A Spiritual Activity

When we think of spiritual things, or spiritual activities, we normally think of church related, or missions related activities. Let me add another to the list. Having the grandchildren over for dinner, playing with them until bedtime, tucking them all into their sleeping bags and blankets, with the expectation of rising "early" in the morning (5 AM). What were we going to do at that outragous hour of the morning? We all went to the spiritual activity of watching hot air balloons blow up and take off into the crisp, early morning air. What a wonderful "spiritual" activity with my wife and grandchildren. The amazing thing was all four of these young ones woke up bright eyed and ready to go. I wish I could have said the same thing about Donna.
What a great day as the sun rose up over
the horizon.


It was quite a sight to watch these huge balloons rise up into the air and slowly float away. It wasn't long before they were all floating away into the dawn. After this we went to the big M and had breakfast for real.
I simply would not trade this time with my grandchildren for anything.

Is God Still God?

In my men's Bible study we are studying Isaiah. Assyria, the ruling power in Isaiah's day, has been conquering cities in the southern kingdom of Judah, and finally reach the city of Jerusalem. They taunt the city's people and their king Hezekiah.

"Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, 'The LORD will deliver us.' Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?" (Isaiah 36:18)

Hezekiah responds correctly by going to God with the enemies threats.
Isaiah 37:
17 "Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.
18 "Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands,
19 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them.
20 "Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, LORD, are God."

Here's how God answered King Hezekiah's prayer:
36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead.
37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh.

The Assyrians were unaware their victories were all part of God’s greater plan.
God had decreed the collapse of nations and the turning of cities into ruinous heaps.

Isa 37:26
26 "Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, From ancient times I planned it.
Now I have brought it to pass,
That you (Assyria) should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps.

And now God will crush the very nation He raised up.
Isaiah 14:24-27
The LORD Almighty has sworn,
"Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand. I will crush the Assyrian in my land; on my mountains I will trample him down. His yoke will be taken from my people, and his burden removed from their shoulders." This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Isaiah 45:7
I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.

Deuteronomy 32:39
There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.

Is God still God?

Daniel 2:20-21
"Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever,
For wisdom and power belong to Him.
21 "It is He who changes the times and the epochs;
He removes kings and establishes kings;

He's still God, and we can still trust Him. He will accomplish His plan for the nation we live in.

Golfing for Jesus

Last Saturday I removed my checkbook, wrote a check to North County Christian School, and proceeded to play 18 holes of golf. It was their annual, Scramble, April Fools Golf Tournament. It was an opportunity to golf with three other men I had never golfed with before, and two of the men I hadn't known before Saturday. It really was "golfing for Jesus." The Athletic department raised several thousand dollars that day. The entry fee was a worthy cause, even if you didn't receive a golf round and lunch. How'd we do? Out of the 20 teams, we came in forth place. I've been golfing in this tournament for over 20 years now.
In the early days, it was known for the bad weather. We golfed in rain, lightning and thunder storms. One year as we were approaching the 9th green, it began to hail. As a matter of fact it was difficult to see our white golf balls on the green, because the green was covered with white hail. I'll never forget, as Barbara Clark stepped up to her ball, we were all laughing. She had about a 15 foot putt. She knew she had to hit it harder because of the hail. There it went, bouncing over the hail. There was no way she could make this putt. Just as it approached the hole it bounced up into the air and down into the cup. We still laugh and remember those days.
Golfing for Jesus? Yes! "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Growing In Fertile Soil

It was 4: PM on Sunday evening, and I was enjoying the conclusion of the Masters Golf Tournament...my favorite tournament of the year. As I was watching the golf, I began thinking about the Sunday evening meeting which was to begin in just two hours. I found myself writing a song between golf shots. I grabbed my guitar and actually taught it to the congregation that night before we began our second study entitled "Don't Waste Your Life." I think I'll make it our theme song for the Sunday evening series. It's a simple little song. By popular demand, here's the words.













This Sunday morning I continue in the gospel of Mark, chapter 4:1-20. Jesus tells the parable of the sower. The traditional teaching of this parable interprets the seed as the gospel. The 4 soils as 4 different responses to the gospel. I have a few questions to ask Sunday. Here a portion of the text with a couple of my questions.

