A Mother Gone Bad! Friday, May 7 2010 

Family kennethbow 10:47 pm

When Mothers Go Bad!

According to the article I read, she traded her baby for drugs

Much is written and said about mothers this time of year.  It is stated in the Bible to give honor to whom honor is due, and that qualifies mothers to be given honor.

While many argue over other holidays and their origin and godliness, I have yet to hear a dissenting voice raised against Mothers Day.

I add my vote of praise and adoration to every mother who has given of herself to raise children.  It is a great investment of time and tireless energy to see the job to the end.

As I thought of Mothers Day my mind drifted off into the murky areas of mothers who cater to their own selves.  Those mothers who do not care for their children.  Mothers who leave their children in motels, and rat infested hovels, while they party and use drugs.

These mothers are not concerned with nutrition, or grammar, or cleanliness.  These mothers offer no supervision or guide in life.  The child is left to find his own way.  The mother gives no thought to the child’s future.  Everything is about the mother and her wants and needs.

It is amazing how the children of these mothers still cling to their mother’s skirts!  These children are incapable of looking around and seeing that they themselves are malnourished, and dirty.  Their loyalty and love to this unfit, unworthy mother is remarkable!  Even though this mother is not a mother at all they still love her.

And then there is the mind set that these kids adopt.  They bond with a mother that is messed up in her mind and cannot teach or model right concepts.  So they go through life mirroring wrong morals and ideas.  They follow a godless, corrupt woman to tragedy and despair.

Their lives end up broken, miserable, and hopeless.  All this because of the influence and direction a mother provides.

The Bible teaches us the church is our mother, and God is our father.

Thank God for a godly mother that taught us to live right.  We honor the church of Jesus as His bride and our mother!

We are saved today because of the church.  We were taught.  We were corrected.  We were nourished. We were bathed.  We learned manners and respect.  Our mother taught us those things from Sunday School, to Youth Service,  to mid week Bible Study.

But what about the children of those churches that do not care about their children?  It does not bother these churches that their children are undernourished.  They are fed milk forever and never grow strong and mature.

These children are never taught that it is important to follow the Bible on every single point.  Children of these churches have no teaching, no supervision, and no cleanliness.  These children are left to themselves with no instruction or correction.  They are dirty, uncouth, and pitiful.

And you know what? They never look around and see how dirty they are.  They can never see how pitiful and sad they are.  These children of mothers gone bad are loyal to the woman who did not care for their soul.  They love a woman fiercely who did not feed them, cleanse them, or train them to face eternity.

Ask them about their mother.  They will say how wonderful their mother is.  They will trumpet for all to hear how they can dress however they want and still shout, dance, and speak in tongues.  They adopt the mindset of the corrupt woman who gave them birth, but who tragically is a mother gone bad!

Someday they will walk a path straight to the judgment seat of Christ holding their mothers hand.  They will love her to the end.  They will be loyal to her all the way to the last moment.  They will be convinced their mother is good and right.

Confusion will reign when the Judge of the ages, Almighty God himself says, “Depart from me I never knew you, ye that work iniquity”.

It is really quite simple and quite tragic.

These are the children of a mother gone bad.

Thanks for reading today!

 

The Man In The Balcony Thursday, May 6 2010 

Motivational kennethbow 1:39 pm

The Man in the Balcony.

Years ago I heard a story that I have used for sermons at times.  It touched me deeply so I thought I’d share it with you today.

It happened in a small Midwest town, in a rural area.

A music teacher had a young student brought in for the first lesson by a hopeful parent.

By the second lesson the old music teacher was pretty sure.  By the third and fourth lesson all hesitation was gone.  It was a fact.

The music teacher had a prodigy on his hands.  This young man was a rare talent that only comes along once in a lifetime if that.  The old teacher was wise enough to see it and appreciate it.

He determined to give it his best and then pass on the young prodigy to those who would continue and eventually finish the training of this talented young man.

