The Plan of Salvation

1.       Understand that God loves YOU.

a.      John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

2.      Realize that Eternal Life is ABUNDANT

a.      John 10:10 – The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

3.      Recognize that we are ALL SINNERS

a.      Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

4.      Understand that Eternal Life is God’s FREE GIFT

a.      Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

5.      Know that Christ DIED FOR US

a.      Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

6.      We MUST RECEIVE Christ

a.      John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

7.      We MUST REPENT

a.      Acts 3:19 – Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

8.      CONFESS. BELIEVE. ASK.

a.      Romans 10:9, 10 & 13 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

When to Keep your Mouth Shut

When To Keep Your Mouth Shut

“Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles” – Proverbs 21:23

Don’t Open Your Mouth:

1. In the heat of anger.  Proverbs 14:17
2. When you don’t have all the facts.  Proverbs 18:13
3. When you haven’t verified the story.  Deuteronomy 17:6
4. If your words will offend a weaker brother.  1 Corinthians 8:11
5. If your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family.  1 Peter 2:21-23
6. When you are tempted to joke about sin.  Proverbs 14:9
7. When you would be ashamed of your words later.  Proverbs 8:8
8. When you are tempted to make light of holy things.  Ecclesiastes 5:2
9. If your words would convey a wrong impression.  Proverbs 17:27
10. If the issue is none of your business.  Proverbs 14:10
11. When you are tempted to tell an outright lie.  Proverbs 4:24
12. When your words will damage someone’s reputation.  Proverbs 16:27
13. If your words will destroy a friendship.  Proverbs 16:28
14. When you are feeling critical.  James 3:8-9
15. If you can’t speak without yelling.  Proverbs 25:28
16. When it is time to listen.  Proverbs 13:1
17. If you may have to eat your words later.  Proverbs 18:21
18. If you’ve already said it more than once (nagging).  Proverbs 19:13
19. When you are tempted to flatter a wicked person.  Proverbs 24:24
20. When you are supposed to be working instead.  Proverbs 14:23

Smoking Thick Ribeyes (2"+)

How to smoke thick (2”+) rib eye steaks

• ·         Soak your wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before hand.
• ·         Build a charcoal fire under ONE HALF of your grill (for direct heat).
• ·         Under the other half, place a pan of water (for indirect heat).  I use the disposable aluminum “loaf” pans, one or two depending on the size of the grill
• ·         While your fire is really hot (as soon as your coals turn white, or slightly before) sear the steaks well on both sides over direct heat.  Approximately 3 to 5 minutes per side.
• ·         After both sides are seared, remove the steaks from the direct heat and add your soaked wood chips to the coals.
• ·         Place the steaks on the side of the grill directly over the water pan(s) – indirect heat.
• ·         If possible, open the lowest baffle near the coals, and the highest baffle near the water pans, to direct the smoke “through” the steaks.
• ·         Allow to smoke for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on level of doneness desired. 

Is the Transgender Military Ban Really a "Long Con"?

I have a theory about the Transgender Military Ban (TMB).

If you take the TMB at face value, it is obviously despicable, and openly discriminatory toward a segment of the population who has volunteered to serve their country.  Personally, I feel that if a person is able and willing to defend their country – at the possible cost of their life – they should be shown all the respect and honor we can give.

On the other hand, if you take a step back and look at the TMB in a broader light, it appears to be more of a political move by the GOP, intended it influence the midterm elections.  A political move so brilliant, that I don’t believe President Trump conceived it on his own. 

Allow me to explain.

According to the various reports that have been floated, there are anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 transgendered people serving in the military.  If you take the most liberal of these estimates, this ban will directly impact 0.00005% of the population (15,000 transgendered military members / 323,100,000 US population).  Granted, it will “piss off” a lot more than that, but it will only DIRECTLY impact 5/100,000ths of one percent – a proverbial “drop in the bucket”.

In light of that fact, I don’t believe that the TMB is about transgendered people in the military AT ALL.   In fact, I think that whoever conceived this plan (someone smarter than Trump) probably doesn’t care one way or the other whether or not transgendered people serve in the military.  It is actually a “long con” – and it’s only real purpose is to impact the midterm elections. After all, this is the end of July 2017.  We are about to enter the midterm campaign season. 

I believe that the sole intent and purpose of the TMB was to get progressive, liberal, democrats to “blow up” social media, cable news channels and other information outlets with posts and stories bemoaning Trump (and by association the GOP at large) for being uncaring, hateful, bigoted scum.  They want to see Facebook and Twitter flooded with posts by liberals about how they are “literally in tears” or “too angry for words” over this ban, implying that anyone who doesn’t share their view must also be a hateful bigot.

For the most part, the LGBT community generally congregates together in large metropolitan Coastal areas, i.e. San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, etc. 

