Thank God

This is the first church that I pastored. In 1985 I was asked to serve as the Interim Pastor of the Caribou Church of God in Caribou, Maine. There were seven people in the congregation--me, my wife, our infant son, and four other people. I received no pay, in fact, what little bit of tithes we could pay from my wife's Air Force Sergeant's pay was almost all that came in to cover the cost of electricity.

Twenty-three years later I'm pastoring a church that is averaging over 300 a month in attendance and in which the sanctuary of the Caribou church would fit in the foyer. I'm no better now than I was then and God is no better to me now than He was then. Still, I'm grateful to God for allowing me to grow and to for my ministry to grow as well.

I have much to be thankful for, including the fact that this week I passed my comprehensive exams in the Regent University Ph.D. program in Organizational Leadership. I was at Caribou when I earned my bachelor's degree, and at Conyers I've earned my D.Min. and am now a Ph.D. candidate.

The date on that photo is wrong, I didn't reset the clock on the camera. In fact, I took that picture this past Summer when my son (who is now 22) and I when back to Maine to visit the state of his birth. I thank God that I have children (Sons 22 and 12, and Daughter 19) who have never given me any real grief. No drinking problems, driving infractions, drugs, or rampant libido.

Then of course, I am thankful for a wife who has given her encouragement and support to my educational pursuits. She has often had more faith in me than I've had in myself.

Thank God.

Who Knows What the Future Holds?

Admittedly, the election did not turn out as I had hoped. I am saddened by the fact that the President-Elect is going to pass legislation that will remove all restrictions for abortions, and that now a portion of my hard earned money, taken from me in the form of taxes will now be used, against my will, to fund abortions.

In reality, there are many issues that loom large on the horizon of America's future. There is the growing Russian threat. There is the deepening economic crisis. There is the socialization of American banks and businesses. There is the failing stock market. There is a moral crisis in America. There is growing unemployment, home foreclosures, international tensions, the shifting tectonic plates of American culture. At the same time there is and will be a resurgence of white power groups and threat of terrorism both domestic and foreign.

The Bible tells us that such a time would exist and just as all are about to despair, a great leader will be embraced by the world, he will promise peace, he will seem to have all the solutions, and he will even gain the trust and allegiance of the Middle East nations, including Israel. But then, just when it seems the world is experiencing unparalleled prosperity and peace, he will break the treaty he has brokered with Israel and the world is thrust into a time of great tribulation and ultimately ends with the battle of Armageddon.

Who knows what the future holds? God knows, and He holds the future. Regardless of how I wished the election had turned out, God's plan is on track and I believe the end is in sight.