It seems to me that as I read the book of Act's that early Christians lived life somewhat different than do we Last Day believers. Modern Christianity would have us believe that we should always be blessed with health and wealth and that life should be comfortable and easy. That God will keep us from all sorrow and sickness. But we should not be surprised if we are living our life according to the Bible and find that it is not always a bed of roses. Philippians 1:29 " For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." The Bible says all who live godly shall suffer persecution, but the promise is that we shall be rewarded, if it is for Christ's sake that we are persecuted. Matthew 5:11-12 tells us we are blessed when we are persecuted and reviled and when all manner of evil is said about us. Fact is Christ suffered for us, "the just for the unjust." Isaiah 53:3 tells us that Jesus was a :man of sorrows, aquainted with grief." If we are truly going to know Christ and walk with Him, then we must suffer for His sake. Philippians 3:1 "That I may know Him, and the power of His ressurection, and the FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING, being made conformable unto His death." The truth is "Shallow Christianity endures no suffering." C.H. Spurgeon once said "There are no crown- wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here below." 

 How are each of you this last Monday of September 2009? It is hard to believe it is almost October, but today in Northeast Indiana you can fill fall in the air. The last several days for me have been filled with some good things. On Friday I went to help with our James Dean Festival Outreach. We got ther about 11 a.m. and spent the entire dayuntil about 8 p.m. working our evangelistic booth. We teamed up with Tom & Carolyn Curtis of SOS Events who are seasoned soul winners and what a great three days of witnessing too and winning of souls for the Lord. On Friday it rained much of the day and the crowds were smaller but by the end of the day we had seen nearly 40 teens and adults give their lives to Christ. Each sincerely repented and prayed to receive Jesus as thier Saviour. Last night in chuch we were given the final count of those who received the Lord. It was reported that 167 people had come to know the Lord. Praise the Lord! What great stories behind each conversion. I will take some time this week and share some of these beautiful stories. But not only were people saved but more were witnessed to and the seed was sown and for many others the seed was fertilized. Thank the Lord His seed will never go return void. Thanks to each one who helped to labor in this eternal endeavor. Then on Sunday we had our "Answers Conference." Dr Tommy Mitchel from "Answers In Genesis" was with us for the whole day of church. Wow what a great day. Our crowds were great both in the morning and evening. Last evening was a packed house with many visitors. Dr. Mitchell did a wonderful job giving Biblical answers to questions concerning evolution, the age of the earth and so much more. I was especially pleased with the amount of young people that were with us for the day. On Saturday Karen & I went on a joint tour trip with the Purpose Driven Sunday School class and the Yams Sunday School class. We went to the Creation Museum near Cincinnatti, Ohio. We had 28 people on this trip and it was a great day. I encourage all of you to go to this place and take some friends with you . It would be a great place to take a lost family member or friend. Well I wanted to bring you up a little on what I have been doing and will blog tomorrow. Have agreat day. 

This Sunday September 27th,  we are hosting an" Answers in Genesis Conference". Dr. Tommy Mitchel will be our guest speaker, he is with Dr. Ken Ham's international ministry. Dr. Ham's ministry is one of the foremost ministry's in the world concerning 'Creation versus Evolution." We are blessed to have Dr. Mitchel who has been taught and trained by such a wonderful teacher. He will speak in both  the morning services and evening. I encourage each of you to bring a visitor for this great day of "ANSWERS FROM GENISIS."

You may ask does it really matter, Creation versu Evolution? Of course it does. What does the Bible teach? What does unconverted man teach. What makes evolution so popular? Why do so many grab hold of this THEORY?  What it's appeal?  Why would so many want to believe and teach an unproved theory as fact? Could it be that the real reason so many want to believe evolution has nothing to do with the head as much as the heart? Why would Satan attack the book of Genesis more then any other book. Why would he draw men to believe such a lie? Could it be that if men beleive such theory that we can in our wishful thinkng beleive we are here on this earth without a creator, withourt a God, without any accountability, without any authority that we are answerable too. If there is no God then man can do as he pleases, as he sees fit. If ther is no creator God then then the Bible is not His Word and it is only writings of men who want a god. If the Bible is not truly a book of the living God then no one has to listen to it. And if the Bible is not a book of God then when it tells us man sinned and fell short of the glory of God then that is not true and man is not a simner in need of a Savior God. If we have no creator then we have no sin because sin is only declared by a holy God who tells us what sin is. No sin no need for a Savior. Satan knows to attack the foundation is his best tactical movement in this battle of the ages.