The first few years of the young musicians life were carefully nurtured by the wise music teacher.  The teacher saw and knew even more than the student the potential of this young man.

Finally the day came for the prodigy to move on and accept scholarships at prestigious schools.  The old teacher followed his now famous student, as the student’s career became the stage of the world.

At a very early age the student was world famous.  He had now played all the major venues of the world.  He had played London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Moscow, and Amsterdam.  The entire European theatre had been played to sell out crowds!

Then came the American tour, New York and Madison Square Garden, Chicago, Carnegie Hall, Washington D. C., Los Angeles, Seattle.

The musician’s fame now reached around the Globe.  A tour to the Far East was the next stop.  Next up were Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, and Beijing.

The musician decided he wanted to go back and do a concert for his hometown.  He wanted to recognize the humble beginnings of his childhood.  The arrangements were made.

An auditorium was arranged in the small community where he hailed from.  The night was set.  He walked out on stage to a crowded auditorium and just the grand piano on the stage.

The applause was loud as he made his debut.  As he smiled and looked around he looked up in the balcony and there was only one person there.  Although his hair was now white with age, the musician recognized his old music teacher, and joy filled his heart.  He decided tonight would be his finest performance!

He played that night like a man possessed.  When he finished he received a standing ovation from the crowd.  When he looked at the man in the balcony, there was no response.  The old teacher just sat there with his arms folded.  The musician frowned!

The musician made a decision.  He wanted his old music teacher’s approval so he decided to play it again, and do it even better.  He announced to the crowd that it was unusual, but he was going to play it again.  They cheered.

This time there was no doubt.  He had never played it better any where in the world!  He was tired and sweat ran down his face.  As he stood the crowd was ecstatic.  Cheers and applause filled the auditorium!

When he lifted his eyes he couldn’t believe it.  The old teacher still sat unmoved with arms folded.

The musician took a deep breath and announced he was going to play it one final time!  Silence filled the auditorium.  He walked to the piano and sat down.  He began.

This time there was nothing in the world but him and his instrument.  He became one with the piano.  The crowd was forgotten.  He was lost in pouring himself completely into a lifetime of effort and practice.

He barely noticed when he finished.  He sat limp on the piano bench.  He was drenched with sweat.

He stood on shaky legs and bowed to the audience, who could not give enough cheers, shouts and whistles.

Before he lifted his head to see what his old teacher would do, he looked inside himself.  He knew he could not play better.  He had given everything he had.  It was his best performance of his life.

As he lifted his eyes, he saw the old teacher smile.  Then slowly the old teacher stood and began to clap his hands in acknowledgement of the best performance his prodigy had ever given.

You see, the crowd could not discern the difference between a good performance, a great performance, and a once in a lifetime performance, but the man in the balcony could.

The musician had more in him and the old teacher knew it.  He demanded the best the musician could give to be satisfied.

Some day we will appear before the man in the balcony.  Believe me He will know if we have done our best!

It is not the applause and acclaim of the crowd that will matter at that day.

What will matter is when the man in the balcony says well done thou good and faithful servant!

Have you given your best performance?

Thanks for reading today!

 

iPhones, iPads, and Jesus is Coming! Tuesday, May 4 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 9:48 pm

I admit I am an Apple product fan!

I started way back with the Apple 2e, then the Apple 2c.

When the first Macintosh came out I anted up.

So when the iPhone was announced I planned on getting in line and purchasing one.  I was blessed by Dr. Scheel who bought me my first iPhone.

I remember reading the authorities and gurus.  There were many who said it will never be a major player in the cell phone world.

Their reasons were myriad. It would only serve a small customer base, yada yada yada.

Well they were wrong! To date there have been 51.15 million iPhones sold.  8.75 million sold just this last fiscal quarter.

Then the big discussion on the iPad! All the authorities weighed in.  They hashed and wrote and forecasted!

They said it will have no place in the market, it is a glorified Kindle, etc.

