Satan as a Terrorist, Even A Sucide Bomber

January 31, 2010

I heard  a good line today in church.  The pastor said to think of Satan as a terrorist.   In the day and time when we are under attack from Islāmic extremists we might better look at Satan in a similar way.  In the battle between good and evil, Satan is the one who leads the forces of darkness against God and all those who claim the name of Christ.  If you know your basic Bible, you know that Satan has only a limited time left before his ending chapter is finished and the book is closed.  However that doesn’t stop him from trying to cause as much damage to the Christians and the Army of God before his time is up.  I would call him a suicide bomber because he will one day have an end to all his fun made up of destruction, heartache, and pain when he is placed into the lake of fire at the end of time as it is spoken about in the book of Revelation.

Just as a terrorist can not stand for the ideals and beliefs of America and those who are not like-minded, so Satan does not like it when we take a stance for the Gospel or live our faith in a way that is infectious, in a good way,  to others.  I think many people view Satan as just the care-taker of Hell, they picture him like the cartoon character with a tail, red skin, and holding a pitch-fork.  This simply is not correct at all according to the Bible.   In a recent poll, given by Barna research (see www.barna.org) only about 40% of Christians believe that Satan is an actual real person and not just a representation of all that is evil.

The truth according to the Bible is that He is real, the Bible talks about him in both the new and old testament, even Jesus himself talked and dealt with Satan.    Satan is not bound to stay in the confines of hell.  The Devil is alive and well roaming through the earth causing as much havoc as he can trying to take advantage of poor unsuspecting Christians and to cause them to stumble in their walk with the Lord.  1 Peter 5:8 says – “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  

The last chapter in the book of Ephesians (Eph 6:11-20) talks about the Spiritual warfare that we experience as Christians.  Satan is the real enemy, we all need that reminder.  Sometimes we can think that our parents, friends, family members, and others are the enemy, but they are not, Satan is the real enemy.   There are those times when Christians who are not being feed properly with the word of God and who are not in a close relationship with God can be used by the Satan to cause strife, destruction, or hurt.    There are really only 2 sides  according to the Bible, you are either on the Lord side or you are on the enemy’s side.  There is no middle ground no matter how you look at it.  In 2 Timothy Paul encourages Timothy to be a good soldier for Christ Jesus and not to involve himself in civilian affairs, but to stay focused on the Lord and his job as a soldier for Christ. 

John 10:10 one of my favorite verses says “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Since there are only two sides, whose side are you on?  God’s or Satan’s?   You say you are on the Lord’s side, well what kind of soldier are you?  Are you a good soldier or would you be found AWOL (Absent without  Leave) when the Lord comes back.  We all need to be reminded from time to time  who the real enemy is and we strive to be the best soldiers for Christ that we can be.

Leave a Comment » | Religous and Life | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Leaders Lead

January 31, 2010

As I read through the chapters in Exodus I got to the part where Moses had lead the people to the Red Sea and they were about to be met by the Egyptian army when the pharaoh had realized that he should have not let them go.  (Chapter 14)  The thought that came to mind in the way of leadership was this.  Anytime you take a position on leadership, you can expect for not everyone to understand your decisions or to be happy about the way you do things.  They question your decisions, your actions, and your motives.  

The Israelites panicked and started grumbling to Moses.  They asked him “Were there not any graves in Egypt that we could have been buried in, we have to come out here and die in the dessert?”  (Ex 14:11-12)  This is the first of many times that the Israelites complain and rebel against the plans that God has for them.  This time, God didn’t allow them to complain to long.  He quickly told Moses to stretch out his arms and let the people cross the red sea on dry land.

So as a leader, what should you do if you find yourself face to face with the grumblings and complaints of those you are trying to lead?  Here are a few points from the scripture.

  1. Moses answered the people’s complaints and questions.  He didn’t ignore them and say, you silly little people, I’m the leader, now just hush and follow me.  The first thing Moses said was to not be afraid.  Sometimes we all need that reminder as we step into new territory in our faith.  Next he reminded the people that God was in control even when things didn’t seem like it or look hopeful.
  2. Moses listened to God and took action.  When God sets you as a leader in anyway you have to remember that you must follow through with the plans you have.  If you stop and deal with the complainers and grumblers you will still be there weeks later trying to fix everything.  Sometimes the best way to stop the negative talk is to take action and let the results speak for themselves.

 I love Exodus 14:14, a friend gave it to me as a encouragement a few months ago, and I was reminded of it a few weeks ago in a sermon and again tonight as I read the chapter.

