There are many things we take for granted that, at one time, people thought ‘impossible.’ Folks thought the automobile could/should NEVER go over 40mph as that would surely make a person pass out. Flight was deemed a foolish preoccupation, as God only meant birds to fly. Flying, let alone, flying to the moon, was thus discouraged! Sailing around the world, ‘it’s flat you know,’ was off-limits & suicidal. The list goes on and on.
What was the common denominator in all these pursuits? Man, in his ignorance, had thought something was impossible, if not done or easily done before. While there are many things that are possible, only a naïve person would say, ‘nothing is impossible.’ That list is lengthy as well. We are finite beings with limitations.
“Nothing is impossible with God.”Luke 1:37
If you normally read the Christmas story found in Luke, back up one chapter to the back story. You’ll see the miraculous birth of John the Baptist, & also
Mary’s encounter with the angel Gabriel about the miracle of the Christ Child’s birth & her part in the greatest event in History.
Think about all the things that are absolutely impossible in your life. The list may be voluminous. Just remember the words Gabriel told Mary when she questioned how a simple peasant girl who had never been with a man would help usher in God’s own son. When there seems to be no way, remember ‘nothing is impossible with God.’
It seems God takes great delight in confounding us on a regular basis, by throwing us into situations where we have absolutely nothing to rely on except Him. It’s then that He shines the most as He defies all the laws of nature; you know the ones He set in the first place, & produces the miraculous. After all, if we could do it all, would we ever reach beyond ourselves to what CAN’T be done?
A favorite song of mine says it like this: "Praise oh praise Him praise the glory, Of this lavished grace so full. Lift your souls now and receive the Glorious Impossible"
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
-Who’s Missing?-
Like many of you reading this I ate waaayy too much food, & enjoyed the day with family last week. Then the perennial task of unraveling miles of chords & lights began. This was followed by trying not to release expletives & untangle said lights, and of course, the task of checking & rechecking bulbs. We hung strands of lights, messed up & had to restring the same but got my parents’ home lit.
The next day was like a shampoo direction: “rinse & repeat.” We got all the lights up & blow up yard stuff out & hit the inside setting up & decorating the tree. One more time with the yards of lights, which had to be unstrung when some didn’t work, then restrung with working bulbs. At the end of the day & decorating my wife made a discovery. The Nativity scene was missing a very important detail: Baby Jesus! Honest to Pete (whoever Pete is). Seems one of the kids had gotten baby Jesus out & never put Him back. We had everything lit, decorated to the hilt & no baby Jesus.
The irony didn’t escape me. I’m afraid so many of us fill up our homes & lives with all the pretty stuff & festivity only to forget to invite the main Person to His own birthday party. Had to stop & wonder if I’m busy doing the same thing sometime. Talk about busy at Christmas! As a worship leader I have to begin on Christmas music in summer & hit in earnest in September. Two musicals, multiple get togethers, mission meetings & family later, I’m spent. If not careful I’ll forget to the whole reason & Person I’m celebrating.
"The Lord Himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a Child! She will give birth to a Son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)"
Isaiah 7:14 NLT
I’m so very thankful that even though we may busy ourselves & lose sight of how important He is, Christ never leaves us or forgets us. One of the greatest promises is His name is Immanuel or “God is with us.”
That means when you get a pink slip at work, or you have more bills than money at the end of the month, He is with you. When you get news you don’t want to hear, He’s with you. When the one you love has broken your heart in pieces, He is with you. When you are at your rope’s end, He is with you. His whole purpose & the very REASON for Christmas is that He became one of us.
I want to encourage you (AND me!) to make sure Jesus isn’t missing this Christmas. Oh by the way, my son took an ornament off the Christmas tree of a gold Baby Jesus for the Nativity. He might not have realized but how appropriate. The King of Glory came down, so what’s more fitting than gold? The first Century had no room for Jesus, but I fully intend to make room for Him in coming weeks!
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
The next day was like a shampoo direction: “rinse & repeat.” We got all the lights up & blow up yard stuff out & hit the inside setting up & decorating the tree. One more time with the yards of lights, which had to be unstrung when some didn’t work, then restrung with working bulbs. At the end of the day & decorating my wife made a discovery. The Nativity scene was missing a very important detail: Baby Jesus! Honest to Pete (whoever Pete is). Seems one of the kids had gotten baby Jesus out & never put Him back. We had everything lit, decorated to the hilt & no baby Jesus.
The irony didn’t escape me. I’m afraid so many of us fill up our homes & lives with all the pretty stuff & festivity only to forget to invite the main Person to His own birthday party. Had to stop & wonder if I’m busy doing the same thing sometime. Talk about busy at Christmas! As a worship leader I have to begin on Christmas music in summer & hit in earnest in September. Two musicals, multiple get togethers, mission meetings & family later, I’m spent. If not careful I’ll forget to the whole reason & Person I’m celebrating.
"The Lord Himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a Child! She will give birth to a Son and will call Him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)"
Isaiah 7:14 NLT
I’m so very thankful that even though we may busy ourselves & lose sight of how important He is, Christ never leaves us or forgets us. One of the greatest promises is His name is Immanuel or “God is with us.”
That means when you get a pink slip at work, or you have more bills than money at the end of the month, He is with you. When you get news you don’t want to hear, He’s with you. When the one you love has broken your heart in pieces, He is with you. When you are at your rope’s end, He is with you. His whole purpose & the very REASON for Christmas is that He became one of us.
I want to encourage you (AND me!) to make sure Jesus isn’t missing this Christmas. Oh by the way, my son took an ornament off the Christmas tree of a gold Baby Jesus for the Nativity. He might not have realized but how appropriate. The King of Glory came down, so what’s more fitting than gold? The first Century had no room for Jesus, but I fully intend to make room for Him in coming weeks!
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
-Unrecognized-
Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? A guy in South Carolina had one of those faces today. Seems a serial bank robber in the area resembled him, so at the behest of bank officials, police cornered the guy & wanted some answers. Apparently he was just a regular ‘Joe’ that just resembled the thief and was cleared.
I’ve had people ask me multiple times if I was ‘so and so.’ Makes me feel sorry for the poor shmucks that have a mug similar to mine! Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of the, ‘aren’t you so and so’ myself.
As a worship leader, I have to begin work on Christmas, believe it or not, in July. So I have been fully immersed by now in the Christmas story & scriptures. One of the things that has caught my attention was the King of the Universe came to be one of us. Sadly, even the religious leaders didn’t recognize Him!
“He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:10-12 NLT
I suppose part of that might be in the presumption they had about how the Messiah or King would come. Even though the scriptures/prophecies had been very clear (over 300 of them), about how He would come, who would have thought the King of Glory would put aside His majesty & become a tiny helpless Babe? Apparently, few to none! The only folks who showed up got a special, Heavenly invitation or ‘birth announcement’!
The only other ‘wise guys’ who had actually paid attention & were looking for the promised Messiah showed up about 18 months late! That’s ok because it was all in God’s timing anyway. I suppose that’s the way it always is…in God’s timing.
Makes me stop & think: how often do I miss out on God because He visits me in ways I didn’t expect? Could it be that guy needing help I blew off was really an angel in disguise? Maybe the call or the request of my time was really God interrupting my ‘to do’ list with a ‘Divine Appointment.’
Gives us pause: are we really looking for God in the daily, hum drum of life? If not, I reckon we aught to be. Not preaching at you, mind you, just thinking out loud!
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40 NLT
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
I’ve had people ask me multiple times if I was ‘so and so.’ Makes me feel sorry for the poor shmucks that have a mug similar to mine! Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of the, ‘aren’t you so and so’ myself.
As a worship leader, I have to begin work on Christmas, believe it or not, in July. So I have been fully immersed by now in the Christmas story & scriptures. One of the things that has caught my attention was the King of the Universe came to be one of us. Sadly, even the religious leaders didn’t recognize Him!
“He came into the very world He created, but the world didn’t recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:10-12 NLT
I suppose part of that might be in the presumption they had about how the Messiah or King would come. Even though the scriptures/prophecies had been very clear (over 300 of them), about how He would come, who would have thought the King of Glory would put aside His majesty & become a tiny helpless Babe? Apparently, few to none! The only folks who showed up got a special, Heavenly invitation or ‘birth announcement’!
The only other ‘wise guys’ who had actually paid attention & were looking for the promised Messiah showed up about 18 months late! That’s ok because it was all in God’s timing anyway. I suppose that’s the way it always is…in God’s timing.
Makes me stop & think: how often do I miss out on God because He visits me in ways I didn’t expect? Could it be that guy needing help I blew off was really an angel in disguise? Maybe the call or the request of my time was really God interrupting my ‘to do’ list with a ‘Divine Appointment.’
Gives us pause: are we really looking for God in the daily, hum drum of life? If not, I reckon we aught to be. Not preaching at you, mind you, just thinking out loud!
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ Matthew 25:40 NLT
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
-We Salute You-
A family scratched out an existence on a depression-era MS delta farm.The oldest son, Woodrow, left as a teen to work in the C.C.C. camps building public works projects. As the world was thrown into war, he was deployed to North Africa to fight. The second son, Edward, received orders that sent him storming the beaches of Normandy & seeing first hand the horrors of war.
As the North African campaign ended, Woodrow’s company was sent to work their way up Italy, fighting the Nazi war machine into France. As fortune would have it, the two brothers, that hadn’t seen each other in years, found their companies’ intersected in the Argonne Forest in 1944. Edward’s platoon leader allowed him to join his brother, where they were allowed to spend Christmas Eve together catching up. They went their separate ways the next day & continued to fight across France until V.E. day in 1945.
Wayne, the next brother, enjoyed a year deferred to help work the small delta farm. He then joined the Navy where he was sent to the Pacific. Fortunately, by that time the major part of the war had ended as the A-bombs had been dropped on Nagasaki & Hiroshima. As a gunner’s mate, thankfully he only came within a mile of a battle once. Knowing little of the effects of radiation poisoning, the sailors were sent ashore to Hiroshima just weeks following the explosions.
I’m glad Wayne, my dad, is 84 & never experienced any radiation poisoning. He came home to build a life & family far from the South Pacific seas & the aftermath of atomic war. Uncle Woodrow had a German grenade explode next to his head & lost much of his hearing. Otherwise, he came home to be one of the kindest, most gentle Christian men I’ve ever known. You’d never known he had to man a flame thrower & take the lives of others. Uncle Edward, who possibly saw some of the worst at Normandy, came back to build a life & family. Dad said that Edward had always loved to hunt but when he came back he never did much hunting. Growing up, as we went to deer camp, I remember he always cooked & took care of the dogs & everyone else but seldom picked up a gun. Once asked about the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” he simply said, “I don’t care to see it or talk about it. I had to live it.”
Three brothers were flung across the globe to defend & protect freedom. I’m glad each came home to enjoy its fruits. For over 200 years men & women have placed themselves in harms way to ensure we, and others around the planet, have freedom. Many families & communities have welcomed home these heroes, while others have been carried home in a flag-draped box. To each of those who served, and to the families who have sacrificed loved ones, WE SALUTE YOU! Thank you for you service.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” John 15:13 NLT
Make it a point to thank a veteran for their service! If you have or know of a loved one that has paid the highest price for freedom, please share their story with me!
Here’s a link to a video I made for our vets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HIzryZLBk8
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
As the North African campaign ended, Woodrow’s company was sent to work their way up Italy, fighting the Nazi war machine into France. As fortune would have it, the two brothers, that hadn’t seen each other in years, found their companies’ intersected in the Argonne Forest in 1944. Edward’s platoon leader allowed him to join his brother, where they were allowed to spend Christmas Eve together catching up. They went their separate ways the next day & continued to fight across France until V.E. day in 1945.
Wayne, the next brother, enjoyed a year deferred to help work the small delta farm. He then joined the Navy where he was sent to the Pacific. Fortunately, by that time the major part of the war had ended as the A-bombs had been dropped on Nagasaki & Hiroshima. As a gunner’s mate, thankfully he only came within a mile of a battle once. Knowing little of the effects of radiation poisoning, the sailors were sent ashore to Hiroshima just weeks following the explosions.
I’m glad Wayne, my dad, is 84 & never experienced any radiation poisoning. He came home to build a life & family far from the South Pacific seas & the aftermath of atomic war. Uncle Woodrow had a German grenade explode next to his head & lost much of his hearing. Otherwise, he came home to be one of the kindest, most gentle Christian men I’ve ever known. You’d never known he had to man a flame thrower & take the lives of others. Uncle Edward, who possibly saw some of the worst at Normandy, came back to build a life & family. Dad said that Edward had always loved to hunt but when he came back he never did much hunting. Growing up, as we went to deer camp, I remember he always cooked & took care of the dogs & everyone else but seldom picked up a gun. Once asked about the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” he simply said, “I don’t care to see it or talk about it. I had to live it.”
Three brothers were flung across the globe to defend & protect freedom. I’m glad each came home to enjoy its fruits. For over 200 years men & women have placed themselves in harms way to ensure we, and others around the planet, have freedom. Many families & communities have welcomed home these heroes, while others have been carried home in a flag-draped box. To each of those who served, and to the families who have sacrificed loved ones, WE SALUTE YOU! Thank you for you service.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” John 15:13 NLT
Make it a point to thank a veteran for their service! If you have or know of a loved one that has paid the highest price for freedom, please share their story with me!
Here’s a link to a video I made for our vets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HIzryZLBk8
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport. Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
-Overworked Angels!-
Every year of my life growing up was marked by at least one major catastrophe. All I can say is, “Poor Mom!” Honestly, I can’t remember the ‘normal’ childhood maladies & sickness for the doctor, hospital, and/or ER visits. It’s not many kids that are on a first named basis with ER Doc’s.
I just gotta think that, while God had plans for my life, the Devil had plans against my life! I mean, for the love of Mike (whoever Mike is), I can remember a certain year by something bizarre that happened to me. ‘Oh yeah, that was the year I got my skull cracked.” Or, “No, that was the year I got impaled on that wire.” (Yeah, you read right.)
I’m sure most parents aren’t thrilled when school is called off because, unless they work at school, they have to make arrangements for their rugrats. Well, I’m sure my parents were particularly horrified. I can just hear my Dad, “Lord, Norma he’ll kill himself for sure. You better send him with me.” Dad worked on a construction site, but powered tools were safer than the thought of my being left alone for any stretch of time!
So, back to the ‘impaled by wire’ story; when I was 11 we had an ice storm & school was called off for several days as we had several inches of ice on everything. As always, I went with my Dad. I was sliding down ice covered scaffold boards on the end of the house Dad was building. He saw me fly by the window & went to put an end to the fun. He said, “Boy, you’re gonna stick a splinter up you clean to your shoulder blades!” I grudgingly stopped the fun.
As he went back inside I had an epiphany. I really didn’t know what that was, or how to use it, but I had one anyway. I saw the ice covered hill stretched below me & thought, “I’ll ski off that hill just like the Olympics!” I grabbed two sticks for poles, and while I had no skis, thought that was a minor inconvenience.
