognize that pretty little girl on the thumbnail:), my daughter Megan. Daddy's very proud of her that already at her young age she's talking about her real home!

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Penn State, Joe Paterno and Doing the Right Thing

2011-11-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

Finally, the trustees at Penn State knew what needed to be done and finally, someone with the Nittany Lions got something right.

Those who follow the news in the sporting world are well aware that Penn State’s most beloved head football coach Joe Paterno was fired late yesterday. Apologies to the victims came in so many ways, but none louder than the trustees showing the legendary football coach the door. Prayers must continue for those who should have been protected above a football program that protected itself instead.

Those innocent young boys deserved to be put in front of recruiting, fundraising, and a coach's winning legacy.

And speaking of JoePa’s legacy, writer Jason Chatraw wrote, “Joe Paterno may have won a lot of football games, but his failure to protect the innocent doesn’t taint his legacy – it is his legacy.”

It’s kind of difficult to understand how anyone is defending “JoePa’s” actions or, in this case, inactions. The emotions are complicated I know; but this is not a complicated situation. He in no way did the “right” thing, he only did what was legally obligated to do. He failed miserably to do the moral thing.

Of course Paterno made a public plea for his job on Wednesday morning. He announced he'd retire at the end of the season. He promised fresh prayers for the same victims he should have been praying for in 2002, right after he'd made a call to police telling them that his old defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, had apparently sexually assaulted, i.e., raped a young boy in the football showers. (Sandusky has of course now been charged with molesting eight boys over 15 years with more of the abuses taking place at the Penn State football complex) Paterno knew of the allegations in 2002 and told his supervisor, but he didn't do enough to stop his old friend.

Dear friends, let us not waste this opportunity to remember that choosing to do the right thing in every situation is the right thing.

“Defend the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 82:3-4

Also check out this excellent article by Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written a sobering but necessary article in light of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal. His words are insightful and prophetic and hold many lessons for churches, elders, ministers, Bible school teachers, ministry leaders, children's homes, camp counselors, etc.

Robert Prater

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The Tragic Lessons of Penn State — A Call to Action, Al Mohler
--What would prevent this scandal at your school or church?

No one thought it would end this way. Joe Paterno, the legendary head football coach at Penn State University heard of his firing by the school’s board of trustees by phone last night. Just two weeks after achieving the most wins of any NCAA Division One football coach in history, Paterno was fired. His firing — a necessary action by the Penn State board of trustees — holds lessons for us all.

Almost a decade ago, a graduate assistant told Coach Paterno that an assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, had been observed forcing a young boy into a sexual act in the school’s football locker room showers. Sandusky was himself a big name in Penn State football, and he was considered a likely successor to Paterno if the head coach had retired. Sandusky also ran a non-profit organization for boys, and he brought the boys onto the Penn State campus. He continued to do so even after his own retirement from Penn State’s coaching staff.

After hearing the report, Paterno informed university officials of the accusation. At that point, little or nothing seems to have happened. The scandal broke into public view last Saturday, when Sandusky was arrested and charged with 40 felony counts of sexual abuse involving young boys. Penn State had been harboring a serial child sex abuser. Also arrested were the university’s athletic director and its senior vice president of business and finance. Both were charged with failure to report the abuse and with perjury.

What about Paterno and the university’s president, Graham B. Spanier? The Pennsylvania grand jury said that both men had knowledge of the 2002 first-hand report of abuse, and neither contacted the police. Furthermore, Sandusky was allowed some use of university facilities even long after this report. Paterno went back to coaching football. Spanier went back to raising money and building the school’s reputation. Jerry Sandusky had every opportunity to keep on sexually abusing young boys.

When the facts became known, the firings of both Paterno and Spanier were inevitable and necessary. Both men had credible knowledge that young boys were being sexually abused, and neither did anything effective to stop it. Most crucially, neither man did what they should have done within minutes of hearing the first report — contact law enforcement immediately.

Every single coach, athletic director, and college or university president awoke this morning to a changed world. Nothing will ever be the same again. The firing of Joe Paterno will send shock waves through the entire world of higher education. A man who a day before had announced under pressure that he would retire at the end of the season was told by phone that he would never coach another game. Penn State University will forever be associated with a scandal the likes of which college athletics has, thankfully, never seen before.

But the world has not only changed for college athletics. The detonation of the Penn State scandal must shake the entire nation into a new moral awareness. Any failure to report and to stop the sexual abuse of children must be made inconceivable. The moral irresponsibility that Penn State officials demonstrated in this tragedy may well be criminal. There can be no doubt that all of these officials bear responsibility for allowing a sexual predator to continue his attacks.

What about churches, Christian institutions, and Christian schools? The Penn State disaster must serve as a warning to us as well, for we bear an even higher moral responsibility.

The moral and legal responsibility of every Christian — and especially every Christian leader and minister — must be to report any suspicion of the abuse of a child to law enforcement authorities. Christians are sometimes reluctant to do this, but this reluctance is both deadly and wrong.

Sometimes Christians are reluctant to report suspected sexual abuse because they do not feel that they know enough about the situation. They are afraid of making a false accusation. This is the wrong instinct. We do not have the ability to conduct the kind of investigation that is needed, nor is this assigned to the church. This is the function of government as instituted by God (Romans 13). Waiting for further information allows a predator to continue and puts children at risk. This is itself an immoral act that needs to be seen for what it is.

A Christian hearing a report of sexual abuse within a church, Christian organization, or Christian school, needs to act in exactly the same manner called for if the abuse is reported in any other context. The church and Christian organizations must not become safe places for abusers. These must be safe places for children, and for all. Any report of sexual abuse must lead immediately to action. That action cannot fall short of contacting law enforcement authorities. A clear lesson of the Penn State scandal is this: Internal reporting is simply not enough.

After law enforcement authorities have been notified, the church must conduct its own work of pastoral ministry, care, and church discipline. This is the church’s responsibility and charge. But these essential Christian ministries and responsibilities are not substitutes for the proper function of law enforcement authorities and the legal system. As Christians, we respect those authorities because we are commanded to do so.

There may well be further arrests in connection with the Penn State scandal. One can only imagine the lawsuits that will consume the university’s time and treasury in years ahead. Christian institutions and churches looking at this scandal had better act immediately to ensure that all operate under adequate policies and guidelines. What would prevent this scandal at your school or church?

Church leaders and pastors must decide now — not later — that we will respond to any report of sexual abuse with immediate action and an immediate call to law enforcement officials. We must decide in advance what we will do, and not allow ourselves to think that we can handle such a challenge on our own. Every church and Christian institution needs a full set of policies, procedures, and accountability structures. As leaders, we must develop the right instincts for right action.

The leaders of Penn State University must have acted, or failed to have acted, out of many motivations. One may well have been to protect the image and reputation of the university. Well, we now see where that leads. A scandal reported and ended in 2002 would be horrible enough. A scandal that began there, was known by officials, and explodes almost a decade later is too horrible to contemplate.

We all need an immediate reality check. I discovered yesterday that the policy handbook of the institution I am proud to lead calls for any employee receiving a report of child abuse, including child sexual abuse, to contact his or her supervisor with that report. That changes today. The new policy statement will direct employees receiving such a report to contact law enforcement authorities without delay. Then, after acting in the interests of the child, they should contact their supervisor.

In a real sense, the whole world changed today. We all know more than we knew before, and we are all responsible for that knowledge. The costs of acting wrongly in such a situation, or acting inadequately, are written across today’s headlines and the moral conscience of the nation. The tragedy at Penn State is teaching the entire nation a lesson it dare not fail to learn.

WTC Memorial: The Offense of the Cross

2011-09-08T09:01:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since the dark and horrid day that was 9/11. Most of us remembers as Alan Jackson so beautifully sung “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning that September day.” One of the iconic images to emerge from among the rubble of the World Trade Center after the 9/11 attacks was two ton section of cross beams that looked like a rugged cross. (picture above) This cross became a beacon of hope of Christian rescue workers and mourners. In 2006 the cross was temporarily moved from ground zero to nearby St. Peter’s Church and a plaque was placed on it that read:

Now the group, American Atheists, claiming a violation of church and state, saying its inclusion "constitutes an unlawful attempt to promote a specific religion on governmental land.” They have sued in an effort to block the cross from being included at the World trade Center Memorial and Museum.

These atheists further claim: “the mere existence of the cross has brought on headaches, indigestion, even mental pain.”

If you’re an atheist how does ”A cross formed by two intersecting steel beams that survived the Twin Towers collapse on 9-11″ cause you such pain and suffering that it can’t be displayed in a museum with other artifacts taken from the site.

I can understand going to the museum and seeing the artifacts bringing up feelings of pain. But if you are an atheist the cross shouldn't’t bring up any more pain than anything else. You don’t believe, right?

Unless there is more spiritually going on than “meets the eye.”

Check out below this article I recently ran across that is worthy of much consideration especially in light of this protest over a cross shaped beams. It’s written by Ryan Halliday and appeared as a web-only piece at Christianity Today under the title 9/11 Cross Should Offend. Why the 9/11 Cross Should Offend All of Us
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Why the 9/11 Cross Should Offend All of Us

In a recent debate surrounding a cross displayed at the World Trade Center 9/11 memorial site, both sides agree on at least one point: the complaints by atheist litigants that the presence of the cross has caused them to suffer “dyspepsia, symptoms of depression, headaches, anxiety, and mental pain and anguish” are less than credible. Even the commentators who have argued against the inclusion of the cross in the 9/11 memorial have nevertheless ridiculed these purported symptoms, assuming they are nothing but a thinly-veiled attempt at establishing legal standing.

But Christians should recognize that these seem to be the sort of symptoms many sane and thoughtful persons experience upon encountering an unwanted vision of the cross. Far from being silly, these four atheists seem to take the cross more seriously than many believers do.

Because the cross tells the world’s strangest story in an image, it has always provoked a variety of responses, most of which have been negative. In the first century, the idea that the crucified Jesus was God-in-the-flesh was considered, depending on one’s background, either a scandal or a joke. (As the Jewish-turned Christian theologian St. Paul put it, “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”) A weak, suffering deity held little appeal and would have been easily dismissed, were it not for the early Christians’ insistence that the death of Christ was everyone’s problem.

Jesus’ first followers did not only assert that God came to earth and died, but also that culpability for his death was universal. “This Jesus, whom you crucified,” were the words chosen by St. Peter to conclude the first Christian sermon, directed to an ethnically diverse crowd, most of whom were not even present in Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ death.

For the two millennia since Jesus’ resurrection, Christian orthodoxy has been consistent in repeating this same message: the whole world stands equally guilty of committing history’s greatest atrocity, an atrocity in light of which the events of 9/11 pale in comparison. God came to earth, and we killed him.

The Book of Acts records that upon hearing this indictment for the first time, many of Peter’s listeners were “cut to the heart.” Understandably so—the charge is enough to turn the stomach, darken the mind, and plunge the heart into despair. Or, in other words, Peter’s words were enough to cause “dyspepsia, symptoms of depression, headaches, anxiety, and mental pain and anguish.” The atheist litigants have called the 9/11 cross “an ugly piece of wreckage,” arguing that it speaks of “horror and death.” On the basis of the New Testament, these statements are difficult to contradict.

But if the image of the cross represents humanity’s greatest collective failure, why would a nation cling to it as a sign of hope in the days after 9/11? The exchange that follows Peter’s sermon sheds some further light.

When asked to suggest a course of action, Peter advised his hearers, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins”—advice which makes little sense unless one assumes certain premises. These premises, implicit in the Christian religion from day one, were intricately explored over the next several decades in the writings of St. Paul, who advanced what would become the best-known but least-understood tenet of Christian theology: that somehow the death of the perfectly sinless Christ was itself the event which atoned for all the wrongdoing of the sinful human race.

If true, this turns the cross into a profound paradox. The same event that condemns humanity also justifies it, standing at once as damning evidence of guilt and a doorway to forgiveness and innocence. What’s more, the very episode that shows humanity at its worst shows God at his best, as he transforms an act of wickedness into a display of mercy and love. It is difficult to imagine themes more relevant to the attacks of September 11.

Suppose God himself has suffered and died at the hands of evil men. Suppose God himself has shown the capacity for taking what was intended for harm and using it for good. Might this affect the way we ourselves face evil and suffering? Might this be a source of strength to someone who is waist-deep in ash and rubble, trying to loosen bodies from steel and concrete?

For the person who accepts this narrative, the cross is the only thing that makes sense in the face of a senseless tragedy. But for the person who rejects it, the cross serves as a reminder of an offensive and seemingly absurd accusation, adding insult to injury. The trouble with the cross is that it refuses to be the universal symbol of beauty that some would make it out to be—it speaks life to those who believe, but death to those who do not.

No wonder people disagree about where it should be displayed.

Ryan Holladay is pastor of Lower Manhattan Community Church, which meets two blocks from the World Trade Center site.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/augustweb-only/911crossshouldoffend.html
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Friends, there is also something to keep in mind as our nation will observe the 10th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Yes, it is right, much like we do with Pearl Harbor, that we, on September 11, remember and honor those who died on that day. We continue to ask God for His continued blessings upon our nation and for those who help keep our nation safe at home and abroad.

Now it just so happens that the 10th anniversary falls on a Sunday. And as meaningful and important as the day is being the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, the day is far more meaningful as the Lord’s Day. As much as the honoring of those who died is, the honoring of the Savior who died for us is more importantem>.

God bless
Robert Prater

The Presbyterian Church and Homosexaulity

2011-06-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Maybe you saw in the news recently about how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) became the latest in a string of Protestant denominations to vote to accept homosexuals into its clergy. They join Episcopals, Lutherans, and the United Church of Christ. Methodists, Disciples of Christ, and other mainline denominations are receiving both external and internal pressure to follow suit.

I read one article online about their decision which identified a few of the reasons for this new policy. One of the reasons was "the change in broader American society toward accepting same-sex relationships." In other words, they changed to accommodate and please the culture.

What this means, of course, is that the god they are really serving is the world. No matter how much people insist that they are worshiping and serving the God of the Bible, when they shape their values by the world's moral standards rather than the Word of God, they are worshiping and serving the world. For those who seek to serve God, He tells them, "do not be conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:2). I like how JB Philips translates this verse: "don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold." And that is precisely what is happening in denominations like the Presbyterian Church USA—they are letting the world squeeze them into its mold.

Now, from the beginning, God made it clear about sexual relations and intimate companionship. He made a woman for the man (Gen. 2:18-23). He did not make another man for Adam. He also said the man is to leave father and mother and be joined to his wife, not his husband (Gen. 2:24).

Jesus addressed this issue when he brought the standards of marriage and sexuality back to the Creation (Matt. 19:4, 5). At creation, Jesus claimed that God made “male and female.” And that because of this creation of human beings “a man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife.” By limiting the marriage relationship to men and women, Jesus did speak against homosexual practice (and much of our common divorce and remarriage practices as well).

Jesus also uses in Matthew 19:9 the Greek word “porneia” which condemns “unlawful sexual relationships.” God intends sex to be between a man and woman are married to each other. Any sex outside of marriage is sinful and wrong. Period. This would include homosexuality. In fact, it was commonly understood that “porneia” in first century Jewish circles represented a sort of short-hand reference to all of the sexual behaviors forbidden in Leviticus 18, including once again, homosexual behavior (Leviticus 18:22).

The apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit deals with sexual immorality when he writes: “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor. 6:9-10; see also Romans 1:18-32; 1 Tim. 1:10; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 7) Now it is not that homosexuality is the only sin condemned, but it is a sin and must be forsaken.

So clearly in the realm of human sexuality–heterosexual immorality and homosexual activity–both are impulses and activities which must be brought under control. Once again, all sexual expression outside heterosexual monogamous marriage falls under the wrath of God. The Hebrew writer says: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” (Heb. 13:4)

The good news is that Paul says some who engaged in sexual sex were changed and forgiven. “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:11) Adulterers, fornicators, and homosexuals can be forgiven of their sins, just like an idolaters, thieves and drunkards can A person who has lived these kinds of lives, but has repented and stopped living in them, can be saved.

Please observe that this passage makes no distinction of the degree that each of the listed behaviors is abhorrent to God. It lumps alcoholism with fornication, and homosexuality with covetousness. If God didn’t bother separating one sin out from that list, why do we? Especially when it comes to homosexuality??

One possible reason that believers call this one sin out of the list for special derision is that many of us, at least in 21st-Century America, can identify with most of the items on that list. We can understand how easy it is to fall into the sins of drunkenness or fornication, because we remember ourselves how it was when we were young. But most of us can’t say the same for homosexuality, so we make a distinction.

However, in this passage, God makes no such distinction. The listed sins seem to be all the same to Him. I believe this is what Paul means when he says “such were some of you.” He’s reminding the Christians in Corinth (as well as you and me) that we all have a past consisting of things displeasing to God. The fact that the Holy Spirit pulled some of us out of the mire means our role is to help others come out of similar (if not the same) sin, so that we all may enjoy a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. It goes without saying that being hateful toward any person does not help them come out of anything.

Let me give you a practical application of this. Do you have a co-worker or neighbor who is living with someone to whom they are not married? Are you friendly with them? Would you be as friendly if their live-in lover were of the same sex? This is really what it boils down to. Both types of sexual sin in this example are equally displeasing to God.

If it is commonly known at your workplace that you are a Christian, the fact that you are nicer to the straight co-worker who is living in sin than the gay one will be perceived by the gay person as typical of Christians, further driving them away from believers, and reducing the chance of their ever being receptive to the good news of the Gospel

Friends, we cannot settle for truth without love nor love without truth. Homosexuality is a sin and like any other sin, it needs to be dealt with in the only way possible. It needs to be laid at the cross and repented of. As Christians, we should pray for the salvation of the homosexual the same they would any other person in sin. We should treat homosexuals with the same dignity as they would anyone else because, they are made in the image of God.

We need to also keep in mind that many homosexuals have some serious hurts based on events in their past. When I say "many," I mean a much higher percentage than in the general population.These hurts have come as a result of events that happened to them that they did not bring upon themselves. They need healing as much as any cancer patient, as much as any of the lame or blind people that Jesus took the time to heal. How can we have any attitude toward them but compassion? This is why God says to speak with wisdom, grace and love. (Col. 4:5-6)

Friends, we reject the sin, but we love the sinner, because we are all sinners. We teach and preach the Word of God, the Bible, without compromising it. We teach and preach the Word of God whether it is popular or not, whether it is politically correct or not, even when it doesn’t conform to the latest moral trends. And when we teach and preach the Word of God, we always do so in love. We don’t belittle and call people names. We aren’t arrogant and self-righteous. We always remember that we are all sinners saved by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (1 Tim. 1:15)

God bless,

Robert Prater

Thoughts on Osama Bin Laden's Death

2011-05-02T14:51:00.000-07:00
Surely by now most on planet Earth have heard about the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden’s death. Few would argue that the world is not a better place for his absence.

That being said, however, and whatever your stance on capital punishment is, it is still a strange and somewhat unsettling thing to be cheering the death of another human being. I think we should have a healthy respect for death - to acknowledge that it comes for everyone in time, and that we should in general take no more pleasure in someone else’s death than we would want someone to take in our own.

I’ve also seen several quotations making the rounds on Twitter and Facebook since the announcement last night of bin Laden’s death, though it’s been misattributed to Mark Twain and misquoted to boot: the real quotation, by famed lawyer Clarence Darrow, is (with the line before it that improves it) “All men have an emotion to kill; when they strongly dislike someone they involuntarily wish he was dead. I have never killed anyone, but I have read some obituary notices with great satisfaction.”

That really sums it up nicely: You don’t have to think that someone deserved to die to be pleased at their passing. Truthfully, my first reactions were to “rejoice” for bin Laden’s death. Not because a human being is dead but because a man who in my mind was far more evil than good, and who was responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent people, will never be able to hurt anyone ever again. And that is surely a good thing.

Now, I also have no doubt that in this military killing the United States' government exercised its divinely ordained task, wielding the sword to administer justice and constrain evil. I believe this to be so largely because I am one of those Christians for whom the question of the proper task and character of government cannot be answered without reference to Romans 13:4 "if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” (Rom. 13:4)

Yet, I still think Bin Laden’s death serves as a challenge for us as Christians to evaluate our reactions, not only to his death, but to the reactions we have when those who have harmed us stumble or suffer. It should remind us that God takes no pleasure Himself in the death of the wicked. He would rather that they repent. (cf. Ezek. 18:32; 33:11)

Therefore I believe that God’s heart is grieved about Osama bin Laden – his life AND his death. We should honor God with our reaction to the death of Osama Bin Laden.

So, instead of taking to the streets and rejoicing gleefully with the American flag, I’m think the better Christian response is to pray for the families who were impacted by the tragedy of September 11, 2001 – the families who lost loved ones, the First Responders who gave their all, our troops, and our leaders. Let us pray for our world and pray that this will mean that peace and security will come, and soon.

And, let us pray for those who desire to kill, to persecute, and to engage in these terrorist activities. Let us pray that they may see the errors in their ways, find forgiveness, seek the face of God, and be restored into the image of God through glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,
Robert Prater

The Resurrection of Christ

2011-04-19T11:15:00.001-07:00
Easter has its fair share of chocolate bunnies, big bonnets and baked ham dinners with the family. It’s a special time fun time for children. Of course, the Easter “holiday” also has a spiritual significance for hundreds of millions of “believers” who remember that first “Resurrection Sunday.”

Knowing that I am a preacher, I am often asked by people this time of the year, “How does your church plan to celebrate Easter?” You can imagine I’m sure from similar responses you have no doubt experienced when people are very surprised to hear when I tell them that we don’t have any special elaborate Easter programs. Rather I say every single Sunday is to be revered as the day of resurrection. The New Testament makes no specific reference to the apostles or early church celebrating “Easter” or Christmas on specific days. Instead, the resurrection of Christ was always emphasized on the Lord’s Day and in the weekly remembrance of the Lord’s Supper on every first day of the week. (cf. Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:23-24; 16:1-2)

Having said that, let me be very clear: Now, we don’t want to ever come across as ones who do not believe that Christ's sacrifice and resurrection are important. The Bible teaches that the resurrection of Christ is the central fact of New Testament Christianity. (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-4) If Jesus were not raised from the dead, then nothing in the scriptures--or for that matter, outside the scriptures--is of eternal value. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Cor. 15:19 NIV) Christianity without the resurrection of Christ is no Christianity. It would be absolutely meaningless.

One final thought to keep in mind. I am always thankful when people anytime are thinking about Jesus and His life, death, burial and resurrection. Therefore I have always believed that these occasions provide us wonderful opportunities to invite and look for visitors. This could be our only opportunity to connect with some people who may be searching for a purpose to their life. Take the opportunity to especially invite someone this week to Bible class and worship with you.

God bless,
Robert Prater

The End of the Miraculous Age

2011-03-15T13:35:00.001-07:00
In recent Sunday evening sermons at Central I focused our attention on the "gift of the Holy Spirit" as discussed in Acts 2:38. I pointed out how there is a difference between the ordinary indwelling (non-miraculous) gift of the Holy Spirit people receive after they have repented and have been baptized into Christ (cf. Acts 2:38; 5:32; Rom. 8:9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19) and the supernatural miraculous gift(s) of the Holy. It must always be remembered that miracles had very specific purposes in the first century. Miracles performed by Jesus were performed and designed to be the proof that Jesus was the Divine Son of God (John 20:30-31; cf. Acts 2:22). As the apostles went about teaching the message of Jesus, the fact that they were messengers from God was established by the miracles they performed (2 Cor. 12:12).

