Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX

The picture has nothing to do with the blog except to remind us to take a few moments and pray that we will allow God into our thoughts throughout the day.

In the previous blog I mentioned the five types of men.   The first type was “Men who need a relationship with Christ.”    The Scripture that is mentioned in the book for this type are Romans 6:23 and 1 John 5:11-12.  These Scriptures talk about knowing Christ and having eternal life.  These are men who are not Christians and know they aren’t and most of them don’t go to church.   Some of the traits typical of this type are: May come to church with his family occasionally – think Mother’s day or Easter.   A neighbor or coworker someone brought to the Men’s BBQ or Superbowl Party.    Guys who play on the church softball team or show up for Friday Night Basketball in your church gym.    A man who comes to the Christmas Play or Easter Cantata.  

Think about your friends who may fit some of these descriptions.  They are not all inclusive but if you look for them and plant the seeds Christ calls you to, you may be seeing them more often in your own church home.   Perhaps they will find another church home.    All good results as long as they attend a Christian Church.   Remember your actions in the world reflect Christ in your life.   Your actions are the spiritual nourishment that will water the seeds that are planted by others.   We are sent to the ends of the earth to call people to Jesus Christ. I cannot think of a more important reason to be a witness to Jesus Christ than the promise of eternal life for those who hear His Word and accept Him as their savior. 

Have a blessed weekend,  go to church,  its a great way to start your week out,

Pastor Randy

From left to right AKA: Harold Bellow, Ricky Bellow, Randy Branch.  Just men having fun at a church outing.

Since Fathers day is around the corner and most men are fathers, I wanted to take the next four days to use some quotes out of the book  “No Man Left Behind;”  a book about getting men involved with Christ and His Church.  According to the authors there are five types of men:

1.)  Men who need a relationship with Christ.  Men who are not Christians and know they aren’t.  Most don’t go to church.  – Romans 6:23, 1 John 5:11-12.   2.) Men who are cultural Christians (men on the fringe)  – Matthew13:22.  3.)   Men who are biblical Christians,  or want to be.  Matthew 13:23.   4.)  Men who are leaders, or want to be. -2 Timothy 2:2   5.)  Men who are hurting.  –  Galatians 6:2.

Of the 108 million men in America, 66 million make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  This means over 60 percent of men need Christ.  Of the 42 million men who do make some kind of profession of faith in Christ, only an estimated six million are involved in any kind of ongoing spiritual development (one out of seven).  This means that about 36 milion men in America are cultural Christians.  The six million biblical Christians are an estimated 5.5 percent of the general population.   In our experience something like 20 percent of biblical Christians are leaders.

I don’t know what you think about these figures but it sure looks to me like there is one huge evangelism field out there for those of us who are committed Christians.  Men and Women of God lets get to work doing God’s Will in this world through our witness.  All of you who are fathers and are committed Christians it is time to make a difference in this world.  Be a committed Christian at work and at play.  People will notice but most importantly Men will notice.  Perhaps some will change their lives because of your Christlike ways.  Remember category five above, Men who are hurting,  because men can be hurting in whatever category they fall in. 

Have a blessed day,  Pastor Randy

Father’s Day is just around the corner.  For those of you who have forgotten here is a reminder, its Sunday 6-20-2010, just four days from now.  That’s my Dad in the picture with my Mom.  Still a pretty good looking couple at 89 and 90.  When I took this picture we were waiting at a restaurant on Mother’s Day.  This scene may be repeated on Father’s Day when we take them both out for lunch at some nice restaurant.

As a Father I look back on my life and can see many things I wish I had done differently.  All the influences I have had on my life have led me to make choices that have had an effect on my children.  Just as my Father’s life was influenced by the environment he grew up in.  We can all look back with some regrets, at some of our decisions and with a great thing called hindsight we can say we would much rather have made a different decision.

Well hindsight is a great learning tool but what we need to apply to our future is foresight.  Making good decisions that influence our loved ones, parents and children,  in a way that helps them see a way of truth and life.  Our Savior Jesus Christ gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us make it through the decision making times of our lives.  It is up to us to allow the Holy Spirit into our lives and decision making so that we live with less regret and with more Joy.

Praying before decision making helps us to make right decisions and keeps us from praying for help to make up for bad decisions.  When we pray first, we set an example for our family that our faith in God is always first and can lead us into a life of promise and plenty.

Fathers and Mothers set examples.  Be the example God calls you to be by including Him in every decision you make. 

