Oooooh.....I love chocolate!

February is here and the chocolate factory is ready. According to The Nielsen Company, more than 58 million pounds of chocolate candy will be sold during Valentine’s week; taking US chocolate sales to over $450 million dollars in just a few days.

February 13th is the most popular day for chocolate sales the entire year. The second most popular day is February 15th; the day after, when the prices are slashed! And just why are folk so bent on chocolate for this holiday?

Historically, Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery (that’s a fancy word of “chocolates” or “sweeties”).

Tradition tells us the Saint Valentine was a bishop in Rome who died a martyr’s death and was buried on February 14th. He gave his life for his faith. That’s love. Scripture states, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Many have died for their faith; given their lives for the cause of Christ.

Romans 5:8 (KJV) reminds us...”But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s real love. John said, “For God so loved He gave…..”. He didn’t give chocolate, cards, or flowers. He gave His one and only Son to die for us. That’s the ultimate example of love.

Go ahead…..give your sweetie some chocolate this Valentine’s Day! But remember the greatest give that you can ever give is love.

A Completed Work!

Have you got some of those tasks around the house that you just haven’t finished? What about that piece of molding that you put up on a Saturday and “next Saturday” you were going to paint it? Or the tree that you cut down in the back yard needs to be hauled off….before it rots.? How about that barn that you cleaned out and organized all this year that still sits there in all of its clutter?

Before you think I’m not in that club, the preacher here knows all too well the frustration of an unfinished task; a goal that you simply did not meet. And when the water boils down, it’s all because of your own personal negligence. Ouch!

Well, I know what you’re doing? You are looking at your life, your goals, your dreams, your family, your money, or the lack of it and you’re saying…”This year I’m going to get it in order!” Now that’s a resolution – something that you resolve to do or accomplish.

When it comes to matters like these, I am so glad that God is a keeper of His plans. Jeremiah the prophet brought encouragement to a people oppressed and in bondage when He reminded them, “I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord; “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” God desires to bless His people. He wants us to accomplish all that He puts upon our hearts. His biggest challenge is us! We neglect. We fail. We procrastinate.

And now that the year has come to a close, we are all facing the same challenge. We want to accomplish more. We want to finish the tasks that are before us; things that flow out of heart’s desire. God wants us to complete our tasks, whether they be practical or spiritual. Philippians 1:6 reminds us…”being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

God is going to accomplish in us that which He desires. He knows us better than we know ourselves. When God starts out on the task of cleaning us up and molding us into His desire for us, He doesn’t do it like we do our barn or our closet. He starts and He finishes. It’s a process, and a steady one. And He will complete it! He is faithful.

Come on out to church on Sunday!

I love that classic admonition from Psalms 122:1 – “…..let us go to the house of the Lord!” So…what is your reason for not going to church; setting aside that holy time in your week to worship the Lord corporately with other believers? Well, before you give an answer, why not consider reading this little item of interest entitled Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash!

I never wash because….

1) I was forced to wash as a child.

2) People who wash are all hypocrites; they think they are cleaner than everyone else.

3) There are so many different kinds of soap; I just can’t decide which one is best for me.

4) I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped washing.

5) I only wash on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter.

6) None of my friends wash.

7) I’ll start washing when I get older and dirtier.

8) I don’t have time to wash.

9) The bathroom is never warm enough in the Winter or cold enough in the Summer.

10) The people who make soap are only after your money!

Sound familiar to you?

Speaking of the church, Paul writes: “There should be no division…it’s parts should have equal concern for each other…..each one of you is part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:25-27 NIV). Friends you are part of the Body of Christ, so you need to be there.

Watchman Nee said this – “Alone I cannot serve the Lord effectively, and He will spare no pains to teach me this. He will bring things to an end allowing doors to close and leaving me effectively knocking my head against the wall until I realize that I need the help of the believers, as well as of the Lord.”

You and I must realize that there are certain things that we just will not hear anywhere else; truths that flow out of Godly instruction. It’s in the church that you will find a spiritual family to belong to, a faith to live by, and a focus that gets your eyes where they need to be – on Christ! So…come on out to church on Sunday!

