God Was Not Caught Off Guard

My day Friday was busy and hectic.  My morning started with a drive to Frankfort for breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my parents, my aunt and uncle, and my son.  When we returned to town traffic was all rerouted because a truck had careened into three parked cars.  Then as we prepared to head to Louisville to do some Christmas shopping I stopped for gas close to our church and watched in shock as a vehicle ran through the corner stop sign, across the major thoroughfare, through a yard and into the front of the house across the street.  I yelled for help and ran across the street to help the man and to make sure no one was in the house. It was a pretty bizarre morning for our little town, but I hadn't had a radio or television on since 7:30 in the morning. So I had no idea what was going on in a little town in Connecticut.  Suddenly my day seemed like a mundane fog. I wanted to find my grandchildren and hug them tight.  I want to find my daughter, and suggest a career change.  I thanked God for the unbelievable change in my son's life.  After all that we have been through, I still have them all.  I couldn't then and still can not imagine what the families in Sandy Hook were feeling.  

But it is not just Sandy Hook.  We can't lose sight of twenty two children slashed and stabbed in China on Friday as well.  We can't lost sight of families who lost family members who were innocently shopping in malls in Denver and Portland.  We can't lose sight of planes flying into buildings and our world being changed forever.  One of my first childhood memories was the unrest of my parents following the assassination of John F Kennedy.  Then five years later the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King.  I remember as a high school student trying to make sense of a preacher named Jim Jones and something unbelievable in Jamestown.   I still can't make any sense of what is being done to children in Kenya and Uganda that are being stolen and made slaves of blood diamond gangs. 

The insanity of our current world is nothing new.  It took no more than three chapters of scripture for insanity to enter the world in the form of a serpent who introduced sin into our world.   Evil was here and it will remain until Christ returns.  We live in a very broken world and when there is brokenness, things are shattered.  Lives have been shattered from sin since the garden of Eden and they are still shattered around the world today.  This season of the year reminds us of the only possible answer to the brokenness of our world.  Jesus came to be the only answer.  He is the only hope!  

Many are asking, so where was God on Friday? On June 25^th, 1962 we took prayer out of the public schools in America.  On June 17^th, 1963 we took the Bible out of schools in America.  Then on November 17^th, 1980 we were told to take the Ten Commandments off the wall because if the children read them they might follow them.  We live in a time when we have systematically legislated God out of our schools.  But when Columbine, Heath, or Sandy Hook happens people why He wasn't there.  What I wish people could see is that was neither surprised or caught off guard by any of these tragedies.  The nature of an omniscient God is that He is always aware of what we are going through.

That same God was not caught off guard when the doctor told you it was cancer.  He was not caught off guard when your spouse told you that there was someone else.  He was not caught off guard when the employer told you your services were no longer needed.  He was not caught off guard when your child went through a difficult period in their life that broke your heart.  He is omniscient, so He knows, but He is also omnipotent and so He has the power to see you through anything. But why doesn't He stop it?

We will never know what He has stopped.  I don't want to imagine what our world would be like it not for a loving God.  But we deal with the consequences of fallen, broken, shattered world!  Those poor innocent children were not being punished for the sins of the world and Pharisees like those from Westboro Baptist Church will pay a heavy price when they stand before a loving God for claiming that he was punishing these children for the sins of the world.

That is why Jesus came in the first place. But why do little children die?  Because of evil in this world.  Moses was the survivor of a violent mass murder of children to prohibit boys growing into men who could fight against an Egyptian army.  Jesus was the survivor of a evil violent mass murder plot by Herod to eliminate any child that might be the king who would rescue the Jews.  People have been killing innocent children since evil entered this world.  Before we cast all of our anger upon school shooters, gangs who kidnap children, and the Pharoah's and Herod's of history who have destroyed thousands of innocent lives, we must examine the blood on our own hands.  When Pilot could not presude the people not to kill Jesus he washed his hands to symbolically try to remove his guilt in his murder.  We need to realize as long as the elected officials allow the insane murder of innocent children while they are still in their mothers womb, their blood is just as much on our hands.

