Expository Preaching - Guest Post by My Husband

Why do I believe so strongly in expository preaching? Because I believe it is the only right and proper way to truly preach the Bible. The scripture passage determines the subject and main point of the sermon. The passage verse by verse and thought by thought are the content of the sermon. This is true exposition.

99% or more of the churches in the USA do not preach this way. In the last 11 years since my last pastorate I have not been in a single church of any denomination that preaches this way every single week.

If we are going to preach the Bible we must preach it the way God gave it to us. It is His Word. It is His Message. If we go into and preach our ideas and thoughts then it is our message not God's. My ideas, my thoughts and my opinions are totally worthless in view of the inspired Word of God. My words do not save any souls. My words do not change any lives. My words to not have any eternal value. It is God's Word (The Bible) that saves souls, changes lives and have eternal value. Not mine.

As you can tell I am passionate about it and long to see pastors and churches truly get back to the Bible and trust the Holy Spirit to use it change people. I have seen it first hand and I long to see it again.

If it isn't in the passage is shouldn't be in the sermon. That has been my rule for the past 50 years since I preached my first sermon as a teenager. I believe every sermon should be a passage of Scripture not one verse and especially not one word. When you take a word or verse out of context you can very quickly lose its correct meaning. When you stay in the context of the surrounding verses, chapter and book then you are much more likely to have the correct interpretation, meaning and preaching.

It takes work and effort to preach expository sermons. It is much easier just to make up what you want to say instead of searching out the correct meaning of the verses. In my pastoring days I often struggled with passages to make sure I had it right. A couple of times I even rewrote my sermon notes on Saturday evening to make sure I preached it correctly on Sunday morning.

For the past 11 years of being out of full time ministry it has been extremely difficult and frustrating to listen to sermons Sunday after Sunday where the context and main point of the passage is discarded to that some man can pontificate their own thoughts and ideas that they are always sure that they are correct about. I have seen the Bible diluted and and actually massacred in pulpits across the country.

God help us to come back to the Bible. Only His Word gives life!

How do you know if a sermon you are listening to is expository? It is really not that hard.

1. Do they have a passage of scripture and do they stick to it? I like to have a passage that is 4-6 verses in length. That is not a hard and fast rule. It will be dictated by the passage itself. The authors think and write like we do. They have groups of thought. One group of thought should usually be one sermon. Much of the Bible was written in paragraphs. Those paragraphs usually contain one main thought. A sermon should never be just one word or just one verse. It needs to be taken in its complete context.

2. Does the preacher stick to that text for the whole sermon? Not to say that they can't refer to related or supporting verse elsewhere in the Bible. But that should be at a minimum. If they jump to another passage and stay there for more than a few minutes then it is no longer an expository sermon. I have seen preachers go to 20-30 other verses in one sermon. That gets confusing to the listener. You then lose the thrust of the passage being preached. They need to preach the passage based on the interpretation from the original languages. What does it mean in the original Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic? There are many great tools you can use to accomplish that even if you aren't a great Greek or Hebrew scholar.

3. Do they often or even continually quote commentaries? Commentaries are just that, someone else's comments or opinions. I can count on one hand the number of times I have quoted a commentary in a sermon. I rarely use them even in preparation. I have heard sermons almost completely made up of quotes from commentators. I don't want to hear other people's opinions. I can get that anytime I want on TV. I want God's Word and what does He say through His Word. Man will often be wrong. God will never be wrong.

4. Is the passage interpreted though the culture of that day? I will give 2 examples. First is marriage. You will understand the Bible's teaching on marriage more completely and simply if you understand how a Jewish marriage worked from betrothal until death. It is much different from what we are used to in the western world. Second is adoption. You have to understand adoption in the Jewish culture of the first century. Their adoption was nothing like our adoption. No children were ever adopted into a family. There was the "spirit of adoption" when every child reached adulthood. I was "born" into God's family (John 1:12 and John 3). I was NEVER adopted into God's family. No more than my natural born children were adopted into my family. They didn't need to be. Understand the culture of the day and you will better understand the Bible.

In Bonds of Calvary,

David

Sermons:

The book of Romans series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTcKEmDMorAr2Em0exDjGp7rhIYj04Iu

The Church series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTcKEmDMorA0A966m-oPvFpGstS5QTI_

Jonah series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOTcKEmDMorAGvW_cpqq-iEL27iqqMeUp

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@versebyversebibleexpositio5817/playlists

Click this for more series and playlists.

The Priscilla Principle

The Priscilla Principle is now available in book form! Currently, you can get the Kindle version here.  The paperback version will be available in the next couple days. 

