Well, the latest presidentional campaign buzz is did John McCain hear the questions Rick Warren was asking Barack Obama? Was McCain outside the “Cone of Silence?”

I will be greatly disappointed in him if that is the case, but there may be another reason John McCain had ready answers to the questions. Could it possibly be that he has already given thought to the question when does life begin? Could it be that is an issue important to him - and he just answered a crucial question in an honest fashion?

Maybe it would serve all of America better if the people running for public office answered questions from the heart - instead of the teleprompter.

Well, this wraps up the “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” comparison to I John 1:1-4.

The PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (v. 4)

The joy which Christ brings us is actually much deeper and richer than just plain happiness.

Joy comes from within – happiness relies upon circumstances, or external factors. It is a joy to walk with and serve Christ. It should be - if we are in a right relationship with Him. Joy comes from experiencing our purpose in this life. Our purpose extends beyond being an observer. This is especially true of Christians – or should be. We are live out our witness of Him. A witness is a witness when he observes an event. But, the value of a witness is in the testimony he or she gives.

God has called us to demonstrate our witness for Him not only in our words, but in our deeds. That is where we find true joy.

There are many obstacles to our fellowship with one another, but if we do not determine to overcome them, we will suffer, our church fellowship will suffer and our testimony will suffer.

I’d like to get back to the comparison of the phrase – “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” to I John 1:1-4.

In this second post, let’s look at LIBERTY (vv. 2-3)

The Church of God consists of His people. You can build a building and put the name church on it, but that does not make it so. His church is made up of changed people who are called to live a life which is witness to His power.

He has endowed us with the freedom to come together in Him. Free to be witnesses of Him.

As a police officer for about 10 years, I sat in many courtrooms and listened to many witnesses. There is a key word which is always considered when listening to a witness and evaluating their testimony. Credibility . Some of them could come up with some pretty wild testimony – it just wasn’t very convincing. You could listen to them and tell they had not experienced what they were testifying to.   

God has offered us His freedom. But far too many people who say they have experienced that freedom are still in bondage to sin. Far too many Christians aren’t living in the full extent of the freedom He gives.

As a Christian witness, how is your credibility?

Well, last night’s evening news showed some scientists at NASA who were simply giddy over the “discovery” of water on Mars. This, they posited, was evidence that life could exist on Mars, because water is essential to life. I’m no physicist (bio-, astro- or otherwise) however, I do have a couple of questions:

1. If life did not originate on this planet as described in the Bible (the only account of creation which has not suffered multiple revisions) where did it come from? Evolution offers no answer to that essential question.
2. Why would water be essential to life on Mars? If evolution were true, wouldn’t life evolve in whatever environment was present? The evolutionists tell us that fish evolved into land animals because oxygenated air existed outside the water. Well, if there were no oxygen in the air, wouldn’t the fish continue on anyway? And, presumable, evolve into higher forms of life right where they were.

You see, with no physical evidence of the actual event of creation, it takes faith to accept the manner and method of where life originated and how it came to be here on Earth. Some say it is easier to believe God created it all. On some levels that is true, but I don’t believe in God because it is easy. I believe in God and the account of His creation, His love and Salvation, because at every step of the way, He has shown Himself worthy of that faith.

He gives peace and comfort in difficult times. It hasn’t always been easy – but it’s always been worth it.

I was reading an article recently about the Constitution and of course there was the phrase – “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

I was struck by how that relates to the text we find in I John 1:1-4.

I’d like to share this with you over the next couple of posts. First, we see the aspect of LIFE in v. 1.

As creatures of God, we exist to exalt Jesus Christ (Rev. 4:11). As sinners, mankind falls far short of that purpose, except that when we accept Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, we enter into that relationship which allows us to worship and honor Him by living the redeemed life.

As Christians, we have our very life and reason for existence in Him. If we are here for any other reason we are here for the wrong reason.

John 1:1 tells us that He is the Word. He is the Word of Life. He has always been and He will always be. Anything else we may be about will pass away.

He is the LIFE, He is the Rock, the Foundation of life for His people.

Each year there is a different theme for the conference. In recent years the focus has been on revival, spiritual gifts and other timely topics. This year the theme was on leadership. Conference speakers are told what the theme is, but they are to pray and seek God’s direction as to the actual message (as well it should be).

Both Jim Henry and Ray Gilder brought messages focused on the minister’s role of leadership beginning at home with the family. I really felt God was using this time to remind us that (especially) as bi-vocationals, it is easy to get busy with providing for the family monetarily and doing the work of the church – at the expense of the home.