As I shoved off, both feet flew in the air & my derrière landed hard. I felt a sharp pain in my nether regions & realized that I was not, in fact, moving down the hill as gravity would otherwise dictate. It was then I realized the sharp pain came from the 6” wire that was firmly implanted in my…shall we say, ‘left side.” After clawing my way up the ice hill & off the wire (rusty by the way), I went to my Dad. I got a 20 minute “I told you so” lecture about disobedience, sliding down scaffolds & splinters & ‘serves you right’ & such. I didn’t have the nerve to tell him the real insanity that had ensued… Not until a couple of weeks later, right before I had to have surgery for the infection!
All of that to say this: I KNOW God had plans for my life, just as He has for yours! I shutter to think what life would have been without His protection. Lord, even with it there’s been enough doctor bills to buy a small island in the Bahamas! His angels were, and ARE protecting me each day. If I have just one ‘guardian angel’ I’m sure he’s overworked & put in for retirement by now! While you may not have taxed the angels, life without the Lord is dangerous with no future. Make Him your shelter & refuge.
“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go.They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” Psalm 91:9-12 NLT
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
I just gotta think that, while God had plans for my life, the Devil had plans against my life! I mean, for the love of Mike (whoever Mike is), I can remember a certain year by something bizarre that happened to me. ‘Oh yeah, that was the year I got my skull cracked.” Or, “No, that was the year I got impaled on that wire.” (Yeah, you read right.)
I’m sure most parents aren’t thrilled when school is called off because, unless they work at school, they have to make arrangements for their rugrats. Well, I’m sure my parents were particularly horrified. I can just hear my Dad, “Lord, Norma he’ll kill himself for sure. You better send him with me.” Dad worked on a construction site, but powered tools were safer than the thought of my being left alone for any stretch of time!
So, back to the ‘impaled by wire’ story; when I was 11 we had an ice storm & school was called off for several days as we had several inches of ice on everything. As always, I went with my Dad. I was sliding down ice covered scaffold boards on the end of the house Dad was building. He saw me fly by the window & went to put an end to the fun. He said, “Boy, you’re gonna stick a splinter up you clean to your shoulder blades!” I grudgingly stopped the fun.
As he went back inside I had an epiphany. I really didn’t know what that was, or how to use it, but I had one anyway. I saw the ice covered hill stretched below me & thought, “I’ll ski off that hill just like the Olympics!” I grabbed two sticks for poles, and while I had no skis, thought that was a minor inconvenience.
As I shoved off, both feet flew in the air & my derrière landed hard. I felt a sharp pain in my nether regions & realized that I was not, in fact, moving down the hill as gravity would otherwise dictate. It was then I realized the sharp pain came from the 6” wire that was firmly implanted in my…shall we say, ‘left side.” After clawing my way up the ice hill & off the wire (rusty by the way), I went to my Dad. I got a 20 minute “I told you so” lecture about disobedience, sliding down scaffolds & splinters & ‘serves you right’ & such. I didn’t have the nerve to tell him the real insanity that had ensued… Not until a couple of weeks later, right before I had to have surgery for the infection!
All of that to say this: I KNOW God had plans for my life, just as He has for yours! I shutter to think what life would have been without His protection. Lord, even with it there’s been enough doctor bills to buy a small island in the Bahamas! His angels were, and ARE protecting me each day. If I have just one ‘guardian angel’ I’m sure he’s overworked & put in for retirement by now! While you may not have taxed the angels, life without the Lord is dangerous with no future. Make Him your shelter & refuge.
“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go.They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” Psalm 91:9-12 NLT
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Cell: 870-217-9376
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
-"Remember when…?"-
Scientists have discovered a new spray that, when taken before sleep, can help boost memory. There is actually more to the story but I can’t remember… (Kidding!) This would be a great deal for students who crammed for tests & then slept on the info. I think I could use a shot of the stuff myself.
Honestly, I’ve had a great life & some great memories. Ministry & family trips have taken me all across this country & into a couple of others. I have so many laugh-out-loud stories that happened in a crusade, camp, revival, retreat, mission trip, church service, or just in the course of life.
More than just the events & crazy happenings, God has placed some amazing people in my life. Every so often someone posts, or ‘tags’, me in a photo, sends it or places it on facebook or the web. Some I’m not too sure I really like being plastered up there! All in fun though.
When I recall events, places, or people I often say a quick prayer for the churches or folks involved. I many not know where they are or what they’re doing, but God knows. He knows our deepest needs. The Apostle Paul had that thought in mind as he mulled over the folks at Philippi. He had great memories & was thankful for the life journey with them. He prayed every time he thought of them.
"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:3-6 NLT
What about you? Do you have any great memories of people God blessed you with in life? What is your earliest memory of church? What godly person has God placed in your life that you are thankful for? What is the funniest, craziest story that makes you laugh just thinking about it?
Share it with me. If you don’t mind, I’ll just ‘tag’ YOU & your story & let others in on the story or joke. More than anything, do you have a memory of when you first came to know Jesus as more than a name? If you don’t have a memory of a time when Jesus became real, I’d love to introduce you to my Friend.
Sign up now for “Life Groups” to study & encourage one anotherWe’ll study the book ‘Chazone’, a Hebrew word for your ‘Vision or life call.’ Sign up on campus or drop me a note/message.
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
Honestly, I’ve had a great life & some great memories. Ministry & family trips have taken me all across this country & into a couple of others. I have so many laugh-out-loud stories that happened in a crusade, camp, revival, retreat, mission trip, church service, or just in the course of life.
More than just the events & crazy happenings, God has placed some amazing people in my life. Every so often someone posts, or ‘tags’, me in a photo, sends it or places it on facebook or the web. Some I’m not too sure I really like being plastered up there! All in fun though.
When I recall events, places, or people I often say a quick prayer for the churches or folks involved. I many not know where they are or what they’re doing, but God knows. He knows our deepest needs. The Apostle Paul had that thought in mind as he mulled over the folks at Philippi. He had great memories & was thankful for the life journey with them. He prayed every time he thought of them.
"Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:3-6 NLT
What about you? Do you have any great memories of people God blessed you with in life? What is your earliest memory of church? What godly person has God placed in your life that you are thankful for? What is the funniest, craziest story that makes you laugh just thinking about it?
Share it with me. If you don’t mind, I’ll just ‘tag’ YOU & your story & let others in on the story or joke. More than anything, do you have a memory of when you first came to know Jesus as more than a name? If you don’t have a memory of a time when Jesus became real, I’d love to introduce you to my Friend.
Sign up now for “Life Groups” to study & encourage one anotherWe’ll study the book ‘Chazone’, a Hebrew word for your ‘Vision or life call.’ Sign up on campus or drop me a note/message.
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
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
-“On the Prowl”-
My family loves animals. One quick look over our home & you can easily deduce that. We have two dogs, four cats & a rabbit. We go to the family farm often that has 3 horses, one mule, 100+ head of cattle, two bulls & a few & sundry cats & dogs. They even had a couple of buffalo & a jack & jenny (donkeys for the uninitiated) at one time. We’ve owned birds & a dwarf hamster (mean little boogers!). We love to go to any zoo or drive through Animal Park when we can. While I admire it, there’s one animal I have no desire in owning: a lion.
I have visited an animal sanctuary/recovery facility a few times in Eureka Springs called Turpentine Creek. They house lions & tigers that have been rescued from zoos, or worse, when individuals attempt to own them & find they are not house pets! One man even let loose a full grown lion on Mt. Magazine as it got big, difficult to handle & costly to feed. Glad I didn’t happen on him while hiking or camping on the mountain!
Years ago, while dating my soon-to-be-wife, we went to the Memphis zoo. There was a large lion that was lying around his enclosure, docile & un-intimidating. Wrong! As I began to lean over the rail & make cat calls & faces the lion casually looked at me & turned on a dime. A roar came out that seemed to have come all the way from his tail! I went white and almost lost bodily functions at that point. Moral of story: don’t mess with a lion.
As I’ve learned about & studied animals I’ve found some facts about lions in particular. They are a majestic, powerful beast. Their roar can be heard for up to 5 miles & lets you know he is ‘King’! While they often are the only cats to live in a family group (except at my house!) called prides, when a male reaches maturity he is forced to leave the pride & search for one of his own to take over or to make. Thus, many male lions are left for years to hunt, forage and fend for themselves. That’s the dangerous, solitary lion on the prowl.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
I Peter 5:8 NLT
Often lions, rightly so, are depicted as regal & top of the predatory chain. They are often used & portrayed as symbols of leadership & courage. Most scriptural reference is favorable & Jesus is even called the Lion of Judah. The reference in I Peter depicts the devil as a lion. He is that solitary, prowling lion. He lurks in the darkness searching for someone unwary to devour. Devour he will.
I hope your have a right standing with God. My prayer is that you seek His power & strength & help. Know this, there is an enemy that is powerful & will not hesitate to disembowel you. Make no mistake, he will devour you alive!
While the Apostle Peter wrote this letter, the imagery was clear to the audience of the first century church. Christians were being persecuted & thrown defenseless to wild beasts. People could be about their lives & hear the roar of the lions from the Coliseum wondering if they were next.
Here’s one other fact to know about lions. As they get older & lose teeth & strength, they become vulnerable to attack of the young & mightier males. They are driven away & have little left to ward off others than their roar. Jesus is the Conquering Lion of Judah. He has already overcome the devil! You have no need to fear the stealth, prowess, & power of the devil…if you are walking with the King! Satan is a defeated lion with a roar. He can still eviscerate you if you stand alone, but if you walk with the King he must cower in the distance.
Please don’t try to walk the jungle of this life alone. Find your rest, strength & protection from our Conquering King, the Lion of Judah. As always I’ll pray for you & please return the favor. If I can be of any help or you have a prayer need call on me.
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
I have visited an animal sanctuary/recovery facility a few times in Eureka Springs called Turpentine Creek. They house lions & tigers that have been rescued from zoos, or worse, when individuals attempt to own them & find they are not house pets! One man even let loose a full grown lion on Mt. Magazine as it got big, difficult to handle & costly to feed. Glad I didn’t happen on him while hiking or camping on the mountain!
Years ago, while dating my soon-to-be-wife, we went to the Memphis zoo. There was a large lion that was lying around his enclosure, docile & un-intimidating. Wrong! As I began to lean over the rail & make cat calls & faces the lion casually looked at me & turned on a dime. A roar came out that seemed to have come all the way from his tail! I went white and almost lost bodily functions at that point. Moral of story: don’t mess with a lion.
As I’ve learned about & studied animals I’ve found some facts about lions in particular. They are a majestic, powerful beast. Their roar can be heard for up to 5 miles & lets you know he is ‘King’! While they often are the only cats to live in a family group (except at my house!) called prides, when a male reaches maturity he is forced to leave the pride & search for one of his own to take over or to make. Thus, many male lions are left for years to hunt, forage and fend for themselves. That’s the dangerous, solitary lion on the prowl.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
I Peter 5:8 NLT
Often lions, rightly so, are depicted as regal & top of the predatory chain. They are often used & portrayed as symbols of leadership & courage. Most scriptural reference is favorable & Jesus is even called the Lion of Judah. The reference in I Peter depicts the devil as a lion. He is that solitary, prowling lion. He lurks in the darkness searching for someone unwary to devour. Devour he will.
I hope your have a right standing with God. My prayer is that you seek His power & strength & help. Know this, there is an enemy that is powerful & will not hesitate to disembowel you. Make no mistake, he will devour you alive!
While the Apostle Peter wrote this letter, the imagery was clear to the audience of the first century church. Christians were being persecuted & thrown defenseless to wild beasts. People could be about their lives & hear the roar of the lions from the Coliseum wondering if they were next.
Here’s one other fact to know about lions. As they get older & lose teeth & strength, they become vulnerable to attack of the young & mightier males. They are driven away & have little left to ward off others than their roar. Jesus is the Conquering Lion of Judah. He has already overcome the devil! You have no need to fear the stealth, prowess, & power of the devil…if you are walking with the King! Satan is a defeated lion with a roar. He can still eviscerate you if you stand alone, but if you walk with the King he must cower in the distance.
Please don’t try to walk the jungle of this life alone. Find your rest, strength & protection from our Conquering King, the Lion of Judah. As always I’ll pray for you & please return the favor. If I can be of any help or you have a prayer need call on me.
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
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
-“No Good”-
You can probably think of a lot of things that are ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ On the ‘good’ side could be your favorite meal (maybe a steak or lobster?), or a message from an old friend. How about an unexpected check? Finding a $20 bill in your favorite old jeans might be in that category.
On the ‘bad’ side could be many things: a flat in the rain, an audit from dear old ‘Uncle Sam’, a pink slip or a bad grade on the test you thought you did okay on. Those are some of the simple little bummers that you might encounter. Of course, there are far better ‘goods’ or far worse ‘bads.’ Last week a couple had a pretty good ‘good.’ They had a baby girl born on 9-9-09. Funny thing is they also had a baby born on 8-8-08! (No plans for ’10 however!). Bless her heart, Taylor Swift could probably name a ‘bad’ after having the mic ripped from her hand while trying to make an acceptance speech at a music award the other day!
All of these are simple little ‘goods’ or ‘bads.’ In my ‘line of work’, so to speak, I see people trying to DO good all the time. Try to be one of those myself. Friend of mine quoted W.H. Auden (teacher and writer) the other day: “We are here on Earth to do good to others. What the others are here for, I don't know.” Funny & true. While this altruism & goodwill is admirable, there’s a little more to life than that, but give me just a bit more space.
I also meet folks who try to BE good. Again, I aim to place myself in that category, as well. I agree that we should strive to be the best we can be always. Unfortunately, I find myself in the company of the Apostle Paul & many of you, I fear, when he said, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” Romans 7:15-18 NLT. Yep, I guess I’m right there with him; good for nothin’!
We also run across people all the time who want to HAVE good. They’re all about all of the good things in life. Consumption at it’s best! Thankfully, I don’t have Caviar tastes on my McDonald salary! But, sure I like the good things of life to some degree. It’s just not my do all-be all of life. Sadly, there are those who must have the ‘good’ things of life even if it means rob, kill or steal. Don’t believe me? Just turn on the news tonight or check your paper.
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.”