The Kindle version is easy and convenient to read and can be downloaded today!

The paperback version comes with around 50 blank, lined pages for notes and has a slightly different format than the Kindle version.

The versions are identical in content and you will refer back to your copy again and again as you search the Scriptures.

~Tricia

A Dangerous Trend

I keep seeing a trend in churches and I find it disturbing and counterproductive to a Christian walk.

This trend is pastors instructing their flocks to study their sermon all week. They're not telling the people to study the passage that was preached......they're telling the people to study the sermon. Some have gone so far as to create study guides for their sermons and even use them the following week in a Sunday School lesson. Some are encouraging families to use their sermon in their family "devotions."

This is dangerous to anyone's Christian walk. Pastors who do this are openly encouraging their people to replace God's Word with their own. Please do not cooperate with such instruction. Please study only God's Word, not the words of your pastor. 

Does this mean I do not support the preaching of God's Word? NO! Of course not. The Bible has many references to the importance of preaching God's Word.

Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

2 Timothy 4:1 - Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season

I Corinthians 1:18 - For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them who perish but unto those which are saved it is the power of God.

Those verses are just a few references to preaching and I wholeheartedly endorse anyone who preaches the Word of God.

But, I'm not going to study your sermon. I'm going to study God's Word. Replacing the Word of God with a sermon is idolatry. Those who are telling you to do that have exalted their own words above God's Word. This is idolatry. Have no part of it. Reject this idea. 

This is the opposite of what the Bible tells us to do. The Bible instructs us to study the Word. We are never once told to study someone else's words. 

You have the power to stop this trend in its tracks. If you receive instruction to study the sermon instead of God's Word, don't do it. It's God's Word that is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. 

Study God's Word. It will change your life no matter where you are in your walk with Christ.

~Tricia

The Top 5 Reasons Bible Study Books are Bad for You

Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like or use Bible study books.
I see danger in them and I want to tell you why.

1. Using a Bible study book does not promote good Bible understanding. Using a Bible study book gives you a good understanding of what the author of that book thinks, but it does not give you a good understanding of what the Bible says. Every single Bible study book contains errors. Every single one. Avoid these errors by using the Bible, not a study book that has errors.

2. Bible study books taint the Bible. When my son was deployed to Iraq, I cherished his letters.  I would never have allowed someone else to read them then tell me their thoughts and ideas about what he had written. No way! I had to read them (devour them) for myself. It's the same with God's Word; I have to read the Word for myself and can never be satisfied with someone else's summary or thoughts about the Word. To study by reading someone else's take on the Bible taints the Scriptures with that person's ideas and thoughts. Everyone has filters....whether they admit it or not...and those filters taint the Word. I'd rather not have their take on it; I'd rather have the Scriptures alone.

3. Bible study books lead to idol worship. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people in "Bible" studies never open a Bible. They use some study book they found and never open the Scriptures. They've said the Scriptures are printed within the book, but I have only seen a few verses referenced in such books, followed by pages of commentary. The authors of these books have taken the Bible completely out of its context, put their own spin on it, then called it "Bible" study. It is not a Bible study; it's a book study. When you're studying what someone else has said about the Bible, you're not studying the Bible. These books are taking the place of the Bible in people's lives. They, and their authors, have become idols because they take the focus completely off God and put it on themselves. They do this by making application the primary focus. The primary focus of the Bible is not its application to your life; the primary focus of the Bible is Jesus. If we are thinking about ourselves and our response to His Word, we are no longer looking to Jesus, we are looking to ourselves. We then become the idols and you can see this play out all over social media.

4. Bible study books stunt spiritual growth. Because the main focus of these books is mostly application, the work of the Holy Spirit is replaced with the principles taught in these books that people think are "Biblical." The most you will get from a "Bible" study book is a list of things the author thinks you should or should not do in light of their interpretation. This is not spiritual growth; this actually stunts spiritual growth because these so-called "Biblical principles" only last until the next book is published, then a whole new set of "Biblical principles" takes shape. News flash: Biblical principles are a myth. They do not exist. If we could truly glean some "Biblical principle" from Scripture, then we could make the argument that becoming a prostitute and committing treason is a good principle. Look how that worked out for Rahab.....she's even in the line of Christ!

5. Bible study books are filled with misinterpretation and false teachings. I have not found even one Bible study book that teaches Truth without error. They all have errors because they are all made by people and people make mistakes every single day. Many authors, in their book introductions, even exalt themselves, telling people their book will change their lives and they need it (Beth Moore's books nearly all say this). Their books will not change your life. They might make you feel good or better in a given moment, but that fades with reality. The misinterpretations are hard to spot because they run very close to Scripture, but with small, dangerous changes. Be wary of any study that quotes a small portion of Scripture then builds an entire lesson around it. There's a 99% chance those verses are taken and used completely out of context, but you might never know if you're using that book instead of the Bible as your main text.

I'm not condemning all teachings from all people; I'm condemning "Bible" study books that are anything but. We can all learn something from each other. I'm not against learning from others. I am against replacing true, real Bible study with a book written by a human author that takes the place of my Bible. I've been in "Bible studies" where the participants often don't open or even bring their Bibles!

True, real Bible study is not difficult; I'm perplexed as to why anyone would choose a Bible study book, especially in a classroom (think Sunday School) setting, instead of the actual Bible.

God has promised His Word will not return void. No human author can make that claim. Their words are all void. Why do so many people settle for so much less when the Bible is so rich in doctrine, comfort, learning, teaching, truth and a host of other benefits?

Settle for More....more true understanding of the Bible.....more interaction with the Holy Spirit.....more knowledge of the Bible.....more of the Word.

Using Bible study books causes people to settle for less.

~Tricia

Does Ephesians Really Teach THAT?

I recently listened to a woman describe her latest Bible study book and share some things she was learning from it. She was referring to a Bible study book, not the actual Bible. As with the vast majority of Christians, she was learning from a human author, not the Author of the Bible.

I digress.

This woman was very excited about her new Bible study book labeled "Ephesians." She said it was a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Ephesians and was enamored by what the author brought out. That day's "study" covered the first two verses of Ephesians chapter 1:

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

The author of the book then proceeded to teach her readers what she thought the passage was saying:

"God has a will for your life. God has a plan for your life. How exciting to know that God has a plan and a will for your life! Be assured that if God has a will for your life, He will fulfill it in you!

In the notes section of this study, write down five things you will do this week to fulfill God's will in your life."

Ladies and gentlemen, this is wrong. 

These two verses are not teaching that God has a will for your life. What these verses are teaching:

Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus. 

Paul identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. 

He said his apostleship was by the will of God. 

He addresses the saints at Ephesus.

He addresses the faithful in Christ Jesus. 

He extends grace to them, and peace, from God. 

He identifies God as "our father," using a possessive plural pronoun. 

He includes Jesus Christ in the grace and peace. 

He identifies Jesus Christ as Lord. 

There is no application in these verses, yet they are just as powerful as all other verses in the Bible. 

Here's how to study the Bible:

Read what it says.

Do not read anything into it.

Do not filter it through past teachings you've heard.

Read it again.

Ask God to help you understand.

Read it again.

Read it again.

Determine the context of the words by reading what came before and after the verses you're reading.
Ask yourself who's writing, who they are writing to, where they are, where their intended audience is, whether they are writing to an individual or a group, if there is more than one person writing, who the writer is in relationship to the recipient(s), etc.

Read it aloud. 

Look up confusing words in a Bible dictionary (not a regular dictionary) or lexicon to clarify their meaning.

Read it aloud again. 

Memorize it.

Read it again.

Think of it as you go through your day.

Read it again.

Take no one's word for what the Bible says.

Take no one's word for what the Bible teaches.

Read only the Bible, not a commentary or Bible study book.

Read it again.

It will nourish your soul.

You will grow.
The Holy Spirit, not a human author, is your guide.

The answer to the blog title is, No. Ephesians, in these two verses, is not teaching what the book author taught, that God has a will and plan for your life. Do not be fooled by this teaching; it is Secular Humanism. 

God has so much more for you in His Word. Do not settle for shallow teaching that only fills the human ego and does nothing for the soul. Stop shortchanging your Christian walk with books and faux "Bible" studies that water down and filter God's Word.

I'll never forget when my son was deployed to Iraq for the first time. It was 2004, the war was hot and heavy and my son was so very young - just 19. Nineteen. I wrote him a letter every single day and he would often receive them in batches so I made sure I numbered them so he'd know what order they came in. He wrote a few letters to me during this time, too, and I remember being glued to those letters, taking in every word, studying his handwriting, looking for a hidden message that would tell me he's ok. I was breathless when reading his letters. I still have every single one. I realized I would never be satisfied if someone else read his letters for me then summarized them. I would never have taken anyone else's word for anything he said. I had to see for myself! I had to read each and every letter over and over and over till I had them practically memorized.

This is a good reminder on how to approach God's Word. Take no one else's summary or thoughts, but go directly to God yourself and see what He has to say to you.

