Branded

It was 1998.. I was the new kid in a very, very small town. The culture was a shock to me and my family. I knew i needed to learn to adjust, so I did. Not long after we settled in i met a man that would make a major impression in my life. His name, Elmer Nugent.

He was a fun, yet no non sense kind of guy. He became my mentor, father figure and a true Godly figure in the life of me and my family. There is a word that is used from the King James, its called.. "ensamples". It means indention.. or branded.

Elmer branded me. he challenged me not to "adjust" to culture, but rather lead it. I learned to be me and not a fake.

I just found out a couple of days ago that Elmer has cancer. He lost his son in a car accident three years ago. He has been through a lot. Yet, because he is not just a talker, but a doer, he continues to brand my life and others with straight forward encouraging talk.

Man, i hope I am just a quarter of the man he is some day.

He never branded me or others with stink'n religion. He always branded us with unveiled truth.

They have not given him much longer to live, but he will live for ever. He has branded my life.

I'm going to return to that small town to see him in a few days... what will i see? The brand that he is leaving. And if God does not wipe the cancer away and lets Elmer come home.. The Angels in heaven bess get ready to get branded by the new angel in town.

Listen

Listen

People are hurting in the shadows of your church.

Listen

People really don't care how cool your church is

Listen

Do you hear them.... Crying?

No? Turn down your Church programs...... Now do you hear them?

Listen

There are people in your Church who feel beat up because they don't feel like they can measure up to what you are beating them down with.

A whisper.... vaguely asking questions

Questioning God

Questioning life

Can you hear them?

Maybe you cant because they don't ask you... they are afraid to question you. So they ask God.

They might be mad at God... but even He knows that is taboo in a building with his name on it.

People need God

Did you know that?

Not YOU

God

Not your doctrine

God

Listen............. Shut the door of your church, just for a while and see what God is doing in other places that you would not be caught in.

He is under the bridge with a homeless person

He is at a bar watching them have fun, while you judge them for going.

He is holding the hand of a Muslim, Christian and a Buddhist because he loves them all.

He is at the football game... yep on a Sunday!

He is in Arkansas

New York City

Africa

Small towns

Churches

Temples

Honky Tonks

At a rich person's house

A Poor persons house

A card board box

He is at Wal - Mart

He is with you

Listen.. Shhhh...

Do you hear Him?

END OF TIME?

Two facts of this Universe is.....

1. There is a God

2. We are not Him

It seems like every few years or so when a catastrophe happens all of the dooms day people start preaching about the end of time. The last days. The second coming of Jesus Christ.

Yes... I believe that He is coming again (for you that are already ticked at me for challenging "doomsday")

But end of time? Really?

Think about that.... Time never started.... and time (as we do not know it) will never end.

There are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many other things that we need to do before we worry about eschatology of the theological premise in which we spend our time debating how it is all gonna happen.

here are some ideas of how to quit wasting your time talking about "End Times"

1. Pray for yourself

2. Pray for others

3. Don't be a "Christian snob"

4. Stop freaking people out with freaklogy

5. Make someone laugh

6. Tell God He is awesome

7. Love

8. Live

9. Laugh

and last but not least.....

10. Make the best of time (as you DO know it)

Till he comes again.....

Just a Thought.....

Embrace Now...

When I was a pastor I was always teaching on "Vision". The future... we were gonna do this or that or this or that.... That was great. Dreaming is great.. Vision is great and a must. However, just as many of us can get stuck in the past, we can get stuck in the future as well.

Right now we have life

Right now we have today

now we have these 24 hours

now we have time to throw the ball in the front yard with our kids

now we can enjoy good friends

now we can take a walk

now we can cry, laugh, morn or whatever needs to come out of our emotional system

Remember yesterday... it was great... but its a mere memory.

Tomorrow? Who knows??

Right now? Its here... now.

Take a breath and enjoy now........... Right now.

Just a Thought.....

My biggest complaint

Complain....

It is something I do everyday.

I complain about.........

1. Gas prices

2. Dirty Laundry

3. The BP oil spill

4. My bills

5. My job(s)

6. The heat

7. The rain

8. The lack of rain

9. Traffic

10. Poor service at a restaurant

11. And ton's of other things

However, yesterday, I found out what my biggest complaint is.... Randy G. Wood

I get on my nerves more than anything listed above.

When it comes down to the core of me... when you strip away everything... I am selfish, sarcastic, hypocritical, greedy, mean, wrong, a religious bigot, sneaky, a gossiper and a ton of other things.....

No, I don't do all of that in one day... Yes, i am working on them and letting God do his thing.

So.. while I am complaining about everything and everyone and all of the "worlds" problems... I need to shut the hell up and work on one person.. Randy G. Wood.

How bout you?