The GOP is focusing more on Middle America – places like Dubuque, IA, Topeka, KS, and Muskogee, OK.  In these more rural “heartland” areas, the vast majority of people have no connection to the transgendered community at all – they are not transgendered, no one in their family is transgendered, and they don’t personally know anyone who is transgendered.  Therefore the Transgendered Military Ban has no impact on them whatsoever.  These are people who get up and go to work every morning, come home, eat supper, drink a beer, watch a little TV, and go to bed – only to get up tomorrow and do it all again.  They also don’t like being “preached to” about how they should be more tolerant and inclusive of people they don’t know, don’t know anything about, have never met, and probably never will meet.

The GOP is counting on these blue-collar, rural Americans to enter the voting booth next November and associate all the condescending Facebook “bitching & whining” with the (D) column on the ballot – and as a result, place their checkmark next to the (R) column.

I believe that this whole “Transgender Military Ban” is simply a long con designed to gain seats in the midterms.

Spiritual Markers

“And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua.” - Joshua 4:8



Spiritual memory is crucial in the Christian life. It would be tragic if, in your haste to advance in your Christian faith, you neglected to leave spiritual markers at the key crossroads of your life. Without the help of these markers, you will lose your spiritual bearings. The Israelites experienced a tumultuous pilgrimage. Their doubt that God was powerful enough to give them victory cost them forty years of wandering in the wilderness. 



Then God miraculously parted the waters of the Jordan River so they could pass over and continue their conquest. God knew that at times the Israelites would face intimidating enemies and would need a reminder that He was powerful enough to protect them. The Israelites might be tempted to think they made a mistake entering Canaan. For this reason God instructed them to build a monument on the banks of the Jordan River. Whenever they returned to this spot, they would see the monument and be reminded of God’s awesome power. This marker would give them confidence to meet the new challenges they faced.



A spiritual marker identifies a time of decision when you clearly know that God guided you. Were there specific times when He called you to His ways of living? Can you point to times when He guided you in a decision or spoke powerfully to you about a commitment you should make? Keep track of these important moments! This will help you understand God’s activity in your life and give you a sense of direction as you face future decisions.

A Different Look At The 3rd Commandment

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain” – Exodus 20:7a

                All my life I’ve been taught that this third commandment means to refrain from using God’s name in an irreverent manner; such as cursing, swearing to God, etc.  In fact, Charles Ellicott, in his commentary on this commandment notes that it forbids vain, profane and false swearing.  Albert Barnes interprets it as forbidding any profane or idle utterance of the name of God.  Matthew Henry, in his commentary notes that it references the MANNER of our worship – that it is to be made with all reverence and seriousness, forsaking all false oaths and profane cursing. 

But what if there’s a different interpretation?  Consider the following:   

What does it mean to TAKE THE NAME?

When a woman becomes a bride, she “takes the name” of her husband, the bridegroom.  My wife did not become “Deborah GREEN”, until she became the bride of Steve GREEN.  When we were married, she became my bride, and she “TOOK MY NAME”.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become the bride of Christ, and we TAKE HIS NAME, becoming “Christians”.     

What does it mean to do something IN VAIN?

                The word VAIN, and its idiom “IN VAIN” are derived from the word VANITY, and can be defined multiple ways.  Let’s look at a few.

1.       Excessively proud, conceited or concerned about one’s own appearance.  Example: He made vain remarks about his accomplishments.

2.       Fruitless, ineffectual, unsuccessful or futile.  Examples:  vain hopes, a vain effort, a vain war

3.       Without real significance, value or importance.  Examples:  vain pageantry, a vain display

4.       To no avail or no purpose; without effect or results.  Examples:  Lives lost in vain, to apologize in vain

                Paul implores us in 2 Corinthians 6:1 to not receive the grace of God in vain.  Strong’s defines Grace as the Divine Influence upon the heart, AND it’s reflection in the life.  If there is no reflection in your life of God’s influence on your heart, have you not received His grace in vain?

                Perhaps this commandment can be interpreted this way:  If we CALL OURSELVES Christians (TAKING THE NAME of CHRIST when we became His bride), yet we do so because of pride, or a desire to “look good” in front of our friends; and our lives are fruitless, showing no result of Christ living in us . . . Have we not TAKEN THE NAME OF THE LORD IN VAIN?

Why Are Millennials Leaving The Church?

A 2014 study shows that 80% of people aged 14 - 33 years old feel that church is not important.  How can we combat this? 

One of the things the church must NOT do is change the message of the Gospel to accommodate the culture.  We must be sensitive to the need to change the METHODOLOGY, but not the MESSAGE.

Young people are looking for authenticity and consistency.  They are not satisfied with those of us who proclaim the Gospel with our lips, but fail to demonstrate the Gospel with our lives.  Young people are discouraged when there is proclamation of the Gospel, but no practice of the Gospel.

We need to focus more on young people “becoming Christians”, instead of on young people “doing Christian things”.