Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum! Maybe you remember those words from your childhood.  Maybe you’ve read the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.  The story itself has circulated in some form since at least the 1700’s.  Giants have most assuredly always been around.  Jonah’s giant was a big fish, David’s giant was a big Philistine—what’s your giant?

In the 1950’s, I had the joy of growing up on a 550 acre farm with cows, pigs, and chickens.  Granddad, or Pap as we called him, grew and harvested many different grains as well as tobacco.  Not until I was grown and the farm was turned into a big residential development did I realize how valuable that time in life was for me.

Giants were everywhere on that farm.  Some of my earliest memories contain thoughts of milk cows kicking me while I tried to shovel manure out of the milking stalls.  Long before I could drive a car, I rode a big, black Arabian horse.  He was a giant!  That horse was like a good friend.  There were little giants, too.  Rats, snakes, and spiders were their monikers.

The rats were large but not very imposing.  The snakes were quite slithery but they didn’t bother me at all.  In fact, if it wasn’t a cotton mouth or a copper head, I’d play with them sometimes.  Then there were the spiders—spiders of every description.  Arachnids might as well be ten feet tall and weigh 1,000 pounds when I see them.  They cause my bones to shake like an earthquake.  If I never see another one it will be too soon.  Obviously, spiders strike fear in my heart.  Why? Who knows.

Bad habits are like spiders, especially the little spiders you can barely see.  They can be the most poisonous.  Sometimes they are tiny little thoughts that confuse the mind.  Those thoughts seem to be innocuous, but every time they invade your mind they cause chaos.

Other bad habits are not nearly as inconspicuous, but they are just as ominous. In fact, some of our worst habits are just things we have gotten used to—we know they are bad for us, but they are easy, they don’t bring immediate harm, and we just ignore them.  Oh yeah, this type of habit usually affects our waistlines.  Know what I mean?

Bad habits and bad health go together like a spider and its web.  You rarely see one without the other.  Poor mental health comes from poor thinking.  Poor physical health comes from poor eating and poor fitness.

Why in the world is it so hard to get over these habits that act to our detriment.  Everyone of them is a giant—at least in our individual minds.  We really don’t want to face them because we know we will have to change.  We’d rather continue in their web of deceit than overcome them.

How sad for us.  Take a moment to read Romans 8:1-11.  Then, think about your giants.  After you read the first part of that chapter and dwell on it for awhile, read verses 12-17.  Stay there awhile and let God show you what a privilege it is to know Him.  Then, read the rest of the chapter and experience God—the giant killer.

Sometimes, I believe we would rather stand in the shadow of a giant than stand on top of its dead body. I can’t slay my giants; Jesus can.

This morning, as I was moving from a deep, restful sleep into the real world (that happens to me at about 3 AM every morning), an old, old song invaded my mind. . .Jesus Is Tenderly Calling. Fanny J. Crosby wrote this great call to the wayward, weary soul in 1883.  It goes like this [you’ll have to imagine the tune as I did]

Verse: Jesus is tenderly calling you home, calling today, calling today.  Why from the sunshine of love will you roam, farther and farther away?

Refrain: Calling today, calling today, Jesus is calling, is tenderly calling today.  

Verse: Jesus is calling the weary to rest, calling today, calling today; bring Him your burden and you shall be blest; He will not turn you away.

Verse: Jesus in waiting, oh, come to Him now, waiting today, waiting today; come with your sins, at His feet lowly bow; come, and no longer delay.

Verse: Jesus in pleading, oh, list to His voice, hear Him today, hear Him today; they who believe on His name shall rejoice; quickly arise and away.

This and many others songs in hymnals are called Invitations.  Invitation to what?  Well, it could be an invitation to faith in Christ.  That is reflected in the last verse.  Everyone who hears His voice, through Scripture, through a song, through another person’s words, and believes on HIs name, comes into a living, breathing relationship with God.  Pretty cool, huh?

For me, this morning, the tune and the words were a reminder.  Reminder of what?  

First, God was reminding me not to wander too far from home.  Homebase for me is the Word. Why? It’s where I find the most comfort, like being under a warm blanket by a roaring fire. . .at home.  

God was reminding me to rest.  I don’t know about you, but I’m busy.  It seems like I’m always busy.  Busy, busy, busy.  I love reading the Bible just to read it, but I have to dig deep into it for weekly sermons.  That keeps me busy.  I enjoy going to South America on mission.  You probably can’t imagine how much work goes into planning.  That keeps me busy.  Playing guitar in our praise band at church really gets my blooding moving.  Lots of rehearsing.  That keeps me busy.  Many other things reach out for my time. too.  And they all help keep me busy.  I need to rest.  Where is that blanket and fire?

God was reminding me that I’m not as strong as I think I am.  I’m a weak sinner.  I desperately want to be an overcomer in every part of life. . .but the truth is, I’m not.  Each and every time I think I’ve got a handle on this or that, the world slaps me up side the head with something new. . .or something from my past.  Bowing at Jesus’ feet is pretty important.

And God was reminding me that most of the world needs Him.  They don’t know Him. They don’t care about Him.  Heck, the don’t even acknowledge Him.  But He’s still calling, tenderly calling today.

 

Just ask the people in the Northeast.  We have a relatively balmy 16 degrees here in the Memphis area.

Watching the network news, one would think maybe this has never happened before.  After all, what the heck is an Arctic Vortex? I remember way back in the early 1980’s going out one morning in the snow in Knoxville, TN to ride a sled with my son.  As soon as I walked out the door, the hair in my nostrils froze.  Wow, I thought, maybe we better  go back inside and rethink this.

It didn’t take long to discover that the ambient temperature, that’s right, the regular temp, not the windchill, was -25 degrees.  On that day, for that one morning, Knoxville, TN was one of the coldest places in the US.  So this is not the first or second or third time that we’ve had frigid temperatures in America.

Frigid, what a word.  It’s an adjective that describes the weather when is it very cold, bitterly cold, freezing, frozen, bleak, arctic, etc.  Even when I think about it I like words like hot, tropical and sunny much, much better.  But, frigid can be used in another way.  The one I’m thinking about is describes people instead of the weather.  A frigid person can be one who shows no friendliness toward someone else, or someone who has no enthusiasm or passion for life.  In other words, they come across to those around them as indifferent, distant, aloof, or maybe unapproachable.

That’s sad, really sad. . .especially for Christ followers.  I wonder if people ever think about me that way.  I certainly hope not.  The last thing a redeemed person should be is distant. After all, we’re heaven bound, right? We’re part of a kingdom that will last forever.  We’re part of a family that is based entirely on love.

Jesus gave his life for us. He made is possible for us to understand love. And he gave us some marching orders to share that love.  It reminds me of two passages in the Bible: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy,” [KJV]–I really like that one and, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” [ESV]–I like that one, too.  How can we share our faith, make disciples, and change our world if we are frigid?  We can’t.

So, thaw out, speak up, and show some enthusiasm about Christ.  The world around you will be better for it.

For the past several weeks, here in north Mississippi, the flu bug and the stomach bug have been ravaging households.  Mine has not been immune.  Fortunately,  at my house, we have bedrooms on opposite sides of the house that allow me and my wife to stay apart when we’re sick.  And I’ve gotta tell you, I don’t like it one little bit.  When I’m sick, she cares for me; when she’s sick, I care for her.  Here’s the problem.  In the past week, we’ve both been sick.  Now what do we do?

It’s a little bit funny, actually, kind of like two old house shoes laying in the closet.  They’re all worn out, but man do they feel good.  They don’t look like much (I’m speaking for myself here) but you can sleep in them.  You just really like to have them around and available.

And then you can’t get to the closet.  Your comfortable, old shoes are not available.  That is one miserable feeling.  The one thing you want the most, you can’t get–or, at least, get close to yourself.  I’m sure you can identify with this if you’ve ever been ill with a stomach problem.  You need that steady hand holding the cold, wet rag to your forehead when you are at your sickest.  You need them to comfort you, gently rubbing your back while you moan and groan because of the pain.  And then you realize that person is just as sick or maybe even more sick than yourself.

What to do?  Of course, there are people we could call–church family, friends (which are one and the same).  But we’ve spent over 40 years relying on one another for this care.  We don’t want to hand this over to someone else.  Even in sickness our bond, our promise made all those years ago, that’s what makes us lean on each other, depend on each other, and need each other.

