The Big Dog's Bark

God's Leading

2009-08-25T11:30:00.004-04:00

It is hard to believe that it has been 7 years since God brought me to a little town in the middle of nowhere named Elnora. I remember coming over to the Daviess County Fair as a elementary school student at Bloomfield to ride rides and eat cotton candy. At that time I never dreamed that I would call that little town home.

In August 2002 I came here to work with the youth part time, but God had other plans. Two weeks after my arrival I was preaching. I felt like a child getting dropped into the deep end of the pool in this little town of Elnora. I had never had nor had I understood the pressure and the responsibility that a Minister faces.

A Minister faces sleepless nights & early mornings, he tries to comfort parents who have lost children, wives who have lost husbands, and husband who have lost wives. He sees marriages fail, families torn apart, and kids used as weapons in senseless and selfish battles. He sees how cancer kills his friend, and turns that friend into just a shell of what that they once were. Then after cancer claims his friend, he has to comfort the grieving widow, all the while he has to deal with his own loss.

He sees the ugly side of addictions to alcohol, drugs, porn, pride, and adultery. He knows that his friends are on a path to destruction but they refuse to listen to the council of someone who loves them. He sees the ugly side of "Christians" who would rather gossip and slander him instead of encourage him. He is left scratching his head and trying to figure out what God is up to, and how he fits into that plan.

Yet for all the difficulties God always provides moments of hope and blessing. When a preacher gets a wordless hug of thanks from the newly widowed. When he gets a note that says thanks for teaching me that God's ways are better than my old ways. When he sees a young person who comes from a broken home and has parents that don't care about them, yet they make the choice to follow Jesus. When the preacher sees the surprised look on his friends face when he shows up at the hospital right before the surgery so they can pray together. When you have preached the worst sermon of your life, and a little old lady comes out with tears, kisses you on the cheek and says "God, really used you today sonny" When you have the honor of performing the wedding of a couple who are in love, then going to the hospital a year later to celebrate the birth of their first child. Those good moments make all the sleepless nights, early mornings, and days of heartbreak totally worth it.

I would have never understood that it if it were not for God dropping me off in the deep end of the pool, in a little town called Elnora.

That is why Wednesday night August 12th was such a sad night for me and my family. That is why Sunday August 16th was a day that I dreaded. I offered my resignation as the Minister at Elnora Christian Church on the 12th to the leadership, and it became public on the 16th.

I will never forget the lessons that God has taught me using ECC. Some of those lessons were painful, some were easy, some difficult, but all were necessary.

On October 16th, I will leave the little town of Elnora, and when I leave, a little piece of my heart will remain.

God has a new adventure planned for my family and I, we will be moving to Alfordsville, where I will serve as Minster at the Christian Church at Alfordsville.

This was not an easy decision, but we believe with all our hearts that this is where God is leading us. As servants of Christ we must go where He calls us, because He knows best.

So we go with a sense of sadness, but yet with a sense of peace. Sadness because we leave friends and family that we have come to love. We go with peace because we know that God has spoken and we are listening. It has been my experience that when we listen to God, peace follows.

I will Blog more later.

TTFN
Randy

I Cause Global Warming

2009-04-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

I read this on foxnews.com this morning, I just laughed... The first quote in bold is the original from the website, the next is the same quote with my thoughts in parenthesis.

'Dr. Phil Edwards, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "Moving about in a heavy body is like driving in a gas guzzler."

Each fat person is said to be responsible for emitting a ton more of climate-warming carbon dioxide per year than a thin one.'

'Dr. Phil Edwards(quack), of the London School of Hygiene (Can a Brit really preach to us about hygiene? Really?) and Tropical Medicine, said: "Moving (Now we have a reason not to move, which includes exercise.) about in a heavy body (Dr. Phil is smart! He is afraid of us fat people, not calling us fat was a good idea.) is like driving in a gas guzzler."(I think they should be specific. If you are 25 pounds overweight, your a full sized car emitter, 25-50 is SUV emitter, 50 to 100 Semi-truck emitter, 100 or more, a fully loaded 747. This is scientific after all.)

