How satisfied are you with life? Sounds like a loaded question. Don’t answer out-loud, just think about. But, DO think about it.
I read a story of Walter Breuning today, of Great Falls Montana. He celebrated his 112 birthday. Think about that. He has been in 3 different centuries! AP wire says, “Breuning was born in Minnesota in 1896 and moved to Montana 90 years ago. He told partygoers about the changes he's seen over the decades, having lived in the days when there was no running water, to modern times when there are "buttons for everything."
Technological breakthroughs such as radio, TV, automobiles and computers make life more pleasant, but "sometimes I wonder if we appreciate what has freely been given to us," he said.
Breuning told the group to love and appreciate their family and friends, and "above all, thank God for the many blessings He's given us throughout the years. That is your Sunday sermon — and no collection," he concluded.
What an attitude. Even more, what a life. You know, we can spend our entire lives trying to get ‘more stuff’ & though we may live long, it will seem like squandered lives indeed. I meet people regularly who sought a particular line of work or career to gain a strong financial foundation. Many found, though they had lucrative employment, it wasn’t fulfilling & satisfying.
It reminds me of a talented missionary who was sought by a Fortune 500 company as CEO. He would have had an astronomical bump in salary in comparison to his meager ‘mission pay’ & considerably more comfortable work environs, to say the least. When he declined, the corporation pressed him with the question, “Is the salary not big enough?” His reply? “No, the salary is fine. The job’s not big enough.”
The measure of our lives should have more impact than mere finance. So is acquiring wealth & having money wrong? Never said that. God has blessed many with financial wealth & they use it to help others. No, the shortfall of a life is simply when the measure of a man is only what’s in his financial portfolio.
Jesus said it this way, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26. Succinct & to the point. If you get it all but miss heaven, what have you got?
So the million dollar question is, “is the path you’re on enough?”
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376 Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Like many of you I have been concerned & prayerful for the millions of people dealing with the latest hurricane. The death toll is toward 40 at this point. We had to deal with a little of the wrath of Ike here as well. 50 mph winds & some power outages are nothing compared to all the havoc in the gulf.
My primary purpose today, however, is not recapping Ike or the need for prayer. I can’t help but think of so many natural disasters & catastrophes in recent history. I don’t buy into the thought that it’s cyclical history, either. These events bear some serious thought. I’m no great bible scholar or purveyor of eschatology (end time studies) but I recognize sharp prophetic signs here pointing to an eminent “day of the Lord.”
While watching a Billy Graham special the other night I was moved by the life of Billy & his late bride, Ruth. Their entire life has been in encouraging people to be prepared to meet the Lord at life’s end & following His path while we walk here on earth. Each week I try to share a bit of encouragement with you & nudge you in that same way if you have something missing in your life.
Believe me, I’m no particular ‘saint’ or feel I have life all worked out in some tidy little package. On the contrary, I struggle daily to live right & keep the right focus on what really matters in this life.
I’ve quoted Dr. Graham on multiple occasions at funerals & the graveside of loved ones. “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” That’s intentional. We don’t just wander into heaven or a relationship with God. It’s serious business.
To that end, I want to share with you how important it is for you to know you are prepared. Space won’t permit me to share stories of 28 years of ministry & the untimely deaths I’ve encountered. It’s a challenge ministering to the mother of a kindergartener who unexpectedly dies in an accident, or to the parents of a vibrant young teen who died of brain cancer & so on… We’ve just got to be ready!
So, at the risk of sounding ‘preachy’ today, I just got to know: are you really ready to meet your Maker? Again, can’t tell you how many I’ve seen who left this life thinking they had so many more tomorrows. Don’t put off this decision any more if you don’t know.
If you do know where you’ll spend eternity & why, then I dare you to share that life saving knowledge with friends & family who just may not know. While this is definitely longer than the normal devotion, I’ve included some passages on the back to help in this important question of life’s final destination. Please check it out. They’re taken from a paraphrase bible (I occasionally use to cast a different light on a timeless message) called The Message. If you have any questions please contact me & we’ll find some answers.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
“There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right; I can't find a single one. Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, Don't know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day. This makes it clear, doesn't it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it's clear enough, isn't it, that we're sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God's revelation doesn't put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else's sin.” Romans 3:10-20 The Message
“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with Him, make us fit for Him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented Himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him.”
Romans 5:1-8 The Message
The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between Him and me!" Romans 10:9-10 The Message
GOD HAS A PURPOSE- Life for you!