I was lying in a dark bedroom alone the other night, chills and all, thinking–my marriage is the strongest bond I have on this earth.  The only bond stronger than that is the one between me and God.  Thank God for them both.

It’s been a good long while, apparently over a year, since I took advantage of this venue.  The reasons are various, none of which are worthy of rehearsing.  Truth is, life has been happening at hyper speed so I can’t complain.  As long as life is still moving along, it’s all good.  

I’ve been toying with getting back at blogging for a while and I read a story today online that just seemed to be the one to spur me on.  The original story was written yesterday by Todd Starnes who is host of Fox News & Commentary (Fox News Network).  Since the material is copyrighted, I cannot just copy and paste.  Instead, I’ll rehearse and quote.

It seems that a six year old girl in Temecula, California was delivering a one-minute talk at the behest of her teacher who had given an assignment to the entire class to bring something to school that represented their family’s Christmas tradition and talk about it.  This little girl chose the star on top of their tree that, to her, was a representation of the Star of Bethlehem.

Midway of her presentation, at the 30 second juncture, I suppose, the teacher stopped her dead in her tracks.  It is reported that she told the class that “. . .the three kings followed the star to find Jesus, the Savior of the world.”  She didn’t get the chance to finish by quoting John 3:16.  She was told by the teacher in front of all the other students that she was not allowed to talk about the Bible.

Of course, she was heartbroken and her mother reported that she thought she was in trouble for doing something wrong.  On behalf of the family, the general counsel for Advocates for Faith and Freedom, wrote to the  Temecula Valley Unified School district.  Robert Tyler, the attorney said, “The disapproval and hostility that Christian students have come to experience in our nation’s public schools has become epidemic.”

This same story by Starnes reported that a similar situation occurred in October 2013 when a 7th grade student was ridiculed for reading the Bible as part of a class assignment.  It seems the student was told to only read non-fiction and was told the bible is fiction.

Here’s my response. . .not in America.  Yes, in America.  Those bent of the total secularization of our country will do anything to prevent truth from being spread.  Friends, it’s not just the bible and schools.  The stuff we call news today is, in many cases, propaganda for the complete liberalization go everything “american.”  You don’t have to look far to see it happening in every part of life.

The really sad part is that all this brainwashing/programming in the name of education is beginning younger and younger.  Pre-K kids are getting it rammed down their little throats, as well.  By the time our kids get to high school, they don’t stand much of a chance unless we do one thing.  You heard me right. . .one thing.

We, parents, Christian parents, must teach the word of God to our children.  Oh, you should take them to church regularly, you should pray with them, you should model clear Christian values before their eyes, yes.  But the very best thing you can do for them is teach them the Bible, insist that they memorize portions of it, and be prepared to defend it as they grow older.  Why?

Listen to what Jesus told his contemporaries, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 [English Standard Version]

Government can’t assure you your freedom, psychology can’t free your mind from addictions, and no amount of money or possessions can free you from the pressures and challenges of this world.  Only God can do that. . .it’s not fiction and it’s not illegal!

Here we go again. . .literally.  This Wednesday, the day after Christmas, 18 missioners including me, will board a plane for Lima, Peru.  After a 4 hour bus ride south of Lima, we will begin an intense 4-day mission among the wonderful people in the Canete area.

We are going to represent our Lord and in some small way fulfill his words in Matthew 25:34-40 [take a minute to read it]. We are going to give away thousands of t-shirts that have been donated by wonderful people from all over Desoto County, MS.  We will be able to give away nearly 1,000 bibles because people gave from their hard earned money.  We will feed over 1,000 meals to adults and chidden who are hungry.  And we will wash nearly 1,000 pairs of dusty feet and put a brand new pair of shoes on them.

What a way to spend Christmas!

It truly is a beautiful picture–American teenagers, adults, and senior adults walking among the sweet people of Peru, giving them things they need and giving them the thing they need the most, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think I’ll get to preach at least one of the 7 or 8 sermons delivered.  This will be my first time to preach in Spanish.  If you look back to my very first blog entry, you’ll realize how important this is for me.

God has given me a great big vision–and He is great big God! In the near future, we want to establish a Christian bible school/seminary in the area.  We want to help supply housing for families.  We want to help establish more churches.  