 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. – Exodus 14:14

 When you know that God has called you into a direction and called you to a place of leadership, you can rest assure that He will help you work through and complete the task.  If God has called you to lead a class, lead a position in a ministry, or even a leadership position in a secular area, you know that He will be with you, just like He was with Moses in the Pillar of fire and of cloud leading them through the dessert.

Being new in a leadership position you have to earn the respect of the people you are leading.  Just because you have the title, doesn’t mean you have earned it yet.  That respect relationship takes time and a shared experience with those you lead.  The last verse in chapter 14 sums up the results of Moses’ first test as a leader, see it below.

 And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.  – Exodus 14:31

Leave a Comment » | Leadership, Religous and Life | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Intolerance, a good thing?

January 30, 2010

"You're Intolerant!"

With all the latest current events between the Senate race with Scott Brown, the political partisanship between the left and the right and the recent controversy over the Tim Tebow Pro-Life commercial airing during the Superbowl.  The word “intolerance” has come to mind more than once over the last week.  Most of the time it is meant to hurt someone who believes differently (than they do) on an issue or conviction. 

Anytime I hear the word intolerance I think about a shirt that I have seen produced by Josh McDowell, a Christian apologist.  On the front it said “Intolerance is Great” and on the back it had a list of famous people and what they were intolerant of.  I can only remember a few of the names.  Mother Teresa was intolerant of Poverty, Gandhi  was intolerant of hungry, Martin Luther King Jr was intolerant of racism, and at the end it said Jesus was intolerant of sin.    Most people view intolerance as a bad thing, but as you can see that is not always the case. 

So next time someone calls you intolerant be sure to thank them and then you know you have stuck to your beliefs and don’t flip-flopped in your convictions and beliefs.  I’m trying to keep these blogs shorter and easy to read, so feel free to add your comments and what you are intolerant of.

2 Comments | In The News, Religous and Life | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Lost on Lost?

January 28, 2010

ABC's LOST

I’m counting down the days until the final season of ABC’s Lost begins.  It’s one of the few shows I’ve seen all the way from its beginning.  If you haven’t caught the show on a consistent viewing you are undoubtably lost yourself.  It is a unique show filled with action and adventure with a squeeze of sci-fi to make things interesting.  It is given an even greater blanket of confusion with all the flashbacks and flash forwards woven throughout the episodes.

I caught the last episode of the last season last week to try to catch up and remind myself what had taken place in the months earlier.  It was the show where they always use the pop-up bubble to tell you clues and things that you might not understand the first time though.  As I watched the episode I noticed more than once that they how seemed to have several Christian over-tones attached to it and I began to parallel some aspects of the show to my faith.  After all my faith runs in and around every aspect of my life.  I don’t want to just “turn on” my Christianity at church and times when I need God.   Below are some of the things my mind began to correlate with the show.

I noticed how the introduction of Jacob as the creator of the island can kind of compare to God, the creator of the earth. There also is an unknown “man in black” who wants to kill Jacob, but for some reason can’t.  The comparison between God and the devil comes to mind here.  Satan wanted to over throw God in heaven but couldn’t do it.   As the last episode comes to a close we learn that John Locke, who had to become a sacrifice to save the island had come back to life, or not really as the last few minutes had shown John Locke’s body was still dead and in a case carried by these new 6 people who have a appriciation for Latin, a dead language.  Perhaps this is the “man in black”‘s way of trying to kill Jacob.

The resurrection of John Locke has enough spiritual implications also.  Jesus himself resurrected from the dead, but he didn’t try to kill anyone after he came back from the dead.  Part of me wonders if there is a atheistic theme or plot to the show hidden in messages, similar to the movie that came out a few years ago called “The Golden Compass.”  It was a book written in response to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.  The book has an anti God theme and the main character tries to kill “God.”

All in all, I think the writers of the show are either on drugs as they are writing out the episodes or they are very creative and maticulous with their plots and themes. Either way I enjoy the show and will miss it after this season is over with.

Leave a Comment » | In The News | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Toyota Driving Safety tips (mildly humerous)

January 27, 2010

Oops!

Do you drive a Toyota?  Are you checking your floor mat?  Spraying some WD-40 on your accelerator pedal?  It’s pretty wild here about the recal and the stoppage of sales for the Auto giant in te last few days.    The sales suspension and recall includes Toyota’s top-selling vehicle in North America, the Camry, for model years since 2007.  Also included are the 2009-2010 model year RAV4, Corolla and Matrix, the 2008-2010 model year Sequoia, the 2007-2010 model year Tundra, the 2005-2010 model year Avalon and the 2010 model year Highlander. 

