Light your bulb

^{Philippians 2:14-15
14} Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.


As Christians we are called to light the bulb that Christ has given us and we are to do this by standing out and being a shining light a lot. However a lot of times we just want to blend in and not be seen. Instead of standing out we tend to put on our guillie suit like the picture below. Can you spot the Marine Sniper?



With our guillie suits on someone has to look really hard to see whether or not we love Jesus. We then just seem to blend right in with the world.

This next picture is a reminder that we all have been given special gifts and we can all shine our light our own special way.



Use the gifts God has given you no matter how peculiar they are and shine the light of Christ in this dark, crooked, perverse world and then just see what happens.

Get off the tracks! A train is coming!

Philippians 2:9-11

⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

When I first saw the picture for today’s blog I thought of the classic photo of the two little boys in their bibbed overalls with the caption “Been Farming Long.” After reading Philippians 2:9-11 then seeing this picture I could just see a caption above the boy in the red saying I don’t believe in trains and then the boy in the blue saying Naw, I don’t either. However the problem becomes that sooner or later the train is coming and you can sit on the tracks and say you don’t believe in trains and in the end, when the train comes it doesn’t matter what you believe the train is still coming and if you don’t get off the tracks there will be consequences.

Of course the same goes for Jesus. Jesus is the one thing that divides true Christianity from all other religions. It is how you view him that separates you from everyone else. Some people don’t believe that he ever existed, some that he was just a good teacher or a good man, still others believe that he was not God. There are more that I can’t think of right now. Sadly there are even professing Christians that have not made him Lord.

But has Philippians tells us every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Why? Because he is just like the train tracks you can deny all you want but sooner or later Jesus will come rumbling down the tracks. The questions becomes are you going to get on board the train or just sit there on the tracks. If you choose to stay on the tracks I hope you are ready for what is to come.

Here are some lyrics to a song called Gospel train that fit in nicely,

Well that gospel train is a' comin'
Comin' right down the track
That gospel train is a' comin'
Comin' right down the track
And when that train leaves the station
I can tell you right now it's never comin' back

You may think your train ain't a' comin'
'Till at least a quarter past nine,
You may think your train ain't a' comin'
'Till at least a quarter past nine,
But by the time you reach the platform
You'll find out you've been left behind

 The problem (if you want to call it that) with the Gospel train is that the schedule is not posted so you never know when to get ready to leave. So if you want to catch the train instead of having to get ready you had better stay ready to leave because it will not wait.

The job of Christians is to do our best at letting people know that the proverbial train is coming and if they don't get off the tracks it will be messy and if they choose to come on board the spectacular destination of the Gospel train.

Barbeque Review: The Flying Mango

The Flying Mango  Des Moines ****

Full service dining, Let’s call it Beverly Hills barbeque, an upscale barbeque place if you can say that. Besides the barbeque most of the other things on the menu I could not pronounce.

Sauces: only one to choose from somewhat spicy but very good.

Ribs:  served dry, very meaty, an interesting rub that continued to build heat as you ate them. I would have preferred more smoke.

Pulled Pork:  They actually  have two pulled porks to choose from one more spicy than the other. I personally did not care for either. I tasted no smoke.  

Sides:  The most eclectic choice of sides you will ever find at a barbeque place. Sweet potato pancakes with mango sauce: not bad a late kick of heat. Mashed potatoes with mustard and something else I could not pronounce. Sautéed vegetables, corn on the cob with lime and some kind of pepper sauce. The list goes on and on. I recognized coleslaw and it was good.

Overall:  Nice, nice place, neat atmosphere, however I will be honest for me the ribs are difficult to judge, the first ¾ of my half rack I was going yummm, the very end I was going hot, hot, hot by the last rib my mouth and lips were burning. The service was fair not outstanding. I think the uniqueness of the place is what brings it in at number 4 on my Best Barbeque list.

Get off the throne

Why is it that before company comes over we clean house? Or when we go out we dress up? Does it change who we are? I think that in a fallen world we just naturally have a tendency to want to impress others. The question becomes what is our purpose for wanting to impress others? Most of the time it’s selfishness or the need for approval. Another natural tendency we have is looking out for ourselves. Looking out for number 1 is a common saying in our society today. But who is number 1 is it you? I don’t think so. Philippians 2:5 says that we must have the same attitude the Christ Jesus had. Even though he was number 1 he did not hang his hat on that. He gave up all of the privileges he had in Heaven which I’m sure were a few, and came to earth as a mere man because that is what God wanted him to do. Having the same attitude Christ had is a lofty goal to be sure but you have to start somewhere. Again as I have said over and over again to have the same attitude he had you have to know him and to know him means daily Bible study and prayer. Out of those things should come good deeds like taking interest in others another thing that that should happen is that you should eventually get of your throne. It’s not yours to be sitting on anyway. The throne belongs to Christ so get off of it before he throws you out. I remember as a kid that dad had “his” chair and when I got older I would sit in it just to see what he would do. Sometimes I could sit there for awhile but when he wanted it he would just throw me out, resistance was futile. The same thing can be said if Christ he may allow you to sit on his throne for a bit but he can throw you off any time he pleases and it’s usually not pretty. This cartoon kind of says it all:

Philippians 2:3-8

 ³ Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. ⁵ You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. ⁷ Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, ⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

What will be on your grave stone?