Mark 10:18 NLT
There’s a story in the gospels of a man who ran to Jesus. Matthew & Luke tell that he was actually a synagogue, or church ruler. He HAD all kinds of ‘good’ stuff & apparently, by his own admission, had tried to BE and DO good. He started blowing smoke at Jesus about all this as the first thing out of his mouth was, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ answer cut straight to the heart of the issue: having, doing, or being ‘good.’ He reminded the man that only God was truly good. The man wanted to know how to earn a spot in heaven. Jesus gave a list of some commandments that involved ‘doing’ and ‘being’ good. The reaction, ‘why, I’ve done all that stuff since I was a kid!’ Jesus surmised (or perhaps in His Godhood he KNEW the reality-another discussion for another day) that the man had really NOT kept all these commands perfectly. He went on to the real heart of the matter: “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
Sad picture of a sad man trying to ‘DO’ good & ‘BE’ good & ‘HAVE’ good too. What was more important? Apparently, it was the latter? What all this comes down to for you an me is the only way to really ‘DO’ good is to ‘BE’ good, and the only really way to ‘BE’ good is having Jesus in our lives. He’s really the only true good. Then, we’ll HAVE what’s really good. May not be the top of the list of consumer cravings, but it will truly satisfy. Jesus said,
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matt. 6:33 NLT
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
On the ‘bad’ side could be many things: a flat in the rain, an audit from dear old ‘Uncle Sam’, a pink slip or a bad grade on the test you thought you did okay on. Those are some of the simple little bummers that you might encounter. Of course, there are far better ‘goods’ or far worse ‘bads.’ Last week a couple had a pretty good ‘good.’ They had a baby girl born on 9-9-09. Funny thing is they also had a baby born on 8-8-08! (No plans for ’10 however!). Bless her heart, Taylor Swift could probably name a ‘bad’ after having the mic ripped from her hand while trying to make an acceptance speech at a music award the other day!
All of these are simple little ‘goods’ or ‘bads.’ In my ‘line of work’, so to speak, I see people trying to DO good all the time. Try to be one of those myself. Friend of mine quoted W.H. Auden (teacher and writer) the other day: “We are here on Earth to do good to others. What the others are here for, I don't know.” Funny & true. While this altruism & goodwill is admirable, there’s a little more to life than that, but give me just a bit more space.
I also meet folks who try to BE good. Again, I aim to place myself in that category, as well. I agree that we should strive to be the best we can be always. Unfortunately, I find myself in the company of the Apostle Paul & many of you, I fear, when he said, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” Romans 7:15-18 NLT. Yep, I guess I’m right there with him; good for nothin’!
We also run across people all the time who want to HAVE good. They’re all about all of the good things in life. Consumption at it’s best! Thankfully, I don’t have Caviar tastes on my McDonald salary! But, sure I like the good things of life to some degree. It’s just not my do all-be all of life. Sadly, there are those who must have the ‘good’ things of life even if it means rob, kill or steal. Don’t believe me? Just turn on the news tonight or check your paper.
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.”
Mark 10:18 NLT
There’s a story in the gospels of a man who ran to Jesus. Matthew & Luke tell that he was actually a synagogue, or church ruler. He HAD all kinds of ‘good’ stuff & apparently, by his own admission, had tried to BE and DO good. He started blowing smoke at Jesus about all this as the first thing out of his mouth was, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ answer cut straight to the heart of the issue: having, doing, or being ‘good.’ He reminded the man that only God was truly good. The man wanted to know how to earn a spot in heaven. Jesus gave a list of some commandments that involved ‘doing’ and ‘being’ good. The reaction, ‘why, I’ve done all that stuff since I was a kid!’ Jesus surmised (or perhaps in His Godhood he KNEW the reality-another discussion for another day) that the man had really NOT kept all these commands perfectly. He went on to the real heart of the matter: “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”
Sad picture of a sad man trying to ‘DO’ good & ‘BE’ good & ‘HAVE’ good too. What was more important? Apparently, it was the latter? What all this comes down to for you an me is the only way to really ‘DO’ good is to ‘BE’ good, and the only really way to ‘BE’ good is having Jesus in our lives. He’s really the only true good. Then, we’ll HAVE what’s really good. May not be the top of the list of consumer cravings, but it will truly satisfy. Jesus said,
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matt. 6:33 NLT
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
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
-“Where Were You in the 8th Grade?”-
Singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Chris Rice has a song entitled, “Eighth Grade.” Premise is simple: take a trip back in time with me to the eighth grade. Where “the worst thing I could mess up is dipping yesterday’s corndog in last week’s ketchup.”
Not too sure if I share Chris’ optimism & happy recollections about the 8th grade. Sure it had it’s moments of carefree living & happy-go-lucky youth. Right between zits & pre-Algebra! I have some great memories of friends & hanging out with little thought for the future. But unfortunately, where & when I grew up there were race riots, civil rights problems & drug issues. It was at the end of the Viet Nam war & Nixon had just resigned over Watergate. Not the rosiest of eras.
I’ll say this though; I had begun to learn more of following Christ. I began to find out about being a true disciple of Jesus. Of course, naturally that’s when the Devil made all hell break loose to stop that. Beautiful part was God was bigger. He still is! While I had twists & turns & challenges, God had plans. He already knew what I would be & His plan for me before I even took that first breath in the Helena hospital. Before I screamed, as the doctor popped my little hiney, He knew what all the bumps & problems would make.
What about you? What were you doing in 8th grade? I’m sure it was a different time & place, but what was life like for you then? No matter the good or bad, God has always been up to something in your life. How aware are you about that activity? Are you clued into His purpose & seeking His will for your path?
"I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 33:11-13 NLT
In the O.T. book of Jeremiah we find a stark, difficult time for God’s people & the prophet. As they looked on with fear & a very bleak outlook for the future, God spoke up. He reminded them that He was ultimately in control no matter how things appeared. He had a plan. Only there was a little catch, they had to trust Him & follow His purpose to find the fulfillment.
Same stands true today. God has a calculated outcome in mind for you. Not to do you harm or be a cosmic killjoy if you follow Him, but rather to help you understand what life really is!
How bout it? Are you looking for Him wholeheartedly? We have an opportunity to do just that together. We will be joining in a study called ‘Chazone’ (Hebrew for Life Purpose). Sign up & join a life group. Check out all the sites & contact info & connect.
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
Not too sure if I share Chris’ optimism & happy recollections about the 8th grade. Sure it had it’s moments of carefree living & happy-go-lucky youth. Right between zits & pre-Algebra! I have some great memories of friends & hanging out with little thought for the future. But unfortunately, where & when I grew up there were race riots, civil rights problems & drug issues. It was at the end of the Viet Nam war & Nixon had just resigned over Watergate. Not the rosiest of eras.
I’ll say this though; I had begun to learn more of following Christ. I began to find out about being a true disciple of Jesus. Of course, naturally that’s when the Devil made all hell break loose to stop that. Beautiful part was God was bigger. He still is! While I had twists & turns & challenges, God had plans. He already knew what I would be & His plan for me before I even took that first breath in the Helena hospital. Before I screamed, as the doctor popped my little hiney, He knew what all the bumps & problems would make.
What about you? What were you doing in 8th grade? I’m sure it was a different time & place, but what was life like for you then? No matter the good or bad, God has always been up to something in your life. How aware are you about that activity? Are you clued into His purpose & seeking His will for your path?
"I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 33:11-13 NLT
In the O.T. book of Jeremiah we find a stark, difficult time for God’s people & the prophet. As they looked on with fear & a very bleak outlook for the future, God spoke up. He reminded them that He was ultimately in control no matter how things appeared. He had a plan. Only there was a little catch, they had to trust Him & follow His purpose to find the fulfillment.
Same stands true today. God has a calculated outcome in mind for you. Not to do you harm or be a cosmic killjoy if you follow Him, but rather to help you understand what life really is!
How bout it? Are you looking for Him wholeheartedly? We have an opportunity to do just that together. We will be joining in a study called ‘Chazone’ (Hebrew for Life Purpose). Sign up & join a life group. Check out all the sites & contact info & connect.
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
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
-“What is Truth?”-
John 18-19
A famous Dutch museum just found out the hard way you have to be careful who you trust. Seems back in 1969, after the historic moon walk, a U.S. envoy gave the Dutch prime minister a piece of ‘moon rock.’ At least, that was the story at the time. They promptly insured it for a healthy chunk of change & proudly displayed their rarity amongst Rembrandts & other precious items. That was until recently when they found it to be a simple piece of petrified wood. Last account, there aren’t any trees on the moon. Yep, you can’t seem to trust anyone these days!
That’s pretty much what many of us feel. In a world trying to hawk all kinds of things from ‘prime land in Florida’ to other ‘for a limited time only’ offers, usually what’s ‘too good to be true’ really is. It makes it hard to know who to trust. A friend recently ended a several year battle with a university to finally get a class needed & graduate. Apparently an ‘adviser’ didn’t advise too well & he’s had to pay for that mistake.
There is a pervasive thought across the planet that says there is no ‘absolute’ truth. What’s ‘truth’ for you may or may not be ‘truth’ for me. While I agree what some people might call a ‘truth’ may simply be so much fantasy, fairy tale or fiction, there is absolute truth. Hey, gravity is still gravity no matter what you believe. Jump off a building & all the way down you can decry & disclaim the force of gravity, and if you live through it, the experience might otherwise help you understand that particular ‘absolute.’
Most of us have had ‘heart hurts’ from trusting someone when their ‘truth’ was not so much! It makes it hard to trust. I’ll admit it’s one thing to get shafted & burned on a financial deal, but when you’re talking about spiritual matters you definitely don’t want to get ‘burned’!
I regularly meet people who have been hurt by a church, a ‘Christian’ individual, or ‘religion.’ Their answer has been to write off all ‘religion’ or Christianity, as a whole, & have a go at life on their own. Gotta say, that’s a drastic solution that’s not a very good solution at all. If some yahoo has hurt you or a particular church has given your grief or otherwise disillusioned you, you will ultimately only be hurting yourself in swearing off God!
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked.
John 18:37-38NLT
There is an individual in the account of the crucifixion that you may have heard about. He was faced with the question, ‘what is truth?’ His name was Pontius Pilate. If you research any you’ll find he was a Roman leader stationed at the occupied territory of Jerusalem. His job was to keep the peace in the province. Also, if you’ve done any research about Israel, you’ll find that a tall order at best. He was away from home & beleaguered with the political & religious infighting & fractions.
As he tried to keep the precarious balance, this new ‘prophet,’ Jesus, came along & really stirred up the pot. Pilate tried at first to pawn this Jesus off on the existing religious leaders & even one from the man’s own province. No go. As Rome’s leader over the area the situation fell into his lap.
I have no doubt that Pilate was weary of dealing with uprisings & bickering of the religious leaders. The Jewish had no particular love loss for their latest conquerors. Some accounts put Pilate on the outs with Rome & have him relegated to this foreign outpost with little room for mistakes . He was even enemies with the pagan religious leaders of the area.
Lest I paint a rosy picture that Pilate was some innocent man caught up in Jewish religion & politics, realize this: Pilate had a choice as to what to do with Jesus as do we all. The gospel of Matthew’s account even tells how his wife forewarned him not to have anything to do with ‘that innocent man.’ At his hand Jesus was ultimately put to death. This common distrust & denial of Jesus helped forge common ground with the political & religious leaders, pacifying them for a time & ensuring a small measure of peace.
Pilate faced a dilemma we all face: what is truth? How do I know what is truth? What do I do with truth? The very question Pilate asked was, “What is truth?” I suppose a better question would be, “Who is truth?”Jesus made a statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Across the globe are myriads of religions claiming ‘truth.’ Each promised they have the inside word on truth. They have the ticket to heaven. What makes Christianity any different? Why should anyone believe this ‘religious system’ over any other? While I could spend much time in arguing apologetics to you, that might be better suited for an individual, perhaps on-going, discussion. I’ll just say this, I’m betting my eternity on it! If I’m wrong, well, I’ve missed out on a few parties & denied myself some temporal pleasure. Then what’s eternity?! If I’m right, well, heaven will be really sweet.
Every one of us, like Pilate, will have to answer ‘what is truth?’ We’ll all have to decide what we’ll do with Jesus. As Pilate handed Jesus over to the religious leaders, who by the way said, “may his blood be on us and on our children’, he washed his hands of him. The symbolic gesture meant he was guilty of whatever fate became of the man & any repercussions that might follow. Not so tidy in reality. Historians say that Pilate went mad no long after this & spent the remainder of his days washing & wringing his hands.
Back to the question: “What is Truth?” Better yet, ‘Who is Truth?’ Simple answer is Jesus. My prayer is you know the truth about Jesus. I don’t claim to have all the answers but would love to talk with you & find answers together. I’m always open to pray with you & ask you return the favor.
Check out all the sites & contact info & connect.
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
A famous Dutch museum just found out the hard way you have to be careful who you trust. Seems back in 1969, after the historic moon walk, a U.S. envoy gave the Dutch prime minister a piece of ‘moon rock.’ At least, that was the story at the time. They promptly insured it for a healthy chunk of change & proudly displayed their rarity amongst Rembrandts & other precious items. That was until recently when they found it to be a simple piece of petrified wood. Last account, there aren’t any trees on the moon. Yep, you can’t seem to trust anyone these days!
That’s pretty much what many of us feel. In a world trying to hawk all kinds of things from ‘prime land in Florida’ to other ‘for a limited time only’ offers, usually what’s ‘too good to be true’ really is. It makes it hard to know who to trust. A friend recently ended a several year battle with a university to finally get a class needed & graduate. Apparently an ‘adviser’ didn’t advise too well & he’s had to pay for that mistake.
There is a pervasive thought across the planet that says there is no ‘absolute’ truth. What’s ‘truth’ for you may or may not be ‘truth’ for me. While I agree what some people might call a ‘truth’ may simply be so much fantasy, fairy tale or fiction, there is absolute truth. Hey, gravity is still gravity no matter what you believe. Jump off a building & all the way down you can decry & disclaim the force of gravity, and if you live through it, the experience might otherwise help you understand that particular ‘absolute.’
Most of us have had ‘heart hurts’ from trusting someone when their ‘truth’ was not so much! It makes it hard to trust. I’ll admit it’s one thing to get shafted & burned on a financial deal, but when you’re talking about spiritual matters you definitely don’t want to get ‘burned’!
I regularly meet people who have been hurt by a church, a ‘Christian’ individual, or ‘religion.’ Their answer has been to write off all ‘religion’ or Christianity, as a whole, & have a go at life on their own. Gotta say, that’s a drastic solution that’s not a very good solution at all. If some yahoo has hurt you or a particular church has given your grief or otherwise disillusioned you, you will ultimately only be hurting yourself in swearing off God!
Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked.
John 18:37-38NLT
There is an individual in the account of the crucifixion that you may have heard about. He was faced with the question, ‘what is truth?’ His name was Pontius Pilate. If you research any you’ll find he was a Roman leader stationed at the occupied territory of Jerusalem. His job was to keep the peace in the province. Also, if you’ve done any research about Israel, you’ll find that a tall order at best. He was away from home & beleaguered with the political & religious infighting & fractions.
As he tried to keep the precarious balance, this new ‘prophet,’ Jesus, came along & really stirred up the pot. Pilate tried at first to pawn this Jesus off on the existing religious leaders & even one from the man’s own province. No go. As Rome’s leader over the area the situation fell into his lap.
I have no doubt that Pilate was weary of dealing with uprisings & bickering of the religious leaders. The Jewish had no particular love loss for their latest conquerors. Some accounts put Pilate on the outs with Rome & have him relegated to this foreign outpost with little room for mistakes . He was even enemies with the pagan religious leaders of the area.
