We will be starting a Men’s Step Study for anyone interested in attending. For more information, or to sign up to be part of this study, contact Eric Detrick or myself.

Details:
Beginning Thursday, August 6 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm (location will be somewhere near Unionbridge Maryland). The step study is open to any man interested in learning more about moving beyond your hurts, addictions, hangups and struggles, and build a closer relationship with our Higher Power, Jesus Christ. The step study will take us through a life study based on the 12 steps of Celebrate Recovery.

Please keep in mind that as we reach Step#4 of our study, the meetings will become closed, so be sure to enter the group as early as possible.

Important Information
The following guidelines will be strictly enforced during each meeting

1. Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Limit your sharing to three to five minutes.
2. There is NO cross talk. Cross talk is when two individuals engage in conversation excluding all others. Each person is free to express his feelings without interruptions.
3. We are here to support one another, not “fix” another.
4. Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is said in the group stays in the group. The only exception is when someone threatens to injure themselves or others.
5. Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.

Each person in the group will need to obtain the Step Study Participant’s Guide Package which contains the four Participant’s guides that we will be working from. The materials can be purchased from Uniontown Celebrate Recovery or may be purchased by contacting Celebrate Recovery directly.

Hope to see you there!

Sorry folks, but I had to take a little time off from posting. There were many things that I needed to get back in order and in priority in my life. Now since things are back in order… you’ll be seeing many more current posts.

Thanks for you patience.

If you are like me, you have probably heard the debate about an “eye for an eye” and how the Bible contradicts itself. I have done a little study on this and have come to the conclusion that it most certainly does not. Read on and you decide.

I will be using some of the same text to defend my pro-life stance in an upcoming article, so if your interested in that opinion as well, keep checking back.

The New Testament Eye for an eye

In the New Testament, Jesus is speaking to the crowds at the “sermon on the mount”. He tells them:

Matthew 5:38-39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you. Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

Jesus was clearly speaking to the crowd that they are to not retaliate, but should show patients and restraint. His reference to an, ‘Eye for eye’ is found in three places in the Old Testament which we will examine in a moment.

Jesus opens his statement referring to an ‘evil person’, not someone with good or even marginal intentions. He next refers to an act of violence. If we think of this action for a moment, striking on the cheek, could we say that this would have been reference to a ‘first blow’ to begin a fight? For clarification let’s consider it this way, Jesus is making a reference about a hot tempered or mean spirited person who is wanting to start a fight with you by slapping or punching your right cheek. You respond by striking back. Now, what has happened? We are in a full-blown fight! Tempers flare, anger, rage, one blow after another might be exchanged…exactly what the ‘evil person’ wanted to do. Sin is satisfied.

Now, consider what happens when you turn the other cheek. Will you get hit again? Probably, but it won’t be much fun for the guy hitting you since this is not the response he was trying to get, remember, he’s mad and wants to fight. To him it would be like hitting a tree; not much fun. He will eventually go away, mad probably, but he’ll go away. God is satisfied.

By turning the other cheek, you have shown great restraint, acted in a very responsible manner, and can walk away knowing you’ve done ‘the right thing’.

The Old Testament Eye for an eye

There are three references for the phrase ‘eye for an eye’ in the Old Testament that are the basis for the appearance of a discrepancy and contradiction in the Bible. I will attempt to compare and contrast these to the New Testament statement by Jesus, after which you should see that none of these three references could be confused with Jesus’ teaching and that all three of the Old Testament versus similarly relates to each other and to Jesus’ message of forgiveness.

Leading up to this section of the scripture, the Israelites are being lead from Egypt and they are in the desert at the base of Mount Sinai. God has given the Ten Commandments to Moses and has issued other laws that they are to follow to maintain a moral and orderly society.

We will first look at the passage in Exodus:

Exodus 21:23-26 “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

When you say this sentence aloud, does it make sense? We know what serious injury is, and we know how to take a life, an eye, and so on, but it really doesn’t make a lot of sense. If you look closely at the sentence, it begins with the word ‘but’. Our logical next question should be “Why is there a but?” The only way we can possibly answer this is to look backwards into the text to find out what preceded it.

Now, let’s look at the preceding verse to see what the verse is actually talking about:

Exodus 21:22-26 “If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

Clearly this is referring to a punishment through a court! It is not talking about an active hostile event. It also clearly spells out a given condition that must take place in order for a punishment to be required. This is not a retaliatory response.

Lets move on to Leviticus:

Leviticus 24:17-20 “If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death. Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution-life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.”