We must get the story of creation to the next generation ! We must teach it, preach it, share it whereevr we go. Sunday we have a great opurtunity to get our co-workers, our children, our friends and family members to hear these great truths. Hope to see you and your guests this Sunday.

I don't think I am the only one very concerned about what is happening in our National government today. It is very alarming to me to see the decisions and directions our president and his assembled team is leading us into. Now for his credit , he did promise swift and big change. He is delivering a lot of what he promised. Now some things he is attempting to deliver he did not promise, in fact he alluded that he would do the exact opposite. Am I the only one who questions his statements made on national television that he was a born again Christian? If he is a genuinely born again believer then don't we have a right to ask where are his values shaped. Do his principles and philosophies reflect that the Holy Spirit lives in him and that the Bible has affected what he believes and what he behaves. For some time now I have been watching our president and wondering if he was a deceiver or if he was just deceived. It is becoming more and more evident to me that he is not only deceived but that he is and has been{ even before election} deceiving the American people . Not everything that looks like something really is something. I have seen people who seemed very humble and sweet but were in reality very aggressive, stubborn and self willed. I have seen people who seemed to be interested in serving others only in time to revel it was only a facade for personal gain. I think it has become evident that our president has some personal agendas that he is dedicated to seeing they become a part of our American society. He is out to CHANGE some things , that is for sure. I don't think he is he is simply a "Sincere man who is wrong." After more and more revelation I think he is a " Wrong man who is sincere." He is a man dedicated to much that is contrary to our God and His Word! He is not one who seems to be being led by the Lords Spirit or the Lords book the Bible. He is one being led by other powers and other vain philosophies. The American people should have seen this coming but for sure we should by now have seen what has come. Now I am not a democrat or a republican. I am not one to blast one just for blasting sake. But we must wake up and say no to much of the nonsense coming our way these days. What can we do? PRAY and PRAY some more. Then we can say enough is enough. Much of our present governmental leadership is going the wrong way and we must let them know. Email, letters public outcry, editorials whatever the Lord leads us in, but we must do something. I for one believe in this country and what it was established for. I want America to be the country she has been for my grandchildren. 

Let me know what you think. I am not trying to be negative but I am burdened and am praying about what I can do. Any ideas. What do you think?  Am I way off base? I don't want to just "Scream at the darkness but would sure love to spread a little light around."

 Good Monday to each reader today. We just finished a very busy weekend as we had our Annual Missions Conference at Liberty. Our hearts were touched for the lost of all the world. The missionaries each shared how our church had been a real blessing to them. Many of our folks shared how they had been changed by listening to the missionary reports that they had a more clear vision of a lost and dying world. Many hearts were touched to pray more and to give more. Several came to me and said they think the Lord is moving in their hearts concerning surrender to be a missionary. After speaking with these we have begun a process of helping these folk to find God's perfect will for their life. My heart was personally moved in many ways. Every Missions Conference I wish I could go to each place presented, to help in the Great Harvest. I am also reminded of the daunting task a fresh understanding that without the Lord calling and working in this harvest it will never happen. Yesterday afternoon in prayer the Lord reminded me that He has a mighty army working all over the world who are marching forward in this eternal endeavor. Each mission conference we also come face to face with the apathy of the church. It becomes evident of the many who are not moved by the Lord's harvest. On the part of some who don't attend the services when conference is on. For some who don't see the importance of special prayers times for missions, who only see the now and now and fail to see the eternal scope of things. For some who do attend and yet because of fear of complete surrender resist the Spirit and refuse to take new ground in their spiritual life. Each year at missions conference it brings us to decision or lack of decision. It brings us to obedience or to disobedience. It really isn't any different then when Jesus walked on this earth. There were those who listened and obeyed and those who refused to heed the calls of God. Praise the Lord for those in our church and all the churches of the world who are listening and obeying. Those who love the Lord enough and trust the Lord enough to yield their wills to the Lords desires. We must continually ask ourselves " Where do I fit in God's army?" Am I following orders or am I Awol and only listening to my own orders?  Think about it! 