One thing that has bothered me for some time now is how much better a person becomes after they die. Things are said about a person at their funeral that would have never been said about them while they were living. The same thing goes for famous people when they are talked about in the media after their death it sounds like a campaign for saint hood or something.

We should all consider right now what will be written on our grave stones. There is not much room on one of those things and most of the space is already spoken for with things that you have no control over like your name, date of birth, and date of death. After that there is not much room left. But in the space that is left you can start filling it in right now. How you live your life or perhaps even how you die will determine what goes in that space. It could say anything from loved the ladies, to loved their liquor, or it could say loved the Lord.  If you live a livf that brings honor to Christ most everyone that knows you should not be surprised by the things that are said about you when you die. The stone in a sense will fill itself in. Even the way you die can honor Christ.      I have had the opportunity to know someone who in his battle with cancer brought praise and glory to Christ until the very end. He was an inspiration to many. I know a person right now who is going through the same thing and she is an inspiration as well. If you want to be remember for something like loved the ladies, love their liquor or something else like that by all means have at it. But if you want to be remembered as some who loved the Lord make sure that everyone around you today knows that indeed you do love the Lord.

When I die, at my funeral I would hope that someone would say “he loved the Lord.” But my bigger wish is that no one there would answer “really I didn’t know that” Sounds like I have a lot of work to do and at the rate I’m going I had better hope I live along time.

What about you?

Philippians 1:20

 ²⁰ For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

Playing the hand you are dealt

Philippians 1:12-14

¹² And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. ¹³ For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

 As I read these verses this morning I was reminded of the saying playing the hand you are dealt. Here Paul was dealt what we would call a bad hand. He was in jail because he was spreading the Gospel Message. However when you read these verses he played his so called bad hand to perfection and found joy in just playing the game. Now the questions becomes what do you do with the cards that you are dealt? When playing cards sometimes you get a good hand and sometimes you get a bad hand but either way you are still in the game. I don’t know about you but in a game of cards I am able to find satisfaction when I can take a bad hand and play it well, perhaps to the point of maybe that was not such a bad hand after all. The same can be said of the things we are dealt in life. If we can use the “bad” things we are dealt and use them to spread the Gospel Message in reality were we dealt a bad hand?

Whatever hand you are dealt it is very important that the people around you know what you are playing for. If you’re playing for Christ, let people know. Then you will be able to not have fun playing the game but you will be able to find joy. There is a big difference between fun or happiness and joy. For me happiness is temporary and joy is lasting.

 Usually when a person spreads the Gospel Message the people we think about and rightly so are all those who need to hear it, however verse 14 made it clear to me that if we play a bad hand well it is an encouragement for others to do the same. If others are encouraged to spread the Gospel because of the way you played you’re hand what a bonus that is. When you look at the world today we need as many people as possible to play their bad hands well to the glory of Christ to make this a better place.

One last thing if you are dealt a good hand don’t forget to play it. Sometimes when we are dealt good hands we get over confident and lazy. A good hand played poorly still looses.  

What Matters Most?

Yesterday ended Joshua and today is the start of Philippians. I’ll start with Philippians 1:9-10

9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

My prayer for myself and for everyone who reads this stuff is the same as Paul’s. To keep growing in knowledge and understanding, and most importantly to understand what really matters. How do you grow in knowledge and understanding? It’s not that hard, you do it through prayer, regular Bible reading and being a part of a good Christ-Bible centered church. If the Pastor does not say turn to page whatever in your Bible you may be in the wrong church. Surrounding yourself with other believers makes you more accountable to do the work needed for growth. Then when you get to verse 10 what is it that matters? Is it family, security, comfort, money, or whatever earthly thing you desire? What really matters in fact the only thing that matters is Christ. Everything else can and will vanish in the blink of an eye but Christ is forever and your relationship with him determines where you will spend eternity.

We cannot live actual pure and blameless lives but through sanctification and the grace of God we can be working towards it everyday not in our own power but by relying on the Holy Spirit.