Hey, you guys better be sharing your faith! Check this out! Pastor Phillip

Learning From Prostitutes...

"Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God: the proud, the avaricious (materialistic), the self-righteous, are in that danger."

C.S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain

When I read this I was reminded of a similar event in the life of Jesus after He had entered Jerusalem during the last week of his life and cleared the temple of the Money Changers. After this the leaders demanded that Jesus tell them by what authority He did this and by what authority he taught. He somewhat refused and gave them this story.

Matthew 21:28-31 "But what do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'My son, go, work in the vineyard today.' (29) "He answered, 'I don't want to!' Yet later he changed his mind and went. (30) Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. "'I will, sir,' he answered. But he didn't go. (31) "Which of the two did his father's will?" "The first," they said. Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you!

The point of this parable is clear :what matters is living for God, not lip service. The religious leaders were good at talking a righteous walk, but their stubbornly unrepentant hearts show the worst of society will accept Jesus, while those most comfortable in the world will not. These religious leaders stood condemned. They must have been stunned by Jesus’ words that despised, immoral people such as tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom and they, the religious leaders, were not!

We (white middle class folks) are very at home in the world. We talk a lot of about religion and most of us have a little of it. But, sadly many people have been inoculated from the Gospel. The more at home a man is in this world, the less he is going to prepare and care about the next. So, don’t talk religion and don’t assume because your middle-class and moral you have the market on God cornered. Jesus says that we could learn how to repent and see our need better from a prostitute.

Jesus makes this point again in Luke 7:36-50 Then one of the Pharisees invited Him to eat with him. He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. (37) And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house. She brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil (38) and stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, and began to wash His feet with her tears. She wiped His feet with the hair of her head, kissing them and anointing them with the fragrant oil. (39) When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman this is who is touching Him--she's a sinner!" (40) Jesus replied to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he said, "say it." (41) "A creditor had two debtors. One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50. (42) Since they could not pay it back, he graciously forgave them both. So, which of them will love him more?" (43) Simon answered, "I suppose the one he forgave more." "You have judged correctly," He told him. (44) Turning to the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she, with her tears, has washed My feet and wiped them with her hair. (45) You gave Me no kiss, but she hasn't stopped kissing My feet since I came in. (46) You didn't anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. (47) Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little." (48) Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." (49) Those who were at the table with Him began to say among themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" (50) And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Let us be people today who are sinners and know it and be people who have been forgiven much! Pastor Phillip

I have not written in over a week.Where have I been and what have I been up to? Well these are the good things I have been doing here lately.

• Hospitals, having people in all four of the Augusta Hospitals has been really time consuming but Jesus always loved, prayed and hung out with sick people and so shall I.
• Ball games, Rebecca, Cason and I have been at a bunch of Soccer and football games. Cason loves being out and playing with the other children there.
• Speaking seems like every week I was getting a chance to speak some sort of event.
• Sermons, my sermon prep time has been shorter and more sporadic, but God has blessed what time I have had.
• Spending time with Rebecca and Cason. I schedule this time, especially when I know I am going to be busy. I am not going to ask people to put their families over work and then not practice it myself.
• Reading God’s word and praying. I also realize that first mistake people make is when time gets short is cut out time with, God when in fact it is in our busyness that we need it most.

These are things that I have not been doing a good job lately.

• Exercising, have not been on my bike in a month. I do my “prefect” push-ups in my office, every time I get up. I try to do a 100 a day, better than nothing. When I don’t have cardio regularly I start to feel sluggish.
• Eating right, being in my car I have been hitting Krystal way to much. I go to through the drive through and get 5 Krystal’s and water for 3.68. To my credit, I have not gotten any mustard on a dress shirt yet. Then with all the candy in the church from fall festival, I have found way too many Kit-Kats.
• Worrying, I try to not worry, does not productive and is Biblically wrong, but have been struggling to trust God to manage my time and run our church.
• Blogging or writing I just have not had any extra time to write. I miss it; I really enjoy expressing what God is doing in my life and desires to do in the live of others.

So, I plan on being back in November and writing regular again. Thanks for the prayers and the support.

Glad October Is Over, But Thankful God Let Serve Him Daily, Pastor Phillip

Read Your Bibles Personally

Read The Bible Personally: We should approach the scriptures as we have already said, with, prayer, and with all our mind engaged. Now, I want us to get the meaning from what we read. This is not as easy as we may always want it to be. The Bible can admittedly be confusing. So we as Christians have become accustomed to listening to great preaching on the radio, (this scares me as church folk listen to the best communicators in the country all week on their radios and then have to come hear me), doing good Bible studies (Beth Moore, Lifeway), reading good study Bibles (Life App, NLTSB, ESVSB), and all of this is great. I whole heartedly recommend it. But, sometimes through all of this we miss understanding God’s word on our own. There is no greater thrill, that studying, praying, and rereading scripture until you get the meaning and the application in your life. I am not knocking learning from others, hey I am a teacher and a pastor, but boy the joy of having the Holy Sprit of God illuminate you is amazing!

