God is so good to me!

Sometimes we need to rest for a moment and take stock of how the Lord has blessed us. We often get so busy that we fail to look back at our day or week and really dwell on how good God is to us. This week was quite a week. I am happy to say that our Pastor is back home with his family after a week at Heartland Baptist Bible College (and Southwest Baptist Church) in Oklahoma City. In his absence I had the opportunity to be the "Pastor for the day" this past Lord's day. I prepared a Sunday school lesson and preached the morning and evening service. What a blessing! I praise the Lord for the opportunity to "get off the bench" and get into the game. I missed my Pastor this week, but what a great time of preparation I had for the messages. On Thursday I spent hours in God's Word, praying and looking for direction. The Lord gave me Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 and a message titled "the God shaped hole". The evening service I preached on Acts chapter 9 and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. We answered a simple question: can God use your life? Of course we know the answer is absolutely "YES" on this question. God can use your life. What are you doing for the Lord today? Are you doing it because you want God to see you doing that?

The burden for Maine ......

Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD"

With one stroke of the pen our Governor John Baldacci signed "Same Sex Marriage" into law. I have felt many emotions on this. Anger, disappointment, sadness ....... all valid emotions. The Lord, however, led me to believe we must put these feelings aside. After all, we can not get mad at a lost person for supporting sin. Isn't that what you do when you are lost? We must get angry at sin, but to be angry at a sinner that sins is like getting angry at a skunk for stinking. The real anger, disappointment, sadness all needs to be pointed at the churches of the state. It is the lack of Bible preaching that is missing in all corners of the state that is leaving the doors open for all kinds of immorality and sins. We are currently living in a famine like the one in Amos 8:11. The Word of God is not being brought forth enough! Oh, that more Men of God would step forward to boldly proclaim the truths of the Word of God! We need to get Mainers saved and into good, solid Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches.
There is much work to be done but we can not let ourselves get into a "spiritual rock kicking session". I can say that between Church Hill Baptist Church of Augusta and Calvary Baptist Church of Sanford, there are several families going forth to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the state of Maine. We have the Pelkey family in the Benton / Unity area, the Schoppee family on the island of Ilesboro, and the Morrison family in Rumford. In addition the Lovelace family and the Colburn family will be planting churches in Lewiston and Rockland, respectively. The Lord is moving in Maine right now! Things may look bleak, but God's word will not return void!
I have a deep burden for Maine. We are in a spiritual famine right now but God is moving here! We MUST bring the Word of God back to preeminence in Maine! Who's with me?

When Morning Gilds the Skies

When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:May Jesus Christ be praised!Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:May Jesus Christ be praised!
When you begin the day, O never fail to say,May Jesus Christ be praised!And at your work rejoice, to sing with heart and voice,May Jesus Christ be praised!
Whene’er the sweet church bell peals over hill and dell,May Jesus Christ be praised!O hark to what it sings, as joyously it rings,May Jesus Christ be praised!
My tongue shall never tire of chanting with the choir,May Jesus Christ be praised!This song of sacred joy, it never seems to cloy,May Jesus Christ be praised!
Does sadness fill my mind? A solace here I find,May Jesus Christ be praised!Or fades my earthly bliss? My comfort still is this,May Jesus Christ be praised!
To God, the Word, on high, the host of angels cry,May Jesus Christ be praised!Let mortals, too, upraise their voice in hymns of praise,May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this at meals your grace, in every time and place;May Jesus Christ be praised!Be this, when day is past, of all your thoughts the lastMay Jesus Christ be praised!
When mirth for music longs, this is my song of songs:May Jesus Christ be praised!When evening shadows fall, this rings my curfew call,May Jesus Christ be praised!
When sleep her balm denies, my silent spirit sighs,May Jesus Christ be praised!When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast,May Jesus Christ be praised!
The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:May Jesus Christ be praised!The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:May Jesus Christ be praised!
No lovelier antiphon in all high Heav’n is knownThan, Jesus Christ be praised!There to the eternal Word the eternal psalm is heard:May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let all the earth around ring joyous with the sound:May Jesus Christ be praised!In Heaven’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this:May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing, suns and stars of space, sing, ye that see His face,Sing, Jesus Christ be praised!God’s whole creation o’er, for aye and evermoreShall Jesus Christ be praised!
In Heav’n’s eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this,May Jesus Christ be praised!Let earth, and sea and sky from depth to height reply,May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:May Jesus Christ be praised!Sing this eternal song through all the ages long:May Jesus Christ be praised!