Each fat(the journalist that wrote this is not as smart, probably because he is not a DR.) person is said to be responsible for emitting a ton (of course depending on your emitting status that could be more) more of climate-warming carbon dioxide (Don't forget about methane.) per year than a thin one.'

I guess that "breathing thing" fat people do is going to have to stop.

But wait, This just in...Joggers cause global warming too...all the heavy breathing from strenuous exercise produces the same amount of CO2 as a fully loaded VW Bug.

(I love sarcasm)

What's next?

Shalom,
Randy

Understanding vs. Caring

2009-04-19T18:18:00.001-04:00

I normally try to stay away from politics but I read this and it just rubbed me the wrong way.

David Axelrod a senior adviser to the President said this Sunday.

"The thing that bewilders me is this president just cut taxes for 95 percent of the American people. So I think the tea bags should be directed elsewhere because he certainly understands the burden that people face,"

Folks, there is a difference between understanding and caring, and evidently the powers that be think we are too stupid to know that.

I understand a great many things, but I just don't care.

I understand how Lacrosse is played, I just don't care.

I understand NASCAR races, I just don't care.

I understand the respiratory system of a plant, I just don't care.

I understand the game of Baseball, I just don't care.

I bet the same holds true for you too. Maybe different topics, but the thought is the same.

See there is a difference, we all have an understanding of something that we don't care about.

For the Government (all branches, parties, ect...), they understand the plight of the people they just DON'T CARE.

Fan or Follower?

2009-04-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

As of 10:40 am on April 14, 2009 God has 226,094 fans on Facebook. Now your first thought might be “Wow, that’s awesome. God has fans. Maybe I should become a fan?” Please understand, if you are a member of this group I mean no disrespect to you, but God does’t want fans.

I mean isn’t that why we have the problems we have now-a-days? Because, God just has fans.

I am a fan of IU basketball, the Detroit Red Wings, The Colts, Buffalo wings, Peeps, a good steak, Krispy Kreams, Jeeps, Ford Trucks, Boston Terriers, Talk Radio, Fishing, Hunting, House, Heroes, Hulk Hogan (the “I am a Real American” Hulkster, not the NWO goober), Ronald Reagan, Chris Tomlin, Rich Mullins, TobyMac, and Aaron Shust. I like these things.

I am a diehard supporter and fan of all the above and much more, but I am not willing to sacrifice life and love for the sake of a sports team, car company, T.V. show, hobby, artist, politician, or food. Not even for Krispy Kreams!!!

I am not a Fan of God, I am a follower of God.

I am not a fan of Jesus, I am a follower of Jesus.

There is a difference. When Jesus called the apostle Peter he did not say, “Hey Pete, want to be my fan?” No, Jesus said “Come, Follow me.” When we follow Jesus it is for life. It is putting our faith, trust, hope, and love in the hands of an Eternal God and Savior who will not disappoint us. It is allowing that same God and Savior to change us.

Because, that’s what happens when we stop being fans, and start following Jesus. He changes us. It makes us something totally and radically different. I have never walked away from a ballgame as a radically different person. Why? Because those things we are a fan of do not have the ability to bring a lasting change to our lives.

Every team is going to lose, and every season is going to come to an end.

Every bite eaten and calorie consumed will soon become a memory. (Ok, maybe not as soon as we like but, calories get used eventually.)

Every jeep and truck will all end up as bucket of rust in the scrap heap of time.

Every T.V. show ends it’s run in both new and syndicated re-runs.

Every actor, politician, artist, and singer retires, and the steady flow of inspiration trickles to an end.

The awesome thing is following Jesus never ends. The adventure always continues. The season doesn’t end, the inspiration doesn’t stop, and if you ever feel like it does, chances are about 100% that it is your fault and not His.

From day we submit, to the day that we die, and beyond; following Jesus never results in disappointment.

So I choose to be a follower, not just a fan.

Shalom,
Randy

REAL HOPE

2009-04-10T13:34:00.001-04:00

This is inspired by God and a good friend. The words are mostly mine but the idea is his, thanks for the jump start to this weeks message.