There is clamouring for gun control and many other laws to stop things like school shootings.  People talk of how desperately these shooters needed medication and psychologist.  Those things would most definitely have helped some, but what they all need is Jesus.  He is is the only hope that can ever heal a broken world.  In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read telling words.  It is an IF - THEN scenario that can change our world.  God said, "IF my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN (and only THEN) will I hear from heaven and heal their land."

THE Great I AM is a good shepherd that truly cares for His sheep.  God truly cares for you!  He always has, He always will!

I have also included links to blogs from two wonderful friends who have shared hope, much more eloquently than I could.  Ben Cacharias, is the pastor of Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland.  Here is his blog.  http://outofmymind.cc/    Bob Russell is the retired minister of the SOutheast Christian Church in Lousiville, Kentucky, please read his blog  http://www.bobrussell.org/2012/12/16/where-was-god-during-the-connecticut-massacre/

Great New Book - Get a Copy

I am proud of my friend Dean Burk for publishing this important book that details the eroding values of a society that has removed God from their decision making.  I have known Dean for many years before he and his family started worshiping on the Hill.  I have had the privilege of watching Dean grow and mature over the last few years and I am thrilled that he pressed forward with this book.  I read the manuscript a couple of years ago and was impressed with the clarity and the preciseness of the documentation that Dean shares. 

The beauty this book is that it is brief and to the point.  It can easily be read in an evening and then kept as reference or shared with a friend.  It is being distributed exclusively through Amazon and amazon.com .  When you log on www.amazon.com  search for Dean Burk and the book titled Removing God from the One Nation Under God.  The cost is only $5.99.  I know Dean's heart and his goal is not to profit from this book, but to share firm researched truth that might possibly change the heart and mind of readers to do what they can to help bring God back into the fabric of this great country where He has been removed and to keep Him as a part of where He has not been removed.

So What Are You Going to Do About It

The Community of Changed Lives that worship on the Hill have just completed an incredible journey through the ABC's of Financial Freedom. The question running through my mind today is "So What Are You Going to Do About It?".  Yesterday Barry gave us Seven Secrets to Financial Freedom.  Let's review what we learned. 1) Your understanding of where it all comes from will either keep it coming or cut it off. 2) What you pursue will determine what you possess. 3) What you spend will always be more important than what you earn. 4) Your obedience will determine your abundance. 5) The discipline of saving is more important than the amount you save. 6) God will grow whatever you sow. 7) Sustained generosity will be the guarantee for your sustained financial success.

I want to land right in the middle on principle number four because it is huge!  YOUR OBEDIENCE WILL DETERMINE YOUR ABUNDANCE. Here is the deal.  We can read the book, cheer for the concepts, raise our hands in worship, and even sign a commitment card.  But if we don't do anything about it, it will soon be over.  We have to make some changes!

There are a couple of things coming to the Hill that will help you make positive moves forward.  There is a really good six week series that goes along with the ABC's of Financial Freedom that you can be done in LIFE groups or in your own family.  If you are interested please contact me at dhamlin@shelbychristian.org 

Another great step on this journey would be to enroll in Financial Peace University.  We will begin our next semester on Wednesday night January 9 at 6:30.  There is a $100 cost involved in this class that could easily be the best investment you ever make in your future!  The fee gets you the complete kit of materials from Dave Ramsey and many other resources, plus it helps you have a huge buy in to sticking with the program.  The new FPU is a nine week course.  It will give you a couple months to get into this new lifestyle.  What would you life be like moving forward if you were debt free?

So what are you going to do about what you have learned?    It can be a life changing experience or it can be just another experience in life.  The difference will be based on what you make of it.  Let's go for it and just keep on reaching ... God has something huge out there for you and for our church and for the lives of people that we intersect with in life.  

So what are you going to do ...

As I get ready to head to bed on Thanksgiving Eve I spent some time reviewing my sermon for Sunday and my friend Barry's book The ABC's of Financial Freedom.  This week's chapter ends with some ideas from the G.O.O.D. file (Get Out Of Debt).  Appropriately it pertains perfectly for many that are already out at the stores for Black Friday and millions more that are leaving tomorrow.