Harvest Time!

I love this time of year. Just yesterday I made the trek to Perquimans County; my homeland. I saw the combines in the fields harvesting corn. My mind went back to the days of my youth. I was one of ten boys hired to chop peanuts; ridding them of Morning Glory, Nut Grass, Broadleaf Signal Grass, and the like. Some rows were bad and some were not so bad. We made our way across that field and the next taking away the hindrances to growth and development of a hopeful 5000 pound per acre yield in those days. At the conclusion of a couple of weeks, Ed Nixon told our ten-man troop that the job was coming to a close. Everyone’s last day would be Friday; that is everyone’s except mine. He slipped over to me and asked if I would be willing to stay on. I excitedly told him I would and he kept me from that day when I was 12 years old until I finished college at N.C. State. He was my influence that took me to the home of the Wolfpack! I moved a long way from pulling weeks from the goober patch. I broke land, made rows, planted, cultivated, sprayed, and finally …..harvested. That was the fun. I can still remember peeping through the tiny window to see the grain fall into the hopper. It was much fun to see the rewards of our labor as we filled the bins with corn. We were harvesting the reward of our labor.

The harvest time reminds me of those days on the Nixon farm. Ed and the gang taught me how to farm. There were standards and procedures to follow, yet we still had to have the blessing of God. The same is true of harvest in the Kingdom of God. You have the standards and procedures in the Word of God. You still need the blessing of the Lord and the anointing of the Holy Spirit to bring the harvest in that He desires. It’s harvest time and the fields are ripe according to the Lord. The need is for the reapers. Are you one?

Jesus said in Luke 10:2….."The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Friends Are Friends Forever!

Michael W. Smith wrote a song several years ago with an awesome title line -  "Friends are friends forever if the Lord's the Lord of them...".  Wow!  It's so exciting being a part of the Kingdom of God because...you get to meet some of your new brothers and sisters in the great big family of God.

I don't think we really give enough attention to the value of relationships in the Kingdom of God.  They are everything.  In fact,  God's whole kingdom foundation IS relationship; starting with our relationship with Jesus.  He links us to the Father!  Once that relationship is established.....WOW!.....you begin building relationships that do indeed have that "forever" quality.

I had the honor almost a year ago of establishing a relationship with the family above -- Jerry, Angi, Lauren, and Shane Martin.  Jerry came from the Captial City of Raleigh, N.C. and met me in Ahoskie. He spent about an hour talking to me about the call of God upon the family to transition from living the American dream to spilling out their lives for the cause of Christ in Sudan. From there.....the Martins came to Ahoskie and ministered at Carpenter's Shop Church; articulating that call in a powerful presentation  validating a missions heart and faithfulness.  Fro there....we invited the Martin family to our home for a fellowship meal and a boat ride on the beautiful Chowan.  Relationships do need to be nurtured.  We made a commitment that night to support this family on an ongoing basis. Now, the reality of all their hard work for the past three years of travel and itenaration comes to fulfillment.   Off to language school in Egypt to prepare for Sudan!

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest country in Africa and in the Arab World, and tenth largest in the world by area. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, Kenya and Uganda to the southeast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west and Libya to the northwest. The world's longest river, the Nile, bisects the country from south to north. It is one of the most ancient continuous civilizations and ....is steeped in Islam. 

The Martins have committed their lives to sharing the love of Jesus Christ to this nation.  Our ministry supports this family in this incredible call upon their lives. We are among a large family of those who stand with the Martins prayerfully and financially.  As they prepare to leave America on November 10th, Jerry writes to share information about that departure.  Included?....prayer requests.  These are specific and I would like to pass them along to you today.

(From Jerry's letter)
Prayer Requests:

As you think of us over the course of the next couple of months, please pray for our transition. We’ve been speaking of God’s calling on our lives for almost three years at this point. Today, however, we’ve begun to look to the horizon with eyes of wonder, contemplation, and some uncertainty. This is where faith must become courage and where love for the lost must become an outward expression. This is new territory. This is a frontier for the Martin family. As we walk into a land of ancient history, will you pray that we will properly represent the author of history?



