My take on Trump and Christianity Today Magazine

 

 Last night I was browsing Twitter when I happened to glance at the trending section and noticed something that caught my eye. Christianity Today was trending. This struck me as unusual because the vast majority of the main stream media and world never gives a tinkers darn about Christianity in general much less its media and publications. Not today! Suddenly the media world is buzzing about the publication that the late great Billy Graham started oh so many years ago.Why is that you may ask? Because Christianity Today published an article calling or down right suggesting that along with the Democratically controlled House of Representatives that the 45th President of these United States of America should be removed from office! Wow! That's big. So tonight I want to throw my 2 cents in and give you my take on Donald Trump and the article. (Mostly Donald)

Now let me say right from the get go that I am or I was a middle child. I want everyone to like me. So the sad realization of my life is that not many actually do. I know this. I don't like it, but its true. I have learned however that I can disagree with someone and not hate them. I can even like them. In saying that I know I have friends and brothers and sisters in Christ who will not like this,  but here I go.

First of all I did actually read the article. I thought it was well written, paid homage to both sides, and had a few things I actually agreed with. However I disagreed totally with the downright for certain assertion that the House of Representatives established anything close to proving their case. I along with hundreds of thousands of others heard that phone conversation and came away saying "What  is that all?" I listened to a great deal of the boring testimony day after day and heard NOTHING that supported a definitive "Yes he abused his power, and obstructed Congress" I honestly didn't. For CT to start from that point in establishing a reason for his removal lost me from the start. Secondly we find out today that the writer Mark Galli is about to step down. This smells like a last splash publicity stunt on the timing to me. To say it just so happened that he was going to step down at the same time CT came to the revelation that the underwhelming evidence of that so called Impeachment hearing concluded Trumps guilt. CT I just don't believe you.

I now want to deal with the reason I supported Trump with my vote. I don't know who is a true Christian and who is not. That is not for me to judge. I am instructed by the Word of God to look for the fruit of the Spirit in the life of people I encounter. Love, joy. peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.  To be honest with you, I do not see very much evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in Donald Trump's life. I just don't. His attacks on his enemies, his boasting, his speech, and a plethora of other behaviors lead me to that conclusion. I can't say I see evidence of being born again. So why do I support him?  It's because of the party position of the only other choice I have. So here are 4 of many reasons.

Abortion on demand. It is the single greatest act of absolute evil against the innocent of our time. I voted Trump because I cannot stand idly by and keep silent while literally thousands are murdered in the womb. Abortion is an act of absolute selfishness on the part of people who want to do whatever they want with no consequences. They scream and protest for every minority group in the world except the most innocently worthy of all. I cannot vote for a party that not only tolerates this, they celebrate it.

Gun control. I grew up in a family that had one of the largest gun collections I've ever seen. They were out in the open for everyone to see. No one ever got shot. I want the right to protect my family. The founders of this land created a document on which the foundation of the entire Republic sits. The Constitution establishes my right to keep and bear arms. It is crystal clear to anyone who thinks, that the other party wants to remove that right. The assertion that if we take the guns from people, and create a law that prohibits criminals from using guns it will solve the evil of men's hearts is absurd and fool hardy at best. In our country the places that have the most stringent gun laws have the most gun violence. It takes the other side a full second to turn a tragic shooting into a "blame the gun" feeding frenzy. They have an agenda that George Orwell warned us about..

Socialism. I don't want or need the government to take care of me. I want less government not more. Socialism has destroyed every country that has ever tried it. There is not a single time its worked. The idea  to eliminate economic classes equals people punished for being successful. The bottom line is they want to take away my freedoms and liberties. I cannot and will not be a part of that. My family has served and died for the very freedoms the other party wants to hand over.

Religious freedom.The other party has it out for Christianity. The persecution of Christians was prophesied and is happening. They are tolerant for every religion save Christianity. Christians are attacked, belittled, smeared, ridiculed, and mocked on a daily basis. At campuses throughout the country, outspoken Christians are regularly demeaned, debased and targeted for their beliefs. Academics, social groups, and college organizations regularly ridicule Christians by calling them hateful, bigoted, and privileged, and other labels. Political Correctness is the law of the other party, and it's going to get worse.

I want to end by saying this. These are my personal beliefs. I love my family and my brothers and sisters in Christ. I know some of you disagree with me, and that is ok. I will pray for this country and its President no matter what party they belong to. I will pray that we can find unity in Christ if nothing else.

I wonder how many prayers God answered that day?