How do you do this? Read, read, read, and read some more. I recommend as an exercise prayerfully read one of Paul’s epistles daily for a month. The whole thing over and over for a month, meditating and contemplating what is said and how it applies to you. Also, maybe don’t use your study bible. Let God speak to you directly through his word. We as evangelicals believe in the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture. Meant to be understood and you can understand it!

Also, wrestle with Scripture. Jacob wrestled God and would not let go, until God blessed him. Take God’s Word and refuse to go forward in your reading or put it down until God has blessed you! Don’t be afraid, God wants you to understand it and deepen your walk with Him. But, remember Jacob got a limp from his wrestling with God, he was forever changed. You just might find that in your wrestling with God through His Word you will be forever changed as well.

Lastly, experience the joy of illumination! I love kissing my wife. She is hot and wonderful. I would take nothing for the joy of kissing my wife. She is mine, this is what God gave her to me for. But, imagine, if I let some other guy kiss her for me and then he tell me how great it is kissing her. I know this is getting odd quick, but you see if you solely rely on others for your Biblical understanding and hearing from God, you are missing the intimacy that God wants to have with you. God wants you to engage His word personally. Don’t let me sit in my study and do it all for you! Do it yourself, your privilege, your right, your responsibility.

So, grab your Bibles and don’t do until God speaks to you! Pastor Phillip

I can't commend the work of Catholics enough on the issues that truly matter most to myself, and our nation. Please watch this moving video, it is challenging and inspiring for all.




Pastor Phillip

Read Your Bibles With All Your Mind!

Read the Bible utilizing your entire mind. The Bible is an expression of the mind of God, to you and me. This is huge, God infinite and holy, coming to us sinful and finite. We have become very used to religion being emotional. I was convicted, I was blown away by worship, I have deep sense of peace, joy, happiness, so often times we talk about God and use out emotions. This is right, unemotional religion is a little scary and can be indicative of a hard heart. Many people speak of knowing God in their heart and say He speaking to them in their heart. God can does do this, but be careful as Jeremiah 17:9 says "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

So, I believe there is a place for real hard study of Scripture. We cannot forget that in Deuteronomy 6:5 we are commanded to “love the Lord your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength.” This takes time, energy, effort, and sacrifice to engage ourselves in the understanding of God’s word and then subsequently God Himself. We give our minds to work, to investing for the future, to understanding our spouse, to diagnosing problems at church, to thinking about the failures of others, so use your head for something more than a hat rack. Put all your mental faculties to work learning about God (some of more faculties that others). Think and study God, keep a journal, get a good study Bible to help, get in a Sunday school class, and learn about God.

My head hurts, Pastor Phillip

Read Your Bibles Prayerfully!

Read your Bibles prayerfully. This is a crucial lesson that I have had a hard time learning. Being in college, I wanted to read my Bible and learn it. I needed ammunition for late night theological debates. Now, I did learn the stories of Scriptures, I learned some proof-texts for various theological positions, but on the whole the connection with God through His word was not there. It was kind of depressing, I was learning God’s word, but felt that my learning was not leading to more loving of God. Then seminary did not help as the Bible became textbook, it was homework. Again, I learned a lot, I enjoy learning the Bible, but learning that is not leading to loving is missing the point of the word of God. I felt I was living 1 Corinthains 8:1 “Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.” I was not being built up by the love of God, regardless of my ever increasing comprehension of the Biblical text.
Then I found out how to prayerfully read the Scriptures, not so much found some secret, but just slowed down and started praying as I read. I started to read and let God speak to me through His word and then I would speak back. As I read I would things that caused me to rejoice over the God we serve. Then I would look for things that I need to repent of and there are tons that I had to pray about there. Lastly I would look for request to be made on my behalf or on the behalf of others. This little system of Rejoicing, Repenting, Requesting, greatly aided my Bible reading, understanding and application. (This is not original with me; I got from some magazine I read). It also helped a struggling prayer life. I had always read my Bible first, usually for 5 chapters a day, and then prayed a little prayer. I have now found that through this little method I was hearing, speaking, and enjoying God like never before. So, read your Bibles prayerfully. Also, does anyone else have a study method that they would like to share?

Praying you all learn the power and beauty of hearing God speak through His word! Pastor Phillip

Getting A Little Catholic On Ya!