Miracles were not performed to satisfy people’s curiosity (Matt. 12:38ff; 13:58; John 6:30ff; 1 Cor. 1:22). True faith is not produced by witnessing a miracle (Luke 16:30-31; John 12:37ff; Acts 4:16-17); rather faith is developed by absorbing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). Miracles were intended to confirm the word of God. It was (and is) the confirmed word of God, not the miracles themselves, that produced faith.

The ability to perform miracles was transmitted by the laying on of the Apostles’ hands. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, giving them the ability to perform miracles (Luke 9:1-2; 10:19-20; Acts 1:8). They were given this ability to demonstrate to the hearers that their message was true (Acts 4:29-30; Heb. 2:1-4; John 15:26). These miracles were given “first” (1 Cor. 12:28) so that the foundation of the church would be established by the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20). The Apostles had the power to transfer miraculous power to other believers (Acts 8:18; 14:3; 2 Tim. 1:6). Miraculous powers (the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit) were only obtained by the laying on of an Apostle’s hand (Acts 8:14-24).

The only exception to this is found in the case of Cornelius who received a baptism of the Holy Spirit directly from heaven before he became a Christian in order to prove to the Jews that the Gentiles too had a right to hear the gospel and become a part of Christ’ kingdom. (cf. Acts 10:45-47; 11:17-18) Others (besides the Apostles) that had miraculous abilities were unable to pass this gift on to others. Philip could perform miracles himself (Acts 8:6), but he was unable to give this ability to others (Acts 8:18-19). With the death of the Apostles and those who had miraculous ability, miracles through human agency rapidly ceased.

A key in understanding the end of the miraculous age is Paul’s use of “the perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13. The inspired apostle states that there would be an end to miracles. He wrote to the Corinthian brethren, " Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away" (1 Cor 13:8-10). This passage explicitly says that there would be a time when miraculous gifts would be "done away" and would "cease." The question, however, is when would this occur? Again, the text is clear; this would happen when "the perfect" comes. But to what does "the perfect" refer?

We must investigate what the original Greek text says and how its terminology is used in this passage and in others using the same term. In the original text, the phrase is "to teleion." The word is from "telios" which means "to bring to an end, finish" or it can mean "full-grown, adult, of full-age, mature." To properly understand what Paul means by using this word in this passage, it proves helpful to examine his usage of the same terminology in a very similar passage in another of his letters.

The same word is used once in the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians deals with the nature of the Lord's church. In the discussion of the development and growth of the church, Paul lists the various roles of service and leadership that existed as the church developed (4:11). The purpose of these various roles was to "equip the saints" for the work of the ministry. The work of these leaders were crucial in helping an infintile church grow into adulthood (4:13). Having only a portion of God's message revealed, the church would easily be "tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine" (4:14). God's message was given progressively over the decades from time of the church's establishment.

Eventually, the complete message would be completely given (around A.D. 96 with the completion of the last book of the New Testament). Thus, there was no longer any need for the miraculous confirmation of oral teaching (a major purpose of miracles as we previously noted, cf. Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:2-4).

The complete record was finished and the church had matured and was complete (until some would begin falling away from the faith once delivered for all--see 1 Tim. 4:1ff; 2 Tim. 4:1ff; Jude 3). When "the perfect" mature church developed with a complete message from God, the "partial" of miraculous gifts ceased.

Keep in mind also that once a message is confirmed as true, there is no longer any need for further confirmation. God’s word was revealed in “bits and pieces” through various prophets and inspired teachers (cf. 1 Cor. 14:29-33). Once the complete message of God was revealed and the church was no longer in its infancy (Eph. 4:11-16), there was no longer a need for the confirming purpose of miracles. he “partial” of miracles gave way to the “completeness” of God’s revealed will (1 Cor. 13:8-13; Eph. 4:13; 2 Pet. 1:3).

Surely, if one has the same power that the apostles had, then that one can do the same things that the apostles did. If not, why not? The fact that none can do what the apostles did in the first century speaks loud and clear. It simply says that mankind today does not possess the power that the apostles had.

This is not to say that God no longer works in powerfully in the lives of His people. (cf. Eph. 3:20-21) This applies especially to God’s healing of sickness in answer to prayer. Through prayer we can call upon our Heavenly Father in times of sickness and need, with the assurance that He will answer providentially the prayer that is offered in faith and in harmony with His revealed will. (cf. James 1:6-8; 5:13-16; 1 John 5:14-15)

We must not “deny the power” of God when we pray by limiting what He will and will not do (2 Tim. 3:5) God’s ways are indescribable and amazing. (Rom. 11:33-36)! Do you believe it?

God bless,
Robert Prater

Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows?

2011-02-07T11:12:00.001-08:00

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received nothing but refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

When you are prepared, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by “receiving Christ Jesus as Lord” (Col. 2:6; cf. Acts 2:36-38) and by grounding ourselves firmly in the Word of God. (cf. Col. 2:7; Matt. 7:24-27)

Yes, as the hymn says, “the Lord's our rock, in him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm.” We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Heb. 6:19 NIV)
(Adapted from a story by Arthur Maxwell)

In Christ,
Robert

The Prodigal Son

2011-01-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

I loved the video above. It will put tears in your eyes! It was filmed by Alex Meinert

Of course Luke 15:11-32 and the story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most beloved stories and teaching ever given by Jesus.

We remember the father of the prodigal son never stopped looking for the son, and he prayed for him and even though that young man had squandered away his inheritance, lived a scandalous life, and ended up living with the pigs.

Fortunately, the story didn’t end with the son’s leaving. Times of rejoicing were yet to be written when he fully returned. Our Heavenly Father longingly is watching for the return of his wandering children.

Here's why favorite part of the story.

"And he ran and embraced his son, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20)

Here we see the Father of the prodigal son running down the road to find his estranged son. When this story was told by Jesus to first century hearers they would have been shocked by this statement; a patriarch (or respectable father of a community) does not gird himself, pulling up his garments, and run. But this is what the father did when he left his place of honor to go to his shameful son. The father became worthless to bestow honor on his son that was deserving of little just as Jesus became poor to make those who are poor very rich. (2 Cor. 8:9)

Our Father is willing to leave His lofty place of honor and run to us in your weakness. He runs full speed to show mercy when our heart is seemingly filled with lust, anger, greed, and hate?. He is willing to crucify His reputation to give dignity to us.

The God of the Bible runs undignified to give value to the broken prodigals and wayward children who aren’t deserving. Lift up your eyes, He is running to you now.

God bless,
Robert Prater

TREY CANARD

2011-01-11T13:11:00.000-08:00

Check out the video above which features Trey Canard. Trey and his mother and young brother are members of the Central Church of Christ congregation where I preach.

Trey is a professional motocross champion. But more importantly, Trey is using his talents and skills and opportunities before thousands of people each weekend as he rides to share God’s Word. Despite ridicule, Trey continues to put God first in his life and on the podium. He and his family are a wonderful blessing to our Central church family.

Also check out this link http://www.christianchronicle.org/blog/2011/01/video-and-story-motocross-champion-trey-canard-uses-talents-for-god/

This is a great article and interview that Bobby Ross and the Christian Chronicle have on him in the February 2011 issue. Trey talks more about his faith and how he considers motocross his ministry to reach others for Christ. He also talks about some of the challenges and obstacles he had faced including the tragic death of his father

Trey is active in leading singing and reading scripture and helping with our teens. As a matter of fact, he is probably going to be the guest preacher when Central hosts the AWTG next year on April 6, 2011.

Robert Prater
___________________________________

THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
'This is what the Lord made me for' — motocross champion Trey CanardBy Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
January 7, 2011

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SHAWNEE, Okla. - Out of his racing uniform, Trey Canard seems an unassuming presence, especially for someone known for performing high-speed, bone-jarring exploits in front of 30,000 to 60,000 fans.

However, the toughness and quiet confidence of the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Canard shine through as he reflects on his motorcycle racing career and the long list of injuries he has overcome.

“Yeah, I’ve broken my wrists four times,” said the 20-year-old professional motocross racer, the reigning national champion in the sport’s 250 class of smaller cycles. “I’ve broken my collarbone twice. I’ve broken my femur.”

That’s not to mention nagging little injuries involving fingers and toes, ankle sprains and “stuff of that sort.”

Given all the painful spills, what keeps him climbing back on the bike?

Must be the thrills, right?

Yeah, that’s part of it.

But for Canard, the passion to race goes deeper than that.

“I believe this is what the Lord made me for,” he told The Christian Chronicle. “This is my talent. This is my ministry, I believe, so that gives me hope. And I just really enjoy it. The good stuff outweighs the bad stuff for me.”

CHURCH FEELS THE NEED FOR SPEED
When Canard achieved his most superb feat on wheels last fall, fellow members of the Central Church of Christ — many of whom have fallen in love with the Speed channel — cheered at the top of their lungs.

“Amazingly, Trey won five of the final seven races of the season to overcome a 57-point deficit to win his first career motocross championship,” said Robert Prater, pulpit minister of the Central church, a 250-member congregation about 35 miles east of Oklahoma City.

“But more than being a great rider, Trey always gives glory to God and has such a strong faith,” Prater added. “He is a great role model for young people from all around the world.”

Apparently, he’s a role model for older people, too.

“I get these older women — 70 and 80 years old — and they’re telling me that they’re watching me ride a motorcycle,” said Canard, who leads singing, reads Scriptures and helps with the youth group at the Central church. “It’s kind of funny.”

PASSION OF HIS FATHER
As a new season of indoor and outdoor racing begins, Canard will again spend about 30 Saturdays on the road from January through September.

This year, he’s moving up to a bigger class of bikes. He’ll ride a Honda CRF450.

Raised in western Oklahoma, he started racing at age 3 when his late father, Roy Canard, built him a tiny, single-speed cycle that topped out at 20 mph.

By age 9, Trey signed his first racing contract.

“Then it kind of got a little more serious,” he said with a laugh. “It’s funny how quickly we kind of have to become professionals.”

For the first 18 years of his life, Canard and his family lived in Elk City, Okla., where they attended the Second and Adams Church of Christ. “That will always kind of be my home congregation,” he said.

Roy Canard, a motocross fanatic, died in a tragic accident when Trey was 12. Trey’s father was using a front-end loader to clear rocks from a small track where Trey and his older brother Aaron, now 24, practiced. The family doesn’t know exactly what happened, but Trey’s mother, Kari Canard, found the tractor upside down on her husband.

“My dad was a huge part of my racing. He got me riding,” Trey said. “It was his passion, and he kind of passed it on to myself and my brother.

“He was just a great man, a strong Christian man, and really my inspiration to be a strong character for Christ. … It’s unfortunate that I lost him when I was a young kid. … When I feel down or sad about that, I’ve just got to remember that God knows what he’s doing.”

HEART OF A CHAMPION
Focus. Heart. Effort. Fun. Dedication. Put them all together and they equal this: Success.

That’s the message on a whiteboard in a large metal building on the rural property near Shawnee where Canard lives with his mother and younger brother, Jaxon, 9.

At the end of a gravel road but just a few miles from Interstate 40, this is where Canard hangs out in the offseason. Here, trophies and motorcycles, including the tiny one that his father made him, mix with weight equipment that the motocross champion uses to keep in shape.

Two years ago, Canard used his own cash to buy this property, which includes a house and an outdoor practice track.

“I’m making a decent living,” he said. “I’m thankful for that, and I know that’s a blessing. I try to give back any way that I can.”

Said Prater, the Central minister: “Kari and Trey are very generous givers and always are willing to help out those in need.”

The Canards didn’t want to leave Elk City, but it was a two-hour drive to Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

Since he flies nearly every week, Canard wanted to be closer. Shawnee, a city of about 30,000, is roughly 45 minutes from the airport.

What he didn’t know when he moved to Shawnee, Canard said, was what a terrific congregation he’d stumble upon.

He didn’t go out of his way to tell Central members about his profession, but word spread.

“I normally don’t like to talk about it too much at the congregation. I kind of like to stay to my worship, you know, the reason we’re there,” he said. “But people ask me what’s my job and am I in school, and it kind of came up like that.

“So it’s just a neat thing, and I feel like it’s been a blessing in my life, and it’s brought me really close to a lot of great people in our congregation. I think everyone’s enjoyed it, so it’s been fun.”

The church also has embraced Trey’s mother and brother Jaxon, who’s active in the Leadership Training for Christ program.

“We’re not anything special, I don’t think,” Kari Canard said. “It’s funny because no matter where we seem to live, people young and old get pretty excited about motocross.

“I’ve signed up so many people for the Speed channel that I should be getting a kickback on it,” she joked.

THE COOL CHRISTIAN LIFE
Scriptural references on his crossbar pad help Canard maintain his Christian focus.

Verses such as Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”) provide inspiration and motivation.

In his podium speeches, Canard — whose cycle is No. 41, like his dad’s — always gives God the credit for his success.

“A lot of people think of motocross and motorcycle riders, and they’re associated with tattoos and drinking and partying and all that stuff,” Canard said. “So I think anything I can do … is hopefully well-accepted and good.

“Christianity, especially in the Church of Christ, gets a label of being kind of boring or not cool, just all these rules. I just hope my story kind of shows teens and people in general that … you can use your talents to glorify God.”

Given the hard knocks of a sport where age 35 is considered ancient, the Oklahoma church member knows his racing career won’t last forever.

When he stops revving his motor, though, he has an inkling what he’d like to do.

“I’d like to be a youth minister or just work in a church,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed a lot of the youth ministers I’ve had and people who were really crucial to my Christian walk. And I feel like I could be an asset someday in the church."

TRUE GRIT

2010-12-28T13:40:00.001-08:00
Last week during the holiday week, me and my two brothers went to see “True Grit.” I am a big fan of both the 1968 novel of the same name by Charles Portis and of course the 1969 version featuring the great John Wayne, and Glen Campbell and Kim Darby.

Almost everyone in the free world is at least somewhat familiar with the storyline. A 14 year old girl leaves home to track down her father’s killer, a former hired man named Tom Chaney, who has since joined up with a gang of thieves lead by Lucky Ned Pepper. To aid her, she hires a US deputy marshal, Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn. A Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf, becomes the third of their party. The story covers the elements of this adventure.

First of all, let's get this out of the way right now: Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld own this film, every inch of it. The entire cast is fantastic, but there's not a moment that goes by in the film when you're not itching to see Bridges' Marshal Reuben J. Cogburn and Steinfeld's Mattie Ross share the screen. Every scene they share is one we’re going to want to watch again for years to come.

While thoroughly entertaining, “True Grit” also plumbs deeper spiritually. It opens with a quotation from the King James translation of the Book of Proverbs: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth,” the first of several biblical and religious references scattered through the script. And the music in the background was old Christian hymns: “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” “Gloryland Way,” “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

But, clearly the theme song and a major idea of the movie is, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” The film begins, as a now adult Mattie does her voiceover setting the story, with a piano playing this beautiful old gospel hymn. And once again, the movie plays an instrumental version of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” at varying tempos throughout the film is a subtle reminder that not only is Hattie relying on God’s providence to help her bring about justice and avenge her father’s death legally, but that we all are, whether we realize it or not, leaning on those same everlasting arms. There is a powerful scene in the climax where this comes into full view under a starlit sky—a scene that won’t leave my memory anytime soon.

At one point in the film the narrator says: “You pay for everything in this world. There is nothing free, except the grace of God.”

This is also a central theme to the film as characterized by Hattie’s measuring out the cost of every transaction in life with such meticulous detail. But there is no hiding the grace of God. Even a criminal about to be hanged repents aloud to the crowd and asks for mercy and grace to be extended to his family after his death.

Mattie later writes her mother not to worry when she's on her quest to avenge her father's death: "The author of all things watches over me." When a mortician asks her whether she'd like to kiss her father's dead face, she says, "Thank you, his spirit is flown." In town without money, she's forced to sleep in a coffin at the mortuary, telling someone later that she "felt like Ezekiel in the valley of the dry bones." A dying criminal makes Rooster promise to tell his brother, a Methodist pastor, of his fate, adding, "I will meet him later, walking the streets of glory."

Now, keep in mind that the storyline cannot be separated from either its period in U.S. History or its reliance upon Christian virtue as the order of the day in that society.

But these allusions draw attention to the film’s serious reflections on the violent undertow of frontier life. Witnessed from Mattie’s sensitive perspective, the shootouts and other death-dealing confrontations that take place here are never glossed over, but are shown instead to be unnatural and difficult to absorb.

Rating
True Grit is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of western violence including a few disturbing violent images and some mildly salty language. Gunfights and a scary sequence involving some snakes make for some intense, although not horribly graphic PG-13 moments. This is not a film for children, by any means. Mature teens or adults are the only ones I could recommend seeing the film.

In conclusion, I did enjoy the many Biblical themes and ideas raised in this Coen brother’s movie. This movie unlike say their movie, O Brother Where Art Thou? where the underlying faith message was far more tongue in cheek than something worth regarding seriously. But the deeper spiritual truths in True Grit are ultimately the basis for what's an engaging tale of a man who learns the meaning of sacrifice from a much younger woman who wasn't afraid to stand up for what's right—even if it meant endangering her own life in the process.

So if you can’t tell from my review, I thoroughly enjoyed True Grit. It has an old-fashioned fighting spirit in this classic quest for wrongs being made right. And truth be told, it takes some "true grit" to remake a beloved classic movie where John Wayne won his first Oscar and do it as well as they did.

Check out the trailer below which really captures the spiritual overtones of the movie:

Now, speaking of the Duke, check out the following YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qQhODwivLU

This video shows John Wayne winning the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “True Grit” in 1970. Of course we know this really wasn’t just for “True Grit.” It was for a lifetime’s worth of great films. His speech was thoughtful, heartfelt and humble, paying homage to everyone before himself, obviously a deeply moving moment for him. (You can tell I'm a BIG fan hopefully).

It makes me wonder just a bit where have men like John Wayne and the values and “true grit” he represented have gone today…..Lord knows we sure need them today……the Duke had class you just don’t see today!

His Congressional Medal says it all: John Wayne – American.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2010-12-20T06:09:00.000-08:00

Only 5 days until the big day -- Christmas! Are you ready? May your Christmas be blessed in every way, with love, joy, peace, and many happy memories.

The following video below I thought was pretty clever and made me laugh! How social media, web and mobile tell the story of the Nativity.While it is true that we do not know exactly when Jesus was born, December 25 is the date that our culture long ago began to honor our Lord and Savior for His birth. For that reason, this is the time of year that the vast majority of Americans give thought to Him.

As Christians, we are to remember the Lord every first day of the week as we participate in the Lord's Supper. (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-32) There we commemorate His death for our sins, we proclaim our faith in Him as we wait for His return, and we examine our hearts in relationship to His body, the church.

Yet, long before there was a cross, there was a manger. Though we are not commanded to formally celebrate His birth, that does not mean that we should forget it, even at Christmas time. The cross would not have taken place apart from the so-called "first Christmas."

So, if indeed you remember Christ this Christmas, remember that He was not born to remain a child wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger. He was born to become our Savior by dying on a cross and to be the Lord of our lives (Luke 2:11).

The message of the manger must always point people to the cross – the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The important thing is that He was born and that He died for our sins. We’re not worshiping a helpless infant lying in a manger. We’re worshiping a risen and exalted Christ who has all power in heaven and in earth.

Robert

The Pursuit of Excellence with Integrity

2010-12-13T14:14:00.000-08:00
Below is an excellent article written by Bob Frantz, a freelance journalist and regular contributor to The San Francisco Examiner.

Folks, there is nothing wrong with giving someone the benefit of the doubt, but only when that person has shown good moral conduct prior to an allegation of wrong doing. Newton’s history suggests otherwise.

Saturday night in New York City Cameron Newton came up to the podium and accepted the greatest award in sports knowing he has shown a lack of integrity in the past. And for that night he was the greatest player in college football, but it is fair to say he was not be the best example of someone who exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.

"Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22)

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12)
_____________________________

Newton winning Heisman sends the wrong message by Bob Frantz

‘The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

Take note of the final word in that sentence. You may never see it again.

At least not in the same sentence as the words “college sports.”

The sentence above is the very first line of the Heisman Trust’s mission statement, and it was once recognized as an important criterion when evaluating potential recipients of the trophy. Not anymore.

When Heisman voters across the country placed that trophy in Cam Newton’s outstretched hand on Saturday — a position in which his hand is apparently very comfortable — they stated quite clearly that integrity, morality and ethics have no place in the high-stakes, professional world of amateur sports.

Integrity is something that has plagued not only the NCAA, but the Heisman Trust as recently as this past year with the Reggie Bush scandal.
Newton’s well-told, yet simultaneously ignored story belongs in an FBI case file as much as it does any college football record book.

This isn’t the first issue with Newton. In fact, Newton first ran into trouble under Urban Meyer at Florida twice when he was a sophomore.

While at Florida, Newton was arrested for felony charges of burglary, larceny and obstruction of justice when it was found the he stole a student’s laptop from a dormitory and threw it out the window when police came to question him.

Also in Gainesville, Fla., Newton was reportedly caught cheating on three separate occasions as a freshman and sophomore, including a case in which he purchased a paper online and turned it in as his own. Only his transfer to Blinn College in Texas saved him from expulsion from Florida.

And this “ethical” young man accomplished all this even before the pay-for-play scandal engineered by his father that landed him at Auburn.

Newton was the most dominant player in America, which is undoubtedly what saved him from the NCAA’s eligibility guillotine. Too many dollars and television viewers were at risk for the NCAA to sideline its top attraction and risk an Auburn loss in the SEC championship game. A Tigers’ defeat would have put TCU in the BCS title game, and the NCAA hypocrites would rather have canceled the game than accept such a travesty.

How else can they explain away Cecil Newton’s admission to soliciting his son’s services to the highest bidder? Cecil acted as a de facto agent for Cam, but because he happens to share his client’s bloodline, the player’s amateur status is secure?

The NCAA’s, and Newton’s, excuse is that Cam allegedly didn’t know what his father was up to.

If you believe that, I’ve got a slightly damaged laptop to sell you. It’s not stolen. I swear.

As Sports Illustrated reported last month, Cam wanted to go to Mississippi State, but agreed to let his father make the decision for him. “A few days before Christmas, while sitting at the dinner table in his brother’s house in Jacksonville, Cecil Sr. uttered two words. ‘It’s Auburn.’”

What star athlete would allow his father to completely ignore his own wishes to play at a certain school without demanding to know the father’s reasons?

Even in defending himself, as he tried to do in an ESPN interview Thursday, Newton couldn’t declare himself innocent.

“Everything I’ve done at this university, I did it the right way,” he said.

The disclaimer “at this university,” speaks volumes, as it obviously neglects the solicitation scheme that Pops put into action “before” he arrived at Auburn.

Maybe nothing can be done to the powers-that-be that run the NCAA and its investigation committee, but the Heisman voters had a real chance to do the right thing. They had a chance to restore the word “integrity” to the mission statement, a necessity in the wake of the Reggie Bush forfeiture of the once-sacred
trophy.

