Mighty to Save........

Good morning everyone! Three more days until Crusaders for Christ. There are over 300 people signed up to walk 14.1 miles for Jesus! That is just awesome! Please keep the Crusade and all involved in your prayers. Have you ever been in a really rough storm? Well, I want to tell you a story about my Navy days at the North Pole and dig into some of the good stuff!

Bible verse: Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Most of you know I was a diver on a Fast Attack Nuclear Submarine. Well, we were on patrol in the northern Atlantic. Way north (latitude/longitude classified). Well, we came into one of the worst storms our captain had ever seen. There were 80-100 foot swells and it was tossing our Submarine around like a bath toy. It lasted for three days. In any other circumstance we would just dive deeper to avoid the storm but, we had to wait for a message to be transmitted to us. So, we had to stay at or near periscope depth. Several men on the ship were injured from falls and many others were totally incapacitated by motion sickness. The seas were way too rough for cooking, so we pretty much ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The waves would shake the submarine so hard you would think it was going to split open. I was scared. I stayed real close to my dive gear. Like that would have helped in the waters of the north pole. There was not one person on the ship that doubted the destructive power of the sea, and all were finally relieved when the storm broke and the sea settled down on the forth day.

God's power is greater than any storm. But, His power is not destructive. His purpose is to save. All through the old testament we can see God's mighty hand at work. he loved His people and always stood ready to save them from destruction. While He cared for their physical safety, He cared so much more about their spiritual welfare and their relationship with Him. Remember this God is still in the saving business! Have you ever trust Christ as your Savior? If you haven't, trust in Him today and He will take you up in His arms. And angel's will be signing in heaven! Let today be the day! Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Missing out????????

Hello friends!! I am working a weird shift for a few weeks, it is 4:30am till 1pm. Yup, that means I have to get up before 3am if I want to do my studies before work. No one ever said staying on the narrow road would be easy! I guess I have to thank God for continually putting me into the forge. Heck, He might even make a good Christian out of me one day. Well, got a question for you. Do you invite people to the party? To church? To hear God's Word. These are a couple of reasons that God has laid on my heart. Let's dig into the good stuff.

Bible verse: Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart."

I have heard people say that they would get in church one day but, they couldn't right now. They had too many things they wanted to do. Or they were doing things that they weren't ready to give up that they knew were wrong. They believed that if they lived according to God's laws that they were going to miss out on all the fun things in life. Or the things they thought were fun. Man, I must say that when I finally got my hind end into church. Things got better not worse. Boy, isn't that statement missing the mark. Sure, we might have to give up doing certain things, going certain places, being around certain people. But, when we are stronger God may put us right back into those certain places to be a witness. I believe the truth is that if we don't live in according to God's laws, then we are going to miss out! Hey guy's God didn't write these laws for His benefit. He wrote them for ours. God is not this dictator sitting on the throne saying let's see what kind of laws we can make to make their lives harder. God loves us and wants the best for us. I read once that every time God says "Thou shall not," God is simply saying, "Don't hurt yourself." And then whenever God says "Thou shalt," God is saying, "Help yourself to happiness." We should all remember that God has something special for us. We just have to pay attention to Him, so He can show it to us. Let's clear our hearts today and seek Him with everything. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Let be humble.......

Good morning everyone! Boy, we had an awesome night last night at youth. We watched a movie called "The Cross" it is a story of the life of Arthur Blessitt. Arthur is a man that has carried a cross across every continent. It was a story of his life doing it. Truly, humbling story! I pray that I can be used by God in a fraction of the way that he was. I actually saw him in 1999 in Harriman, TN. He was carrying his cross 12 foot long through Harriman. I have never forgot that. Last night I sat and watched a humble man tell his story about how Jesus has used him. Well, let's dig into the good stuff on that subject.

Bible verse: James 4:10 Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

I have always heard that we Christians have to have humility. In the past I really didn't know what this humility thing was all about. If anyone knew Tony Ruff as a policeman, they would say that I was a very proud person. Maybe some would even say "Cocky" Guy's my pride caused most of my problems. I was so proud most of the time, that I would not admit when I was wrong. I would fight till the end of time. How sad is that? I would do all sorts of extra work for the pride that came with it. I would strive to win awards and make these awesome arrests out of pride and recognition. I had very little, if any humility. After failing so many times to fix my problems. I finally gave control over to God. I know your saying, what? You actually gave over control. Tony Ruff, the controlling and proud (Cocky) cop. Yup, I did. The weight lifted off my shoulders was almost immediately. God started helping me with my life. He started helping me to become humble. It is hard to go from being a selfish, prideful, controlling person to being a selfless, humble, loving person. But, with God by my side the impossible is possible. See, God is in the saving and shaping business! God is not done working on me but, He and I have come a long way. Listen to have true humility is not us thinking bad or negative about ourselves. It is us agreeing with what God sees and says about us. It is by God's grace that a person will be exalted but without inflating him or her. If we can realize that, we are the people we are because of Christ. We have come a long way. You know I sometimes have this question and I know others do too. It's about sin. I am not sinless. I still sin. How can I be a Christian and still sin. Duh...we are not going to be sinless. God tells us that. It is how we deal with that sin. How we deal with it will bring us closer to God, if we deal with it correctly. And we can become closer to being free of the control of sin. Not sinless, blameless! When we are prayed up and have confessed all, we can be blameless. 1 Peter 5:6 also says "Therefore humble yourselves under the Mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." We should think about this and do our best to live by these words. Thanks for you time and God bless. I hope the book of James blesses you as it does me. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Tools of the Enemy.....

Good morning everyone! We had a great meeting last night with various churches that will be attending Crusaders for Christ on April 3rd. We went over logistics for the event and shared encouragement with each other. I have been totally blessed just being a small part of the crusade. I can't wait until the day of! I talked about our advisary last night and for us to be in prayer for the event. I want us to look at satan for who he is. He a liar, a discourager, a thief, and a provoker. Let's see him for who he really is today and dig into some of the good stuff that will help encourage us.

Bible verse: Psalm 25:15 "My eyes are ever toward you Lord, For you shall pluck my feet out of the net.

I read a story about the devil. See, the devil was needing a little cash because he was going on vacation to Las Vegas. So, he thought he would auction off some of his tools. Well, he had a high price on pride, laziness, arrogance,hate, envy, and jealousy. But, he had one tool that had a sign under it "NOT FOR SALE." Someone said "What is that tool and why isn't it for sale like the others?" "Well," he said, "I can't afford to get rid of that one. It's my #1 tool, discouragement. With this that bad boy, I can pry open a heart and let me tell you, once I get in I can do most anything I want." Do you want me to tell you why we get discouraged? I'll give it to you in straight, we've taken your eyes off God! It can happen to anyone. Hey guys, I think discouragement used to be my middle name. But, I was sitting here thinking when the last time I felt discouraged, It has been a while. But, it has happened and I might even be discouraged today or tomorrow. But, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, He will strengthen us. Have you been discouraged lately? If not, Stop and praise God! And find someone who is or has been lately, it won't be hard. Find them and give them the encouragement they need in Jesus Christ, it might not even have to be anything major. Maybe just a hug to let them know someone cares. Maybe it's your next-door neighbor. Maybe it's a co-worker. Maybe it's your spouse. Take the time to care. Remember, someone cares for you. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

One Heart.....One Soul........

Good morning everyone. I really struggled with sleep last night. An hour and a half before I was supposed to get up at 4 am my eyes were opened. I don't know why at 2:38 am I awoke, but could not sleep. So, thought I would just get up and study a bit. Rather than toss and turn for over an hour. I have a question this morning. Who are we? Who are you? When we come together are we up lifters? Or, are we deflater's? Are we encourager's? Or, are we joy stealer's? Let's dig into the good stuff and look into this a little more.

Bible verse: Acts 2:44-45 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone needed.

Do we see other believers as our brothers and sisters? What would you give your brother or sister if they needed something? I know that I would give my little sister anything. I do my best to help guide her and mentor her. If she is hurting and in need I am there for her. As brothers and sisters in Christ we should share all we have. Guy's, this isn't just referring to just money. It is referring to love, a helping hand, wisdom, knowledge, caring, and pretty much anything we have. We can't just think of our interests. We have to think of others. Sometimes we don't think about it but, God's family works best when its members work together. Let's look at another verse in Acts. It is Acts 4:32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul: neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

I guess my question is what are we doing to help other believers? Are we helping them grow? Are we disciplining? Are we teaching? Are we helping to guide them down the right path? Are we fellowshiping together or are we doing our own thing? These are questions that I had to ask myself and examine my walk and life. I know that there are somethings that I need to change in my life to better help other believers. Is there anything in your life that needs examining? Remember, we should examine ourselves regularly and work towards one heart and one soul. Well, I pray you have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Do you have a Robin???????

Good morning Friends! I had a busy night last night. I was cleaning out our camper. Since the Lord has called us into the ministry. We really have not had time to camp. So, it is excess weight. sometimes you have to cut loose the excess. I sat at work today and watched people. I know that sounds strange but, try it sometime. You will be surprised at what all you see. How friendly are people or un-friendly are they? Watch how people react to the friendly people. That got me thinking about today's subject. Let's dig into the good stuff!

Bible verse: Proverbs 18:24 A man who has a friend must be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

How friendly are we? Are we approachable? Why must we be lonely? Loneliness is everywhere. You can see it on people's faces and in their actions. Many people feel cut off and kind of alienated from others. We need friends. We need friends who will stick close, listen, care, and offer their help when needed. This has to be in good times and in bad. Our problem most of the time is trust. We don't want to trust another man, because he might betray us. A great poet by the name of Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great". Every great good guy when I was growing up had a faithful sidekick. Batman and Robin, Lone Ranger and Tanto, Starchky and Hutch, and Ponch and John. There are many more too. Even woman have some, Cagney and Lacey or Lavern and Shirley. See, what I am trying to say is, be a friend to get a friend. Don't try to be this macho person and say " I don't need anyone, I can handle all this stuff". A true friend is immeasurable.

Now, Proverbs give some more advice on friends. Here's some more meat for you. Proverbs 13:20 says "He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fool will be destroyed. Proverbs 12:26 says "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray. Saying this, who do hang around? Who do you hang around at work? Are they leading you astray? Would they make good friends? Would they be trustworthy? We need to have friends and seek them out. But, we need to pick carefully. Well, got to get to work and make Misty some money (LOL). Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

After ten o'clock......

Hello friends! Had a good day yesterday. I had a follow up visit with the E.N.T. doctor and he said my ear drum has fully healed. He also said that there is no scar tissue on the ear drum. We expected some due to the rupture but, none! That means no hearing loss. My hearing tested back to what it was. I must thank God for His healing touch. I want to talk to you today about what I have watched on TV here lately. Have you watched the sitcoms lately? What is going on in the world? Look at the cartoon sitcoms "The Family Guy" or "The Simpsons". There are so many that are jacked up. I have talked to our youth and they watch all this stuff. So, I ask why is our world the way it is? Let's dig into the good stuff.

Bible Verse: Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

I think the most dangerous thing on TV today, in my opinion, is the sitcom. Really guy's they are making things funny that shouldn't be funny. They're getting us to laugh at sin. I read that a Christian TV and film writer attended a producers' workshop one day. One of the main speakers was one of TV's most successful producers of sitcoms. In his speech, he said that in order to have a commercially successful production, the characters in a sitcom must break at least three of the Ten Commandments. It saddens my heart to think that this is what has to be done to make a sitcom make it. What happened to shows like "Happy Days" or "Andy Griffith". They thought morals. I am not saying there are not good shows out there but, they are becoming rare. Have you seen the shows that come on after ten o'clock? What happens after ten o'clock should stay after ten o'clock. We need to guard our children's minds as much as we can and teach they the concept of right and wrong. Teach them what morals are. Guess what this will take time and effort from us. But, here's the thing....They deserve it and they are our future. I pray Joshua 1:7 for you today that you will be strong and courageous. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless