Trials by Fire

How do you approach God?

People have asked and tried to answer that question for many years.  Today I was given a very vivid reminder of how simple the answer is.  Today, sometime before 5:30 a.m., the education wing of our church building was engulfed by fire, damaging a large part of the building on both floors, and leaving the rest of the complex a smoky mess.  As of now, we can't use any of this building.  This fire has disrupted today's activities, and it has disrupted future plans.  This evening, I was able to walk through the building with my pastor, Rob Ray.  This is what I saw.



As you are walking through our gym from the undamaged area to the place where the fire started, this is what you see just to the left of the doorway leading into the hallway.  The wooden doors that were here were shut.  All that is left of them is the handles.  This is the place where the fire burned first and hottest. This cross apparently was on the wall behind the carpet and padding that had been placed on the wall.  As the fire burned away the carpet, the cross was revealed.  No one at the church knew this cross was here until today.  I thought it was quite a stunning picture - first you encounter the cross, then you encounter the fire!

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (I Peter 2:24)




This tapestry is hanging in the lobby directly off the gym.  Every surface in this room is black with soot.  You can see that at the bottom of the picture.  Every light fixture was melted or broken.  You could not see through the doors and windows in the room.  But this picture was perfectly clean.  It is a crocheted print of the Lord's Prayer.  It is as clean as the day that the picture was hung, which was at least 6 years ago, because it has been there as long as I have been a member of this church.  The frame is not dirty, burned, or nicked.  The print itself is white.  This print reminds us through the words of Jesus that God will provide for us and will protect us through all of life's trials, even a fire that destroys part of your church building.

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (I Timothy 2:5)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

So, the answer is simple: you come to God through the cross of Christ and through prayer. Nothing else is required. All God asks is faith. Faith that He gives forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ, and faith that He will hear us in times of need. As a result, this is what we can expect:

For You have tried us, O God ; You have refined us as silver is refined. (Psalm 66:10)

The building will be rebuilt. It might not be the way we had envisioned yesterday, but that's ok. God will refine us and the plans for that building, and we will continue to serve Him. God will use this trial to His glory, and may all the praise go to HIm!

Three Things to Tell Your Wife in 2014, Part 3

Shelton Easley

                        3.  I am proud of you!

                        Guys, this last thing should be a natural extension of the first two.  If you love her, and you think she is beautiful, then you should be proud of her and you should let her and the word know.  In Ephesians 5:25-30, Paul describes what Jesus does for His bride, the church.  Jesus died for His church, giving up everything He had as the Son of God to come to earth an give His life for mankind.  Jesus put His will aside to do the Father's will and provide the way to salvation for sinners.  These sinners who trusted in Jesus are the church, the bride of Christ!

                         Paul uses the metaphor of a husband and a wife to paint a picture of what Jesus Christ has done and will do for all Christians.  He made this comparison while discussing the responsibilities of an earthly husband to his wife.  If Christ gave up His will and offered Himself up for us, thenn that is what every man is to do for his wife.  Men are given the greater responsibility in marriage as to what they are to do for their wives.  Men must be willing to give up everything they desire and everything they have in order to accomplish what God ceated marriage to be - a glory to Himself.

                         Men are to lead their wives in every facet of life, especilly in spiritual matters, to be godly and holy people.  If you are leading in this way, then you will have a wife tht you cannot help but be proud of.  Whether it is an achievement at work, a fitness goal, the way she handles the children, or something she has done at church, your wife will be a oman that you cn lift up to the world, and also someone that you can lift up to God.  That is certainly something to be proud of, and you shoulld let her know every chance you get.

                        These three things are not difficult to do.  However, if you are not accustomed to saying these things, you can have some difficulty expressing yourself.  With practice, you will find this easier.  When it is easier, it will become  habit.  Remember the words - I love you, you are beautiful, and I am proud of you!  It will make a difference in your marriage this year.

