As I drive through my neighborhood, hahaha if you can call cows, fields and woods a neighborhood, I regularly see a man sitting on his front porch enjoying his retirement. I have talked to this man a time or two, so I know that is what he is doing. Most days you drive down the street he can be seen rocking the time away relaxing. Now, I am not trying to be too critical here. I tell you this just to make a point. We CHOOSE how we spend our time. We CHOOSE what we do with our lives. We CHOOSE what to invest in and WHOM to invest in. All of us have made some bad choices in our lives, and hopefully we have all made some good ones too. I made a conscious decision at one point in my life that I was not satisfied with where I was in my Bible knowledge. At that point I decided I was not satisfied with just believing what other men said, and that I needed to learn some things for myself. I have not stopped working towards this goal ever since. If you have never made this decision, I challenge you to step up to the plate. I am nowhere where I need to be, but I am glad that I started this process many years ago. I made a conscious decision many years ago that I did not want to live a boring Christian life. You might wonder what in the world this means. Here is what it means. Take some chances. Take some risks. Step out in faith. Don’t be scared to look stupid. Don’t be worried about what others will think. Do something. Don’t just sit on the porch! Don’t just waste your precious time relaxing. I hope you understand that HERE is where your opportunity to get some work done for God is. Here is where you can jump at the chance to accomplish something for the Lord. Here is where the Spirit leads you to accomplish great things for God. I understand that there is work to do in heavenly places also. But God has given you a choice now. That choice is to either sit on the porch and relax, or to lead an exciting Christian life. One that has experienced getting out of your comfort zone from time to time. My dad is 80 years old and still does things many 50-year-olds could not do. Rides his street bike every chance he gets. This is the attitude we need to put into our spiritual walk and work. The never quit attitude. The “I’m never retired” attitude. I am fully aware that most all preachers would look at my church after 7 years and say that I have failed miserably. I am fully aware that if I had labeled myself Baptist instead of Bible Believer that I would probably be looking for a bigger building by now. Terry McLean well said that success in measured in the doctrine taught and not the numbers in the pews. Trust me that I’m glad I took this advise to heart. Plenty of resistance has come from without and even from within. But the only other option is to sit on the porch. Sounds pretty boring to me.        

I don’t have much time to watch TV. I do like to watch YouTube on occasion. Usually it’s fishing, hunting, shooting, dirt bikes, construction, wood working, guitar, Bible study or something mechanical in nature. There are few shows my wife and I watch together regularly. The Voice happens to be one show we do like to watch together. If you’re not familiar, it’s a singing competition. I do enjoy playing guitar and writing music, but I was not born with a voice that is going to win any competitions. I’d like you to read the first half of Proverbs 18:21. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:” I have always been intrigued with this verse. I feel like the implications of this verse are beyond our grasp. This short phrase should make us stop and pause under the weight of its instruction. Yes, this is an old-testament verse written under the law by a Jewish king. This verse however holds a spiritual truth I believe carries throughout all the dispensations. Paul says it in a different way in the second half of I Corinthians 1:21. “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” Like it or not, you have the responsibility to preach. Like it or not, YOU and I have the power of death and life in our tongue. You and I have the opportunity to share Christ many times during each month and sometimes each week. WE DECIDE to hold our tongue or to quench the Spirit each time these opportunities arise. The famous magician Penn Jillette of the duo Penn and Teller, and proclaimed Atheist, is quoted as saying that he has no respect for anyone that claims to be a Christian but does not evangelize. He said he doesn’t understand how much you would have to hate someone to believe that they are headed to Hell and then never try to win them to Christ. (not an exact quote) I hope you clearly see the validity of this man’s opinion. Jesus was confrontational in his witness. The disciples were confrontational in their witness. Stephen was confrontational in his witness. Paul was confrontational in his witness. YOU and I must be confrontational in our witness. All I mean by this is we must use our voice. We must share Jesus with our voice. We must share the mystery with our voice. Some of us are just plain chicken. Some of us are just flat out scared to look stupid. Some of us hold the love of Christ so tightly that we hate those around us. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Read it again: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:” Read it again: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:” What power does your tongue display? Death or life. God would have all men saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Those of us that rightly divide know without a shadow of a doubt that most of our Christian friends stuck in denominational churches will never come to the complete truth. God’s plan for your life and my life is to help others accomplish these 2 things in their lives. I need to do better. You?