1. Don't let shopping take priority over worship.  If we do, we will miss the whole point of Christmas.
2. Don't get caught up trying to outbuy or outdo anybody else when you do your Christmas shopping.
3. Don't charge the gifts you buy for others. Yes, yes probably won't buy as much, but you won't cry much either later on when the bills come due.
4. Give practical, usable gifts that will help meet needs instead of wasting money on frivolous gifts that will go back in the box, in the closet, the attic, or the next garage sale once the holidays are over.
5. Make sure the Lord is at the top of your Christmas list.  Giving at the Christmas Eve service for your church is an excellent way to teach your children and model for your family what Christmas is all about.
6. Do take time to bake Christmas cookies, go see Christmas lights, watch a Christmas video, or some other activity that will help draw your family closer together.
7. Stay on target with your goal to become debt free.  Don't allow your emotions to get caught up in the "spirit of giving" to cause you to get off track and deeper in debt.
8. Be sure to take time to thank God for all of your blessings over the year.
9. Remember the best gift you can give, especially to your family is YOU!

I'm not sure if you avoid the malls like crazy on Black Friday or if you already there.  Maybe your temptation is on Cyber Monday.  Or maybe you struggle every day.  These are nine great points from Barry Cameron that we should all memorize!

Election Eve Thoughts

Tomorrow is such an important day for our country!  The presidential election tops all ballots, but there are many other important races and issues that people will have the opportunity to vote on across the nation.  I pray that the Christian portion of the country votes based on a biblical worldview.  This is made somewhat difficult this year, because while one candidate claims to be a Christian be believes, supports, and forces some very non-biblical principles upon society.  Most notably the belief in the pro-choice agenda.  The other candidate is of the Mormon belief, but his actions are more biblically based.  Bob Russell has written a tremendous document concerning this on his blog at BobRussellMinistries.org or by going directly to http://www.bobrussell.org/2012/07/22/should-christians-vote-for-a-mormon-for-president/

Early this morning my wife and I were on a chilly pre-dawn walk and she reminded me of the story Jesus told of a man with two sons.  It is found in Matthew 21, ²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered.  

Actions do speak louder than words!  I remember my father telling me that it takes a lifetime to build a good reputation and a few bad decisions or even one fleeting moment to destroy it.  When I vote I never vote strictly on party lines.  It shouldn't be about the party.  Both parties are flawed because of the partisanship that they are tied to.  So the challenge in my mind is the question that many have been asking, "Are we any better off as a nation than we were four years ago?".  I can't find any logical way to answer yes to that question.

I googled the National Debt Clock today at http://www.usdebtclock.org 

The counter on that thing is spinning faster than my electric meter, and it is killing our country.  I am tired of hearing that it is someone's fault.  What is done in the past is in the past.  As long as we keep casting blame on previous administrations we will never get this fixed.  One candidate has built and led many corporations, the other one has never led a business of any kind.  His total leadership experience is in elected offices.  

The single issue of human life is something that I cannot ignore.  The greatest single privilege that we have as Americans is the privilege of life, which is slowly being stripped away.  It is being stripped away prior to birth and with the proposed health care reforms it will be stripped away in the decision of who is worthy of socialized health care because of their value to society.  

The next president of the United States will have the opportunity to appoint two Supreme Court Justices.  Those are lifetime appointments.  This election is HUGE.  Not just for the next four years.

As I wrote last week, I have many friends who will vote differently than I will tomorrow and as far as I am concerned I hope they still consider me a friend tomorrow night regardless of the outcome.  In my mind this election has nothing at all to do with race or party affiliation.  If people want to make it into those things that is their silly choice.  This is much bigger than those issues.  It is about this nation doing the right things, remaining one nation under one true God, indivisible with liberty and just for all.

Why Should I Vote?

There is so much talking going on about the election next week.  Those who know me can figure out where I stand on most issues.  I am strongly conservative in my political views and to those who believe that the church or a pastor shouldn't speak at all about politics I apologize but am extremely confused as to why you believe that.

