Thai

My dear wife and I have been on a Thai food kick for a few years now.  I can't remember exactly when it started but I'm sure it was related to some missionaries somehow.  When ever we are in a new area, traveling through a State, off visiting someone, we google "Thai Restaurant" just to see whats around.  This past weekend we were heading over to Philly, for a date, to a restaurant that I found online call Lemon Grass (very Thai name!).  Joyce was checking the website out whilst I was driving and noticed that they closed after lunch and wouldn't be open till 5.  It was 3:30!  Another google attempt found another spot just 10 minutes up the road, so off we go.  First observation: No one else in the place, bad sign, but it was early.  Second observation: The waiter was NOT oriental, he was Albanian.  He told us that his wife was Thai and that his daddy-in-law was the cook.  OK, we'll see.
 

That was the best Thai food that I ever ate!  Wow, I felt like licking the plate after I finished eating.  We had the mango & sticky rice for dessert and it was spectacular also!  Note to self ... Judge the restaurant by the food not the facade.  Works with people also, the appearance may not be in accordance with expectations but the substance may be spectacular.

Chuck

Debt

I was in NYC today, my favorite BIG city, meeting up with one of the missionaries that our Church supports.  Bro. Paul Morrison is getting a ministry started in Fishkill, NY and we got together today at Time Square for lunch.  After eating a Rubin on Rye with ginormous onion rings, we headed around the block for some coffee.  About a block off of Broadway, somewhere around 44th St. we ran across this 'National Debt Clock'.  Wow, that's a BIG number, 14.8 trillion bucks, and still counting.  The other number is the amount that each household in the US would have to contribute to pay off that debt.  Should I write a check?

This reminded me of the debt that I owed.  No, not of dollars & cents but of sin & death.  I was in debt so deep to God that an eternity in hell would not even begin to pay the interest.  BUT ... 'by his own blood he (Jesus) entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us'.  Paid in full!  The Blood of Jesus was enough to pay for ALL of my sins, and yours too.  If you are trying to settle your debt with God any other way, you will eventually be eternally bankrupt and cast into hell.  There is no possible way for you to square things up with God, so He has taken care of your sin debt through His Son, Jesus Christ.  'For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'  I hope that you have received this precious gift.

Chuck

Garden State

I pulled over to the side of a farm road the other day just to take this picture.  There are lots of things growing this time of year here in South Jersey.  The grasses are being cut to make hay, the corn is in and little stalks of green fill the fields, and I've seen at least one massive field of bush tomatoes, the kind that all ripen at once.  Soon many of the farms around us will be planting soybean which they will harvest in the early fall.  This is the Garden State, you know.

There are many folks that come to NJ (often via the military) who think the entire state is going to be a gigantic concrete jungle divided only by the Jersey Turnpike.  What they find in this part of the state is surprisingly pleasant.  There are many folks who also look at different parts of the US (often big cities) or other countries, and speculate that there is nothing spiritually able to grow there.  Don 't ever forget that God the Father is the husbandman, and can pour out His Spirit where ever He wants.  Even the driest of lands can bring forth much fruit.  Our responsibility is planting and watering, God will give the increase.

Chuck (198)

Friday Favorites:

"It will soon be possible to transmit wireless messages so simply that an individual can carry his own apparatus."

Nikola Tesla

1909

Steamy

Yes the temperature outside is rising and so is the engine temp of my S10.  I've had a small water leak for a while now, and it hasn't been much of a big deal until this past Friday.  I was driving home from Emmaus, PA (I need to blog about that week someday soon) and my little truck started to over heat.  No big deal, it happened before and so I pulled into the nearest Wawa, let it cool down, ate a hoagie, and filled up the radiator.  Off we go.  About 45 minutes down the road, just as I was crossing into Jersey it started getting hot again.  I'm glad I kept a jug of water that I used to fill it up last time, so there I was sitting on the side of the road this time, waiting for it to cool down, and then filling it up again in the rain.  Fun!

Small leaks eventually turn into big problems.  Always happens that way, always at the most inconvenient times, always when your in a hurry.  Don't let little things go.  Teeny flaws in character turn into cracked integrity.  Inconsistancy in priciples will ultimatly result in moral collapse.  Get it fixed now before things over heat.