-Pray for closure of all stateside issues (banking, taxes, insurances, sale of possessions)

-Pray for emotional, spiritual, and physical strength

-Pray for proper and healthy good-byes to happen

-Pray for our packing and uneventful transfer of our household to Cairo (28 suitcases)

-Pray for family unity amidst all of these stressful things

-Pray that we will rest in the Lord’s arms, remembering to put Him first in all things.



Ephesians 3:20-21


Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory…

Thanks Jerry!  And may the Lord do just that in your lives. We love you and are your friends...forever!

NOTE: If you would like to consider financial support to this missionary family, I will be honored to share that opportunity with you.

Character, Class, & Christianity!

I love what the New Living Translation says of Hebrews 12:27 -- He will sift out everything without solid foundations, so that only unshakeable things will be left. Hebrews 12:27 (TLB)



I also love to write, but ….guess what? I love to read others’ writings as well…every day. So I cannot take credit for this one; it’s written by Bob Gass and was passed along to me in an email from a friend in our church.


The Lord often uses trials to realign us, and storms to attack everything in us that can be shaken. Everybody God uses goes through experiences that cause them to let go of the temporal and take hold of the eternal. Some wake up in hospital rooms with beeping monitors to discover the things they thought were important, mean nothing at all. Others discover it when the person they thought was everything, walks away and leaves them. Job went through it. One day he had everything, and the next day—nothing. His health was in shambles, his children dead, and his marriage a joke. At times like that you discover what's meant by "things which cannot be shaken," that are worth living for.


Things like character, class, and Christianity.


Character is not what you know, it's what you are.


Class doesn't show in what you have, it shows in the way you act, and even more in the way you react.


Christianity is not a culture, it's a way of life. It's seeking to be Christ-like—not just to observe rules and impress people, but to please Him. That's why Paul calls it "the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."


Remember, when the sun rises tomorrow you’ll have one day less, Give your life to things that cannot be shaken! Have an awesome day and serve the Lord with gladness!

"Turn that wood loose!"

Have you faced a difficulty or hardship in your life and carried it with you for some time?   Have you?   Maybe you suffered a broken relationship because the one you loved chose to break that covenant.  It was 19 years ago...and you're still alone....still bitter. 

Maybe you lost a mom or dad to cancer and you still have their clothes hanging in the closet.  It seems like yesterday, but you buried them 29 years ago. You're not going to throw mom's clothes away!  She loved that burgandy dress that she stitched with her own hands!

Or perhaps your feelings were hurt by someone in the church.  You've chosen to stay away because you really don't won't to be around that person.  In fact, you haven't been to church in over a year.  Come to think of it...nobody from the church has even called you to say "We miss you."

Hardship and difficulty is something that is a part of life.  Job said "man born of a woman is but a few days and filled with trouble."  You will have issues to deal with and to go through.  "Well I just wish my life was normal," you say.  Barbara Johnson was so right -- "Normal is just a setting on your dryer!"

The Apostle Paul knew hardship.  It went further than hurt feelings.  2 Corinthians 11:24,25  records this man's challenges in just a few words --  "Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea...".

Paul's missionary journeys were filled with trial and hardship.  As you read the Book of Acts you become very aware that this man was on the hit list all the time.  When he was on his way to Rome to go before Caesar, the ship ran aground in the midst of a storm and crashed into a sandbar.  Lives were spared, but the ship was completely destroyed! 

Paul instructed those who could swim to swim to shore!  The rest were told to grab a plank or a piece of the ship and make their way to shore.  Are you holding on to a piece of your shipwreck?   Have you been floating around and holding on to something that's dead?  Is bitterness robbing you of moving on?  Is hurt keeping your from getting to the next level in your life?

Make sure that the crisis that you face is only a "chapter" in your life and not the whole book.  Acts 27:44 says..."The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety."  Turn that wood loose!  It's suppose to get you to the shore safely.  But it's not intended for you to hang onto the rest of your life.  Grief?  You must deal with it.  Loss?  You must deal with it.  Hurt feelings?  You must deal with it.   Turn that wood loose!  Move on to a new chapter in your life.  God's waiting to help you write it.