CAMPFIRE MESSAGES from Pastors & Ministers of ICCAN

Comment

Comment by Don Adkisson on May 30, 2012 at 9:14am

                "A job doesn't get done when it's started with a promise and finished with an alibi."

                                --R. Lewis Bowman

 

                "Only quitters complain, and cowboys hate quitters."

                                --Old Cowboy saying

 

There it was, the stump. It wasn't in plain view, but when finally seen your eyes couldn't seem to move away from it. It would stick out "like an old scarred sore. . .the legacy of some great tree." After once seeing it your eyes would try to avoid it. The mind didn't want to think that it was around, but for some strange reason the eyes would be riveted back to that old stump. It was a giant thing, large enough to have dinner on.

                Every once in a while you have tried to remove it. You've tried chopping at it a time or two, but when the axe head strikes it the vibrations run up and down your arms. It was like striking iron. You've tried burning it out from time to time. The sad part is that at this point in your life you look at it, walk up to it, and kick it, then walk away. This old stump has defeated you. You've tried over and over to remove it, but the roots are large and deep. It might even have a taproot deep in your soul.

                Sometimes, an emotional surge wells up and you say, this time--today is the day the stump comes out. The axe goes in motion, whack, whack, but not chips are flying. The axe head, that is sharpen, just seems to bounce off. In disgust, you through the axe down, even though you know not to treat your tools that way, hang your head and walk back to the house. Again defeated by an old stump.

                You make have recognized the analogy. "The stump" is part of the story of Shane. It was the nemesis of the farmer and he couldn't get rid of it. His property was some of the finest looking around, except for that stump. I wonder how many stumps there are in our lives that we just can't seem to remove. We try and try, we chop at it, we burn it, we kick at it, but to no avail. The stump is still there rooted and seemingly grinning at us.

                Take heart, a Shane will one day appear and if you don't give up he will be there to help get rid of that ol' stump. Now, I don't want to take the analogy too far. I won't say that Schaefer intended for Shane to represent the work of the Holy Spirit (in fact, I pretty sure he didn't) but sometimes there are things rooted deep that take more than one effort to remove. It takes more than one attempt to pry them out. Just like the stump, you might think you've finally got it licked and then find a taproot and have to do more chopping.                 You may also find that you just can't do it by yourself. As Starrett said, "He's dangerous . . . but not to us." The Holy Spirit may make a person tremble, but he is there to serve, to work, to help root out the stumps in our lives.

                                                       D. Adkisson                                        

                "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work."

                                --John 9:4 (KJV)

 

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on May 29, 2012 at 10:26am

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: You may be having a good day, or maybe you're haveing a bad day.  Neither one can separate you from the Lord.  He is with you and watching over you always.  He is Emmanuel, meaning "God with us".  Being Thankful opens the door to his presence.  If you're having a bad day, be thankful that He will help you to get through it.  If you're having a good day, be thankful for the blessings. When you look with FAITH and THANKSGIVING, you will always find Jesus in the midst of every situation of your life.  He will lift you up and guide you in the way you should go.  He friend, counselor, Savior, and the Lover of your soul. (Matthew 1:23)  ~Walker

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 29, 2012 at 3:44am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 29
John 13:34-35
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another, By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another."

It's not rules and regulations
That makes the world take notice
It is the love for our brothers and sisters
As the Lord has shown us

So if we would be like Jesus
We must love one another
And serve the living God
And serve no other

Comment by Pastor Lynn Kirkland on May 28, 2012 at 5:07pm

“Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones—bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas. For a great many of the ideas about God which are trotted out as novelties today are simply the ones which real Theologians tried centuries ago and rejected. To believe in the popular religion of modern England [America] is retrogression—like believing the earth is flat (p. 155).” Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (1952) [emphasis and insertion mine]
 

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 28, 2012 at 10:21am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 28
John 7:7
"The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."

Oh, how the world hates Jesus
The things He says and does
But He is still the one to come
The one who is and the one who was

His life testifies how evil
The world it is today
And shows all the sinners
They are going the wrong way

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 27, 2012 at 9:09am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 27
Acts 12:11
"And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews."