There have been many great presidents of this country throughout the years. Washington, Lincoln, Kennedy and a host of other men have held the office. I am sure that it can be argued that one of the greats was Thomas Jefferson.

History tells us that Jefferson was not a great speaker and orator. Some men can use words to paint a picture in the imagination of a man’s soul. Thomas Jefferson could not do this with words but he could do this with a pen and ink.

Think about the words that Jefferson penned that are so famous. “We Hold these truths to be Self-evident, that all me are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Those are inspiring words. Words that have been the hinge pin for the dreams of anyone who calls themselves an American. Those words are capable of giving hope to the hopeless, the only problem is that those words, don’t inspire the real God given hope that we so desperately need.

You see the hope of those words can be taken away with the beginning of a new revolution, or even the sound of a gunshot. Jefferson’s pen has inspired so many people but it is his scissors that has taken real hope away from people.

What many people don’t know about Thomas Jefferson is that while he was a huge fan of Jesus and his moral teachings he could not, and would not accept anything miraculous in the Bible. So what Jefferson tried to do was what he saw as separating fact from fiction. He wanted to keep the moral teachings of Jesus and get rid of anything supernatural. By doing this any miracle found in the New Testament, he would take his scissors and clip it out and throw it way. Jesus healing a man born lame or blind, was not found in Jefferson’s Bible. The raising of Lazarus was nowhere to be found.

These are the Closing words of Jefferson’s new Bible. “There laid they Jesus, and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed.”

With one line Jefferson gave political hope to every American, and with another line he took away eternal hope for all humanity.

You see if Jesus had remained in his tomb then all hope is lost, and there is no future for any of us.

If Jesus had remained in his tomb, then the hours we spend in Bible study and prayer have all been spent in vain.

If Jesus had remained in his tomb all the hours we spend in worship is for nothing, because everything we have believed is a lie.

If Jesus had remained in his tomb then we might as well be Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, or even Atheists, because all hope of a life beyond this one would be gone.

Jefferson’s cut and paste Bible might have made sense to Thomas Jefferson, but it showed that he was a man without real Hope.

His pen carried a mighty message of hope, but his scissors betrayed him because they showed that he was without hope, because when you cut the resurrection of Jesus out of the Bible and out of your life then you are removing all Hope. Because that is what the resurrection give us. It gives us hope that there is eternal life after this life.

And while Jefferson did not have that hope, we do. Because since the apostles, we have celebrated this Hope.

That Hope has kept us going, when times are hard. When family strife and finical struggle drag us down, the Hope of eternal life picks us up.

That Hope has given us a firm footing when the storms of life threaten to pound us into oblivion. When we think about those that we have loved and lost, it gives us hope that while their physical bodies might be dead their spiritual bodies are alive and in the presence of the LIVING CHRIST.

That Hope inspires us worship the risen Jesus, and live a life of Holiness for Him.

The resurrection of Jesus is our REAL HOPE.

What prayer SHOULD be

2009-03-05T15:36:00.000-05:00

Wow it has been longer than I thought since I last wrote. I hope that you will forgive my neglect.

I wrote the following yesterday in preparing for our Encounter worship service. Some of it is original, other parts probably came from other places and other things that I have read over the years. I offer it here for God's glory not my own, so enjoy.

Prayer is more than talking to God about sick people.

Prayer should be our heart reaching out in desperation for the heart of God.

Prayer should be our heart reaching out with boundless joy for God’s heart.

Prayer should be our born from our brokenness reaching out to the heart of God for healing.

Prayer should be an over flow of love from our heart to the heart of God.

Prayer should be an abundance of thankfulness from our heart to the heart of God.

Prayer should be a bending our spirit in submission God’s Spirit.

Prayer should be an act of worship from a repentant heart seeking to lift up God so that all can see.

Prayer should be an exercise of the Spirit that leaves us breathless and ready for God’s refilling.

Prayer should be an emptying of everything we love in this world so God can fill us with everything we need.

Prayer should be so draining that our knees are weak and we need God to support us just so we can walk after we are done.