I remember right where I was that day in February 2014. It was the day that BASS Pro Randy Howell won the Bassmaster's Classic. It was an amazing story. On the Final day Randy was upwards of 10 places behind the leader, and no one outside a few Howell's in the family and a ton of homers at the King's Home Children's facility thought Randy had a prayer. Ironically a prayer is exactly what Randy had, and after saying it found himself fishing under a bridge he never planned on fishing. 5-7 casts later he was in position to do what no one had ever done in staging the greatest comeback in BASS Classic History!

However that is not the only awesome prayer answered that day. I had 2 speaking events that weekend, and boy I needed them. Money was tight over at Wellspoken Ministries, and I wasn't sure how many more paychecks we had left. The $19,100 salary I was drawing at the time meant I had to have $1500 a month to get paid, and it was looking slim. Due to the wear and tear on my vehicle the rule we adopted as a Ministry was if I have to drive over 6 hours we rent a car. My speaking engagements that weekend merited a rental so I dropped $300 on the rental car and set out to preach. 

The first event was in a small coastal town that I knew quite well. The Church was a good sized congregation and the event had around 400 in attendance. The night went well and many people trusted Christ, but when I went to leave no check was given. I have to admit I perseverated on it for about 200 miles as I drove to my next speaking engagement. I stopped at a friend's house and stayed the night before driving the remainder of the way to the small Pentecostal Church in Georgia that I was to preach at that Sunday. As I walked into the Sanctuary it was apparent that affluence and this Church were far from each other. The white washed walls and old plate glass windows did not speak of a great deal of wealth. I got in and glanced up above the old organ, as I noticed the small sign that tells last weeks attendance totals. It read: Last week's offering $35.  "Great". I bowed my head and half prayed. "God I came here, rented a car, got no money yesterday, and now I'm preaching here? I don't know how I'm going to make it". 

That Sunday became a life changer for me. I preached and gave the invitation at 12:30 pm. The altar was full, and as the Pastor got up he stood and preached again. We didn't get finished until 1:30 pm! I walked to my rental car and began to put away my things. As I looked up I noticed everyone in the church was gone. Not a car in the  parking lot. Not a soul in sight. I shook my head and wondered if God was telling me I needed to do something else. Then it happened.  No it wasn't a voice that told me to fish under a bridge. It was an old man. He walked up from the side of the Church, looked around, scratched his head, and then walked straight up to me. He extended his hand with and envelope in it. This is his exact words were: "God told me to give this to you". He walked away. I stood there for a moment then I opened the envelope. It had 18 $100 bills in it. The cost for my salary for the month and my rental car. I sat in my car and cried. I told God that I would never doubt his providing again. 

God answers prayers. All kinds of prayers. He answered Randy's prayer of faith and my prayer of not so much faith. Those are just two that I know of that day. There is no telling now many He answered that I will never know about.

He will answer yours too. Call out to Him today.

Living the Dream! Some common Myths about Becoming a Bass Pro

2018 will mark my 10th year traveling with the BASS Elite Series as the Chaplain for their Fellowship of Christian Anglers Society. During that time I have seen the highs and lows of a small group of guys who make a living as Rick Clunn put it "Chasing little green fish". For each of those who make that dream a reality, there are literally thousands that fail. People say it all the time. "Those guys are Living the dream"!  Here are some common "Myths" from an outsider looking in about Living the dream of Professional angling.

Myth 1- All it takes is Time on the water.

Of all the myths I will discuss this one has to be the number one false fantasy of those who pursue the dream of Professional Fishing. I hear it all the time. "If I can just spend enough time on the water, I can be as good as those guys. If that were the case, then the oldest anglers  would win every single event.  The fact of the matter is this, fishing is a God given gift, and skill just like any other. I can practice my basketball shooting every day, but I will never shoot as well as Steph Curry. Its the same with fishing. I can certainly improve, but either you have it or you don't.

Myth 2-  If I had all the equipment Sponsors give them, I could compete with the Elite Series and FLW guys.

Most local tackle stores are brimming with guys who brag about how they can beat the Pros,  and blame it on equipment. The truth is that most of the guys on the BASS and FLW tour started with the same equipment you have. The bass boat and type of rod you use does not equate to better tournament performances necessarily. Most Pros were winning long before they received anything from Sponsors.

Myth 3 - Since I beat the guys in my Bass club, I can compete with the Pros.