Again, the verse is establishing a punishment for a court, not as a rule for retaliation.

Lastly, let’s look at Deuteronomy. This scripture really seems to clarify the Old Testament view and meaning quite well.

Deuteronomy 19:16-21 “If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse a man of a crime, the two men involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the Lord before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against his brother, then do to him as he intended to do to his brother. You must purge the evil from among you. The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”

What this scripture shows is that the phrase ‘eye for eye’ is an established guideline for the punishment for a given violation of the law. Again, it is not a retaliatory response to an act. The reference to judges, witness, investigation and testimony clearly establish a judicial proceeding and punishment in a governed society.

What this verse also includes over the other two verses is the inclusion of the purpose for the punishment.

“The rest of the people will hear of this…” Of this what?
The purging of the evil among you. Ok, why?
So they will “…be afraid”. Why?
So that “never again will such an evil thing be done among you”.

This is how a community protects itself .

The Conclusion

Is it possible that the people of Jesus’ time had taken the Old Testament laws and were using them as a way of seeking vengeance on another person, using the ‘laws’ to justify their personal actions? Since this still happens today, it could very likely have happened in those days.

Clearly the Old Testament scriptures are references to the judicial law in much the same way that our Constitution outlines specific law we are to follow. Imagine for a moment that every household in our society today enforced their own laws personally administering their own justice. A neighbor injures your child, so you walk across the street and injure your neighbor’s child. What a world that would be! I’m very certain I would not want to live there.

From all of this, regardless of how we perceive the message, we certainly know that it is consistent with the forgiveness message of all of Jesus’ teachings.

With the many things that Jesus was telling and instructing the people at the ‘sermon on the mount’, why is it that the ‘eye for eye’ issue seems to be the most questioned in today’s society? Could it be we have forgotten the commands to God’s people, and replaced them with our own?

So many times, during our daily lives, we cross paths with people who are really hurting. We listen as they pour themselves out and tell us their troubles, but what do we do then?  We try to comfort them, telling them that we will pray for them…   but why?  Are we really concerned for them?  Do we earnestly want to intercede for them?  Do we really want to love on them, or are we just trying to act spiritual?

Consider for a moment, when you are hurting and you need to share your load with someone, aren’t you usually lead to someone, a friend, a pastor or another person who shares your same troubles?  Why?   Quite simply put, you know you would not have your plumber fill your next cavity.  Likewise, you would not use a hammer to put in a new headlight on your car… well, maybe you would… who knows, anyhow… the point being, every task in life has the correct tool.  The Bible is loaded with tools, all you have to do is read it!!  So, why do you pick a certain person in your time of need, because we feel they are the ‘correct tool’.

Each one of us at some point or another encounter burdens that overload us to the point that our lives have become unmanageable.  All we know at that point is that we need some kind of help to get back on track.  As you read this, your first and logical response is “you need Jesus”.  But what if the person has not accepted Christ in their life- and yes there are people who sit in your church every Sunday morning with you who don’t really know if they believe or not.  How are we to respond?

We need to understand that when we are approached by someone in their time of need, several things have already occurred,  the first being that you have been put in this persons path for a reason!!! Recognize that God is in control of our lives for His purpose.  The next thing is that this person is searching for an answer, seeking help, looking for whatever will solve the current problem, and they feel you may have what they need.  Ironically, they are quite correct if you are a believer.

When they approach you, they have already begun to look for the answer, in you.  Are you ready?  As they approach, if they see they are not welcome, you have only added to their problem.  If they feel you don’t have time for them, again you have added to their problem.  But if you are really there for them, ready to listen, the door is beginning to open.

At this point, your job becomes very difficult, you need to become a good listener, avoiding distractions such as looking at your watch or staring off in some other direction, and especially allowing them to speak- it’s their problem your listening to, remember.  As you listen, remember that you don’t have the answers, God has their answer.  You are just His tool, allow Him to use you for His purpose.

After you have been a good listener, and they are looking to you for that answer to restore their sanity, remember that now is the make or break moment… the moment of comfort… the moment where they are hanging on your every word, those magical words of encouragement…  and you say, “Man I’m so sorry, I’ll be praying for you buddy” … and BOOM, you just dropped the ball.  The hope for their life is that you, you will be praying for them. Great, but I don’t think that’s what they needed nor do I think that’s what God had in mind when He spoke of the love we needed to show to each other.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I believe in the power of prayer and its vital role in our daily lives, and I am not making light of telling someone you’ll pray for them. What I do want you to consider is that when these times arise, God wants us to love on them, at that moment, praying with them at that moment, from our hearts so that we will show them without question that God is the answer in our lives and is the one that they should turn to!!! By that act of testimony alone their lives will be impacted more than any words you may say.  Additionally, this will test your heart as well. Do you pray without ceasing? Are you bold in your faith, or are you embarrassed to pray to your God?  Do you know how to really love your brother?  Christ gave His life for us while we were still sinners, can’t you even just pray for your brother in need?

All through the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament people are found in prayer.  Even Jesus prayed many, many times.  We are called to pray- pray without ceasing.  Please consider what I have shared and the next time you are called on in someones time of need, remember that God has put you in their path for His purpose – Let’s remember to pray to Him.

I’m glad you are still checking in here, even though I’ve been a bit lazy at getting things posted.  Although I don’t have an excuse, please forgive me as though I did.

Since I last posted, I have been taking a little stroll through the desert, and I really don’t know why.  I had been rolling along spiritually in tune to my calling, when all of a sudden, I woke up to find my life in slight disarray, with the biggest of issues being between my wife and I.  Without boring you with all of the details, I’ll give you the cliff notes version.

My wife has been really working hard to expand her business while at the same time trimming out all of the fat. Since our current economic problems are changing every day, I have been continuously “on her” to keep on top of the changes.   The problem is… well, lets just say that “jerk” seems to be an appropriate description of my approach to her.

Like all husbands, I try very hard to love and care for her, but sometimes I don’t let her be herself. I don’t want her to fail, so I point out every mistake that I see… but, the problem with that is that seems to be all I’m doing, or at least thats all she is hearing from me.  If you’re reading this, and you believe in prayer, I don’t want to be greedy, but please pray for us.

Now, for the next issue.  I have also been involved in a “step study” through our Celebrate Recovery.  I recommend that everyone seek out and involve yourself in a step study, especially if you plan on having a closer walk with God.  A step study, at least for me, has opened my eyes to things in my life that I have taken for granted that are getting in the way of my spiritual walk with Christ.  Simple things, like observing a response of anger towards another brother because of actions he had taken towards his wife. How, being to proud to say your sorry to someone – really sorry, with no ‘buts’ or ‘if onlys’- can interfere with you day to day life, like not going to a certain store because you know that person may be there.

The last issue is a really kind of stupid and I am a little hesitant to bring it up, but since I always bring up religion, I might as well bring up politics.  I have always been an American (conservative) who believes in the basic fundamental rights that the founders of our country insisted upon:  The pursuit of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  Without these elements, we are all slaves,  slaves to whoever controls these elements.  It’s bad enough that we must go through life in a constant battle against sin and the temptations that cause us to sin, but to watch as these fundamental elements be perverted and stripped away from the very people who for they were written is unimaginable, and to think that our society has and is allowing this to take place. Now, on the other hand, we are told not to worry- God has told us that -, we are told to submit to authorities (unless the submission would go against God) – God has told us this also -, we are told to give back to the government what has the governments image on it, which doesn’t include us – God has told us this -, and that we should not be surprised at any of these things, that they must happen before Christ comes again… I skipped to the end of the book, sorry.  We need to continue to pray, without ceasing, that we will not be tempted into sinning over the threats to our LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS by our government officials.  Remember, they only have the power that God allows them to have…. AND…. God is really in control!!!

Love you guys, we’ll talk again, soon.

This past Saturday, I was treated to a very special event that wish to share with you.

With all of the things going on around this time of year, I usually would not be receptive of the idea of going to a concert, but my wife was excited about taking my mother and father to see the National Christian Choir. So we purchased the tickets and planned for the concert.

What an unbelievable event. We watched and listened in awe to the finest group of singers and musicians, singing about our Lord and Savior, Jesus. The entire concert was sung for memory, only the musicians and the director had music to play by. I could write all day and still never touch on how amazing the experience actually was.

Please do yourself a favor, and check out their website, The National Christian Choir. If there is any chance you could make one of their concerts, I would strongly urge you to try. You will not be disappointed!!!