 

If the Christians, churches and pastors don't speak up about issues that effect the moral foundation of our nation who will.  It is extremely puzzling to me why the Christian voice is always as the one the is "politically incorrect".  Even in the oft used excuse of separation of church and state, which by the way is a phrase never used in the Constitution, but most often quoted as such, the issue is forcing about forcing an entire nation to have the exact view.  While I might wish that were possible I would strongly oppose forcing my views that Jesus is the risen Son of God upon any one.  God has never forced himself on anyone, and neither did His Son.  If He had then there never would have been a cross.  God is a God of choices!  Yes you can choose to believe in Him or you can choose not to believe.  What you cannot choose is what parts of Him you want to believe and what parts you don't. He is an all or nothing God! 

 

Elections are the same.  We are blessed as American citizens to have the right to choose.  Men and women have died and continue to die to protect that freedom. 

 

My struggle is to understand how people who claim to be believers in God and followers of Christ can vote in ways that directly oppose the teaching of the inspired word of God.  I realize that not everyone believes that the Bible is the inspired word of God, but that takes me back to the fact that I don't believe we get to pick and choose what parts of God we want.  Having a biblical worldview means that we apply the Bible to all of the decisions we make in life, including who we vote for.

History very well records the downfall of nations who took there eyes off of God.  Read the book of Romans and then read history books that define the fall of the Roman Empire.  It is impossible to read and not feel you are reading in dejavu.  We are experiencing exactly what happen to that world empire.

 

The greatest human right that we have is the right to life.  We kill more babies daily in America than four planes killed on September 11.  Even if we were to agree to be pro-choice, shouldn't the choice belong to the one that is going to live or die.  Life is precious!  Conception is miraculous!  Safe sex is talked about all through scripture.  Once again it is your choice to believe or not believe the Bible.   How can intelligent logical politicians vote to allow a child to be aborted and charge the driver of a vehicle with double homicide in the tragedy of an expectant mother being killed on the highway?

 

All that is free is not always good.  The discussion of health care has been mind boggling to me.  Our health care system is out of control, but the thought that signing a piece of paper is going to guarantee free and "prompt" health care for everyone is ludicrous.  There are no more hospitals being built, no more doctors graduating medical school, but somehow people believe that they will suddenly have there medical concerns taken care of is sad.  People are no doubt going to vote away their soul for that promise only to find out that they will be put on a list and if they are over the age of 50 or deemed to be of no value to society they will be on the end of the list.  The health care might be free, but it might involve embalming fluid instead of chemotherapy.  Sick people need to be taken care of, but this is not the answer.

 

I hate war as much as anyone, but it is the ability to fight to defend your freedom that gives us the right to say publicly that we hate war.  Sometimes you have to be willing to fight for what is right.  How anyone can believe that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden were just going to go away is once again mind boggling.  

 

My prayer is that if you are an American citizen you will exercise the right to vote and that if you are a follower of Christ that you will exercise your right to follow and support a biblical worldview.  You are free to choose to disagree and vote differently from me and if we were friends before we voted we will be friends after we vote as far as I am concerned.  Just please don't ask or require me not to share what I believe in.  I am such a sinner whose only chance of salvation is because of the amazing love of God and the willingness of Christ to die to pay my sin debt.  Because of that I cannot be silent!!

What is #cuonthehill

For those of you who may not know what a “hashtag” is, I want to take a moment to explain and set up an interesting connecting point for all of us on "the Hill". Here goes:

Twitter gives this definition: The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keywords or topics in a Tweet. It was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize messages.

The beauty of this little # is that it works on instagram as well. When you tweet or post your pic on instagram, if it has something to do with Shelby Christian, use this hashtag:

#cuonthehill

The fun starts when on Twitter or Instagram you search #cuonthehill. Now you can see what others are saying and posting about our church even if you don’t know them or follow them.

I stole this blog from my friend John.  You can check out what is happening at their awesome place at #communityhemet

Have fun and spread the love.