Oh that men would praise the Lord

Wow! What a great week it has been at Church Hill Baptist Church! Dr. Scott Caudill has been with us all week singing the songs of Zion and preaching the Word of God. Monday night he preached from 1 Kings 18 and the "showdown" between the god (note little "g") Baal and the one true God, the God of the King James Bible. His sermon was titled "What's it going to take for the fire to fall." Woooooeeeee. What a challenge from the Word of God. Tuesday night it was Ruth chapter 1 with "Leaving full but returning empty". The key verse was Ruth 1:21. It was a great night as our friends from Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford joined us, along with Pastor Barnard from Quebec. What a great night. Wednesday night, the final night of preaching, was a challenge out of Psalm 107:8,15,21,31. "Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" We are commanded to praise the Lord. Not just on the mountaintop but in the valleys as well. What a great week it has been. Thursday night is going to be a night of singing. Dr Caudill has a golden voice and what God honoring music this is. Praise the Lord!

We Need Revival

Winter in New England can be a very long and cold experience. Because of the lessened amount of fellowship that takes place in January, February, and March we all run the risk of getting spiritually cold. It can happen very quickly, skip praying one morning, don't read your Bible one day and ........ you can find yourself drifting away from the things of the Lord. I have experienced this in my life. Often you don't know that you have drifted. I Corinthians 11:28 says "But let a man examine himself ......" and when you follow that command from Gods word, you will see that you may need personal revival. Revival starts with me. Revival starts with the individual. We cannot have corporate revival without personal revival. In 2 Chronicles 6 we read King Solomons prayer of dedication for the temple. That prayer is a model for us. Your assignment is to read that prayer and in chapter 7 the result of that prayer. Glory be to God! We need that kind of revival.

Purpo$e Driven $ham "pastor" sells out support for California's Proposition 8

I have long been wary of Rick Warren and his whole "purpo$e driven" "mini$try". It has long been evident that his top priority is the loads of money that he is making selling books and all those sorts of things. He has now come out and apologised for supporting California's proposition 8. My guess is that $ale$ of his merchandi$e were going down because he came close to taking a stand for something. Notice I said "came close" to standing for something. I doubt he would take a stand on anything that would lose him "market share" of the prosperity gospel book market.

In a related story $addleback church is officially changing it's name to "Ichabod Laodecian church" and it's new motto is "out his mouth us God will spew, this is surely the church for you". (Ichabod = "the glory has departed, Laodecian church Revelation 3)

How many "churches" across the world have bought into the whole "40 days of purpose" nonsense. We need preachers equipping believers to live lifetimes of purpose. The purpose is to serve the Lord. Is that what Rick Warren's purpose is? We really are forced to question that. It appears that Rick Warren is concerned most about ............ Rick Warren. If he truly loved those around him he would be screaming the truth of God's word from every possible corner. He would be preaching on hell and sin and letting people know there is a heaven, there is a hell, those that trust Christ as Saviour will go to heaven when they die, those who reject Christ as their saviour will go to hell when they die. His popularity on the world stage is no different than the popularity of "America's preacher" Joel Osteen. These "men of God" and all others of their kind are doing so much damage to America. They are propagating the lukewarm Christian life. They are not telling the truth. They are telling people "you are ok just where you are. No change is needed. Where is the true Jeremiah 1:10 preaching? "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant." What has Rick Warren ever rooted out? Maybe the last piece of KFC in the bucket? How about Joel Osteen, has he ever "destroyed" anything? Well, they have both destroyed lives. Because of each of their "preaching" many people think they are ok, only to find otherwise on the last day they are burning in hell for eternity. America needs Men of God all over the country that will open up their Authorized King James Bible and say "Thus saith the word of God" We need to have a missions mind for America to undo the damage these $h$ter$ are causing.

Riding the Bus.....

We had a wonderful Lord's Day yesterday. The Lord is so good! My entire family had the opportunity to serve on the Church Hill Baptist Church Bus yesterday. Brother Woody Hayward and his family have faithfully served for over 20 years driving that bus, visiting the families, and bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who, otherwise, may never have the opportunity to hear. It was such a blessing to see the fruit of his labor of love in one young man named Jeff. Jeff has been riding the bus since he was "still in diapers". He is now 18 years old and what a fine young man he is, despite his surroundings. The bus was pretty full, making for a spirited trip back and forth. Getting to know these young people is a real blessing. Your heart breaks as you hear some of the stories they tell. Our sincere prayer is that these kids will get saved and then bring the great gospel of Jesus Christ home and help show their parents the way.
Praise the Lord for the faithfulness of the Hayward family. What a sacrifice they have made over the years. The Lord will reward them for their work.