I AIN'T SKEERED, BUT I IS TOO FAT

We've started up another session of BOB; that is Band Of Brothers as I call it in our Tuesday morning 6:30 AM Mens' Bible study with our lead pastor. It is so valuable.

This time were are working from a five-day workbook which keeps us focused, well somewhat, at least in the Word on an almost daily basis.

Some tidbits from the past two weeks. Nowhere in scripture are we told to fear anything but the Lord. Is that amazing! I never realized that, though I should have. That fact even helped me at the dentist's office last week when he was contemplating a filling or a crown. Maybe my focus on God while he was examining changed everything. All I know is he decided to take another picture. The x-ray revealed nothing. I danced out of the office. Fear is a great thing to lose.

As I was working my Bible study for next week, I came across the statement that the most unhappy people in the world are Christians with sin in their lives. The trusting Christian who walks with the Lord is at peace. The ones who don't know the Lord are happy in their sins, even though their happiness is only temporary. But the Christian who harbors a sin can't enjoy his sin because the Holy Spirit indwells him and won't allow him to enjoy it however briefly. So he suffers the most.

Now I applied the last one to my attempt to lose weight. I was fat and happy when I made no effort. But since I lost weight over the last year and a half by not gorging, not eating what I really want (oh my gosh would a donut taste great now?) I'm not enjoying my food even though I've put on 6 holiday pounds that I can't seem to shed. I know that application is not too spiritual. I know my body is a temple to the Lord. I know I can't rationalize and say I'm building a bigger temple for Him to enjoy. But maybe the analogy will be helpful to weight loss and weight keep-off.

There are all kinds of reasons that nearly a dozen of us and sometimes as many as 20 get up early on Tuesday morning to study God's Word with our pastor. If your church doesn't have a study like this, then maybe you could implement one like our son has at his church in Illinois where he and another member lead a Saturday morning Bible study at 7:30 AM. It, too, is well worth the effort.

TO KNOW (HIM), TO KNOW (HIM), TO KNOW (HIM)

I thought yada had only 1 d, but it doesn't matter, because I'm talking about yadda in Hebrew. Yada or yadda means to know in an intimate, close way.

Ironically, yada made famous or at least mainstreamed into our vocabulary came from the tv show Seinfeld a few years ago. In that context it meant just the opposite: that is, it meant people saying nothing. It was repeated at least three times for emphasis.

But in Hebrew, the word means desiring a close relationship with the Father. Just how do we do that? By reading and studying His Word. Daily.

Remember when you fell in love? Whether the first time, whether the last time, whether the only time--all you wanted to do was be near that one you loved. You couldn't get enough face time. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Punctuated by phone time, letter writing or text messaging, you had him/her on your mind constantly.

That's the same kind of love our Lord desires from us. David had that kind of love. Known as a man after God's own heart, David is a classic example of yadda love for God the Father. And a great example for us.

Next time you hear someone use, "yadda, yadda, yadda," stop and think how it means just the opposite in Hebrew. They got it right and so should we.

FIVE DEGREES

That's what I call her sometimes. She doesn't much care for it, so I keep it to a minimum. I'm talking about a nickname I call my wife. I tell her that's her comfort level.

Withing a range of five degrees, she'll either be too cold or too warm to partake in outdoor activities. Actually, indoor, too. We have one hard fast rule for indoors--if the temperature is above 60 outside, then we can't have a fire in the fireplace.

So while on a recent cruise heading to Miami on New Year's Day, I convinced her to eat breakfast on the deck overlooking the back of the ship. (I'm not too nautical: I do know port and starboard and forward and gangway, but I don't know what they call the rear of the ship.) We were awarded with a spectacular sunrise. On the first day of 2009.

There were only five others there besides us. One couple, armed with a camera, arrived too late to catch the sunrise as the sun climbed into a low cloud bank. One of the guests, a lecturer, offered, "There'll be another one," to the couple, obviously disappointed.