Well they were wrong again!  The iPhone took 73 days to sell one million phones.  The iPad sold one million iPads in just 28 days!  There were 15 million applications sold for the iPad in that time and 1.5 million ebooks!

My point is the so called authorities got it wrong.

Well let me tell you something else they are wrong about….

The Bible says….In the last days scoffers shall come saying where is the promise of His coming?

They make light of Jesus return.

Well they are wrong about that too, because Jesus is coming!

They say it is just christians and their silly pie-in-the sky beliefs.

My reply is ….

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Jesus is coming!

Thanks for reading today!

 

The Tragedy of Saul’s life! Monday, May 3 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 8:51 am

Saul.

Samuel anointing Saul

The first king.

No man among Bible men had so many chances to make a success of life and still missed it.

He was humble in the beginning 1 Samuel 10.22.

  • He did not tell his own family he had been chosen as King
  • He hid himself when the time to be introduced arrived
  • He held his peace when the sons of Belial mocked him as a new King
  • After his first great victory he showed kindness and mercy to all

Then self will began to surface 1 Samuel 13.12-13.

He became disobedient 1 Samuel 15.11-23.

Jealousy took over 1 Samuel 18.8, 19.1.

He turns to the very things he destroyed as a new King 1 Samuel 28.7.

He ends up a suicide 1 Samuel 31.4.

Apparently Saul never knew the man of God.  His servant knew where the man of God lived, but Saul was unaware.  Saul did not recognize the most recognizable face in Israel.  The whole nation knew who Samuel was and his fame, except for Kish and his son!

It seems his family was totally caught up in raising donkeys!

The Bible says the spirit of God came upon Saul and he also received another heart.  It would seem the spirit rested upon him at times but never got into his heart.  The new heart appears to be the heart of a statesman, not the heart of a man who loved God?

This man who had the opportunity to become a great man in God’s kingdom never made the grade.  The javelin of jealousy went straight to his heart!

As they sang Saul has killed his thousands, David has killed his ten thousands, jealousy hit the bulls eye.  From that moment on he was forever changed!

David spares Saul

These are the tragedies I see in Saul’s life….

  1. Saul accused David of thoughts and actions David never had or thought.
  2. Saul tried to kill David for these imagined offenses.
  3. Saul was never able to see that David was in fact the best friend he had.
  4. Saul never saw that David did not take Saul’s life when it was in David’s hand.
  5. Saul died convinced the best friend he ever had was his worst enemy!

Are there any Saul’s in your life?

Don’t touch them.

They throw javelins.

They slander.

Saul pulled the javelin of jealousy from his heart and threw it at David!

Thanks for reading today!

 

The Gospel of John Friday, Apr 30 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 3:30 pm

The Gospel of John

The Apostle John

John was Jesus’ first cousin and His best friend for 3 ½ years.  Jesus’ mother and John’s mother were sisters.  No man on earth knew the story of Jesus better than John.  His gospel is a magnificent treatise to the life of Christ and it’s impact on planet earth.

His gospel is different than the others.  Very different! It is written like John is sitting under a shade tree with his feet propped up, just daydreaming about the life of Jesus.  He only selects vignettes, short insights or events, from 20 days in the life of Christ.

John uses the simplest words, and a small vocabulary to plunge us into the deepest mysteries of God.  John uses the vocabulary of a six year old child.  A child learns about 100 words a year and John uses about 600 words in his writing.

The words John selects are powerful words.  He uses words like world, father, light, and truth. He uses the simplest words to paint a profound God and His plan.

Matthew writes to the Jew, so he begins his gospel at the lineage of Abraham.  Luke writes to the gentile Roman world, so his lineage begins at Adam.  John writes to the church, so he reaches all the way back to eternity.  He begins with, “In the beginning”.

.John reaches back to the inky blackness of eternity, before there was the brush of an angel’s wing.  He reaches back before there was the first blazing shaft of light that shattered the darkness.  When there was nothing but God.  In the beginning was the logos, the word, the thought, the intent.  And the logos was God.