I have thought, “What would I do if the accelerator got stuck while I was driving?”  I am the kind of guy that likes to be ready for anything, so I took it upon myself to dream up some situations in my head, in case Honda ever has a problem or I’m ridding with a friend in their Toyota.   Below are some different scenarios I played out in my mind. 

1. I’m on the Interstate and it sticks.  Well this is probably the safest place to be if it happens, Hey everyone else in Atlanta drives 95 miles an hour even with Georgia’s new super speeder law in effect.  I would just continue to drive the Interstate -285 (also known as the Atlanta Motor Speedway) until I ran out of gas and the car came to a stop.  There would be no damage of my car unless cars rammed into the back of me being impatient trying to get to work and home. This of course would not work during the Rush hour traffic times and I need to continue to think more. 

2. I’m in the suburbs and side streets of Metro Atlanta.   Driving around in the smaller streets and my accelerator sticks.  Hmmm, I immediately look for something not to large or hard and immoveable to slow my car down to a stop.  Lots of things came to mind like, small trees or shrubs grouped together that I could run over to create a decrease in inertia,  A neighbors above-ground swimming pool (it would also wash my car which is badly needed), or a line of mailboxes in a neighborhood that would slow me down one at a time.  This situation might have some minor damage to my car and to property so probably not the best solution either. 

All joking aside, I guess I just should take the following advice given by Toyota if my car’s accelerator happens to stick and send you into a panic. 

1. Press the brake, and shift the car into neutral. 

2. Slowing down using the brake pedal until you come to a complete stop. 

*Do not turn of the car off as you will lose your power-steering and will make it difficult to turn and you may end up off-road. 

I hope that none of you never actually find yourself in the situation to begin with, but if you do, don’t panic and remember those two rules above.  If you want to get on the evening news you can play out one of my scenarios, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Leave a Comment » | In The News | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Tim Tebow On and Off the Field

January 26, 2010

As the end of the college football season came to a close just a few weeks ago.  All remaining college football fans begin to look toward the NFL draft that will take place in late April.  This is the last time they will get to talk college football in relation to the 2009 season.  Personally I go into a NCAAF coma that is only kept alive by the life-support of the occasional blurbs about my home team, the Georgia Bulldogs.

There has been much talk about Tim Tebow and his highly successful years as the Florida Gators quarterback and his next step into the NFL, negative talk that is.  My purpose is not to get into the specifics of the criticism, but only to say that the criticism is over-rated  for the most part in my humble opinion.   I question the source and slant of the criticism from many. Besides the fact of being one of the greatest college football players of all time, Tebow is also known for his strong faith in Jesus Christ.  His faith is mixed into every aspect of his football life such as  interviews and scriptures references on his eye paint.  In reality, Tebow is the same type of person on the field as he is off the field.  He doesn’t change his life to fit around his faith and visa versa.  I can not think of a better role model for young kids and teens to aspire to be.   Tebow works hard to keep his reputation as a Christian with integrity.  In the days where sports celebrities are dropping like flies in drug and steroid use and the recent fall of Tiger Woods in multiple occurences of marital infidelity, Tebow is a breath of fresh air.

Tim Tebow

The die-hard sports fans and critics can say that morals don’t matter on a football team, but that I believe is a lie and a cop-out given as an excuse to not like him because of his faith.  I say that because of two reasons, first, if you were the father of a college or pro athlete would you want your son or daughter to live the life style of Mark Maguire, Barry Bonds, or Tiger Woods?  Successful and rich, yes, but the lifestyle of drama I’m sure you would not wish on your own flesh and blood.  Secondly, the NFL teams that draft these players would rather take a great player who is not known for “off the field antics” over a great player who is known for perhaps getting into trouble from time to time.  These are there assets and they don’t want to have to worry about a player who causes trouble.  Unless you are Jerry Jones and Al Davis, who are known for picking the “bad guys”, but hey, they are in the minority.  Again if I asked you as a parent, would you rather have a son or daughter who are both successful in life, but one of them gets in trouble often, you have to bail them out of jail, constantly keep an eye on them to protect them, which would you choose?  Need I say more?