 What if every Bible- believing church in America took seriously the Great Commission? Jesus said in Mark 16:15 " Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." I praise God for churches all over the world that have taken seriously God's Great Commission to us. This was His last command;it should be our first priority. We can get so involved in so many things that we fail to do the one thing that God has commanded us to do. We are to make Him known to "every creature" in our generation. Dr. Don Sisk a veteran missionary and one of Americas foremost missions voices reported that approximately 80%of the independent Baptist churches do not have a missions conference. That is they do not have a time during the year that is set apart for the emphasis of worldwide evangelization. I am aware that we need to emphasize world evangelization every Sunday;however, churches that are being used by God to make an impact in world missions set aside some time every year when missions is the main emphasis. What if every believer in our churches were to decide to give something every week to missions above his tithe and offering? Dr. Sisk goes on to say that the average independent Baptist in America gives less than $20 per year for missions above his tithe. Tis is less than 50 cents per week. WHAT IF EVERY CHRISTIAN TOOK SERIOUSLY GOD"S COMMAND TO EVANGELIZE THE ENTIRE WORLD? What if every Christian school, college and seminary were to take seriously God's command for world evangelization? What if every Christian decided to take the Gospel to those they come in contact on a daily basis. WHAT IF! WHAT IF!  WE cannot wait for the world to come to us, we must GO to them with the only help they have and need, the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ!  We here at Liberty Baptist in Sweetser are in the midst of Missions Conference and tomorrow morning we will have a special Saturday morning emphasis with our guest missionaries. Family prayer at 9 a.m. Breakfast at 9: 30 a.m. and Missionaries Alive at 10 a.m. Hope to see you here. 

 For everyone of us believers we have a divine, inward mission in our hearts. When the Lord saved us He began a great work in each of us. One of those works is His call for us to join His mission of proclaiming the gospel and attempting to win souls for His name sake. If we are born again, without a doubt we have heard the call of the Lord to Go and Preach and Teach. He has put within the heart of each of His children a God given burden to reach the lost. He has also put within each of us a real conviction of the "Terror of the Lord." The Holy Spirit reminds us on a constant basis that Hell is real and people are going there on a daily basis. Just read 2nd Corinthians 5 and see for yourself that the Holy Spirit in us is constantly doing His work of speaking to us about these eternal things and if we listen and yield He will give us the HEART of a MISSIONARY.  Praise the Lord for many of His saints at Liberty and around the world who have a burden to win souls. For each one of them who have chosen not to resist the work of the Holy Spirit but to yield to Him as He makes them "Fishers of Men." Starting tonight at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweetser, In. we will hold our  2009 MISSIONS CONFERENCE. Our Missionary Meal begins at 5:15 p.m. and services start at 7 p.m. Hope to see you each as we attempt to keep the fire burning hot for the greatest cause in the world, the cause of Missions. 

 This morning I backed out of my driveway without a familiar sight. Our dog Mattie for 10 years would always stand and watch me leave as if to be sad that we would be gone for the day. Then each evening when we would return she was there to greet us with excitement and pleasure to see us return for the night. Last night Karen and I along with Ryan & Beth stood and watched her leave us, as we had to make a very difficult decision to put her down because of her battle with cancer. We had been praying for several weeks that she would go naturally but also asking the Lord to give us direction if that was not to be. Mattie had taken a real turn for the worse on Monday and yesterday afternoon when Karen got home from school I left the office and went home to discuss with her what we needed to do. It was agreed upon that it was time to help Mattie and put her suffering to an end. We called Dr. Denise and she wanted to come to our home around 8 p.m. and help us with what needed to be done. The last several hours with Mattie were precious. She had been the best dog anyone could have ever had. We comforted her and gave her some hotdogs which she loved. She still had an appetite because of the type of medicine she was taking. It was helpful to us to see she still would eat, she just wasn't getting rid of the carbon monoxide  in her body. Her lungs were finally gone. I went out back of our house in the spot where years ago we buried another pet, our Cocker Spaniel "Lady". I began digging and spent a lot of time making a proper grave for Mattiie , all the while she laid in the back yard watching me from a distance. All the while she  not knowing what I was doing but certainly I knew. Around 8 p.m. We went to the front porch, one of Mattie's favorite spots and waited as Karen held her in her lap. We talked with her and told her we loved her and appreciated her. We prayed and gave thanks to the Lord for creating pets and allowing us to have Mattie for the last ten years. Ryan and Beth arrived and said their goodbyes and then Dr. Denise pulled in. She was precious and helpful and we all wept and it was over in just a few minutes. Ryan helped me carry Mattie to her final resting place and I asked to bury her alone. We will miss her in many ways but are thankful for our Lord giving the gift of life in His creation. 