We have all heard it said that prayer changes things, and there is power in prayer, but the first thing that prayer changes is us. The power that comes to bear must first come to bear in our lives, before prayer makes an impact on others.

We have yet to see the full changes and power that prayer can bring in this church, because we have not prayed as we should.

We have yet to lay our hearts bare and naked before God, we can voice nice prayers for people but yet still have a wall surrounding our hearts.

We have yet to learn how to pray like King David who laid everything out to God in prayer. Every deep emotion, both good and bad. Every thought, brought to God for his consideration.

We have yet to learn how to pray like Jesus, who bore his soul in the garden. Thinking about his disciples and looking forward to the day that we would be sitting here, tonight worshiping God.

I have come to the conclusion that if revival is going to start at this church it is going to start on a night like tonight. When we come before God with our heart seeking God’s heart, not just wording some prayer for sick people but lamenting before His throne because of the condition of this world, lamenting because of the condition of our hearts, and lament because of the condition of Jesus Church in this place.

Randomness

2009-01-15T10:29:00.003-05:00

I know it has been a while since I posted But I thought I would post a few random thoughts before I head out to eat lunch with my wife.

Thought number:
1. Thank God for "Global Warming" imagine how cold it would be without it.

2. It is really nice having your wife work in the same county you live in.

3. A good curveball is hard to hit in baseball, but even harder to hit when life throws one at you.

4. 5th graders are heathens (mine included) but God still loves them.

5. Most adults are heathens too, but God still loves them also.

6. Can fire freeze, I think I will go out and build one and find out?.....Yep, it sure can.

7. Diet--is it a coincidence that the biggest part of the word is DIE?.....Nope, I don't think so.

8. If the world judges the Church by the signs it puts out in front of our buildings, is there any wonder people think the church is full of geeks. "Don't give up, Moses was once a basket case." That just screams "GEEK" to me.

Well I hope to get back to blogging on a regular basis. Got any random thoughts give me a comment and let me know.

Shalom,
Randy

Will the world stop spinning in 2009?

2008-12-31T10:59:00.003-05:00

Can you believe that this is the last day of 2008. As hard as it is to believe it is true. 2008 was a tough year. We lost some really good people this year. Boots Blocksom, Bud Chestnut, and Johnny Miller. The memory of their love and faith will stand as a testament to their commitment to Jesus.

The biggest story of the year locally has to be the great flood of 2008. Seeing three feet of water just outside my back yard is not a sight I care to see again. If I see another sand bag it will be too soon.

What will happen in 2009? I have no idea. My guess is that the world will keep spinning, Washington will keep throwing money out, like a parade float throws candy. And Hollywood will keep making movies.

As for ECC in 2009? We are going to once again become an Acts 2:42 community. We are going to devote ourselves to Jesus teachings, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, to prayer, and to praising God together. If we accomplish those things this year, then God will be glorified, the body of Christ at ECC will be strengthened, and Jesus will be lifted up.

I hope you will join us in 2009 and make this year, a year we become an Acts 2:42 community.

Global Warming?

2008-12-18T09:33:00.002-05:00

Snow in Vegas? Global Warming? Hey Al Gore, help me understand this theory please?

How do you pray?

2008-12-04T12:41:00.002-05:00

Ever feel like prayer is a one sided conversation?

Maybe it seems that way, because too often it is.

I confess this is a struggle for me, I think that every second my head is bowed and my eyes are closed I need to be saying something. Maybe, what we need to sit back and allow Jesus a few words. I am know that there are times, He has something to say but he can't get a word in edge wise.

Will we ever learn that prayer is a conversation and not a monologue?

Holy Is the Lord

2008-12-04T12:23:00.002-05:00

This is going to be our invitation song for the the month of December. Chris Tomlin is one artist that is very quickly becoming an all time favorite of mine.

The New Dollar Bill

2008-11-26T11:21:00.005-05:00

I am thinking that this might be a good idea , especially in light of the recent finical distress.