John does not cover the same material as the other three gospels do.  The only miracle he repeats is the feeding of the 5000.  He writes to the church about 50 years after the other writers.  The church was facing many challenges.

When John wrote, there were those who said Jesus never really existed.  There were others saying Jesus was not a human, but rather a phantom.  Other views at that time proclaimed Jesus did exist but he was just a man with divinity projected upon him by his disciples.  It was into this morass that John wrote his gospel.

John writes of no parables, and uses 7 signs to build his story of Jesus.  He explains things like no other writer.  When he tells a miracle, he often explains why he used that miracle.  An example would be the feeding of the 5000.  He tells us Jesus is the bread of life.  The other three writers did not explain the connection for us.  When Jesus heals the blind man, John explains Jesus is the light of the world.  It is his explanations that give his gospel an added dimension.

He also includes things of immense importance.  Consider how important John chapter three is to the doctrine of the new birth.  The story of Nicodemas is the bedrock of salvation.  Ye must be born again.  That one inclusion validates the day of Pentecost and the doctrine of the New Testament church.  Chapter by chapter, John gives the church a gospel for the ages.  He delivers the most profound insight into Jesus the man, of any writer of history.

2/3 of John’s book is about the last week of Jesus’ life.  Fully 1/3 of his book is about the last 24 hours of Jesus’ earthly life.  After 60 years, the need was for a complete record of the importance of calvary.  A whole generation had arrived that were not eye witnesses to the events of Jesus’ death.  Someone needed to write it down and John succeeded as Heaven’s emissary.

We have the gospel of John and it is indeed  magnificent!

Thanks for reading today!

 

The reason “Reason” is the reason! Thursday, Apr 29 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 1:59 pm

The reason “Reason” is the reason!

There are so many questions today.  Where is America headed?  What is our future? What is the cause of America’s current direction?

Then there is the church.  Where is the church headed? What is the future of the Apostolic movement? What is the cause of the church’s current direction?

Will Durant wrote a series of books over a period of fifty years.  He wrote a volume every five years.  The set is called the Story of Civilization.  The series begins with “Our Oriental Heritage”, and continues through “The Age Of Napoleon.”

This series is what put the publishing house Simon and Schuster on the playing field as one of the major publishing houses in America.  One of the volumes of this series of books is “The Age OF Reason Begins.”  It is the story of the struggle of faith verses reason.

In the big picture of the last three hundred years this seems to me the root cause of this world’s drift and problems, as well as the church’s drift and problems.

It seems to me we deal with a closer view and say things like television, or worldliness, or carnality is the cause of the current drift of the church.  I readily admit these are the visible manifestations of the problem, but I am suggesting the cause is deeper and more long standing.  I am suggesting it has been the undercurrent of the Prince of this world for hundreds of years.

One of the proponents of Reason was the philosopher Descartes.  It was his writings and contributions that played a monumental role in Reason attacking faith.  He began to put forth the idea that free will was mans destiny, not blind faith.  “It is Descartes….who gave us a new method of reasoning, much more admirable than his philosophy” (Will Durant), The Age Of Reason Begins, page 645.

Reason stood up, introduced itself, and stepped to the center of the stage.  It is my opinion it has never sat down.

Reason has produced its many children.  Children like evolution, and abortion are easily identified.  Reason has also had some children that have been bene vixit qui bene latuit, (he has lived well who has hidden well).

These are the children that are hard to see and identify.  Hence these children are not removed for our lives, but remain and consequently grow stronger every generation.

These children of reason hide and hence they live well.  For the last three hundred years men have began to question everything.  They have questioned the universe, this world, laws, but most all authority!  These hidden children of reason gave birth to many movements that continued to have children, then grandchildren, to the present day.

Some of this reason was justified because of the excess of the Catholic Church.  Things were done in the name of God like the selling of indulgences, or the worship of Mary.  The advocates of reason seized these and held them up for the world to see and placed all faith in the same light.  So reason claimed superiority.