From all this the Lord has helped Karen and I to learn deeper lessons about DEATH. Death in every capacity, weather in animal life or human life {eternal creatures} is a result of sin. Every time we see or hear about death we must be reminded of how terrible sin is. Death is a part of our lives because of sin. May we hate sin and avoid sin and bring our sin to the Lord for a covering. I am also reminded that people are dying all around us, and if they die without Christ they will die for all eternity. As Karen & I were praying last evening we both asked the Lord to give us the tears we had for our dog for humanity. That we would be moved greater for the souls of those who will die one day. Oh God we pray for compassion.

One last thing. The Lord gave Karen & I this situation to help us become better. He is teaching us in all things. He has taught me a little more understanding as to His heart as He decided to send His Son to death for all of the world. I can't imagine what it was like just before Jesus left heaven to come to this earth. I can't imagine what it was like in Gethsemane as the decision was still to go to the cross, to forsake His Son. I can't imagine what it was like when Jesus was on the cross and at high noon the decision was still, let Him die, let Him take upon Himself the sins of the world. Yesterday it was very hard for me to make the decision to take life. Now I am not comparing the death of a dog to the death of our Lord. I am only saying the Lord can use this event to help me see in  a little better way what it meant for Him to Decide to take the life of the One He loved . I AM THANKFUL FOR SUCH LOVE, AND I KNOW I WAS ONE OF THE REASONS FOR SUCH LOVE. May we each do all we can to share such love with someone today. 

 It is Monday eve and it has been a very busy day for this preacher. I don't mind busy when it it is dealing with eternal things. It is around 8 p.m. and I am sitting outside on the porch and enjoying the early fall evening. It is beautiful and it reminds me of the Greatness of our God. There is a gentle breeze which reminds me of the comfort of the Holy Spirit. I hear the crickets chirping and that brings to mind the Lords power in creation. The green trees remind me of how the Lord has given me life both physical and spiritual, and that I must grow into Christlikeness. I can't do that without being rooted in Him. The blue sky is quickly turning into a grey one and soon it will be black which reminds me that life is short and what I must do for Jesus must be done soon as night time is coming soon. The soy beans are turning from their deep green color to a yellowish tint, which  in a few weeks will be brown. All revealing that harvest is sooner then we think. As I look at the fields they preach to me, as the breeze whispers in my ear, "soon, soon, soon there is another harvest, the harvest of the souls of mankind. It is very quiet here but the breeze of God's Spirit brings to my mind  the cries and noises of that terrible eternal place, hell. I am sitting here and enjoying this wonderful place and time and rejoicing that for me this setting will only improve in eternity. For that I am eternally thankful. I am also eternally moved to do all I can to help others know about Jesus so they can be as blessed as I am this moment. I AM SO THANKFUL TO BE SAVED AND TO HAVE MY SINS FORGIVEN. Thank you Jesus for making it all possible and I pledge to YOU, I will do all I can to win those you love to yourself.

