Okay, so yesterday afternoon I was returning from a first responder/Chaplaincy call and I pulled up to park in my normal parking spot next to the church/house. As I pulled up to turn around to back in I spotted him - a HUGE grey squirrel laying out on the top of the entryway to the church. I promise you it looked like he was just laying out tanning or something - he was totally relaxed...well, until I pulled up and disturbed him that is. And that got me thinking...
How much are we like that squirrel, Christians? Enjoying the sun - just laying out and letting life flow by. After all, we've got plenty of time to do what Christ has called us to do (reach those without Him), so we can just sit back and let life do its thing for a while. This squirrel was doing just that - enjoying some peace and quiet. But it didn't last forever - and then he was back to work...doing squirrel things I suppose...
What's it going to take to get us on track? What "disturbance" will enter our life to wake us up? People are dying - every single day. I know - I see it. Suicide, homicide, domestic violence, cardiac arrest, stroke...the list goes on and on. But the bottom line: people ARE dying, and if statistics are anywhere close to right - the majority of them are leaving this world to enter an eternity separated from God in a place called Hell. That's not Blake Martin theology - that's biblical truth. But don't let that bother you...just keep enjoying the sun.
Just a warning, though: something is coming that will wake us up. Whether it happens while we can still reach people, or when He comes back to take us home - a wake up is on its way. So people who call ourselves Christians - what are we doing to offer hope to the hopeless - life to those trapped in a death sentence? It's not just the pastors job, or the evangelists job.
And one final thought: the other day someone made this statement to me, "I'm just not called to evangelize - I've got other things God's calling me to." So who was the Great Commission spoken to? Sure God can call us to a plethora of things - but every single person who has been rescued by Christ into a relationship with Him is not just called to share that with others - it's our primary responsibility in this life!
So...you enjoying the sun and letting life flow by?
Why not join the team...let's enjoy the Son and reach this world for Him!
It all begins with you...
That's just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Feel free to write anytime to pastorblakeman@yahoo.com .
Until next time,
blake
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Hurting people...
Just a few things going through my mind today, so I thought I'd share them.
People are hurting. There are folks within my little circle of "close friends" who are going through the breaking up of long-time marriages/relationships. My friends are facing the nearing end of lives, ministries, careers...people are hurting. And what do I want? I want to be able to say some "magic, spiritual word" that will take all their pain away. But no words like that ever come. There's just this one thing: Trust Him.
Does that make the pain go away? No. Does that heal the disease or fix the broken heart? No. These things still hurt - and they should. If they didn't there would be something wrong with us. But those two words - trust Him - speak volumes about Who it is that holds our lives in the palm of His hand.
He cares for us - enough to send His only begotten Son to the cross. But His love for us didn't end there. He sent His Son to the cross, and He sent His Spirit into our hearts. If we know Christ as Savior and Lord, His Spirit gives us comfort, strength, peace, assurance, and plain and simple love when we need it.
So my answer to all these hurts? Trust Him. He knows what He's doing with your life. So when you come to that inevitable moment in prayer when you just don't know what to say, just lay it all down with those words: "I trust You." And the Spirit will take it from there.
That's just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Feel free to contact me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Until next time - live blessed in trust Him!
blake
People are hurting. There are folks within my little circle of "close friends" who are going through the breaking up of long-time marriages/relationships. My friends are facing the nearing end of lives, ministries, careers...people are hurting. And what do I want? I want to be able to say some "magic, spiritual word" that will take all their pain away. But no words like that ever come. There's just this one thing: Trust Him.
Does that make the pain go away? No. Does that heal the disease or fix the broken heart? No. These things still hurt - and they should. If they didn't there would be something wrong with us. But those two words - trust Him - speak volumes about Who it is that holds our lives in the palm of His hand.
He cares for us - enough to send His only begotten Son to the cross. But His love for us didn't end there. He sent His Son to the cross, and He sent His Spirit into our hearts. If we know Christ as Savior and Lord, His Spirit gives us comfort, strength, peace, assurance, and plain and simple love when we need it.
So my answer to all these hurts? Trust Him. He knows what He's doing with your life. So when you come to that inevitable moment in prayer when you just don't know what to say, just lay it all down with those words: "I trust You." And the Spirit will take it from there.
That's just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Feel free to contact me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Until next time - live blessed in trust Him!
blake
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Voice of God...
Wow...where can I begin. As many of you know a friend of mine said a temporary good-bye to his wife this past Sunday due to cancer. He's a pastor on the Navajo Nation Reservation, where we've done some mission work in the past. When I got the news, I felt compelled to go - I wanted to be there to support him and show my appreciation for what he does for the Lord in a place where you aren't always welcomed with open arms. So I made my plans - I would leave Hot Springs Thursday morning at 3am to head out there, and come back Monday. Then last night happened.
I can't explain it - all I can say is that God's voice still rings loud and clear when He wants us to hear it. Last night I laid down in bed and had an strange unsettled feeling in my heart. I began to pray that if God wanted me to make this trip to Arizona (all 1025 miles) that He'd give me a peace. I love it out there, and was really looking forward to it - so you can understand my surprise when I just felt uneasy about it.
The more I prayed for peace, the more I felt uneasy. All night we went back and forth like that, and I'll give you 2 guesses about Who won...okay, maybe I gave it away with the capital "W" in Who...yes, I finally recieved my peace when I muttered the words, "I'm not going to Arizona." It was like a load off my shoulders, but I still couldn't understand why He didn't want me to go. It was a noble cause - a good reason to make the trip. Then I called my cousin Bill, who lives out there.
He totally understood! As a matter of fact, he said there's a big storm coming through that area on Saturday, according to the weather man, and he was nervous about me making the trip. Seriously? There's really bad weather predicted for the area? Yup, God's in control.
Now, I'm not a prophet OR a weatherman, so I'm not saying that Saturday the weather's going to be terrible in Fort Defiance, Arizona. I actually hope it isn't. But I can tell you this: either someone in Hot Springs needs me this weekend, or somewhere between here and there was a place He didn't want me to be. Regardless, He spoke, and I listened. And now that I think about it - if I listened this well to His voice all the time life would probably be a bit different...
When's the last time He spoke to you? Did you listen? It seems like the more we don't listen, the harder it becomes to hear Him...maybe we all need to just stop today and open up our hearts to His voice and admit we need to listen more. "Lead me Lord, I will follow. Lead me Lord, I will go. You have called me, I will answer. Lead me Lord, I will go."
That's just a thought - and I welcome yours.
Feel free to email me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.
Until next time,
blake
I can't explain it - all I can say is that God's voice still rings loud and clear when He wants us to hear it. Last night I laid down in bed and had an strange unsettled feeling in my heart. I began to pray that if God wanted me to make this trip to Arizona (all 1025 miles) that He'd give me a peace. I love it out there, and was really looking forward to it - so you can understand my surprise when I just felt uneasy about it.
The more I prayed for peace, the more I felt uneasy. All night we went back and forth like that, and I'll give you 2 guesses about Who won...okay, maybe I gave it away with the capital "W" in Who...yes, I finally recieved my peace when I muttered the words, "I'm not going to Arizona." It was like a load off my shoulders, but I still couldn't understand why He didn't want me to go. It was a noble cause - a good reason to make the trip. Then I called my cousin Bill, who lives out there.
He totally understood! As a matter of fact, he said there's a big storm coming through that area on Saturday, according to the weather man, and he was nervous about me making the trip. Seriously? There's really bad weather predicted for the area? Yup, God's in control.
Now, I'm not a prophet OR a weatherman, so I'm not saying that Saturday the weather's going to be terrible in Fort Defiance, Arizona. I actually hope it isn't. But I can tell you this: either someone in Hot Springs needs me this weekend, or somewhere between here and there was a place He didn't want me to be. Regardless, He spoke, and I listened. And now that I think about it - if I listened this well to His voice all the time life would probably be a bit different...
When's the last time He spoke to you? Did you listen? It seems like the more we don't listen, the harder it becomes to hear Him...maybe we all need to just stop today and open up our hearts to His voice and admit we need to listen more. "Lead me Lord, I will follow. Lead me Lord, I will go. You have called me, I will answer. Lead me Lord, I will go."
That's just a thought - and I welcome yours.
Feel free to email me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.
Until next time,
blake
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