Randy's Ramblings

2008-11-24T08:36:00.002-05:00

Talk about busy weekend. I sometimes wish that there were 3 days in a weekend.

Saturday ECC had the Living Faith food and clothing give away. We gave food and clothes to 26 families in the North Daviess area. That means that 101 people will have a better thanksgiving because of this ministry. What was really awesome is that in the few weeks before the give away we asked for the ECC family to donate a total of 30 turkeys for the give away. The final total of turkeys donated was 36. I am blown away by that, and in the coming weeks we are going to host a community dinner for anyone who would like to come in and eat and fellowship.

I feel like the current message series the Jesus Language is going real well. Of course we think of Jesus as a great teacher and preacher, but when we look at his actions, we see that He did not just talk about what we should be doing as His people, but he showed us by example. My continous prayer through out this series is that all of the family at ECC will begin to speak the Jesus Language.

Sunday afternoon ECC had 7 folks go to the nursing home in Odon to lead their church service. It is great that we had these 7 servants go out and show the love of Jesus to the residents at Ketcham. I will be the first to admit that there are times that I dread things like that at times, but when I listen to God instead of fighting what he want, He always blesses me. (I certainly do not deserve that blessing, but thankfully He blesses me regardless of my unworthyness.)

Then Sunday night we had a huge crowd out for our Thanksgiving dinner. I don't know how many were there, but I do know that we had to set up more tables and get chairs from classrooms. Of course the food was great and we even had enough to deliver a plate to some of the senior folks who don't get out as often as they would like.

I never thought I would ever say this, but after a big weekend like last weekend, I thank God for Monday.

I need a bailout too.

2008-11-18T09:46:00.002-05:00

700,000,000,000 here 25,000,000,000 there. Hey Washington, I have school loans I am still paying, car payments, and I need a big expensive vacation, and don't forget a couple million bucks in bonus money. Oh yeah I also want a Jeep, but mind you I want an older one, not a new one, (that would be irresponsible) Why can't I get a bailout?

Can you tell all this bailout talk is frustrating to me? My family and I have to live on a budget, when we want something we either save for it or do without. It is that simple. For years now the majority of this country has been living on money that they did not have, and when their greed catches up with them, they want someone to bail them out. Houses are being foreclosed on, companies are closing down, bankruptcies are being filed. Why is all this happening? Now I am not an economist, but maybe it has to do with the fact that we are living beyond our means.

Maybe it has to do with the culture if greed that has possessed the majority of this country.

Maybe it is because folks in our country think that they are entitled to anything and everything they want.

Folks is here is the truth. If we lived within our means, became good stewards of the things that God has blessed us with, and done without a few of the luxuries (for instance learn how to read a map instead of a computer navigator, skip out on the TV and Xbox in your next car purchase, and if you have a family of say 5 then don't buy or build a house with 7 to 10 bed rooms, and 4 or 5 bathrooms.) life would be so much simpler.

Give the FIRST of your money to God as an offering (While the New Testament does not say 10% for most of us that is a faith stretcher, so that is what I always suggest), then live off the rest.

Let's try living every area of our life according to what God desires and not just the parts that we like.

Let's quit living on borrowed funds, and let's live on the funds that God has given us.

Then when we realize that our bailout has come not from the government, but from God then we can point to Jesus and give God the glory.

Our New President

2008-11-06T20:47:00.004-05:00

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of President-elect Obama. I do not like his policies, I do not like his past associations, I don't like the fact that he can become president with only two years in Washington. I do not like the fact that he spent more on an election that many 3rd and 4th world countries spend in a year. Believe me I can go on and on about what I don't like about our future president, but that is will not change anything.

Instead I am going to elect to pray for our future leader. Not for anything bad, but that he will lead with wisdom. God has the person in office that he choose for whatever reason. It is not my place to question God's judgment, my place is only to trust that He (He being God, not Obama) has it all under control. Because at the end of the day God is still on his throne, no matter who is in the White House.

2008-11-04T21:37:00.003-05:00

Welcome to The Big Dog's Bark. As I write this first post I am listening the presidential elections. All I have to say is thank God it's finally over.