It’s Been Awhile

     Sorry I haven’t posted anything in awhile, but you know, I’m only human! I was reminded this in many different ways this week. God always knows how to get the message across to us, but sometimes we are so thick-headed that we only hear ourselves talking and we drown out everything and everyone else. So, where to begin….
A couple of weeks ago, my pastor (and one of the most awesome guys in the world) Dave Bryan, during a sermon series on Being “Transformed” asked for volunteers to help with a sermon he will be preaching on the 10th of Aug. I felt led by that small, but strong voice we can hear sometimes (the Holy Spirit) to help out wherever or however Dave needed me. When we met after church services, he explained what he wanted to do. He wants us to write down our testimony (or in other words how we ourselves have been transformed by God through belief and acceptance of his son, Jesus Christ as our guide and saviour). Then we are to take that testimony and pare it down to 2 simple statements; the first is where we were, the second is how God has changed or “transformed” our lives, then write these each on opposite sides of a sheet of cardboard. 

     I will tell you what…this was a challenge for me!  There is so much bad stuff in my life, that I didn’t want to face any of it, but God had a different plan.  I was forced to confront my lost childhood, lost to the sexual abuse I received at the hands of my father.  I was forced to recall a part of my life between the ages of 18 and 30 that I wanted to completely forget…a time of bad choices, stupidity, bad friends, too many drugs, too much alcohol, too many one-night stands, all in an attempt to find truth or a sense of order in a world that made no sense.  I once figured out that between 1985 and 1990, I spent somewhere in the vicinity of $55,000 just on cocaine.  Money just pissed away as they say!  I even went so far as to become a probationary member of the Warlocks motorcycle gang.  Drugs, sex, booze, bad buddies,  WHERE DID YOU LEAVE ME?  ALONE, EMPTY, LOOKING…

     In an attempt to bring myself away from what I and others (thanks, Bob Harper!) could see I was into, I seperated myself from my biker buddies, I quit doing coke (cold turkey… not recommended unless God is leading the way!!) and started getting my life back together.  It was during this time (Dec.1993) that I met my wife Tammy, a single mom struggling to make ends meet.  We were both looking to fill voids left in our lives and God knew just how to meld those voids.  Through what we at first considered chance meetings, we were introduced to our old home church in Apopka, FL (Westside Community Church) by a friend of Tammy’s (Hi, Wendy White) from a toddler reading class at the library, and then by a friend of mine (Hi, Drew McLain) from our son’s Cub Scout pack who also attended (and still does) Westside.

     Through these friends and others, God turned both Tammy’s and my life around.  We re-learned how to trust God and others, we connected with others who were on this same journey of searching for answers that made sense, we re-commited our lives to God and his work, and we’ve studied God’s word (The Bible) with a renewed interest and understanding.  I started teaching a men’s bible study once in a while until God and my mentors were confident I could lead and teach on a regular basis.  Then, just as everything seemed to be chugging right along, with us gaining speed and growing,  God had other plans!!!  (I could hear him whisper…”Harold, your friends might move to Columbia,SC…regardless of whether they do or not, you and Tammy are going to move up there!”)  COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA!!!!  THAT’S LIKE BEING SENT TO BFE…IT’S A REDNECK OUTPOST OF ATLANTA!!! I am a southern boy, but to me, Columbia,SC was about as far away as Jupiter!  The only person I even knew in Columbia was an old friend who was an assistant coach for the University of South Carolina football team, and Lord knows he was too busy with football to show me around town!  Well, God had all this worked out too!!!!

     God had it all worked out for me to simply transfer up to Columbia with my company because he created the need for another account rep at just that time.  Even in a bad market, God was able to find renters for our home in Florida as well as secure 100% financing for our new home in South Carolina.  God provided a house that EXACTLY met every need we had, and was in our price range.  And God has not stopped providing…

     Now I could go on and on about how great of a provider God is,and I could tell story after story of how we have seen God work miracles in others lives, but my friend, I cannot, nor will I ever be able to convince you to trust God for yourself.  All I can offer you is this..I know what he has done in my life, I can tell you the miracles he has done with me, I canshow you where I’ve come from and I can show you the direction God is taking me and if you are not convinced that God is real, and alive and working in me, I’ll never talk about it again with you!   I simply ask you to give it a try!  Will you do that?  