~Tricia

I am Ruined

In our search for a church home, we have been visiting many different churches. We are having trouble, however, because churches are not preaching the Word, they are preaching a social gospel that does not represent God's Word nor His message for mankind. We are extremely saddened and frustrated by this. I have taken to listening to proper sermons I find online because my soul is hungry for God's Word and I can't find anyone preaching It.

They are preaching philosophy.
They are preaching ideas.
They are preaching secular humanism.
They are preaching nonsense.

Let me give you some examples of things we've heard from pulpits for the last 2 1/2 years:

Jesus is a replica of God.
If you put God in the copy machine, Jesus would come out the other side.
You own your spouse like you own your toothbrush.
A wife is just the husband in another body.
The entire book of Philippians is centered around the fight of those 2 women in chapter 4.
I am the pastor; I rule over your entire life and you have to raise your family the way I say. (This one wasn't said in so many words, but it was practiced with disastrous results.)
You have all the power to change your life.
God can't work without your cooperation.
You can stop God's plan.
I see things in the Scriptures that no one else ever sees.

Most churches we've visited are big on series preaching. They choose a theme and preach a series centered on that theme. One church chose "The Fight" and formed "Fight" clubs for men, women and children. One church chose "Unstuck" and is attempting to tell people how to get unstuck from what they perceive holds them back (from what I don't know because no one said). The list goes on. Churches are choosing these series and searching out God's Word for verses that support their series themes.

A series theme is chosen, then verses are looked up to support the series founder's ideas on what the series should represent. These verses, always taken out of context to fit, sound so good and so right and so reasonable that the people are blinded by their application. Their souls cry out, "Yes!" while their spirit, unbeknownst to them, is led astray and destroyed. Instead of going home from the sermon more acutely aware of how great God is and more keenly aware of how great a gift Christ gave, they are puffed up with "You can do this," "You can choose," "You hold the power," and their faith is chipped away by their inward focus. They begin to believe it's all about them and they look inward to themselves constantly to make sure they are exercising all that power the pastor said they have. Are you choosing the right response to your spouse? (God won't bless your marriage if you're not.) Are you making sure your tone is proper when you speak to your children? (They will grow up into ungodliness if you don't!) Are you using your time wisely and not being idle? (God will not answer your prayers if you don't.) And the list goes on. And while all this is happening and the saints are completely preoccupied with their own behaviors, no one in their circles is hearing the gospel from them and their message becomes "Me! Me! Me!" instead of "Him! Him! Him!" These are all lies. God is not bound by anything you do, say, think or feel.

Where is the cry of Isaiah? Where is the sure-footed doctrine of King David to exalt our living God instead of ourselves? Where is the terror of Daniel? Where is the boldness of Paul to preach only Jesus and Him crucified?

I am ruined. I cannot tolerate this shallow preaching and gross misrepresentation of God's Word. My husband was my pastor for 32 years. He does not preach this fluff. He does not allow a subject to determine a sermon. He only allows God's Word to determine a sermon. Right now, while we are working to plant a multi-ethnic church, we are searching for a church home to belong to, but it is  not to be found. We have visited every church within reasonable driving distance and have been repulsed by the preaching in every single one of them.

We fought for the gospel throughout our years of full-time ministry. I am astounded that some have never had to fight for the gospel. We had to fight hard to keep the Name of Jesus in the pulpit and on our lips. Amidst threats, assaults and character attacks, we kept on for Him. Once you fight that hard to even keep His Name on your tongue, you develop a complete intolerance for anything less.

Put every sermon you hear to the test. Hold it up to the light of the gospel and see if it measures up. If it contradicts even one attribute or character of God, it is rubbish. God will not violate His own attributes in His own Word and no sermon should do that, either.

If a sermon is not expository, I'm not listening. I'm done. I'm ruined.

~Tricia

First, Become a Prostitute

Many people often see patterns in Scripture that they interpret as "Biblical principles." They claim that these principles will help people live a God-pleasing life and have success in their Christian walk. It sounds so good. It sounds so promising. It sounds so incredibly right that these people write books about these principles, giving their readers step-by-step instructions to follow to get to their great Christian life. And from those book sales, they live a luxurious, "favored-by-God" life. Or so they say.

I wanted to take a look at a passage of Scripture that shows a pattern for sure success with God. His favor was found all over this passage and in the life of one woman and her family in particular. Her principles were so successful that she's even an earthly ancestor of Christ, Himself. Who would not want that level of success? Who would not want to be so remembered? Everyone I know would strive toward that level of success in their walk with God.

Let's get started. Let's look closely at her life and see why God's favor was with her so heavily. Let's discover the principles that led to her success.

Our Scripture passage is found in Joshua chapter 2, then chapter 6 verses 17, 23 & 25. The following observations are brief and I encourage you to read the passages for yourself to find more details. I'm highlighting three Biblical principles taken from this passage for your ease in following and clarity in understanding.

Her name: Rahab
Her occupation: Prostitution

Your first step in seeing success and favor with God is to become a prostitute. This clearly put Rahab in a great position to receive spies. Had she not been a prostitute, she would not have been a likely target for some foreign spies to feel comfortable around. Certainly her occupation served her well and helped her secure a solid position with those men. This principle is under-used in our society.

Her visitors: Spies
Her solution: Lie and deceive

Your second step in seeing success and favor with God is to lie. The Biblical principle we can take away from her lies is that they worked. Clearly, since they are recorded in Scripture and not condemned, they are a viable option for everyone even today. When we fail to recognize and use all the principles given to us, we fail to see God's favor on our lives. Her prostitution is never condemned, either, by the way.

Her dilemma: An invasion
Her tactic: Bargain for her and her family's sake.

Your third step in seeing success and favor with God is to strike a bargain with someone in charge, working solely for your own survival and the survival of your family. Forget everyone else; this is just for you. Her bargaining, I might add, was based on the fact that she had lied for these men, giving her clear bargaining chips to use to her advantage.

Rahab was mentioned again in the New Testament, in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25. Clearly the principles she lived by worked. What a legacy! Why is no one on her bandwagon?

This practice of seeing patterns of Biblical principles practiced throughout Scripture is secular humanism at its best.

This entire blog post is satire. (Please realize that I do not condone prostitution, lying or any other form of sin and ungodliness.  I wrote this to show the ludicrousness of assigning certain passages of Scripture as patterns for "Biblical principles" while ignoring others.)

Patterns of human behavior throughout Scripture are all badly flawed. Sin is shown forth from one end of the human spectrum to the other. Do you want a Biblical principle to follow?

Look to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith....Hebrews 12:2. Read on through verse 3. It will take your breath away.

Stop worshiping human behavior and throw yourself on His mercy.
For His mercy endures forever.

~Tricia

First Response

My stove quit working one day many years ago. It quit at the most inopportune moment: when we had a house full of company and I needed to cook. Our company was a missionary family, participants of a missions conference at the church my husband was pastor of. The missionary wife's response to my stove dilemma was surprising to me. While I wrestled with the oven dials and tried to get the burners working, she said, "HA! You're just like a missionary, suffering for Jesus!" At the time, I laughed it off. Later, when I had time to think about her comment, I had to disagree. I was not suffering for Jesus.

Over the years, I have met a number of people with her same notion that certain things are to be considered suffering for Jesus. This presents a problem.

When we consider any hardship of others as "suffering for Jesus" we risk not seeing ourselves as part of the solution to their hardship. Even if someone really is suffering for Jesus, not one of us is in a position to know that for sure. Not one of us is in a position to judge whether or not someone's suffering is spiritually related or not. Our first response must be compassion. When we fail to have compassion for the suffering of others, we fail to be like Jesus. When we dismiss someone's suffering and turn our heads the other way, we are not reflecting Jesus.

Compassion leads us to action. Throughout the Scriptures we see that Jesus, time and time again, was "moved with compassion" for people at every turn. He was moved with compassion for crowds as well as individuals. His first response was always compassion for those who were hurting. He never dismissed their suffering as something to be accepted. He drew people in when his disciples were shooing them away. His compassion was remarkable.

We will have suffering. We will see our fellow Christians suffer. But, if our response is to dismiss their suffering and chalk it up to "suffering for Jesus," we will have failed to be like Jesus ourselves. Our goal can be to relieve the suffering of others. Many avoid this for fear of what it will cost them in time, effort and monetary resources.

Christianity is marked by compassion. The compassion of our living God sets us apart. Our ability to show compassion comes from Him. There is no price on compassion. We can't show compassion, then turn around and demand acknowledgement for that compassion and hold it over people. Compassion is a gift. No strings attached.

Compassion. So rare. So beautiful. So life changing. So desperately needed.
May we be driven by compassion for anyone we see suffering, no matter what it may take from us.
~Tricia

Pastor, We Have a Problem.....

"Pastor, we have a problem," are not words my husband was thrilled to hear when his associate pastor said them to him. The church had been growing fast and that, alone, poses its own set of problems. When two pastors have to come together and solve another problem, it is not always easy.