OUR PROBLEM- We’re separated sinners!
GOD HAS A PLAN- Jesus saves!
OUR RESPONSE-Give our life to Him in abandon.
What will your response be?
My primary purpose today, however, is not recapping Ike or the need for prayer. I can’t help but think of so many natural disasters & catastrophes in recent history. I don’t buy into the thought that it’s cyclical history, either. These events bear some serious thought. I’m no great bible scholar or purveyor of eschatology (end time studies) but I recognize sharp prophetic signs here pointing to an eminent “day of the Lord.”
While watching a Billy Graham special the other night I was moved by the life of Billy & his late bride, Ruth. Their entire life has been in encouraging people to be prepared to meet the Lord at life’s end & following His path while we walk here on earth. Each week I try to share a bit of encouragement with you & nudge you in that same way if you have something missing in your life.
Believe me, I’m no particular ‘saint’ or feel I have life all worked out in some tidy little package. On the contrary, I struggle daily to live right & keep the right focus on what really matters in this life.
I’ve quoted Dr. Graham on multiple occasions at funerals & the graveside of loved ones. “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” That’s intentional. We don’t just wander into heaven or a relationship with God. It’s serious business.
To that end, I want to share with you how important it is for you to know you are prepared. Space won’t permit me to share stories of 28 years of ministry & the untimely deaths I’ve encountered. It’s a challenge ministering to the mother of a kindergartener who unexpectedly dies in an accident, or to the parents of a vibrant young teen who died of brain cancer & so on… We’ve just got to be ready!
So, at the risk of sounding ‘preachy’ today, I just got to know: are you really ready to meet your Maker? Again, can’t tell you how many I’ve seen who left this life thinking they had so many more tomorrows. Don’t put off this decision any more if you don’t know.
If you do know where you’ll spend eternity & why, then I dare you to share that life saving knowledge with friends & family who just may not know. While this is definitely longer than the normal devotion, I’ve included some passages on the back to help in this important question of life’s final destination. Please check it out. They’re taken from a paraphrase bible (I occasionally use to cast a different light on a timeless message) called The Message. If you have any questions please contact me & we’ll find some answers.
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
“There's nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They've all taken the wrong turn; they've all wandered down blind alleys. No one's living right; I can't find a single one. Their throats are gaping graves, their tongues slick as mudslides. Every word they speak is tinged with poison. They open their mouths and pollute the air. They race for the honor of sinner-of-the-year, litter the land with heartbreak and ruin, Don't know the first thing about living with others. They never give God the time of day. This makes it clear, doesn't it, that whatever is written in these Scriptures is not what God says about others but to us to whom these Scriptures were addressed in the first place! And it's clear enough, isn't it, that we're sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God's revelation doesn't put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else's sin.” Romans 3:10-20 The Message
“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with Him, make us fit for Him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented Himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him.”
Romans 5:1-8 The Message
The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It's the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—"Jesus is my Master"—embracing, body and soul, God's work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That's it. You're not "doing" anything; you're simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That's salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: "God has set everything right between Him and me!" Romans 10:9-10 The Message
GOD HAS A PURPOSE- Life for you!
OUR PROBLEM- We’re separated sinners!
GOD HAS A PLAN- Jesus saves!
OUR RESPONSE-Give our life to Him in abandon.
What will your response be?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Strength to Carry On
Everyone gets tired of work or school (or BOTH) sometimes. A Scottish postal worker, working in Germany during the day & taking some night classes, took it to new levels. He was tired of the load & began dumping or, otherwise, hoarding mail. Over 20,000 letters to be more specific. From August of 2007 the 'taxed' worker began either trashing 'excess' mail or holding it.
From time to time we all feel overworked or tired. I suppose the thing we need to remember is that life is not a sprint but rather a marathon. It is the rare person who can juggle a job, possibly family, & finish school early. It takes time. We are living in, as one commentator put it, a 'drive through society'. We want everything yesterday.
My son recently epitomized this as he complained he didn't want to go to a certain drive through restaurant because it took several minutes. I feel that way sometimes myself at a traffic light or following someone driving slow in the fast lane. I lose perspective.