Lest I paint a rosy picture that Pilate was some innocent man caught up in Jewish religion & politics, realize this: Pilate had a choice as to what to do with Jesus as do we all. The gospel of Matthew’s account even tells how his wife forewarned him not to have anything to do with ‘that innocent man.’ At his hand Jesus was ultimately put to death. This common distrust & denial of Jesus helped forge common ground with the political & religious leaders, pacifying them for a time & ensuring a small measure of peace.
Pilate faced a dilemma we all face: what is truth? How do I know what is truth? What do I do with truth? The very question Pilate asked was, “What is truth?” I suppose a better question would be, “Who is truth?”Jesus made a statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
Across the globe are myriads of religions claiming ‘truth.’ Each promised they have the inside word on truth. They have the ticket to heaven. What makes Christianity any different? Why should anyone believe this ‘religious system’ over any other? While I could spend much time in arguing apologetics to you, that might be better suited for an individual, perhaps on-going, discussion. I’ll just say this, I’m betting my eternity on it! If I’m wrong, well, I’ve missed out on a few parties & denied myself some temporal pleasure. Then what’s eternity?! If I’m right, well, heaven will be really sweet.
Every one of us, like Pilate, will have to answer ‘what is truth?’ We’ll all have to decide what we’ll do with Jesus. As Pilate handed Jesus over to the religious leaders, who by the way said, “may his blood be on us and on our children’, he washed his hands of him. The symbolic gesture meant he was guilty of whatever fate became of the man & any repercussions that might follow. Not so tidy in reality. Historians say that Pilate went mad no long after this & spent the remainder of his days washing & wringing his hands.
Back to the question: “What is Truth?” Better yet, ‘Who is Truth?’ Simple answer is Jesus. My prayer is you know the truth about Jesus. I don’t claim to have all the answers but would love to talk with you & find answers together. I’m always open to pray with you & ask you return the favor.
Check out all the sites & contact info & connect.
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
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
-“OneSource”-
Years ago you couldn’t click on the internet, pick up a phone/pda, or switch on a TV for instant news. Information wasn’t as readily available as today. People awaited a ‘Town crier” to give them the time & news. The crier would call out, “7 o’clock and all is well” or something like that. Matter of fact, he was often the emissary of the king going forth giving news. He was the ‘king’s voice.’ Thus came the phrase, “Don’t kill the messenger.”
Not sure where you go for information: CNN, FOX, HLN, MSNBC, etc. Each of these are dedicated to news and information. Problem is that they are run by humans with human foibles & frailties. Thus, they are often biased to the feelings & beliefs of the editors & producers. What about a search engine? Which do you use: Yahoo, Google, Webcrawler, Lycos, etc? What about weather info? Do you use: the Weather Channel, Googleearth, National Weather Service, Accuweather, NASA, Intellicast, etc? Wouldn’t it be sweet if there were ONE source to go for everything?
If you take a minute to search, you’ll find many ‘onesource’ pages on the internet. There is a ‘onesource’ for business news & info. There is a ‘onesource’ for military members & their families. There are sites for ‘onesource’: talent, credit union, each military branch, rental, weddings, …the list goes on and on.
There are several sources for networking & social pages. Which, if any, do you use: Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, or Bebo? Go to Youtube & you can see or upload vids of yourself or find about anything imaginable from old rock to stupid commercials. There is even a site called Godtube or Tangle for Christian vids (kind of like a Christian Youtube).
There are many resources for maps, definitions/spelling, research, etc. Word of caution: be careful if you use Wikipedia as a ‘source’ for information. While it can be handy, it is not definitely the last word on a subject. Many can add to or even invent information on this site.
There are even scores of religions & claims of folks who have the last word on how to get to heaven or how you should live. There are churches on almost every corner in the south & no shortage of preachers & TV channels & web sites that proclaim they have the truth. It’s enough to make your head swim.
“I am the LORD God. I created the heavens like an open tent above. I made the earth and everything that grows on it. I am the source of life for all who live on this earth, so listen to what I say.”
Isaiah 42:5 CEV
So with all the room for human error, is there any one site or source for concrete information & truth? Is there a ‘Onesource’ for answers, info and direction? I, like millions of others, have found that “OneSource” to be God. I serve a big God! I trust that if you truly seek God you will find Him! He even said, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jer. 29:13 NLT.
I also strongly encourage you to seek His word, the bible. Don’t just ‘check your brains at the door.’ Don’t swallow what anyone says as pure truth. I don’t care who they are. Many of us strive to be trustworthy but we are human. Check out God’s word for the final word on truth.
If you take the time to search a bible concordance or online bible like biblegateway.com you’ll find that God is the ‘OneSource’ for everything! He is the source of: Light, Life, Joy, Hope, Righteousness, Strength, Peace, Blessing, Spiritual Gifts, Comfort, Wisdom, but most importantly the Eternal Salvation.
As Campus Minister I’ll do my best to encourage you, pray for you, and help you in any way I can. Feel free to call or contact me anytime. Unfortunately, I am a man. I may fail you. I may not be immediately accessible. Know this: God is always trustworthy. He will never fail you or be inaccessible. He is the “OneSource” for all you need.
As always, I’ll pray for you & please return the favor. Morning Fuel begins next Wednesday on campus. I’ll be in the Student Center from 8:30-11:00am with free breakfast, devotion & info. Don’t forget to sign up for the prize drawings we do each semester. With the contact info I will put you on the email devotion list to directly receive it each week unless you specify you don’t want it. At BCM we partner with ASU-Newport as a “Great Place To Start.”
Check out all the sites & contact info & connect.
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
Not sure where you go for information: CNN, FOX, HLN, MSNBC, etc. Each of these are dedicated to news and information. Problem is that they are run by humans with human foibles & frailties. Thus, they are often biased to the feelings & beliefs of the editors & producers. What about a search engine? Which do you use: Yahoo, Google, Webcrawler, Lycos, etc? What about weather info? Do you use: the Weather Channel, Googleearth, National Weather Service, Accuweather, NASA, Intellicast, etc? Wouldn’t it be sweet if there were ONE source to go for everything?
If you take a minute to search, you’ll find many ‘onesource’ pages on the internet. There is a ‘onesource’ for business news & info. There is a ‘onesource’ for military members & their families. There are sites for ‘onesource’: talent, credit union, each military branch, rental, weddings, …the list goes on and on.
There are several sources for networking & social pages. Which, if any, do you use: Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, or Bebo? Go to Youtube & you can see or upload vids of yourself or find about anything imaginable from old rock to stupid commercials. There is even a site called Godtube or Tangle for Christian vids (kind of like a Christian Youtube).
There are many resources for maps, definitions/spelling, research, etc. Word of caution: be careful if you use Wikipedia as a ‘source’ for information. While it can be handy, it is not definitely the last word on a subject. Many can add to or even invent information on this site.
There are even scores of religions & claims of folks who have the last word on how to get to heaven or how you should live. There are churches on almost every corner in the south & no shortage of preachers & TV channels & web sites that proclaim they have the truth. It’s enough to make your head swim.
“I am the LORD God. I created the heavens like an open tent above. I made the earth and everything that grows on it. I am the source of life for all who live on this earth, so listen to what I say.”
Isaiah 42:5 CEV
So with all the room for human error, is there any one site or source for concrete information & truth? Is there a ‘Onesource’ for answers, info and direction? I, like millions of others, have found that “OneSource” to be God. I serve a big God! I trust that if you truly seek God you will find Him! He even said, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” Jer. 29:13 NLT.
I also strongly encourage you to seek His word, the bible. Don’t just ‘check your brains at the door.’ Don’t swallow what anyone says as pure truth. I don’t care who they are. Many of us strive to be trustworthy but we are human. Check out God’s word for the final word on truth.
If you take the time to search a bible concordance or online bible like biblegateway.com you’ll find that God is the ‘OneSource’ for everything! He is the source of: Light, Life, Joy, Hope, Righteousness, Strength, Peace, Blessing, Spiritual Gifts, Comfort, Wisdom, but most importantly the Eternal Salvation.
As Campus Minister I’ll do my best to encourage you, pray for you, and help you in any way I can. Feel free to call or contact me anytime. Unfortunately, I am a man. I may fail you. I may not be immediately accessible. Know this: God is always trustworthy. He will never fail you or be inaccessible. He is the “OneSource” for all you need.
As always, I’ll pray for you & please return the favor. Morning Fuel begins next Wednesday on campus. I’ll be in the Student Center from 8:30-11:00am with free breakfast, devotion & info. Don’t forget to sign up for the prize drawings we do each semester. With the contact info I will put you on the email devotion list to directly receive it each week unless you specify you don’t want it. At BCM we partner with ASU-Newport as a “Great Place To Start.”
Check out all the sites & contact info & connect.
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
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
-"Cristo me ama"-(Jesus Loves Me)
One of the first “church songs” I learned as a child was “Jesus Loves Me.” Musically, it is a simple song, making it easy for children to sing. Lyrically, very simplistic & easy to learn. Theologically, though simple, it is profound. All over the world Christian churches teach this simple song to children with the powerful message that Jesus loves them. The world may be harsh & unforgiving but God’s love is sure & true. If you were to see it written out in a variety of languages it would look something like this: "Cristo me ama", "Yesu Mfumu antemwa","YehSou ngoi ngoh","Jesu-Kristo amas min","Jesus m'aime","Jesus liebt mich","Cristo munawan","Yeh Su Ai Wa","Yesu anipenda","Yesu rak chun." I’m sure the God Who created each of these tiny little lives relishes in the knowledge they learn of His great love.
As a small child I didn’t fully comprehend the scope of Christ. As an aging adult, I still don’t fully understand the scope of Christ! It’s a challenge to rectify the two extremes of Christ. The jealous passion He has for His children that caused Him to braid a whip & drive our money changers from the temple as they robbed His children trying to sacrifice to Him & the gentle Savior Who held children in His arms & healed the weak & sick. The Son of God Who called out religious leaders ‘on the carpet’ & the Son of Man Who wept over the crowds that were ‘harassed and helpless like sheep having no shepherd.’ The Master Teacher Who turned the hearts of men to God, & the God Who mastered the winds & sea. The Savior Who willingly lay down on the sacrificial altar of the cross as He was torn & tortured for our sins & the Conquering Lord Who will come again to come for His chosen ones. Yes, Jesus loves me!
The bible is one long love letter exposing God’s great love in saving no cost to provide a remedy for our sin & guilt. From the garden fall to the last chapter of the book it spells out the love Christ has for us. Not a reasonable love. Let’s face it, none of us are deserving of the kind of love He showed us. I can’t begin to wrap my mind around a love that willingly endured torture & humiliation to free the very haters who impaled Him. But it’s there in black & white (unless of course you have a red letter addition bible!). “The bible tells me so.”
I’m not sure where you find yourself tonight. I don’t know the course this day or week has held for you. Somehow I think you, and most of us, need to be reminded of that simple, child-like refrain of “Jesus Loves Me.” When our lives get complicated & confused we need that simple song. When we are pensive & worried, when we are grieving & our hearts are rent, when our ‘religion’ is muddled, and when our relationships are shattered, “Jesus loves me this I know.”
“Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us, Who blood-washed our sins from our lives, Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for His Father, forever—and yes, He's on His way! Riding the clouds, He'll be seen by every eye, those who mocked and killed Him will see Him, People from all nations and all times will tear their clothes in lament. Oh, Yes.” Rev. 1:5-7 The Message
With the cross death & the empty tomb blasted by the resurrection, He graphically showed all creation His great love. My prayer is you accept that love as much as your mind & heart can. We reach out in believing faith & He takes care of the rest. We may never fully grasp the scope of Christ until we see Him split the sky on that white horse, but it’s somehow in that blind faith that He shines!
This hour, find some peace in that thought: “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the bible tells me so.” If you’ve forgotten, take a minute & sing it to yourself. If you don’t really know, I’d love to share with you. Try to get that beautiful picture of His soon triumphant return in your mind. As the old hymn says, then ‘the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
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
As a small child I didn’t fully comprehend the scope of Christ. As an aging adult, I still don’t fully understand the scope of Christ! It’s a challenge to rectify the two extremes of Christ. The jealous passion He has for His children that caused Him to braid a whip & drive our money changers from the temple as they robbed His children trying to sacrifice to Him & the gentle Savior Who held children in His arms & healed the weak & sick. The Son of God Who called out religious leaders ‘on the carpet’ & the Son of Man Who wept over the crowds that were ‘harassed and helpless like sheep having no shepherd.’ The Master Teacher Who turned the hearts of men to God, & the God Who mastered the winds & sea. The Savior Who willingly lay down on the sacrificial altar of the cross as He was torn & tortured for our sins & the Conquering Lord Who will come again to come for His chosen ones. Yes, Jesus loves me!
The bible is one long love letter exposing God’s great love in saving no cost to provide a remedy for our sin & guilt. From the garden fall to the last chapter of the book it spells out the love Christ has for us. Not a reasonable love. Let’s face it, none of us are deserving of the kind of love He showed us. I can’t begin to wrap my mind around a love that willingly endured torture & humiliation to free the very haters who impaled Him. But it’s there in black & white (unless of course you have a red letter addition bible!). “The bible tells me so.”
I’m not sure where you find yourself tonight. I don’t know the course this day or week has held for you. Somehow I think you, and most of us, need to be reminded of that simple, child-like refrain of “Jesus Loves Me.” When our lives get complicated & confused we need that simple song. When we are pensive & worried, when we are grieving & our hearts are rent, when our ‘religion’ is muddled, and when our relationships are shattered, “Jesus loves me this I know.”
“Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us, Who blood-washed our sins from our lives, Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for His Father, forever—and yes, He's on His way! Riding the clouds, He'll be seen by every eye, those who mocked and killed Him will see Him, People from all nations and all times will tear their clothes in lament. Oh, Yes.” Rev. 1:5-7 The Message
With the cross death & the empty tomb blasted by the resurrection, He graphically showed all creation His great love. My prayer is you accept that love as much as your mind & heart can. We reach out in believing faith & He takes care of the rest. We may never fully grasp the scope of Christ until we see Him split the sky on that white horse, but it’s somehow in that blind faith that He shines!
This hour, find some peace in that thought: “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, the bible tells me so.” If you’ve forgotten, take a minute & sing it to yourself. If you don’t really know, I’d love to share with you. Try to get that beautiful picture of His soon triumphant return in your mind. As the old hymn says, then ‘the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
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
Monday, August 17, 2009
-“Erased”-
We recently commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing. I barely remember the event. I was a kid playing with army men & space men & thought it was cool and all but it seemed to take forever! What can I say, I was a kid & the several day trip seemed an eternity. Forget the astronauts were traveling 238,857 miles from earth & speeding at over 17,000mph. I’m not sure if I remember seeing the actual footage from the landing or later airings. Whichever, it was something hearing Neal Armstrong say, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
You probably remember the furor that ensued as some people swore it was all rigged. Some said it wasn’t possible & it was all filmed on a sound stage somewhere in Arizona or some such. The real kicker came recently when we found the original footage from the moon landing had been erased! Talk about a goof up! That’s worse than some stupid husband taping the Super Bowl over the video of his wedding tape! Seems the technicians had few tapes & didn’t see the need to hang on to the historic record!
