Calling All Concerned Christians

Here we are again, on the brink of another election. Although we groan at the seemingly endless parade of political commercials, advertisements, yard signs, and mailings that the election brings, it is none-the-less true that we are blessed to live in a time and place where “government of the people, by the people, and for the people” is still the law of the land.  While millions around the world are ruled by repressive monarchs, kings, and shahs, the political power of the United States still rests on the shoulders of her citizens.

Down through America’s history many generations demonstrated an obvious view that God, in His providence, was involved in our national affairs.  This is an important factor in many American distinctives, including:

·       The four references to God in the Declaration of Independence (1776)

·       Multiple statements in the Jefferson Memorial, including: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?”

·       The proclamation by President Lincoln of a November Thursday as “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” (1864)

·       References in Lincoln’s Memorial, including: “we here highly resolve that . . . this nation under God . . . shall not perish from the earth”

·       The inclusion of “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance (1954)

·       The designation of the national motto, In God We Trust (1956)

Regardless of historical facts, biblical truth is attacked in many political settings. This generates a question that rings across the landscape of faith… “What can a Christian do?”  Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, answered that question in a booklet titled, Your 5 Duties as a Christian Citizen.  Those five duties plainly answer the question: pray, register to vote, become informed, help elect godly candidates, and vote.  

Elections are not a time for Christians to be uniformed and uninvolved.  Rather, Christians must be knowledgeable of the issues and engaged with the political process.  It’s imperative that we examine political parties for their policies, and then support candidates who firmly exhibit a conviction to follow biblical principles, including protection of the unborn, defense of biblical marriage, suppression of illegal drugs, and the preservation of religious liberty.  These are not political issues.  They are biblical and ethical issues with a political overtone, and they cannot be left to the ungodly to decide.  Billy Graham stated his convictions in 1952: “I think it’s the duty of individual Christians at election time to study the issues, to study the candidates, and then go to the polls and vote.”

Psalm 33:12 reminds us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…”and Proverbs 14:33 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation.”  Certainly, no politician is perfect, and we must not be deceived into voting for or against a candidate based solely upon personality. If righteousness is to be exalted, then Christians must strive to live righteously and vote with righteousness in mind.

   -Dr. Harlie Miller, Associate Pastor

The God of the Storm

We post-modern over-enlightened humans often view the horrors of nature as being part of our dangerous world. Add a little bit of Christianity to this formula, and we view these same events as being part of the curse of sin, a world out of balance, if you will. Hurricane Florence and its aftermath being fresh on out minds seems to be proof of this. What else shows sin's curse more fully than a destructive “uninvited brute”, to quote Governor Roy Cooper, and the loss of property, life and the money spent attaining those things.

     Or, maybe we don't view this as a part of sin's curse at all. Maybe it's all just weather, climate change or the myriad of other explanations we give for our very dangerous planet. 

     When we think of God and storms like these, we like to comfort ourselves with Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee, calming the storm and sea. Sometimes we choose to bitterly ask God why He couldn't have done the same thing this time. 

     But Psalm 29 teaches us something very different. 

     In Psalm 29 we find David praising God through what must have been a very violent storm. He says that the glory of God is seen in the storm. David even calls on the angels of heaven to praise God for His glory and strength. Then he calls on all humans to honor and worship God for the glory of His Name that can be heard in thunder, and seen in the raging of the sea. David says that if we take the time to look we can see God's power and majesty when lightning strikes the cedar trees and shatters it. Even in earthquakes, tornadoes and floods God's power, glory, strength and peace are revealed to us, and for that we should praise His Name.

     It's hard for us to see God's power and glory in events such as these. We think of this as the chaos of sin's curse in action. God, speaking through David, tells us to be quiet and listen, be still and watch. My grandma used to tell me that you should be still and quiet during thunderstorms because God was at work. I used to think that was a weird statement to make, and probably some old folk tale, but really, isn't that what David is teaching us?

     God's glory is also revealed in how His people react to these awesome displays of His power. His glory is revealed when believers do what they can to help others in these times of disaster. Despite the storms and floods, the Lord gives His people strength and He blesses them with His peace.

Psalm 29 (NLT)

Honor the LORD, you heavenly beings; honor the LORD for his glory and strength.

Honor the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic. The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox. The voice of the LORD makes the barren wilderness quake; the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD twists mighty oaks

and strips the forests bare. In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”

The LORD rules over the floodwaters. The LORD reigns as king forever. 

The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.

- Ray Perdue, Men's Ministry Director

Step Forward

This month I would like to share a story from the daily devotional, Extreme Devotion, published by The Voice of the Martyrs organization. The devotion comes from the real-life story of Mary Skotsobaugh who was being held in a Nazi concentration camp. One night, two women escaped from the camp and therefore, the officials ordered all prisoners to get in a line and the guards were to count the prisoners. The guards were ordered to execute each tenth person in line.

[“…seven, eight, nine – you! Step out!” The Nazi guard yelled at the woman. “Please have mercy on me! I have a child,” the tenth woman pleaded. Mary Skotsobaugh stood next in line. In her heart Mary heard, “Step forward and say you wish to die in her place.” She replied to the inner voice, “Why? She is not a Christian. She is a Jewish Communist. When the Nazis are overthrown and the Communists come to power, they will be as bad as the Nazis.”

