Scripture

We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.

~Isaiah 64:6, NLT

Quote

There are some things I never doubt: an Infinite Creator, the presence of evil in the world and man’s depravity.

~Ya’akov

June and I went to see the SOUND OF FREEDOM  yesterday. We felt compelled to go and are thankful that we did but I do not want to see it again. I didn’t cry the entire time but I did weep more than once. I know that none of us want to believe in the reality of hell but if you see this movie, you will know, there has to be one. Slavery is at an all time high. No one agrees on the exact number but between 50 to 150 million people are slaves; many of them are children and the problem is getting worse daily. It is not a racial thing. Slave traffickers show no partiality and pedophiles are taking advantage world wide. They are buying children and sexually abused them. If I hear one person bathing in self pity due to something that happened 150 years ago, I am going off. If these liberals in Washington and New York City hate slavery so intently, why are they not doing something about slavery today. Why are they focusing on history and ignoring the present? Could it be that Hollywood is over populated with pedophiles, rich and famous pedophiles like Michael Jackson. Trust me, it will be the next thing the left tries to normalize and this is why they fought this movie which is based on a true story. Enough about the movie; but you need to go see it and then come home and take a shower.

Every now and then, a devotion will line up with a daily experience. Dana Ortlund’s devotion on Psalm 51 was a part of my reading yesterday morning. Psalm 51 is David’s shower after his sorted affair with Bathshebba. David felt dirty and he pleads with God for mercy. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. David knew that he deserved death and hell. Like John Newton, David knew two things: [1] He new that he was a filthy sinner and [2] God is a God of infinite mercy. David was one of the few Israelites who understood that offerings were not enough. David could have sacrificed 10,000 sheep but it would not be enough. Somehow, he foresaw the Messiah and His ultimate sacrifice. The only thing you and I can offer is a broken and contrite heart. If THE SOUND OF FREEDOM doesn’t break your heart; I’d say there is not much hope for you. I don’t like feeling dirty. I wash my hands several times a day and take from one to three showers. I can’t lay down and go to sleep if I feel dirty. I also take a bath in God’s word daily and I still don’t get perfectly clean but it helps. I really don’t know what I would do without the WORD. I absolutely love the Psalms. I know this; the word has a cleansing effect: thank YOU Jesus for the WORD.

Extra

Dealing with some problems this week which has limited my capacity. I thought I was taking too much BP medication a few weeks ago because I was having dizzy spells and so I cut my dosage. Turns out, I was not taking enough and now it seems to be taking awhile to get the meds back in my system. Physical labor is a stress reliever for me but right now I can’t do anything and the headaches are worse. I’m just letting you know that I am on limited duty and you are right, I am not handling that well. I do feel better today and I do not have a headache at the moment, PTL.

I think we have a little heat coming. They are predicting high 90’s before weeks end. Thank God for shade, clouds and AC. GRACE POINT family: you may see some red iron on the campus tonight. They called this morning and said they were delivering it and I assume they meant today. Our slab has not been scheduled and as soon as it is formed, we have to wait on the Plummer. I am guessing you will see concrete toward the end of August. We had a donation to the building fund last Sunday in memory of Willowdean Sandlin. Our total is now 218,669.19.

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.

A little humor: a couple of people commented on the Sunday night message which is on YouTube so I thought I would take a look. I was overwhelmed {not}, two people had watched. No chance of one of my sermons going viral. I did have a good time: tons of liberty. I could have preached another 30 minutes but I finally just said to myself, you have to shut up and sit down. Reminds me of the instructions I got as a young preacher: stand up, speak up, sit down and shut up.