From 4 different locations NASA scrambled & found some of the actual footage sent down. Ironically, they enlisted the help of Hollywood to enhance the footage. They took pains in not going over the top with the restoration, as some already thought Hollywood filmed it in the first place! Fortunately there was some footage to salvage.
"Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus."
Act 3: 19-20 The Message
We’ve all taped over, erased, or otherwise lost something very important at some time or another. In direct contract, we’ve probably WISHED we had lost, erased or otherwise not said or done something. I’m sure you’ve wished that you could wipe away the slate & start over. Maybe it was a relationship jeopardized over careless words or an action you wish you could rewind & redo!
The Apostle Peter gave a powerful message in Acts 3 where he shared the only way to be right with God was to turn to Him & let Him wipe away your sins. It’s a beautiful picture of a slate that is wiped cleaned. A fresh start is the only way to receive God’s blessings. The Apostle John also painted the same picture of forgiveness in one of his letters. He challenged that the only way to a right standing with God was to straight up admit we sin & let God make us right. He said, “if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." I John 1:9 NLT
While it was a really stupid move on some technician’s part to erase the record of Neal Armstrong’s first bouncy step on our moon, at least it was somehow salvaged. Thankfully we can have our lives & relationships salvaged as God, in contrast, wipes our stupidity clean!
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
You probably remember the furor that ensued as some people swore it was all rigged. Some said it wasn’t possible & it was all filmed on a sound stage somewhere in Arizona or some such. The real kicker came recently when we found the original footage from the moon landing had been erased! Talk about a goof up! That’s worse than some stupid husband taping the Super Bowl over the video of his wedding tape! Seems the technicians had few tapes & didn’t see the need to hang on to the historic record!
From 4 different locations NASA scrambled & found some of the actual footage sent down. Ironically, they enlisted the help of Hollywood to enhance the footage. They took pains in not going over the top with the restoration, as some already thought Hollywood filmed it in the first place! Fortunately there was some footage to salvage.
"Now it's time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins, pour out showers of blessing to refresh you, and send you the Messiah he prepared for you, namely, Jesus."
Act 3: 19-20 The Message
We’ve all taped over, erased, or otherwise lost something very important at some time or another. In direct contract, we’ve probably WISHED we had lost, erased or otherwise not said or done something. I’m sure you’ve wished that you could wipe away the slate & start over. Maybe it was a relationship jeopardized over careless words or an action you wish you could rewind & redo!
The Apostle Peter gave a powerful message in Acts 3 where he shared the only way to be right with God was to turn to Him & let Him wipe away your sins. It’s a beautiful picture of a slate that is wiped cleaned. A fresh start is the only way to receive God’s blessings. The Apostle John also painted the same picture of forgiveness in one of his letters. He challenged that the only way to a right standing with God was to straight up admit we sin & let God make us right. He said, “if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." I John 1:9 NLT
While it was a really stupid move on some technician’s part to erase the record of Neal Armstrong’s first bouncy step on our moon, at least it was somehow salvaged. Thankfully we can have our lives & relationships salvaged as God, in contrast, wipes our stupidity clean!
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
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
-“Eternal Hearts”-
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “I had my heart set on that.” Of course it’s usually a lament when something didn’t pan out. We ‘set out hearts’ on many things; some good, some not so good. I’ve had my mind & heart set on many things that in retrospect would have been a disaster. I suspect that’s why God basically says, “Not hardly.” He cares far too much.
You might have read or heard the passage in Ecclesiastes about a “Time for all things.” Solomon, the most wise man to live, points out the broad scope of God’s plan in these verses. He reminds us life is a balance & should be looked at & lived that way. The verse that is often overlooked is found right after these poetic thoughts. It is a reminder that God places in our hearts a reality & desire for more than just what we see. He has literally set our hearts on eternity.
“God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
A friend once said, ‘everlasting life begins the day we invite Christ into our hearts.” A wise truth. To my thinking everlasting life begins then, but ‘eternity’ begins when I take my last breath of earthly air. That’s when my choice of what I did with & believe about Jesus really matters! God has made us to live forever, the choice & question is where?
God is busy working to create masterpieces of our lives, just as He did with the handiwork of His earthly creation. My problem is I’m trying to help guide His hand. No matter how good an ‘artist’ I might fancy myself, truth is, I simply don’t have His eternal perspective. In His time, He makes all things beautiful. It’s just I “cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
If you have not read Ecclesiastes, Solomon struggled with all the things man sets his heart upon. In his own life Solomon had the opportunity & wear-withal to pursue & clutch all he desired. He surmised it was all just so much sand sifting through his fingers. His conclusion: “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty.God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NLT
So, what do you have your heart set on? A new truck? A new job? A new house? A new relationship? Restoration of some broken relationship? Deep down, whether you believe it or not, God has set your heart on eternity. I suppose the big question for all of us is, ‘what are we going to do with it?” I guess you could say we have ‘eternal hearts’ or ‘infernal hearts.’ The choice is clearly up to what we do with & believe about Jesus. I surely don’t claim to be wise as Solomon, but thankfully, with God’s direction, I have come to that same conclusion: fear God & obey His commands.
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
You might have read or heard the passage in Ecclesiastes about a “Time for all things.” Solomon, the most wise man to live, points out the broad scope of God’s plan in these verses. He reminds us life is a balance & should be looked at & lived that way. The verse that is often overlooked is found right after these poetic thoughts. It is a reminder that God places in our hearts a reality & desire for more than just what we see. He has literally set our hearts on eternity.
“God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
A friend once said, ‘everlasting life begins the day we invite Christ into our hearts.” A wise truth. To my thinking everlasting life begins then, but ‘eternity’ begins when I take my last breath of earthly air. That’s when my choice of what I did with & believe about Jesus really matters! God has made us to live forever, the choice & question is where?
God is busy working to create masterpieces of our lives, just as He did with the handiwork of His earthly creation. My problem is I’m trying to help guide His hand. No matter how good an ‘artist’ I might fancy myself, truth is, I simply don’t have His eternal perspective. In His time, He makes all things beautiful. It’s just I “cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
If you have not read Ecclesiastes, Solomon struggled with all the things man sets his heart upon. In his own life Solomon had the opportunity & wear-withal to pursue & clutch all he desired. He surmised it was all just so much sand sifting through his fingers. His conclusion: “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty.God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NLT
So, what do you have your heart set on? A new truck? A new job? A new house? A new relationship? Restoration of some broken relationship? Deep down, whether you believe it or not, God has set your heart on eternity. I suppose the big question for all of us is, ‘what are we going to do with it?” I guess you could say we have ‘eternal hearts’ or ‘infernal hearts.’ The choice is clearly up to what we do with & believe about Jesus. I surely don’t claim to be wise as Solomon, but thankfully, with God’s direction, I have come to that same conclusion: fear God & obey His commands.
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
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
-"Setting the Sights"-
While I was growing up my Dad & I would go hunting quite often. Dad liked it a lot more than I did, but I just liked being with him. (To my Dad nothing was really a ‘sport’ unless you brought home something dead!) One of the things that is a necessity, if you’re going to hunt, is making sure your gun’s scope or sights are set correctly. Well, that is if you intend on bringing any game home with you! Often we would go out & target practice & Dad would ‘set the sights’ on the scopes to make sure they were accurate.
Thought about this often. While I enjoyed the times with my Dad, it was an important step to hunting correctly. We didn’t want to wound or put an animal in unnecessary pain. The goal was a quick, merciful kill
that put food on the table while dispatching the animal as humanely as possible.
Sometimes I forget to ‘set my sights’ correctly. I focus on all the wrong things & on the wrong people. Pretty distracting to the Christian life. Tends to make you disillusioned & dissatisfied when your sight is off. You don’t hit the mark you’re striving for.
I realize that when I send out these words they fall on very different people at very different stations of life. Some of you may be doing very well at hitting the mark in your life while others are a hit & miss at best. Some of you have been a Christian for a very long time while others are still unsure of the whole prospect of surrendering your life to a God you cannot see. You might be a ‘seeker’ at best.
For those of you, who find yourself in the latter station; let me give one simple encouragement. If you’re looking for a religion that is going to give you all the simple answers & tidy up all the ‘messy’ things of life into one tiny package where everyone has a little Sunday School smile & no bumps or bruises,…well you might better look some more. But if you’re really looking for an Answer & life…then I suggest you look no further. Jesus is that Answer you’ve been seeking. Matter of fact the idea of hitting a target is how God describes our trying to be ‘good enough’ for heaven: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. That ‘fall short’ means to ‘miss the mark.’ So, might just better trust Him to clean you up & & make you right. Otherwise, it ain’t happening.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3: 1-4 NLT
The rest of us: We just might be spending the rest of the time we’re on this spinning globe setting our sights. Not just once in awhile, but regularly! Else we get more & more off target. Daily diving into the bible & finding out just how skewed & off-center we are.
Heard a story years ago about how we should be allowing God to sharpen us & tune us into His plan daily.Seems there was a young man in the Northwest states who was a logger. Times were hard & work was scarce. He applied for a job & the foreman said, “Young man, I’ll try you out & if you can keep up & pull your weight you have a job. Do you have an ax?” “Yes-sir” the boy replied eagerly. The young man rolled up his sleeves & went at it hard. While others took a mid-morning break, he kept cutting. Right on through lunch he cut. Late in the afternoon, the foreman called out to him: “Son, hold up a minute.” The boy came over. “Son, I know you’ve worked hard all day & noticed you didn’t even stop for lunch, but you’re somehow still behind all the other men in production.” The boy said, “I can’t see how that is. I haven’t even stopped or looked up.” The foreman said, “Wait a minute. Did you not stop to sharpen your ax any?”
That’s often a problem with us in our lives. If we don’t stop trying to be ‘productive’ & seek the face of God, we find we are actually falling behind. It’s imperative that we ‘set our sights’ on Christ. It’s been 30 years ago that I surrendered to ministry & that principle hasn’t changed once in all those years. Now, more than ever I have to stop & ‘sharpen the ax’. I have to ‘set my sights.’
In the 30 years & thousands of faces, places, miles & people, life has been sweet. Then, for me just like everyone else, life has been bitter. So I suppose for all of us it’s ‘bitter-sweet’. We take the bad with the good & focus on the ‘realities of heaven’ instead of the transitory things of earth.
The late Rich Mullins, author, award winning song writer, poet & singer, died in a car accident several years ago on the way to a concert for students. His life was given in reckless abandon & sacrifice. He gave up all the ‘trappings’ of stardom to live among & share Jesus with Native Americans. He truly had set his sights on things above. He wrote a song that bespeaks that focus on things eternal in “Elijah.” I’ll close with his words that resonate in my heart today.
Elijah
The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I'm begging for one last favor from You
Here's my heart take it where You will
This life has shown me how we're mended and how we're torn
How it's okay to be lonely as long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
Well if they dress me like a pauper
Or if they dine me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind I don't care
But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
There's people been friendly, but they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
Now that this is all ending I want to hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing that I have ever found
But the Jordan is waiting though I ain't never seen the other side
Still they say you can't take in the things you have here
So on the road to salvation
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears
There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well, I'm here to tell you I'll keep rocking
'Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
And when I do
When I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
'Cause when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
© 1982 Meadowgreen Music Company (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
Rich Mullins CCLI License No. 228719
Here's the Youtube video code to see one of Rich's last performances of the song.
(Rich also penned "Awesome God" among many others.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0rR9zIgVHE
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
Thought about this often. While I enjoyed the times with my Dad, it was an important step to hunting correctly. We didn’t want to wound or put an animal in unnecessary pain. The goal was a quick, merciful kill
that put food on the table while dispatching the animal as humanely as possible.
Sometimes I forget to ‘set my sights’ correctly. I focus on all the wrong things & on the wrong people. Pretty distracting to the Christian life. Tends to make you disillusioned & dissatisfied when your sight is off. You don’t hit the mark you’re striving for.
I realize that when I send out these words they fall on very different people at very different stations of life. Some of you may be doing very well at hitting the mark in your life while others are a hit & miss at best. Some of you have been a Christian for a very long time while others are still unsure of the whole prospect of surrendering your life to a God you cannot see. You might be a ‘seeker’ at best.
For those of you, who find yourself in the latter station; let me give one simple encouragement. If you’re looking for a religion that is going to give you all the simple answers & tidy up all the ‘messy’ things of life into one tiny package where everyone has a little Sunday School smile & no bumps or bruises,…well you might better look some more. But if you’re really looking for an Answer & life…then I suggest you look no further. Jesus is that Answer you’ve been seeking. Matter of fact the idea of hitting a target is how God describes our trying to be ‘good enough’ for heaven: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. That ‘fall short’ means to ‘miss the mark.’ So, might just better trust Him to clean you up & & make you right. Otherwise, it ain’t happening.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Colossians 3: 1-4 NLT
The rest of us: We just might be spending the rest of the time we’re on this spinning globe setting our sights. Not just once in awhile, but regularly! Else we get more & more off target. Daily diving into the bible & finding out just how skewed & off-center we are.
Heard a story years ago about how we should be allowing God to sharpen us & tune us into His plan daily.Seems there was a young man in the Northwest states who was a logger. Times were hard & work was scarce. He applied for a job & the foreman said, “Young man, I’ll try you out & if you can keep up & pull your weight you have a job. Do you have an ax?” “Yes-sir” the boy replied eagerly. The young man rolled up his sleeves & went at it hard. While others took a mid-morning break, he kept cutting. Right on through lunch he cut. Late in the afternoon, the foreman called out to him: “Son, hold up a minute.” The boy came over. “Son, I know you’ve worked hard all day & noticed you didn’t even stop for lunch, but you’re somehow still behind all the other men in production.” The boy said, “I can’t see how that is. I haven’t even stopped or looked up.” The foreman said, “Wait a minute. Did you not stop to sharpen your ax any?”
That’s often a problem with us in our lives. If we don’t stop trying to be ‘productive’ & seek the face of God, we find we are actually falling behind. It’s imperative that we ‘set our sights’ on Christ. It’s been 30 years ago that I surrendered to ministry & that principle hasn’t changed once in all those years. Now, more than ever I have to stop & ‘sharpen the ax’. I have to ‘set my sights.’
In the 30 years & thousands of faces, places, miles & people, life has been sweet. Then, for me just like everyone else, life has been bitter. So I suppose for all of us it’s ‘bitter-sweet’. We take the bad with the good & focus on the ‘realities of heaven’ instead of the transitory things of earth.
The late Rich Mullins, author, award winning song writer, poet & singer, died in a car accident several years ago on the way to a concert for students. His life was given in reckless abandon & sacrifice. He gave up all the ‘trappings’ of stardom to live among & share Jesus with Native Americans. He truly had set his sights on things above. He wrote a song that bespeaks that focus on things eternal in “Elijah.” I’ll close with his words that resonate in my heart today.