I am not a Catholic obviously, but our Catholic brothers and sisters are some of the most thoughtful, eloquent, and biblical defenders of life. There work against abortion is exemplary. Here are some extremely though provoking statements.

"America you are beautiful . . . and blessed . . . . The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless. If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." - Pope John Paul II

"It is a poverty that a "child must die", So that you may live as you wish... - Mother Teresa

"There are two victims in every abortion: a dead baby and a dead conscience." - Mother Teresa

I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is "Abortion", because it is a war against the child... A direct killing of the innocent child, "Murder" by the mother herself... And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love... And we remeind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts... - Mother Teresa

We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, killings, of wars, or of hatred...If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other? - Mother Teresa

Please protect the unborn in our nation! Pastor Phillip

Ronald Regan Quote

"If you don't know whether a body is alive or dead, you would never bury it. I think this consideration itself should be enough for all of us to insist on protecting the unborn"

Great Advice On How To Hate Reading Your Bible!!!

Here is some great advice on how to get nothing out of reading the Bible! Please follow these steps and you are guaranteed to waste your time and hate reading scripture!

· Always read last thing at night when are exhausted after you watched hours of TV

· Just open the Bible at random and start reading, odds are pretty good of hitting a genealogy

· Never read more that five verse at a time, because if you do you may get the idea of what is going on

· Always try and tackle the most difficult passage first, they will encourage you to give up reading more quickly

· Don’t have a plan or a system to help you read your Bible by, you might know where to start then

· Never make notes or journal about what you are learning, it may help process your thoughts

· Never share what you have read with others, because talking about it might bring the Bible into focus

· Never attend a Bible study, because the mutual encouragement of others may help the confusion to disappear

· Never bother your preacher with questions or advice, because he might waste your time and give you some help and advice

· Never work too hard, never think too much, never give to much effort, because you might have a breakthrough in scriptural understanding

· Never sacrifice time just to read the Bible you can always read it next month

· Never try and help your family read there Bible as well, you interest in their spiritual lives my cause the family to grow closer together

· Whatever you do, just don’t read your Bible daily, because it may lead you to a closer relationship with God, which will lead to a heightened awareness of personal sin, which will lead to repentance, which will lead to holiness, which the Bible say if we don’t have we will not see God (Heb 12:14)

So, please follow my advice! Just kidding, hope you got the sarcasm. I will be posting daily on how to read your Bible and hopefully we can all become joyful Christians who deeply enjoy reading and studying God’s word!

Got To Go Read My Bible, Pastor Phillip

Listen to this...

I love Cannon in D. It is a great song. It was played at a wonderful wedding that I did this weekend. Take three minutes and enjoy this! Phillip

Book Of The Week VII

I also just finished The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life by Ramesh Ponnuru. It is an amazing resource on all issues pertaining to life: abortion, stem cell research, and euthanasia. If you are not informed on these salient issues it alone is valuable for this.

Ponnuru also takes us through how the popular notions of the history of abortion in America have become utterly distorted and he provides some good information to straighten out these false notions. He addresses infanticide and how people now argue seriously that parents should have the right to kill children during the first months after birth. He talks about the works of Peter Singer of Princeton University (recounted in chapter 15 in this book) and you will be aghast that such a person is given tenure and is shaping the minds of young adults for the next couple of generations.

It also deals with the changing of political tide in the Democratic Convention. He argues the party for the little man has forgotten the littlest man, namely the unborn. He shows how they made the killing of infants a part in their political machine. I loved this book because it is a secular defense of life. I can argue a Biblical defense of life, but the writer uses reason, history, and the courts, to show how un-American and devastating our nations killing of our unborn are. It was deep reading at times. It was a ton of information, which was so interesting I read faster than I should have and did not process it as well. But, I can reread it later.

Anyways, now I am moving on the The Vision of the Anointed by Thomas Sowell. It deals with the blind ideas of liberals, how they implement them and refuse to admit their failure. Also, just cracked Why I Am Not A Calvinist by Jerry Walls and Joseph Dongell, name says pretty much what this book is about.

So, as Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:12-14 But beyond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the making of many books, and much study wearies the body. (13) When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. (14) For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Pastor Phillip

Book Of The Week VI

“"Tell me what you read and I'll tell you who you are" is true enough, but I'd know you better if you told me what you reread.” I have started trying to re-read great books. I just finished re-reading Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy it is a great book. He argues in the whole Bible you are looking for who are God’s people, where are God’s people, and are God’s people enjoying His promises. This all culminates in Jesus who is the focal and centerpiece of all Scripture and all of Scripture has to be interpreted in light of Him.