As they sat down together to tackle this new problem, my husband was shocked to hear what Pastor Moises Rodriguez said. In his thick Mexican accent, in his broken English, he said, "Pastor, we have a problem. We meet on Thursday night for prayer and we found that we don't have enough time to study the Word and have prayer. We want to meet on Thursday for Bible study, then meet again on Friday for prayer. Can we do that?"

This type of "problem" was very common in their ministry together. "Yes. Yes. Meet on Friday for prayer. Yes," David responded to Pastor Moises. And they rejoiced together.

The church continued to grow, not only in number, but in grace among our new believers. As their faith was tested over the next few years, they stood firm. This congregation continues to grow and flourish, making time for prayer, Bible study, fellowship and meals together. Their young people are as involved as their older people. Their second generation is not going anywhere. The women are as involved as the men.

Praise be. Bring on more problems such as this one.

This all started with prayer. Simply prayer.

~Tricia

Eternal Rewards

Today, as my husband preached on multi-ethnic ministry from Acts 13:1-4, I was struck by the wonderful memories it evoked. Before the message, he showed a video of a bi-lingual baptism we'd had in the past and I was nearly overcome with joy at the knowledge of where those brothers and sisters are now.

They are serving. They are evangelizing. They are working for the Lord Jesus Christ in their local church and that church continues to grow. They practically need a building program already! God is so good. He has remained faithful to these brothers and sisters. I'm incredibly thankful that we are able to keep in touch with them and continue to see their obedience to the Lord and their work in His church.
Seeing our spiritual children grow in the Lord and in His work is one of the huge joys of ministry. (This is not only true of our spiritual children, but of our physical children, too, who are all our spiritual children, too!)


This growth did not come without hardship, obstacles and persecution. But, it was worth it all! Not one brother or sister was lost in all the hardship we suffered together. They remain faithful, true and close as we all now serve from different places. These are eternal rewards.

Praise be!
~Tricia

Are You Ready?

Almost eight years ago, when our grandson, Cole, was born, we drove from western NY to Jacksonville, NC, where our daughter lived at the time Cole was born. It was a 12-hour drive, so there was a lot of scenery to view and time to watch the landscape unfold. It was October and while that might indicate the chance for snow in western NY, it certainly did not in NC. But, as I rode along in the car with my hubby driving, I suddenly saw white fields!  Fields that were just solid white. In NY, a white field means only one thing, snow. But, it was 72 degrees, this was not snow. As I kept looking out the window, a Scripture verse came to mind......John 4:35.....

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white already unto harvest."

I had wondered about that verse in the past....why white? I grew up on a farm and a field ready for harvest was either green like soy beans, or gold like the top of the corn or a wheat field. I'd never seen a white field.

Then it hit me - COTTON! I was looking at cotton fields!  All the cotton was ready for harvest!  Of course cotton. The Middle East............Egyptian cotton.......middle east cotton.......of course!  Jesus was referring to cotton fields, which are white when ready for harvest.

They are white.....ready for harvest. Are you ready to work the harvest?  Jesus, Himself, has said the fields are white unto harvest. This is a given; we must expect a harvest and live as though it's imminent. 

Are you ready?

~Tricia

(Google image from http://sanda-halcyondays.blogspot.com/2012/09/in-land-of-cotton.html)

Together Again!

Today, we had the very honorable privilege of participating in the first service of our new Hispanic church plant here in Austin, MN. We were so pleased to find a packed house in their new location. The building seemed to vibrate with energy and love.

Pastor Moises Rodriguez led the service, interpreted by Abril. What a great team!

Pastor Ephraim, here from Sedela, MO for the kick-off with his wife, Gisele, provided special music by playing and singing one of his favorite songs.  What a treat!

Pastor David Johnson opened God's Word, preaching from II Timothy 4.

 

Abril did a great job interpreting, as usual!

Five pastors, working together to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From left: Pastor Bob Ray, Pastor Ephraim, Pastor Jeremy McMillan, Pastor Moises Rodriguez and Pastor David Johnson.

Five pastors and their wives and families planting churches - 3 so far!

We will remain faithful.

~Tricia

A Shameless Plug

My husband is an excellent preacher.  He preaches exclusively expository messages, bringing forth the Word of God as It ought to be preached.  He focuses solely on God's Word when he preaches, avoiding his own opinion and/or possible filters.

You might be thinking it's ridiculous for me to make such a claim as I can't possibly be objective enough to weigh in on this topic.  That may be true, but think about this: Even when I'm mad at him for something at home, I still gain from his message.  His preaching is so focused on God's Word that even I am able to "overlook" the man while he's preaching.