The battle of reason against faith continues today bene vixit qui bene latuit.  Yes we see the obvious.  We see the destruction that Hollywood brings, the emergent preachers and their liberal views.  Satan loves his hidden long-range plans of reaching the day where everything is questioned.

Satan longs for the day when every single child of God will question every thing possible.  Satan wants all of us born again believers to question every standard, every value preached across the pulpit.  It is the long-range plan of Satan to cause reason to triumph.

Faith and reason cannot co-exist!  There are simply things God expects us to accept by faith.  God created this world.  That is what faith says.  Reason says evolution is an option.

Faith says there are absolutes in life.  Reason says question homosexuality as right for some people.

Faith says give God ten percent.  Reason says share the wealth with those who do not work.

Faith says ye must be born again.  Reason says all good intentioned people will go to heaven.

Faith says there is a heaven and a hell.  Reason says that went out with the dark ages.

Faith says your gender is how you were born.  Reason says your sex is determined by your choice.

All of these are reasons why “reason” is the reason!


Reason is the reason that the world is out of control and the church is headed for apostacy!

“But without faith it is impossible to please God”


Thanks for reading today!

 

Do you agree with this? Wednesday, Apr 28 2010 

Political kennethbow 7:11 am 

So, do you agree with this?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9ohsvJHkbY&sns=em

 

How will YOU die? Tuesday, Apr 27 2010 

Biblical history and Biographical and Motivational and New Testament kennethbow 4:33 pm

How will YOU die?

He was cold! He was way beyond the kind of temporary cold that gives you shivers.  The cold he felt was way down in his bones, and had been there for weeks.  He wished for the thousandth time for the cloak he left in Troas.  Life would be easier when Timothy arrived with the books and parchments.

Six feet away, across his cell was a large rat.  They eyed each other with measured tolerance.  He had long tired of trying to make the rat leave for good.  The rat always came back.  It was no longer worth the effort to accost the rat.  He and the rat certainly weren’t friends, but they had learned to co-exist.

He reached over and picked up his writing instrument and parchment. The voice inside him told him to write.  So he dipped his quill in the borrowed ink, and began.

As he formulated the words that were appearing in his mind, another part of his mind began to go back over the years…..

He smiled as he remembered that day on the road.  It seemed like just yesterday.  Then there was the time in Arabia.  The years began to unfold like a novel, like a slow motion reel.

He drifted back through the years, the cities, the trials, the beatings, and the stonings.  Once again he asked himself if he had done all his master had asked of him.  He honestly could not see any way it could have turned out differently.

The other part of his mind returned back to the parchment, and he began.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course.  I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness….

He finished the final words of his last letter. He was well aware he would never again pen another syllable.

He heard the jingle of keys. Marcus came into view.  Marcus was his most recent convert, albeit secretly.  He said to Marcus,”It’s okay, I understand.”  Tears began a slow roll down Marcus’ cheeks.

He rose, straightened, and started for the door, and noticed the rat seemed to be smirking.

The stairs seemed steeper than he remembered.  The light of day was blinding.  He had lost count of the days in the underground cell.  Slowly he looked around.  Spring had arrived, his last spring of his 67 years.

He saw the executioner waiting.  How far?  Maybe a hundred steps?  He started the final one hundred steps of his earthly journey.   He drew up at the chopping block.

With one long last look around the Appian Way, and a smile for Marcus tear stained face, he knelt and placed his head on the block.  The Roman official placed a check next to his name on the slate and nodded to the ax man.

In one slow movement, while heaven held it’s breath, the ax was raised. It paused for a fraction of a second, then in blinding speed arched downward.  His head, severed from his body rolled over the edge of the block and dropped to the ground and rolled twice.  Unseeing eyes on mortal earth stared upward.

In the immeasurable moment when head and body were separated, his spirit was free.  He was free of the hardships, free of the privation.  He was free and approaching the gates.

The gate was also about one hundred steps.  He could see the crowds cheering.  It was that great cloud of witnesses he had written about in his letter to the Hebrews.

