Common Faith

                              I'M SICK!

I only wish that our "Common Faith" was as contagious as the common cold.

Please check back in a day or so ....


Chuck

Run, Dog, Run

The wind has finally subsided and the rains have ceased here in South Jersey so I figured it was a good day for a short run.  Today was just a one-miler with an added twist, the dog joined me.  I have been wanting to try this ever since we got him last year but never did.  So let me hit the highlights of our first run together:

- Coach was excited and sprinted down the driveway
- I was excited and thought "This is going to be fun"
- Coach was confused when I didn't stop at the first phone-pole
- Coach was annoyed that we stayed in the street on not on the grass
- I was annoyed that Coach kept circling behind me on the leash
- Coach was wondering why we kept passing by all good bushes
- Coach was very excited to enter some new territories
- I was continually reminding him to keep moving
- He was continually reminding me that he was at the end of the leash
- Coach was barely keeping up at the 3/4 mile mark 
- I was amazed when I turned my head to look behind me
- Coach was doing his doggie business in the street while still running!
- I was glad when that one mile was over
- Coach was excited and sprinted up the driveway

Are there any Spiritually Applicable Observations in this event?  Any time that someone attempts something new they often have no idea what to expect or what will be expected of them, so patience is always needed by everyone involved.

One more thing, alway see if someone needs to go to the bathroom before you start a new adventure.  This applies to many things is life.



Chuck

Friday Favorites:

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” – Charles “Tremendous” Jones

Picture This

This is a picture of lunch, or should I say, what was my lunch.  This is just an example of one of the nearly 2000 pictures that have accumulated on my iPhone.  I have PICS for Thanksgiving and our three Christmases.  There are snowy winter scenes and the dog.  There are several Church Activities and of course TONS of Grand Baby shots.  Trees, pancakes, coffee cups and Chick Fil A.  House projects and holes in the ground.  I take pictures of everything!


What needs to happen more often is down-loading them to my laptop in organized files.  At this point it seems like an endless agonizing process.  This is simply a reminder to self - If you take care of the small things a little at a time they do not become a big giga-mess which slows everything down and requires massive amounts of time and effort to straighten out.  Kinda like sin.  If we would only deal with it when it happens it wouldn't accumulate and make such a mess of everything!

"If we confess our sins, He is faith and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."


Chuck

Wordless Wednesday

Peeps

What would Spring be without all those sensational, seasonal confectioneries, and Peeps are way up on top of my list.  Though I do like to eat jelly beans.  There is an open bag on my desk right now, and of course they are the traditional or "Classic" flavor.  Chocolate is always welcome no mater the shape, coating or filling.  But there's just something special about the annual appearance of those little marshmallow treats.

The Peeps' manufacturer, Just Born, Inc. of Bethlehem, PA, has been trying to market "Other" marshmallow products during different times of the year.  Like Orange Pumpkins or White Snowmen.  They have this slogan: "Peeps - Always in Season".  I have never purchased a marshmallow reindeer because everybody knows that candy-canes in the winter taste best.

There are many things that only seem right when it's the proper season.  Yet there some things that are never out of season, like a Hersey Bar, a bag of Doritos, a bottle of Dr. Pepper and of course, Serving the Lord.  Like Timothy was instructed to Preach "In season and out of season", our service for God is never to be dependent on our seasonal temperament.  The work of the ministry is not just for Christmas & Easter but is for year-round involvement and enjoyment.  So, why not borrow the Peeps' slogan: "Church - Always in Season!"


Chuck

Great Weekend

This past weekend was extremely busy but also very exciting.  Friday I had the opportunity to be a chauffeur and chaperon on GB#1's field trip to Chic Fil A.  This was a great experience with a small group of 1st & 2nd graders. I ended the evening with good mile run and dinner with my wife & daughter.  Saturday was our Sweetheart Banquet at NTBC so between sermon-prep, running errands, and feasting at the banqueting table my day was full.  But the best part of the weekend was the Lord's Day. 

We had several visitors at church:
* A new preacher friend and his family were there.  They also joined us for lunch. 
* There was a military family who recently PCS'ed in (Permanent Change of Station) to Ft. Dix who were back for a second visit.
* There was a family from MD who visits us every time they're in Jersey to see relatives.
* There was a Lady who we hadn't seen for months.  Glad she was there!
* There was a family who visited several years ago who came back to visit.  
* There was a young lady visiting her sister who is in the church.

Then in the Evening Service:
* There was a older couple, they have been involved in Children's Ministries for decades, who stop in and visit every now and then.
* There were many young people in the services that took an active part in the message.  I'll have to tell you about that some time.

I really enjoy weekends like this.  I saw many of the folks from church involved in ministering.  I saw both young and old being encouraged by the Word of God.  God was at work, and that's what is so rewarding.  I am so thankful to be a pastor of one of the Lord's Churches.  Thank you Father.

"I'm feasting at His Banqueting Table
His banner over me is Love"



Chuck

Friday Favorites:

My Favorite, Non-Fiction, War-Story (you know how I feel about Fiction, but I'm working on getting over it!) is Four Came Home, by C. V. Glines.  This book gives the account of the four surviving, "Doolittle Raiders" who crashed and where held as prisoners during WWII.  All of the 16 modified B-25 bombers that launched from the USS Hornet on April 18, 1942 were lost during or after the raid on Japan.  Most ran out of fuel and crashed landed in occupied Chine.  Doolittle himself being assisted by Chinese soldiers as well as American Missionary, John Birch.

Though the book gave all the facts and historical accounts of the raid on Tokyo, the main focus was on the American servicemen who eventually were captured, tortured and some executed by the Imperial Japanese Army.  Of the eight men who were held as Prisoners of War, only four came home. 

Haunting is the best way I can describe this book.  A tremendous chronicle of human endurance and dedication.  



  Lieutenant Dean E. Hallmark (Executed)

  William G. Farrow (Executed)

  Corporal Harold A. Spatz (Executed)

  Lieutenant Robert J. Meder (Died in Prison)

    Chase Nielsen (Came Home)

    Robert L. Hite (Came Home)

    George Barr (Came Home)

    Corporal Jacob DeShazer (Came Home)




Chuck (Very grateful for those who serve this country)

Just Breathe

29 Degrees Fahrenheit and windy was the official weather blurb from Wunderground.com for Tuesday morning, but I had already had it set in my mind to run a mile.  Just last week, while out doing some shopping, I picked up a "Balaclava" for such a time as this, so off I went into the cold.  Running with something covering the mouth is uncomfortable.  I felt like I had to force in every breath to assure myself that i was getting a sufficient amount of oxygen which of course got me to thinking that I was going to start hyper-ventilating and pass-out before the half-mile mark.

Now I'm having flashbacks.  A few summers ago while vacationing in Virgina, at one of those Time Share Resorts (Thanks Brother Jay!), I remembered the same feeling when I was taking a Scuba Diving class.  Underwater for the first time, the air mouthpiece in place, sitting on the bottom of the swimming pool, I kept thinking "breathe normally?!".  I was sucking in each breath, wondering if I would pass out and float to surface.  But then it hit me, "People do this all the time, STOP IT and just enjoy the experience."  That's all it took.  And so while I was running the other morning I said to myself, "that's what this mask is designed for.  Knock it off and just enjoy the run".  That was it.

The first breath that mankind ever had was forced into his lungs by God.  After that mankind was breathing on his own, each breath a gift from God and yet under his own power.  Breath is life, and life is not forced.  Once we are "Re-Born" by the Spirit, that first Breath is forced into our souls by God.  What a great gift, the new life in Christ, yet we are responsible to breathe on our own.  Some grow weary in wondering if they have enough faith to run the race, they think they have to force each breath into their souls in order to move forward.  Stop it, and just enjoy the experience of being a child of God.  Breathe normally the Breath of God.


Chuck

P.S. Friday's forecast: 65 F

"Thy Word" Wednesday

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Matthew 5:6

Chicken Head

You all know about my love of puzzles and the enjoyment that I have with doing them with the grand babies, well this is one of the latest puzzle additions to the house hold.  It was transplanted from #1 Son's house to 52 and it has been a big hit with several of the GB's.  Please examine the picture carefully.  See anything abnormal?  I love it!  All the animal heads are interchangeable, what a great idea for a puzzle.

I noticed with a few of the GB's that they initially assembled the puzzle with everyone's head on the normal body, but once they were shown that they had another option they lit up.  "Oh, I want to put the cow head on the chicken ...".  Changing the heads changes the entire nature of the puzzle.  Changing your head also changes the very nature of your life.  Who is your head?  Is it Christ or is it self?

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve ..."


Chuck

Rows

There are many signs that Spring is right around the corner.  The Phillies' pitchers & catchers have started "Spring Training" down in Clearwater, FL; the Walmart has Bathing Suits out on the merchandise racks; and the snow is finally melting.  This has been a rough Winter here in South Jersey.  Several big snowfalls coupled with extremely long cold-snaps have left us buried in mountains of white.  The earth is just starting to show itself again.

In just a months this field will be filled with grass for making hay.  Then shortly afterwards either Corn or Soybeans will turn this land into a sea of green.  Underneath the frozen blanket lay great potential of growth.  We all have seasons of cold, chilling fruitlessness.  Those days seem dark and never ending, yet they don't last forever.  There is a warm breeze moving across the furrows and the sun is getting higher in the sky.  Soon it will be time for sewing and reaping.



Chuck

Tis the Season ...

... To be Pruning!  Yup, it's that time of year, to get out the clippers and start hacking at the apple tree.  I had put an "Event" on my google-calendar last year to prune the apple tree in mid-February but that weekend's weather was extremely uncooperative and it never got done.  But this weekend has been quite a bit better and so my dear wife reminded me of this horticultural maintenance project.  Here are the official "Before & After" pictures:

I was very nervous at first.  Several years ago a bunch of "Rose of Sharon" trees died as a result of my lack of pruning skills.  So I checked some web-sites, read some articles and watched a few videos, but once you are standing there, pruners in hand, those first few cuts are a bit un-nerving.  What if I murder another tree?  I know how I messed up before, it was the wrong time of year to prune.  Late winter is the right time.  If you prune in the fall the tree will naturally try to replace the cuttings with new growth and basically suck the life out of itself, and die.

This same principle applies to Christians. All of us need some pruning in order to be fruitful, yet the timing has to be right.  An unskilled pastor may just start cutting away at a new convert expecting them to respond excitedly about the opportunity for growth without any concern as to the season that they are in.  That's right, I've made that mistake before.  It has to do more with the timing, not just with cutting, that makes all the difference in the fruitfulness of the plant and the child of God.  


Chuck

Friday Favorites:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
 
                      John Adams


Chuck 

Perplexed

I was in the Wal Mart the other day.  I was needing to pick-up some vitamin "D" since my recent deficiency was discovered.  Whilst cruising through the pharmaceutical / personal-hygiene section of the store this product caught my attention and I had to take a picture.  I thought the object of putting some type of hair product on your scalp was to rid yourself of "Bed Head" or Hat-Head (Which is what I get from wearing my Phillies ball cap all the time).  So what's the goal?  Is it to jell your hair into looking like you just rolled out of bed.  Wow, who would have thought that disheveled would be so debonair. 

Why be such a fake? If someone wants to look like they just rolled out of the sack, then why not just leave the hair untouched when you wake up in the morning?  Uncombed, un-primped, un-washed and un-what-evered!  Why synthesize the un-kept look when it can come naturally?

There are many folks that have to spray on the "Spiritual-Head" look.  You would think that it would come naturally if someone was truly born-again.  You know, saved and acts that way.  But No.  Many claim to be Christians but have to get any resemblance to true Christianity out of a spray-can.  Off-the-shelf Spirituality.

Amazing what we do to ourselves so as to appear as something we are not.

 Chuck

Wordless Wednesday

22

Not the caliber of a small rimfire cartridge, but the number of people that came out tonight for the Firehouse Bible Study!  There were several folks from NTBC and from another church there, but there were, I believe, 6 people associated with a few different fire companies out tonight.  Amen.

Jeff, who is a fireman, Deputy Chaplain and is a member of NTBC, conducted the study and did a great job.  His message was entitled: "Will God kick you to the curb?"  It was a good study about how God does not forsake us even when facing trials.  He was so excited about the number of people in attendance.  When he started the study three months ago we had about 10 attending and they were all church folks.  The next month there were 2 visitors, then a few more and then 6 tonight.  I can't wait till next month!

God rewards & blesses faithfulness, and that's what He has been doing with this Bible Study.  Many First-Responders (Firemen / EMTs) are not involved in any type of Church.  Their lives often revolve around the firehouse, so why not take the message to them.  That is something that Jeff has been wanting to do for years and when the opportunity presented itself he didn't hesitate a moment. 

Would you please pray for this ministry.
"For a great door and effectual is opened ..." 


Chuck

Back on Track

44 degrees and sunny was the forecast for this past Sunday afternoon.  I had been telling folks for several weeks that I was going to start running again in the beginning of February, and so it was put-up or shut-up time.  I must admit, I was very anxious about this, about the "what if".  What if I start running and the pain in my knee starts all over again.  After three months of babying it; after three months of "re-hab"; after three months of weights & exercises & stationary bikes & stretching & everything else I could do; what if I ran that first mile and the pain was still there?