Let me know either way, if you could!

Getting Reacquainted

“I hope it’s not this long before we talk gain”

“Man, we haven’t talked in ages!”

“It’s always good to hear from an old friend”

     Maybe you have said one of these lines recently…I know I sure did.  I have recently been renewing old friendships via Social Networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Linkedin.  One of the old friends I found (or rather she found me) was a girl I went to high school with named Diana.  We reminisced about old times, caught up on families and friends, talked about sports teams we both like and when everything was said and done, we had simply reactivated a friendship that had sat dormant for almost 30 years.

Do you remember, friend, going to Sunday School or CCD classes, and learning about God?  Do you remember how good it felt to know there was this big, unseen force out there that LOVED YOU and cared about you?  It’s not too late in your life to get reacquainted with God.  He still loves you and still cares for you!   No matter what you’ve done, where life has taken you, what mistakes you’ve made, God is still there…waiting for you to reach up to him and talk to him. 

    God has not forgotten you!  Call him, he’s ready to talk!

He’s Alive and I’m Forgiven…and I Believe It!!!

This is Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. I’ve just come home from an awesome service with my church family at DFCC (Dutch Fork Christian Church in Irmo,SC) and I BELIEVE!!!
My pastor, Dave Bryan, laid it on the line today, and challenged each of us to defend WHY we believe WHAT we believe; let’s turn it around and say “WHAT do I believe and WHY? Do I believe in Jesus Christ? Do I believe in Jesus’ RESURRECTION from the dead?
Faith is defined as believing something you have not seen. I have faith that a chair is going to hold me when I sit down in it, even though I know next to nothing about chair physics. I have faith that my car’s motor will start, and when I put the car in drive, it will go forward, even though I have not seen the inside of my car’s ignition or transmission. We believe Not because we have seen the actual mechanics take place, BUT BECAUSE WE SEE THE END RESULTS.
Faith, in my life, is defined as believing in something I have not seen, namely the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; but because I wasn’t there to witness it, I believe because I have seen lives changed from having a relationship with Jesus. I believe because I have personally experienced the changes that happen when you truly accept its’ truth. I believe because Christ fulfilled EVERY PROPHECY made about him in the Old Testament. I BELIEVE BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN CHANGED BY HIM.
If you call yourself a “Christian” because you were brought up a Methodist or Baptist, Presbyterian or Church of God, Episcopal, Nazarene, Pentacostal, or any other denomination’s church, but don’t really believe that Jesus could rise from the dead, then, according to the Bible (Romans 10:9) you cannot be a “Christian”. A “Christian” or “Follower of Christ” by definition is this: that you proclaim “Jesus is the supreme ruler of my life” and you believe that he rose from the dead. There is no middle ground…you must believe both parts of the statement…Jesus rules your life and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he rose from the dead!

 

Can you make those 2 claims for your own life? Is Jesus Christ truly the ruler of your life? and did he really arise from the dead just as he said he would do?
Being a Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Anglican, isn’t enough, my friend! As I said before, just because you go to a church once in a while doesn’t make you a Christian. If you don’t agree with me, that’s fine…but you need to look into this for yourself! Look at what the Bible says, not at what your friends, neighbors or pastor might say. I pray that you will check this out for yourself!

I’m Giving Up Lent for Lent!