My wife and I had the same thought. After our longevity together, it happens often. How close some people come to salvation. How many times some have delayed an answer to an altar call. How many times seekers put off making the most important decision of their lives--to follow Jesus.

And, there may not be another one. Another chance. This is where it gets a little tricky. The Holy Spirit must call. I'm not about to say or think that the Spirit might call only one time. But God also gave us free choice. We don't have to respond to the call. Yet God has chosen who will be His children.

So what's the answer? Don't take a chance. No one is guaranteed any more days. If you are feeling the need of salvation, if you're willing to follow Jesus, then do it. Now. This instant.

Don't miss the sunrise today. That is, The Sonrise.

THE LOOK OF A DISPENSATIONALIST?

To me, one of the most divisive issues in a church is legalism vs dispensationalism. If you are unsure of the terms, let me explain. Only recently did I know what dispensationalism was, though I've been one for some time.

Legalism, as it sounds, refers to the law. Specifically, Old Testament law handed down from God to Moses (Ex 20) in the form of The Ten Commandments. God simply can't stand sin and as much as He loves us, there is punishment for sin. Don't blame Him: blame Adam and Eve.

No one can uphold the law. Not even one, scripture tells us. So in order for us to be allowed to be in God's presence, we must be purified, cleansed from our sin. This is where grace comes in. God gave us grace, a kind of mercy/forgiveness for our sins--all sins past, present and future. How He can do this is because of the shed blood of Jesus who died for our sins.

When we sin, and rest assured we do, we are forgiven if we repent and turn from our ways and follow Jesus. After our salvation, of course, which opened the door for us. Then God dispenses, that is, hands out a get out of sin free card of sorts. And that's what dispensationalism is. We will sin, we don't want to, it's not a way of life for us, but we are covered by God's grace when we fail. We don't have to be perfect or in effect even try to be perfect, knowing that we'll fail anyway. But it's not a free pass to sin. We don't want to. We have a choice, thanks to God, and we want to follow Him. But when we mess up, we're forgiven. Romans 6:14 tells us "sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law [anymore] but under grace."

So that's where some problems occur. Some think, or I should say act, as if they are under the law. They try to live their lives under a microscope. They feel so guilty when they sin. Many of these same well-meaning people also tend to judge others when they sin. The dispensationalists accept their own shortcomings, their failures, their sin, but they still try to turn from their sin and follow Jesus.

I once heard someone say that some Christians are so legalistic that they would have had Jesus crucified for drinking wine. An extreme example, certainly, but one included to paint the differences in the two.

I'm glad I learned the term dispensationalist. But I'm much happier that God is the great dispenser.

MAN, WOULD I HAVE LOVED THIS CHRISTMAS PRESENT AS A KID

In fact, I think it would look pretty good in my garage right now. Once when the Cardinals were building a new ballpark, they were auctioning off all sorts of stuff, including a little car mascot Fredbird drove around the field. Our daughter thought I needed it and looked into bidding on it until the price got pretty crazy. She knew I'd like it for Christmas. She knows me well.

Pastor Rick Warren asked in one of his daily devotionals I get "What will you give to Jesus this year for His birthday?" Well, obviously God needs nothing, but in the spirit of giving, I was challenged.

I decided to pray for someone(s) I didn't know. So everyday, I take the challenge. Some days, I even offer more than one prayer. The first persons I prayed for were sitting fairly close to us at dinner one night. Before they left, they struck up a conversation with us. While that was certainly not in my prayer for them, it seemed kind of nice. Almost as if they knew what I had done. Now, I know that wasn't the case, but I took it as an affirmation.

It's good for two reasons. Number one, we're told to love others. Praying for someone is an act of love. Number two, it keeps us in contact with our Lord. We're told to pray continuously. To pray about everything. Number three (well, it may not be a good reason--remember, I told you there were only two) if just one more person took the same challenge, then we'd double the number of people reached. We could start a movement! Maybe that is a third good reason.

Ok, I'll give you one un-good reason: it's better than buying Jesus that little Cardinal car. I think He actually loves all teams.