Yes, Tebow has some issues with his mechanics and perhaps with the NFL system that he hasn’t seen much of at Florida, but just watch come draft day, I will shave my head bald if Tebow is not taken in top 10 of the draft.  Personally, I’m just glad he is no longer a Florida Gator, since I am a Georgia Bulldog fan.  I can now get back to 100% hate for the Florida Gators instead of the 99% I had for them the last 4 years and I will enjoying hearing about his success in the NFL and his walk with Christ.

On a related note, I have also recently heard that Tim Tebow and his mother will have a 30 second commercial played during the Superbowl.  The commercial will have a Pro-life message and share a story from his mother’s past where she was advised by a doctor to terminate a complicated pregnancy.  She didn’t heed the advice and Tim Tebow was born.  The commercial cost 2.5 million and was paid for by several donors and sponsored by the Focus on the Family organization, lead by Dr. James Dobson.  The commercial has come under fire by womens’s groups and they are asking CBS to pull the ad.  The groups have resorted to name calling and denial of free speech to try and get their way.  So far CBS has not taken any action.  You can read more about it here.  http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/01/26/womens-groups-want-cbs-to-drop-tim-tebow-super-bowl-ad/

Leave a Comment » | In The News, Religous and Life | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

My Dog Has a Facebook

January 25, 2010

Ginger Weldon's Facebook

Yes, it’s true.  I had some extra time this afternoon after I got off work and what did I do with my extra 45 minutes, I created a Facebook for my dog.  It’s a big joke of course and I’m going to delete it soon.   I just thought it would add a little laugh to your day, some of you anyway. 

BUT, while we are on the subject, I was made aware that Facebook is getting younger and younger.  The social networking site was created for college students and has moved down into high school years back.   Legally you have to be 13 years old to have a Facebook, but that doesn’t stop anyone who wants to create an account.  All you have to do is lie about your birth year and you are in.   Even recently I have been made aware of some elementary school students who have a Facebook.  I think that is too young.

Many of the middle schoolers in our youth group have one or the other more immature Myspace.    I say that, because if you have both, which I do, you can tell a difference in the two by simply looking at the posts from friends.  I added a MySpace years back because it was a way to communicate with the students I work with.   Little did I know it would become a tool that would open my eyes to things unseen a church.  I had to learn how to deal with the things I saw.   I’ll admit I didn’t handle them well at first, micromanaging their every little blog and post.  Now, I try to use those times as teachable moments for the students I pastor and lead.  Some take it well, while others don’t.  As the popularity of Facebook grows, more and more of the Myspace friends cross over to Facebook, I am about convinced that I’m ready to delete the MySpace account anyway.

A recent report put out by Kaiser Family Foundation just in the last week has shown where on average students are spending more time on media than 5 years ago when the study first ran.  You can look at the full report here and download (http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2010/01/finally-latest-on-kids-and-media.html) a brief summary of it from Walt Mueller, who I consider to be one of the leading people in youth culture today.   You could branch off with several discussions from this article, so if you have something to add please feel free to leave some comments.  I just think we need to draw up some borders with respect to media use and limit the age of those who use it.  As a parent,  I make sure that I have rules in place before the issues ever come up so that I know how to answer the questions and comments posed by my children.  What ever happened to playing on the playground?

Well in conclusion, you can either add my dog to your Facebook page or not I don’t care.  She already has 7 friends now and a few pictures.

Leave a Comment » | In The News | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Saint and Colts in the Superbowl, so let’s talk Favre?

January 24, 2010

Favre going down!

Just finished watching the NFC throw down between the Saints and Vikings.  Good game that went into over time.  The Vikings lost the game I think just as much as the Saints won it.  Fumbles and interceptions were everywhere.    I was watching the post game breakdown on EPSN and after the initial highlights of the game, where do the sportscasters go to?    “Will Brett Favre retire or not.”  Way to steal the spotlight from the Saints and waste it on a question that no one will know the answer for another 6-7 months.  You just had to be the first one to ask didn’t you. 

Just goes to show you that we are a drama driven society.  We can’t enjoy our day without a little bit of drama.  In the post-game interview with Favre it was only about 4-5 questions into the interview and someone asks him if he will retire.  His answer was just to talk it over with the family and then make a decesion.   I will have a poll up soon where you can make your prediction on who will win the Superbowl, but one thing I won’t have is a poll about whether or not Brett Favre will retire or not.  So you will have to rely on the folks at ESPN for your poll results about.   They probably have a poll up now!