"What if", is a killer of dreams and progress in every area and aspect of our lives. "What If" stops us from ever trying.  What if it will hurt?  What if they don't want a gospel tract, or like taking about Spiritual Things?  What if I'm not really cut out for college level work?  What if they don't hire me?  What if they say NO?

The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky (AKA - The Great One), once said, "You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take".

So get off the coach, forget about the "What If's" and let's find out what will happen.


Chuck

P.S. - It didn't hurt a bit!

Fresh

Joyce ans I were up and out the door early this morning, heading to the Columbus Farmer's Market.  The Amish bakery was on the list of stops as well as the meat market, and then there was the pretzel stand for a breakfast sausage & egg roll-up.  Great way to start the day.  The Produce Stands are great place to buy fresh fruits & veggies.  There are three different produce places right next to one another.  Each carries just about the same stuff.

My dear wife is an aggressively strategic shopper.  She compares sale ads, she has a routine of several stores that she hits on shopping day, and she has memorized the basic cycle of sale prices on the most important items (Scott's Toilet Paper & Chock-Full-O'-Nuts Coffee).  So when confronting three seemingly identical produce stands she is certainly in her element.  We perused, poked & pondered our way through each aisle.  Green onions from here, cilantro from there and then new potatoes on the rebound.  Oh yes, the basket of green beans, which was the find that determined our dinner plans for tomorrow after church.  The ham is now thawing. 

You would never assume that every produce stand and its inventory were the same in quality and price just because they say "Fresh Produce" on the marque.  So why do people act that way when the marque says "Baptist Church"?  Check the fruit!  See if it's fresh, see if you are getting what is promised and that it will last longer then a day after you get it home.  "By their fruits ye shall know them."


Chuck

Friday Favorites:

“Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.”

Don Shula 



Chuck

The 5th

Not Beethoven's, nor the Constitutional Amendment of Due Process, Double Jeopardy and Self incrimination.  No, we are talking about the 5th Sunday of the month, which happened to be last Sunday.  In a previous post I pointed out the particulars of this past week-end's pleasurable pre & post-service dinner (SNAC), but I provided very little details concerning the interlude between courses. 

THREE Preachers,
     TWO Music Specials,
          ONE very enjoyable Song Service:

Let's start with the Song Service.  Our song leader called on one of the men of the church to lead one of the congregational songs and then he could call on another to do the same.  Eventually we had several of the teen boys leading the singing, including Zach & Derick.

There were two Music Specials song during the 5th Sunday evening service.  Your's Truly sang How Long Has It Been, but I didn't manage to take a picture of myself.  The second special was sung by little Hannah Joy.  She sang Follow On.







And of course there was some preaching! 

Brother Jeff, Brother Don & Brother Tom (my son)

One desire that is constantly on my mind is that of participation.  I believe the Work of the Ministry should be done by as many as possible in the Church.  The more involved the better!  Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody who was a part of New Testament Baptist Church was directly involved in some aspect of the Work of the Ministry.

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
Ephesians 4:12



Chuck

"Thy Word" Wednesday

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

Isaiah 44:22

 

 

Chuck

S.N.A.C.

An acronym is fun and useful tool to express and remember a particular product or event.  Radar and Laser are both acronyms.  So is NATO and PATCO (Port Authority Transit COporation).  SNAC (pronounced like "snack") stands for Sunday Night After Church.  This is what we call it when we plan a church fellowship after the evening services.  Oh, when we plan a fellowship after the morning services ... SMAC.

Now this past weekend we had a real dilemma, what do you call it when you have dinner before the evening church service then desert afterwards?  SNBAC (Before / After) or SNAPS (Ahead / Post Services).  That could work!  Catchy titles make a difference.  Inviting everyone to participate in a "Covered Dish" prior to the evening services just doesn't have the same ring to it.  Well I couldn't come up with a good acronym for this past fellowship so I decided to just call it a "Soup & Salad" night.  So we had a row of crock-pots and another row of bowls filled with all kinds of salad stuff, as well as bread & rolls & biscuits.  Good Eats!

Soup, Salad, Services & Save room for desert!  That's catchy.  Forget the name, just remember that the goal is spending time together around the table, sharing a meal, talking and getting to know one another a little bit better.   It doesn't take an acronym to knit hearts together, just opportunity.  A warm bowl of soup on a chilly Sunday evening (before church) can accomplish a great deal.

"And all that believed were together, and all things common;"


Chuck