They failed.

Bob Frantz is a freelance journalist and regular contributor to The San Francisco Examiner

Don’t Be Caught Off-Guard

2010-12-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. We should always remember the day that would “live in infamy” – and learn from it.

What happened on December 7, 1941? Simply put, we were caught off guard. In the decades since the attack, there has been a great deal of investigation, speculation and debate over how this could have happened and who is to blame for “dropping the ball”. What seems fairly certain is that there were some warning signs and data available that, if taken through the proper channels, might have changed the complexion of this attack or thwarted it altogether. Well, I’m not writing this to debate such things, but to make a simple point: It’s not good to be caught off-guard. And even though the attack on Pearl Harbor would have a positive outcome, many lives were lost and many more would perish in the ensuing war in the Pacific.

As Christians, we have a dangerous enemy – an empire of evil, plotting surprise attacks against us. Satan’s greatest advantage is the element of surprise. Many times we just don’t see it coming. The good news is that our Lord has given us “classified” information about our enemy to alert us and keep us from being taken by surprise (2 Cor 2:11)! Consider the apostle Peter’s inspired words: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you, but rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

We shouldn’t be surprised when, because of our devotion to Christ, we feel pressure and opposition from those of the world. Notice that Peter didn’t say “if” this would occur, but “when”. Paul declares that persecution would happen to everyone who lives a godly life in Christ (2 Tim 3:12). Jesus also forewarned us of trouble and “tribulation” in the world (John 15:18-21; 16:1-4 & 33) By knowing these things beforehand, we can be prepared and not “freak out”, “melt down” or give in to temptation.

Later in his letter, Peter advises: “Be sober minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) We shouldn’t be surprised when we feel the pull of temptation, rather we should be prepared! We are all subject to the devil’s attacks and need to be on high alert at all times -- never letting down our guard (Eph 6:10-18).

In summary, whether there was sufficient data and resources to thwart the attack on Pearl Harbor 69 years ago we may never know for sure. But this we know for sure: Our “Commander” has given us sufficient data and resources to thwart the devil’s attacks. We need never be caught off-guard!

Before Winter or Never!

2010-11-30T12:58:00.000-08:00
From the depths of a Roman prison while awaiting execution as a prisoner of Nero’s in Rome, Paul wrote to Timothy, his beloved friend and brother in Christ: “Do your best to come before winter.” (2 Timothy 4:21). Paul knew that in the winter, the Mediterranean Sea trade all but ceased. Ships would anchor in a safe harbor so as to avoid the violent storms that plagued the Mediterranean during the winter months. If Timothy was going to make the voyage from Ephesus to Rome, it would have to be before the ships stopped sailing.

Now if Timothy waits until winter, he will have to wait until spring; and Paul himself knew that his death sentence was imminent, “the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6). Paul knows that he is living his last winter. Timothy needed to drop everything and get to Rome as fast as possible. We like to think that Timothy did not wait a single day after that letter from Paul reached him and indeed he was able to fulfill Paul’s request.

Before winter or never! There are some things which will never be done unless they are done “before winter.” Winter’s arrival is a sober reminder of fading opportunities. Winter should bring home to us all the sense of the preciousness of life’s opportunities, but also its brevity.

You can’t wait forever to respond to things that are important. Yet how many times have we had good intentions but somehow we never got around to doing it. We truly meant well, we meant for things to be different. All too often we end up with the “ifs and buts” of life. Some things need to be said now, done now. The opportunity is today, not tomorrow. We must not wait or delay or put things off.

What is it that God is calling you to do? What good deed? What act of forgiveness? What step of faith? What prayer should you pray? What sin should you confess? What bad habit must be broken? What service could you render for the Lord and His church? What class could you teach? What call must you make? What email must you write? What relationship must you repair? Who in your life needs to know Jesus and you’ve been putting off telling them? Whatever it is, do it “before winter.”

Robert,

I recently ran across this very beautiful poem that captures some of my thoughts from above.

Come Before Winter

"Come before winter." are words old and wise
Let us set sail now for the harbor
Of the things we truly prize!

For life's voyage is brief, uncertain,
Soon winter's snows may fall.
How sad to see ships meant for sailing
Which have not sailed far at all.

Ships meant to explore life's oceans,
To know waters deep and wide.
Yet still we lie at anchor
Resisting the outgoing tide.

Life's saddest sight is not the scene
Of souls storm tossed at sea.
For without the storm, the struggle and faith,
How else comes the victory?

No, life's saddest sight is of souls
Who have never yet set sail.
Those who refuse to live much or dare,
These are the ones who fail!

Still move the seasons swiftly,
The Spring, the Summer, the Fall.
"O come" says the Spirit, "come before winter,
Miss not the joy God intends for us all"!
-- James Clark Brown

10% THANKS

2010-11-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving because it's so simple and straightforward. It's not about a lot of decorating or buying gifts. It is very basic – it's about getting together with family and friends, eating a meal (one of my favorite part), watching a little football – and most importantly, giving thanks to God for our many blessings.

In Luke 17 we read the following account.
“As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:11-19 NIV)

The purpose of my article is not to ask if you or I would be the one in the
above story who gave thanks. I’m sure we all would like to think of ourselves as the one who went back to Jesus to give thanks. Rather I am asking each one of us what percentage of gratefulness do we maintain for the good things God gives us?

The percentage of healed lepers in Luke who immediately gave thanks to Jesus was 10%. Jesus is grateful for the 10% but He comments negatively on the 90% not showing thanks. What about our lives? What percentage of thanks do we give?

Think about last week. Most of us would not have any trouble recalling ten good and wonderful blessings we experienced from the Lord during the week. Now the reflection question, “What’s your and my thanksgiving percentage rate for those ten blessings?” If I were to be honest, and I am here, my thanksgiving percentage rate probably is not much better than the one in Luke’s story: 10%.

Oh, I have my general “thank you-for-everything” prayer I fall back on to cover the week. What I tend to lack is the immediate praise and thanks when I first receive the blessing. Jesus indicates that a 10% instant-thanks-to-blessing ratio is not very good!

Let’s each one continually move our instant-thanks-to-blessing ratio toward 100%. Friends with all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us let us always approach the throne of God with Thanksgiving.

Our young people sing the words to the beautiful song, “For all that You've done, I will thank You For all that You're going to do! For all that You've promised and all that You are is all that has carried me through, Jesus, I thank You.”

Which reminds me: I am thankful for each of you, my friends, my brothers, my sisters and my family. Enjoy the holiday and be safe. Go with God.

Robert

Time to Invite Ssomeone to Church

2010-11-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

Recently we had a visitor attend worship at Central where I preach. She was invited by one of our members. She is greatly struggling. Here's what she wrote on the back of her visitor card:

"I am a single mother of 3 daughters and one has a lot of anger issues and I am in need of prayer and help to help her get her life straight. She is 14 years old and has spent 10 days in detention at school. We don't have a great relationship."

Friends there are so many people out there hurting, wanting help, needing to find God, needing answers, they want to go to church and have a relationship with Christ. But so many of them don't know where to go and are worried about what people may think about them just showing up there out of the blue. Many would jump at the chance to be invited by YOU. Some will say no, but some will say yes. You could save a life today.

Who will you invite?

"Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus." (John 1:40-42)

Robert

WHO CRUCIFIED JESUS?

2010-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00
One of Rembrandt's more famous paintings is entitled The Three Crosses. When one looks at the painting, your attention is drawn first to the cross on which Jesus died. Then as you look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you are impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes drift to the edge of the painting to catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Some art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.

The old spiritual asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” And we must answer, “yes, we were there.” Not as spectators only; but as participants, guilty participants.

One author has written, "It is a simple thing to say Christ died for the sins of the world. It is quite another thing to say that Christ died for my sins. It may make us feel better to point the finger at those who put Jesus on the cross, but it is a shocking thought that we can be as indifferent as Pilate, as scheming as Caiaphas, as calloused as the soldiers, as ruthless as the mob, or as cowardly as the disciples. It isn't just what they did --- it was I who nailed Him to the tree. I crucified the Christ of God, I joined the mockery."

It was each of us who participated in Christ’s death and yet He willingly took the cross upon Himself to reveal to the best of God’s love and bring us salvation. The prophet Isaiah said, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Friends place yourself in the shadows with Rembrandt. You too are standing there. But then recall what Jesus said as He hung on that cross, “Father, forgive them.” Thank God, that includes you and me. Horatius Bonar (1808-89), who has been called the 'prince of Scottish hymn-writers', expressed it well about the sacrifice of Christ:

Twas I that shed that sacred Blood,
I nailed him to the Tree,
I crucified the Christ of God,
I joined the mockery.
Yet not the less that Blood avails
To cleanse me from sin,
And not the less that Cross prevails
To give me peace within

Robert

Redemption and Josh Hamilton

2010-10-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Way to go, Rangers! Yes, Texas, of all teams, is this year's American League champion and is headed to the World Series for the first time in the franchise's 49-year history.

The Rangers are truly the feel good story of baseball and the postseason this year. Their best player, Josh Hamilton, nearly ruined his life and his career by substance abuse and addiction. Their manger, Ron Washington, nearly lost his job after testing positive for cocaine last year. He, like Hamilton, gratefully got a second chance.

Now, back to Josh Hamilton. He truly is an amazing story of God’s power to redeem and change a life.

And Josh's life and commitment are having an influence on his teammates.
Back at the end of the regular season a few weeks ago, like most teams, the Rangers celebrated their winning season and playoff berth with a champagne locker room celebration, but one person was missing, Josh Hamilton. The reason of course was because Josh happens to be a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. So in order to avoid any temptations, he left the celebration when the alcohol came out. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Hamilton was offered that way of escape and took it, but in doing so missed the celebration with teammates. However after the Rangers won the American League Divisional Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the team recognized his faithful commitment and honored him with a ginger ale celebration instead.

Check out the video below which tells some about Josh Hamilton’s rise and fall and rising again feel good story of how God turned his life around.

“15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:15-17)

Robert

A Loving Relationship

2010-10-19T09:32:00.000-07:00
The most important command, above all others, is to “love the Lord you God with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) Jesus says that all the commands and doctrines of Scripture can be summarized by this one concept. (Matthew 22:40)

The old saying goes, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” Sometimes we get lost in all the details of the Scripture that we miss the big picture. We can become so overly consumed with all the commands and doctrines of God’s Word that we miss the real point. Too often we mistakenly think that right doctrine is the destination of our faith. It is not! The real destination is relationship with God. Sometimes detailed doctrine causes us to lose sight of the real goal of our faith—falling in love with God.

That is not to say that doctrine and precise obedient are not essential. After all, you can’t even have a forest if there are no trees. The trees make up the forest. Likewise, individual doctrines are, as one writer so eloquently put it: “the small pixels that combine together to paint the beautiful portrait of true relationship with God.” John put it best when he wrote, “…but whosoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” (1 John 2:5) Being motivated by His intense love for God, Jesus was compelled to “do exactly as the Father commanded me.’ (John 14:31 NASB) His motivation was not command-keeping that resulted in love for God. It was His love for God that produced a loving, and exact obedience.

When Jesus says that the most important command is to love God with all that we are, He seems to be describing a life that has completely fallen in love with God. Well, what does it look like to be completely in love with God? To understand this question maybe we should reflect upon the times that we have experienced the overwhelming emotion of falling in love with someone.

Usually, the first thing that happens when you fall in love with someone is that your mind is completely consumed with that person. Constantly distracted, you cannot seem to focus your mind on other things. Your mind is filled with thoughts of the object of your love.

Dallas Willard describes what being in love with God is really about. In his book “The Great Omission” he writes, “The first fruit of love is the musing of the mind upon God. He who is in love, his thoughts are ever upon the object.” If you are in love with someone, you don’t have to remind yourself to think about them. Being in love means that you naturally can’t get the one you love off your mind. The face of your loved one is ever before your mind. That is what it means to really be in love with God.

The French monk Brother Lawrence called attention to the fact that one must “practice the presence of God.” In other to “fall in love with God” he suggested that one must discipline himself/herself to constantly have an awareness of God’s presence. Similar to the lyrics of the favorite Christian hymn, “Be with Me Lord”, we must strive for a “constant sense of thy abiding presence.”

This is the very principle that God, a man after God’s own heart, had come to realize. He wrote in Psalm 16:8, “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” David is essentially saying that he had learned to make it a constant practice in his life to “set the LORD” before his mind. David’s mind was consumed with a constant sense of God’s presence. He had fallen in love with his God. Have you?

Robert

2010-10-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

Discover a church that's all about you! Progressive-church.com is a funny but sadly truer than than we'd like to admit spoof spoof off Progressive Insurance Company.

This is, of course, a bit on the extreme side. But churches have gotten into the habit of pretending like sin doesn't exist and instead preaching the "feel good" sermons. There's a lot of sad truth in that video.

Robert

Coming Down from the Mountain

2010-09-22T11:32:00.001-07:00

“It came about that He took along Peter and John and James, and went up to the mountain to pray…when they had come down from the mountain, a great multitude met Him…” (Luke 9:28, 37).

Coming down from the mountain we find Jesus armed and ready to do battle for whatever opportunity, challenge, or test came His way. He rebuked His disciples, took compassion on a distraught father, released a little boy from demonic possession and then taught a lesson on humility. Not bad for a day's work!

So how did He do it? The same way you and I get prepared to deal with every-day life in the valley as it comes unrelentingly and mercilessly at us - go to the mountain. But note: Jesus didn't go to the mountain to get away from it all--He went to be with someone - His Father!

Nothing is more obvious in Jesus' life than His deep hunger to commune with God. But unlike Jesus, we make our mistake when we think the path to strength and renewal is found in getting away on vacation. As wonderful and refreshing as that can be (and at times needed), we must realize that the energy we seek to replenish and restore is found only in contact with the Life-giver Himself.

But that's not all - Jesus took His friends-close personal friends who were defined by the word "love." Rejuvenation was never meant to be a private endeavor, even the Son of God wanted and needed His "buddies" to help him, strengthen Him and watch over Him (Lk. 9:28; Mk. 14:34).

So, to the mountain we go. But as we do, remember that the strength we need comes only through divine contact and human camaraderie, just like it did for Jesus.

Robert,

The Place and Power of Prayer

2010-09-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Dan.6:10). Here we find the real secret of this man’s greatness. Daniel was a captive in Babylon and yet in this instance he was not subject to the laws of the king. He was not subject to the directions that were imposed upon him. He was really concerned about doing the will of God. He knew God's will, and whatever the circumstance or occasion, he was governed by that will in spite of the danger and opposition that this aroused. He was a true and faithful man. Daniel’s example validates the place and power of prayer.

A Newsweek poll indicates that most Americans seem to agree concerning the power of prayer:

54% report praying on a daily basis
29% say they pray more than once a day
75% pray for strength to overcome personal weakness
73% think prayers for help in finding a job are answered
79% say God answers prayers for healing someone with an incurable disease
87% say that God answers prayers

We should note that how many people believe in something is not a guarantee of its existence, or that even people regularly practice it. There is much about prayer that we don’t understand. Yet this we know: the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16). What a source of blessing and encouragement to the Christian! How hopeless life must be for the skeptic who knows nothing of prayer.

Before his death from myelodysplasia(preleukemia), the famous scientist Carl Sagan wrote his final book entitled, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, in which he included prayer along with astrology, spoon-bending, witches, ESP, spiritualism and repressed memories as examples of the persistence of irrationality. Sagan persisted in his agnosticism until his death, with no appeals to God, and no hope for an after-life. How lonely and how sad to face eternity with no assurances.

A great song that many of us have grown up singing in the church says, “Oh, how praying rests the weary! Prayer can change the night to day: so, when life seems dark and dreary, don’t forget to pray.”

Daniel gives us a wonderful example of how powerful a weapon prayer is in the spiritual battle that is raging. About just how much prayer can bring us closer to God. (James 4:8)

In a sin-racked world, we have no other hope. Thanks be to God for the avenue of prayer!

Robert

Should We Burn or Criticize the Quran?

2010-09-08T08:51:00.000-07:00
Don't know if you have seen on the news recently about members of a church in Gainesville, Florida who are planning to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11 by hosting an "International Burn a Quran Day." The Dove World Outreach Center says it is hosting the event to remember 9/11 victims and take a stand against Islam. With promotions on its website and Facebook page, it invites Christians to burn the Muslim holy book at the church from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"We believe that Islam is of the devil, that it's causing billions of people to go to hell, it is a deceptive religion, it is a violent religion and that is proven many, many times," Pastor Terry Jones told CNN's Rick Sanchez earlier this week.

First of all, I want to join my voice with those who have condemned this initiative as a manifestation of ignorance, hatred and intolerance. I mean, what good would burning a Quran do to the world? Will it stop Muslims from believing in their holy book? I don’t think so. Will burning a Quran dissuade Muslims from fanaticism and terrorism?. Far from it. Instead it might even make more Muslims to embrace extremism and fundamentalism.

Just the other day, the Wall Street Journal reported that General David Petraeus said that Dove World Outreach Center’s planned Koran burning will endanger our Armed Forces in Afghanistan. I would say so! We have soldiers on the ground in two Muslim countries.

So what should we do to honor victims of September 11 attacks?

The Dove World Outreach Center or anyone concerned about the spread of Islamic terrorism should not bother burning a Quran. We should devote the day to a critical dialogue with Muslims. One of the undercurrents of Islamic terrorism is lack of mutual dialogue, understanding and appreciation of religions and beliefs between Muslims and non Muslims. September 11 should be used to break that age long darkening taboo that Quran cannot be criticized; that Quran contain eternal truths that cannot be challenged or questioned.

The day should be used to debate, discuss and highlight those passages and injunctions which encourage Muslims to embrace fanaticism and terrorism. September 11 should be a day to critically examine Quranic passages. The day should be devoted to posing and attempting to answer those questions that shed more light on the history and teachings of the Quran and Islam like -who wrote the Quran- when? where? how? And for how long?

Who called the Islamic holy book the Quran? Which provisions of the Quran were original to the authors and which were copied or borrowed from other and older sacred texts? Is Allah a myth or a reality? Is Allah’s dictation of the Quran to Muhammad a historical fact or fiction? Was Muhammad sent by Allah or was he a self acclaimed messenger of Allah? Will Allah truly reward Muslims in the hereafter? Or is the Islamic paradise a transcendental illusion? Is there a paradise packed with virgins kept by Allah for those who die fighting his cause? Has Allah any hand in the jihads of this world?

Those who carried out the September 11 attacks and other terrorist attacks around the world were 'inspired' mainly by the teachings and interpretations of the teachings in the Quran. They were inspired by fake promises contained in this 'holy book'.

And of course, not to mention the most fundamental issue of all: the Divine nature of Jesus. If Jesus was truly an inspired prophet of God (but He was not God), as the Qur’an teaches, how could Jesus have made such claims to be indeed the Son of God? (cf. John 10:30; John 1:1-14).

How should Christians respond?

It seems to me that the best road for a gospel-saturated Christian to take is not standing on the one side of the road with all-exclusive hate or on the other side with all-inclusive love. Both are ultimately extremes that do not address the heart of the issue. The middle road seems to be the only-exclusive love that Christ offers through the Cross, which rejects hating enemies (Matt. 5:43-44) and loving the world (1 John 2:15-17) while embracing love of enemies and hating sin. The response we must have as Christians is to reject the utter hatred of people like Pastor Jones and the Dove World Outreach Center, while at the same time not making the mistake of being purely reactionary by standing on the other side of the road, united only in protest, not in love and truth.

It seems like I have read somewhere in the Bible where it says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..” (1 Peter 3:15) We must make sure that we are both honest and sincere in seeking God’s will, and always that we are doing our best to, “speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15)!”

The problem is that far too many Christians have no or little convictions about their own faith. Not to the point of being willing to present those ideas without apology to non-believers. Too many Christians are timid in their declaration and life witnesses that Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

You see, proclaiming that Christ is Lord is all fine and dandy behind closed doors on a Sunday…but try that in a park or public area and almost all Christians within hearing will wince and turn away rather than offer an “amen”.

Also, as Christians, we not only need to get the logs out of our eyes, but we also need to speak truth and not bear false witness. This means that we must be accurate and fair when we describe another religion.

Islam is currently the fastest growing religion in the world, and for the past several years it has been making tremendous inroads in American society. And maybe one reason why that is the case is because you have to believe in something in order to offer it so another. And you have to at least try to live your faith in order to be in any way credible as a witness. These are not the sort of people a doubter will listen to.

I’m afraid that we are first going to have to re-convert ourselves. Then we’re going to have to convert our surrounding culture. Only then will we have a good alternative to offer the Islamist rank-and-file.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:2-6)

Robert

Sifted Like Wheat

2010-08-31T13:15:00.000-07:00
Jesus was concerned about Satan’s efforts to destroy His own apostles. “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32, NLT).
Satan asked for Peter. I wonder if Peter though of this event later on when he wrote about that “roaring lion seeking to devour God’s people. (cf. 1 Peter 5:8) Peter knew what it was like to be stalked by the lion.

This attack from Satan must be diligently considered. Satan desired to “sift you as wheat”. When wheat is sifted it is filtered through a sieve and the wheat was separated from the chaff (or worthless kernels of the wheat). This process makes the wheat purer than it was before the sifting. Of course, without sifting the real wheat could not be identified and used.

Now each of us would probably have responded to Jesus' warning the same way Peter did. Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” (v. 33) Our faith in God is unwavering, until it is tested. This was to be the ultimate test for Peter, and Jesus knew that his friend would fail by denying Him three times before men. (Luke 22:34)

Yet Jesus prayed for Peter. But notice what he prayed for. He prayed that his faith would not fail. A faith that fails is not one that never sins, but one that refuses to repent (return to Christ). Even though Peter would fail his test by denying Jesus, he fulfilled Jesus’ request – that he repent and strengthen his brethren. (cf. John 22:15-19; Acts 2)

Back to this business of “sifting.” Notice again that Jesus DID NOT pray that there would be NO sifting. God allows us to be sifted. Only in the sifting can that which is useless be separated from that which can be used. And one way for us to realize what we are made of is to be tested. You see, testing is not so much that God is trying to find out something, but that He is trying to show us something about us and Himself.

God teaches His children through problems just as school students are given problems as part of their learning experience. Yet, most Christians fail to count trials as joy (James 1:2). They see them as some strange thing that has happened to them (1 Peter 4:12). Rather than growing from the trial, Christians complain and seek relief rather than spiritual growth.

Peter allowed his sifting to become his greatest moment of recovery and faith building: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV)

What about you? Do you see trials as an opportunity to grow spiritually or as an unwelcome intrusion that you can do without? Think about it.

A Christian Response to the Mosque at Ground Zero

2010-08-24T12:35:00.000-07:00
There have been many headlines the past week or so regarding the construction of a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York City. It’s kicked up quite a dust storm of controversy. And it’s caused me to reflect quite a bit.

The past few days I’ve wondered what a wise response might be to the situation. I’ve tried to listen well, read up on all the information and think critically – and Christianly – regarding the issue at hand. I’ve wondered what a proper response would be – not as an American, not as a American Christian, not as a Republican or Democrat, not as a liberal or a conservative, but as a follower of Jesus and who seeks to honor Christ in the way I live and think and act and speak.