Leave a Comment » | In The News | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

Who Me Lord?

January 24, 2010

The next aspect of the story of Moses that I see in the area of leadership is on the leader himself.  With some people who hear the call into leadership can be a very intimidating situation.  Not every one of course, but the humble and least likely of people can often feel inadequate when answering to the call to ministry or to complete a task that God has for them to do.

Moses was no different, the very first thing he did was question God on why God wanted to use him. (Exodus 3)  No doubt, he was thinking about his past and what had transpired with him and the Egyptian he killed.  We can’t let the past hold us hostage into moving forward into where God calls us to go.  Here are a few scriptures, speaking about our past.

  • Isaiah 43:19 – See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
  • Philippians 3:13 – Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

 

Anyone who recognizes the call by God into an endeavor must always remember one thing; If God called you to a task, a position, or place He will make sure you have what it takes to finish what He desires for you to do, even though you may doubt.  God knows what He is doing.

In Exodus chapter 4 it points out several excuses that Moses tried to offer up to God when God kept insisting on His plan. Moses first excuse was “What if they won’t listen to me?”  God took care of his excuse by giving him miracles to do with his staff, his hand, and some water.   God always provides you with the tools you need to be successful for him.  Today’s tools maybe books, programs, or other ministries to share and pull from.

The second excuse was that was not a good speaker and was “I am slow of speech and tongue.”   God gentle reminded Moses, “Who made your mouth?”  We may look at our set of skills and say to God “I can’t teach like that or I can’t work with children like etc….”  God would say to all of us, I don’t care what you can and can’t do like everyone else, I just want you to do what I ask you to do in your own way and with what I gave you in the way of your gifts, talents, and abilities. 

The last excuses Moses gave God was just a simple I quit.  “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”  Moses just couldn’t think of any other good excuses other than he didn’t want to do it.  This was probably the worse thing to say.  The scripture says that God’s anger burned against Moses when he said that.  Telling God “No” is dangerous ground.  If you think about it, when you tell God “no” in a way you are saying “I know better than you God.”  God also had Aaron, Moses’ brother, to come and help speak for him also.  Thank goodness for other godly people around us that will help us when we need it.

I can remember the times when I first got started in ministry and I felt so unprepared and inadequate to do the task God had called me to in youth ministry.  God surrounded me with people who I could talk with and get advice, get encouragement from, and yes, even get a little correction from.  The next time God calls you to a particular ministry position, place, or plan be take confidence in the fact that it is God calling you and not anyone else.  Take captive those thoughts that come from the devil and try to convince you that you are not good enough, smart enough, old enough, too old, or any other thought that he may try to use on you.

Leave a Comment » | Leadership, Religous and Life | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

So You Think You Know Them?

January 24, 2010

Reading through the book of Exodus now.  It is a really interesting book and the stories about Moses can teach you a lot about leadership if you are looking for them as you read.  I figured I would post some thoughts as I read through the book.

The very first thing I noted from the story of Moses in Exodus was that Moses was not the most likely leader that humans would have chosen.  This is often the case with many people in the Bible stories.  There are a good variety of people in the Bible young, old, rich, poor, and etc, but for the most part I see where God used the average, ordinary person to carry out what he desired.  Below is just a list of a few people who come to mind in particular order.

  • The disciples (love acts 4:13 to describe them)
  • Esther
  • Moses (more on him in just a minute)
  • David (A Sheppard )
  • Nehemiah
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

So what about Moses, well, he did grow up in the palace of the king of Egypt, but remember after he grew up he committed murder.  He saw the Egyptian mistreating his own people and he killed him.  He got scared for his life and ran off to the dessert where he could live in peace.  Until God showed up and messed up his plan.  God told him that he was going to be the one to lead the Hebrews back to the land he promised Abraham.  Moses was a murderer and God still used him.  It’s funny how so many times we write people off when we think they are not any good to society any more.  That’s just it, we are not good to the world, but to God we are always useful.  I know in the past I have often looked at certain youth and perhaps thought that God would not use them because of what I see on the outside or because I see the unfinished project.  I have learned over the last 13 years in ministry not to do that, because God can  surprise you with some awesome things.  So the next time you think you know who will make the next preacher, missionary, or Sunday school teacher you better be careful and just let God take care of that.  After all, it is God that calls people into ministry and not the local pastor or youth pastor.  It’s just our job to train and guide them along the way.

Leave a Comment » | Leadership, Religous and Life, Student Ministry | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by John Weldon

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »