Blessed

I want to share a blessing. On Wednesday nights, our Church service is referred to as a prayer meeting. We still have preaching, but we spend extra time in prayer, together as a Church. We take up written requests and have a bulletin with past, on-going requests, then at the appointed time two men pray aloud one at a time as the congregation prays to themselves or along with the men. I miss most Wednesdays due to work, but it seems like every one I make, Pastor hands me a mic to use during prayer time. "You're the second prayer, after Bro Xxxxxx. Keep it under 4 minutes."
No prob there as I am not good at public speaking and am prone to getting choked up when praying.
As I prayed, I obviously mentioned Tammy and how God is already healing her. But along with that praise I said none of this took God by surprise and then thanked God for "those" (plural) who had helped, or offered to help. I really only knew of one person who offered to cook a meal while Tammy was down. There might have been more, but I only knew of one. I just didn't feel right thanking God for the one person thoughtful enough to help, especially since there might be more.
Well, once home I saw our mail that had piled up since Tuesday and in it was a birthday card to Tammy from a member of our church with a check for what we consider a sizable amount. While I thanked God for mere offers, a check with a solid commitment was awaiting me at home.
Though I have mentioned the struggle this has us in on Facebook, this couple isn't on Facebook. God saw my need and chose someone who had no idea to help me.
I am unworthy, yet oh so blessed!

Psalms 115:15 Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.

Who's to blame?

The Barack Obama Administration claim that Obamacare didn't cancel private insurance plans is a total farce. They claim that those plans were eligible under the "grandfather" clause. But here's the thing, even grandfathered plans have to still update to certain Obamacare requirements, and after doing so they are NOT allowed to make up the monetary difference by significantly cutting other benefits or raising rates.

The following is from Healthcare.gov (https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-i-have-a-grandfathered-health-plan/)

What grandfathered plans do and don't have to cover
Here's a quick look at the consumer protections that do and don't apply to grandfathered plans:

All health plans must:

1)End lifetime limits on coverage
2)End arbitrary cancellations of health coverage
3)Cover adult children up to age 26
4)Provide a Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), a short, easy-to-understand summary of what a plan covers and costs
5)Hold insurance companies accountable to spend your premiums on health care, not administrative costs and bonuses

Grandfathered plans DON'T have to:

Cover preventive care for free
Guarantee your right to appeal
Protect your choice of doctors and access to emergency care
Be held accountable through Rate Review for excessive premium increases

In addition to the above, grandfathered individual health insurance plans (the kind you buy yourself, not the kind you get from an employer) don't have to:

End yearly limits on coverage
Cover you if you have a pre-existing health condition
Note: Some grandfathered plans offer protections they're not required to. Check with your insurance company or benefits administrator to learn if your grandfathered plan offers the rights and protections listed above. -end quote

The numbered items all ADD cost to the provider, but they are NOT allowed to compensate for the cost by raising rates or reducing benefits.
Insurance, ALL insurance, is a risk/reward business. The company agrees to cover your needs in exchange for a certain amount of money over a period of time. The company assumes the risk of you using 100X the amount you paid in, but hopes to be rewarded with more money coming from healthy clients than unhealthy.
In the world of private plan insurance, the premium will be based on what you want/need covered and your current health status. Even the ability to cancel your insurance (which only affects future claims) factors in to get you a lower cost. Under Obamacare, if you become diagnosed as a hypochondriac, not only must they continue to provide care for that diagnosis, but they cannot cancel your policy, even if you run to the Dr every day with a new fake symptom. They cannot change your co-pay, or increase your cost, or they lose the grandfathered status. And they cannot cancel your coverage of future bogus claims or they lose their license to sell insurance to ANYONE.

I will point out that I am not linking to some far right, wacko, infowars moron's website. This link is to Obama's own website and directly counters everything his spokespeople have been saying as they blame insurance companies for the cancellations. Stop falling for spin and do your own research. You will find that Barack Hussein Obama and his cronies, Sebelius and Carney, CONTINUE to lie and mislead the American public.

Evil

We wonder why sweet, innocent kids can grow up to be evil monsters like Lanza or the idiot in Colorado. Society points to mental illness. Yet none of us desire to see these type of people in psych wards. We want them executed. So we don't buy the nut job story, do we?
This is gonna make some think I, myself am in need of a shrink, but it must be said. We all look at these monsters, and call them, well... monsters. We feel the Word "evil" roll off our tongue. Some even say demonic, but without dealing with what that moniker means. I absolutely know what that moniker means. I find nothing in Scripture that tells of an end to Satan's reign until he is bound after the Tribulation. He is full at work today and his demons work the same as they did in Biblical times. We let Hollywood make demon possession into a joke. It is not.
We introduce our kids to the occult through cartoons, books, and later movies about "cute" witches and warlocks. We make things like vampires into sex symbols.
We make a holiday that worships all of these things and gear it towards those sweet, innocent kids, expecting them to wade through life with everyone saying demonic characters are just things to first be startled at, then laugh at.
Then we are back to my first point, wondering why so many decide to do evil, monstrous things.
You can't entertain evil spirits and expect every child to come away unaffected. I can't keep my neighbor's kids from being affected, but I can mine, to the best of my abilities.
So we don't joke about evil spirits because we know they really exist. We know demonic possession is still prevalent. The only cure is Christ. And where Christ is, no evil spirit can enter, but we can place ourselves in their outside influence through the only gates they have access to, our eyes and ears. "What concord hath Christ with Belial"
I don't post this to ridicule anyone who believes different, but to give you something to ponder.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 KJV

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Christmas

To me, Christmas is more than just a holiday. While I know, as do most Christians, that we don't really know when Christ was born, I choose to follow CHRISTIAN tradition and celebrate it on 12/25. Whatever pagan days were celebrated during the latter part of December are all but forgotten. The most they are even mentioned is when someone, Christian or non-believer, attempts to discredit Christmas.
In reality, I celebrate His birth and his sacrifice every single day. Or at least I try to. But there is no reason why I cannot set aside a certain day, Christmas Day, to specifically celebrate the birth of Christ, God's Son.
The Old Testament is full of God doing miracles for Israel. Nearly every time he would then tell them to mark that event and share it with future generations, often with a feast. The purpose was so that future generations always had a reminder of what God had done.
There is no greater miracle than God, coming as a man, living a perfect life, then allowing Himself to be the propitiation for my sin. I choose to mark those events; celebrate them; and teach them to my future generations. (yes, often with a feast)

Commercialization?
This is just silly. Do I lie to my kids about fairies, elves, and egg laying bunnies? No, but the fact that most parents do will not hinder my celebration of Christ and His Christmas.
Do a lot of folks think it is just a greed-fest? Yes, and on Black Friday man folks propagate that by putting alleged sales before their fellow man. But, again, it does not hinder my celebration of Christmas. 

Most years I cannot afford to buy my kids much, but I buy what I can. They know that I bought it with money that God provided through the job he has blessed me with. Because of that, they know that prayer is better than a letter to a fictional, fat elf, and the thanks go to God, not the aforementioned elf.

All in all, I just refuse to let what others choose to do affect how I choose to celebrate the greatest gift ever given to man. In turn, I let them do whatever they choose, so long as it does not affect me.

But there is another side to Christmas:
That side is Family. Christmas time has long been a time when families have joined together, some for the first time all year. Traditions that do not take away from Christ are good traditions. We laugh, play games, eat, exchange gifts, sing, and just simply enjoy each others' company. For the life of me, I cannot see God not liking that.

So, with all that said, I wish you all a very Merry CHRISTmas!

Great Men of God

2 Chronicles 20:20 KJV

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

Belief in God is our foundation, establishment. Following the men he has placed over us causes us to prosper.
If I can't Biblically find error with the men God has set in authority over me, then I am bound to follow their leading.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the Word of God:  whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

2 Thessalonians 3:7,9 For yourselves know how you ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

3 John 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he didn't doeth evil hath not seen God.

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Truly great men will always deflect all glory to their Saviour, but it does not absolve the respect we owe them. They are great because they faithfully serve a Great God. We render them honor for that purpose alone.

I am grateful that God has placed many great men along my path.

Why I Refuse to become a Baptist WARRENITE

This is an article my Pastor shared via email:

Subject: Why I Refuse to become a Baptist WARRENITE

From: Mike Allison 

This was sent to me today by another preacher... I thought it was interesting enough to pass along, especially in the light of the erosion of our foundations.

The Father of the Culture Driven Church Written by Allen Domelle  Rick Warren has succeeded in doing what many evangelicals before him have failed to do. He has drawn our Baptist churches into evangelicalism and then into the "emerging church" drama. With his numerically large church attendance and his Baptist background and his conservative-sounding doctrine, he has introduced evangelical practices into what were once traditional Baptist churches. Rick Warren criticizes Baptist churches clinging to "tradition" that does not take into account modern culture; like the tradition of Bible preaching as defined in 2 Timothy3:16, "doctrine, reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness." Baptist Warrenites now use evangelical-style preaching that uplifts people without sweeping out the dirt from underneath their feet, preaching which professes righteousness without condemning sin. Preaching, which "reaches the people where they are,"without guiding them by the hand to where they ought to be. Baptist evangelicals are forsaking the tradition of "Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught…" (Titus 1:9) Holding fast to the King James Bible, which has been handed down to us through the centuries from the Textus Receptus Greek text, and not forsaking God's words for the new boys on the block, Wescott and Hort and Nestle and Aland and Black and Metzger, who have beguiled us with better manuscripts, which lay in dusty libraries, Vatican trash bins, and hidden caves, unused for centuries. Baptist people are forsaking the tradition of godly, spiritual music that refreshes the soul without swaying the hips, as commanded by God in Ephesians 5:19, "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and SPIRITUAL songs (apparently there are UNSPIRITUAL songs), singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord:" Baptist people are forsaking the tradition of modest dress, as God commanded in 1 Timothy 2:9. Isaiah 47:3 teaches that it is a shame to be unclothed, and lack of clothing is associated in the Bible with bad music (Exodus 32:18-19, 25), drunkenness (Lamentations 4:21, Habakkuk 2:15), and prostitution (Ezekiel 16:36, 23:18, Revelation 17:16). Yet, the preaching of dress standards is labeled by Warren, and now some Independent Baptists, as legalistic, as found on page 236 of THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH. Pastor Warren does not even understand basic Bible terminology. Legalism is adding works to faith to produce salvation. (Galatians chapters 2-3, Romans 9:32, Hebrews 6:1) On the copyright page of his book, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH, before you even arrive at the Table of Contents, you will find something on the copyright page. On that page Pastor Warren lists seven different "bibles" he quotes within the pages of his book. These include the New International Version, then New Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, J. B. Phillips, and The Message. Interesting, Rick does quote several times from the King James Bible, but since it is not copyrighted, he did not have to receive any man's permission to use it. Baptist pastors, Rick Warren does not respect what your fathers stood for! On page 236, he refers to "isolationists" who "reject new translations of Scripture, current musical styles, and any attempt to modify man-made traditions…" Scriptures have already been mentioned in this article to support "man-made" tradition, despite the fact that Warren goes on to say that isolationists have a "list of what is permissible and what isn't regarding issues that the Bible is silent on." (Emphasis mine) Of course, it is entirely possible that his Bibles ARE silent on these issues, but the King James Bible is very clear. On page 55, Warren accuses us old-fashioned Baptists of being dishonest by saying, "In contrast, churches that try to perpetuate the culture of the 1950's usually deny their intent or they try to prove with proof-texts that they are doing it the way it was done in New Testament times." Well, excuse us for using the Bible as our guide! If I stand accused of preferring the 1950's to the 2000's, I will not be offended. In the 1950's women still wore dresses, sodomites were still afraid to come out of their closets, and men still led their homes. Yes, we still prefer that era to today, when modestly-dressed women must make their own clothes, certain states (and Disney) recognize the "rights" of sodomite "couples," and more than half of all marriages end in divorce – when the couple bothers to marry at all. Of course my question is how in the world did Rick Warren fool so many Baptists, and especially our young ones? HIS SEEMING STRONG STAND ON EVANGELISM Page 64 of his book reads, "Any church that is not obeying the Great Commission is failing its purpose, no matter what else it does." Page 32 reads, "You measure the health or strength of a church by its sending capacity, not by its seating capacity." These standards could easily have been made from a Baptist pulpit. By these statements, however, he does not mean the confrontational, on the streets, one-on-one soul winning demonstrated in the Gospels and the book of Acts. Instead, he teaches the drawing of the "unchurched" into a "seeker service" designed specifically to win souls. He accomplishes this not by door-to-door soul winning, but with advertising, surveys, seeking out what the people want, and community programs. He brings the "unchurched" in, then preaches the plan of salvation from the pulpit sandwiched in between a rock and roll show with Jesus' name added. Warren teaches not to pressure a man to receive Christ (page 304), despite the great Apostle Paul's example, who "disputed with" and "persuaded" men in Acts 19:8. At the invitation, rather than bring sinners to the altar, he asks visitors to indicate on their visitor card whether, (A) they believed in Christ that day, (B) they had previously "committed their life to Christ," (C) they were still thinking about it, or (D) they doubted they would ever receive Christ. The use of a "seeker service" instead of one-on-one soul winning is man's method, not God's method. Even at the day of Pentecost, the thousands who heard the Gospel had not come to any service at all. Peter and the other Apostles took advantage of the crowds on the street during a Jewish feast day. They had no church building yet. In fact, in the Book of Acts, there is not one record of anyone being saved or even baptized in a church building. It would be stretching the imagination to believe that 3,000 were baptized in the upper room.  More likely, in Acts 2, the Apostles baptized in one or more of the twelve public pools of Jerusalem. In Acts 8, Philip preached and baptized in a city of Samaria, where no church existed yet. The Ethiopian Eunuch was baptized in an oasis in the desert in Acts 8:26-36. The Apostle Paul was baptized by Ananias in the house of a disciple named Judas in Acts9:11-18. Cornelius and his companions were baptized in Cornelius' house in Acts chapter 10. Lydia and her household were baptized in a river in Acts 18:7-8. Holding a seeker service to bring the "unchurched" to the church, then not inviting them to trust Christ as their Saviour and to be baptized immediately after salvation is not Scriptural. In the Book of Acts, those who were saved were baptized "the same day" (Acts 2:41) and "the same hour" (Acts 16:13). The non-confrontational, non-personal method of soul winning is not scriptural. D. L. Moody once let a crowd go without pushing for a definite decision for Christ, and the next day scores of them died in the Chicago fire. Rick Warren's salvation survey at the end of his seeker service lets sincere sinners slip out unsaved. CULTURE OR WORLDLINESS? The book should be titled, THE CULTURE DRIVEN CHURCH, for that is its central theme.  The basic premise of the book is that the church should adapt itself to the culture of those whom they are attempting to reach with the Gospel. Yet, the Bible says, "come out from among them, and be ye separate…" (2 Corinthians 6:17). Jesus was "separate from sinners." (Hebrews 7:26). In fact, separation is not on the part of the saved, but the unsaved and unspiritual, who "separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." (Jude 19). There is a definite division in the New Testament between the lives of believers and unbelievers, the spiritual, and the carnal. Anyone can be saved, but the saved are commanded to be separate from their carnal culture. However, Pastor Warren makes such statements as: "One of my favorite movies is…" (page 28). "I intentionally dress down to match the mindset of those I'm trying to reach." (Page 171) "There is no such thing as 'Christian music', only Christian lyrics." (Page 282) While it is true there is no verse in the Bible specifically mentioning some of these issues, since there were no movie theaters in Peter's day, there are some definite Bible precepts which pastor Warren has on purpose overlooked. "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes…" (Psalm 101:3) "Abstain from all appearance of evil…" (1 Thessalonians 5:22) "Mine eye affecteth mine heart…" (Lamentations 3:51) "…he hearth cursing and bewrayeth it not." (Proverbs 29:24) Did Pastor Warren stand up in the middle of a movie with cursing and denounce (bewray) the bad and vile language during a movie? I wouldn't count on it! Pastor Warren is bringing sinners out of the world into an environment that is no different from the world. He is like King Ahaz in 2 Kings 16, who saw an altar in a pagan temple in Damascus. He liked it so much, he had the priests in Jerusalem make one just like it. He then arranged the furniture of the temple around the Syrian altar. It was there that his priests performed sacrifices. However, it did not stop there. The people continued to model their religion after the world, until they had become wholly pagan. Hezekiah, Ahaz's son, had to remove the high places where the people worshipped instead of at the temple, and break the idols whom they worshipped instead of God. Go ahead, Baptist Warrenites, rearrange the furniture of the temple; it's your children who will abandon the temple. It is your children who will worship idols. It is the men of God of the next generation who will have to evangelize your children and grandchildren. As the adults enjoy their rock and roll in the confines of their churches, the children will develop a taste for rock music, which they will fulfill in smoke-filled arenas. As parents dress down to go to church, their children will dress down even more to go to the mall or the beach. CONCLUSION:  Pastor Warren labels our churches as "traditionalists" unwilling to give up "man-made" traditions, clinging to a few "proof-texts," and "isolationism" that is stuck in the "culture" of the 50's. He then encourages our young men to mix and mingle with the world, and model the next generation's churches after the "worldly lifestyles," abandoning such ideas as confrontational soul winning, old-fashioned church music, and modest dress standards, and especially hard-hitting preaching. Yes, he has a crowd. Yes, he is rich. Yes, by worldly standards he is successful. However, the main question is this, "Is he right?" Warren and other evangelicals reach into our Baptist churches and entice our young people away because they have proven themselves incapable of producing their own young people who are spiritual and who would go into the ministry. Although they talk much about "life application," their encouraging messages uplift the spirit without touching the soul. They minister to spiritual junkies looking for a quick fix. Because this generation cannot "endure sound doctrine", Rick Warren has become the teacher willing to tickle their ears. (2 Timothy 4:3-5) Warren will impact this generation, but leave no godly heritage for the children and will ruin the orchard. Warren has given birth to the EMERGING CHURCH movement, which is nothing more than the Jesus Freaks of the 60's. The real proof of a church is in succeeding generations. There is rarely a second-generation Warrenite. Their children develop a taste for the worldly lifestyle by which their own pastors have taught them to live. A church ought to be a haven from the world, not an extension of it. Baptists are being fooled by Warren's conservative-sounding doctrine while being influenced by his worldly philosophy and lifestyles. We are to work at bringing man up to God, and not bring God down to man in our churches. The local church must be a foretaste of Heaven and not a foretaste of the world.

20 Years

20 years ago, today, my life changed dramatically.
Days earlier, I had been called off a training mission in Kansas and told that my Dad had suffered a heart attack and was given a 5% chance to live. I loaded up my van and drove 800 miles, just to hold his hand and stroke his hair just about 14 hours before he left this world.
I never had any thoughts about leaving the Army before that day. Daddy's death hit me hard. I began a downward spiral that could only lead me to a worse fate.
Backup about three months: I was home on leave, between duty stations, for 45 days. Though I tried to hide it, Daddy saw the drunkard I had become. He smelled the cigarette smoke on me. He never said a word. He loved me regardless. But near the end of July in 1993, he went to his Pastor and said he had been praying that if it took his own death for me to come to Christ, he was willing to die. He had suffered some respiratory problems recently, but the doctor said his heart (bad valve) was doing fine.
God doesn't need a medical history to take us from this world. Daddy's first heart attack was his last, outside of a hospital.
I returned to Ft Riley, Kansas determined to get out of the Army. My motivation had apparently just died. But it wasn't just the Army motivation that I lacked. I didn't really care about anything. I spent my time off drowning my sorrows, usually alone at area bars. I had no real friends, and just enjoyed the escape.
I've said before that I believe God was answering Daddy's prayer when he saw me in Silverado Saloon, and saw a young lady there who though she was just as far from God as I was, He knew that she was the "help" fit (meet) for me. We had both made our own bad decisions to get to that point, but God knew that putting us together would bring us out. She saved me.
So today, on the 20th anniversary of my Dad's promotion to Heaven, I wish not to mourn his death, but to celebrate, with tears, the string of events that it set off, due to his prayer. From Daddy's deathbed, to Tammy saving me from myself, to God saving both our souls from sin just a few years later.
20 years ago, today, yes, my life changed dramatically!

The Christian Walk

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Salvation is not the end. It is simply the beginning.
Forgiveness of sin doesn't cause one to rest, but to work.
Being freed from the debt of sin brings about a debt of gratitude. That gratitude causes the Christian to desire to please and glorify the one who freed him.

Philippians 3:10-17 KJV

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an example.

"Pressing toward the mark" sounds like a goal to me. It's not Heaven, that's already settled.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 KJV

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Maybe Solomon was on to something.

My Cookie is a Tillman!

Matthew 19:4-6  And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Today I gave Alisha's hand in marriage to Joseph Tillman, Jr. Below is the speech I gave at the reception. We tried to get video, but my phone died and didn't even save the part it did record.
The book I gave Alisha was a journal where this speech was handwritten, followed by a letter I wrote her for the occasion.

This is the text I had in my hand, but I did add some and miss some, though.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for coming today to help us celebrate as Alisha and Joe, two, became one.

Alisha has spent a lifetime listening to me talk, and talk, and talk. She might say I should have no problem giving this speech, with all my years of experience talking. But I’m not good at this, so please bear with me.

I wish to first thank everyone who has helped make this possible. Were it not for your volunteered time, donated money, and lent items we’d be eating peanuts and drinking kool-aid. I believe was the original plan!

Alisha came into my life just hours after I met her mother. I still remember that chubby little face and sweet smile. She was just 14 months old. That night I had no idea that I would be one day giving her hand in marriage.

She was the first to child call me Daddy, and I’ve been under her spell ever since. Watching her devour cookies one day, I began calling her the Cookie Monster. That nickname was soon shortened to just Cookie, My Cookie.