The issue is such an emotional issue that if we’re not careful we can allow our passion to get the most of us.

What has caused the most controversy are the comments of President Obama recently at a White House Ramadan dinner, where he said:

“As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.”

First of all, let me strongly and clearly state that I do believe we need to all make sure that we are not lumping all hateful Islamic terrorists in the same category with all Muslims And if Muslim/American relations are to be improved (as I think they must be) it would be best if we befriended Muslims first. This doesn’t happen through policy in Washington, but by action in your – in my – local community.

Let me further say to answer what seems to be the key critical question and issue of: Is building a mosque at Ground Zero the wisest thing to do?

I think clearly most Americians (as the polls indicate) think no it is not!

Yes,many on the political left have argued that Americans and particular Christians, we should be more “tolerant” on this issue. But that knife cuts both ways.

I also wish that the Islamic community in New York City would also be “tolerant” of the situation, realizing how volatile, symbolic and emotional this area of the U.S. is and what it means to Americans. It’s a lightning rod of American ideology. Our lives changed forever on that fateful day. And quite frankly, not enough time has gone by for the American people to truly heal from such a horrendous experience of September 11, 2001.

For more on this point and other related thoughts, check out this link:

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/pamela_k_taylor/2010/08wisdom_lacking_on_all_sides_in_ground_zero_mosque_affair.html

Pamela Taylor is a moderate Muslim and her editoiral I believe is worth reading on this point.

Now the more important question practically speaking needs to be: Could a compromise be struck? This is my hope and prayer. Could the mosque be built in Manhattan 20 or 25 blocks away from Ground Zero, rather than just two? Wouldn’t it be an act of tolerance by the Islamic community to voluntarily choose to back away from this situation with some perspective and be willing to move it a further distance away?

However, as a Christian, I have to take seriously Jesus’ teaching of peace and love. Christianity is about making peace. Jesus Christ said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" Christians should be more eager to work towards peace with the religion of Islam, and not placing the responsibility of being "first peacemakers" upon the Muslims. That is wrong.

Times of hardship and tension have often been ideal opportunities for demonstrating the truths of our faith. Regardless of our personal political beliefs or the outcome of this scenario, Jesus did not come as a political revolutionary but as one bearing a message of transcendent spiritual truth. Part of his example, although unconventional and unpopular in the wider pop-culture, was a mandate to “love our neighbors,” to “love our enemies,” and to “pray for those who persecute us.”

For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, we’re called to love our neighbor as yourself. But it gets more specific than that. Our call is care for the Triad close to the heart of God: the alien, the orphan and the widow. What does it mean for us to care for those who are foreigners, immigrants, those non-citizens in the U.S and abroad? I believe this includes Muslims, yes even Muslims at Ground Zero in mosques.

I know some reading this will disagree. Some my object asking, “Does this mean I am abandoning my spiritual or moral positions in favor of religious pluralism?” Absolutely not. I do not pretend that I see the Muslim faith and Christian faith as compatible and I do not rescind that I believe the best hope for healing in our communities is found solely in the way, the truth and the life of Jesus Christ. Political correctness aside, I am not ashamed to say this.

But still importantly, and much related to this is to also kind of go along with what Pamela K. Taylor writes in the link above, one of the most important contributions her article makes is how this debate is shaping the perspectives that the rest of the Muslim world has on Christians in America. Christian missiologists should take heed.

No doubt, the situation is quite complex. I’ve not tried to over-simplify the issue at hand, but simply force us to look at the situation critically – as much with our heads as with our hearts.

May the Lord give us wisdom and sensitivity as we discuss these matters.

Robert Prater

Oh, on a more lighter note, but still an effective response to consider, check out the following article and post:

http://jamesbrett.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/a-mothers-response-to-the-ground-zero-controversy/

A False Gospel

2010-08-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

There is a time to tear down false teaching like Piper does so passionately and powerful. We also have of course Jesus’ teachings, Paul’s letters, Peter’s letters, and John’s letters are full of such activity. However, may we be more defined by preaching the correct Gospel of grace and forgiveness and righteous living than we are by being against the false gospel being preached today by many preacher (including prosperity preachers, which like Paul said, is no gospel at all, i.e., Gal. 1:7)

In our passion for the true Gospel we must be against any false gospel which undermines the uniqueness and glory of the true Gospel. But may our battle against the counterfeit flow primarily out of a passion and love for the glory of the true Gospel.

The true of the matter is that knowing God and Jesus is not about gaining happiness, wealth, community status, high positions and prosperity. Those who have earthly treasures are to use them generously to help the poor and to ensure that the Gospel is preached. Yes, we are all thankful for the material blessings God has given us. We need to use them wisely, laying up treasure in heaven. Otherwise, we may be surprised to find out that what we have been trusting in was not the Gospel at all, but rather a “God” and a Gospel of our own invention - one that has not saved us when we stand before God on that Day.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs………Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:10, 17-19 NIV)

Robert

Living Water and Broken Cisterns

2010-08-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Notice these sobering words as God commissions Jeremiah to declare His people's guilt on two charges: "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (Jeremiah 2:13) Water is the source of life.

It is absolutely essential to life! We can exist without food for a time, but we cannot live without water! Water has another function basic to our life. We use it for cleansing, for getting rid of dirt. The Bible uses water as a symbol in both those ways (and a host of others). God as the spring of living water is the source of life, and of cleansing.

In the Old Testament, Almighty God says only He is the source of living water. He tells those who are spiritually thirsty to come to him and drink. Jesus says, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (Jn 7:37).

Judah's twin sins were forsaking the true God and worshipping human gods. It's the same for us. Are we making up our own gods, or our own way of worshipping God? Are you looking for your own tailor-made source of spiritual truth?

This is the sin of humanity as a whole. It is true of those who build physical idols and worship them. But it also true of those who say, "well I like to think of God in my own way." Who think they can improve on the God they find in the Bible. That's a mental idol. Even as Christians we can do this. Jeremiah speaks to God's people, not the pagans. God says, "MY people have forsaken me..."

A mental idol is anything that springs from not trusting and obeying Jesus. As Os Guinness points out, "In today's convenient, climate-controlled spiritual world created by the managerial and therapeutic revolutions, nothing is easier than living apart from God . . . Modernity creates the illusion that, when God commanded us not to live by bread alone but by every word that comes from His mouth, He was not aware of the twentieth century. The very success of modernity may undercut the authority and driving power of faith until religion becomes merely religious rhetoric or organizational growth without spiritual reality" (Os Guinness, “Sounding Out the Idols of Church Growth,” http://gospel-culture.org.uk/guinness.htm [accessed 3 Jun 2010)

But Jesus was poured out like water (Ps 22, Jn 19) as an offering for our sins. It's not a matter of building better cisterns for ourselves, but of simply drinking of, and washing in, the spring that God provides. Revelation 22:17: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." May we never forsake this spring of Living Water and turn to our own broken cisterns!

Robert

Burnt Cabin part 4

2010-07-24T11:28:00.000-07:00
Burnt Cabin part 4 of our concluding camp slideshow. The morning drama! Very chilling and powerful stuff!

Robert

Burnt Cabin part 3

2010-07-24T11:23:00.000-07:00
All-star game, fun times, and Saturday morning. Kris Allen's song "Live LIke We're Dying" has not been authorized by all right holders. The audio has been disabled:(!

Robert

Burnt Cabin part 2

2010-07-24T08:22:00.000-07:00
Team activities and sports.

Burnt Cabin Camp

2010-07-24T08:03:00.000-07:00
Here is part 1 of our camp slideshow of our recent session at Burnt Cabin camp. It was an incredible week of spiritual feasting on God's Word and "The Passion" story (CSI: Cross Scene Investigation).

Enjoy!

Robert

Those who Honor Me

2010-07-15T13:15:00.000-07:00
The movie Chariots of Fire was about a young man from Scotland who ran in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. After qualifying as the United Kingdom's representative for the 100-meter dash, he found out that this race was to be run on Sunday. As a devout Christian, he refused to run on the Lord's Day. He wanted his victory to be for the glory of God. Since he was the fastest runner in the world at that time, he would have won the Gold Medal. Great pressure was put upon him to run on Sunday, but he refused.

Another young man from the United Kingdom was to run a 400-meter race on another day. He had already won a Gold Medal, so he offered his spot in this race to Eric Liddell. Eric accepted, ran the 400-meter, and won the Gold Medal.

Before the race, a young Christian from America handed Eric a note. On it was scribbled, "Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." (1 Sam. 2:30)

In 1981, Chariots of Fire won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It's a great wonderful movie the whole family can enjoy. One with a powerful and inspiring message. The story of Eric Liddell was told all over the world. He was honored for his commitment to God.

May God give us all the strength and courage to honor God by refusing to compromise our commitment to Him.

Robert Prater

CSI: Jerusalem Trailer

2010-06-11T08:46:00.000-07:00
Check this cool promo video for our theme at Burnt Cabin this year.

It's going to be a life-changing theme for some we pray.

Burnt Cabin Camp

2010-06-11T08:16:00.000-07:00
Tommorrow I make my yearly trip to Tahlequah, OK to spend an awesome week at Burnt Cabin Christian Camp. I have been connected with this camp as both as camper, counselor and in recent years as the director since 1986! It's a very, very special place to me. I meant my wife Maggie there.

This year is shaping up to be incredible! We should have around 130 campers!! Please keep me and all counselors and staff and campers in your prayers throughout the week for our safety. But most importantly, that all the kids will have a wonderful time and connect with God their Creator in the days of their youth. (cf. Eccl. 12:1). This is the reason we have planned this camp. So that our youth will grow in their faith in Christ and make life long Christian friendships.

Below is this year's camp theme!

Robert Prater
________________________

Have you noticed that some of the most popular shows on television are investigative detective programs? One current popular show is CSI which stands for “crime scene investigation.” It’s a television series about an elite team of forensic specialists who investigate criminal cases in the cities of New York, Las Vegas, and Miami.

It was a “Crime Scene Investigation” like no other. A man tortured, beaten, and killed. While he was popular with the people, many wanted him dead. After a mock trial the powerful and influential had their way. He was given a hasty burial, but the body has disappeared. Was there a clue left behind? Were there witnesses to what happened? Were the charges justified? Rumors fly and each side stands by their story. Was the body stolen? By whom and why? Did it just vanish? How will this first century mystery be solved?

In this study you are invited to become part of the CSI: Jerusalem crew. Your mission is to investigate the scene at Jeru¬salem and examine the circumstances and reasons behind the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago. Most importantly, you’ll be challenged to not only believe in Jesus but to allow Him to transform your lives through His forgiveness and love. Do you have the courage to join the team and then commit to what you find out?

Your CSI Lead Investigator (Director),
Rob Prater

The Gospel According to Baseball

2010-06-08T08:01:00.001-07:00

If you’ve had any exposure to the media over the last week, chances are you’ve heard quite a bit about the perfect game that wasn’t quite. Armando Galarraga of the Detroit Tigers was one out away from pitching the 21st perfect game in Major League Baseball history when first base umpire Jim Joyce missed the call on a close play at first base. Rather than having tossed a perfect game, Galarraga now owns the most famous one-hitter that the MLB has ever seen.

Even more surprising than the missed call has been the character shown in the reactions of Galarraga and Joyce – understanding from the pitcher, regret from the umpire. Sports errors and character are usually not mentioned in the same sentence.

A full-time umpire since 1989, Joyce admitted his mistake after the game.
He said to reporters, “I just cost the kid a perfect game. I was convinced he beat the throw until I saw the replay. It was the biggest call of my career. And I messed it up.” He promptly apologized to Galarraga, robbed of his record forever.

Even more amazing was how Galarraga displayed grace as he immediately publicly forgave Joyce. Galarraga gave the umpire a hug and said, “Everyone makes mistakes.” Surely not missing the irony he shrugged, “nobody’s perfect.” The next day the pitcher and umpire met at home plate for the customary exchange of lineup cards. They shook hands. Galarraga was still smiling. Joyce wiped away tears.

Both Joyce and Galarraga handled a very bad call in a very good way. It is, after all, only a game. The game of life is far more important than the game of baseball. Human relationships are imperfect and that means they require the ability to ask for forgiveness and to give forgiveness. Joyce and Galarraga did just that, and reminded all of us what it means to be fully human. The apostle Paul wrote, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13) To forgive is not only to be fully human, but to reflect the Divine!

Joyce and Galarraga will forever be linked by a bad call in the game of baseball. Their exchange of an apology and forgiveness means they will also be forever linked for both making the greatest call in the game of life, the call to reconcile!

Robert

Impacting our World

2010-06-02T07:47:00.000-07:00
Take a tour of Bubble Creek Canyon, a master-planned community where you can live in a Christian bubble and truly be set apart. If you move into this neighborhood, you won’t have to worry about interacting with a heathen world ever again!

We would probably feel spiritually protected here, but I am not sure how much good we would be able to do for the Kingdom.

This exaggerated illustration challenges us to make an impact in our world.

So besides poking fun at ourselves — how can we as the church move people beyond the bubble? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are you doing in your church? What really works?

Robert

LOST - The End

2010-05-24T09:11:00.000-07:00
In case you were under a rock or on another planet, you are fully aware that Lost series finale aired last night. It was a very emotional and sad finale of Lost where we did not get any real answers to the countless questions that surfaced during the last 6 years. Of course, there are two extremist views of “Lost” – all plot vs. character – and I suspect most are more like me, somewhere in between. The show has always been more about the characters than the mysteries.

Now as far as the final show goes…..I thought most of it worked pretty great; the reunions in the sideways (Sawyer and Juliet in particular, but all of them were splendidly played), Sun and Jin (who got their English back one last time), the farewells in the real world, the final battle between Jack and Smoke Monster on the cliff, etc. You would have to be made of stone to not get choked up at one or multiple points, whether it was Jack passing on the protector job to Hurley (an appropriate end for the "fan surrogate character" as he's been called) or Kate and Charlie again helping Claire deliver Aaron, or Locke forgiving Ben, or one of a dozen other moments like those. Really, up until those last minutes, which I'll get to in a bit, I thought it was a wonderful final episode.

As far as that ending……..with them ending up at the church…..Now, I’m not 100% confident in my interpretations (which is stating the obvious), but here’s my thoughts…..my take is that indeed we discover via Christian Shephard aka Jack’s dead father that all of the people on Oceanic 815 including Desmond, Daniel, Charlotte, Kate, Sawyer, Miles, Claire, Sayid, Sun, Jin, Locke, Hurley, Benjamin, etc. did really live on the island but when they died they moved on to L.A for their flash-sideways world was the afterlife – taking place after everyone died, but not in any real time frame. In the end, the characters’ experiences on the island bonded them together – “the most important time of your lives” – and they all reconnected in the afterlife, before moving on to… the light.

As with everything else in “Lost,” there are statements and then there are layers. For instance, most of the “recognition” moments took place when two people in love encountered each other in the afterlife. And in the afterlife, everything always seemed to work out. The couples that were supposed to be together ended up together. Love won out. Hurley was the “luckiest man in the world.” Locke was cured of his paralysis. Things just always seemed to work out. For everyone. That’s how many people in our post-modern world see “the afterlife.”

Now I can't say I found "The End" wholly satisfying as closure for this season or the series.

I do believe it’ll be years before another cult hit like this comes along. We’ve all just witnessed something special I think. One of the greatest dramatic TV shows of all-time.

I have come to see the show not just as entertainment but also an exercise in storytelling, debates in modern moral dilemmas, and reflection upon theological and spiritual undertones.

These theologies are NOT always overtly Christian on LOST, but they make us think about the Christian life so that we can gain perspective in our own lives.

Please, don't get me wrong. Lost is not a particularly Christian show, even if there are spiritual overtones (good verses evil, faith, redemption, love, etc.) Fact is, there are elements of many philosophical and religious traditions, and as such, it should not be placed in the same category of creative works as, say, those by C. S. Lewis, who wrote stories that intentionally reflected a worldview of Christian orthodoxy.

Nevertheless, one of the valuable things about watching Lost is that it invites us to confront our ideas of who God is. Is God personal and forgiving? Is He cold and uncaring? Is He distant and unknowable? Does He leave us to our own devices? Or does He actively intervene?

So if Lost fans are seeking within its narratives the secrets of life, meaning and significance they will eventually walk away disappointed and frustrated.

But the good news is the "Good News" -- the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost" As believers in Christ, we can appreciate the echoes of truth that reverberate in quality entertainment options like Lost, but we get to have a personal relationship with the One who is the Truth. And through Jesus, who is the Word, we have access to a God who has chosen to make Himself known to His people. (John 1:14, 18)

To put a spin from our Christian perspective, my hope is to, as Desmond would say,“See you in another life brother.” (John 14:1-6)

God bless,
Robert Prater

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer

2010-05-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is a sad video of the reality of a great deal of today's “contemporary” churches whose primary objective is to be “relevant.” We need a Biblical and spiritually healthy blast of what worship is really supposed to be….not what the modern church is looking like.

The simple worship of the early church was quite surprising to pagan visitors. Indeed, this very fact caused much enmity of unbelievers.
“Another circumstance that irritated the Romans against the Christians was the simplicity of their worship, which resembled in nothing the sacred rites of any other people. They had no sacrifices, temples, images, instrumental music, oracles, or sacerdotal orders; and this was sufficient to bring upon them the reproaches of an ignorant multitude, who imagined that there could be no religion without these.” (Mosheim’s Ecclesiastical History, p. 30)

Worship is all about God (Psalm 146; Rev. 19:10). What that means is God is our primary concern when it comes to worship. Much of what drives man’s worship today (not exclusive for today, been true historically) is self and not God! Today much of the focus is to conduct worship in such a way that it becomes attractive and appealing to people! Nothing wrong with that to a degree. But we must always be reminded and taught that worship is not about us, but God!

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

God bless,
Robert Prater

Christ has no hands here but yours

2010-05-13T07:04:00.000-07:00
This picture above is from a real statue that exists outside Christ the King Catholic Church in San Diego. The hands were broken off by vandals around 1980. Instead of repairing the hands, the church decided to put up a plaque at the base that states, 'I have no hands but yours.' This is a reference to a poem by St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) that reads the following:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.

The statue without hands is still there in San Diego, a powerful symbol of a great truth. We ARE His hands. And He wants us to use them in His service, which means in the service of others.

Some people try to do, love, give, abstain, or serve just enough to get by. I guess you can live life that way. But, there is another way...a better way.

There is a way that gives more than it takes, that loves more than it is loved, and that experiences Christ in such a way that it cannot help but to extend itself practically so that people may actually catch a real glimpse of Christ by looking at us. That's the way I want to live. When I arrive at the end of my life, I pray that I have spent myself in a mission that is worth more than my comfort or self interests. Those are convicting words and a great challenge. I hope to live up to them.

"He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." (Mark 9:35 New Living Translation)

For Christ,
Robert Prater

Homeless good Samaritan left to die on NYC street

2010-04-28T08:15:00.001-07:00
Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, a Guatemalan immigrant, was the kind of person people in New York ignored. He was dirty and homeless, but it didn't mean Tale-Yax wasn't human. It seems, actually, he was a pretty good guy. When a woman was attacked by a knife-weilding man in a short-sleeved green shirt and green hat, Tale-Yax, 31, leapt into action. He paid dearly for his heroic effort after he was stabbed. After falling the ground at 144th Street and 88th Road in Jamaica, Queens, around 5:40 a.m. on April 18, many people walked by him without doing anything to help. He laid there, first bleeding in pain and then motionless, for more than an hour, as dozens of people walked by, nobody stopping to help, according to a surveillance video obtained by the New York Post. One person even took what appears to be a photo with his cell phone before leaving Tale-Yax, who finally received assistance -- via 911 call -- at about 7:20 a.m.

I couldn’t agree more with the assessment and comment made by one person commenting on another preacher’s blog: "It is time to stop being afraid, it is time for revival of humanity, it is time to care. 'Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.' We let Jesus die on the sidewalk!"

Check out the video yourself below!

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Everything today in our culture (just watch TV and listen to music) teaches us to focus on our selves… our self promotion… our self awareness, our self indulgence… our self comfort… our self concern… our self everything. In its cancerous pollution way, sin has led to us believing that the only course to our meaning and relevance is through ourselves.

I think what greatly breaks my heart in this story is that I can see myself “not doing enough”… I see just how easily I am guilty of this and how my engagements… my feeling of needing to get things done on my schedule and my fear of getting dirty or “attacked” may hinder me from having helped Hugo out… or making sure at least the ambulance would have found him sooner. I am heartbroken because in a society and culture that prides itself in being the most forward-thinking… considerate and modern… Hugo’s story shows just how far we have missed the mark. It shows just how different and contrasted is the person that is selfless vs. the ones that are selfish.

The selfless one died saving another. The selfish did nothing… watched him suffer… and got to live their lives still pursuing selfish motivations. Doesn’t this story sound familiar? This is the story of Jesus Christ. He is the one that lived a perfect and holy life, and then was falsely accused and died selflessly to save many others. What is amazing is that he not only lived a life that was perfect and without sin, but in his death, he rose 3 days later and now sits beside God advocating and speaking on our behalf… for those standing there watching him suffer and did nothing. This is the Son of God that did this for us, and shows you just how much God loves us that He would send His beloved Son to live and die for us.

Hugo’s death also breaks my heart because I believe that many of us self-professed Christians are at times no different than those many people that walked by and did nothing/not enough. Who is our neighbor? The question that came to my mind and a few others is… were any of those people that walked by Christian? I tell you it doesn’t matter, but I bet you that I would not be surprised if some were, and failed to do anything.

Where are YOU at? Which one of the people are you in the story of the Modern Day Good Samaritan? Is your life so about yourself… that you are oblivious to those around you? To the basic compassion and grace and opportunities to love? Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax is the Jesus in his tragic death. Where are the Jesus’ around you?

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

May God help us break the sinful selfishness in us!

Robert Prater

Letters to God

2010-04-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

Check out the link below for the trailer for this new movie.

A heartfelt tale of inspiration, hope and redemption, 'Letters to God' is inspired by a true story of what happens when one boy’s walk of faith crosses paths with one man’s search for meaning—the resulting transformational journey touches the lives of everyon

This movie hopefully will be a good reason for people to face their own faith and for this reason alone, it will be a must-see family film

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God bless,

Robert Prater

Daddy's B-Day Princess!!

2010-04-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today my precious daughter Mackenzie turned 6 years old.
I can still remember the day she was born, as though it were yesterday. Sigh! She is sooooo beyond words excited to be 6 … because 6 means she’s officially a big girl (according to her). It’s major … I agree!

She is such a remarkable little person. Witty, kind, smart, but ornery, bold, my little Taylor Swift diva, creative — it is a privilege to be her parent.

She has certainly brought out the best, and the worst, of us both. For that, I thank you.

Here’s my promise that I will keep to you: to do my best to model the love and example of Christ in my life, to teach and encourage you in God's Word, to love His church, to fit you with all the skills and knowledge that you will need to make a good, fulfilling life for yourself, filled with love and adventure and, when it's time, to have the courage and wisdom to let you go!

Happy Birthday To My Little Princess

Happy birthday hugs and kisses

Little Princess girl of mine

Little toy ponies, Barbies and books

Sweet innocent looks

You’re still sweeter than honey

Still more precious than gold

I forget to tell you often enough

Just how you’re so special

So loving and so very smart!