He just finished a series in the Book of Philippians yesterday and we are making plans to publish his outlines in a book as a study guide for Philippians.  There are 20 messages in the series, walking through the entire Book of Philippians from start to finish.  All sermons are available for your listening ear on our church website. Well worth the time to listen, too.

Until next time,
~Tricia

It's Been a While

I haven't blogged in over a month!  Well, at least not on here.  Summer is a busy time for all of us. As the fall schedule approaches, things tend to settle down into a more predictable routine.  This fall, I'll be teaching in 2 different school districts' community education programs, working part-time in our church office, home schooling my 2 youngest sons and working my direct sales business, Thirty One Gifts.  Not to mention my continued work in free-lance writing.  But, I will find time to blog!  After all, I teach my writing students the importance of blogging, so I must set a good example.

This summer, I was introduced to yet another "Bible Study Book" put out by a popular author of women's Bible Studies.  The problem with these "Bible Study Books" is that they really aren't true Bible studies.  They really are commentaries.  Bible study involves the Bible and a study tool or two such as a concordance or a lexicon.  Bible dictionaries are also useful and important.  I may have to start a movement away from "Bible study books" as they are frustrating me more and more.  I don't buy them; they are usually given to me as a gift. I don't like to re-gift them and pass them on simply because I don't approve of them and don't consider them something I could give someone in good conscience.

Women need to be grounded in the Word. Period.  We don't need someone's ideals, suggestions for easy Christian living or ways to organize our lives.  We need to be grounded in the Word.  Priscilla (of Aquilla & Priscilla, the Book of Acts) was grounded in the Word.  She was able to minister right beside her husband and be a huge help because she was grounded in the Word.

I've made a few observations about women's Bible studies that I'd like to share with you:

1. Women's Bible study books are generally focused on people, not God.
2. Women's Bible study books are generally result-oriented rather than God-oriented.  A certain response is sought and the author feels good when that response is given. The response does not represent the heart, it represents the emotion of the moment.
3. Women's Bible study books often build on one another, making the reader feel that she has to buy the next one, or "must have" the previous one.

This blog writing is not complete on this subject, but I'm tired and it's late so I'm going to stop before I say something stupid in my exhaustion.  However, I will be coming back to this topic more and more because women need to be grounded in the Word, not fed fluff and stuff.

~Tricia

Why I'm Against Prayer in Public School

Whoa!  What a title!  Someone could read just the title of this blog and label me as a liberal who should not dare call herself a Christian.  However, if anyone takes the time to read this entire blog post, they will realize a more honest assessment.  Let me explain.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for prayer.  I just don't agree with prayer being pushed in the schools.  In a nutshell, here are my reasons for not supporting prayer in schools:

1. Christians don't need the world's permission to pray.  If a Christian student wants to pray, he or she can simply pray.  When prayer was banned for Daniel in chapter 6 of his book, he didn't seek permission to pray, he simply prayed as he had been praying.  Without fanfare. Without announcement.  Without permission.  Yes, it still caused him some trouble, but he did  it anyway.  He did not fight against that trouble, but simply trusted God to deliver him out of that trouble - and He surely did.

2. Our goal as Christians is not to fight for our "rights."  We have no rights.  Any benefits given to us are blessings from God, even if they are packaged in the world's wrapping paper.  Our goal is specifically given in Mark 16:15 - "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  If we are busy fighting for our rights, it's highly unlikely we'll be preaching the gospel at the same time.  We come to the world with a message that saves and this should be our focus.  Demanding prayer in school saves no one.

3. Who's to say what type of prayer is to be prayed in the schools?  If we require prayer in school, your child may well be led in prayer by a member of a false religion praying to a pagan god.  There is no guarantee.  This would be their opportunity to spread their doctrines, no matter how far removed they are from yours.

Keep praying at home, in secret, in your closet, behind closed doors, as we are admonished to do in Matthew 6:6.  Keep praying at school, on your way from one class to another, on your lunch break, for your fellow students and opportunities to share the good news of the gospel with them.  Keep praying at work, on your coffee break, on your lunch break, on your way to and from work.  In secret.  Keep praying, but don't require the world to pray.

If we reach the world with the gospel, they will pray and no one will have to tell them to.
This is a very condensed version of my thoughts on this subject.

~Tricia

Tuesday Trust

It was Tuesday and I was having a bad day.  It seemed like everything was going wrong!  As my day went from bad to worse, I became more and more agitated and eventually commented out loud to myself, “I don’t need this!” 