Chuck

Wordless Wednesday

Democracy

What a Town!  That's what I have to say about the monthly Pemberton Borough City Counsel Meeting that I attended last night.  The first 45 minutes were all protocol & procedure.  Reports and resolutions were read and votes were taken.  Then the "Public Portion" began.  I was in attendance last night because of a "Violation" that I had received concerning my grass.  That small strip, in front of my house, between the sidewalk and the curb, was deemed to have not been cut in a "Stately" manner.  You may remember that from a previous post, so I wanted to express my thoughts about this matter.  WOW ...  the place was packed.  The last meeting that I attended (at least 10 years ago) may have had 2 or 3 in the audience, last night there must have been 30+.  Everyone had some complaints and most of it was not about Stately Lawns.  Easements, a diminishing Police department, affordable housing,  deteriorating buildings, the list goes on and on ... taxes, utility costs, light-bulbs (yes that's right), noise ordnances, unresolved annual budget, ... I could continue .  Oh, and I can't forget the dear old lady from Elizabeth St., who attends EVERY meeting & and has a laundry list, she made sure the counsel knew that the flagpoles on the lamp posts "Look Like STICKS!  Shouldn't there be something on the end of them?" After an hour and 15 minutes of the "Public" expressing their feelings, we adjourned. 

I must admit that what I spoke about last night was dim in comparison to many of the issues being dealt with throughout my community.  Many of these concerns I would have never known about except that I showed up.  Being  engaged in the process is essential to understanding what is wrong, whether with a town or with a person.  Being there when people pour out their heart helps to build a bridge of commonness and concern that you don't get from reading the paper the next week. 

If you show up, sit down and listen you may discover that there are a lot of people out there with needs, and that your problems aren't as big as you thought.


Chuck (199)

Father's Day

Since I was chided for upstaging Mother's Day in my blog with a fictitious frog I figured I'd at least give Daddy's Day a passing mention. We all know that Mother's Day gets a lot more press than it's paternal partner, and rightfully so, for being a mom is a thankless job, whereas being a dad is continually rewarding.

Baby's first word - "Da-Da-Da".  Baby's first steps - Mom holds hands and they walk to dad.  Child's first artwork - Given to Dad for his office.  Child's first sports &/or academic achievement - "Your father must be so proud of you!".  Teen's first car - "Dad can you help me with ...".  The list goes on .....

I know these things are true, I have lived them personally, and will attest to their accuracy.  I will also attest to the fact that moms & mom-moms are also rewarded constantly by the sight of their offspring growing and developing a deep relationship with their father.  There are too many dads that become dreadfully disconnected and disinterested in their children.  When a mother has managed to successfully keep the family closely knit together she has accomplished a tremendous feat.  Father's Day now becomes an additional opportunity for moms to bask in the radiance of a family filled with affection and concern for each other.  This is the fruit of a mother's love.


Chuck

Hills

**I've been out of town a few days, sorry for the down time **

When the horn sounded at 9:35 this morning we were off and running in another 5K race.  Today we were in Wilmington, DE along the Brandywine river.  The race started about two blocks from the water which meant a little change in elevation on the "There & Back" race course.  We started with an up-hill clime, followed by a steady decent to the river, a level run along the water, over a bridge and then turn around and head back.  This had to have been the toughest course so far this year. 

I couldn't help but see the comparison in this race to the Christian life.  It starts up-hill with a struggle of conviction, and then when we repent of our sins and accept Christ we are flooded with Joy and run the race with great anticipation of the finish-line.  When we are really on a good pace we start heading back and there are the hills.  I passed several who had stopped running and were now walking the final mile.  My strategy was to not look at that mile-long, up-hill battle, I kept my eyes on the ground directly in front of me and ran the race one step at a time.  Around the curve was the final hill but I knew that when I got to the top the last 1/4 mile was all down hill to the finish-line.  Amen. Run the race, push through the struggles, remember that when you round that last turn it's all down hill to the glorious finish.

Chuck (201)

Floored!