Pray for us while we’re gone.  And check Facebook in the next several days for regular reports.  We are all very excited to go–come an go with us sometime!

Our world is getting stranger by the day, don’t you agree?  All over the US, during the “holiday season,” it is getting harder to celebrate the whole reason for the holiday.  In public schools, no more carols that mention Christ.  The same holds true on “public” property.  No more nativity scenes, no more Christmas trees, where is it going to end?

A Texas State Representative, Dewayne Bohac, may have the answer for his state.  He calls it the “Merry Christmas Bill” (House bill #308).  I saw this guy interviewed on a national morning news show, so this is no joke; this guy is serious.

He wants to make the legal, legal.  What do I mean?  The US Supreme Court has already ruled more than once that it is perfectly OK to have Christian themed displays and music on public property [look up Lynch vs. Donnelly, 1984).  There are others on both sides of the argument.

Here is the REAL argument, though.  Those who seek to pervert the meaning of the US Constitution continue to argue that the “intent” of the first amendment is to keep religion out of anything government.  That is simply absurd.  The language of the Constitution is so crystal clear, and without any ambiguity, that the argument is completely senseless.  And Americans are falling for it hook, line, and sinker.

Amendment #1, states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Congress, government, is supposed to keep its legislative nose out of religion and it is not supposed to restrict any American citizen from practicing religion anywhere.  The last time I checked, we are still a republic where majority rules.  Well, at least that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

But that’s not the way it is.  A very small, very vocal minority has tricked many of us into believing that the Constitution says something that it does not say.  The liberals will no doubt want to quote Jefferson now–wake up, folks; his letter ain’t part of the Constitution.

I applaud Mr Bohac for his effort, but it is effort in vain on two counts.  First, it likely doesn’t have a chance of passing muster in the Texas house–although Texans can be pretty solid; and second, freedom of religion is already legal in America.

Until and unless leaders in America wake up to the truth of our Constitution and the truth of the living God, the shameless, inane argument will go on and nothing will change.

Merry CHRISTmas!

I’ve had a few heroes in my life.  In my youth, I thought President John Kennedy was the greatest man in the world.  I was a kid and he was highly promoted by my dad, a fellow navy man, so it was easy to put him up on a pedestal.  As I got older, found out some things about the man I didn’t like, but he is still one of my heroes because of all the good he DID.  Read or watch PT 109 if you doubt my assessment.

As a teen, my pastor, Willard Tallman was my hero.  He’s with the Lord but he is still a hero to me.  He tirelessly stood for God for more than 4 decades and never ceded a thing to the evil of this world.  That man, with little formal education, stood head and shoulders above the illuminati of his day.  Once, while visiting the holy land and sitting in an outdoor cafe (not in Israel) someone offered him one of the very small cups of Turkish coffee.  You know, that dark black liquid enjoyed in that part of the world. Well, if you knew Willard, you remember he had a powerful voice and an out front personality.  When he downed the little glass, he announced, “Sweet rivers of Jerusalem.” What else could a hero say!

As a young preacher, Dr. Theron V. Farris became a hero. He taught me how to think about theology without letting theology get in the way of my relationship with God. He taught me how to learn biblical languages and how to teach them.  He taught me how to weave the narrative of Scripture into  something easy to follow and easy to teach.

Then there is my dad. George Sykes taught me how to use my hands and apply my mind.  What else can I say.  I had the joy of leading my dad to faith in Christ.  Something he would later call, “the best day of my life beside the first day I saw you.”

What makes a hero anyway? Dictionaries suggest a hero or heroine is someone who displays courage and the will for self sacrifice for some greater good for all humanity.  For me, a hero is someone whose words of wisdom guide my life while they are here and continue to do so years after they die.

Well, another of my heroes has gone the way of death and into the presence of our Holy God, Dorothy Ruth Deal, my mother-in-law.  My life is better, much better because of Dorothy Ruth.  She and her husband, Hoyt, their son Steve, and daughter Debbie (my wife of 40 years), introduced me to Christianity.  That’s not to mention their other three children who have profoundly affected my life, Carolyn, Penny,  and Hoyt junior [Sonny].