Sorry for the long time since my last blog posting. I started to write again, and actually wrote about 4 paragraphs, and was feeling really good and pious and self-righteous…until I re-read
Romans chapter 14. Man, does God have a way of smacking you down and putting you in your place!
I initially intended for this blog to be a full-blown statement of my personal beliefs on Lent, Advent, and all of the other holy days and seasons that we observe as Christians, but this time, I was the one needing a little ministering to. In Romans 14, Paul is speaking to the Christians in Rome, and how some Jewish Christians still observed the Jewish holy days and feasts by not eating meats and Paul is “warning” (for lack of a better term) both the Gentile and Jewish Christians not to not look down on each other for how they eat, “for we will all (equally) stand before the judgement seat of God”.
It’s not about what we give up for Lent, or whether we eat pork or not, or anything thing that we might argue about as Christians, but the end result will be this: “For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
Where is our righteousness, our peace, our joy? Should it not be in the kingdom of God? Shouldn’t we be living a life filled with righteous behaviour all the time, a humbled-before-the-throne existence? Father, forgive me for my narrow-minded thinking. I just want to lift you up, and not tear others down. God, help me be a better beacon for you. I love you!

Are we there yet?

     The Christmas season is upon us and,as many people  travel to see friends and family (not necessarily loved ones!) , the often heard refrain from the back seat of any car, minivan or SUV is usually “Are We There Yet?”

     I remember traveling to my grandmother’s house in the panhandle of Florida, in a  Ford Maverick 2-door borrowed from our pastor, with my mom driving, and the 5 kids in my family cramped in together for a 6 hour drive.  My dad (fortunately) stayed home for that trip, otherwise it would have been beyond miserable!  As we packed the car, we realized it was going to be ONE LONG DRIVE that no one foresaw as a fun trip. and no one was getting very excited about the prospect of 6 hours holed up with 5 other people in a 2-door car.  It was not a trip to look forward to, but the end destination made it worthwhile.

     Now let’s go back about 2008 years…to some other people traveling…traveling to see a king.  In the story of Christmas, we have shephards, kings (or wise men), donkeys, and angels.  The shepherds were out tending the sheep at night when an angel told them to follow the brightest star they had ever seen to meet and worship the Messiah (or Anointed King, the Christ).  The Magi (Kings or Wise Men) also followed the star in their travels to worship the child who was “born King of the Jews”.  Both of these groups of travelers had many days and nights in their journey, but all were happy to be on the journey. 

     Lastly we have a donkey, upon whom sat Mary, a teenage girl 8 1/2 months pregnant.  This donkey took the journey from Nazareth, where  Joseph &  Mary lived, to Bethlehem where, because of his lineage from King David, Joseph was to be counted during the tax census.  If they had lived in Pennsylvania, this distance would be only about 10 miles, but the Original Nazareth and Bethlehem were about 70 miles apart, making for a 4-6 day journey.  Do ya think Mary was very happy…8 1/2 months pregnant, travelling 4-6 days on a donkey so she can be taxed?  Not likely, but Mary was only human…but her soon-to-be-born child was more than human, he was a KING, he was the MESSIAH, he was the CHRIST, he was GOD IN THE FLESH!

    I get excited about this time of year, but I get even more excited about another time of year which is EASTER. 

     After Jesus (the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed King), was betrayed and judged to a death sentence for which he had done nothing more than to tick the Chief Priests and Rabbi’s off, he too had a journey to make.  After he was beaten, and a crown made of thorns was put on his head, after he was ridiculed and scoffed at by his punishers, he had to make the journey from the city up to the hilltop called Golgotha, or Place of the Skull, just outside the city gates.  Here he was half beaten to death, and he was made to carry the wooden cross that he was to be hung from up to this hilltop.  When he couldn’t keep up the pace because he was so weak from their beatings, only then did the soldiers pull Simeone (a total stranger) from the crowd to carry it the rest of the way. 

    Simeone was just a guy minding his own business when he was pulled from the crowd to make that journey up the hill.  Believe me, I don’t think he was very happy about having to carry this wooden cross uphill for a soon-to-be-executed prisoner.  Then, after he was hung up to die, Jesus took the entire load of man’s wrongdoing and carried it on his own shoulders when he cried out “FATHER,FORGIVE THEM, THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!”

