We need more town criers!

Keep sounding the good news, keep sounding the alarm.

The great day of the LORD is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the LORD is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers. "I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the LORD; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse." Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the LORD's wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.
(Zep 1:14-18)

No bail outs in the day of the Lord. The international bankers, oil sheiks, and global power brokers will find themselves helpless to deliver themselves, yet alone anyone else on the planet.

It is a day of judgement. A 'Come to Jesus' meeting of epic proportions. Every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and everyone shall give account of themselves before the Lord of Lords. (Romans 14:11-12).

If you are not spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ to people around you, I encourage you to join us Saturday nights at 6:00 p.m. here at our church facility. We have people from a few different churches that hope to attend, and we are going to have an 8 week series on how to witness to others. It is from the "Way of the Master", and is a very effective approach.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions. This Saturday will be a 'get ready' type of meeting at 6 and the 8 week series will start Saturday, August 8th. There is no cost, and the optional workbook is $10.

Hope many of you can make it. The time may be short, and many people are more open to hearing the gospel then you might think. We are not called to 'make Christ followers' out of anyone, but we are called to plant the seeds. God will bring the increase.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Where Have All the Young Blogs Gone?

Where have all the young blogs gone? Long time passing. My apology for going blogless for so long. It really wasn't my intent. God has had to bring me through what has been a season of discouragement, but He is faithful. My wife, Claudia, has tried hard not to be discouraged in the midst of my discouragement, and has been a real spiritual trooper. Some of you have sensed something not being quite right and have taken the time to encourage and exhort me.

Thank you everyone, and especially for your patience. As I said up front, I did not intend to not write the blogs for a few days, and was actually surprised to find when I looked today that it had beens so long.

How true is the scripture that says, "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD! " (Psa 27:14)

Kaw-vah is a Hebrew word that means to look for, hope, expect. Waiting on the Lord is actually a looking to the Lord with expectation.

Ab is father in the Hebrew, but Abba is father in the emphatic state.

Abba, Father,

Thank you for your great blessings, and help us to continually wait on you with great expectation as we live our lives for you.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

No car? No beep? No attendant? no gas? no XP?

So how's your day been today? Today has been one of those days. I woke up about 4:30 a.m. to pray and get ready for my day. I drove over to Flordia Hospital to pray for a friend before surgery. That part went great. But when I went back to the parking garage I could not find my car. After several prayers and several trips over the course of several levels in a hot garage, clicking the lock button on my key chain as I went in hopes that the car would beep to let me know where it was, I surrendered. I then set about trying to find someone to help me. After several discussions with several different people in several different places, I finally found someone willing to drive me around in a golf cart. It turned out the car was pretty much where I thought it was, but the key chain didn't evoke a beep until I was literally standing behind the vehicle (my escort told me he thinks it needs a new battery- I didn't know they took batteries!). My escort told me that many people found the car garage confusing on foot, and that I shouldn't feel bad. I then called brother Bill Cureton to let him know I wouldn't be back in time to lead the men's Bible study, and in my rush to get back to the church forgot that I had noticed earlier the car needed gas. Oooops! Without warning the car engine stopped humming and the vehicle quit. Fortunately I was now on 405 near a few gas stations and my lovely wife answered the phone and agreed to fill up the gas can and come resuce me. Oh, but the gas can had water in it. A trip to Wal-mart to get a gas can? Fortunately brother Brian Barnett was within walking distance of his home and he had a gas can with gas in it. Before you know it my wife and mother (who is here visiting from Texas this week) were on their way to me with a gas can and some gas. Oh, did I mention that I had an appointment with our church copier guy Mike that I was about to miss? Fortunately, brother Bill entertained him and he agreed to wait for me, and show me how to scan documents to my computer. I forgot to mention to him my laptop had Vista, and it turned out no XP operating system meant no ability to scan documents to my computer. But Mike was able to show me how to scan to the church computer, and I can always transfer documents from there to a flash drive and then to my computer. Oh, did I mention that the copier feed hasn't been working right, and Mike, our copier guy couldn't get it to work right? No worries, as brother Eric always says. Mike will be back tomorrow to replace the feeder, I will leave here later and hopefully remember to put gas in brother Brian's gas can, and brother Bill will hopefully be able to come tomorrow to let Mike in since I will be in Melbourne early tomorrow.