Elijah
The Jordan is waiting for me to cross through
My heart is aging I can tell
So Lord, I'm begging for one last favor from You
Here's my heart take it where You will
This life has shown me how we're mended and how we're torn
How it's okay to be lonely as long as you're free
Sometimes my ground was stony
And sometimes covered up with thorns
And only You could make it what it had to be
And now that it's done
Well if they dress me like a pauper
Or if they dine me like a prince
If they lay me with my fathers
Or if my ashes scatter on the wind I don't care
But when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
There's people been friendly, but they'd never be your friends
Sometimes this has bent me to the ground
Now that this is all ending I want to hear some music once again
'Cause it's the finest thing that I have ever found
But the Jordan is waiting though I ain't never seen the other side
Still they say you can't take in the things you have here
So on the road to salvation
I stick out my thumb and He gives me a ride
And His music is already falling on my ears
There's people been talking
They say they're worried about my soul
Well, I'm here to tell you I'll keep rocking
'Til I'm sure it's my time to roll
And when I do
When I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
'Cause when I leave I want to go out like Elijah
With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
And when I look back on the stars
It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
And it won't break my heart to say goodbye
© 1982 Meadowgreen Music Company (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
Rich Mullins CCLI License No. 228719
Here's the Youtube video code to see one of Rich's last performances of the song.
(Rich also penned "Awesome God" among many others.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0rR9zIgVHE
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
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Forgiveness
The whole business of forgiveness is a difficult, sticky subject sometimes. A friend recently sent me a story from our local news, which brought national attention & is airing on Youtube now. A 92-year-old Dyersburg, Tennessee woman named Pauline Jacoby lived out forgiveness. A man jumped into the passenger side of her car as she was leaving a local Walmart. He told her he had a gun demanded her money. Her reply was, “No, I’m not going to give you my money. You know, as soon as you kill me I’ll go to heaven & you’ll go to hell. Jesus is in this car. He goes with me everywhere I go.” She said then he started looking around but tears came to his eyes. She shared with him for ten minutes. He said, “You know, I think I’ll go home & pray tonight.” Jacoby said, “You don’t have to wait ‘til tonight. You can just pray anytime you want to.” Jacoby then showed extraordinary love as you voluntarily gave him all the money she had on her: ten dollars. She told him, “Don’t you spend it on whiskey either!” The man reached over & kissed her on the cheek & then walked away.
We often aren’t faced with such stark acts of violence, but little irritations from day to day. Even when we face difficult acts we are told how to act instead of simply RE-acting. First step to learn to forgive is to realize our own sin & wickedness & ask God’s forgiveness. Every one of us is guilty of sin, it’s just in degrees. Problem is ALL sin is evil. “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” I John 1:8-9NLT When we get a clue that God has forgiven us we learn a small scope of what we in turn must do to show His character. “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Romans 4:7-8 NLT
Matter of fact, once we give Him our lives He puts His character in us & helps us to live out forgiveness. Then it’s EXPECTED of us if we expect His continued forgiveness. "Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony." Colossians 3:12-14 NLT When teaching about prayer in the model or “Lord’s Prayer” Jesus said, "and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." Matt. 6:12 NLT So that’s the kicker: if we expect God to forgive us, we’ve got to forgive perpetrators.
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!"
Psalm 32:1-2 NLT
I’m not going to sit here & tell you it’s an easy thing to simply ‘grin & bare it.” I’ve been hurt deeply many times in my life. Sometimes you run out of cheeks to turn! Forgiveness is not something that comes easy or even natural for that matter. It is something that makes life bearable for those who’ve been wronged. How many times have you been angry & vengeful at someone & they simply went about their lives blithely indifferent? Frankly, some folks couldn’t care less how they treat you, so your staying angry & bitter doesn’t phase them in the slightest. Seething & festering over wrongs done, both small & great, serve little purpose in bringing justice or right. It just hurts you.
We’re instructed in scripture to address the person who’s offended you. If that doesn’t help, while there are other avenues & this is not a complete treaty or thesis on the subject, it ultimately falls into the hands of God. He’s the One who will judge us at life’s end anyway. To tell you the truth, He does a far better job of retribution that any court of the land.
All over the world we are seeing a rise in violence & acts of anger & rage. A new term has been coined, “Road Rage” to explain anger behind the wheel. Children killing their parents & parents killing their children, who would have thought it would become so prevalent. Watching the news you see so many crimes that it’s become almost mundane & pedestrian to the ‘average Joe’ on the street.
I realize that some of you reading this have possibly gone through horrific acts of violence, perhaps from even someone you love. I don’t pen these words, glibly & trite. I’ve had to live out some of this on a regular basis but I have seen & heard of others that were a walking, breathing ‘life lesson.’ The late Corrie Ten Boom, who lived through the horrific acts of hatred & violence perpetrated by the Nazi’s Third Reich, showed one of the most powerful examples I’ve heard of short of Jesus. I’ve read her books & been brought to tears many times at her telling, but listen as she shares in her own words of forgiveness:
It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...
And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!
Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. ...
"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there." No, he did not remember me.
"I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us."
"But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"
And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?
It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ...
And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."
And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!" For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then. Copyright © 1972 by Guideposts
I’ll pray for you to find forgiveness in Christ & then to exercise that forgiveness on others. Please return the favor that I’ll live out this love & forgiveness to all around me as well.
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
We often aren’t faced with such stark acts of violence, but little irritations from day to day. Even when we face difficult acts we are told how to act instead of simply RE-acting. First step to learn to forgive is to realize our own sin & wickedness & ask God’s forgiveness. Every one of us is guilty of sin, it’s just in degrees. Problem is ALL sin is evil. “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” I John 1:8-9NLT When we get a clue that God has forgiven us we learn a small scope of what we in turn must do to show His character. “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Romans 4:7-8 NLT
Matter of fact, once we give Him our lives He puts His character in us & helps us to live out forgiveness. Then it’s EXPECTED of us if we expect His continued forgiveness. "Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony." Colossians 3:12-14 NLT When teaching about prayer in the model or “Lord’s Prayer” Jesus said, "and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." Matt. 6:12 NLT So that’s the kicker: if we expect God to forgive us, we’ve got to forgive perpetrators.
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!"
Psalm 32:1-2 NLT
I’m not going to sit here & tell you it’s an easy thing to simply ‘grin & bare it.” I’ve been hurt deeply many times in my life. Sometimes you run out of cheeks to turn! Forgiveness is not something that comes easy or even natural for that matter. It is something that makes life bearable for those who’ve been wronged. How many times have you been angry & vengeful at someone & they simply went about their lives blithely indifferent? Frankly, some folks couldn’t care less how they treat you, so your staying angry & bitter doesn’t phase them in the slightest. Seething & festering over wrongs done, both small & great, serve little purpose in bringing justice or right. It just hurts you.
We’re instructed in scripture to address the person who’s offended you. If that doesn’t help, while there are other avenues & this is not a complete treaty or thesis on the subject, it ultimately falls into the hands of God. He’s the One who will judge us at life’s end anyway. To tell you the truth, He does a far better job of retribution that any court of the land.
All over the world we are seeing a rise in violence & acts of anger & rage. A new term has been coined, “Road Rage” to explain anger behind the wheel. Children killing their parents & parents killing their children, who would have thought it would become so prevalent. Watching the news you see so many crimes that it’s become almost mundane & pedestrian to the ‘average Joe’ on the street.
I realize that some of you reading this have possibly gone through horrific acts of violence, perhaps from even someone you love. I don’t pen these words, glibly & trite. I’ve had to live out some of this on a regular basis but I have seen & heard of others that were a walking, breathing ‘life lesson.’ The late Corrie Ten Boom, who lived through the horrific acts of hatred & violence perpetrated by the Nazi’s Third Reich, showed one of the most powerful examples I’ve heard of short of Jesus. I’ve read her books & been brought to tears many times at her telling, but listen as she shares in her own words of forgiveness:
It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives. ...
And that's when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister's frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!
Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent. ...
"You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk," he was saying. "I was a guard in there." No, he did not remember me.
"I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us."
"But since that time," he went on, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?"
And I stood there — I whose sins had every day to be forgiven — and could not. Betsie had died in that place — could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?
It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it — I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. "If you do not forgive men their trespasses," Jesus says, "neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." ...
And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion — I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling."
And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.
"I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!" For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then. Copyright © 1972 by Guideposts
I’ll pray for you to find forgiveness in Christ & then to exercise that forgiveness on others. Please return the favor that I’ll live out this love & forgiveness to all around me as well.
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
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
“Running on Empty”
When I was a teenager there was a song by Jackson Browne, “Running on Empty,”
from the same titled album. The song basically talked about running hard at life &
finding you’re not even sure of the direction you’re running & why. Many people find themselves in the same state, not sure where they’re headed but they’re getting there really fast! Without direction or purpose in life it can surely leave you disillusioned. Even IF you have direction, without power & encouragement you can feel like you’re running on empty.
Without God’s filling & power we are basically hollow shells bouncing about life. It doesn’t matter how fast we get there if there is not where we’re hoping for or needing to be! Stands to reason that if we’re not sure where we should be heading we should ask the Creator what His purpose & direction for us should be. Seems a sad waste to spend a whole life chasing hard to fulfill us & find purpose when, in fact, we’ve never even taken stock of what direction we should be chasing.
Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist & religious philosopher said, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” God created us to need filling! He also commanded us to set aside time to ‘recreate’ & be refilled by Him as we worshipped! There is an old quip, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.”
Another writer said, “We all have a God-shaped void in our lives that only Jesus can fill.” Different way of saying pretty much the same thing. We need God to fill us up! Interesting thing is that God often uses people to help you along. While people may aggravate & agitate the fire out of you, they are also God’s instruments to bless us.
I’ve shared before how important it is to plug into & connect with a body of believers. Again, as John Donne the English poet, said, “No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." Well, before I wax too ‘eloquent’, suffice it to say you NEED brothers, sisters & friends to encourage you on in this life because, guess what? The bell tolls for you!
God was so serious about our spending times of rest, encouragement & worship that He COMMANDED us to set aside time to rest & worship Him every week. It’s right up there at the top of the list in the 10 Commandments. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”Exodus 20:8-11 NLT
The writer of Hebrews also told us in the New Testament how important it is to gather together & encourage each other: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT
While I haven’t run out of words or ways to encourage you, I’ve pretty much run out of time & space. I simply want to encourage you to not keep on ‘running on empty.’ Spend time with God each day. Set aside a day each week & join in a bible teaching church & worship God. You need it & we need each other. Most importantly, make sure you KNOW this God!
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook
from the same titled album. The song basically talked about running hard at life &
finding you’re not even sure of the direction you’re running & why. Many people find themselves in the same state, not sure where they’re headed but they’re getting there really fast! Without direction or purpose in life it can surely leave you disillusioned. Even IF you have direction, without power & encouragement you can feel like you’re running on empty.
Without God’s filling & power we are basically hollow shells bouncing about life. It doesn’t matter how fast we get there if there is not where we’re hoping for or needing to be! Stands to reason that if we’re not sure where we should be heading we should ask the Creator what His purpose & direction for us should be. Seems a sad waste to spend a whole life chasing hard to fulfill us & find purpose when, in fact, we’ve never even taken stock of what direction we should be chasing.
Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist & religious philosopher said, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.” God created us to need filling! He also commanded us to set aside time to ‘recreate’ & be refilled by Him as we worshipped! There is an old quip, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.”
Another writer said, “We all have a God-shaped void in our lives that only Jesus can fill.” Different way of saying pretty much the same thing. We need God to fill us up! Interesting thing is that God often uses people to help you along. While people may aggravate & agitate the fire out of you, they are also God’s instruments to bless us.
I’ve shared before how important it is to plug into & connect with a body of believers. Again, as John Donne the English poet, said, “No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." Well, before I wax too ‘eloquent’, suffice it to say you NEED brothers, sisters & friends to encourage you on in this life because, guess what? The bell tolls for you!
God was so serious about our spending times of rest, encouragement & worship that He COMMANDED us to set aside time to rest & worship Him every week. It’s right up there at the top of the list in the 10 Commandments. “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”Exodus 20:8-11 NLT
The writer of Hebrews also told us in the New Testament how important it is to gather together & encourage each other: “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT
While I haven’t run out of words or ways to encourage you, I’ve pretty much run out of time & space. I simply want to encourage you to not keep on ‘running on empty.’ Spend time with God each day. Set aside a day each week & join in a bible teaching church & worship God. You need it & we need each other. Most importantly, make sure you KNOW this God!
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
R U Ready?
It’s been an unusual week in the celebrity world. Surely you’ve heard (unless you have NO media input) that Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, & pitchman Billy Mays died this week. Each of these people died well before one would think. Two abruptly, while Ms. Fawcett had been battling cancer.
Sadly, my neighbor, about the same age as me, was killed in a farming accident this week also. His wife & three kids can use your prayers right now. Not one of these individuals thought their last day would be their last day.
I am faced regularly with mortality. It’s in no way maudlin or morbid on my part to realize that life is brief. In the past 3 years I’ve conducted or helped in around 40 funerals. These have been a wide range of ages, but in almost all instances the individuals would have loved to have had more time, not to mention their families. Thankfully, I knew most of these people & knew they were ready to meet the Lord. While they may have wished for more time with their loved ones, they were ready to meet the One Who loved them most.
As I’ve shared several times, life can turn on a dime. I have tried all the years I’ve served in ministry to never resort to scare tactics or ‘strong-arm evangelism.’ I am, however, compelled to challenge & exhort people to realize how short our time on this small globe is & how we should make the most of time we have.
“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 NLT
Eugene Peterson has written a bible paraphrase that I read from time to time that puts a different slant on this challenge: “…make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”
Romans 13:11-14 The Message
It is my sincere hope & prayer that you are truly ready to step into eternity. I assure you I don’t claim to have this life down pat, nor am I ready to get up a load to heaven, but if my life ends today I am thankful I have a home prepared in heaven. If you’re just not sure, or if you know you have unfinished business, please call, write, email or contact me & I’ll pray with you & share how to know the Creator of life. As always, as I pray for you, please return the favor.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Sadly, my neighbor, about the same age as me, was killed in a farming accident this week also. His wife & three kids can use your prayers right now. Not one of these individuals thought their last day would be their last day.
I am faced regularly with mortality. It’s in no way maudlin or morbid on my part to realize that life is brief. In the past 3 years I’ve conducted or helped in around 40 funerals. These have been a wide range of ages, but in almost all instances the individuals would have loved to have had more time, not to mention their families. Thankfully, I knew most of these people & knew they were ready to meet the Lord. While they may have wished for more time with their loved ones, they were ready to meet the One Who loved them most.
As I’ve shared several times, life can turn on a dime. I have tried all the years I’ve served in ministry to never resort to scare tactics or ‘strong-arm evangelism.’ I am, however, compelled to challenge & exhort people to realize how short our time on this small globe is & how we should make the most of time we have.