     3 days later, Jesus took the greatest journey anyone could ever take.  The whole truth of Jesus was proved when he raised himself from the dead, not having any outside help or resource.  He was raised from death and the grave to totally fulfill all the prophecies foretold about his life, from his birth to his death on a convicts cross, to his ultimate resurrection. 

     I know there are some reading this that say “Baloney” or this is B.S.  I urge you to check out what was said about the Messiah in the writings of 3000-4000 years ago, and how each prophecy was exactly fulfilled by Jesus Christ.  If you have questions, you can always email me at insurancemanharold@yahoo.com

Who wants to be a KAZILLIONAIRE?

One of my favorite shows on television of the past 6 or 7 years has been “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”; you know the show, start with nothing and by answering questions correctly, you can earn $1,000,000.  You get lifelines like “phone-a-friend”, “50/50″ and the “audience polls”.  I usually do pretty good when I’m playing from my couch, but if I got up on stage under those hot lights, looking across at Regis Philbin, and tried to answer even the simplest question, well…let’s just say the I might have to wear Depends that day as I would probably be so nervous I’d pee my pants.

     Now imagine standing before Jesus Christ at your judgement day, having to answer some tough questions; questions like “Why should I let you in MY heaven?”  or “What have you done for me during your lifetime?” or possibly “Why didn’t you believe in me?”

     We will all have to answer questions during our lifetime, but the most important question we all MUST answer is simply this: Do you believe (I mean really believe) that Jesus Christ, although he was the perfect, sinless Son of God, died and rose again on his own from the dead (just for me) to take away my sentence of an eternity in hell? 

     If you answered YES to this question, I will be seeing you in heaven when we both die…an eternity to spend praising and worshipping God and Jesus Christ.

     If you answered NO to this question, I can promise you that you will be before Jesus upon your death and His question to you will be “Why didn’t you believe in me?” 

     My reader, God loves you so much that he sent his only child to be murdered for you…but, although it was in HIS power, he didn’t stop it!  if you have children, imagine having to choose one of them to be mercilessly brutalized, ridiculed, beaten and nailed up onto a cross to die the death of a criminal!  Tough image isn’t it!  God had that same tough decision to make and he did it…as much as it hurt him, he followed through with it.  He did this for the greater good of all of us.  He gave us a choice to make; accept or reject his son. Period. End of story.

    Now it’s up to you…will you accept or reject…the ball is in your court.

Just a minute, Dad!

   If you’re a parent, you’ve probably heard that before…Just a minute, Dad (or Mom)!  As the father of two, I have heard that phrase or variations of it many, many times.  It’s usually when the kids are really into something like a Playstation or computer game, and they want to finish the level they are on.  We as parents set times we want them to do things such as having computer time until 7pm, and invariably, at 7:03pm, the kids are still on the computer.  We get frustrated, upset, mad, (fill in your own adjective), and we yell at the kids, only to hear that oh so sweet phrase again “In a minute, Dad”. 

     What our children a really saying to us is “I want to finish up what I’m doing for my personal benefit, then I will do what you want me to do”.

     You know, God is calling to us all of the time.  He’s saying to us “I want you right now”, but we, much as our children do to us, put him off and say “not right now, in a minute, I’m want to do what I want to do, and God, you can wait”. 

     Do you think God, who is the Father in Heaven of all followers of Christ, is smiling and happy when we put him off?  I can hear myself saying “Sorry Dad, I’m just finishing up the stuff I want to do, then I’ll get back to ya!  What…you want me now?…I’m still doing what I want to do…I’ll get back in touch with you in a minute….God, come on, I’m not done yet…God, you are such a nag!”

     God has a bigger purpose and a bigger plan for each of us, much as we as parents have a bigger purpose and plan for our children.  When are we going to stop doing what we want to do, and let God have control of our lives?  When are we going to make Him the center of our lives and not put ourselves in that position?   When are we going to stop saying “In a minute, God” but instead jump right in to what He is calling us to?