 Good Friday to every reader. Hope this day finds you passionately following Jesus. This morning I find myself having a sincere desire to have an intense relationship with the Lord. I have walked with the Lord now since 1973 my desire is to have a greater fire burning in my soul for the Lord not a lesser one. One of the things I have observed in Christianity is that it can be a tendency of the saints that the longer they are saved that they can become dutiful and not faithful. I think there is a difference. Now PTL for the times we remain dutiful. Sometimes we just need to do that , but it is better to be faithful. You see to be faithful is a little more deeper emotionally with someone. We don't just serve a system, a organization. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We serve the One who died for us. The One who loves us so much that He became sin for us. The One who paid for our sin. The One who provides for us daily. The One who gives us breath this very moment. The One who comforts us moment by moment. The One who brought us back to life and made all things new in us. The One who is preparing a place in heaven for us. The One who is coming back for us. The One who will keep us alive forever in eternal bliss. The One who is always there and never will forsake us, even when we forsake Him. How can we only serve Him out of duty? We must serve Him out of faith and faithfulness. He did not come and die for us just out of duty. He does not do all He does for us just out of duty. He is faithful, He loves us and gave Himself for us and too us. I must do the same ! Every day I must muse and meditate on Jesus and Who He is, and what He does for me. Everyday I must decide again to give Him my best not the leftovers. Everyday I must ask Him to help me remember and reenlist to do my best  for His utmost. Today I must bring glory to HIS NAME. When I am all alone and no one else knows my heart may He know how much my heart yearns for Him. May He know there is this one person who LOVES HIM SO! How about you! He really is worthy of all that we are. 

Remember today that 8 years ago was 9/11. What a tragedy! I am praising God for President George W. Bush who helped to see to it that we have not had our sovereign soil attacked since that time. May each of us spend a season in prayer today for our nation. 

I have been asking the Lord to give me a fresh passion for the souls of people. Men, Women, boys, & girls. Those who are lost and trapped in sin. I know without a God given burden I will not care as I should. I will not be motivated from within. I will not prioritize soul winning , witnessing, sharing the Gospel. I need a change in my heart. I need the heart of a Soul Winner the heart of a Missionary. I have begun to ask the Lord to give me new eyes for the lost that I might see them wherever I go. New ears to hear the spiritual cry of those without Christ and ears to hear those crying out in Hell. A new heart that is like the Lord Jesus'. In 1st Corinthians 5: 9-11 we read " Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;that everyone may receive the things done in this body, according to that he hath don, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we pursuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. "In these verses we find some mighty motivations for sharing our faith. Paul had a inward COMPULSION that drove him and caused him to labor in the "Fields that were white as unto harvest." He wanted to be accepted of the Lord. He wanted to please the Lord, and one main way to please God is to bring souls to Christ. Paul also had a upward COMPENSATION. He understood he would stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ and his sharing with others the Good News would be brought into account and rewarded. He also had a great CONVICTION, he believed that for all who did not receive Jesus as savior, they would die and be in HELL forever. He understood the "Terror of the Lord." We must get back to the deep understanding that there is a real place of everlasting fire. The Bible calls it the Lake of Fire.  Some today don't want to think about hell and worse yet some believers don't want to hear about hell. But the fact remains that the Bible is filled with scriptures on hell. If we don't believe in hell then we need to throw away our Bibles. If there is no hell then Jesus is a deceiver because He was the greatest "Hell Fire and Damnation Preacher in the Bible." Read Mark 9: 33-34. If there was no hell then why was there a Calvary? Why did Jesus die on the cross? If there is no hell how can there be a heaven? We can't say we only believe in a heaven and not a hell. If there is no hell there is no heaven! I believe we are the generation that has failed to understand the terror of the Lord. I know that the truth of hell is not easy to listen to nut we must, we just must. It is perhaps the greatest motivation for winning souls, for sharing the gospel. It will move us and get us out of our apathy. We must get the seed out of the barn, we must move out of our comfortable settings and sacrifice to share Christ with a dying world. Don't you agree? What is your opinion on this? Do you think we need to study more on Hell? Do you think we need to think more on hell? Do you think we need to have the Lord give us a deep realization internally about this eternal place of separation from God?  

 Good day to each of you blog readers. I hope today finds you seeking the Lord more intensely then ever. In working with people we will often encounter  failure , disappointment , problems and heartache, but not with JESUS! Jesus is always one who will and can lift you up and never let you down. " His Love Never Fail"s." I was reading a statement by one of my heroes of the faith, Dr Adrian Rogers. He said " I promise you on the authority of the Word of God if you will trust Christ as your personal Savior, He will save you. If you can show me any time any place, or anywhere that someone came to Jesus Christ in sincere repentance and faith and Jesus did not save that person, I'll close this Book and never preach from it again." I say amen to that! Isn't God good in that He will save whosoever will come to Him? Yo can be so low so far from God and so bound in sin's grip but whoever will come to Him in repentance and faith He will rescue and save forever. " A man will go to hell UNSAVED but he will never go to hell UNLOVED."  God put a cross between you and hell. If you want to go to hell, you will have to craw over the cross of Jesus. I am so glad today that Jesus has saved me many years ago and because of that life is better now and heaven awaits. I am glad He still saves and His salvation is available to whoever will ask for it. 

