Life Goes On

Sitting here having a conversation with with Joshua, my 7 year old grandson...for that I'm thankful. Hearing my daughters laughing and talking in the next room...for that I'm thankful. Seeing my wife at the airport last night as she and my son in law Marshall picked me up after midnight...for this I'm thankful. Waking without a headache this morning...for that I'm thankful. Enjoying connecting with friends on the internet...for that I'm thankful . For life, health, peace, freedom, a wonderful wife, 2 brilliant, outstanding and talented daughters, 2 godly sons in law and 7 marvelous, enthusiastic and smart grandkids; best of all, they are all saved...we'll be together for eternity...for all that I'm thankful Reading in Psalm 138 today that "the Lord will fulfill His purposes for me" . For that I'm VERY thankful. I want to live my life giving thanks to the Father for all His gifts...mostly for the gift of His Son, Jesus, my Saviour and my big br...

This has been a hectic week in our lives. On Monday we flew from FL to NJ. Tuesday morning we helped get four grandkids off to school while our son in law took our daughter to the hospital. After getting the kids away to school we joined our son in law at the hospital to await the report from our daughter's surgery for breast cancer. There were actually two surgeries; one for removal of the breasts, and another for the beginning of reconstruction. Five and a half hours later, we finally got to see our daughter in recovery. All of this detail is just to set the stage for this blog update. It seemed that both my wife and my son in law had well defined duties during this ordeal. As for me, I was there. I prayed, I ran errands, I played with the kids, I helped with meals and clean up, but mostly I was just there. At first this bothered me because everyone else was so "purpose driven" to borrow a phrase. Finally, as I asked God to help me be of some use, He gave me pe...

It seems that my blog posts are becoming farther and farther apart. The reason is that I don't see the need for just putting words on a screen. If I don't have anything to say that I deem worthwhile, I just keep my fingers from the keyboard and my thoughts to myself. Come to think of it, that would be a good bit of advice for the many politicians running for office right now. In the absence of any real substance to their platform, most are relying on smear ads aimed at their opponents. Many of those running in Florida are so closely matched in their questionable backgrounds, that the choices have dwindled down to the least crooked, inept, or dishonest. Poor commentary on our times isn't it? The one thing that I find comforting is that God is still on His throne. His position isn't open for election. His plans for America will work out regardless of who is in what office. While I don't know His plans for America, I do know His plan for me and for all believe...

This has been a trying year. In May our daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since the beginning of her chemo in June, her mom, my wife has been with her to help with the household (4 children age 10 and under) during the chemo. Our daughter has blogged throughout the experience (http://rodneynkendra.blogspot.com) We're now in a brief hiatus before surgery. As I think back over the toll that cancer has taken in our family over the years, it is readily apparent that this disease effects not only the patient, but also the extended family and friends. As I have pondered the impact of this disease on our family, I've also thought about the expanded impact of the sin of an individual on family and friends In Psalm 51, King David, having been exposed by the prophet Nathan writes to God, "Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned." My question is, "what about Bathsheba? Uriah? Your other wives and your children?" The old caveat, "It's my life,...

This post has been stewing in my mind for a while. I've waited so that I could write it as objectively as possible, though I'm sure that emotions will permeate throughout. Recently I've been made aware of a church operating according to a Pharisaical mindset rather than scripture. By Pharisaical mindset, I mean man-made rules that are observed as equal to if not above the laws of God. It seems there are churches that operate on a business model rather than following the clear guidelines of scripture. The end result is that hearts are broken, lives are disrupted, and in some cases churches are split as leaders take actions that they deem "for the greater good". Is it any wonder that the most scathing words of Jesus were directed toward the Pharisees of His day? He equated them to a "brood of vipers", and to "wolves in sheep's clothing". In this most recent incident, the staff member being asked to "resign" complied by writing...

I find it very interesting that many evangelicals are ga-ga over Glen Beck since his rally in D.C. on the anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech. I watched and listened on C-span to Beck's call for a return to God, and to Biblical principles. While this is admirable, I'm troubled by some things I did not hear. I did not hear that Jesus is THE way, THE truth and THE life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. I did not hear Glen Beck give testimony to a conversion experience where he acknowledged his sin which separated him from God, received Christ as His personal Lord and Savior and experienced forgiveness. While I understand that this was not a church service, it did have all the "trappings" of one; choirs, gospel songs, prayers, etc. Since the rally I've noticed that Beck has stepped up his ecumenical push by having Jewish rabbis, Catholic priests, and evangelical pastors on his program and gushing about another "Grea...

As I watch on C-span the Glen Beck rally in Washington D.C. I'm struck with the contradiction between man's approach to change and the plan that God gave us in the Bible to bring about lasting change. While man opts for "events" such as this rally, God's emphasis is on the individual; each one reaching and discipling one (Matt. 28:18-20) The result of disciple-making is that each disciple is then empowered to make disciples, and a movement is set in motion, not just an event. Jesus set the example for us in that He spent the majority of His time discipling and equipping a small group of men. Although He did, on occasion, speak to multitudes, the bulk of His time was invested in His disciples. If the money and man power that went into this rally were expended through disciple-making churches to train, equip and send out disciples of Jesus through our nation, lasting change would result. Once this rally is over, it is over. However, a disciple-making movement ...