Ever been in a situation
Where there seemed to be no way out
But then the Lord delivered
And made you want to shout

Take the time to thank Him
For what He's already done
And know the battle you're in right now
Has already been won

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on May 26, 2012 at 3:10pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: First thing I remember listening to music on besides the radio was 45 or 33 1/3 rpm records, then it was 8-track tapes, then it was cassette tapes, then it was CD's, then DAT tapes, then MP3's, then IPOD's, then....I don't know? What's next? We live in a world with unrelenting changes in just about every area of our lives. It is no wonder that we yearn for some kind of stability in our life. Are we doomed to a life of constant uncertainty? Not if we have a loving Relationship with the Lord Jesus. He is the one who never changes. He doesn't ever fall in and out of Love with you because He IS Love!! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the end. Knowing Jesus does not eliminate the uncertainty of this world, it just allows you to face it in perfect Peace for in Him we have Love and stability. Thank God!! (Revelations 22:13 and John 16:33) ~Walker

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 26, 2012 at 1:42am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 26
Luke 3:10-11
"And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?  He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise."

So when you see the needy
Turn not your face away
But give them of your substance
Knowing God, He will repay

For when you give to the needy
You are giving God a loan
He will be no mans debtor
He will forget not the seeds you've sown

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 25, 2012 at 10:48am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Ryme

May 25
Mark 1:17
"And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men."

There is a job more noble
Than any we can do
It's catching the souls of men
And for that He can use me and you

So let us submit our members
And all that we can say
To the one that will say well done
On that great and glorious day

 

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on May 25, 2012 at 9:24am

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: Don't make choices today based on what you think is a good choice. Good choices that you make are always the enemy of the best choices that God would make if you had Trusted Him instead of leaning on your own understanding. We ALL need Spiritual growth in our lives, and it will only come when we stay focused on God, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and allow God to make life's choices for us. When you come to realize that your Spiritual Life controls your physical life, and you start living a life of FAITH in God, you will be amazed at how good life can be!! God will say the same thing to you that He did to Abram, "....WALK BEFORE ME..." (Genesis 17:1). How can you fail if God Almighty has your back?? ~Walker

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on May 24, 2012 at 9:58am

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Life is certainly uncertain!

   I wrote this article last year about this time.  We are still having tornadoes in parts of Oklahoma and we are still getting reports of our soldiers being killed on foreign soils.  Maybe we need to read this again. ~ Walker. 

     Whewwww....... What a week this has been for everybody here in Grady County; the whole state for that matter. Just in our church family alone I have visited folks in four different hospitals in OKC, had one soldier killed in Afghanistan, and one family with four homes damaged by a tornado(two homes completely destroyed). Loss of life, loss of health, and loss of all our worldly possessions are experiences that can happen to any of us in the blink of an eye!!     As I visited with a young man yesterday and his five year old son, all he could do was shake his head in unbelief that all they had left were the clothes on their back. Everything was gone; home, clothes, food, pictures, toys, EVERYTHING......gone in a manner of seconds. How in the world do you cope with this type of devastation?      Well, the first thing we have to do when we find ourselves in this "lost everything" situation is to realize that if all we have left is God, HE is enough. Try sayin' that out loud just one time. "God, You are enough." You have not only said a mouthful, but you have made one of the Truest statements you will ever make. All you have to do now is believe it, and that's not very hard to do when you have lost everything else!! When we come face to face with really BIG problems that's when we will come to know that our God is BIGGER than any problem.      The next thing we need to know is that we face unrelenting changes in this world. But there is one thing that NEVER changes and that is the Lord Jesus. He is the beginning and He is the end; alpha and omega. He will never leave us or forsake us and nothing....NOTHING can ever separate us from Him and his awesome Love. Many people have had their world literally turned upside down lately. Thank God that through it all, we can draw close to Him and still find Peace in all the uncertainty of Life.     Finally, you may lose all your worldly possessions in the blink of an eye, but you didn't get them overnight and you won't replace them overnight. It's going to take time. We must be patient and remember that recovery from this kind of devastation is like eatin' an elephant. You can only do it one bite at a time. Just remember that God is bigger than any problem, He will always be there to Love you and give you peace, He is willing and able to meet all of your needs, and He always works through His people.     Aren't you glad that God gave us the commandment to Love one another. I am so thankful when I see this community coming together to help one another. As always, we will get through these hard times. Why? Because God Loves us, we Love one another, and we are telling the world about Jesus with our actions. Thank you for reading "FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH". May God bless you richly with Faith, Grace, and Peace, ~Pastor Lynn

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 24, 2012 at 8:08am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 24
Ezekiel 16:49
"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."