            A still, small voice in my head said, “Oh, yes you do.” And thus began a deeper exploration of the sovereignty of God in my life; my every day life. My Tuesdays.  This particular Tuesday started out with a root canal that was unplanned.  I had been having pain in a molar, and had an appointment at the end of the month. But, my pain increased over the weekend and I was popping pain pills like candy, so I called my dentist on Monday and made an appointment for the next day. When I got there that Tuesday morning, he discovered infection and inflammation and had to do a root canal on the spot!  Having never had that done before, I was more than a little nervous.

            After the root canal, I felt I needed a nap. I was exhausted. It took 2 1/2 hours!  But, I only had time to quickly change clothes and get to my part-time job.  I got there on time only to be told that my part-time position would more than likely be going full-time. When I enquired of my boss what happens to me if it does go full-time, she proclaimed that the company had no obligation to me....in other words, since I can only work part-time, I was going to lose my job.

            Then I opened my email and discovered an email from my husband stating that a property that we thought had sold had not sold after all! We were counting on that sale, and my part-time job, to see us through a particularly difficult financial trial.  That’s when I said, “I don’t need this!” 

            And that’s when I heard, “Oh, yes you do.”

            Why would I need that?  Why do any of us need the trials that we face every day? Why can’t things just go smoothly and easily for us? It’s easier to serve God when things are going well.  We feel happier and like we have more to give.  It’s hard to serve God when things are going wrong and the world, or our fellow believers, are taking advantage of us or criticizing us.  We know the Scriptures, how that James tells us that “the trying of our faith worketh patience” (James 1:3) and how we are not to think it strange when fiery trials try us (I Peter 5:12).  But, I do think we reserve those Scriptures for the big stuff. We don’t apply them to every day life; nor do we always consider the impact the Holy Spirit has on our every day life.

            Our trials do not take God by surprise, but our trials are not limited to the big stuff, either.  Being stuck in a traffic jam, having an overdrawn bank account, breaking a tooth, having to wait in an incredibly long line at the grocery store, receiving a package you’ve waited a week for only to discover the item damaged, the feeling that no one understands you, loneliness, exchanging harsh words with a friend, children who are demanding and uncooperative.......all these things work patience in us as well.  Even if all those things, and more, happen to you all in one day, that does not mean that the sovereignty of God has taken a nap.  The opposite is true.  It means that the sovereignty of God is well at work in your life.  It really means that He loves you more than ever and wants you to grow closer to Him and have more trust in Him.

            When I decided to take a closer look at His sovereignty in my every day life, I started with His character.  Taking a look at His character helped me get a glimpse of the depth of His wisdom and knowledge of me and my circumstances. The character of God is unchangeable, perfect and always just. We can depend on Him because of His character; because He never changes.  He never reacts to us, but He loves us with an everlasting love.

            A good place to start understanding what God knows about you is Psalm 139. Read it. Meditate on it. Learn from it.  I have listed a few initial observations from this passage, but there are many, many more.  Add to my list; create your own as you study out the sovereignty of God in your life. My list:

God has searched us and known us (v 1)

He knows when we sit and when we stand (2).

He discerns our thoughts and He is acquainted with all our ways (3). 

He knows our every thought, even before we do! (4). 

He has put a hedge of protection around us and laid His hands on us (5).

We learn that we cannot hide from Him (7-12). 

He leads us and holds us (10).

We learn that He formed us in our mother’s womb, before our bodies were even formed! (13 - 16).

We learn that He thinks of us constantly and wrote our parts in His book. (17 - 18). 

He will slay the wicked (19)

He will search us and try us, and know our hearts, leading us in His everlasting way

(23 - 24)

            Do we need more?  Won’t that sustain you on a difficult Tuesday? Take God literally. He means what He says and cannot lie.  That’s enough to sustain us through a difficult Tuesday at home with the kids, on the job with the boss or even when we are alone and tempted to sin.  It’s really just a small token of His unending grace; that wonderful grace that is greater than all our sin.

            I kid you not, as I was actually typing this out on my laptop at my dining room

table, (yes, on a Tuesday afternoon), I received an email from a friend that reminded me

of a painful experience in my past, bringing me to tears; and just then, the bread machine

that I had going in the kitchen took a nose-dive off the kitchen counter!  It broke into a

hundred pieces with my bread dough still inside!  As I stood there in my kitchen looking

at the broken bread machine, I had to laugh out loud.  I was not even the least bit tempted

to say, “I don’t need this!” Instead, I laughed and said, “Well, I guess I needed that!”  My

Tuesday trust was intact for today. Tomorrow is a new day with new trials. Big or small

it matters not; they are real and they have a purpose and God already knows all about

them!