• Look at what Jesus says about this "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me" (John 5:39).
• "Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27; cf. v. 44).
• "What God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled" (Acts 3:18; cf. vv. 21, 24).
• "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures" (I Corinthians 15:3f).

In all of these cases, the writer quoted is saying that the Old Testament teaches the gospel. There is grace and continuity between the two Testaments It is a very simple easy to follow and very short. He has a longer version that is on my “to buy and to read list.” If you are not familiar with the whole story Scripture this would be a good book for you. Another book in the same view is God’s Big Picture by Vaughn Roberts. I have re-read it and I love. I encourage you to seek to understand the Bible as beautiful tapestry as opposed to disjointed devotional fragments.

Pastor Phillip

Good Question?

Why doesn’t God totally remove Satan and all demons now, since he will someday without their approval (Revelation 20:10)? John Piper answers this in the first paragraph of chapter nine of Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ.

The glory of Christ is seen in his absolute right and power to annihilate or incapacitate Satan and all demons. But the reason he refrains from destroying and disabling them altogether is to manifest more clearly his superior beauty and worth. If Christ obliterated all devils and demons now (which he could do), his sheer power would be seen as glorious, but his superior beauty and worth would not shine as brightly as when humans renounce the promises of Satan and take pleasure in the greater glory of Christ.

Think about Philippians 2:14-15 “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, (15) so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.” How does this dark back drop bring even more beauty and glory to the good deeds that you do? Also, how does understanding this help you see the plan and purpose of God behind all that God does, even those things that we find hard to understand or appreciate?

Also, this was the daily Psalm I read this morning. It shines light on this as well

Trusting In God's Plan & WIll & Not My Own, Pastor Phillip

Who Wants To Take A Field Trip?

I loved field trips in school. We go to go to goat farm and milk some goats one time, random museums, a overnighter to Charleston. They were great. Mildly educationally, usually slightly chaotic, but I always looked forward to them. Well, I am not sure about this field trip in San Francisco. I was blown away by this. I found this here.

A group of San Francisco first-graders took an unusual field trip to City Hall on Friday to toss rose petals on their just-married lesbian teacher - putting the public school children at the center of a fierce election battle over the fate of same-sex marriage.

The 18 Creative Arts Charter School students took a Muni bus and walked a block at noon to toss rose petals and blow bubbles on their just-married teacher Erin Carder and her wife Kerri McCoy, giggling and squealing as they mobbed their teacher with hugs.Mayor Gavin Newsom, a friend of a friend, officiated.

A parent came up with the idea for the field trip - a surprise for the teacher on her wedding day."She's such a dedicated teacher," said the school's interim director Liz Jaroslow. But there was a question of justifying the field trip academically. Jaroflow decided she could. "It really is what we call a teachable moment," Jaroflow said, noting the historic significance of same-sex marriage and related civil rights issues. "I think I'm well within the parameters."

On Friday, McCoy and Carder, both in white, held hands on Newsom's office balcony overlooking the rotunda and recited their vows."With this ring, I thee wed!" Carder said, shouting the last word for emphasis.

After traditional photos, the two walked out City Hall's main doors where the students were lined up down the steps with bags of pink rose petals and bottles of bubbles hanging from their necks. McCoy, a conferences services coordinator, was in on the surprise and beamed as the children swarmed around Carder. The two met on a dance floor two years ago.

Creative Arts administrators and parents acknowledged that the field trip might be controversial, but they didn't see the big deal. Same-sex marriage is legal, they noted. "How many days in school are they going to remember?" asked parent Marc Lipsett. "This is a day they'll definitely remember."Carder's students said they were happy to see their new teacher married.

"She's a really nice teacher. She's the best," said 6-year-old Chava Novogrodsky-Godt, "I want her to have a good wedding." Chava's mothers said they are getting married in two weeks.

The students' parents are planning to make a video with the children describing what marriage is to them. Marriage, 6-year-old Nolan Alexander said Friday, is "people falling in love." It means, he added, "You stay with someone the rest of your life."

As is the case with all field trips, parents had to give their permission and could choose to opt out of the trip. Two families did. Those children spent the duration of the 90-minute field trip back at school with another first-grade class, the interim director said.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's not controversial for me," Jaroflow said. "It's certainly an issue I would be willing to put my job on the line for."

So, is your child going on this trip? What are you feelings? For your information this is what is at stake in the culture wars between conservatism (both social, political and religious) and liberalism (both social, political and religious). This is where the left wants our nation to be heading. They want to use schools, media, taxes, whatever they can find to bring about their agenda. We must be pray and be active. Remember as Edmund Burke said "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Not Liking At All San Francisco Values, Pastor Phillip