    Then Mary remembered that it was Good Friday. The voice said, “On this day I died not for the good ones but for the bad ones, for sinners.”

    Mary then stepped forward. “I wish to die.”

    The officer laughed. “If you are stupid enough to die in her place, all right, you come forward. Her turn will come soon enough.”

    As Mary went to be executed and burned in the ovens, she told them, “When God took His people out of slavery in Egypt, it is written in our Bible that he walked before them in a column of fire. I pray when my body burns it would be a column of fire that will show you the way to God.”]

“One step forward can make all the difference. Christians often live their lives precariously balanced on the ledge between safety and the unknown. Those who have taken the small step forward into the unknown have always found the faithfulness of God. Noah. Moses. Abraham. Deborah. Ruth. Mary. Paul. The list of biblical examples goes on and on, not to mention a host of history’s hall of fame. One step of faith changed their lives from ordinary to extraordinary. Is God calling you to step forward in faith today? Do you hear His voice in your heart? Listen up. Prepare to move. Your small step of obedience could show others the way to God.      

                                                                   Pastor Jason, Youth and Worship Pastor

(Consider) The Tree

For Christians, the “Message of the Cross” cannot be overstated.  As a prelude to my testimony scheduled for August 1st, I wanted to share a poem regarding the transformation of the meaning of the cross (for me) from a historical tool of death and suffering to a redeeming instrument of life rather than death; love rather than hatred; and joy rather than sorrow.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”  (KJV - Philippians 2:8)

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”  (KJV - 1 John 2:2)

(Consider) The Tree

There they were crippled on the lawn The morning after the storm had passed Two trees crisscrossed, one on top of the other Striking the sign of the cross Symbolic pose of 6th century BC  to 4th century AD Instrument of death by the most tortuous  and painful of ways Earlier, before the sun turned on its light I emerged from an insentient slumber And looked out a window To the somber painting-like rendering Of the Crucifixion On what happened to be, oddly enough  Palm Sunday Compelled to consider the tree My attention turned to a wooden graphic A bit more theological…The Cross Where the unblemished Lamb God’s only Son Was nailed to the intersection Of God’s love and justice Sacrificial blood flowing red Revealing His character Of greater love hath no man than this - Mickey Grubb

But what I recognized later that morning From my regular place on the pew Was the mercy tree where He hung for my iniquities Secured by the nails driven by my sin Wearing the thorns woven by my shame He who is sinless and pure Died in my place An atoning sacrifice for my transgressions All because He loves me more than I can imagine Toward evening, a once active chainsaw Had left behind a sprinkling of sawdust Along with a scattering of a few ragged leaves Remnant reminders of a storm’s clamor And the place of two windblown trees It is my prayer That one day, you too, may rise at dawn And look out a window Copyright © 2018 by Mickey Grubb

Life isn't fair

If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that one. Clichè or not, it is a truism which frequently bears out in everyone's lives. Sometimes the unfairness factor of life rushes at us in absolute fury. We maybe doing everything we are supposed to do and yet we are still left to deal with pain, suffering, illness, heartache, disappointment...the list goes on into infinity. But we forget that until something comes along in life that reminds us of the inherent unfairness of it all.

     Recently my wife, Stephanie, and I were reminded that even if you do what you should you are not granted a special pass on bad stuff. A few weeks ago we were involved in what could very well have been a catastrophic accident. Thankfully, neither of us sustained anything more serious than bruises, but we were scared out of our wits. We were not doing anything wrong, we were doing exactly what we were supposed to do, but that did not keep a potential tragic situation from happening. All it takes is one person to momentarily take their eyes off the road, to glance at something in their vehicle, ignore a stop sign or light, and things can get very bad very quickly. Now, this is not meant to be a PSA for safe driving. No, there is a far more important lesson to learn here.

     The wisest man of the ancient world wrote, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6, CSB). We often take that verse out of context and twist it to mean something that it never has. Solomon does not instruct us that if we trust God everything will always be perfect. He doesn't teach us that if we seek after God with all our heart then life will always be fair. Instead, he is telling forgetful, hardhearted, stubborn believers that trusting in God depends upon you giving up on your understanding. Seeking and following Christ means totally trusting in Him.

     So, what does this mean for us? And what does an auto accident have to do with this? Trusting in God means that sometimes you are doing what is right, you are following Christ with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, yet bad things still happen. When those bad things happen we are to keep trusting in God, and forget everything we know about how things are supposed to work. Knowing God in all of our ways means that sometimes the paths God is making straight for us go completely off-road. You might think it is scary, horrifying and even insane, but God has laid out a straight path for you. 

     Life rarely turns out the way we want it to. When things go crazy, keep trusting God with all your heart. When your world is literally turning upside down on you, keep on knowing God in all your ways. Will everything turn out Okay? From our perspective, possibly not. From the perspective of the Father, those paths were laid out straight, just for us, long before.

