"Thy Word" Wednesday

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

John 12:24-25

Thank You, Irene

The storm has past, the rain has ceased and the wind had diminished.  Hurricane Irene left us without power here in Pemberton Borough for over 20 hours, which is not too bad considering that some may not have electricity for days.  Yet I am very happy about the following things:

1. We have sunny skies and moderate temps for the next few days
2. There was a great turnout to help clean up at NTBC after the storm
3. In relocating all of our perishable we were able to weed out a lot
4. We decided to thaw out the cheese cake (finally!)
5. No TV, DVD, Wii, DSL, etc ...
6. Had an excuse to make a pot of percolated coffee

Storm clouds do have silver linings and greater still, the storms of our lives are back-lite by the Glory of our God.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28

Chuck

Friday Favorites:

The following quotes come for Lecture to my Students by C.H.Spurgeon, particularly from chapter 3, The Preacher's Private Prayer:

"Texts will often refuse to reveal their treasures till you open them with the key of prayer."

"If we cannot prevail with men for God, we will at least, endeavour to prevail with God for men."

"Great talents you may never have, but you will do well enough without them if you abound in intercession."

"The minister who does not earnestly pray over his work must surely be a vain and conceited man.  He acts as if he thought himself sufficient of himself, and therefore needed not to appeal to God."


Chuck

The Whole World

Last week was Family Camp out in Ohio with our friends the Frymans and the folks from Cornerstone Baptist.  Two of my boys and their families were able to go, as well as some others from NTBC.  I had a fantastic time of canoing, playing volley ball, and just plan relaxing.  For the past few years we have taken a slower approach to getting there.  Instead of driving straight through (8-9 hours) we have gotten a room about halfway across PA and spent the night, giving us a leisurely drive the next day.  To add more fun to the mix, we took GB's# 4 & 5 with us.  After arriving at the motel, riding the elevator to the 3rd floor and finding the room we drew the curtains back and this is what the kids did.  One of them said, "Wow, the whole world is out there!"

Yes it is.  There for us to explore, enjoy and engage with.  God warns us not to love it, but to love those who are in it.  He reminds us that we are in the world but not of the world.  Our Lord also has commissioned His church to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  Draw back the curtain and look, the whole world is out there.  Let's get started on the adventure of a life time.


Chuck (195)

"Thy Word" Wednesday

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Revelation 21:6

Know it All

Today my dear wife and I are on a road trip with grand babies #4&5. Let me give you a small glimpse of how it went: "Ummmm, mom-mom?"; "Yah Dave"; "Do tractors live in New Jersey?"; "Yes Dave."; "Oh, Ok". "Ummmm, pop-pop?; "POP-POP?"; "Yes Dave?"; "What's in chicken?"; "Meat!"; "Oh, Ok". Are you getting the idea? There had to have been, without any exaggeration, two dozen of these inquiries before we hit the Jersey Turnpike. Should I be amazed by his endless curiosity? For a 3 year old most of the world they live in is un-explored and fascinating.


Lord, open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Give me an endless passion to know more about my life in Christ. That I might know Him, that I might seek His face continually. "Ummmm, Lord?"

Chuck

Raindrops

3AM was the time that I woke up on Sunday when I heard the storm.  There were distant claps of thunder and a ever increasing pelting of rain against the window air-conditioner. I listened for awhile, dozed off and awoke an hour later to steady sounds of a downpour.  The storm literally lasted all day.  This is not an exaggeration or a hyperbole.  Now if I said that it rained cats & dogs that would be a hyperbole, but we'll leave the animals out of the conversation.  There was lots of rain.

Seeings that it was Sunday, my first thought was that attendance was going to be very low at church.  Have you heard the old saying?  "It takes 100 gallons of water to bring someone into a Baptist Church but only a few drops to keep them away."  Why do I do that to myself?  Should I preach any different if there were just a few wet souls in the congregation as compared a church-full of dry ones?  I've preach to just a pew-full the day after a snowstorm, and I've ministered in a few country churches where my family doubled the size of the congregation.  It's not about counting the people that you minister to, but ministering to the people that counts.

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night..."  Just deliver God's Word.


Chuck

Friday Favorites:

My favorite city to visit has got to be New York.  I went just a few weeks ago and I was there again today.  I hope to be there again in a few weeks.  I get to be the tour guide, the navigator, the subway director, or  what ever you call it.  I love that town.  I love the crowds, the noise, the packed subway cars.  I love walking through Central Park, listening to the street musicians, seeing people from all over the world.  I love eating at different places, there is every type of food imaginable.  I love the history, the art and the culture. 
I Love New York!
(Except the Yankees)

Chuck

The Shirt

This is the Logo on the new tee-shirt that I got last night at the 15th annual, Flying Pig 5K race.  Enjoyed the race, love the shirt!  I must admit that I signed up for this race for two specific reasons.  The first was that there was a "Piglet" race for kid and I thought some of my GB's would enjoy that.  Secondly, and admittedly, the primary reason for signing up was for the shirt.  When I first saw the flier for this one I said immediately, "That will be a cool looking shirt!"  I wasn't disappointed, it is a cool looking shirt.