Mark 4:10-12
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables.
11 And He was saying to them, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

Q. Who are those on the outside? Unbelievers

Q. What are parables? Simple stories which illustrated a spiritual truth.

Q. Why did Jesus use parables? Two reasons…
1) to reveal spiritual truth to His followers.
2) to hide spiritual truth from "outsiders."

12 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN." Quoting Isaiah

Again… Why did Jesus speak and teach in parables?
To keep those on the outside on the outside.

Q. What is the seed? The word. Verse 14 says, "The sower sows the word.”
Matthew refers to the seed as "the word of the kingdom." (13:19)

Word = Gk. logos …or the Truths of the Kingdom.

So the “seed” the sower sows can be more than the salvation message (gospel).

Here are three important conclusion which may shift the traditional view of the parable of the sower.

1. Therefore, the soils should not purely be seen as responses to the gospel, but responses to the Word.

2. Remember, the truths of the parables were not going to the unsaved.
LOGIC: According to the traditional view of the second soil, how could the Word (parable) be received with joy by an unbeliever when it’s designed to be not receivable. To the unbeliever, the Word is referred to as foolishness. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (1 Corinthians 2:14).

3. So the “word,” the seed being sown into the hearts of people are the truths of the Kingdom of God.

That can only occur in believers lives and hearts.


So allow me to offer another view of the 4 soils.
Instead of describing 4 types of responses to the Gospel, could it be that the 4 soils describe 4 different ways a person responds to the Word of the Kingdom? INCLUDING BELIEVERS.

Sunday morning @ 10:30...for the rest of the story.

Sunday Night Church?

I remember in the 1970's, as a new believer, going to church on Sunday mornings, and then going back to church in the evening. I loved the more informal fellowship, singing, and teaching. The leadership at PRBC has been promoting a Sunday evening gathering, which began last night. Over 120 high school, college age, and older... have committed themselves, and re-instituted Sunday evenings once again. The subject is "Don't Waste Your Life."

We divided the sanctuary room into ten small groups of 8-12 people, with a discussion leader at each table. I believe our time together was interesting and profitable.

Each Sunday night will begin with prayer, singing, and then a 6 - 10 minute video of images, and music (no voices), which will allow us to slow down a little. Each video will characterize the theme of the evenings study. This is certainly a different concept, especially in our quick paced, instant, get it done culture in which we live. When I first saw it, my inclination was to eliminate these videos and just cut to the chase...to go directly to the 8 -10 minute teaching of John Piper. I'm glad I didn't.

Next week the topic is the beauty of Christ, my joy. Let me close with a quote from John Piper.
"God being glorified and God being enjoyed are not separate categories. They relate to each other not like fruit and animals, but like fruit and apples."

Do your homework, and see you next Sunday morning and EVENING!

Opportunity for God's Glory

As you know, last week PRBC had Peter Whitebird here to minister in song and testimony. They were running low in their CD's, so they called to have more shipped to them. They needed a local home address for delivery, so Pete asked me if the shipment could come to our home. "Sure." I said. They came back through Paso on Friday, the 4th, to pick up their CD's and have dinner with Donna and I. That day Pete and I were talking about what we mostly talk about...TRUTH. We were talking about the God we both serve, especially His complete control of all things, which ultimately end for His own glory. And wouldn't you know it...about 9:30 last night, as we were sitting in our living room drinking coffee, enjoying our fellowship...it happened. "Crash!" The squeal of tires and the sound of metal crunching just outside my living room window. We rushed out through the front door. There it was...a young man did not make the turn correctly, and crashed into the Whitebird's van. Glass everywhere. Yes, the young man was OK. The police got him on a DUI and off he went. Pete and Judy have to be in King City by 3:30 today (Saturday). All their equipment is in that van, now with dents, the rear window missing, and broken glass all through their tightly packed van. "LORD, is this You." Does He cause all things to work together for good, for those He has called, for those He loves (Romans 8:28)? Yes. It's interesting, we were just talking about this verse in Romans. By faith we were giving thanks to God. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 5:20). I know this, that if a sparrow cannot fall from the sky apart from the Father's will (Matthew 10:29), this accident could not have happened apart from the Father's will. Job certainly understood that. Let me give you just one result of this accident. Our neighborhood, who were on the scene, knows who Pete Whitebird is, and that Donna and I are believers in Jesus. We were also able to treat this young man and his parents, who live down the street, with kindness and understanding. This story will continue.

Pastor Dave