Happy birthday my little princess

You still rule my heart!

Happy Birthday my “Sissy", "Sweetpea!" Have a great, great day!

Love,

Daddy, (and Mommy too)

Something Close to Nothing!

2010-03-22T10:04:00.000-07:00
People will no doubt continue to remain bitterly divided of the health care debate despite the new law/reform Congress passed last night. Good and honest people can and will arrive at different conclusions and have vastly different viewpoints as to what is best for this nation.

I have no doubt President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and the rest of their cohorts who voted in favor of Obamacare yesterday think they are making a more perfect union.

But, in my opinion, I think Congress has done something close to nothing to reform America’s health care system.

The sad reality is that for those of us who think the ballooning national debt is a key indicator of our nation's health and prosperity, the country is in desperate straits carrying a sense of falling that is undeniable. The continued expansion of government control and intervention coupled with massive spending increases make it difficult to be optimistic about our country's future.

The financial facts of this bill were continually ignored by the 219 members of the House who voted on this massive entitlement bill. Read at the bottom the Op Ed piece in the New York Times (of all sources) which laid out the truth about this bill. (“The Real Arithmetic of Health Care Reform”)

Given the government's history or grossly underestimating the actual costs of entitlement programs, I don’t know about you, but I know I don’t trust the government to hold my money.

Now, one last point, while everyone has an obligation to help those who are less fortunate, it is important how that duty is fulfilled. I simply believe that President Obama's desire for the government to carry out that responsibility is misguided and will lead to more government waste and neglect of the very ones they claim to want to help.

If you remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan, there's a priest and a Levite who use their freedom in different ways than the Samaritan did. They chose not to help the man who was lying by the side of the road. But the Samaritan used his freedom, and Jesus encouraged his followers to use their freedom to help the poor and the sick. And when you do that, the care that they receive ends up being better.

Many are predicting that the government's effort to provide medical care to the poor will be an “administrative and bureaucratic nightmare" because of the all the politicking and litigation involved.”

This country has a lot of soul searching to do when it comes to what's best for our nation's health care needs

People are afraid that this new health care law will lead to socialized medicine, no choice of doctors or hospitals, and their list goes on and on.

It is indeed a time of reflection and prayer. In the end, We must always remember what the God of heavens says about Himself and about the righteous and wicked,

"Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men who cannot save. When their spirits depart, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them--the Lord, who remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien, and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever..."

Psalm 147:3-10a (NIV).

_____________________________

The Real Arithmetic of Health Care Reform
By DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN
Published: March 20, 2010

ON Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office reported that, if enacted, the latest health care reform legislation would, over the next 10 years, cost about $950 billion, but because it would raise some revenues and lower some costs, it would also lower federal deficits by $138 billion. In other words, a bill that would set up two new entitlement spending programs — health insurance subsidies and long-term health care benefits — would actually improve the nation’s bottom line.

Could this really be true? How can the budget office give a green light to a bill that commits the federal government to spending nearly $1 trillion more over the next 10 years?

The answer, unfortunately, is that the budget office is required to take written legislation at face value and not second-guess the plausibility of what it is handed. So fantasy in, fantasy out.

In reality, if you strip out all the gimmicks and budgetary games and rework the calculus, a wholly different picture emerges: The health care reform legislation would raise, not lower, federal deficits, by $562 billion.
Gimmick No. 1 is the way the bill front-loads revenues and backloads spending. That is, the taxes and fees it calls for are set to begin immediately, but its new subsidies would be deferred so that the first 10 years of revenue would be used to pay for only 6 years of spending.

Even worse, some costs are left out entirely. To operate the new programs over the first 10 years, future Congresses would need to vote for $114 billion in additional annual spending. But this so-called discretionary spending is excluded from the
Congressional Budget Office’s tabulation.

Consider, too, the fate of the $70 billion in premiums expected to be raised in the first 10 years for the legislation’s new long-term health care insurance program. This money is counted as deficit reduction, but the benefits it is intended to finance are assumed not to materialize in the first 10 years, so they appear nowhere in the cost of the legislation.

Another vivid example of how the legislation manipulates revenues is the provision to have corporations deposit $8 billion in higher estimated tax payments in 2014, thereby meeting fiscal targets for the first five years. But since the corporations’ actual taxes would be unchanged, the money would need to be refunded the next year.

The net effect is simply to shift dollars from 2015 to 2014.
In addition to this accounting sleight of hand, the legislation would blithely rob Peter to pay Paul. For example, it would use $53 billion in anticipated higher Social Security taxes to offset health care spending. Social Security revenues are expected to rise as employers shift from paying for health insurance to paying higher wages. But if workers have higher wages, they will also qualify for increased Social Security benefits when they retire. So the extra money raised from payroll taxes is already spoken for. (Indeed, it is unlikely to be enough to keep Social Security solvent.) It cannot be used for lowering the deficit.

A government takeover of all federally financed student loans — which obviously has nothing to do with health care — is rolled into the bill because it is expected to generate $19 billion in deficit reduction.

Finally, in perhaps the most amazing bit of unrealistic accounting, the legislation proposes to trim $463 billion from Medicare spending and use it to finance insurance subsidies. But Medicare is already bleeding red ink, and the health care bill has no reforms that would enable the program to operate more cheaply in the future. Instead, Congress is likely to continue to regularly override scheduled cuts in payments to Medicare doctors and other providers.

Removing the unrealistic annual Medicare savings ($463 billion) and the stolen annual revenues from Social Security and long-term care insurance ($123 billion), and adding in the annual spending that so far is not accounted for ($114 billion) quickly generates additional deficits of $562 billion in the first 10 years. And the nation would be on the hook for two more entitlement programs rapidly expanding as far as the eye can see.

The bottom line is that Congress would spend a lot more; steal funds from education, Social Security and long-term care to cover the gap; and promise that future Congresses will make up for it by taxing more and spending less.

The stakes could not be higher. As documented in another recent budget office analysis, the federal deficit is already expected to exceed at least $700 billion every year over the next decade, doubling the national debt to more than $20 trillion. By 2020, the federal deficit — the amount the government must borrow to meet its expenses — is projected to be $1.2 trillion, $900 billion of which represents interest on previous debt.

The health care legislation would only increase this crushing debt. It is a clear indication that Congress does not realize the urgency of putting America’s fiscal house in order.

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who was the director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2003 to 2005, is the president of the American Action Forum, a policy institute.

The Gospel and ‘Social Justice’…

2010-03-09T10:58:00.001-08:00

In light of the highly publicized politic debate taking place right now concerning “Obamacare” (i.e., national government health care), I have been thinking about how all this relates to the subject of social justice and whether or not the church should involve itself in such things. This has really become a hot topic these days, especially amongst younger Evangelicals.

A few examples are………

Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC. Tim has been speaking about justice for many years but has just recently put his insights into a new book coming out in October of this year entitled Generous Justice. Here is the publishers description:

It is commonly thought in our secular culture that the Bible is one of the
great hindrances to doing justice. In Generous Justice, Timothy Keller
illuminates a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace: a generous,
gracious justice.

Generous Justice is a book for believers who find the Bible a trustworthy
guide, as well as for those who suspect that Christianity is a regressive
influence in the world.

Keller calls upon life-long Christians to deepen their faith by
understanding that justice for the poor and marginalized is central to the
Scripture’s message and challenges skeptics to recognize that the Bible is
actually the basis for the modern understanding of justice.

Like all of Tim’s books, this one promises to be thought provoking and generate lots of good healthy discussion and debate.

But it illustrates the debate about the social justice and gospel.

It doesn’t take a one long to realize that the so called “emerging church” which crosses a number of theological boundaries and the participants can be described as evangelical, post-evangelical, and post-liberal. They are very concerned with the planet, with the ecosystems, pollution and the environment; so much so that apparently in some sense Christ died for the physical planet and it is the job of the follower of Christ to help restore and protect this world. He is also troubled with injustice.

One of the leading voices of this movement is Brian McLaren. He asks, “And could our preoccupation with individual salvation from hell after death distract us from speaking prophetically about injustice in our world today?”( The Last Word and the Word After That, p. 84) .Emergent leaders have a deep concern that if we are preoccupied with who is “in” and who is “out,” who is going to heaven and who is not, we will ignore present physical needs of the planet and social issues like injustice, poverty and AIDS.

McLaren argues, “When Matthew, Mark, and Luke talk about the Kingdom of God, it’s always closely related to social justice…. The gospel of the kingdom is about God’s will being done on earth for everybody, but we’re interested in getting away from earth entirely as individuals, and into heaven instead.”(ibid 149) Martin Luther King is given by McLaren as an example of one who had the right gospel emphasis.[ibid 153) They fault the evangelical church for being too wrapped up in eternity to care about what is happening right now on planet earth and with being too anxious over who is saved from sin to notice who is suffering from man’s inhumanity to man.

It does not seem to be an option to the emergent church that both social injustices and eternal redemption can be and have been attended to by God’s people. But, despite opinions to the contrary, the priority of Scripture is on man’s relationship to God. It is because men are alienated from God that they mistreat one another. The spiritually redeemed and transformed person should and will care about social sins.

But, again, the gospel is about man’s alienation from God and what He has done through Christ to reconcile us to Himself (Romans 5:6-11), not about the ozone layer and elimination of poverty. Neither Jesus nor the apostles made these latter things the focus of their ministries; it was the reconciliation of souls to God that was at the heart of their message. Once we begin to draw our gospel from the culture, no matter what culture that might be, we have altered the true gospel. Emergent leaders are not wrong to be concerned about the environment and social injustice; they are wrong to confuse it with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For me, the issue is not an “either/or” scenario. I like the way Jonathan Leeman put it recently, suggesting that evangelism and social involvement are “not at odds with each other, but that social involvement is a subsidiary part of evangelism but we shouldn’t get our priorities confused.”

Again, to me, the question to me is we will be emphasizing evangelism and reaching out with the proclamation of the Gospel at the same time, just as strongly how we as Christians live that out? The reality is that in our culture today, especially among the younger generations, they respond to social justice issues and move from that to hearing the Gospel, rather than hearing the Gospel and moving to social justice.

Again, it is good and proper for us to attempt to alleviate the suffering of anyone, in whatever form that is: feeding the hungry, healing the broken, freeing the slaves, redeeming those in prostitution, loving the orphan and the widow, etc.

But the truth of the matter is that if we do not preach the gospel, we are, in essence, simply putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. In the end, that does not address the real issue, and that is giving people life. One can be freed from forced prostitution but still a slave to their sin nature. It is better for one to remain in slavery and come to know Christ than it is for one to never hear of Christ and be freed from slavery. Of course... it is best if one knows Christ and is freed from slavery... but I believe it is our best practice to address the former sooner than the latter, if at all possible.

I greatly desire to see a resurgence of evangelism in the body of Christ today. But evangelism that is rooted in and focused on the gospel.

For a much better and compelling argument read the one made by Kim Moreland in the following article: http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/articles/14545-the-social-gospel-and-eternity.

In Christ,
Robert Prater

Where is this Global Warming?

2010-03-02T08:26:00.000-08:00
Propelled by the threat (perhaps hysteria) of supposed man-made global warming, the American culture has been convinced to "go-green." From political statements, marketing tactics (remember the Audi “Green Police” commercials for the Super Bowl?)and even one church I read about installing an earth-friendly heating system, we now seem to be much more conscious of protecting our environment. The advocates of global warming have cooled down in recent weeks as a massive cold front and record snow has held an icy grip on much of the Mid-West (including Dallas!), South-eastern states. As a result, one top United Nation's global warming proponent is now going to the opposite extreme and is predicting the beginning of a "mini ice age" (see FoxNews.com's report "30 Years of Global Cooling Are Coming, Leading Scientist Says" on January 11, 2010).

The increased concern of protecting and preserving our environment is a good thing. In fact, it is a divine directive. One of the responsibilities given to mankind is to be a steward and keeper of our earthly abode (see Genesis 2:15). God has given this environment, its creatures, and natural resources for mankind's use (cf. Genesis 2:11-12, 16-17; 3:21; 9:3). Yet, God is displeased when we blatantly abuse his creation (cf. Deuteronomy 22:6-7; Exodus 23:11).

We must be good stewards of the earth and not abuse God's provisions for us. However, we must not fall victim to the doomsday predictions and hysteria of the environmental prophets. Man can abuse the earth and even do great harm (remember the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989?) However, we do not have the power to destroy the earth. God has reserved that exclusive right having promised that he will be the one to personally destroy the earth and man cannot subvert his plan (2 Peter 3:7, 12). God has personally "reserved" the destruction of the earth with fire for himself on his predetermined day (2 Peter 3:7). Man cannot preempt God's predetermined plans. Even after the oil spill of the Exxon Valdez, scientists were amazed at the "rapid recovery" of the environment which demonstrates that God has designed the earth as a "resilient ecosystem" and not a "fragile environment" (Doughty, Heaven, pg. 48).

From the beginning God designed the environment and weather patterns of the earth to be cyclical in nature (Genesis 1:14). We should expect that there will be cycles of cold weather and decades of warmer temperatures. In fact, God made a promise concerning this after he destroyed the earth by water in the days of Noah. God said, "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22).

While we should be very conscious of the fact that we must be responsible stewards of God's creation, we should not be fearful that we will destroy the earth. God holds that exclusive right. We must be personally prepared for that day (2 Peter 3:11-13). In this way, maybe we should be more concerned with heaven than with earth!

God bless,
Robert Prater

Not Out of the Woods Yet

2010-02-20T13:56:00.000-08:00
"I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.

"I was wrong. I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself." ~ from the text of Tiger Woods comments

This was probably the most lengthy and sincere apology I've ever seen by such a huge public figure . And I for one I’m glad Tiger Woods made his public confession today. I think he was sincere. Of course these confessions, unfortunately, are public relations necessities which are carefully calculated. They are born out of the environment created by modern media, particularly the Internet and 24-hour cable news.

But, as often is the case, celebrities do not "say the right words" -- they dribble out half-truths and self-justifications. Tiger did none of that. Hopefully his public confession will make us want to confess our “sin” and make us more inclined to be self reflective to see how our moral choices hurt others.

But the test of a confession is in what follows it—repentance (change)!

Now let's give him some space. Pray for him and his family, and let's leave the man alone. Let him live up to the promises he made this morning, and hope that he can truly recover. After all, it's not just about a man's accomplishments that matter, as much as how he responds to the great challenges of life.

I also can’t help but comment on Tiger’s statement he made concerning the following: “Buddhism teaches that a craving for things outside ourselves causes and unhappy and pointless search for security… Obviously I lost track of what I was taught.”

I believe that Tiger did not stray from his religious teachings but fell prey to Buddhism’s man-centered teachings. Rather than looking for joy from “outside” himself, such as in a grace-based relationship with Christ, Tiger lived a very self-centered, prideful life of self-sufficiency.

I hope that Tiger and his wife find a way to stay married, especially for the sake of the children. But, sadly, Tiger’s adherence to Buddhism will continue to be a hindrance. All Christians should pray for Tiger Woods that he will look “outside” of himself to help that comes from the true and living God and that he will trust in Jesus Christ alone for true forgiveness and redemption.

May God bless you all,

Robert Prater

Reminders!

2010-02-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

A string around the finger; A note left in a conspicuous place; A single word written in the square of a date on a calendar—reminders. Let’s face it, we all need them. Our memories are not perfect. We may have been told, we may have known, but sometimes the gray matter needs jogged so we can remember what we know.

Christians need reminders, Peter wrote, “This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.” (2 Peter 3:1).

We need to be reminded of the great grace by which we have been saved and the commitment we made to the Lord the day we gave our lives over in obedient submission to Him (Eph. 2:8; Gal. 2:20). We need to be reminded we are no longer our own but have been bought with a price.

We need to be reminded that while the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23) it is comprised of sanctified sinners. These are people who struggle and toil, who try to do good and right but don’t always succeed. They are people in need of compassion and forgiveness and encouragement and that we are numbered among them.

We need to remember that as we are constantly being pressured and pushed to fit into a certain way of thinking, that we are instead to be transformed and not conformed. This comes with a renewed mind and a renewed mind is one filled with the mind of Christ.

We need to be reminded that the world is LOST in sin, a world for whom Christ did and sin which His blood is able to cleanse. As one who wears His name I must remember that God’s saving power, the gospel, has been given to me as a great treasure. I need to be reminded that as I have been blessed I also now have a responsibility.

“So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.” (2 Peter 1:12 NIV)

Remind Me, Dear Lord
Chorus
Roll back the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where you brought me from and where I could have been
Remember I'm human and humans forget
So remind me, remind me dear Lord

Robert

Much ado about nothing - The Tebow ad

2010-02-08T13:54:00.000-08:00
Fairly predictable lefty outrage was made by feminists groups such as NOW and pro-choice groups over the Tim Tebow Super Bowl commercial ad sponsored by Focus on the Family.

A 30-second Super Bowl ad, which pro-abortion and feminist groups had feared would offer a strong pro-life, anti-abortion message, instead did what the its sponsor said it would: celebrate family and life. The ad, in keeping with the comic tone of the majority of the advertisements running during the game, featured Pam Tebow, the mother of college football standout Tim Tebow, reminiscing about the struggles she faced in seeing her future Heisman Trophy-winning son come into the world.

The ad finishes with the invitation for viewers to visit the Focus on the Family website to hear more about Pam’s story.

While Focus on the Family reportedly paid an estimated $2.5 million for the 30-second spot, the publicity the group received because of attacks from its critics was priceless. Nearly every day, feminist and pro-abortion groups introduced a new tactic in an effort to smear Focus on the Family and pressure CBS officials to change their minds on running the ad.

Amazingly, without having even previewed the ad, leaders of the Women’s Media Center urged women to sign a petition to CBS, arguing that the ad was “surrealistic” in its pro-life message. Wrongly assuming that Focus on the Family would give the abortion issue center stage, the National Organization for Women demanded that CBS pull the plug on the spot, saying that the abortion issue “has no place in the Super Bowl.”

Each year, the Super Bowl broadcast is almost as anticipated for its ads as for the game itself. Many of them tastelessly use sex and the objectification of the female body to attract attention. You'd think "women's groups" might have something to say about that. But they reserve their censorship calls for what they really care about. Again, I think the truth about what these groups are really about, were exposed.

Although they claim to be more "tolerant" than those who might not agree with them, their view is not so much "pro-choice," but "no life."

Pam Tebow decided not to have an abortion, after a doctor urged her to, when in 1987 she was pregnant and had been diagnosed with dysentery. She called Tim her miracle baby, and said that she still worries about his health. No matter what your views are on abortion, Pam Tebow had a story to share; she was advised to have an abortion, didn’t, and her son has gone on to college football record fame. The commercial was not an attempt to force someone’s views upon another, but rather the testimony of one football hero’s journey into the world.

Congratulations to CBS and the Super Bowl for the brief time-out from the game to celebrate Tebows' focus on their family.

Robert Prater

Suffering

2010-02-08T07:40:00.000-08:00
The presence of suffering and evil in the world undoubtedly presents the single greatest challenge to the Christian faith. Henri Blocher, commenting on this challenge, writes, “While it is suffering and evil that tortures human bodies, it is the problem of suffering and evil that torments the human mind.” Even the prophets in the Bible raise the question in various forms. For example, the prophet Habakkuk asked God, ―How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‗Violence!‘ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? (Habakkuk 1:2-3) Jeremiah challenged God by saying, “I would speak with you about your justice: why does the way of the wicked prosper?” (Jeremiah 12:1) The issue of suffering is taken up in the Book of Job where God’s character and moral trustworthiness that are called into question. If scripture is reliable, we may trust the goodness of God, but we will not have explanations. There apparently was never a more faithful and good man than Job, but he suffered without ever knowing why

Dr. Earl West tells of J. W. McGarvey, the greatly admired preacher and teacher of the Restoration Movement, counseling a grieving lady who lost her only son in the Civil War. She was seeking advice from the scholarly McGarvey when she asked, “Where was God when my son was dying?” Like Job’s wife, her grief and doubt led her to blame God for her sorrow. Immediately McGarvey replied, “The same place He was when His Son died.”

Ultimately, the answer to the problem of evil and suffering is not a philosophy, but a Person; not words, but the Word. The value of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is often overlooked at just this point. “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14 New Living Translation) God “tabernacle” among us, or came to earth in a “tent” of flesh and blood, in the person of Jesus Christ. (John 1:14) Most often, in the midst of our pain, we want comfort, not explanations. This is where the presence of Christ in the lives of those who hurt is critical.

John Stott in his classic book, “The Cross of Christ,” addresses the centrality of the cross when it comes to suffering in our world. He writes:

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. . . . In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? The God of the cross is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering. “The cross of Christ..…is God’s only self justification in such a world as ours.”

God is not indifferent to suffering. God so loved the world that He gave his only Son to experience unimaginable suffering and to die as a victim of evil and cruelty. He endured this to overcome sin, so that we might be reconciled to God and enjoy heaven where there is no suffering and death. (cf. Rev. 21:4) Also, we read all the stories of how compassionate Jesus was when encountering suffering people. He was not aloof. He cared about and shared their pain, just like He cares about your pain and problems now.

That is the God for me! I do not want to give trite or easy answers to these tough questions regarding human suffering. But in the end, when all is said, the answer to all suffering is the cross. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

And for the Christian, despite how difficult life gets, Romans 8:28 promises us that God can bring something good out of even the worst of circumstances, if we turn it over to Him. The promise doesn't say the good will outweigh the bad, or that the purpose of the bad is so there can be good - just that good can come from all situations if our lives are given to the Lord.

As long as there is life on earth, there will be pain and suffering. As long as there is life on earth, there will be injustices. We have no promise of a fair life. What we do have is a promise that God will never leave us or forsake us, that He will always be with us, even to the end of the age (Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20). And in our finite understanding, although we cannot fully understand why He does not step in and stop our suffering, we can see that what seems to matter in these few years we spend on earth is the relationship we develop with Him.

God bless,

Robert Prater

You Might Be A Preacher If...

2010-01-27T07:47:00.000-08:00
A good fellow preacher friend of mine emailed me a list of You Might Be A Preacher If... and had a lot of good "inside" humor that really only preachers would enjoy.

You Might Be A Preacher If...• You hesitate to tell people what you do for a living.
• You've ever dreamed you were preaching only to awake and discover you were.
• A church picnic is no picnic.
• You ever spoken for free and were worth every penny of it.
• People sleep while you’re talking.
• You jiggle all the commode handles at the church building before you leave.
• You've been told to get a real job.
• You've been asked, "What's so hard about preaching?"
• Others wished they only had to work one day a week for a weeks pay.
• You have said, "I'm NEVER going to be a preacher."
• You wear your new shoes to church and someone comments, "We are paying you way too much money."
• Your children want to be paid for any stories, references, or examples you gave about them in your sermons.
• Your nightmares involve forgetting the deceased name at a funeral or walking into the sanctuary Sunday morning and realizing you forgotten to prepare a sermon.
• If you close your eyes and sing along with the congregation while really preparing the sermon in your mind.
• You keep relating movies you've seen to sermon topics.
• Your children are the worst behaving kids at church.
• Your vacation time revolves around church conferences or workshops.