In the bible we find God's people had to fight their enemies for years. The battles seemed to go on forever, with little hope of peace. (I'm sure our own soldiers feel this at times) King David sang out after defeating his enemy: "For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer,enabling me to stand on mountain heights." II Sam. 22:32-34 NLT
No one ever said life would be easy. It is a marathon. I can't imagine trying to navigate through life without the direction of God. He strengthens & helps me when I'm weak & is a refuge from the storms of life. If He's not your guide & strength, I urge you to call on Him.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister Contact me at djackson@absc.org www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook www.bcmasunewport.org
cell 870-217-9376
From time to time we all feel overworked or tired. I suppose the thing we need to remember is that life is not a sprint but rather a marathon. It is the rare person who can juggle a job, possibly family, & finish school early. It takes time. We are living in, as one commentator put it, a 'drive through society'. We want everything yesterday.
My son recently epitomized this as he complained he didn't want to go to a certain drive through restaurant because it took several minutes. I feel that way sometimes myself at a traffic light or following someone driving slow in the fast lane. I lose perspective.
In the bible we find God's people had to fight their enemies for years. The battles seemed to go on forever, with little hope of peace. (I'm sure our own soldiers feel this at times) King David sang out after defeating his enemy: "For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer,enabling me to stand on mountain heights." II Sam. 22:32-34 NLT
No one ever said life would be easy. It is a marathon. I can't imagine trying to navigate through life without the direction of God. He strengthens & helps me when I'm weak & is a refuge from the storms of life. If He's not your guide & strength, I urge you to call on Him.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister Contact me at djackson@absc.org www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook www.bcmasunewport.org
cell 870-217-9376
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Wild Ride
A cat in Arizona recently got the ride of its life. The cat, as cats do, curled up under a spare tire of its owners’ truck. The man hopped in & headed for a business meeting. 70 odd miles later, as the man got out he heard a cat in distress. Turns out, it was his cat. He canceled the meeting & headed home with the stowaway. He said it was either that or a divorce!
Sometimes we feel like that cat barreling down the road of life. We’re not sure where we’re headed but we know better than letting go. I’m re-reading a book by John Eldredge entitled, Waking the Dead. John’s style is engaging & reminds us that while we might not feel like we understand all of life, Jesus wants us to have a full life! He has written another small, ‘mini’ book I recommend (I’ll even give you a copy) entitled, Epic.
Many of us feel like we are barreling down life’s road & hope we’re going the right direction. You may feel like you have little control & wonder at any contribution you might actually make in life. Thing is, we don’t have to go it alone. Not only does God want to direct our lives, He also wants to be there with us on the journey.
I don’t buy into the bumper sticker, “God is my Co-pilot.” If He ain’t got the wheel I don’t want to be on board! I echo the sentiments of Carey Underwood in the song, “Jesus take the Wheel.” I’ve found, no matter how well meaning I am, when I head off on my own without God’s leading I usually end up at a dead end!
The Psalmist said it this way:
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.” Psalm 16:11 NLT
Again, I don’t know all the answers & what all life has to bear, but I know the road that leads to heaven. Love to show you the map if you need it.
Join us for Morning Fuel Wednesday mornings if you’re on campus. Remember to check out the web stuff too. Be sure to sign up for our fall BCM prize drawing.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister Contact me at djackson@absc.org www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook www.bcmasunewport.org cell 870-217-9376
Sometimes we feel like that cat barreling down the road of life. We’re not sure where we’re headed but we know better than letting go. I’m re-reading a book by John Eldredge entitled, Waking the Dead. John’s style is engaging & reminds us that while we might not feel like we understand all of life, Jesus wants us to have a full life! He has written another small, ‘mini’ book I recommend (I’ll even give you a copy) entitled, Epic.
Many of us feel like we are barreling down life’s road & hope we’re going the right direction. You may feel like you have little control & wonder at any contribution you might actually make in life. Thing is, we don’t have to go it alone. Not only does God want to direct our lives, He also wants to be there with us on the journey.
I don’t buy into the bumper sticker, “God is my Co-pilot.” If He ain’t got the wheel I don’t want to be on board! I echo the sentiments of Carey Underwood in the song, “Jesus take the Wheel.” I’ve found, no matter how well meaning I am, when I head off on my own without God’s leading I usually end up at a dead end!
The Psalmist said it this way:
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever.” Psalm 16:11 NLT
Again, I don’t know all the answers & what all life has to bear, but I know the road that leads to heaven. Love to show you the map if you need it.
Join us for Morning Fuel Wednesday mornings if you’re on campus. Remember to check out the web stuff too. Be sure to sign up for our fall BCM prize drawing.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister Contact me at djackson@absc.org www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook www.bcmasunewport.org cell 870-217-9376
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