Well, sorry to run, but I have to take care of a few things. Oh, I almost forgot, Good Morning Everyone!

I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall be continually in my mouth. (Ps. 34:1)

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Leading God's People

Moses' father-in-law Jethro had some interesting counsel for Moses with respect to himself and to appointment of leaders under him and over the people.

Look at what he had to say in Exodus 18:19f.:

Be before God for the people. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people men that are capable, revere God, are trustworthy, hate people being greedy for gain; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

With respect to Moses Jethro said he should:

1) Be before God for the people (be in prayer)
2) Teach them God's statues and laws (teach God's Word)
3) Show them God's way and God's work (teach by example)

With respect to appointed leadership, Jethro said to select capable men that:

1) Revere God
2) are trustworthy
3) that hate being driven by personal gain

It doesn't surprise me that respecting or revering God would be number one. And it doesn't surprise me that trustworthiness would be number two. But isn't number three interesting? Jethro not only said they should be men that aren't covetous. He said they should be men that HATE covetousness. Men that are personally offended or disgusted by it. Is it that you really can't really serve self-lessly unless you literally despise the thought of serving out of personal gain?

Let me know your thoughts on this.
Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Persevere

Pursue love, pray, and persevere. My wife had a dream last night in which the Lord told her that she and I are to persevere through the storm in which we presently find ourselves. The dictionary defines persevere as, "To persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea, or task in the face of discouragement or opposition". Funny how it's not really the opposition that undoes us as much as the discouragement which we frequently experience as a result of expected or unexpected hardship.

Moses addressed the Israelites as they approached the promised land and told them not to fear or be discouraged. They asked Moses to let them send scouts ahead to check out the land, and when the report wasn't good, they refused to proceed. Moses told them not to be afraid, and that the Lord would go before them and fight for them, but they wouldn't be disuaded.

Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.' "And every one of you came near to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.' "The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.' "Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; and you complained in your tents, and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there." ' "Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.' Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. "And the LORD heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, 'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, (Deu 1:21-35)

Being discouraged sounds like a perfectly understandable and acceptable response to life when we are disappointed, and isn't it interesting how the Israelites even blamed the spies that brought back the report for discouraging them. We need to be careful because sometimes the root cause of our discouragement can actually be our lack of faith in God, and that is never a good thing.

Be strong and of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart (Psalm 27:14).

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

So Nobody Cares?

Ok, I've neglected to put the blog out for a few days and nooone has said a word. So one question that could be asked is, "Does anyone really care?" You might think that's an odd question, and yet many of us struggle with such things at one time or another. Even if we have contact with a lot of people in our church family on a regular basis, we sometimes hear that question in the recesses of our mind, "Does anyone really care?". Sometimes we may wonder if anyone cares about us, personally, and sometimes we may wonder if anyone cares about what we do for them. If we suddenly disappeared would be missed? Is what we're doing adding value? But as a judge often utters in the courtroom, "Just where exactly is this line of questioning going?" In other words, why are we asking these questions? Inquiring minds may want to know, but some questions are best not even entertained, as they may do little more than lead to other questions, to satisfy our curiosity to some degree, or at worst they may actually stir up strife.

nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. (1Ti 1:4)

he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, (1Ti 6:4)

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. (2Ti 2:23)

Rest assures your Heavenly Father cares, and rest assured, what you are doing for Him does make a difference! And that means YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

I write these blogs each day, because I care, not because I have nothing better to do. And yet when I miss a day, it is not because I don't care. Don't let the enemy plant seeds of insecurity, doubt, and fear in your field. You are Christ's own, and that alone makes gives you worth, and makes you more valuable than much fine gold.

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Let's Open with Prayer

What would you think if every business meeting opened in prayer? More important, what would God think? What would if every school class opened in prayer? What if everything we did as individuals, as families, as businesses, as churches, as schools was bathed in prayer? Is it enough to just sprinkle our lives with prayer, or should we bathe ourselves in prayer?

Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, For there were many against me. God will hear, and afflict them, Even He who abides from of old. Selah. Because they do not change, Therefore they do not fear God. . . . Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. . . . I will trust in You. (Psa 55:17-23)

Are you struggling? Are you lacking peace? Are you feeling like people or circumstances are against you? Pause, and consider the integrity, trustworthiness, might, wisdom, compassion, and grace of our Heavenly Father and Lord. Can there be any doubt they He will sustain you? Can there any be any doubt that He will protect you? Put your trust in Him, and PRAY.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Messianic Praise

Well, I've written a Messianic praise song. I hope the kids and teens enjoy it this Sunday! We began our weekly Messianic Praise procession yesterday at church and it was great celebrating the Lord as about fifteen or twenty kids from pre-school to teen (and a few adults) proceeded through the sanctuary waving Jehovah banners and streamers as we sang All the Earth will Sing His Praises and Days of Elijah. If you didn't get opportunity to join in, come this Sunday about 9:40 a.m. and get a banner or streamer! Or, just come at 10:00 a.m. and join us as we celebrate Adonai (a-done-eye).

We had several new families visit with us, and hopefully they will become part of the new thing God is doing among us here at Calvary Chapel Space Coast. God is being glorified in so many things here.

As we speak the word of God, as we minister in the name of God, we find God being glorified in all things in our lives.

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
(1Pe 4:11)

My prayer for each of you is that you find God being glorified in all facets of your life as you speak His word, and as you live out His word by ministering to your family, church family, and the other people God has put in your life.


And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
(Gal 6:9-10)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

We Don't Always Really Believe God's Word

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" (Gen 15:1-3)

Those of us that name of the name of Jesus sing worship songs like, "You're all I need", but do we trust God enough to leave it at that? Abram was promised by God that a great nation would come forth from him, and that through him all nations of the earth would be blessed. Abram had his doubting moments about all this. "Things aren't working out the way I was expecting, Lord. What are you up to? How is all this going to work?" Abram pointed out to God that the head of his household was his current heir, and the Lord promised him an heir from his body.

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Gen 15:4-6)

But even that clarification and assurance from the Lord wasn't enough for Abram. We tend to take things into our own hands when we don't believe that God will really come through (or at least when we think He won't come through the way we want). Abram ended up sleeping with Sarah's handmaid to produce a physical heir, rather than waiting on God to provide.

The good news is that God keeps His Word, and even when we are not faithful, He is faithful, for He cannot forsake His own.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (2Ti 2:13)

Praise God!

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Israel's "Valley of the Shadow of Death"

Roger Alexander shared with me yesterday that
when he and his wife Terri were in Israel, they went to the "valley of the shadow of death".
I didn't know that this was an actual place in Israel. Apparently it was a trail traveled by merchants that was very dangerous because of the robbers and murderers who would attack those who traveled the path.

Roger said that learning of the realness of the valley was one of the highlights for him in Israel.

One of man's greatest fears in Israel and many parts of the world has long been those evil men that prey upon unsuspecting people and places. Yet Jesus said,

do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
(Mat 10:28)

A day is coming in Israel when men's hearts will literally fail them from fear.

And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
(Luk 21:24-27)

Men's riches and wealth will not deliver him in the day of God's reckoning.

Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me? Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches, None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him— (Psa 49:5-7)

and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. (1Pe 5:4)

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Walking in the Valley of the Shadow of Death

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
(Psa 23:4-6)

If we are His own, God's goodness and mercy follows us every day and everywhere. Into the wilderness, into the desert, into the valley of the shadow of death, into the presence of our enemies. God has a bountiful table ever set before you, so don't be tempted by the enemy's poison apple. Be wise as serpents and be aware that there are those that would seek you harm, but do not fear. It matters not how big or many your adversary might be. What matters is who wields the rod and the staff in your defense. Take comfort because your shepherd is the King of kings, and Lord of hosts!

God's goodness and mercy will ever run over us as a thirst quenching stream, for the well of God's Spirit is within us. We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, for the Lord of all creation dwells in us! Praise God!!

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Don't forget that we're meeting 9:30 a.m. at the church Sunday to prepare the banners, streamers, and robes for our grand procession of worship! All are invited, but the youth and children are especially invited to come and participate. Service is at 10:00 a.m. It's going to be an awesome celebration of our Lord!