“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12 NLT
Eugene Peterson has written a bible paraphrase that I read from time to time that puts a different slant on this challenge: “…make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”
Romans 13:11-14 The Message
It is my sincere hope & prayer that you are truly ready to step into eternity. I assure you I don’t claim to have this life down pat, nor am I ready to get up a load to heaven, but if my life ends today I am thankful I have a home prepared in heaven. If you’re just not sure, or if you know you have unfinished business, please call, write, email or contact me & I’ll pray with you & share how to know the Creator of life. As always, as I pray for you, please return the favor.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Don't Be A Pig
Hogs on the highway sometimes mean Harley riders blazing down the road. Then again, sometimes it means…hogs on the highway! According to the AR Democrat-Gazette, a tractor trailer carrying some 90 hogs overturned on I-430 between Little Rock & North Little Rock early Monday. Some remained on the trailer while others made a break for it! Some of the porkers weighed 800 pounds!
A few years back I was bringing a group home from a mission trip in North Padre Island TX. It had been a great week of ‘Beach Reach’ & VBS as we helped with a new church start. Somewhere late in the night in West Texas I was talking with one of the guys driving trying to stay awake & help him stay awake. Suddenly a huge grey blur went across the highway in front of our van. Thought my eyes were playing tricks until a few seconds later we slammed into something massive. Turns out a herd of ‘farrow hogs’ (domestic hogs gone wild) were crossing the highway in front of us & one became so much bacon! We ran over the hog (around a 1000 pounds worth of pork belly!) & it tore out the gooseneck & jack of the trailer.
While you may like chowing down on a good thick pork chop, BLT or sausage, Jewish people wouldn’t touch it with a proverbial ten foot pole. As a matter of fact, any time pigs are mentioned in the bible it’s not in a good light! Case in point, when a 1000 demons were cast from a man they begged to be released into a herd of swine & then ran headlong into the sea. You might have heard the adage (straight from scripture) ‘don’t cast your pearls before swine.”
“A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.” Proverbs 11:22 HCSB
Have you ever really watched a pig? My brother-in-law used to raise pigs on his farm. When visiting I watched the pigs. Pretty nasty animals. The smell? MAN! They spend the whole day wallowing around in filth & eating anything dropped near their snout. Yep, I can see why they have a less than stellar reputation. I won’t even get into ‘pork barrel politics.’
I guess, unless you’re a pig farmer, you get that pigs are nasty, stinky creatures with little dietary discretion or upward mobility! They just do what they do: wallow in filth without any embarrassment or ambition in life. Sadly, many around settle for the same lifestyle: wallowing in filth & no spiritual ambition or insight. The Psalmist gives insight on how we really can rise out of the ‘mire.’
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.” Psalms 111:10 HCSB
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
A few years back I was bringing a group home from a mission trip in North Padre Island TX. It had been a great week of ‘Beach Reach’ & VBS as we helped with a new church start. Somewhere late in the night in West Texas I was talking with one of the guys driving trying to stay awake & help him stay awake. Suddenly a huge grey blur went across the highway in front of our van. Thought my eyes were playing tricks until a few seconds later we slammed into something massive. Turns out a herd of ‘farrow hogs’ (domestic hogs gone wild) were crossing the highway in front of us & one became so much bacon! We ran over the hog (around a 1000 pounds worth of pork belly!) & it tore out the gooseneck & jack of the trailer.
While you may like chowing down on a good thick pork chop, BLT or sausage, Jewish people wouldn’t touch it with a proverbial ten foot pole. As a matter of fact, any time pigs are mentioned in the bible it’s not in a good light! Case in point, when a 1000 demons were cast from a man they begged to be released into a herd of swine & then ran headlong into the sea. You might have heard the adage (straight from scripture) ‘don’t cast your pearls before swine.”
“A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.” Proverbs 11:22 HCSB
Have you ever really watched a pig? My brother-in-law used to raise pigs on his farm. When visiting I watched the pigs. Pretty nasty animals. The smell? MAN! They spend the whole day wallowing around in filth & eating anything dropped near their snout. Yep, I can see why they have a less than stellar reputation. I won’t even get into ‘pork barrel politics.’
I guess, unless you’re a pig farmer, you get that pigs are nasty, stinky creatures with little dietary discretion or upward mobility! They just do what they do: wallow in filth without any embarrassment or ambition in life. Sadly, many around settle for the same lifestyle: wallowing in filth & no spiritual ambition or insight. The Psalmist gives insight on how we really can rise out of the ‘mire.’
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.” Psalms 111:10 HCSB
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
“Around the World-Across the Street”
Last week I was at a children’s camp on the campus of ASU in Jonesboro. That’s not particularly unusual in that I’ve been at around a 100 camps through the years.What caught my attention was that, while we adults were chaperoning some 400 3rd-6th graders, there were other camps, events, and students from ASU. Again, not so unusual except for the makeup of those students. As I looked around I saw students from the Far East, Mid-east, Central & South America & Africa.
Even my own small community is home to people from many places around the globe. We have people from China, Japan, Middle East, South Korea, and Mexico that I could name off the top of my head. I have a new friend on the ASUN campus that came from Colombia. I suppose you could say it’s a great big, little world out there.
While I was at the camp I met a missionary to the Middle East on medical leave. He shared that the most effective witnessing tool he has implored & observed is simply building relationships & sharing the heart of Christ with those around him. It’s not in pamphlets & literature or through particular events. It’s simply sharing the heart of Christ from his heart to others.
“Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.”
Matthew 28:18-20 CEV
I’ve had an opportunity to be involved in around 25 mission trips in both the U.S. & two foreign countries & helped start over a half dozen churches through the years. From my experience the missionary is right on the money. What God has called Christians to do is not simply have someone make a ‘decision’ & fill out a card, but rather to help make ‘disciples’ or followers of Christ.
You may never set foot on the soil of another country or visit another people group outside your hometown, but in this fast changing world, realize the world is all around you. Do you recognize other ‘people groups’ in your corner of the world.
This fall I will be helping to launch some ‘life-groups’ to help in your discipleship. I strongly encourage you to dive into God’s word to truly know more about God & His plan for you.
There was a song several years ago titled, “The Mission.” There is a phrase in the song that says, “Across the street or around the world the mission’s still the same; proclaim and live the truth in Jesus’ name.” If you follow Jesus, then share Him. If you are seeking to know who this man really is or perhaps you’re ready to make a life commitment, please call on me. We’ll head off in the journey together!
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Even my own small community is home to people from many places around the globe. We have people from China, Japan, Middle East, South Korea, and Mexico that I could name off the top of my head. I have a new friend on the ASUN campus that came from Colombia. I suppose you could say it’s a great big, little world out there.
While I was at the camp I met a missionary to the Middle East on medical leave. He shared that the most effective witnessing tool he has implored & observed is simply building relationships & sharing the heart of Christ with those around him. It’s not in pamphlets & literature or through particular events. It’s simply sharing the heart of Christ from his heart to others.
“Jesus came to them and said: I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.”
Matthew 28:18-20 CEV
I’ve had an opportunity to be involved in around 25 mission trips in both the U.S. & two foreign countries & helped start over a half dozen churches through the years. From my experience the missionary is right on the money. What God has called Christians to do is not simply have someone make a ‘decision’ & fill out a card, but rather to help make ‘disciples’ or followers of Christ.
You may never set foot on the soil of another country or visit another people group outside your hometown, but in this fast changing world, realize the world is all around you. Do you recognize other ‘people groups’ in your corner of the world.
This fall I will be helping to launch some ‘life-groups’ to help in your discipleship. I strongly encourage you to dive into God’s word to truly know more about God & His plan for you.
There was a song several years ago titled, “The Mission.” There is a phrase in the song that says, “Across the street or around the world the mission’s still the same; proclaim and live the truth in Jesus’ name.” If you follow Jesus, then share Him. If you are seeking to know who this man really is or perhaps you’re ready to make a life commitment, please call on me. We’ll head off in the journey together!
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Restored
I’m just willing to bet that three words you never want to hear are: “You’ve got termites!” I didn’t so much hear them, I SAW them! After calling our pest control, they confirmed what I already knew: we have termites. If you’ve read these ramblings very often you inevitably heard me bemoan the pains of remodeling. Seems we’re in perpetual remodel around here. You own a home you keep it up. It’s amazing all of the things that tear at your home from the outside & inside!
Not only do we have to have repairs for the termites, we are also dealing with the havoc brought on by wood ants. You’d think that something sooo small couldn’t do that much damage… but you’d be wrong. If not dealt with these pests will eat your house down to the very foundation, & if you don’t have a rock solid foundation, they’ll destroy that too!
The good news for us is that we have a contract with Terminex. As I’ve shared, I was already in process of restoring said home when I came upon the damage. The inspector said it was a good thing I was already working on things or I might not have seen the damage until it was far worse. So there’s good news in all this?! Well, I guess. Again, we have a contract that ensures complete restoration (and I don’t even have to do the work!). The contractor told my wife, “Ma’am, we’ll make it just like new.”
Of course I was none to happy about all the destruction & headache caused by these evil little critters. In prayer I asked, “Lord, what am I supposed to learn from all this mess?” Didn’t take the Lord real long to hit me between my spiritual eyes with this tidbit: we try to keep little sins, pet & private, that will eat away at our very lives. If we don’t deal with these evil thoughts & deeds, they’ll eat at our own lives till they’re destroyed.
Wood ants, termites, silverfish, roaches; all unwanted & destructive. Anger, jealousy, lust, hate, gossip, lies…the list goes on and on. Get gut level honest. What do you struggle with? I don’t care how ‘super spiritual’ you are, you will have to deal with sin as long as you live. I suppose the trick is not letting it infest your heart, life & mind.
I’ve got to be honest with you. If you have never given your life over to God’s saving control it’s an absolute lost battle. No protection, no hope of restoration in sight. I don’t mean a ‘dose of church’ to ease the conscience. I mean serious salvation. Getting gut level honest with God, calling out for forgiveness & cleansing.
‘It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.” Titus 3:2-4 The Message
You know, in the scheme of life, a little pest problem is not really anything to whine about. There are real issues & concerns facing those around us that something so trivial. But in the soul arena, sin-infested lives are a whole other matter. Is your ‘house’ cleaned up or do you need to get rid of some pests that are eating away at your life? I appreciate the promise in these verses of God’s restoring power. He doesn’t just paint over our damage, He restores the damage. I’m no pest control but glad to pray with and for you. As always, please return the favor.
You’ll find all the contact info below you need. Feel free to call on me anytime.
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wipe That Smile Off Your Face
In case you haven’t heard, 4 states now, including Arkansas, have adopted a
‘No Smile’ policy for DMV pictures. I’ve always maintained that we should look really sad when taking our driver’s photo, because if we’re pulled over by police we’re probably not going be to doing a happy dance anyway! Seems that’s not the reasoning. There is new face recognition software now that throws up a red flag if you are smiling. So many fraudulent cases regarding photo I.D. have prompted the technology.
When doing student ministry, as an ice-breaker we used to play a game called, “If you love me Darlin’, please smile.’ The object of the game was a person, “IT,” had to go around the circle & pick a person. They had three tries saying that phrase to get the person to smile. They could do any stupid face or trick, short of tickling the person, to get them to smile. Talk about funny, seeing a big, ‘Jock’ football player sitting on his buddies’ lap trying to get him to crack a smile. If they didn’t succeed, they had to move around the circle ‘til some sap smiled.
Growing up, believe me, I had much rather see my Dad smiling at me than catchin’ the wrath of Wayne! As I shared before, I worked with my Dad in construction work so he was not only my Dad but my BOSS! You can relate. NO ONE wants the boss out of sorts. It was great to see him smile in approval at a job well done, a good report card, an artwork, music performance, or best of all…just because he loves me!
I am an encourager, so, by nature, love to make people smile & laugh. It blesses me to brighten a day for someone hurting. More importantly, I want to give REAL encouragement. My heart’s desire is to help introduce folks to lasting peace & joy. In a world of harsh, dark reality, you need an anchor secure & sure to hang on. That’s somewhat the thought behind the ‘Hebrew’ or ‘Priestly Blessing’.
‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.’
Numbers 6:24-26 NLT
It’s more important that we know the Lord & the Lord’s favor rather than just having a good day or peaceful path. Thankfully, Grace means we are not in a ‘performance’ oriented salvation or blessing. We DO want to make our Savior smile, though. I want my Dad’s smile of approval, but more than anything my Heavenly Father’s smile of approval. I want to walk & live in a right relationship & enjoy God’s fellowship. Kind of like Adam did in the ‘cool of the garden’ before the fall of sin.
The greatest joy is not just in a smile of approval for a job or performance well done; it’s in the joy of just knowing your Father loves you no matter what! If you don’t have that assurance or relationship, or maybe an earthly father has skewed your perspective of what your Heavenly Father’s love is like, contact me. I’ll pray with & for you. As always, please return the favor. In the words of the late Vance Havner, “I’m just a starving beggar showing another beggar where to find food.”
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
‘No Smile’ policy for DMV pictures. I’ve always maintained that we should look really sad when taking our driver’s photo, because if we’re pulled over by police we’re probably not going be to doing a happy dance anyway! Seems that’s not the reasoning. There is new face recognition software now that throws up a red flag if you are smiling. So many fraudulent cases regarding photo I.D. have prompted the technology.
When doing student ministry, as an ice-breaker we used to play a game called, “If you love me Darlin’, please smile.’ The object of the game was a person, “IT,” had to go around the circle & pick a person. They had three tries saying that phrase to get the person to smile. They could do any stupid face or trick, short of tickling the person, to get them to smile. Talk about funny, seeing a big, ‘Jock’ football player sitting on his buddies’ lap trying to get him to crack a smile. If they didn’t succeed, they had to move around the circle ‘til some sap smiled.
Growing up, believe me, I had much rather see my Dad smiling at me than catchin’ the wrath of Wayne! As I shared before, I worked with my Dad in construction work so he was not only my Dad but my BOSS! You can relate. NO ONE wants the boss out of sorts. It was great to see him smile in approval at a job well done, a good report card, an artwork, music performance, or best of all…just because he loves me!
I am an encourager, so, by nature, love to make people smile & laugh. It blesses me to brighten a day for someone hurting. More importantly, I want to give REAL encouragement. My heart’s desire is to help introduce folks to lasting peace & joy. In a world of harsh, dark reality, you need an anchor secure & sure to hang on. That’s somewhat the thought behind the ‘Hebrew’ or ‘Priestly Blessing’.
‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.’
Numbers 6:24-26 NLT
It’s more important that we know the Lord & the Lord’s favor rather than just having a good day or peaceful path. Thankfully, Grace means we are not in a ‘performance’ oriented salvation or blessing. We DO want to make our Savior smile, though. I want my Dad’s smile of approval, but more than anything my Heavenly Father’s smile of approval. I want to walk & live in a right relationship & enjoy God’s fellowship. Kind of like Adam did in the ‘cool of the garden’ before the fall of sin.