When we're full of pride
And we have plenty of bread
It's not long before our prosperity
Can go to our head

So be careful, very careful
How you look at the poor
For riches can make themselves wings
And fly away for sure

Comment by Don Adkisson on May 24, 2012 at 7:06am

     "Obscurity is the classroom of character."

               --unknown

 

     "Many dark and sleepless nights have I been a companion for owls, separated from the cheerful society of men, scorched by the summer's sun, and pinched by the winter's cold, an instrument ordained to settle the wilderness."

               --Daniel Boone

 

So you have found yourself in the wilderness.  What are you doing with the experience?  Grumbling, murmuring--be careful there are millions of bones, dry, bleached by the sun of those who did that when they did not like their wilderness experience. 

     As mentioned on Tuesday, I read some articles last week and this one went along with my thoughts of the wilderness.  We all have those experiences but what is important is what we do with them.  It is vital that we learn what God wants in those times.

     There is so much talk out there about being somebody, doing something, fulfilling your dreams.  But almost no teaching on how to get it done.  In reality is takes hard work.  For every man who is heard of how many continue to live in obscurity?  Their fault you say!  Maybe, but maybe God is preparing them.  Character building is tough.

     Paul was in Arabia three years after his conversion.  Doing what?  You want to be great?  Then you must spend time in the wasteland where God leads you.  Time must be spent there in preparation.  Someone said that "God must work in us greatly before He can work through us greatly."  The length of time depends on you, on what is needed, and God.

     Before the age of thirty, what was Jesus doing?  There are almost two decades of His life from the time He was found in the Temple until He began His ministry with no record.  Working, listening, developing, living in obscurity.  His heavenly Father was shaping Him and part of the work was through things He must learn and do before He could actually do the "Father's will."  And yet so many think they can jump right to the top when even our Lord spent years in preparation.

     Waiting is rough at times.  "Obscurity can be a bitter pill to swallow."  Many years passed from the time Abraham heard God's voice to the next.  Obscurity, walking in the wastelands can deepen your relationship with God.  In silence and solitude we can face the deepest issues of life.  Senator John McCain stated that he is a much better person for facing the trials and years of obscurity in a prison cell as a POW in Vietnam.

     Genesis 40:1, has poignant words in speaking of Joseph, "some time later."  Much time had elapsed, what had Joseph done in those months and years?  We have no record, but we know that "day after day, even when he couldn't see what God was doing, Joseph was faithful to God.  Even though he was the victim of unfair circumstances, he kept doing what was right and good.  He kept following and trusting God even when life didn't make sense."

     Often we ask God to change the things around us when His primary goal may be to change us, or develop us.  Obscurity, maybe in the sight of others, but not with God.  Anonymous, maybe in this life but you may be ruling over ten cities in the next.  Allow the anonymity to deepen who you are and remember, "our Father God is not care-less or cause-less with our lives."

                                           D. Adkisson 

     "For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised."

               --Hebrews 10:36 (HCSB)

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on May 23, 2012 at 2:28pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: Jesus used the word "abandon" when talking to His disciples. The word abandon means to forsake, or leave behind; to quit or walk away. What did Jesus want His disciples to abandon?? Worry, Fear, and unbelief!! If you will abandon the unbelief, you will automatically get rid of the worry and fear. We must remember what Jesus said would choke the Word out of our life. Was it Satan??? No--"the cares of the world" (Matthew 13:22). It is the little worries of everyday life that take our focus off of Jesus.....if we let it. "Abandon" the cares of this world, and put your trust in Jesus!! (Matthew 6:25) ~Walker

Comment by Don Adkisson on May 23, 2012 at 9:01am

     "I'm not going to let worry...rule my life.  It seems to me that if a man is going to get anywhere in this life, he'd better start for somewhere, and have something definite in mind."

               --Louis L'Amour

 

     "It was no place for a fellow who didn't have a lot of sand in his craw, and a boundless store of hope in his heart."