Here are some other ones I've herad:

* You've ever wanted to fire the church and form a congregation search committee.
* You've ever wanted to give the soundman some feedback of your own.
* You've ever wanted to lay hands on a deacon, and you weren't thinking of praying for him.
* You often feel like you're herding mules rather than shepherding sheep.
* Your sermons have a happy ending; everyone's happy when it ends!
* You've never preached on TV, but your wife made you get down before you break something.
* You’ve ever asked for a clergy discount at a golf course.
* You’ve ever been asked to lead the prayer at a High School football game.
* Taking a nap on Sunday afternoon is a spiritual experience.
* It’s Sunday, but MONDAY is coming.
** It's your job to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

What have you heard?

Robert Prater

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-12-31T08:49:00.000-08:00
A new year always presents a challenge. There is something about the New Year period that makes most of us want to start something over again in our lives. I wonder how many people have started off in life then got messed up and failed? Most of them never start over again.

Maybe today, you are sort of down and out, then you need to start over again. I am going to list four areas that are most common and that need a new beginning this coming year. If any of these speak to you or seem to challenge you, then let God make a new beginning in that area of your life.

I. SOME OF YOU NEED A NEW BEGINNING IN BIBLE READING AND STUDY

When I was younger I thought only preachers read The Bible rhrough. I remember thinking how impossible it would be in my life to accomplish that. But over time and practice, I learned that it really isn't very hard. The 1189 chapters can be read in one year by reading a little more than three chapters a day.

II. SOME OF YOU NEED A NEW BEGINNING IN YOUR MARRIAGE

There are many marriages that are just holding on. Reconstruct your marriage around the Bible, the Church, the people Of God. Most couples won’t argue and fight when they are around other Christians. Keep yourself involved with Christian fellowship.

III. SOME OF YOU NEED A NEW BEGINNING IS HELPING OTHERS

Each of us should be involved in a ministry of helping others.
A ministry of giving to others. Of giving self, money, time, kindness and our talents to God. Our congregations will never go on to the next level of growth until we each begin to giving ourselves to others.

IV. SOME OF YOU NEED A NEW BEGINNING IN YOUR LIFE

“"3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4)

"If any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Your live has been made over again. A new life exists.

Some Are Saying, “If only I could start over again." You can. Trust Christ.

Now is your opportunity. You can start over again today. Forgiveness is not rationed. Forgiveness is not short supply. Forgiveness is not limited. You can be forgiven of any and all sin. If you're a Christian who has fallen, confess and repent and come back to God. (1 John 1:9) If your not a Christian, give your life to Christ through faith, repentance and baptism. (Acts 2:37-28; Gal. 3:26-27)

Don’t let this year end and you still be in the same place you are right now. Do something about it. Start over again today.

Let me say finally, that you are all dear to me. I appreciate yoru reading, your comments, your emails, your encouragement more than I can say and if you will - keep coming back in 2010!!

God bless,

Robert Prater

2009-12-16T11:36:00.000-08:00
The present Christmas season is surrounded with controversy. The question kept ever before us is: Do we dare say Merry Christmas for fear of offending someone? Well, heaven literally and truly came down and the Divine literally and truly became flesh when Jesus was born in a stable and placed in that manger in the little town of Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

While it is true that we do not know exactly when Jesus was born, December 25 is the date that our culture long ago began to honor our Lord and Savior for His birth. For that reason, this is the time of year that the vast majority of Americans give thought to Him. Now the secular forces of our culture want to take even that away from the people.

As Christians, we are to remember the Lord every first day of the week as we participate in the Lord's Supper. (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:17-32) There we commemorate His death for our sins, we proclaim our faith in Him as we wait for His return, and we examine our hearts in relationship to His body, the church. Yet, long before there was a cross, there was a manger. Though we are not commanded to formally celebrate His birth, that does not mean that we should forget it, even at Christmas time. The cross would not have taken place apart from the so-called "first Christmas."

So, if indeed you remember Christ this Christmas, remember that He was not born to remain a child wrapped in swaddling clothes laying in a manger. He was born to become our Savior by dying on a cross and to be the Lord of our lives (Luke 2:11). The message of the manger must always point people to the cross – the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The important thing is that He was born and that He died for our sins. We’re not worshiping a helpless infant lying in a manger. We’re worshiping a risen and exalted Christ who has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

May we never forget that no matter how the world may treat us, we know who is Lord.

Merry Christmas to all of you and God bless.

Robert Prater

2009-12-03T13:08:00.000-08:00
Too often the tendency of some modern Christians is like that of our ancient brothers who received the epistle known as “Hebrews” in our New Testaments. These folks had not grown in their relationship with Christ (5:12-14); they were weak (12:12-13), were beginning to forsake the assembly (10:25); had become sluggish in their religious activities (6:12); and were on the verge of falling completely away from the Lord (2:1; 3:12; 6:1-8).

Does this describe you? Perhaps you should ask yourself a few questions to see if you are in danger of falling from grace. First, are you as active in the Lord’s work as you once were? Second, do you read the Scriptures and pray to God as much as you did in the past? Third, do you attend less than you did in previous years? Fourth, do you feel closer to the Lord today than you did in the past?

Now keep in mind the overall purpose of Hebrews is described as a “word of exhortation.” (Hebrews 13:22) The writer of Hebrews was encouraging them like a coach, pressing them to press on. Yes they needed to be warned about the danger of falling away, but they also needed to be encouraged. Because these Jewish Christians had been very faithful and zealous at one point in the past (6:10; 10:32-34). He was confident they could do better spiritually than they were doing (6:9).
Their perseverance is one of the things that accompany salvation.

Friend, if you are not where you once were.... then you have moved in the wrong direction like the ancient Hebrew Christians. The warning of the Hebrew’s writer still holds true. When we are discouraged as the Hebrew Christians were discouraged we can easily become sluggish. Yet don’t be discouraged into giving up on Jesus! Remain in faithful service to the Lord. God hasn’t forgotten about you! Be passionate about hanging on to your faith.

Robert

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18 NIV) Yikes! "In all circumstances"? Don't skip the prepositions here — "in everything" or "in all circumstances"......"with thanksgiving…" — what we don't see is "be thankful for everything." The difference is profound. Can we learn to give thanks in every thing and for everything?

While we may never be grateful for certain painful experiences and circumstances in life, we can still be grateful during them. We can still pray with a thankful heart. Why? Because our hope is not in the potential answers to our prayers. Our hope is in the God to whom we pray! In Him we trust. He has given us life itself — freedom, salvation, grace, mercy. He chose us to be His children. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1). Who can't be thankful for that?

The bottom line is that thankfulness is an attitude that we can and must develop. Why are so many not thankful? Many reasons. Perhaps because we think of what we want and do not know how to evaluate or continue to be thankful for what we have received and currently have. We compare themselves with others and feel slighted. It might be good to be thankful that we do NOT have some things we do not want! We should count our own blessings, not those of others. Oh let's be more thankful for how God has blessed us!

My dear friends, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I hope you enjoy the time spent with family and friends

God bless,

Robert Prater

"I Knew You'd Come"

2009-11-17T09:44:00.001-08:00
As the old saying goes, "Charity begins at home." Jesus told the apostles in Luke 24:47 to share the good news of the gospel “beginning at Jerusalem,” and then ultimately to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem was the "home town" or the "local community" of the early church. Jesus always wants His church to begin at home, right where we live.

We as the church of Jesus Christ should always desire to bring the good news of Jesus to our community, but not only the message of His love, but also we need a great passion to show His love. We must always remember that people will not care how much we know, until they know how much we care. I know that sound doctrine is important. I believe we should earnestly contend for the faith. I believe we must enter the straight gate and walk the narrow path, and that we should count the cost. But none of those things will amount to anything if there is no love. (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3) Love is the key that opens the hearts of the most hardened sinners. Love is the key to evangelism and outreach.

We must desire as the body of Christ to be known as a church that not only says "God loves you", but one that actually shows it by our actions. We need to do this on a personal level, but also on a church level through our various outreach efforts. I'm thankful for Central's upcoming “Warmth from the Heart” coat giveaway this Saturday. We seek to bring God's love to our community in real ways, opening the door to share the wonderful message of Christ. They may not be impressed with our Savior at first, but they will remember who really cared and who had the courage to get involved in the difficulties of their lives. Then, they become more interested in the One who motivates us to act, and we have an opportunity to tell them of His saving message.

The story is told about during a time of combat, a young soldier asked his commanding officer if he could rescue one of his comrades who was severely wounded. The officer narrowed his eyes and stood a while in thought, and then said, "I´ll give you permission, but it´s not worth it. Your friend is probably dead, and you´ll be putting your own life at risk."

Feeling the responsibility for his friend, the young soldier saluted and then proceeded on his way, dodging bullets as he ran, and managing to get to his friend. He hoisted him over his shoulder, and quickly brought him back to the trench.

The officer inspected the wounded soldier and then shook his head with grief. "Your friend´s dead." He looked at the young man and saw a red spot on his shirt and added, "And you´re wounded. I told you it wouldn´t be worth it."

The young soldier looked into his officer´s eyes with confidence and answered, "It was worth it, Sir." "What do you mean worth it? You´re wounded and it was all for nothing." "No, sir. It was worth it because when I knelt down beside him he said to me, ´I knew you´d come.´

Friends let’s be known as a Christian community of people who care and come to those in need. We have no agenda other than showing and sharing the love of Christ. Does service call us to help our neighbor, yes! Service is calling us. We need only to open our eyes and ears and then just maybe we might hear those around us in this community calling out to us: “I knew you’d come.”

God bless,
Robert Prater

"The Least of these of Mine"

2009-11-09T09:51:00.000-08:00
In the song “Jesus Let us Come to Know You” there is a line that says, “Let us see you to face to face.” This is not just a song, but a prayer to be prayed as we sing. But if we sincerely prayed to see Jesus face to face, would we recognize Him? All of us have preconceived notions of what Jesus looks like, don’t we? We picture Him with long, flowing, brown hair, a beard and blue eyes. We see Him as someone who is either really muscular or scrawny and thin who wears a robe with a sash. Perhaps we get these images of Him because of the artwork and movies that have tried to portray what Jesus would look like. But those are images that the artists and filmmakers make Jesus look like back when He was walking the earth.

What do you think Jesus would like today? Maybe the question is all wrong. Perhaps instead of focusing on what Jesus would look like, we should be asking who Jesus would look like. After all, the song above isn’t praying to know the material things of Jesus; rather, it’s a prayer to know the person of Jesus.

In scripture, the idea of knowing God or knowing Jesus has to do with being in a personal, intimate relationship with Him. So, if we are going to pray to know Jesus, we are praying to know a who, not a what. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells a story of two kinds of people. The first group are the ones who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, invited in strangers, clothed the naked, looked after the sick and visited the prisoners, while the second group did none of this. To the former, Jesus blesses them with eternal salvation, while the latter are sent to eternal punishment. Both of these groups had no idea who they were helping or not helping when it came to the hungry, thirsty, naked, strangers, sick, and imprisoned, and they especially didn’t realize that they would see Jesus in people like this, as they both ask, “When did we see you?” However, the fate of these groups was determined by what they did for them because, as Jesus said, “Whatever you did (or did not do) for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

I believe that, for our prayer to know Jesus, we must be able to see Jesus in the “least of these,” fully realizing that when we look into the eyes of these people, we are looking into the eyes of Jesus. He may be the person holding the “Will work for food” sign on the side of the road, or the family who needs a bag of groceries or a tank of gas, or the sick person laying in the hospital bed, or just maybe the lonely widow down the street in need. Whoever it is or whatever the circumstance may be, let’s not allow our preconceived notions of what Jesus would look like keep us from seeing Him in the “least of these” because, after all, whatever we do or don’t do for “one of the least of these”, we are doing for Jesus.

May we pray to know Jesus, but realize that we may find Him in people we would least expect.

God bless
Robert Prater

UKRAINE REPORT

2009-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Let me briefly give a report and summary on my recent mission trip to Ukraine (October 12-22). The primary focus of this trip was a three day seminar conducted and hosted by the church in Kramatorsk from Thursday through Saturday. There were around 60 Ukrainians in regular attendance over the course of this three day event. Some preachers traveled great distances. Two men had train trips of nearly 24 hours. The theme for the seminar was The Gospel of John. I had the privilege of teaching four classes during the seminar, as well as preaching on Sunday (the 18th) at the Artemovsk congregation. At the end of each day, there was an open forum where attendants were encouraged to write out Bible questions to be answered each day. The question and answer sessions were lively and thoughtful. I enjoyed them immensely.

Now, this particular mission effort in the Ukraine is a work supported and overseen by the South College Church of Christ in Tahlequah, and coordinated and lead by David Deffenbaugh, who has been associated with mission work in the Ukraine since 1994. Trip was special for the Tahlequah congregation and these Christians in Ukraine because they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the congregations at Artemovsk and Konstantinovka. From those beginning ten years ago, additional congregations have been planted in Soledar, Chasov-Yar, and Minkovka. These years have not always been smooth sailing, but these congregations all are doing well and are stable and are growing numerically.

Now before the seminar began, on Wednesday morning (the 14th) we were able to visit an orphanage and boarding school in Konstantinovka which is supported by the congregation there. Later that afternoon en route to Kramatorsk, we enjoyed a wonderful visit with the Konstantinovka congregation for their mid-week Bible studies. The Sunday following the seminar we enjoyed a joint worship service of the Artemovsk, Chasov-Yar, and Soledar congregations. What a great encouragement to be with all these brethren and share in our praise of God in song, communion, giving, prayer and the word. I was privileged to be one of three preachers who spoke that day! Later that afternoon we were able to have a very eye-opening experience and visit of a “Mission of Mercy” rehab house that one of the local Ukrainian preachers has undertaken for service and outreach in a town near Artemovsk.

On Monday the next day, we were able to visit the church in the village of Minkovka where we also visited a hospital and nursing home. We conducted a devotional service and visited and encouraged those who live at this facility. Also during these few days we were able to enjoy some extended visits with the local preachers from these Ukrainian congregations which are supported by the Tahlequah congregation. These were meaningful and enjoyable discussions. I was truly inspired and encouraged at the continued commitment and devotion of these men.

Finally, on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday before we came home, we were able to do some incredible sightseeing and visit some very beautiful historical locations in Donetsk (city of one million near Kramatorsk) and Kiev (the capital city of Ukraine with a population of over four million).

It is my hope and prayer that much good was done during this trip, many seeds were sown, brethren were encouraged and strengthened. Again, I want to thank the Central congregation for their support and prayers, and especially the elders for allowing me to be away. I want to thank all those who taught classes and preached during my absence. I plan to give a more extensision report on Wednesday evening, November 4.

God bless,

Robert Prater

On Mission–Ukraine

2009-10-08T09:54:00.001-07:00
Monday, October 12 is my scheduled departure to go to the Ukraine. I’ll be joining a small group of preachers and other church members lead by David Deffenbaugh, preacher at South College congregation from Tahlequah (this particularly mission effort in the Ukraine is a work overseen by the church in Tahlequah). David has been has been involved in mission work in Ukraine since 1994. The thrust of this trip will be a three day seminar located in the city of Kramatorsk, a province of Donetsk.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Ukraine, it was once a part of the USSR, and is bordered by Russia, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. Until about 1986, it was almost impossible to spread the Gospel throughout the country without some type of persecution. Over time, the Iron Curtain was brought down and slowly but surely the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to spread throughout it. There have been over 60 congregations of the Lord’s church established in this country.

The seminar will focus on the Gospel of John and will be especially helpful for preachers, teachers, and church leaders as well as evangelistic in nature. I will be teaching four classes. In addition, we will be working to provide support, encouragement and training to native preachers and church leaders at congregations in Konstantinovka and Artemovsk. We will also have the opportunity to visit an orphanage and kindergarten center and a public school in Minkovka. This will be a packed ten days.

Needless to say, I am very excited, nervous and anxious about this trip. I am obviously apprehensive about leaving my wife and three children during this time. This will be my first time to cross the Atlantic. It will be my first experience working with a translator. The only other time I’ve been out of the US was on campaign while I was at Harding over nine years ago. I was only a very small “role player” in that mission trip. No speaking or anything like that. But I am very excited about sharing lessons from the gospel of John with these brethren and also ministering to children in the orphanage.

I solicit your prayers while I’m on the trip not only for my safety and for my family while I’m away from them, but for success in the efforts that have been planned, and for God to use while we are there to His greatest glory. My scheduled return is late Thursday evening, October 22. I will very much look forward to giving you a report of this mission trip.

For Christ,
Robert Prater

Come Home!

2009-09-30T09:00:00.000-07:00
A former missionary tells the story of a woman named Maria who lived in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of a village in Brazil. Her husband died when their only child, Christina, was a baby. Maria raised Christina on her own, working as a maid to support the family. When Christina turned 15, she dreamed of experiencing life in the big city.

Maria knew what would happen to such a beautiful girl in the city and often warned Christina about the cruelty there, but one morning she found Christina's bed empty. Maria gathered some clothes and all the money she had and headed for the city. On the way she stopped at a photo booth and took as many pictures of herself as she could afford. When she reached the city, she looked for Christina in various hotels known to be used by prostitutes.

She never found her, but at each location she left one of her pictures behind in a conspicuous place. When her money and pictures ran out, she returned home. Weeks later, Christina, who had in fact become a prostitute, was using one of the hotels her mother had visited. She noticed one of the pictures her mother had left behind and in tears pulled it off the bulletin board. When she turned it over she found this message on the back: "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter –please come home."

God wrote that same message for us in blood on a cross nearly two thousand years ago. Whatever ungodliness we may have fallen into, have wallowed in it, God longs for us to come home and rejoices when we arrive.

Ashby Camp has well written: “It is true that we must never trivialize sin or make one casual about it. Sin must be portrayed as the horror and danger that it is. It also is true, however, that we must not mute the glory of God's grace out of fear it will be twisted into a license to sin. Paul was accused of promoting sin by his doctrine of grace (cf. Rom. 3:8; 6:1), but he never allowed that possible distortion to discourage him from proclaiming the depth of God's mercy.”

May all who turn to God grasp in their hearts the reality of the Lord’s forgiveness, experience the blessing of liberation from all guilt, and know the hope of the glorious eternity that has been purchased for them. And when they do, may they, together with us, tell the world what a marvelous God we serve.

Robert Prater

onetimeblind - The Stool

2009-09-21T09:10:00.001-07:00

The following video is from a group of professional actors have put together some great fun skits that make you think about your relationship with Jesus. These can be great to use to begin a Bible class or small group study. DVD's come with discussion guides.

You can find these on God Tube, or if you want to order them to show at your church the website is onetimeblind.com.

Hope you enjoy,

Robert Prater

Our Need for GRACE

2009-09-16T01:28:00.000-07:00
Has there ever been a time in history when people have been more troubled about the human condition? Every generation has had its own troubles, for sure, but, with our instant access through the media to world events, we are now able to grasp the full extent of brokenness of the world as never before. Escalating economic problems, the spread of HIV/AIDS, racism, tribalism, terrorism, religious persecution, the breakdown of the family, corporate greed – the list goes on and on and on.

Our world is desperate for grace, for at just about every turn in life, all you and I meet is “ungrace.” How often in a given week do we feel we don’t measure up, either at school, at home, or at work? How many times has someone put us down and made us feel small? How often are we reminded that we are not as pretty, not as smart, not as well off, or not as good an athlete as someone else?

Grace is one of the core convictions of the Christian faith which sets it apart from all other religions of the world. In the Bible Jesus is said to have been full of two things. Do you know what they are? Grace and truth (John 1:14). Grace without truth is permissive and fuzzy, and truth without grace is harsh and legalistic. But grace and truth held together in love is a winning combination, and Jesus was able to stand for truth while extending grace to everyone with whom He came in contact.

Philip Yancey wrote that several years ago Bill Moyers made a documentary on the hymn "Amazing Grace" that included a scene filmed in Wembley Stadium in London. Various musical groups, mostly rock bands, had gathered together in celebration of the changes in South Africa. For some reason the promoters had scheduled the opera singer, Jesse Norman, as the closing act. The film cut back and forth between scenes of the unruly crowd in the stadium and Jesse Norman being interviewed about the meaning of the song for her. Finally, the time came for her to sing. A single circle of light follows Norman, a beautiful African-American woman wearing a flowing African dashiki, as she walked across the stage. No backup band, no musical instruments, just Jesse.

The crowd stirred. Few people recognized the opera star. One person yelled for more Guns 'n' Roses. Others took up the cry, and the scene began to get ugly. Suddenly, Jesse began to sing a Capella the words of "Amazing Grace," and a remarkable thing happened in Wembley Stadium. Several thousand raucous fans fell silent before her aria of grace. By the time she reached the second verse, the singer had the crowd in her hands. And by the time she reached the third verse, several thousand people in the crowd began to sing along, reaching back into nearly lost memories for the words they had heard long ago. Later, Jesse confessed she had no idea what power had descended on Wembley Stadium that night. I think I know.

The world hungers for grace, and when grace descends, the world falls silent before it. May the body of Christ desperately be known throughout our communities and the world as a family of God growing in His grace.

Grace and peace,
Robert Prater

I'm back to blogging!

2009-09-15T11:49:00.000-07:00
As one can tell from scrolling through the sparse entries over the past 3 months, I’ve been laying low. It’s actually been a nice little holiday - I find that a break every now and again helps gets the creative juices flowing again.

I’ve been doing more "facebooking", than blogging, resting from the busy summer season, reading and working on my Master's degree, church, family life, and getting ready for an upcoming mission trip to Ukraine next month. I’ll blog more about this in a later entry.

For now just excited to be back!

More to come soon!

Thanks,

Robert Prater

Thumbnail Sketches

2009-06-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I went on a school field trip with my oldest daughter Megan’s class. We visited a museum in downtown OKC about the history of Oklahoma. One section of the museum had some very fascinating “oddities” by Oklahoma artists. One I saw was some intricate drawings of landscapes on paper the size of postage stamps. One man had actually painted a detailed picture of a ship on the head of a pin! I marveled as I thought about how much information could be contained on such a small medium.

Psalm 117 is a thumbnail sketch of the Bible. It is the shortest chapter (two verses) in Scripture, and in part because of that distinction, it is often overlooked as nothing more than a Biblical curiosity. The Psalmist is inspired to burst forth in praise: “Praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 117). Let’s look closely at this thumbnail sketch and see that God intended us to have more than just a curiosity in Psalm 117:

A thumbnail sketch of the Gospel — The words, “nations” and “peoples” in verse 1 are very significant. At a time when most Jews believed that salvation was their exclusive privilege, God inspired one of their own to pen this Psalm. The fact that “all” nations and peoples are exhorted to praise God rebukes an attitude of exclusivism on the part of the Jews. Indeed, Jesus preached and brought salvation not just to Jews, but Gentiles as well (Matt. 4:25, Eph. 2:14-16). Psalm 117 reminded the Jews that salvation was intended for all: “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues were standing before the throne and before the Lamb… saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev. 7:9-10). Psalm 117 is the gospel in miniature. It pointed Jews to the Christian era, when God’s grace and love would be made available to all men in His kingdom (cf. Titus 2:11-14). Because of this, Paul quotes Psalm 117:1 in Romans 15:11 as he explains the gospel system of justification. There’s more to Psalm 117 than often meets the eye!