The greatest joy is not just in a smile of approval for a job or performance well done; it’s in the joy of just knowing your Father loves you no matter what! If you don’t have that assurance or relationship, or maybe an earthly father has skewed your perspective of what your Heavenly Father’s love is like, contact me. I’ll pray with & for you. As always, please return the favor. In the words of the late Vance Havner, “I’m just a starving beggar showing another beggar where to find food.”
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Cell- 870-217-9376
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
BCM Website: http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson on Facebook.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
-The IT Factor-
“…It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.” Acts 11:26b NLT
Everyone from record producers, magazine editors, image consultants, T.V. & movie producers, to photographers are looking for someone with that illusive ‘it’ factor. No one is really sure of what the ‘it’ is, but they know ‘it’ when they see ‘it’. You know, star quality.
There was a recent commercial for eBay about the new ‘it’. The series of commercials was showing about how you can move or buy the new ‘it’ on eBay. And that’s what people pretty much do: look for the new ‘it’.
When we were kids we played games of tag. You remember, when tagged you were ‘it’. You then chased the others to tag another potential ‘it’. As a kid a phrase floated around our school: “What it is?” I’m not sure exactly what that meant, but if you were cool or ‘had it’ you said it.
A jaded world, when faced with something dubious, has a saying: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” I’ve said it & you probably have to! Unfortunately, that’s about the reaction of many regarding Christianity. If someone claims to be a Christian (and according to most stats & test groups a majority of Americans make the claim), we want to know is it so? With 200 different ‘Christian’ denominational groups in the U.S.* that’s a lot of differences in beliefs & practices.
So, what does ‘IT’ look like? By ‘IT’ I mean a Christian. Sadly, you can get almost as many answers as the people you ask. In the average church in America, I’m afraid we’ve come a long way from the description of the practices & principles of believers found in the first century. I don’t mean whether they used pianos, guitars, and microphones, ‘modern translations’ of the bible or the wardrobe change. I’m talking how did they act & react to the world around them?
I’ve attended & participated in several workshops & conferences lately. In stats presented in them and in reading I’ve seen some alarming trends & practices. From what I hear, observe & read, we are indeed a far cry from the first ‘Christian’ believers in both practice & belief. Please understand, I’m not advocating we all move to Guyana & drink Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. I’m not ‘Chicken Little’ ranting about the sky falling. But, I am alarmed.
Are YOU a Christian? Pretty pointed. The world, by in large, categorize people as “Christian”, “Jewish”, “Muslim”, or “Other”. Where do you fall? Many might claim ‘Christian’ simply because they have an affinity for a Christian church. Afraid it’s a tad more than that. As one author said, “If Jesus were to ask, “Who do you say I am,” the question He famously asked His disciple Peter, He would be disappointed by some of the answers He’d receive from contemporary Americans.”*
Yep, this is a great deal more pointed & forthright than I usually get. I’m not trying to stir any denominational debate with anyone. I simply want to pose the questions to you (and myself) “What does a Christian look like?” and “Am I truly a Christian?”
In life & ministry I’ve heard a great many preachers & religious leaders spouting definitions of what a true Christian is & and should be. Some of those were right on the money & some where so much hot air. I’ve sometimes spouted heady, high-minded ideas of the same.
Just in case you don’t know, when the believers were first called ‘Christians’ in the city of Antioch, it was not meant as a compliment. But, frankly, they could have not received a better moniker. People were calling them ‘little Christs,’ as they identified & resembled Jesus.
"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are My disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."
John 13:34-35 The Message
I couldn’t give you a simpler, clearer picture of what a Christian truly looks like than what Jesus said in the above passage in John. It simply boils down to the love we show one another. Other passages speak of the love God has for the world, but I’ll save that for another day. The church I attend & serve in has the purpose statement: ‘We’re Building Relationships- Loving God, Loving the Church, and Loving the World.’ I want to hope I live up to that, but I’m afraid I often fall short of that mark.
It is my heart’s desire, & purpose on campus, to show the love of Jesus to you. I don’t claim to know all the answers but I know THE Answer: Jesus. I don’t have everything figured out, but I have a bible as instruction book. Please feel free to call on me & I’ll pray with and for you and ask you to return the favor. Below you see multiple ways to reach me.
*George Barna Group 2009
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Cell: 870-217-9376
Everyone from record producers, magazine editors, image consultants, T.V. & movie producers, to photographers are looking for someone with that illusive ‘it’ factor. No one is really sure of what the ‘it’ is, but they know ‘it’ when they see ‘it’. You know, star quality.
There was a recent commercial for eBay about the new ‘it’. The series of commercials was showing about how you can move or buy the new ‘it’ on eBay. And that’s what people pretty much do: look for the new ‘it’.
When we were kids we played games of tag. You remember, when tagged you were ‘it’. You then chased the others to tag another potential ‘it’. As a kid a phrase floated around our school: “What it is?” I’m not sure exactly what that meant, but if you were cool or ‘had it’ you said it.
A jaded world, when faced with something dubious, has a saying: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” I’ve said it & you probably have to! Unfortunately, that’s about the reaction of many regarding Christianity. If someone claims to be a Christian (and according to most stats & test groups a majority of Americans make the claim), we want to know is it so? With 200 different ‘Christian’ denominational groups in the U.S.* that’s a lot of differences in beliefs & practices.
So, what does ‘IT’ look like? By ‘IT’ I mean a Christian. Sadly, you can get almost as many answers as the people you ask. In the average church in America, I’m afraid we’ve come a long way from the description of the practices & principles of believers found in the first century. I don’t mean whether they used pianos, guitars, and microphones, ‘modern translations’ of the bible or the wardrobe change. I’m talking how did they act & react to the world around them?
I’ve attended & participated in several workshops & conferences lately. In stats presented in them and in reading I’ve seen some alarming trends & practices. From what I hear, observe & read, we are indeed a far cry from the first ‘Christian’ believers in both practice & belief. Please understand, I’m not advocating we all move to Guyana & drink Kool-Aid laced with cyanide. I’m not ‘Chicken Little’ ranting about the sky falling. But, I am alarmed.
Are YOU a Christian? Pretty pointed. The world, by in large, categorize people as “Christian”, “Jewish”, “Muslim”, or “Other”. Where do you fall? Many might claim ‘Christian’ simply because they have an affinity for a Christian church. Afraid it’s a tad more than that. As one author said, “If Jesus were to ask, “Who do you say I am,” the question He famously asked His disciple Peter, He would be disappointed by some of the answers He’d receive from contemporary Americans.”*
Yep, this is a great deal more pointed & forthright than I usually get. I’m not trying to stir any denominational debate with anyone. I simply want to pose the questions to you (and myself) “What does a Christian look like?” and “Am I truly a Christian?”
In life & ministry I’ve heard a great many preachers & religious leaders spouting definitions of what a true Christian is & and should be. Some of those were right on the money & some where so much hot air. I’ve sometimes spouted heady, high-minded ideas of the same.
Just in case you don’t know, when the believers were first called ‘Christians’ in the city of Antioch, it was not meant as a compliment. But, frankly, they could have not received a better moniker. People were calling them ‘little Christs,’ as they identified & resembled Jesus.
"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are My disciples—when they see the love you have for each other."
John 13:34-35 The Message
I couldn’t give you a simpler, clearer picture of what a Christian truly looks like than what Jesus said in the above passage in John. It simply boils down to the love we show one another. Other passages speak of the love God has for the world, but I’ll save that for another day. The church I attend & serve in has the purpose statement: ‘We’re Building Relationships- Loving God, Loving the Church, and Loving the World.’ I want to hope I live up to that, but I’m afraid I often fall short of that mark.
It is my heart’s desire, & purpose on campus, to show the love of Jesus to you. I don’t claim to know all the answers but I know THE Answer: Jesus. I don’t have everything figured out, but I have a bible as instruction book. Please feel free to call on me & I’ll pray with and for you and ask you to return the favor. Below you see multiple ways to reach me.
*George Barna Group 2009
www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport.
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Cell: 870-217-9376
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Numbered
"Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts." Psalm 90:12 HCS
What would you do if you knew the time, place, & way you would die? The running joke is often, “I wouldn’t show up”! Well, it’s a given that we will. The thing is most of us spend a life of pursuits & diversions that often leave us empty when we come to the end of our days. Rarely will someone say, “Darn it! Wish I had spent more time at work.” Or, “Should have wasted more hours in front of the T.V.” No, most of us know deep down some of those really important things we should/could be doing. We just think, “Hey, I’ve got loads of time.”
I’ve gotta say, ministry has given me a front row seat in this theater of life. That’s really a poor analogy in that I’m right in the middle of it. No emotional detachment or distraction here. I’m right in the thick of it. As I’ve shared often, ‘ministry is messy.’ No, LIFE is messy. Guess what? I wouldn’t trade it in for a life twice as long filled with mundane, trivial pursuits.
A few weeks ago a friend had a heart attack. After days of struggle he stepped into eternity. Gotta tell you, we thought he was pulling through. We just knew God was going to give him a spiritual zap, or that, at the very least, doctors would do a procedure & he’d walk out his usually ornery self. Didn’t happen. He’s singing with the angels now.
Another friend received wonderful news that a cancer riddled son had a clean bill of health. Days later the other shoe dropped. The prognosis now is a month or more, apart from a miracle. (In his forties with two teenagers & wife looking on.)
Hold on, in case you think I’m spiraling down in a maudlin crash dive. In that same expanse of days came a baby announcement, wedding invitations, graduation announcements & GOOD doctor reports. Miracles happen along side of misery. One defines the other. If it all melded together the highs wouldn’t be the highs. You know what? Very few of us want to hit those craters though!
A friend has recently posted a list on facebook. It’s a litany of those from our school who are no longer with us. Some never made it out of high school. Some barely left college. Some died of natural cause or disease, though, ‘untimely’. Some were in tragic accidents, while others died at the hand of other individuals…or by their own hand. Sobering, to say the least. Many I didn’t realize had passed on. Even more troubling is that the list is growing as we find the fate of other friends.
So back to that question: given that life is brief & unpredictable, what WILL we do with these days? I don’t advocate you go take a sky diving class, or bungee jump, or enlist in some extreme sport to find an adrenaline rush or edge. I simply want to encourage each of us, self included, to ‘measure our days.’ Another bible translation says, "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom."
Psalm 90:12 NLT
When my Mom was given difficult news a few years back by her hemo oncologist she came unglued on the poor guy. He had said, in essence, “Mrs. Jackson you have… (two huge names of blood disorders that I won’t burdened you with) and with chemo treatment your prognosis is 10 years.” Her response, “You don’t know how long I’ll live! Only GOD knows how long I’ll live.” He said, “OK, OK, lady.12 years then!” Mom got it right. Our lives are in God’s hands. Doctors & specialist give a prognosis or best guess, but our next breath & heart beat are in the hands of our Creator. So, what will we do with them?
I choose to live life to its fullest. I pray for family & friends who are squandering these precious hours. In the time it took you to plow through this, seconds have passed that you’ll never have again. (Don’t get ticked at me, I was just trying to help encourage you!) We CAN’T help what’s passed. What lies around the next corner? Better yet, what corner will you take now?
So, let’s pause from this harsh reminder of the wall of impending death hurtling at us at light speed & go out and LIVE! If you’re not ready for that date with ‘judgment’ or struggling with a particular crater of a diagnosis or life issue, call or write me & we’ll pray together. While you’re at it, return the favor. I’m in this too!
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Cell: 870-217-9376
What would you do if you knew the time, place, & way you would die? The running joke is often, “I wouldn’t show up”! Well, it’s a given that we will. The thing is most of us spend a life of pursuits & diversions that often leave us empty when we come to the end of our days. Rarely will someone say, “Darn it! Wish I had spent more time at work.” Or, “Should have wasted more hours in front of the T.V.” No, most of us know deep down some of those really important things we should/could be doing. We just think, “Hey, I’ve got loads of time.”
I’ve gotta say, ministry has given me a front row seat in this theater of life. That’s really a poor analogy in that I’m right in the middle of it. No emotional detachment or distraction here. I’m right in the thick of it. As I’ve shared often, ‘ministry is messy.’ No, LIFE is messy. Guess what? I wouldn’t trade it in for a life twice as long filled with mundane, trivial pursuits.
A few weeks ago a friend had a heart attack. After days of struggle he stepped into eternity. Gotta tell you, we thought he was pulling through. We just knew God was going to give him a spiritual zap, or that, at the very least, doctors would do a procedure & he’d walk out his usually ornery self. Didn’t happen. He’s singing with the angels now.
Another friend received wonderful news that a cancer riddled son had a clean bill of health. Days later the other shoe dropped. The prognosis now is a month or more, apart from a miracle. (In his forties with two teenagers & wife looking on.)
Hold on, in case you think I’m spiraling down in a maudlin crash dive. In that same expanse of days came a baby announcement, wedding invitations, graduation announcements & GOOD doctor reports. Miracles happen along side of misery. One defines the other. If it all melded together the highs wouldn’t be the highs. You know what? Very few of us want to hit those craters though!
A friend has recently posted a list on facebook. It’s a litany of those from our school who are no longer with us. Some never made it out of high school. Some barely left college. Some died of natural cause or disease, though, ‘untimely’. Some were in tragic accidents, while others died at the hand of other individuals…or by their own hand. Sobering, to say the least. Many I didn’t realize had passed on. Even more troubling is that the list is growing as we find the fate of other friends.
So back to that question: given that life is brief & unpredictable, what WILL we do with these days? I don’t advocate you go take a sky diving class, or bungee jump, or enlist in some extreme sport to find an adrenaline rush or edge. I simply want to encourage each of us, self included, to ‘measure our days.’ Another bible translation says, "Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom."
Psalm 90:12 NLT
When my Mom was given difficult news a few years back by her hemo oncologist she came unglued on the poor guy. He had said, in essence, “Mrs. Jackson you have… (two huge names of blood disorders that I won’t burdened you with) and with chemo treatment your prognosis is 10 years.” Her response, “You don’t know how long I’ll live! Only GOD knows how long I’ll live.” He said, “OK, OK, lady.12 years then!” Mom got it right. Our lives are in God’s hands. Doctors & specialist give a prognosis or best guess, but our next breath & heart beat are in the hands of our Creator. So, what will we do with them?
I choose to live life to its fullest. I pray for family & friends who are squandering these precious hours. In the time it took you to plow through this, seconds have passed that you’ll never have again. (Don’t get ticked at me, I was just trying to help encourage you!) We CAN’T help what’s passed. What lies around the next corner? Better yet, what corner will you take now?
So, let’s pause from this harsh reminder of the wall of impending death hurtling at us at light speed & go out and LIVE! If you’re not ready for that date with ‘judgment’ or struggling with a particular crater of a diagnosis or life issue, call or write me & we’ll pray together. While you’re at it, return the favor. I’m in this too!
http://www.myspace.com/davejacksonnewport
Dave Jackson on facebook
ASUN website http://www.bcmasunewport.org
Dave Jackson-Campus Minister djackson@absc.org
Dave’s Desk - http://bcmasunewport.blogspot.com
Cell: 870-217-9376
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