3 Things Men Need to Tell Their Wives, Part 2

Three Things Men Need to Tell Their Wives in 2014, Part 2

Shelton Easley

Every January 1, people all over the world sit down and make a list, either writing it out on paper, typing it in an article, or just thinking about it and keeping it in their own mind, the list of this new years’ Resolutions.  They do this because the new year brings the promise of a new start, and with it the chance to finally do the right thing in some part of their life.  Some people might think they need a complete do-over in life as a whole.  Whatever the case might be, they start January 1 full of hope and energy and determination.  This is the year they finally lose weight, or get control of their finances, and the list goes on.   There has been no success, but there has also been no failure.  It’s only January 1!  (Hey, everybody needs encouragement, whatever form that might take!)

I am no stranger or exception to the New Years’ Resolution game.  I have made many more resolutions than I have kept.  Most of them have been the classic Weight Loss! resolutions.  Many had to do with improving my relationship with God and family.  They were all well-intentioned and strongly desired.  However, like a dry forest in a hot summer, they almost all went up in smoke and flames, burned and buried in the ashes of lost years.  My habits didn’t change, and the things about myself that I hoped would improve did not get better, and sadly, in many cases became worse.

So that we don’t get lost in the drama and over-contemplation that seems to be chasing these thoughts, let’s move on to the real heart of the matter for today.  I am one who feels very strongly that a man should be the acknowledged and respected leader of his household.  This a God-given position from the very beginning of scripture.  Genesis 3:16 says,

“Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”  

This position was reiterated in the New Testament, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:23-24,

“23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.”  

Large libraries worth of works have been produced by people who want to argue this point, both for and against.  Many hours have been spent on talk and news programs doing the same.  A recent book released by Candace Cameron Bure (Yes, that’s Kirk’s baby sister), has stirred that pot again because in one passage, Candace discusses the fact that she is a submissive wife.  Now, I’m not trying to debate the merits of this argument one way or the other.  The main reason is because I am a Christian man who believes that God’s word says that man is to take the ultimate leadership role in the family, and with that, the ultimate responsibility for the outcome of family dynamics.  (Ladies, do you really want that?)  So, in keeping with that premise, I want to give you guys three things that you should resolve to tell your wives in 2014 that will go far in helping you to take control of your role as leader of the family.  

2.  You are beautiful!

So, have you gotten the hang of telling her that you love her?  Don’t worry, it is definitely one of those things that gets easier the more you do it.  Eventually, those words will be a part of your nature.  While you’re at it, the next phrase also needs to be a part of your nature so that you are telling her everyday, “You are beautiful!”

Now, before you say something crazy, such as, “Well, she’s really not that much to look at,” let me tell you something.  I don’t care if she weighs 800 pounds, has no teeth, and combs her hair in a combover.  You married her!  So, unless you really were forced into the marriage, there was something about her that made you think she was attractive.  Now, I’m going to assume that none of you would want to marry someone you think is ugly, regardless of other people’s opinions.  So, if she was attractive to you then, she should be attractive now.

In case you need some help finding the words to say, let me point you to some verses from the Bible that are great expressions of Solomon’s appreciation of the beauty of his young wife.  

Song of Solomon 1:8 - "If you yourself do not know, Most beautiful among women, Go forth on the trail of the flock And pasture your young goats By the tents of the shepherds

Song of Solomon 1:15 - How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves

Song of Solomon 4:7 - You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you

Song of Solomon 7:6 - How beautiful and how delightful you are, My love, with all your charms !

Now, Solomon is quite poetic with his feelings, and he uses phrases that to our modern ears sound very strange.  The sentiment, however, is exactly what you should be conveying to your wife.  You don’t have to be fancy in the words that you choose.  Just be sure to choose something that is appropriate and not coarse.  A sincere, simple compliment does more good than you can probably imagine.  So, the next time your wife asks you if some article of clothing makes her look fat, take a minute and think about what you are going to say, and make her feel like she is the most beautiful woman in the world.