Dorothy loved me when I was truly unlovable.  I was a fake Christian when I met her beautiful daughter.  I professed Christ and did my best, but I know she knew I wasn’t really saved.  She loved me anyway.  When I was saved and called to preach she told me she would pray for me every day that God would use me.  Practically every time I saw her, talked to her, or read one of her thousands of letter to me, she reminded me that she was still praying for me every day.  She was my personal prayer warrior.

Like Kennedy, Tallman, Farris and Sykes, Dorothy is a real hero.  She DID things that changed peoples lives.  With quiet grace, she stood for Jesus, never wavering.  She was smart, not because of book learning, but because of bible learning.  The very first time I taught a 10-year old boys vacation bible school class, she stood by me and taught me how to do flannel graph.  I experienced her genius first hand.

She was wise, not because she had been to so many places and done so many things, but because she walked in the power of the Spirit of God.  You could not be in her presence and not know that God was in the room. Her dignity was in her kindness.

And she was a good cook. I remember when Debbie was pregnant with Chris [who by the way posted on Facebook about his grandmother with these words, “She was the godliest woman I’ve ever known”], she gained 25 pounds and I gained 40.  How I loved to sit at her table.  Sure, I loved the food, especially the mashed potatoes and meatballs, but I just loved to sit and listen to her sage advice as she guided me without me even knowing it most of the time.

Dorothy Ruth Deal was not perfect. After all, like all of us, she was human.  That means she was a sinner in need of a savior.  She found Jesus and showed Him to everyone she knew. That my friends ain’t just a saint, that’s a hero!

David Silverman, president of American Atheists, has done it again.  This time on a Times Square billboard in downtown New York City.  His sign with a picture of Santa captioned with “keep the merry” and under it a picture of Christ captioned “dump the myth” has raised the ire of a lot of people.

Silverman said, “most Christians are really atheists who feel trapped in their family’s religion.” “They need not be Christian to enjoy the holiday season.”  You might be surprised when I say there is a lot of truth in what he has said.

He would have better stated his case had he said, “Most so-called Christians. . . .” Christians, people who truly have their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation from sin and the eternal promise of His presence do not feel trapped by anything, especially a fool like Silverman.

I also agree with his assessment that one need not be a Christian to “enjoy the holiday season.”  Why? For most of those so-called Christians and so-called atheists, Christ is not part of their celebration.  It is all about themselves. Oh, they claim it is about giving gifts to others and making merry when it is, in fact, about trying to fill the emptiness they have in their hearts.  Christmas, for them, is a feel-good moment just like many other moments they enjoy.

It would be very easy to be angry with Mr. Silverman and those who think like him. I feel sorry for him.  The Bible says that “only a fool has said in his heart there is no God.”  You believe Silverman and his ilk if you prefer; I’m going with God.

Tis the season, they will say as they spend their billions.  Giving gifts wrapped in shiny paper is what Christmas is all about right?  Not at all.  The complete and utter secularization of the holiday has convinced the majority of well-meaning people that the proper way to celebrate Christmas is to give presents.  The fact is most people giving those gifts are clueless about what their giving represents.  

Even Christians have lost (or never had) a clear understanding of Christmas.  At churches we sing sweet little Jesus boy and present the Son of the Living God as a baby in a manger.  And everyone in attendance says, “Oh, how sweet that is.”  

After the “holidays,” we pack up the mangers, forget the songs, and go on with a life that is devoid of the true meaning of Christmas.  OK, I know what your thinking.  If you are so smart, What is the meaning of Christmas?  I’m so glad you asked.

Christmas is about God given to man.  Swapping presents is fun; I enjoy seeing my grandkids open their gifts, nothing wrong with that.  But if I’m going to teach them, and anyone else who will listen, the truth about Christmas, I must carefully explain that the Eternal Son of Holy God came to this world to save lost mankind.

I was born lost, deserving hell and eternal punishment apart from God.  So were you.  You can like it or lump it, it’s still the truth.  God gave us the perfect gift to redeem us from that awful estate, His Son.  

When we realize our need and respond in repentance and faith, then and only then can we understand Christmas. Giving gifts, lighting lights, singing songs, and having pageants may illustrate the truth about Christmas but in our society that truth has been lost in those same bright lights and beautiful music.

Please do your best to remember why we celebrate Christmas.  God gave his Son; His Name is Jesus.