Things are not always as they Seem

June 12, 1987, Reagan challenged Gorbachev, the then General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, saying, "Tear down this wall!". Can you imagine what people would have thought had he said, "Unzip this wall!" Then again can you imagine if you spent most of your life behind that wall, wishing you were on the other side, and finding out at one point that you were only an 'unzip' away?

The worst kind of walls are those invisibile walls we build between us and God, or between us and others, to keep God or others at bay. We see walls as protecting us, when in fact, walls hem us in and make us susceptible to the plague.

The bottom line is that building relational walls as a refuge is a poor substitute for seeking refuge with the one true source of safety and security- our God.

The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
(Psa 9:9-10)

Not only will our own walls not truly protect us, they are often built on misconceptions, evil suspicions, and other ilk that should be shunned by those of us that claim the name of Jesus. In humility, we need to recognize that we are not all knowing, we are not mini-gods, we are in no place to judge the hearts of others, and we often get taken in with half-truths and lies that the enemy plants through people around us or even directly into our mind through our fleshly nature.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
(Rom 12:9-11)

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Do You Serve from the heart? Willingly and with Great Joy?

This passage in 1 Chronicles 29 is a fascinating passage. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it, reveal the Lord through it, and exhort you through it.

Then the leaders of the fathers' houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's work, offered willingly. They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly. Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. "Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. "O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.
(1Ch 29:6-17)

Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

What do we do when we find ourselves sitting in the dark?

Have you ever felt like you were sitting in the dark? Have you ever felt afflicted? Are you sitting in the dark praising the Lord in the midst of your afflictions? Do you know that there are those that are watching you as you sit in the dark, in the midst of your afflictions?

Then the multitude rose up together against them [Paul and Silas]; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (Act 16:22-25)
Beaten, humiliated, and thrown into prison- How could Paul and Silas be bound, and yet praying and singing praises to the Lord? The prisoners must have found this to be curious, to say the least. Yet Paul likely sang something like this- "How can I keep from singing His praise, How can I ever say enough, How amazing is His love, How can I keep from shouting His Name, I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing!"

For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons—Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!(Psa 107:9-15)

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

Thank God for giving us our American freedoms

Regardless of how you may feel about our American history, how we came into being, and who we are today, all of us should be thankful of the freedoms we have enjoyed as Americans, and the blessings that God has heaped upon our nation and the church of Jesus Christ that is on our soil. We have sent out much aid, many missionaries, and been used of the Lord to shine His light in the darkest parts of the world. Praise God for letting us be part of this venture that is known as the United States of America!

Please take a few moments to also pray for Honduras and its people, the church of Jesus Christ in Honduras. This includes Pastor Jason and Patty and the Calvary Chapel Tegucigalpa family and the outreach in Ojojona, Sally Taylor, our missionary there, and Claudia Eickhoff and Christine Barnett that are holding tickets to fly down there soon.
Yours in Him,
Pastor B.

Is your body your slave?

The apostle Paul was determined to win the race. We know the rules, and there is no excuse for being disqualified. In 1 Cor 9:27 Paul tells us that he disciplines his body and brings it into subjection. The phrase "bring it into subjection" is a translation of a Greek word (doo-la-go-geh-o) that means to lead away into slavery. (I've posted a picture from the Greek Lexicon so you can see what it says on this interesting word.)

Do you make your body a slave? Or, does your body drive you?

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.(1Co 9:27).

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
(Gal 5:17)

We must be serious, be watchful, and keep our flesh in submission if we are going to spiritually succeed. So how do you think Paul enslaved his body? How do you think he kept his flesh in subjection? hmmmmm.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.

What are we running to obtain?

What are you running to obtain? Is this Christian life all about obtaining better health, more wealth, and greater prosperity?

In 1 Corinthians 9:25 we read,

"And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown."

So which crown are we really seeking?

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1Pet 1:17-19)

Gold and silver didn't redeem us from our sin, and gold and silver won't give our lives meaning, because gold and silver are no prize at all in the grand scheme of things. I find it interesting that Peter even references being redeemed from our vain, aimless, empty way of life handed down to us by our religious forefathers. In other words, our lives can be quite religious, and yet quite devoid of true spiritual success.

So how are you measuring your success in running the race?

The good news is that no matter how far off track you have gotten, repentance will always put you right back on track, as the blood of Christ can cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.

Yours in Him,

Pastor B.