A thumbnail sketch of God’s love — God’s grace is shown in both His mercy and His kindness (Psalm 117:2). The Psalmist tells us that God’s love in this regard is GREAT toward us. Ancient Jews loved to recite Exodus 34:6, “The Lord God is merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in truth...” In this world, people may or may not love us. Friends may betray us, and loved ones may be unkind. God will never waver in the greatness of His love for us, however! We serve a God who would go to the cross before He would sell us out (cf. Matt. 4:8-10). His merciful kindness is indeed great toward us!

A thumbnail sketch of our responsibility — The overarching theme of Psalm 117 is our obligation to praise God. We were created and redeemed, “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:3-14). Therefore Scripture says, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). When Psalm 117 tells us to, “Praise the Lord,” it is declaring His sovereign will in our lives, for, “His truth endures forever.” God created man, and because we are His creation, we are obligated to worship Him. More than that, however, Psalm 117 declares that our motive in praising God is more than just obligation; we are also motivated by His love. No wonder Paul would say, “the love of Christ constrains us!” (2 Cor. 5:14). How could someone who understands the lengths to which God has gone in His love for us say anything other than, “Praise ye the Lord!” Thank God for the shortest chapter in the Bible!

Robert Prater

Letting Go of the Past!

2009-05-19T09:43:00.000-07:00
I want you to consider the apostle Paul for a moment. There is no question that Paul underwent a tremendous change in his life. He was at one time, by his own admission, a terrible person (1 Tim. 1:13). When we read of his pre-conversion history in the book of Acts, we will agree with his assessment of himself.

However, while Paul remembered these things, he did not morbidly dwell on them to the point that they precluded him from any spiritual progress. Paul remembered how he had, at one time, been involved in things that were important to him and probably important to a lot of other people (Phil. 3:5-6). Yet Paul had changed and these things, though in his memory, were considered as unimportant to him now (Phil. 3:7).

Paul might use them as learning experiences, but they served little else. He proceeds to say later, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Phil. 3:13).

Paul had to do that because if he did not leave his past in the past, he would not be able to “…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). That was clearly Paul’s goal in all that he did. If he were to try to live in the past he would be hindered in the present and lose the future! There is the lesson we all need to learn.

Yes, the past has happened. It is history (and I mean that in the clinical, not cynical sense). Christians who repent of their former conduct and continue to dwell on it and live in it will never become what they could be spiritually. What advantage is there in allowing what has been forgiven to constantly be the obstacle we trip over every day? I cannot think of one single advantage. Then why do we do it? Why beat ourselves up over these things.

Let me say that I would gladly put my name down on a list of those who wish for a time machine where we could go back in time and relive certain days or change bad things in the past. Unfortunately, such a machine does not exist. We all live in the present. We all have a future. I think that all of us, as individuals and as a church, need to have the attitude of Paul and build ourselves up from our past and be straining for the finish line. When we do that we will become what we should be spiritually. No one ever won a race by stopping halfway to sit down and ponder the race he lost last week.

Let us learn from them. Let us be resolute in not repeating them again. Let us use them to make us stronger and be determined to prevent them from making us weaker.

God bless,
Robert Prater

Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible

2009-05-06T12:10:00.001-07:00

Penn Jillette is the “talkative” half of Penn and Teller, the Las Vegas comedy-illusion team, now with their own program on Showtime. Penn has been an outspoken atheist. But he posted a video blog on his personal website about a man who gave him a Bible, which has much, I believe, to teach Christians:

This video shows how crucial that it is that all true Christians be involved in evangelism. This statement comes from a self-professed atheist. However, even he was moved by the genuineness and sincerity of a man who tried to share his faith by giving him a Bible. We can have an impact if we are courageous enough to be authentic, compassionate disciples of Christ. The man (an atheist) in this video makes a great point. He says that if you really believe that there is a heaven and a hell and you don't try and share your faith with everyone you meet, you are among the most cruel people on the planet. Something to think about. Watch the video below and prepare to be challenged.

God bless,

Robert Prater

2009-04-28T08:14:00.000-07:00
In light of a recent Sunday evening sermon I preached on the woman caught in adultery, I recently re-reading and shared some of the findings to the congregation from the book unChristian by David Kinnaman which I read and reviewed on this blog back in November 2007. Kinnaman works for the Barna Research Group and he spent quite awhile gathering research about young people's view of Christians and Christianity. He also polled young people within the church, and, surprisingly their views matched the "outsiders" thoughts pretty closely.

Kinnaman discovered that the view of Christians is, in general, quite negative. Christians are seen as hypocritical, too focused on getting converts, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political and judgmental.

Whether these things are true about Christians or not, these are the perceptions people have of us. And what I thought was extremely interesting and profoundly sad is that the people polled were not getting the majority of their negative feelings from the "liberal media." They were getting them from Christians themselves:
Being hurt by Christianity is far more common among the young than among older outsiders. Three out of every ten young outsiders said they have undergone negative experiences in churches and with Christians. Such hurtful experiences are part of the stories of nearly one out of every two young people who are atheists, agnostics, or of some other faith.

Kinnaman says: "[Y]oung people said they formed their views of Christians based on conversations with others, often with Christians. This is significant because not only does it mean we have a great deal of responsibility in developing many of the perceptions that people hold, but it also suggests the possibility that our words and our lives can change these negative images."

Kinnaman notes that Christians have become "famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for." He points out that people in this generation are naturally skeptical of everything -- not just Christians. They are looking for genuine people, and they see Christians as people who pretend as though we are perfect, when, in fact, we live very similar lives to non-Christians.

Kinnaman said that the automatic reaction of some Christians to this research is to say, "whelp, we expect the world to hate us. Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers." This sentiment is true to an extent. Christians receive push back because they are promoting biblical truths and values in a relativistic society. Many people don't want to hear that they're wrong.

However, this does not give us license to avoid the truth in this research. Christians have a bad reputation, and we've apparently done something to get it. Kinnaman points out that we are to represent God's holiness and His grace in our interactions with non-believers.

I've heard some things like this before, but after reading through this research, it is quite sobering to realize how non-Christians view me and my friends. And although Kinnaman is sure to note that in order to fix this problem we should not go around watering down the gospel, he does give suggestions for how we should show Christ to others. Young people today are looking for people who live out what they say they believe, which is good. If Christians, as a whole, try to be more Christlike in our everyday lives, we have the opportunity to change these perceptions.

The apostle Paul advises Christians to 'live wisely among those who are not Christians' and to 'let your conversation be gracious and effective,' (Col. 4:5-6, NLT) Eph. 4:15 still says, “speaking the truth in love.” Paul challenged the Corinthian church that they were to be "the aroma of Christ" to the world. One writer has said: “If people would taste the "Bread of Life," they must be made hungry through the fragrant lives of those who are feeding on it. Sometimes people stay away from the banquet table, not because of the food, but because of the aroma of those on the inside.”

The real possibility exists of having our rhetoric against culture comes across as hatred or dislike of the lost and unconverted, only driving them further away from the good news of Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to show the world His love, not condemn the world (John 3:16-17). Jesus is our model on how to deal with people in our culture. We are His Body, His presence, in the world today. Just as the Father sent Jesus, we have now been sent by Jesus to be the agents of His redemptive love (John 20:21). We can't be content to become enemies of our times, our culture, or our world. Instead, we must learn how to better love them, attempt to have genuine dialogue and understanding of them. We must learn how to better cultivate relationships and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.

So let's be more careful with our rhetoric and more genuine with our service to those in our communities who are unbelievers!

What do you all think? Is there validity to this research? If so, how can those of us who are Christians do a better job of showing Christ to those around us?

For Christ,
Robert

Christian's Take on Waterboarding

2009-04-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

The above picture was a group demonstration of waterboarding

Christians are hardly in agreement on the question of “harsh interrogation techniques” including the controversial waterboarding on terror suspects. Particular right now the water boarding debate is raging. And it should I guess. However, the “politicizing” and “witch hunt” that some want to pursue on the previous Bush administration is ridiculous.

Every administration has greatly differed on the policies of the previous presidential administration. And when a new administratation comes in, there is the moment to change and differ on the policy issues. And President Obama clearly has done that. Right or wrong. I agree with Senator John McCain who on Thursday warned that any attempt by the Obama administration to prosecute the Bush-era officials who wrote memos signing off on water boarding would start a "witch hunt." I thought change meant moving forward and not looking back and focusing on the past mistakes.

I mean even Democrats like Bill Clinton and other leading Republicans who oppose torture like Sen. John McCain say it is acceptable to torture someone in a "ticking bomb" scenario. Real life doesn't produce the kind of a-nuke-is-about-to-go-off scenarios featured on the television drama "24." The closest we are likely to get is the capture of high-level al-Qaida operatives like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed with knowledge of ongoing plots. Should we have tortured KSM? Well, we did and reportedly helped roll up al-Qaida terrorists around the world.

Circumstances matter. If we were water boarding political dissidents, then it would be right to compare us to Saddam Hussein. If interrogators were water boarding KSM every morning for their own amusement that would shock the conscience. But not many consciences will be shocked at subjecting him to 90 seconds of uncontrollable panic to get information that might save lives.

If the Senate disagrees, Congress and the President should put itself clearly on record forbidding water boarding. And I think they are probably going to. Enough already with the Bush witch hunts though!

Now, what should a Christian’s perspective and view be concerning all this current watering board controversy? Well, quite frankly, I think you’ll find all kinds of opinions and views from across the broad “Christian perspective.” I think good people, good, sincere, devote, loving Christian people can and will differ over this issue.

I mean, what would Jesus do? Difficult to say the least. .

Well, here’s my Christian view on it.

Many Christians and some leading evangelicals say that water boarding is torture, and that the Christian response has been “shameful.” One writer said in a nutshell: “As Christians we must never condone the use of methods that threaten to undermine the inherent dignity of the person created in the image of God.”

Well, that is not wrong. But it is also not completely right. Water boarding is a form of duress applied during an interrogation. It is not fatal, but it is extreme duress, if the waterboardee doesn’t know if he will live or die.

There are two questions: first, is this an effective means for getting a suspected terrorist to reveal information that might save innocent lives. Second, does the means by which we would obtain this potentially life-saving information undermine our claim to be Christian?

First answer: the effectiveness of the technique is conditional. Those who serve in the military combat arms are waterboarded as part of their training. But virtually all pass through this, knowing that it isn’t for real. Knowing that the service doesn’t want to drown them, only to toughen us up. So it isn’t “torture” when used as a training tool.

For a captured terror suspect, different matter. He doesn’t know he isn’t going to die heinously. It is torture. To which I would add, “so what?” — if, and only if, this is a last resort to protect innocent lives. And, please, terror suspects don’t tend to be innocent. As for whether the technique works, sometimes it does; sometimes it doesn’t.

Second answer is no. The Bible may be silent on this particular matter, but it does reserve the right for lawfully constituted governments to use the sword (Romans 13). To claim that waterboarding that does not lead to death (or even to permanent injury) is worse than killing is to lose sight of the big picture.

More importantly, we have a duty as Christians to protect those unable to protect themselves. This goes as much for unborn children and the sick and elderly as it does for innocent civilians who are the usual target of cowardly terrorists.

Under the right, and we hope, extraordinarily rare circumstances, waterboarding of a suspected terrorist can be a necessary thing to do and I don’t believe “unChristian”— if there is some potential to protect innocent life.

What do you think?
Robert Prater

Abba Father (remake) - Acappella Company

2009-04-10T08:26:00.001-07:00

This is a powerful remake of Acapella’s classic song “Abba Father” (Take me Home). It touches my heart and convicts me of my need to better show the love of Christ to those who are hurting. This video also has a dual meaning. First, that those suffering simply DO want 'outta here"; and secondly, is a cry to be set free, to be saved, a cry of helplessness and hopelessness.

May God help us to show them the way to Christ that will lead all of us home to the Father.

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:15-17)

God bless,

Robert

Worst Winner Ever

2009-03-31T14:28:00.001-07:00

The most extreme act of a “loser” I've ever witnessed. The scoreboard at the end even makes it worse! (he wasn’t celebrating a win, but a point!) The song that has been added in the video is perfect!

Even though I've never done a dance like that in that arena, I know there are times when, in my heart, I arrogantly strut as if I have accomplished some great task. In reality, any boasting that wells up in me should be completely consumed by the cross of Jesus Christ.

Now, on a lighter note and to be a little honest, I’ll admit, there’s been a time or two maybe when I felt like doing such a dance (in my heart) after a good sermon (which doesn’t come around often Lol!):)!!

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

In the Cross,
Robert

The Heart of Stone

2009-03-27T07:42:00.001-07:00

From the creative mind and imagination of Tim Andrews, animator and cartoonist. This short film made for the 2008 Ignite Film Festival. It took home the award for Best Animation. Some of his other notable works include The Great Feast, a cartoon retelling of The Parable of the Great Banquet from the book of Luke.

My oldest daughter Megan loved this video!!

Robert

Stethoscope

2009-03-24T08:45:00.001-07:00

I ran across this great sermon series promo a few weeks back. It comes from the creative minds at Southern Hills Church of Christ, Abilene, Texas. Man finds a stethoscope with unusual powers. He discovers what soundtrack is playing inside him.

Honestly, what song do you think is playing inside of you and I?

For Christ,
Robert Prater

What Would Jesus Do?

2009-03-16T09:07:00.000-07:00
Last week my wife and I I watched a television program on ABC called “What Would You Do”. Reporter John Quinones and the producers of the show set up various scenarios (based on actual events that have happened), recreating the circumstances with actors and hidden cameras. The idea is to discover what would people do, how do they react in these various situations.

Honestly, it is just very hard to watch these types of programs and see the callous disregard most people in this country now seem to have for people. Everyone is so busy with their own life, or too worried about being “politically correct” or “unoffensive” to either stand up for truth, righteousness, or even basic human dignity.

One of the first scenarios involved “hazing”. Hazing is a deplorable activity practiced by many fraternities, sororities, and similar kinds of “societies” which have secret initiations. The idea is for the person attempting to join the group to prove how far they will go to be “in the group”. Many of these hazing incidents are sexual in nature, humiliating, involve alcohol, etc. Sadly it proves that as Americans we have become desensitized to the idea of humiliating others and in particular women. It’s somehow “funny” or “entertaining” to watch other people being tortured, forced to do things, etc.

To me, however, the saddest and most moving story and one that provides a sad commentary on our culture was when the show set up the scenario of a well dressed woman “fainting” on a busy sidewalk. On average, some one responded to her need within six seconds. However, when that person was changed to a homeless man…it took over ten minutes for any person to respond. Most people hurried by. When the man was holding a beer, it was over forty minutes before even one person attempted to help.
I’m sure there could be many arguments and ideas brought to the fore to explain the lack of compassion or caring we as individuals seem to collectively now hold.

However, the most emotionally moving part of this story was when an extraordinary, small, African-American, crippled walking with a arm kane, and policed told abc she is sometimes homeless herself stopped to help. She pleads for help for someone to call the man an ambulance. 26 more people walk by ignoring her. She even gave the man a name, called him "Billy." She brought tears to my ears.

My question is this…how many of those people who ignored or even assisted in those “hazing” incidents claim to be followers of Jesus? Go to worship on Sunday?
What about the folks who couldn't’t be bothered to stop and see if a homeless man needed to go to the hospital?

In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus gave us an example of how we are supposed to react when we see another human being…regardless of who they are or their status in life...who has been hurt, or is being harassed, wrongly accused, or mistreated. As Christians we are the ones who are called by our Lord to make every effort to help those in need, stand up for those who are oppressed or abused, be a voice for the ignored or voiceless.

If we see an injustice being done, do we simply walk by or do we stop and say “Hey! What your doing isn’t funny, it’s wrong and dangerous”. Do we at least attempt to call in an authority such as the police if it would be dangerous to intervene in the situation on our own?

And what of the homeless person, lying helpless in the street? Do we ignore them, or do we at least check to make sure they are okay? Do we ask them their name and try to help them by calling 911 if they are ill, or at least treating them like a human being and showing compassion by acknowledging their existence? I know I'm guilty so many times in my life of showing such indifference and apathy toward such.

What would you do if faced with one of those situations? What would Jesus do, is truly the question we should be asking. Sadly it is something that has been downgraded to nothing more than a quip, a wrist band, or a joke. It should, however, always be the first question we ask ourselves if we have truly asked Him to be the Lord of our life…and then we act on the answer.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is now law.” (Gal. 5:22-23)

Would do you think?

Robert Prater

Familiar Faces

2009-03-05T15:32:00.001-08:00
Someone recently sent this pic along with the words below. If you click on this pic it will enlarge for you to see it properly. Enjoy

There are more than 100 world known personalities on this painting. If you can name a minimum of 25, you may consider yourself a cultivated person

Good luck.

Robert

Having a Heart of Forgiveness (2)

2009-02-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Forgiveness is truly one of the most difficult things God commands His people to do. How many people have difficulty forgiving when they’ve been wronged or hurt? When there is no forgiveness, there can be no fellowship like God intended Christians to enjoy (Eph. 4:31-32). Worse, when there is no forgiveness, the work of the Lord is hindered and souls are at stake. (Matt. 6:12ff) Oh, how Christians need to be willing to have a heart that truly forgives!

Biblically speaking, forgiveness involves two parties. There is to be an acknowledgement of sin for true forgiveness to take place. (cf. Psalm 51:3, 16-17) However, it is also Biblical and right to say that the will to forgive must be present, even when sin is not acknowledged. Our Lord showed a will to forgive even while His enemies nailed Him to the cross (Luke 23:34), but true forgiveness (the condition in which the relationship between Jesus and His executioners was finally mended) did not take place until their sin was acknowledged (cf. Acts 2:36-38).

Kindness – Even if sin is not acknowledged, Christians are to have the will to forgive, and this will expresses itself in kindness. God’s kindness is seen in the fact that while we were sinners, Christ died for us (Eph. 2:7; Rom. 5:8). God didn’t wait to be kind until you and I acknowledged our sin before Him. He showed kindness when He blessed us with His only Son (John 3:16). When Christians have been wronged, we are not to wait until sin is acknowledged to be kind. Kindness is evidence of a heart that knows true forgiveness!

Tenderheartedness – Not only is the forgiving heart kind, but it is tender and sympathetic to the needs of others. Especially is this true when forgiveness must take place. It is humbling to forgive, but it is more humbling to ask for forgiveness from someone we’ve wronged. When someone asks for forgiveness, they are making themselves extremely vulnerable, and a tender heart is needed to respond properly. What a blessing when Christians truly possess a tender heart.

Covering of sin – Paul concludes these two verses by telling Christians to forgive, “even as God in Christ forgave you.” But how does God forgive? God forgives completely, freely, and quickly. Most of all, He promises NOT to dwell on our forgiven sins: “I will remember them no more” (Heb. 8:12). Thus, when Christians possess a forgiving heart, they will choose not to dwell on sin. Forgiveness “covers up” sin so that what has been forgiven is not continually brought back to our remembrance (Psalm 32:1-2). A heart that truly forgives will not go about mentioning the offense in the presence of others, nor will it continually bring up that offense before the offender. If God chooses not dwell on our past sins, how much more should we choose to cover those offenses that have been forgiven?

I wonder truly how many pews in the Lord’s church are often filled with bitter, angry people who stubbornly declare, “I’ll never forgive…” or, “I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget.” All the while the words of Jesus clamor for our attention: “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you love one another” (John 13:34-35). One writer has so beautifully said, “An unforgiving heart is worse than any cancer because it eats away our very souls.” Conversely, a forgiving heart is better than any balm of healing because it restores in kindness and tenderness with a will to cover a multitude of sins.” Brethren, let’s pray for more forgiving hearts in the church of Jesus Christ!

God bless,

Robert

Having a Heart of Forgiveness (1)

2009-02-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

What does it really mean to forgive? Forgiveness may be one of the least understood topics in Scripture, and yet God says our willingness to forgive others will have a direct impact on where we spend eternity (cf. Matt. 6:12-15). It’s one thing to talk about forgiveness, but really practicing it is a humbling, maturing, difficult experience. When we are hurt by someone else, how difficult it can be to truly forgive!

What happens to Christian fellowship when the will to forgive is not present? Paul answers this question in Ephesians 4:31-32. He first lists six evidences of a failure to forgive, and then he shows how true blessings result from a will to forgive.

1. Bitterness – Someone has well said that hurt is what others do to you, but bitterness is what you do to yourself. People who lack the will to forgive frequently revisit past hurts. These people are miserable, dwelling on the wrongs of others sometimes to the point that they actually begin to enjoy the misfortunes of other people! Christians had better be careful of taking frequent “mental trips” to revisit their pain – that’s likely evidence of an unforgiving heart.

2. Wrath – The Greek word translated “wrath” in Ephesians 4:31 carries the idea of a seething desire for revenge. This person may seem calm on the surface, but inside they are like a pressure cooker about to explode. When we are full of this kind of rage, it is impossible to truly forgive someone else; worse yet, it is impossible for God to forgive us! (Mark 11:25-26; cf. James 1:19-20)

3. Anger – “Anger” differs from wrath because it involves a sudden outburst of rage. Rather than a heart that tries to hold rage inside, anger seeks every opportunity to show itself. Like a lightning bolt out of a cloud, the angry man unleashes his fury upon everyone he thinks has wronged him. Christians beware: our tempers might well keep us from heaven.

4. Clamor – This word describes a brawling, argumentative, adversarial spirit. One who is full of clamor will seek every opportunity to air their grievances with offending parties and anyone else in the vicinity. Loving confrontation when we have been wronged is commanded (Matt. 18:15ff), but clamor is a contentious attitude that confronts others solely for the purpose of “getting even” or “winning.”

5. Evil Speaking – When an unforgiving heart is present, so often is the desire to speak evil of others. Some people really seem to enjoy taking every opportunity to say unkind and ungodly things about those who have wronged them. One common temptation when we’ve been hurt is to gather a circle of friends around us and to “justify” ourselves while condemning those who have done wrong. Jesus said that we will give an account for every idle word we speak (Matt. 12:36), just as we will give account for having a heart that refuses to forgive.

6. Malice – The Greek word behind “malice” indicates one who possesses a “bad heart.” One who is full of malice harbors a general feeling of ill will toward the one who has wronged him. How can we claim to be followers of the One who said, “Father, forgive them,” when our every thought and wish is for our enemies to get exactly what they deserve? Woe to those who will stand before God with unforgiving hearts!

Robert

The Dangers of Camera Phones or Sexting

2009-01-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

New technologies present vast opportunities for good and evil. How we use them will determine whether they are advantageous in our lives or not. However, human ingenuity coupled with Satan’s insatiable desire for deception creates a perfect storm that has destroyed legions of people’s lives and souls (John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8).

Camera phones are one of the latest examples. They can be wonderful, if used properly. Priceless moments captured for all to see can warm hearts and preserve memories. The Internet allows the preservation of these memories for many years to come. For example, the antics of beloved pets and precocious children can enliven families for generations.

Sin, though, takes everything and utilizes it to destroy souls and the cause of Christ. Teens, especially, are fulfilling Satan’s mission by allowing him to destroy their purity and reputations. And they are making it far too easy on him.
Experts are reporting that teens are commonly using raunchy Cell Phone photos in dating.