We were reminded that our priorities are to be God, family and then church – in that order. There are many ministers’ children who leave the church because they grew up in home where the church was the “mistress” who stole their dad’s affection, time and energy.

If you are a church member, please encourage – and allow - your pastor and ministerial staff to keep their family first. If you are a minister, remember that God established the family before He established the church and if you fail at home, you can’t succeed anywhere else.

I mentioned (briefly) in a recent post that I was at the NC Bi-vocational Ministers Conference. For those who may not be familiar with the term bi-vocational means two vocations. Two callings. Two careers. So, a bi-vocational minister is a pastor, music minister, evangelist, etc AND something else. That something else consists of farmers, plumbers, military members, law enforcement, firemen, judicial officials, postal employeess, teachers, mechanics, salesmen, warehouse managers, and many, many more. These are just the ones I know.

Each year we come together for a weekend at Caraway Conference Center near Asheboro, NC. This means all these guys have to not only take off from the church, but often they must take vacation from their other vocation as well.

But, let me tell you it is ALWAYS worth it. The conference speakers are good, the fellowship is wonderful and the encouragement is priceless. This year our main conference speakers were Jim Henry (Pastor Emeritus of FBC Orlando, now interim pastor at Biltmore Baptist) and Ray Gilder who is himself a bi-vocational pastor. His “other” vocation is with the Tennessee Baptist State Convention where he serves as a coordinator for bi-vocational ministers and churches.

Yours truly was blessed to be on the program Sunday Morning.

The focus was on the minister’s family. Whether bi-vocational or fully funded, the minister’s family faces the same attacks and challenges as any other. This time together was a reminder that God established the family as the basic building block of society (and the church). Just as in other areas of life it is often easy to mistake activity for effectiveness and “church work” for a Christian walk.

Any family, ministerial or not, which does not have God at the center & Christ as the foundation is in trouble already. My prayer for you today is that you will take stock of where your family is and ask God’s guidance and leadership to move you where you need to be.   

To be continued . . .

On our trip a couple of weeks ago Eileen wanted to go for a day hike on the Appalachian Trail. We did a small section (about 5 miles) in the area of Max Patch Mountain and then up to the top of the mountain. This is me on the “AT”.

While a bit strenuous for a short section, the hike was fairly easy over all and worth every bit of effort. This picture gives you sort of an idea as to the elevation change. That’s Eileen with Max Patch Mountain waiting for us in the background :-) 

From the top of Max Patch Bald, the view was stunning.  Words cannot adequately express the grandeur of God’s creation - in fact I’m not one to burst into song, but all I could think of as we took in the view was “This is My Father’s World.” To add to the beauty of the view, we met some great people along the way, several great guys from Jellico, Tenn and a nice couple from Asheville. God blessed us in many ways that day - He has so many ways of doing that, doesn’t He?   

As I write this post, it is early Sunday morning and Eileen and I are at the annual gathering of the NC Bi-Vocational Ministers Conference at Caraway (near Asheboro).

This is my ninth year and it is always a wonderful time. The conference topics are always worthwhile and informative as well as challenging at times.

But, the greatest thing about the gathering is the fellowship. God always meets us here as we gather in His name. There are folks I met nine years ago, there are those whom I’ve met this weekend and those we’ve met in between who have become so much like family.

I’ll write more about the experience in the days to come. But, in the meantime, why not make it a point to be an encourager to someone today? Give them a kind word and a smile – I bet you’ll get one back.   

God has certainly been here among us this weekend. My prayer is to take that sense of His presence as we leave this place.

Well, after a brief hiatus from writing about our trip to the mountains – I now return.

On Wednesday and Thursday of our week in the mountains, we climbed a couple of large mountains.

On Wednesday, we hiked up Mt. Pisgah, which is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Named after the Biblical Mountain from which Moses viewed the Promised Land, Mt. Pisgah is quite an impressive ordeal to a flatlander. About 20 months ago, I tried to hike up Mt. Pisgah and found I was horribly out of shape. (I know, I should have already known that, but sometimes we just need a good slap in the face).

At any rate, I began to work out and train and have now stood atop that grand work of God’s creation twice. This time I had the distinct pleasure of having my wife by my side – it was her first time and she was a champ at the climb.

Next – our trip up Max Patch Mountain and a hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Bob and Eileen – Mt. Pisgah