Have a blessed Father’s Day, Pastor Randy

Well I do know the name of these flowers, Lily of the Nile.   Not sure what the correct name is but I know where they live.  They live in our backyard.  They are some of the flowers Jane and I get to appreciate when they bloom out.

When I look at the different stages that these beautiful flowers go through to mature into that beautiful blue, I am amazed.  It amazes me also that God will be patient with us as we work through our lives and bloom out to be the beautiful Christians He calls us to be.  It would be great if we were born into being convicted and committed Christians living lives that witness to His love for us and the world we live in.  As the human beings we are, we most often have to grow through the stages of life and Christianity just as the lilies do.  We must have seeds planted, we must have spiritual nourishment pour upon us, we must be given time to grow in our Christian beliefs and be able to mature into a person who will blossom into a beautiful Christian that will spread the seed of the Gospel through the world.  These seeds will then repeat the process through the outpouring of spiritual nourishment that convicted and committed Christians have for all those who have heard the Word of God.  Nature’s process was created by God and God has given us a process for Christian Evangelism we must follow through, to be able to say we are believers in Jesus Christ and His Way.

God’s Peace and blessings, Pastor Randy

I have no idea what kind of flowers these are but I can tell you where they live at.  Jane and I were on the island of Ischia off the coast of Italy at the bay of Naples.  These flowers were growing, wild I think, just outside the apartment that Tracie was living in when we went to visit.

Looking through these pictures of Italy reminded me again of how beautiful this world is that God has given us.  No matter where I go I see a natural beauty provided by God.  Sometimes the effect of man’s life on the world leaves it scarred.  God has given nature the ability to reclaim and rebuild the beauty God intended.  God gives us this same ability.  When we trust in Him and the way of Jesus Christ we are able to survive the wounds and scars that our lives encounter.  When we trust in Him and the way of Jesus Christ we are able to reclaim and rebuild our lives.  In that rebuilding and reclamation we then are able to witness to God working in our lives to others who may be scarred with the trouble that they have realized in their lives.

Take time to be thankful.  There is a natural healing that will take place for physical injuries.  There is a spiritual and physical healing that takes place when we trust in God.  When we trust in God there is the opportunity for us to help others experience the physical and spiritual  healing that only He can bring.

See “1 Peter Chapter 1”.  Look it up on biblegateway.com

Have a blessed weekend and may God be with you in all you do, Pastor Randy

I won’t apologize for another sunset picture.  They are too beautiful to pass up.  This is another picture from Jeremy/Tracie in La Jolla California.

While this sunset is a beautiful picture, there are many beautiful scenes presented to us in the Gospels.  This weeks lectionary reading has a beautiful scene from Luke 7:36-8:3 where the woman anoints Jesus with oil and wipes his feet with her tears and her hair.  When I think about this woman who was known as a sinner and the courage she has to come into the presence of a group of men sitting at the dinner table, I am amazed at her boldness to come and do something for Jesus that is one of the most boldest, beautiful, confident, heart felt actions that she could possibly take to express her love and respect for Him.  She did something for Him that must have set everyone there back on their heals.  For her to do these types of things for Jesus at a gathering such as this, was an action that was unheard of and drew criticism.  Jesus recognized where her heart was and where the Pharisee’s heart was also.  

Jesus wants our hearts to be where this woman’s heart was and far from where the Pharisee’s heart was.   A humble heart that loves Jesus is exactly what God calls us to have.   Do you have a humble heart?   Do you worship Jesus without regard to what other people think?   Does your pride and self- serving interest keep you from reaching out to the Holy Spirit and following the path that God has set forth for you through the teachings of Jesus?  These are all questions we need to keep in front of us each and every day.  Give yourself a heart checkup each day while you reflect on the day.

Have a blessed and peace filled day,

Pastor Randy

Another California Sunset.  My daughter Tracie took this picture the day before her wedding which gave me cause to reflect on life. 

Sunsets are a reminder that days come and go.  At the end of the day when the sun is setting and you take a little time to reflect on the day you have just experienced I hope that your reflections are at least in part on the day being one that God has given you.  Reflect on the interactions you have had with others.  Did those interactions embody and embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ and His love for God, this world and it’s people?  While none of us get it right all the time, times like this beautiful sunset remind us whose we are and what our love for God and Jesus can mean to the world.  Reflection on our days can give us the motivation we need to move closer to being the disciples that Jesus calls us to be.

Have a blessed week and a wonderful summer. Remember our Bible Study on Acts begins Wednesday the 9th at 6pm.  Come and join us for prayer, study and a fellowship meal.

Pastor Randy