I was floored when I entered my motel room this morning after my run.  Bro. Heinz and I had just finished a 4 1/2 mile run and had returned to the motel.  We rode the elevator up, exited and walked down the hallway to our rooms.  My door was ajar, and upon entering I saw that the beds were stripped and so I concluded that house keeping must have been working on the room.  I moved the blankets off the chair, but my suitcase wasn't underneath, so I moved another blanket off the desk and my computer was gone.  I looked around and saw that everything was missing.  EVERYTHING!  I hurried out the door and went to Bro Heinz's room to report this disaster when I noticed the "4" prefix on the room number.  We were staying of the 5th floor.  Dah.

Many calamities in our lives are the result of a premature exit, and the jumping to a inaccurate conclusion.  We see things wrong, we take things wrong, we judge others wrong and fill ourselves with anxieties and distresses.  Read what the door says!  This is not my worry, this situation is not intended for me.  Take a deep breath, get on the elevator, and go up just a little bit higher.

Chuck

Angry Bean

This is a coffee shop in the little town of Clearfield, PA.  I was traveling across the state of Pennsylvania with another preacher and a missionary (there goes my diet) heading to a preacher's meeting in Harmony, PA (again ... the diet) and then on to Michigan for more preaching (Oh boy!).  And somewhere halfway across we decided that we needing some coffee.  At the next exit we sighted a Dunkin Donuts, which in an emergency, would provide a suitable amount of caffeine laden refreshment.  Our missionary navigator, with the aid of his iPad spotted this coffee shop in a nearby town, and because of the interesting name, we decided to check it out.  May I say, it was worth the little extra drive!

There are times that we need to travel just a little bit further to get something far superior to what we may have normally just settled for.  Just a little farther in your Bible, in comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.  Just a little longer in prayer, holding onto God and asking for a blessing.  Just around one more corning in enduring a hardship, some suffering, a struggle in anticipation that the light will stream through and the way of escape will become evident.  Why settle on mediocre when spectacular is just around the corner?


Chuck (200 for now)

Friday Favorites:

"Aimless is where we end up when we don't care so much about where we're going ..."

Seth Godin

Poke the Box

A Picture is worth ...

This morning's 5K run took me past several dog walkers, lawn water-ers, and one surprising spectator, a box turtle.  I was rounding a curve on a back road in the 55+ community (No Old Person Jokes, Please!) and there he was, lifted up on his front leg with his neck fully extended.  He watched me as I approached and passed him around the curve.  I don't think he was planning to challenge me to a race.

My inclination was to stop and get a picture, I had an immediate thought of a Tortoise & Hare blog entry and figured a picture was worth a thousand words.  But I didn't.  I was on the clock and running for a 5K, 3.1 mile, PR (Personal Record) this morning.  Stopping just to take a PIC of a box turtle didn't fit into the plan.  I am easily distracted by more then just reptiles.  In the Christian Race there are lots of critters on the side of the road vying for our attention.  Yet when God sets a particular course in front of us He expects us to run it well without stopping at every novelty along the way. 

I'm on the clock right now.  The race in front of me is to preach a message tonight for our mid-week prayer meeting & Bible study.  So enough of this, I need to get back on track.  Let us run with patience.

Chuck

"Thy Word" Wednesday

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

Psalm 34:8

Simple

The simple life is what you find when you drive through Lancaster, PA.  Amish farm land, Mennonite communities and rolling hills with horse drawn buggies.  Simple Life.   The only problem with this picture is that in order to enjoy this picturesque scene you have to drive through it with a thousand other tourists looking to get a momentary glimpse of the simple life.  Traffic, commercialism and buffets kind of diminish the refreshing qualities of this simple life.

Yet simplicity can be found without traveling down the PA Turnpike, it is found in the heart.  To be simple in the bad sense is to be easily enticed into sinful and foolish behavior, and this type of "Simple Life" leads to the complicities of endless struggles and deep sorrows.  Yet the Bible exhorts us to be "Simple concerning evil."  This type of "Simplicity" relates to an un-mixed or un-corrupted life.  That's what the Amish try to accomplish by their separation, and this is certainly what God would have us work towards, not reclusiveness, but distance.  Keeping the evil of this world far removed from your life.  If there is a long driveway that evil must travel to get to you, certainly you will see it coming a long way off, and have plenty of time to lock to doors.

Chuck (200 Still)

Pomp and ...