The standard practice in these organized races are to supply a race-day shirt for signing up early.  I'm sure most of the cost is taken care of by the sponsors of the race (blatant advertisements on the back) but the shirts are normally of good quality and enjoyable to wear.  This is my 7th race shirt and I would say it has the most interesting logo.

I am very confident that the rewards that we receive in heaven for running "the race that is set before us" will be far superior to this Flying Pig shirt.  Yet the rewards of glory are not the reason that we run.  The goal is not simply to stack up crowns, like we pile up race shirts.  The reason we fight the good fight of faith is to Glorify God.  It's not about us and our achievements.  It's not about our abilities, our accomplishments, or our records.  It is all about Jesus Christ and Him being lifted up. 

“24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
1Corinthians 9:24-25

Chuck (196)

Wordless Wednesday

My Ways

From the top of Barnegat Lighthouse you can see this smile Face.  From the ground you can make out the rocks and that there is a design intended, but the actual effect can only be seen from a proper distance.


So are the rocks in our lives.  Up close there are many bumps, sharp edges, and obstacles.  As believers we know that they are intended for something, yet we can't always see the proper image.  Our perspective always improves the higher that we climb.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

Chuck

Join the Race

Ecclesiastes 7:8 tells us that "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof", and that was the case last Thursday morning.  At 5:30 AM, when we started our 13.1 mile run, it was dark and drizzly.  Although the rain kept the temperature down a little, it just made everything WET.  By mile 6 the rain had stopped and while we crossed the Jersey countryside on several farm roads, the sky stayed overcast, the temperature stayed down, and the run went well.

Jan, the young man in the picture, stayed in the lead the whole time.  There needs to be someone willing to push hard and stay strong till the end.  My son Tom had to be at work at 8, so he left after mile 7.  He didn't have to be out there in the rain but he was.  Thanks Tom.  The other gentleman, Daniel, had never run any type of distance race before.  Although he's in the military and is in relatively good shape, he only runs 3-4 miles during his PT.  I was amazed how well he did!  I'm glad he was there by my side those last 6 miles and especially the last 3/4 of a mile, which seemed to last forever.  Although Daniel is not an experienced "runner" he is a great encourager.  We had a half-mile left and we were both spent, but we just kept talking, joking and running.  We crossed the finish line together in stride.  We all can use that type of encouragement.

Join the race.  Someone will have a better finish because of you.


Chuck

Friday Favorites:

"Space," it says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space"

Douglas Adam

Happy Birthday

Today "... and Counting" turns ONE YEAR OLD!  Blogs grow up so fast.  Thank you for being a part of this ever-developing exercise in cyber expression.  You have encouraged me to accomplish some much needed personal goals.  All of you who follow "... and Counting" regularly have provided me with a great deal of public accountability for which I am extremely grateful. 


This year's journey has ...

* ... Proven to me that I can not come up with 365 days of clever things to say. 

* ... Kept me looking at the events of my life and wondering what type of Spiritual Application could be found there.  What started off as, "That'll Blog!", developed into "That's a Blessing".

* ... Taken a medical trip through my annual check-up, my "every-5-year" colonoscopy, and my poorly diagnosed knee pain & re-hab.

* ... Logged a lot of miles jogging in Jersey, as well as Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.

* ... Tread on graveyard sod to say "Fair Well For Now" to a dear servant of the Lord.

* ... Seen Grand Babies grow and do a bunch of really cute things worth Blogging about.  I Love Being a POP-POP!  Could you tell?

* ... Given me a opportunity to share many of my "Favorite" things on Fridays.  I've really enjoyed that.

* ... Kept me looking for good photo ops. 

* ... Encouraged me to drop a few pounds.  One year ago I weighted 239.8 pounds.  This morning after running I weighed in at 191.0!!!!  My BP is down to normal and I'm feeling great!  In case you never noticed before, at least once a week I would post my weight, very small, next to my name. 

* ... Helped me to focus more closely on all the Blessing which my Lord has given me: My dear wife, who has been my very best friend since I was 15 years old; my 4 children whom I love so much, and still kiss on the checks (even the hairy ones); and my 6 (... and Counting) beautiful grand children.  God has been so good to me.

Well Happy Birthday to "... and Counting"

One year old ...


Chuck (191.0)

"Thy Word" Wednesday

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matthew 7:20

The Stalk

I had to get a picture of this.  I know it's not the best shot, but all I had was little iPhone.  If you look close you can see a lone cornstalk growing amongst the soybeans.  All by itself, rising up over the crowd, not being intimidated or hindered in any way.  I think that will preach!

The child of God often finds himself in that situation.  You may be "The Lone Christian" in your work place or classroom or neighborhood.  So don't just blend into the beans.  Rise up Christian; grow tall, stand out in the crowd.  Don't stoop to being a soybean when you're a cornstalk covered with ears that are full of kernels.  Let everyone see your fruit and glorify your Father in heaven. 

Chuck (195)