Hell Is Real

I know, you don't really like to talk about it. Most people don't, especially church people. The reality is that there is a heaven and a hell. If you find yourself doubting that, then just read the Bible and wait for the end of your life on earth. We don't like to talk about hell because it makes us uncomfortable. It's awkward and can cause us worry or maybe even depression. But let me tell you that Jesus spoke more often about the reality of hell than all of the other preachers in the Bible combined. Bible scholars estimate that of the 40 parables that Jesus told, more than half of them dealt with God's eternal judgment and hell. Hell is a reality for some and we must not ignore that as Christians.

I would say that most people believe in heaven and most people believe they are going there. Many believe that but don't understand how to get to heaven and what all of that entails. Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." (Matthew 7:13) Let that sink in for a moment. Many...many people go the way that leads to destruction. If we believe the Bible, then we have to accept the fact that most people are actually headed to hell. I'm very uncomfortable with that. You probably are too. But the truth is that hell is real and many go in by it according to Jesus.

As a pastor, I want to teach the Word of God so that it can change many eternal destinations. I want to help people grow in their faith as life-long followers of Jesus. But the greatest thing that I want to see happen in ministry: that many people who were on their way to hell will be on their way to heaven instead. As God's people, we are to be about changing people's eternal destinations. That is why I do what I do. If you are a Christian, then how about you?! Are you trying to help snatch people from the fire and save them? (Jude 23 "snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

Roll Ushers

Maybe we should strap them on for Sunday morning! I'm just trying to picture some of our guys on skates doing that. Too funny!

The Disciples

I don't know about you, but I have really enjoyed the "Daily Readings from the Life of Christ" over the last few days. In the devotional we've been looking at the disciples one by one. It's great to be reminded of who these ordinary men were who did extraordinary things for the Kingdom of God. I take courage and enjoyment in seeing how God used these men and to think how He still uses us supernaturally today to accomplish His purposes in our lives.

A disciple is a fully-devoted life-long follower of Jesus. Our goal as God's church is to make disciples. We are called to go to them and meet them where they are, baptize them, and teach them to obey everything that Jesus commanded us. Then we, as ordinary men and women, can live the extraordinary Christian life as disciples, true followers of the Way. What a privilege and honor it is to serve God in such a way!

Izzy's First Haircut

Izzy got her first haircut tonight. The whole family went and I was the official photographer. She didn't cry and was quite enthralled by the whole thing, I think. A couple of times she looked at the lady with big eyes questioning, "What are you doing to me?!" But no tears and no drama. Izzy is pretty good at adapting for her age, especially compared to the 2 older sisters. She's a cutie! I love my girls, and I'm so glad that they all took after their beautiful mama. I'm blessed!

The Snow Fort

One of my greatest joys in life is my girls. I love them and they are a lot of fun. (They have a lot of hair too! That's for another day!)

Anyway, Madalyn started the project and got too cold, but Abi and I worked and built a snow fort for about 3 hours on Friday morning. It was awesome! I thoroughly enjoyed spending the time with Abi and we built a great fort together. After we were done (and getting hungry because it was around 1PM), we had a snowball fight, just me and her. I don't think that she realized the value of the snow fortress till we started the snowball fight. Then it clicked. I think that she thought I was just building her a playhouse or something. Anyway, we had a great time and it was a blast. As most of you know, I love winter and snow and in Oklahoma, we don't get too awful many snows like that, so this was really something. I think that our final count was around 9-10 inches, so we had a lot of fun. Just thought I'd share the pics and the memories made.

We also went sledding on Saturday with Grandpa Keller. I've got some pics of that too, but I've got to get them off of the camera. It was fun. Madalyn even went daredevil on me and tried a sled run with a 5 foot drop off a snow drift. She just laughed right through it. It was a good time and such a good snow. Abi and Maddy ere really trucking down the slope and I was a bit surprised at their joy over speed. Guess it runs in the family! Ha!

Thank God for the snow. Good times and good memories! Feel free to comment and tell me about your snow experiences.