With that said we believers have a great responsibility to share the Good News. I heard a statement years ago and it is so true, " Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." We have such good news to share and the truth is , "There are those who can preach the Gospel better than you can , but there is nobody who can preach a better Gospel than you  can." With all this said, we believers have such a wonderful privilege of sharing the Good News with all we come in contact with. That great preacher and teacher of 100 years ago  R.A. Torrey said " I'd like to ask what right any man has to call himself a follower of Jesus Christ if he is not a soul winner." 

If you are reading this blog today and you are not absolutely certain that you are saved , I want you to pray this prayer:

Dear Lord,

I know that you love me, and I know that you want to save me, Jesus. You died to save me. You promised to save me If I would trust you. I do trust you. By faith I receive you as my Lord and Savior. Forgive my sin. Cleanse me. Save me, Lord Jesus. Thank you for doing it. I receive it by faith like a child, and that settles it. Now begin to make me the person you want me to be, and help me, Lord Jesus, never to be ashamed of you. In your name I pray. Amen. 

 Hey all you blog readers I wanted you to know we are still alive and all is well. We last blogged on Thursday last week and I was out of the office on Friday and because of the weekend and Labor day I have not blogged. I got into the office Today and was so behind I just now got to blog. It is going on 6 p.m. We had good services on Sunday, we had good attendance and great a great spirit. We had 8 children saved in the children's ministry and had one young adult man baptized. PTL!  I just got a report of a person who was saved this afternoon, she had been prayed for by many of our lady prayer warriors for some time. PTL God answers prayer and this lady gave her heart to Christ. PTL for the obedient believer who went to her home today and gave the Gospel . Well I need to go quick so I will be blogging early in the morning Lord willing. Have a good evening! 

 It seems to me that America needs a revival of the old fashion work ethic. We need to work hard in the our everyday work places and even harder in the our spiritual work assignments. This is Labor Day Weekend and most will get some time off which is nice but the question is have we really earned it? Many have and many haven't but I for one say thanks for work and all it accomplishes in our nation, churches, homes and individual lives. I was reading  a story and wanted to share it about a fellow who learned early about work and and because he worked and helped others to work we are a better people for it. 

At age six, Henry John Heinz (1844-1919 ) started helping his mother tend a small garden behind the family home. At twelve, he was working three and one half acres of garden, using a horse and cart for his three-times-a week deliveries to the grocery stores in Pittsburgh. He went on to found his own company and named it 57 Varieties. H.J. Heinz Company was incorporated in 1905. which today sells more than 1300 products worldwide ranging from ketchup to baby food. 

Henry Heinz was deeply involved in the promotion of the Sunday School in Pittsburgh and around the world. His company was noted for pioneering safe and sanitary food preparation and for being ahead of its time in employee relations, providing free medical benefits and swimming  and gymnasium facilities. Women held positions of larger responsibilities in his business, including making them supervisors. Heinz earned his reputation for enhancing the working and living conditions of his workers. 

In his will, Heinz said, "I desire to set forth at the very beginning of this will, as the most important item in it, a confession of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I also desire to bear witness to the fact that throughout my life, in which there were unusual joys and sorrows, I have been wonderfully sustained by my faith in God through Jesus Christ. This legacy was left to me by my consecrated mother, a women of strong faith, and to it I attribute any success I have attained." 

What a testimony. Here was a young boy who was taught about God and his Word by a Christian mother. He was taught to practice the principles of the Bible to work hard, to use your work to provide for yourself and to help others provide for themselves. He was taught to work hard in God's Kingdom so as to make an eternal difference. It saddens me that 100 years after this mans death that the spiritual linage has not been passed down to all his decedents as some monies are being used to finance things I am sure Henry would not be pleased with. But while he was alive he made a difference. 