Graduation season is upon us, which means more cake to eat.  Please refer to my last blog for clarification of this statement.  The end of a chapter in the educational process means the beginning of a new phase of life.  The two gentlemen pictured are graduates of the Lehigh Valley Baptist Bible Institute in Emmaus, PA.   Yesterday evening was their graduation and your's truly was the keynote speaker.  Things like that make me nervous.  I spoke at another graduation a few weeks ago and I was just as nervous, and it was a kindergarten graduation.    What gets to me is the feeling that there are certain expectations of a keynote speaker.  Be challenging, be appropriate, be current and be expedient!

I suppose that there are similar expectations thrust upon the graduates of a Bible Institute.  They should be challenged, not only by the message of the evening, but also by the shear magnitude of the work of the ministry awaiting them.  They are expected to be appropriate.  Not just in personal behavior but since they have learned enough doctrine and practical application, they should know what an Independent, Fundamental, Bible Believing, Baptist is all about and they are expected to carry on a legacy of faith that stretches back 2 millennium.  As far a being current, I would hope that these two fellows know what has been brewing across the spiritual landscape, and that they understand the theological errors that have raised their ugly heads in our generation.  And that they also are able to navigate the current church trends with discernment.  Oh yes, they need to be expedient!  There is an expectation that they have been chomping at the bit to finish their education so that they can tear into the ministry at full-steam-ahead.

Wow, and I thought I was nervous about the expectations of a graduation.
Congratulation Bro. Nat & Bro. Ben.  I am rejoicing with you, praying for you, and expecting great things from God. 


Chuck

Friday Favorites:

One of my favorite sayings, and often refereed to as my life's motto, is "Any Excuse to Eat Cake".  I used that expression again last night at the end of our Church services.  We recognized my son Buz's graduation and we helped him celebrate by eating some cake.  Cake is a celebratory food.  Cake and Birthdays. Cake and Anniversaries.  Cake and Bar Mitzvahs.  And what would a wedding reception be without the groom having a nostril full of pound cake and icing?  When a cake is present there must be something to celebrate close by.

I know that God served cake to the prophet Elijah and he was able to travel for 40 days and nights without another meal.  I have read of David giving fig cakes and grapes to a Egyptian servant to revive his spirit, and that the children of Israel baked lots of unleavened cakes over the years.  It's wonderful to have your cake and to eat it too!

Life is filled with things to get excited about and celebrate, and even if I'm trying to lose a few pounds a piece of cake every now and then doesn't hurt.  I'll be performing a wedding tomorrow ... think there'll be cake?

 Chuck (199 BC - 'Before Cake')

"Stately"

What does "Stately" mean to you?  Specifically in reference to a lawn?  That is the question that I think needs to be answered.  I got letter from the Pemberton Borough Code Enforcement Official on Saturday concerning the little strip of grass that lies between "THE CURB AND THE SIDEWALK" (their emphasis, not mine).  The letter said I was in violation of property maintenance code 151-4 L and upon further inquiry discovered that several neighbors had received similar and additional notices.  Seeing that the letter required immediate attention and that I was under threat of "a lien assessed to the owner's property" I dropped a note in the Boro in-basket and spoke to the "Lawn Cop" (my term) yesterday.

After explaining that I cut my lawn weekly (not weakly) I asked the Lawn Cop what standard she used to determine a violation, she replied that the lawn has to be cut in a "Stately Manner".  What does that mean?  How many inches is that?  What is the standard?  There was no explanation except "Stately".  The only standard the Lawn Cop has to go by is subjective and undefinable.  I feel sorry for her because she is going to get an earful over the next few days.  60-some violations went out last week!

There are many folks who risk their eternal life on undefinable terms, such as: "I'm a GOOD person!"  Well, what do you mean by "Good"?  Do yo mean that you never do anything wrong?  And if you have done something wrong, how many wrongs will turn Good into Not-Good?  If you think you're Good, what are comparing yourself to?  Your un-definably Good neighbor?  What's the standard?  Glad you asked.  "There is none good but one, that is God."  "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  "For I know that in me ... dwelleth no good thing."  Based on God's standard you have fallen far short, but also by God's standard you can be saved: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  God's standard is definable!


Chuck

P.S. - Someone needs to buy the Lawn Cop a "Yard-Stick"
P.P.S. - I feel better that I've gotten that off my chest.  Thanks for listening.