Forget about passing notes in study hall; some teens are now using their cell phones to flirt and send nude pictures of themselves.

The instant text, picture and video messages have become part of some teens’ courtship behavior, police and school officials said. The messages often spread quickly and sometimes find their way to public Web sites.

“I’ve seen everything from your basic striptease to sexual acts being performed,” said Reynoldsburg police Detective Brian Marvin, a member of the FBI Cyber Crime Task Force of Central Ohio. “You name it, they will do it at their home under this perceived anonymity.

Stories proliferate of teens engaging in such behavior that is now being called by some Sexting.

They take photos of themselves and send them to their boyfriend and within seconds their nude photograph is on the phones of hundreds of people. Then the photos are uploaded to the Internet and everything degenerates from there. When photos get on the Internet, they never go away. Dozens of sites exist for the sole purpose of uploading nude photos from camera phones.

These cell phone photos can also be ways to punish people. the The threat of taking clandestine photos and spreading them to everyone in school can be a way to intimidate someone into doing anything they desire.

They also continue to reinforce the model of sexually aggressive women in our society.

Westerville Central High School senior Jerome Ray said he’s received such unsolicited messages, including one from a classmate while he was sitting with his girlfriend.

“A lot more girls are aggressive,” said Ray, 18. “Some girls are crazy and they are putting themselves out there.”

Candice Kelsey, a teacher from California, said some teenage girls think they have to be provocative to get boys’ attention. As a result, they will send photos they hope their parents never see.

“This happens a lot,” said Kelsey, author of Generation MySpace: Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence. “It crosses every racial socio-economic group. Christian kids are doing it. Jewish kids are doing it.”

Parents must monitor what is on the cell phones of their teenagers.
The situation is even more dire because criminal behavior is involved. Sending out nude photos of an underage teen is legally child pornography. A simple action soon becomes a devastating event. They can forever be listed as sex offenders or go to prison.

People are losing jobs and careers are being destroyed for what people have online. Beware! Teens don’t often think of the long term consequences of their actions. That is why we have to do it for them! The best thing you can do is talk to your kids about it and teach, teach, teach. (Eph. 6:4)

May God help us all in raising our children in this ungodly world,

Robert

*** Credit goes to Richard Mansel, preacher for the Church of Christ at Allenhurst in South Georgia for this article. He studies the culture and serves as the Managing Editor and weekly columnist for Forthright. Richard is the author of “The Most Important Question: What Must I Do to Be Saved.

Mac vs PC

2009-01-20T06:46:00.001-08:00

Came across this the other day on YouTube. If you are a fan of the whole Mac vs PC media blitz, you’ll enjoy this short film. Inspired by Transformers, this short Visual Effects piece shows us what really goes on inside our home computers…

Enjoy,

Robert

BACK TO (GRADUATE) SCHOOL!!

2009-01-13T06:51:00.000-08:00
Well, I am heading back to school!! I have finally begun working on my Master’s degree (M.A.) from Oklahoma Christian University. I’ll be taking a combination of Intensive Short courses and Weekend Format courses, Online courses and some regular Tuesday morning classes on the campus of OC during my study. I hope to be able to complete this degree in about three or four years.I am nervous and excited about this next step.

There is no way I would be able to pursue and work towards this goal without the wonderful support and encouragement from the Central elders, my family, and most especially, my wife, Maggie. It is my determination and commitment to not allow these graduate studies to interfere with my local teaching and preaching, visitation, and other ministry responsibilities at Central. Really, I see this hopefully as being an investment and enhancement in the quality of my ministry and service for the Lord’s kingdom at Central.

Just for your curiosity and information, I am taking 6 hours this semester which includes a preaching class from Genesis and Exodus with Dr. Harold Shank and a course on Biblical and Contemporary evangelism with Dr. Stafford North. I have been working on book reviews, assignments and sermons series. So far, I’ve been a little busier on that than I had anticipated, but the classes have been great with a great deal of new ideas and thoughts. Very invigorating

Kent Hughes, widely respected Bible scholar, author, and preacher says that there is a myth that would suggest that too much knowledge of the Bible is not good because it tends to, “cool the heart and stunt devotion.” In essence that too much learning will “spoil faith.” And he does have a point, when you closely examine how many destructive liberal theologians and modern Bible professors you find in the halls of so many secular Universities and Colleges who do more to undermine and even destroy faith in God and His Word.

But, sadly, too often, Hughes says what they discourage is “the rigorous study of the scriptures, which then delimits their knowledge of God.” Author and publisher Frank Sheed describes the folly of such thinking in his book, “Theology and Sanity”, saying:
“A virtuous man may be ignorant, but ignorance is not a virtue. It would be a
strange God who would be loved better by being known less. Love of God is not
the same thing as knowledge of God; love of God is immeasurably more important
than knowledge of God; but if a man loves God knowing a little about Him, he
should love God more from knowing more about Him; for every new thing known
about God is a new reason for loving Him.”

That’s why the Scriptures contain so many admonitions for us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 ), to “increase in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10 ), and to “abound in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in love” (2 Corinthians 8:7). Our study of the Bible, which is our primary and infallible source of knowledge about God, is everything to the makeup of our spiritual health and life.

It is my goal and desire to increase my knowledge of God’s Word and to become a more effective servant for the Lord. In the meantime, I would greatly appreciate your encouragement, patience and most important prayers for me as I continue my journey in learning.

In Christ,
Robert Prater

HAPPY NEW YEAR! RESOLUTION ANYONE?

2008-12-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

Yea, I know. Most New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside by February. I’ve done my share of those. But let me strongly encourage you as you are making your New Year’s Resolutions you should add the resolution to read through the entire Bible in 2009—a great habit to start if you haven’t already. As a matter of fact, make this your number one resolution. There is no other that will benefit you more.

Let me first share with you below something funny to hopefully help motivate you. You may have seen this before in a church bulletin or elsewhere.

Top 10 Signs You’re Not Reading Your Bible Enough
10. The preacher announces that the sermon is from Genesis and you check the table of contents.
9. You think Abraham, Isaac and Jacob may have had a few hit songs during the ’60’s.
8. You open to the Psalms and a WWII savings bond falls out.
7. When asked, you say that your favorite Old Testament patriarch is Hercules.
6. Your favorite Bible verse is “cleanliness is next to godliness.”
5. You become frustrated because Charlton Heston isn’t listed in the concordance.
4. Catching the kids reading the Song of Solomon, you demand: “Who gave you this stuff?”
3. You think the Minor Prophets are a Little League team.
2. The kids keep asking too many questions about your usual bedtime story: “Jonah the Shepherd Boy and His Ark of many colors.”
And the #1 sign you may not be reading your Bible enough…
1. You keep falling for it every time the preacher tells you to turn to the book of Hezekiah.

In all seriousness; this year I’m trying to emphasize and encourage the Central church to get into the Word more and I believe the first of the year is a great time for such a re-commitment.

There is no greater activity for our personal satisfaction and spiritual development than meditating on the Word. Jesus’ response to the Devil’s temptations and His ability to sustain Himself in the desert will forever inspire and motivate me in my resolve to feed on His word. But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4: 4) According to Jesus, the sustenance and nourishment He truly needed - even after fasting for forty days - came from the Word of God. There’s nothing better than what is written.

Now to accomplish this goal I suggest following a good Bible Reading Schedule (one that contains readings daily from both the Old Testament and New Testament. I’d recommend the ESV.org site has several one-year Bible reading plans to choose from. Most of them can be downloaded as a PDF file and all of them can be subscribed to by Email, RSS, read online in your web browser or read on your mobile device. Many other schedules are available online. Just do an internet search for “Bible reading schedule” and you’ll find plenty to choose from.

Perhaps the task seems daunting to you, but if you’ll follow each day’s reading, you’ll make it by the end of the year!

Happy New Year Reading!

Robert Prater

Holiday Spirits

2008-12-22T07:26:00.001-08:00
The group, Straight No Chaser formed back in the late 90s at Indiana University and when they graduated, they split up. They got back together in 2006 for a reunion and one of the guys had videos of a performance and put it up on YouTube since the members of the group were now living all over the country. By the beginning of December of 2007 about 100,000 people had seen it, which the group thought was pretty cool. But by the end of the first week of December, they had 200,000 total. By Christmas, 6 million people viewed it as well. And one of them was an executive from Atlantic Records who decided to call up and see if they wanted to get back together to capitalize on this and do a Christmas CD. And as you might be able to tell from the title of this post, they did, and it's called “Holiday Spirits.”

And it's good. They do a lot of standards as well as some fun ones, like Little Saint Nick. And they include the live version of 12 Days of Christmas, which is also good, but it's honestly better with the video. So, if you're looking for some new Christmas music, I'd give this one a shot. The production is great and the harmonies that these guys pull off is really, really excellent.

You can also check out the youtube video I've posted below of their interview detailing their reunion.

Robert Prater

Straight No Chaser Reunited

2008-12-22T07:23:00.001-08:00

Straight No Chaser's new video detailing their reunion and the recording of their new album, "Holiday Spirits" for Atlantic Records.

Enjoy,

Robert

Straight No Chaser

2008-12-16T11:50:00.001-08:00

Last year about this time, I discovered a video by an A cappella group called, Straight No Chaser, doing a version of the 12 Days of Christmas. I’m posting that video once again to make you smile.

I’ve also recently gotten a copy of there new album and will soon be posting a review and more info about it.

Enjoy,

Robert

Bailout Explained

2008-12-09T07:53:00.001-08:00

This is how the automaker's figured they simply have to have 25 billion and how they will divide it. I imagine though they used Powerpoint instead of the chalkboard:)!!

All of this talk today of "bailouts", "spreading the wealth", more "welfare/government assistance", etc. makes me think about the words and principle behind what the apostle Paul once wrote:

"For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (2 Thess. 3:7-10 NIV)

Robert

Pulling Away from God

2008-12-04T08:15:00.000-08:00
Human beings seem to innately know that sinfulness and God's presence don't mix. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God's command, they instinctively attempted to hide themselves from His presence (Gen. 3:8). Satan tries to keep us away from God and sometimes he uses our own sense of guilt to accomplish this.

When Simon Peter was overwhelmed at the miraculous catch of fish orchestrated by Jesus he said, "go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8). This week while studying some material on evangelism, the author I was reading made the point that Simon was convicted by his own sinful nature and he tried to pull away from Jesus. That is exactly what he did. When we become aware of our own sinfulness it makes us want to pull away from God, away from the church, and away from fellow believers. This is Satan's work. Satan's desire is to keep us sin-sick, guilt-ridden, and away from spiritual healing. Satan whispers in our ears, "they will be shocked at what you have done," "God won't accept you back this time," "keep it quiet and the guilt will soon go away." All of these are the devil's lies. Only the Light of God's presence can destroy the darkness of sin and its slavery over us. Jesus provides the only healing for spiritual sickness.

Sin is shameful. Sin is embarrassing. But sin is also Satan's tool of spiritual manipulation. Guilt is used by God for good to bring us to repentance and spiritual healing. But Satan can also use our guilt. He makes us want to hide from God and cover up our sin. If you feel like pulling away from God because of your sinfulness, you must resist this temptation from Satan. Jesus provides healing. The only way to destroy sin in your life and find healing to spiritual sickness is to "confess your sins one to another and pray for one another that you might be healed" (James 5:16). Jesus, the great spiritual physician, can heal all diseases and bind up all your wounds.

God bless,
Robert

James 3: A Story

2008-11-24T07:30:00.001-08:00

Here’s a short film by Desiring God. Ever been guilty of it? I know the Prater household has (I’m thinking especially about two Sunday’s ago), and it usually starts with yours truly. And I’m the preacher who is supposed to be setting the example for my family and the church!!

So here’s a great resolution for this coming Sunday, the Lord’s Day for us all. Begin your day of service, kindness and patience at home. Set the Christlike tone with your family, and it’s bound to come easier outside the walls of your house.

“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:10)

Robert

Demotivators

2008-11-19T09:21:00.000-08:00
I don't know if you’ve seen these or not. (I've posted some of these once before on my blog) Demotivator posters are take offs on how corporate America has become filled with cliché. Motivational posters, quotes and advice seem to haunt every wall, computer and meeting room. Yet somehow all of this motivation doesn't seem to make people more productive.

You can check out their website at: www.despair.com for a twisted laugh or two.

Anyway, some of them are absolutely hilarious. Here are some I laughed at and thought they contained a lot of truth in them.

Enjoy,

Robert

Captain VBS!

2008-11-13T12:10:00.001-08:00

Here is a small portion from the South College Church of Christ VBS slide show promoting Tyrel and Justin Hatfield’s great VBS material from Christian Academy. Sensing the children and VBS are under attack, Captain VBS finds a place to change were no one will see. Well...almost no one. This video features Tyrel as Captain VBS and his son Nolan. Great video!

You can find this VBS curriculum and other great spiritual material at their website: www.littleacornkids.net

Enjoy,
Robert Prater

Happy Veterans Day

2008-11-11T09:31:00.001-08:00

A tribute to our veterans! Truly a labor of love!

God bless them all,
Rob Prater

Robin Williams as the American Flag

2008-11-05T14:07:00.001-08:00

Thought we could all use a little humor today after the longest Presidential election in US history concluded last night. I think most Americans are glad its over.

Last night was certainly a historic night for America. Regardless of what you think about Barack Obama's politics (and I greatly disagree with much of them), you can't deny that last night was a special turning point in this country as we elected the first African-American president.

I thought John McCain's concession speech was very moving and graceful.

McCain said, "My friends, we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly," Mr McCain said, flanked by his wife Cindy and running mate Sarah Palin and her husband Todd on a outdoor stage at a luxury hotel.

The Vietnam war veteran, who has often said that honor represents his highest ideal, showed a defeated soldier's nobility as he praised Mr Obama for inspiring millions of followers.

He continued by saying that Mr Obama's election would help the country heal its racial demons.

"This is an historic election. I recognise the special significance it has for African-Americans, for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.

"I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too."

He said, "I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together. Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans."

Truly humble and wise words from an honorable and courageous man.

We all should hope and pray for the best for President-elect Obama and his family and administration. We hope that the future will hold four our nation and us something better than what we have had in the past.

We hope for justice adn moral uprighteousness to prevail. We dream of leaders who will believe and stand for is right and act with courage and godliness. Most of all, we pray for leaders who will simply allow us to be free to serve the God we love. Upon these principles every Christian should agree.

Regardless of who is the President, in the future days there will be days of prosperity and there will be days of adversity. The best of presidents will not stop adversity and the worst of presidents will not permanently stop prosperity.

One fellow preacher blogger so beautifully put it this way: "There is a country where there is no president to elect, there is only a King. He is the Monarch of Monarchs and the King of Kings. His rule is just and perfect; His power is holy and awesome. There is none like Him, no not one. In the midst of the United States Day of Change, the changeless one seeks you! His thoughts have not been on red or blue states, but on the life you can live and the opporutnity, you have. Why haven't you taken advantage today? What are you waiting on?" (The Preacher's Pen)

May God bless our newly elected President and our nation,

Rob Prater

Twas the Night Before Elections

2008-11-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

Twas the Night before Elections and all through
the town

Tempers were flaring

Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe

With a cat in my lap

Had cut off the TV

Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden

There arose such a noise

I peered out of my window

Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet

They wanted my pay

To give to the others

Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money

And quick as a wink

Jumped back on his bandwagon

As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen

Who were pulling his cart

I could tell they were out

To tear my country apart!

' On Fannie, on Freddie,

On Biden and Ayers!

On Acorn, On Pelosi'

He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause

And as he flew out of sight

I heard him laugh at the nation

Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think

On this one final note-

IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM

GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!
________________________

What are the stakes in the upcoming election? Liberals could dominate the government in a way unlike they have ever before. Come Nov. 4, it's possible Democrats will control both chambers of Congress and the White House. And for all practical purposes, the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Wall Street Journal said it "would be one of the most profound political and ideological shifts in U.S. history. Liberals would dominate the entire government in a way they haven't since 1965 or 1933."

The Far Left has already taken over the Democratic Party of the U.S. They also control the educational systems of America and they control the major media and most major multinational corporations. In addition, they control the dependents created by the welfare system. During the next election they plan to get control of the few remaining areas in this nation that they do not already control. Those areas among others are the Presidency, the Supreme Court, the Internet, talk radio and the evangelical religious systems of America.

One writer has well said that, "God is a gentleman, if He is asked to leave, He will, he never forces Himself on anybody." We are certainly witnessing a nation that as a whole is starting to ask God and His Lordship to leave.

Our nation is calling for change, and there is a possibility that God will give them that. Obama is just a face for that change, our nation is deteriorating, just look at what we value. Money, sex, power and strength with little regard to moral value. Many Christians have even invited it into our homes through the television, and through that television we have allowed our children to be desensitized so they are not sure of what truth is anymore.

In recent days I have posted several videos, articles, and info that Christian people need to think about, including the very important ballot question, Proposition 8 in California. Next to the presidential election, California Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America. It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues.

English statesman, Edmond Burke never spoke truer words when he said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)

May God help us hold to the truth of His Word and His righteousness in these evil and troubling days.

Robert Prater

Vote Values

2008-11-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

Obama mocks the Bible!

2008-11-01T08:59:00.001-07:00

Obama and Abortion

2008-10-29T13:06:00.001-07:00

After over 30 years of legalized abortion in America, it has not become safe or rare – two of the hopes held out by its proponents. Indeed, in the generation since Roe vs. Wade abortion increasingly is viewed as just another form of birth control. Truly the most dangerous place in America is in the womb. And the church knows it.

“The church must speak out with a stronger and unified voice on this horror. Let’s put aside differences and come together to help formation of consciences that will see abortion for what it is; killing of the unborn….the weakest and least among us. Truly then abortion is a curse on our land, and as believers we need to stand as adamant against abortion as the abolitionist stood against slavery. It should be more than a political subject or a coffee time discussion. We need to be more active in our antagonism of this murdering of the unborn.” (Jim B. Hawthorn)

This is a moment we may look back on for the rest of our lives, a moment to make a difference in our nation's direction.

May God give us the strength and courage to do so.

Rob Prater

Obama and Live Birth Abortion

2008-10-29T12:57:00.001-07:00

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him...........hands that shed innocent blood, (Proverbs 6:16, 17b)

There are many reasons I am voting for the John McCain even though he is far, far from the perfect candiate. But if there were no other reasons than this, I would still be voting for him.

May God have mercy on us as a people.

Robert Prater

An unGodly Definition of Marriage

2008-10-28T13:47:00.001-07:00

Next to the presidential election, California Proposition 8 is the most important vote in America.

It will determine the definition of marriage for the largest state in America, and it will determine whether judges or society will decide on social-moral issues.

Christians, beware! These activists are not simply wanting to be left alone to do as they wish. They are seeking legal acknowledgment of their lifestyle that will in time lead to governmental repression of our faith. Our society is becoming ever more antagonistic to God and His people.

And this battle will soon be taking front and center in the public schools. What is called "sex education," whether for kindergartners or older children, is not education about biology but indoctrination in values that go against the traditional values that children learn in their families and in their communities.

Obviously, the earlier this indoctrination begins, the better its chances of overriding traditional values.

Now, those who are supporting a "No" vote on proposition 8 counter by assuring us that this is not the intention at all behind the legalizing of same-sex marriage in California. Somebody from the "No on 8" campaign should have told that to eighteen first graders who attended the wedding of their lesbian school teacher just recently. The story below tells the story.
________________________

First Graders Taken To San Francisco City Hall For Gay Wedding

SAN FRANCISCO, October 11, 2008 - In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as "lies" claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding. According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the public school field trip demonstrates that the California Supreme Court's decision to legal same-sex marriage has real consequences.

"Taking children out of school for a same-sex wedding is not customary education. This is promoting same-sex marriage and indoctrinating young kids," said Yes on 8--ProtectMarriage.com Campaign Co-Manager Frank Schubert. "I doubt the school has ever taken kids on a field trip to a traditional wedding," Schubert said.
When asked by the Yes on 8 campaign, The San Francisco Chronicle reporter said she did not know if the school had ever sponsored a field trip for students to a traditional wedding. Telling the Chronicle that the field trip was "a teachable moment," the school's principal believes it is perfectly appropriate for first graders to attend a same-sex wedding. Officials in other school districts disagree.

"Prop. 8 protects our children from being taught in public schools that 'same-sex marriage' is the same as traditional marriage," said Santa Ana Unified School District board member Rosemarie "Rosie" Avila. "We should not accept a court decision that results in public schools teaching our kids that gay marriage is okay. That is an issue for parents to discuss with their children according to their own values and beliefs. It shouldn't be forced on us against our will," Avila added.

The lesbian teacher's wedding was officiated by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom is featured in a Yes on 8 television ad, released last week, in which he arrogantly declares of same-sex marriage: "The door's wide open now. It's gonna happen, whether you like it or not."
The Yes on 8 campaign's ads explain that if the voters do not overturn the California Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling, teachers will be required to teach young children that there is no difference between gay marriage and traditional marriage.

"It's totally unreasonable that a first grade field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, Press Secretary for Yes on 8. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to understand it."

The field trip underscores the Yes on 8 campaign's message that unless Prop. 8 passes, children will be taught about same-sex marriage in public schools. "Not only can it happen, it has already happened," White said.
________________

English statesman, Edmond Burke never spoke truer words when he said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,who put darkness for light and light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20)

May God help us hold to His righteousness,
Robert Prater

Yes on Proposition 8 ad

2008-10-28T12:45:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Blog!

2008-10-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

It was one year ago today that I posted my first blog, October 25, 2007, and thus Preacher Prater was born. Over the past year there have been over 3300 hits in our first year and I look forward to many more. Now as I look back on one full year of blogging one thing comes to my mind, "I can't believe I've stuck with this thing for a whole year."

As I spent some time this week looking back over a year's worth of posts, I had mixed emotions. Some posts I read I thought, "Wow, that was harsh. Did I really say that?" and others I thought, "What was I thinking when I wrote that?" All in all, I've loved sharing my thoughts. My goal when I started this blog was to post my thoughts about God, Christ, the church and the Christian life. I have changed some over the course of the year and have just simply posted funny items, news stories, various fun pictures, sporting events news, videos, and political and social commentary.

At the bottom of my blog there is an item called a site meter that tells me of all the people who visit everyday. Some from all over the world. I think that is so cool. While some choose to leave comments, many still don't - and that's okay. But if I had one "blog birthday wish" today it would be for all those who stop by to leave me a comment telling me who you are and where you're from. If you're uncomfortable leaving a name, you can just leave me your initials. I'd love to know where you are from.

I don't know how long I'll keep on blogging, but I have to admit that the first year has been a lot of fun. My prayer is that this blog has been as much of a blessing in your life as it has been mine. Thanks for being my friend. :)

How can you help celebrate my blog’s first birthday?
Submit a Bible question or something you’d like for me to blog about.
Read some of my archived posts.
Email one of my posts to a friend
Tell some of your friends about this blog site.
Provide a link to my blog on your website or MySpace or Facebook site.
Leave a comment on this post.
Pray and ask God to help us reach more people with the message of the Holy Scriptures.

God bless you all
Robert