Winning at the club level may or may not be an indication of your ability to become a bass pro. What many guys fail to see is that traveling around the country and fishing different lakes at different times is a lot different than being the big stick on your home lake for 30 years. Marty Stone says that you need to be cashing a check in at least 80% of the tournaments you fish in, before moving up to the next level. Just because you can win the fruit jar tournament doesn't mean you can beat KVD.

Myth 4- If Sponsors threw money at me like they do those guys, I could fish professionally.

This legendary lie is propagated from boat ramps far and wide throughout our great nation. The reality is that with great Sponsorship comes tremendous responsibility! Sponsors don't just pay to get their patch on a shirt. They pay for the design, testing, promotion, and selling of a product. This responsibility comes with great pressure. I heard on Pro say when" I fished for fun I felt excited when I got a bite. Now I just feel relieved. "

There are some Pros that have there faces on the lures of the Bass Pro shop and Walmart. There are some eating peanut butter trying to win enough money to get home. Mark Davis said "I always laugh when golfers talk about pressure. Pressure is when there is 10 minutes left in the tournament, and you need a 5 pounder just to get home."  Just like anything you do, you better be called to do. If you are not called, then Living this dream can make you hate something you used to love.

Last words

Have you ever thought about doing things for the last time? I do. I think about the day I will catch my last bass, sing my last hymn, hug my children for the last time,  tell my wife I love her for the final time, and preach my last message. I get a strange nostalgic haunting feeling when those thoughts infiltrate my thinking, and often times it spurs me to think deeper. What about my last words? What will they be? Will I have time to say something profound or will it be some random frivolous phrase that emanates out my mouth?

Many times people's last words are recorded, asked about, even sought after. If you do an internet search of Famous last words",  you will get a plethora of the things people have uttered just before their dying moments. Some are absolutely amazing, some not so much, some are crafted, some are funny, some are inspiring, thoughtful, and others scary, and sad. Here are a few examples of what I found:

"Hey fellas. How about this for a headline for tomorrows paper? French Fries!"- Convicted Murderer James French (in the electric chair)

"I only regret that I only have one life to lose for my country."- Nathan Hale- Revolutionary War Spy

"Love one another"- George Harrison - Beatles guitarist

"Nancy, I want you to know my last thoughts are of you" - PT Barnum said to his wife.

" I do not believe in my death"- Salvador Dali

"It is well, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go."- George Washington

"Let us pass over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees." - Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

"Damn it! Don't you dare ask God to help me!"- Joan Crawford (screamed at her praying housekeeper)

 One day whether we believe it or not, all of us will do everything we do for the last time.  We will all utter the last words we ever will. The Bible tells us that our words are a good indication of what is truly in our hearts. I hope we will all be careful of what we say, for those words could be our last!

Why Matt Lauer's sins are worse than you think.

I awoke this morning to the shocking news that NBC's Today Show had fired its point man. Matt Lauer joined the Today show around 1994, and has become one of the most recognized and popular tv personalities in our country and around the world. Matt was fired due to allegations of Sexual misconduct in the work place. The backlash of this announcement has set off a Firestorm of media frenzy from both the political left and right, due to Lauer's pointed and candid cross examination of several celebrities accused of similar actions.

In a word. It's bad.

However Matt's sins are much worse than you think they are, and heres some more breaking news. So are yours and mine!

The great preacher and theologian Charles Spurgeon said it this way: "If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him, for you are worse than he thinks you to be".

 In our society we tend to to categorize sin. We grade it even. There are big sins like Matt Lauers, but then there are little sins that really don't matter as much. Or so we think. God doesn't see it that way at all. God knows we have a fundamental misunderstanding about the very nature of ourselves, and until we come to grips about who we really are, sin will continue to do its thing. So lets take a quick look.

Sin is anything that displeases God. That's right......anything. It can be things we do, things we say, things we think , things we don't do, things we don't say, AND things we don't think.  The Bible says we are all sinners by our nature, and by our choice, and what we get as payment for sinning is death. There is more bad news here as well. The "death" it speaks of is not just RIP. It's eternal separation from God, and the worse news is it says "there is no one righteous, No NOT ONE.

The answer came in the form of what we will celebrate in less than a month. God saw our condition. Sent His son in the flesh to be born of a virgin, lived a perfect life for us, died a death that we deserved to die, and then comes back to life. So when we turn in repentance towards Him, and  by faith trust what He did for us on the cross, we call out to Him, and everything changes. Our nature is regenerated. Wholly made new. We cross from death to life.

Our sins in life may have different consequences, but they all take us to the same end.  

"If you would like to have more information on starting a relationship with Jesus, please feel free to contact me"-Chris Wells

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