- Ray Perdue // Men's Ministry Director

A Note on Faith and Families

The weeks of late spring/early summer bring important events to our family calendars, particularly Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Vacation Bible School.  Families and churches, not to mention gift shops and florists, pause to commemorate the love and devotion of parents for their children.  Although we might hesitate at the commercialization of these two special events, we all agree that celebrating parents and families is good, even biblical when we recall the “Honor thy father and thy mother” statement found in Exodus.  Additionally, VBS provides an opportunity to expose and engage families with the Gospel as it’s taught and displayed in a variety of ways, such as lessons, puppets, and missionary stories.  VBS becomes a time when young people frequently receive Christ as Savior or, if already born again, can grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Bible and the Lord’s call upon their lives.

Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and VBS are all significant, not just because they provide fun experiences, shared memories, and photo opportunities, but more importantly, because they reflect the biblical truth that there is a special connection between faith and family.  It’s a relationship that was designed by God in the beginning with Adam & Eve, echoed in the Ten Commandments, referenced in the Psalms & Proverbs, described in the parables of Christ, and explained in the inspired writings of the Apostles.  Additionally, familiar words, such as father, brother, sister, family, child, son, and home,have application to the family-unit and to biblical faith.

The Scripture is clear to teach that the responsibility of creating a family environment of faith is placed squarely on the shoulders of the parents.  It’s the parents who set the priorities that reflect what’s important in raising the children.  Parents make the choices regarding how time is used and how money is spent, they decide where to go and what to do.  They resolve how faith will integrate into the family and to what degree, if any, biblical values are prioritized.

Being a parent is demanding physically, mentally, financially, and spiritually.  It’s not easy, but it can be wonderfully rewarding.  However, parenting becomes an even more difficult task when done without biblical principles and guidelines of truth to structure the family and rear the children.

A recent search of Amazon’s website using the phrase “parenting books” revealed more than three dozen categories and a total of more than sixty-thousand results.  Categories spanned a wide spectrum of ideas, research, trends, and “how to” topics.  After a brief survey of the results, it was easy to arrive at a conclusion…parentingmust be one of the most written about subjects of all time.  But when you think about it, that shouldn’t be a surprise.  The typical goal is to be a “good” parent, and in that pursuit of “good,” people, especially first-time parents, are looking for guidance and advice, of which, there is certainly an abundance of resources.  

However, as Christians, let us notfall prey to the “abundance of resources” about parenting which are built upon the shifting sand and feeble foundation of worldly, and even anti-God beliefs.  The goal of Christian parents is not just to be good, but rather to be godly… intentional and purposeful in creating an environment where Christ is honored, biblical-truth is valued, and church is prioritized.  Establishing such an environment is a recipe that can keep a family grounded in truth, abounding in love, and growing in the Gospel.  May we strive to make our homes a place where God’s truth is regularly sewn into the hearts and minds of our children and our children’s children.
 - Dr. Harlie Miller // Associate Pastor

A Note on Mother's Day

Growing up and attending school in West Virginia from the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s (wow, where did the time go?). provided a reasonable measure of West Virginia history in the classroom (a required course then, but not so much now). As part of the curriculum, students read about Anna Jarvis, a native of Grafton, West Virginia. Anna was recognized as the founder of Mother’s Day in 1908.  Mainly because of Ms. Jarvis's efforts, Mother's Day observancesbegan to spread to a number of cities and states until President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 officially set aside the second Sunday in May for the holiday.

The Mother's Day holiday quickly became a strong stimulus of consumerism.  However, commercialization was not Anna’s intent. The death of her mother in 1905 inspired Anna to simply want a day established where children could celebrate, appreciate, and recognize, not all mothers collectively, but their individual mothers, the best mothers they would ever know.  That’s why she accentuated the singular “Mother’s Day” as opposed to the plural “Mothers’ Day”.

For me, Mother’s Day is much more than cards, flowers, and/or dining out.  Those expressions are certainly okay; but, the most important part to celebrate is “mother”.  I was fortunate to be blessed with a special mother.  She was a great example of a mother faithful in both her belief and teaching me (as expressed in 2 Timothy 1:5).  Momma said: “Prayer is the shortest path to God. Travel it often.”

Here are a few more Bible verses that help remind me of how important mothers are:

John 19:25-27 (These verses demonstrate Jesus’ love and care for his mother, an example of how we should treat our mothers.)

Isaiah 49:15(This passage describes a mother’s endless compassion, never forgetting their children.)

Exodus 20:12(We are to always honor our father and mother.)

Leviticus 19:3(God commands that we respect our mother and father, to obey all of God’s commandments.)

An inspirational short story for Mother’s Day (theholidayspot.com)

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles away.  As he got out of his car, he noticed a young girl sitting on the curb, sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied, “I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother.  But, I only have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars.”

The man smiled and said, “Come on in with me.  I’ll buy you a rose.”

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own mother’s flowers.  As they were leaving, he offered the girl a ride home.  She said, “Yes, please!  You can take me to my mother.”

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred miles to his mother’s house.

-Mickey Grubb (Adopted at the age of 3)