I have found this to be true. "THE HARDER I WORK THE MORE GOD BLESSES THE WORK." Think about it! What do you think? 

 It is a beautiful day in Northeast Indiana. The weather has been wonderful for over a week now. PTL for the beauty of God's creation. It is good to be alive! I can say that even though I have several negative things going on in my life at this time. If I choose to make this a day to enjoy anyway it will be a better day so that is what I am choosing early on in this only day that I have to live. Yesterday is over and tomorrow may never come. This is it my only day and I will choose to make it a good one for myself and whoever I come in contact with.

Yesterday we wrote about STUFF and how we Collect Stuff & then it Collects Us! We said there are several reasons why we do so. First because we covet things and second because collecting things and even people will give us a sense of security. The scriptures teach us that what we have today could be gone tomorrow not matter how much we have Collected and how much we have Protected those things. The truth is we Americans have too much and especially we Christians need to get rid of some things before the things take control of us and lead us to trust them instead of trusting our Lord. Now it is possible to trust God even if we have lot's of things but if we have lot's of things that only take our time and effort away from more important things then we need to GET RID OF THEM. Sometimes things just sit and are never used in years, so what can we do about all this collected stuff?  Here are some suggestions.

The categories- We all have stuff that should be evaluated for its usefulness. Books, magazines, clothing, household items, tools, etc. One rule of thumb: If you haven't used it in a year or so, you probably won't use it in the next year or so. Perhaps you need to get rid of it. Evaluate, be honest and let it go. There are several ways to dispose of stuff. 1. Give it to someone who needs it or could use it . 2. Sell it . 3. Give it to charity. The point is get rid of it! Now I know you are thinking that immediately after i get rid of something i will need that item I disposed of. It really isn't likely that will happen. By keeping the stuff you actually use, you will own your stuff instead of allowing it to own you. 

There are some benefits to this. At first letting go will be hard but once you do , you will be pleased. There is something good about cleaning out and getting rid of stuff! Think about the benefits: 1. You may help someone who really needs that stuff. 2. You may make some money by selling it. 3. You may take that money and use it on something you really need. 4. You can use that money to share with others in need, that is fun. 5. You will be relieved that the stuff is gone. Have you ever cleaned out your closet or garage or storage building and had such relief?  

The mind of the unregenerate man is set on the things of the world. He has natural (sinful) desire to obtain more and more of everything. As Christians, we know that man's peace and happiness isn't dependent upon what he has, but upon his relationship with the Lord.  

 You know there is a danger in collecting things.It seems the more things we have, the more attention we give them and the less attention we give to the important things in life. We may become so connected to the things that they become a part of us. When that happens, any attempt to get rid of excess turns into a painful emotional experience. In a society of plenty, we tend to collect things and place more attention on our wisdom rather than on God's provision. But Jesus directed us to keep things in an eternal perspective: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof" ( Matthew 6: 33-34 ). This passage is not a call to abandon the affairs of life but to reflect and adjust one's life to trust in the Lord and His provisions. Some of our collecting can be covetousness, a craving for more. The Lord warned us not to be be covetous ( Luke 12:13- 21 ). In Matthew 6: 26 He exhorts us not to be concerned about earthly things. One does not have to be poor to covet. Covetousness happens among people at all the different rungs on the economic ladder. Covetousness is idolatry ( Colossians 3:5). Hobbies, sports, various activities or items we collect can take away to much time from family, ministry, study or other more important things. Collecting things can be a way we are seeking security We become pack rats with the intent to make sure we will always have enough. Now there is nothing wrong with being wise like an ant and planning for a time of winter but it can be unknown to us that it is a fleshly way to store stuff as our security instead of trusting God as our secure provider.  The reasons we continue to add to our collections is not easily understood; but whatever the reason, many of us seem to be stuck in the collection business. THINK ABOUT IT! What ares of your life and mine are we "collecting things and the things are collecting us."  

I would love to hear other reasons you think we collect so much. We all have so many things in our homes, businesses, garages, barns, offices we haven't used or looked at or touched in years, WHY? I am interested in what you think. And then any ideas to what we should do with all this STUFF?