Watching TV together I taught her to grunt like Tim Allen, and to call Barney a loser. I’ll never forget pushing the cart in a Manhattan, Kansas Walmart as she began pointing to purple stuffed dinosaurs hanging above, saying “Woozer, woozer!” I was so proud!

Over the years I have watched her grow into a beautiful young lady, not just on the outside, but on the inside, where it counts. I remember when she was awarded the Most Christ-like Award in elementary school, in part for diverting her eyes from a film in which astronauts had removed their shirts. We taught her to do that, and it was just a small sign that something had stuck.

She gave her life to the Lord at youth camp, and later felt God’s desire for her to marry a man with a desire to serve God full-time.

I’ve seen her desire to serve others. She loves helping out with kids, whether it be in a nursery, VBS, children’s church, or Sunday School.

Being a step-parent is not easy. With her biological dad not in the picture, I wished at times we could just lie to her. I had always imagined a time, probably in her teens, when she would tell me she didn’t have to listen to me because I was not her father. She may never understand why I am so grateful that she never said those words. I actually have several written notes from her assuring me that I am her Daddy, and that she loves me.

I’m very protective of my girls, so when Tammy told me that a boy had asked for her number at Bro Logan’s church and was basically blown off by Alisha (high five!) what I expected to come out of my mouth was, “Give me his name and I’ll either find him myself, or I’ll call Bro Logan and have him set this kid straight.” But instead, what I said was, “Well, let’s find out about him…Was she interested?… Let’s get word to him that it wasn’t necessarily that she wasn’t interested. Tell him we just don’t operate that way.”

As those words escaped my lips, I was questioning my own sanity. Then I remembered an exchange with my friend David Lewis, missionary to the military in South Korea. At his youngest daughter’s wedding, I asked if he was gonna cry. He said, “It’s God’s will, why would I cry?” Well, I obviously still think that’s nuts, but I now know the peace he felt that day. I just cry anyway.

I began to see a change in Alisha. In her lifetime, I’ve seen her happy and I’ve seen her sad. But I began to see a new emotion, Love.

Joe, Son, I gave you the best thing I could give you today.

I put you through a lot. My rules were tough because I believe God takes this marriage thing a lot more serious than most of his creation does.

Your happiness was never my goal, nor was Alisha’s. My goal was that God would be pleased; not only with this union, but also with how we arrived at this point.

I know that Alisha loves you, and for that I welcome you to my family. I believe that God placed the two of you together to see great things happen. I believe you to not only be God’s will for Alisha, but I also believe you to be her perfect match.

Treat her right, love her, and lead her.

Now for the tricky part:

There are many couples here with more years in marriage, but I’m the one with the microphone. Tammy and I will celebrate 20 years of marriage this year. There have been good times, great times, sad times, bad times, phenomenal times, and horrible times. But they were all Amazing times for one reason: we enjoyed or endured those times TOGETHER.

It has been said that a successful marriage involves falling in love over and over, with the same person. I have done just that.

It also involves sacrifice. Life is no longer about Joe or Alisha. Life is now about Joe AND Alisha.

If Christ is the center of your marriage, then draw close to him and you will always be close to each other.

Join me in congratulating Mr and Mrs Joe Tillman.

The High Value of Rubies

I love a good cup of coffee. If I am hit with the urge for some java, I'll pay someone to make it for me if I'm not able to make my own.
Let's say my wallet contains two bills, a $10 and $100 bill.
You are the lifesaver selling coffee. You inform me that for some reason you cannot make change.
Now, as much as I'd hate to pay $10 for coffee, I certainly don't want to pay $100 for it.
Do I think the ten is more capable, willing, or deserving of paying the price?
No, it's about value.
If I'm only in possession of the $100 bill, I'm forced to reevaluate my need for the coffee.
I also love my freedom millions times more than coffee.
When I was able, I volunteered to pay it's price, if necessary, and would again if needed.
I am also willing to send another man to pay that price. I don't like it. It's a high price, but at times it must be paid.
But I value my wife, my daughters, your wife, and your daughters way too much to place them in more danger than we already do.
It's not about their abilities. I know many who are more capable than I ever was.
To me they are all a price far above rubies.

1 Peter 3:7 KJV

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.

This verse does NOT call women weak!
Speaking to a horse as unto a child does not make it a child.
Handling an empty gun as a loaded gun does not make it loaded.
A strong vessel of iron might be more suitable for the heavy duty jobs, but it will never sit on the mantle with the much weaker vessel of gold.
The weaker vessel gets the place of honour, not for its capabilities, but for its value.