Author Archives: Royce

Dec 18 2009

Alive one more day…so far


I don’t know when my life will end but I do know where my human body will stop at last.

The place is jut waiting for me in Lake Dallas, Texas. As of this moment I plan on waiting to go to that last destination as long as possible.

Remember the verse of the song “Everybody wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die”? That’s me. This morning I read the obituary column in the local paper and about a half-dozen people younger than me had died. There is little that is a better reminder of one’s mortality.

Thankfully, this small piece of real estate in North Texas is not really the end. It is the place where my temporary home will be planted. But some day the one who said to Martha “I am the Resurrection and the Life” will call his own to himself and the bodies of believers will be recreated as immortal beings living in bodies that reflect the glory of Jesus Christ, like him, with him forever.

So, for me, what is called in the Scriptures the “blessed hope” (the return of Jesus) is a blessed certainty. The question is never “If?” but rather “When?”.

These days of family gatherings, parties, and fun are filled with pain and misery for some of your friends, neighbors, or perhaps even family. The sorrow of who is missing from the festivities is very, very painful for some survivors. So, be respectful, be sensitive, and give space to those who are still grieving. Be a good listener, weep with them, hug them, and just be with them at their request. That is the best gift you can give someone who is grieving.

Merry Christmas all,

Royce

Dec 17 2009

I get emails…..


Each day my “inbox” has at least a few messages from some dishonest pin head whose goal is to separate me from my dollars. Those are easy enough to dismiss. I just report them as “Spam” and the next time they hit my system the are filed away in the “Spam” folder and forgotten.

More difficult to dismiss are the dozens of email messages I receive from good friends each month that go something like this.

Some cheesy poem or a prayer is followed by:

“If you send this to 10 of your friends you will have an unexpected blessing in 48 hours”. Or, “If you really love God you will forward this to all of your friends”

I get these mostly from people who are Christians and should be mature enough to know better.

I also regularly receive messages promising that if I forward the email to 100 people Bill Gates will send me some $$’s. It amazes me that grown ups can be so naive. I have news for you, baby there is not free ride! You are not going to get something for nothing from a company who wants to make a profit.

Thankfully, I get emails from people who are encouraging, enlightening,  entertaining, funny as can be, and with worthy news. I love those! And, I get a sprinkling of messages appreciating something I have written, I also love those messages almost to the point of being sinful. (All of us love the praise of men to some degree don’t we?)

Email, Facebook, and Twitter can be fun, informative, inspiring and very useful but they can also be robbing you of time that would be better spent elsewhere.

Lets make a deal, just me and you. Next time lets think about it a bit before before we hit the “forward” button. I believe just a bit of reason will eliminate some of the junk from our busy lives.

This rant was completely free and you have to do nothing in return.

Royce

P.S. If you forward this the link to this post to everyone on your contacts list and have them send me $1.00 through PayPal I will have minnow money for the summer. I know this will work! LOL

Dec 17 2009

Preachers are People Too


“Granville Oral Roberts was born into poverty in Bebee, Oklahoma, on January 24, 1918, according to a brief biography released by Ethridge. His Christian ministry began with what he described as his own miracle healing of tuberculosis at age 17.

Roberts pastored churches in Oklahoma and Georgia and preached at revivals around the country while studying at Oklahoma Baptist University and Phillips University in Oklahoma, according to the biography.

In 1947, he founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association in Tulsa, “and began conducting crusades across America and around the world, attracting crowds of thousands — many who were sick and dying and in search of healing,” the biography said. “Through the years, he conducted more than 300 crusades on six continents” and “laid hands” on an estimated 2 million people, according to association officials.” (CNN)

Oral Roberts was the Godfather of modern Pentecostalism. I have vivid memories of watching those snowy telecasts on black and white TV where people gathered under a huge tent to hear this man talk about God and the Bible and to have him pray for their healing.

While I disagree with much of the theology in the Robert’s tradition I honor him as one who preached the gospel. Paul’s attitude should be mine when he said long ago of those preachers he disagreed with

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love,knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15-18)

May God comfort the family and friends of Oral Roberts. RIP
_________

I heard the news today that Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Highland Village, Texas received word from his doctor that a tumor just removed proved to be malignant and that he couldn’t get it all.

As expected, Matt and his young family are taking the events with much grace and dignity. It is my hope and prayer that his life can be saved. But, I fully expect that whether he lives a long life or only a few more months he will glorify Christ the best he can.

I recently listened to a sermon Matt preached to a room of seminary students using as his text Hebrews 11. He pointed and sobering message made the case that there are many who want to stop the mouths of lions and be delivered from the flames but no one is lining up to be sawed into or sleep in a cave. Whatever their circumstance, all of those heroes of the faith were indeed ‘faithful and faith filled” people.

Now it is Matt’s time to live out his sermon. I fully expect many to consider Jesus as they watch this young man of God suffer and give God glory as he does.

Please remember Matt Chandler and his family, and the Village Church when you pray.

_____

John Piper, pastor, theologian, and author is a close friend of Matt Chandler and since they are both of the Reformed theological persuasion, have a lot in common. Piper himself was very young when he left a professorship to become a pastor.

In 2006 John Piper was diagnosed with prostate cancer and he published a sermon he preached at Bethlehem church, “Don’t Waste Your Cancer“. I recommend it, especially if you or a loved one has cancer. You might not agree with all of it, not sure I did, but it is very sobering and worthwhile.

I love and appreciate every person who stands before God’s saints with an open Bible and preaches biblical messages that lift up and honor Christ. I don’t know even one preacher with whom I agree about everything. But, unless they preach “another gospel” and pervert the gospel of the grace of God I’m for them and have deep respect for them.

Many folks think preachers only work a couple of hours a week and are way over appreciated and over paid. HOGWASH! If some of you hypocrites would follow a pastor around for a week you would that he carries a heavy weight of responsibility, is on call 24/7 just like a doctor, and is often treated like a second class citizen even by some of those supposedly mature brothers and sisters in his own congregation.

A word of advice. You had better be very careful how you treat God’s servant!

Royce

Dec 16 2009

Cowboy boots and contentment


Some of the greatest pleasures in a man’s life is the love of his wife, an ice cold glass of sweet tea on a hot day, a good early morning top water bite, and a good pair of boots.

On a cold and snowy winter day I waltzed into a Western store in Sanger, Texas and exited a few minutes later with a pair of Tony Lama full quill ostrich boots. I paid more for them than I had the Oldsmobile I was driving and I second guessed myself plenty on the way home. Twenty two years later, almost to the day, I’m still proud of my purchase.

This morning I retrieved my old boots from the closet and slid them on and instantly I felt satisfaction. They have always fit like a soft glove and are as comfortable as bedroom shoes. I wore those boots over eight years every work day on concrete and asphalt and likely a few years more since. They still look as good as another pair many years younger.

They don’t make boots like they once did. These old boys are as soft as glove leather and as tough as a rhino’s hide. I’d pay double for a new pair the same quality as these old familiar friends.

Why boots? Well, I an’t a cowboy, that’s for sure! The last time I was on a horse I returned from my one hour ride with two blisters on my other end the size of silver dollars. I don’t do well with horses, they step on me, bite me, and generally hurt me.

I suppose I like boots for the same reason a fellow likes a good cup of hot coffee about daylight. It’s a pleasure thing. I’ve had people with bad manners poke fun at me for wearing boots, especially since I left Texas, but I put a good pair of boots right up there with a good pick up truck or a boat motor that starts every time you try it. (I’ve got them too, I’m a lucky man!)

Don’t knock wearing cowboy boots ‘til you’ve tried them. You’re missing one of the finer things in life.

That’s they way I see it,

Royce