They were all there.  Some were from the highlands of Galatia, others from the sea coasts of Macedonia.  There were some from Caesars’ household, and some converted rulers of the synagogue.

They were waiting, cheering, and welcoming him home.

And then there was Jesus for the first time.

He never quite remembers those last few steps, he only remembers falling at Jesus feet.  And the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

So Paul, the Christian sage of the ages died.

How will YOU die?

Will you be bitter?

Will you have regrets?

In the prison, Paul called himself “The prisoner of the Lord.” He knew that no mere, mortal Caesar could imprison an apostle without his master’s assent.

Do you see your prison as approved by the master?

How will YOU die?

Thanks for reading today!

 

The Spider Web Monday, Apr 26 2010 

Biographical and Motivational and Uncategorized kennethbow 11:16 am

The Spider Web.

All of life is like a spider's web!

Reading Brother Ballestero’s blog today brought to my mind a portion of a book by Robert Penn Warren.  The title is All the King’s Men.  It is considered an American classic, rated the 36th greatest novel of the 20th century.

It is really written about a famous Louisiana politician who became governor of Louisiana and then a United States Senator. He was killed on the steps of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, at the age of 42. His name was Huey Long.

In the book there is a young man who becomes his assistant.  On several occasions there is a philosophical diatribe on life and it’s long-range effects. On one such occasion the subject is the spider web. The young man’s name is Jack.

Jack is informed that all of life is like a spider web.  It stretches out and sometimes appears empty.  But just one touch and the entire web reverberates and begins to hum.  The spider feels it and out she comes to claim her victim.

It is an excellent analogy.  Life is interlaced and every act and deed we do sends the vibrations out through our life and those we touch.  None of us are an island to our self.

The sad tragedy of the book illustrates the spider web effect.  Jack is told by the man running for governor, Willie Stark, to find something in the life of another man to ruin him.  That man is a judge who has been like a father to Jack all his life.

Jack asks what if there is nothing on the Judge? Stark says there is always something!  So Jack digs in the Judge’s past until he finds something.  When Jack goes to the Judge and presents his evidence that the Judge took a bribe, he thinks it is over and done with.

Little does he know he touched the spider web!

Soon after in the book, Jack is at his mother’s house and the telephone rings.  He hears his mother begin to scream.  He runs to see why, and she screams at him.  Well Jack, you finally did it, didn’t you?  You just had to do it didn’t you?  She says Judge Irwin just committed suicide!

You just killed you own father Jack!

Jack had never known who his father was.  The Judge had always treated him like a son.  Jack was stunned!  He touched the spider web, it hummed, and the spider came out to claim her victim.

Life is indeed a spider web.

When you touch it, all of life is affected.

Thanks for reading today!

 

Noblesville Indiana New Church Sunday, Apr 25 2010 

Biographical and Church news kennethbow 6:19 am

New Church in Noblesville Indiana nears completion


Calvary Apostolic Church, pastored by Garry Streeval is nearing completion of their new church. The church has a total of approximately 23,000 square feet.  It is on a new location near the growing areas of Noblesville.  Noblesville is located in one of the fastest growing counties of the United States.

It has been a dream come true for Pastor and Mrs Streeval, after 35 years in Noblesville.

The Streevals came to Noblesville March 7, 1975 and started having church in a converted garage.  Their only member was their young daughter Beth.  The last 35 years have seen constant, careful, consistent growth.  Today there is a growing thriving congregation in this city just north of Indianapolis.

Dedication of the new church is tentatively set for July 30th.

View of auditorium from the baptistry.

View from the balcony.

Main entrance foyer.

Main entrance, with beautiful chandelier (Pastor Streeval and Rev Garrett)

Basement: fellowship hall.

As I post these pictures I realize they do not do the building justice.  My recommendation is to come and celebrate their joy on July 30th, and see the beauty of this church for yourself!

Congratulations Pastor Streeval and congregation!

 

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