               --Ernest Haycox

 

I came across some reading last week and thought it was good enough to share some of it.  So today, and perhaps later in the week I will use some of it, of course my thoughts mixed it.  Some of it comes from "Streams in the Desert," Volume Two.

     If you have ever done much hiking in wooded areas there is only so far in the distance that you can see.  The trail may curve or bend and you cannot see in front of you where it is going.  It seems to stop at the top of a ridge or at a bend and curves and you cannot see where it is going until you get to that point.  Part of this is due to the love of God.  If we could see around the bend in the trail we may never have started out.  I have a print by a fine Christian artist, Fred Deaver, titled, "A Heap of Trouble."  A mountain man, with his gear is walking a trail along the side of a cliff.  The trail is bending around a rock wall; on the other side of that wall, on the same trail, a grizzly is ambling along.  What will happen only God's knows, but we are to walk the trail set before us.  Cowman writes, "The love of God quite as often withholds the view of the entire distance of the winding path through life.  He reveals it to us step by step from corner to corner."

     Would we have taken the trip through Death Valley if we knew the truck would overheat and we would sit in 110 degree heat for forty-five minutes?  Would we have taken the road up Cumberland Pass if we knew the obstacles and weather that awaited us on the road?  The bend can be seen, but the trail beyond is not visible, however, it continues on.  We must remember that "corners are not the end of the way." (Cowman).  Corners are but a turning point on the road of life.  When we cannot see the trail ahead due to the corners do we stop and go back thinking that the path has stopped?  Cowman states that, "Corners discipline faith, teach us patience to walk step by step, and fit us for blessing."

     We look at a map to get our bearings and fix our sight on the destination, but the may does not show us the obstacles along the way.  If we could see the trail it may not have been taken and, thus, lessons learned and character developed would not have taken place.  "Because our vision is limited, it causes us to continually seek His guidance."  (Cowman)  Do not stop on the trail simply because you cannot see the trail ahead of you because it takes a bend.  Keep walking!

     The way may not be clear, but because of that our trust in God is growing and being developed.  The obstacles along the way help us to develop character and endurance.  The Hebrew version of Proverbs 4:12 states, "As thou goest step by step, the way shall open up before thee."

                                         D. Adkisson 

     "The LORD shall guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones...."

               --Isaiah 58:11 (NKJV)

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 23, 2012 at 3:57am

Apples of Gold, a devtional in Rhyme

May 23
Isaiah 42:19-20
"Who is blind, but my servant?  Or deaf, as my messenger that I sent?  Who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord's servant?  Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not."

When He places something
Ever before our eyes
We should be like Moses
And there turn aside

Turn aside to see
What the Lord has to say
And be ever so mindful
Of what He's telling you today

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 22, 2012 at 9:29am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 22
Ecclesiastes 5:5=6
"Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands."

Modern day prophets
Say just make a vow
If you cannot pay
God will not judge you now

But scripture says
That unto us that is sin
So we can listen to God
Or we can listen to men

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 21, 2012 at 9:21am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 21
Deuteronomy 8:3
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

Sometimes we must be humbled
Caused to hunger and thirst
So we will know what is important
And remember to put God first

Get our eyes off the temporal
And on His word alone
Lift our gaze off this world
And focus it on the throne  

Comment by Shane and Denise Jeter on May 20, 2012 at 3:42am

Apples of Gold, a devotional in Rhyme

May 20
John 15:15
"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

Can you even imagine
That God can call you friend
And heal all your wounds
And your broken heart, mend

Well it's true He can do it
Because He did it for me
And no respecter of persons
Will He ever be

Comment by Lynn D. Walker on May 19, 2012 at 1:38pm

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH

JUST FOR TODAY: Why do we as believers sometimes feel lonely or afraid?  Does that mean that there are times that the Lord forsakes us??  Heaven forbid!  Our "feelings" do not change the fact that Jesus is always with us.  No matter how we feel, we are NEVER separated from Him, and we must see and feel Him through the eyes of FAITH.  It is when we forget about the Lord, and lose our focus on Him that we become lonesome and fearful.  We must be aware of His Presence, regardless of how we feel, and His Presence will displace all negative feelings.  The Lord is always with you until the end of time and on into eternity.  Work on staying conscious of His Presence and walk with him every day.  (1 Corinthians 13:12)  ~Walker

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