With everything going on at this time of the year, it’s very easy to forget to celebrate Christmas and what it’s actually about. Having grown up in and been around a musical Christian family, we were always involved in the Christmas events. There were the plays, the children’s choir production, the adult choir production, the Christmas Eve service, the Christmas musical, and so on. Starting early in the year, sometime near the end of summer, we would start hearing the little projects coming to life; “Who’s going to do this?”,” Who do we have for the artwork?”,” No one is available for Thursday rehearsal so we’ll need to practice on Saturday morning.”,” The Smith’s are going to be away the week before Christmas so need to see if the White’s will be able to fill in”. And so it went, with more and more things to remember, the closer we got to Christmas. By the time we reached Christmas Eve, it always seemed as though we looked forward to the day after Christmas; the day everything stopped and we actually got to rest.

Actually, I used to wonder why we really did any of the productions in the first place. There seemed to be so much focus on making sure everything went perfectly, making sure all of the sound and lighting was just so. We couldn’t allow for anything to go wrong, after all, look at all the hard work and effort we put into it. I can also remember the passion that was poured into the first rehearsals and the excitement in the performers on that first time through with the lights, props and music; the passion that was quickly lost as the days grew nearer to Christmas.

When the day came for the main production, everyone was scurrying around worried about this thing and that, checking and double checking every little detail. Then the lights faded, the music began, the curtain was raised, and all at once everything was in motion. At the end, there were cheers and smiles, encores and flowers, hugs and some tears, and then it was over. A beautiful production to share the wonderful Christmas story….

…but the one thing that I really learned, having grown up through all of it, was that even the most spiritually focused, good hearted, driven people can become so focused on the show and getting it right, that the message they are presenting is clear and beautiful to everyone, except themselves.

I hope that I haven’t given you the wrong impression, I would not have traded these times with anyone, nor would I have wanted to be anywhere else. I just wish I could have remembered to put a little more Christmas into the message to myself.

As we all prepare for this upcoming Christmas, I ask everyone to take a few minutes and sit quietly while you read the events leading to Jesus’ birth as told in the book of Luke. Take note of the many things, that if we had been there, would have been so absolutely amazing. I’m not quite sure how we would have responded, but put yourself in the story. Become one of the shepherds when the angels came. Go beyond just the birth. Read on to the day Jesus was presented to the Lord at the temple. To see Simeon’s response to the child. Take time to understand that this was the beginning of the hope for all people… right there, before their eyes!!! How awesome would that have been!!!

Take that energy, that story, those events and let them drive you through all of your preparations for this Christmas season. Whether your preparing a rehearsal, putting together a Sunday School lesson, or just enjoying some quiet time alone, keep the thought that we are about to celebrate the birth of our Savior!!! So, put the spring back into your step and the smile on your face, because Christ was born, and nothing else need take the place of that!!!

There is an area of my life that I struggle to understand; Isn’t it amazing that we as musicians can put a few chords together to make up a tune, add a few words of scripture, blend those words with a few feelings from our heart, pass it to the rest of the group to add some musical punch and dynamics, put everything together then stand before our congregation during our time of worship and sing praises to our God with this new song!!! But wait, I forgot to add the copyright. Let’s see, I guess that would go in just before the congregation gets to hear it.

We as musicians fully understand the purpose and use of the copyright for our work. After all, this is our bread and butter. But does it really need to be part of our worship? After all, God created us for His purpose, giving each one of us our own set of skills and talents, some of us musicians, some singers, some carpenters and so on. He also gave us the words that we so eagerly throw into our lyrics. And the congregation that we’re leading, aren’t they also God’s created people? Now the big question, are we performing for God or for ourselves?

Unless I have missed something, I really have a hard time understanding why my church needs to have permission to play any song written for the purpose of worship in a worship setting!!! Or were these songs written merely to profit from? To prevent me from having any lawsuits filed against me, I will not name any specific performers, nor will I mention any specific songs, but if any of these performers or songwriters would like to discuss this topic with me, I am always available.

Since the early Old Testament days, man has been called to worship God. Through songs and hymns, with a variety of instruments and voices, in various circumstances, we are called to worship Him. This calling is from God, not from ourselves, not from our congregations, and certainly not from our recording companies or agents.

Let me give you a scenario to think about. There is a small group of people who gather weekly in an urban park to fellowship and worship. One of the people happens to be a guitar player who graciously strums chords while everyone sings praises to God. As the weeks go by, other people who happen to pass by begin to stop and worship with the group. The group continues to grow, adding new people every week, including people blessed with musical talent. Several months go by and the group has grown to a significant number of people and musicians. On one occasion, the group is asked to play a worship song that had been heard in a local church. Since most of the people attending had heard or recognized the song, the group begins to play the song without regard to copyright ownership. As they proceed to worship, an enthusiastic attender records the music with the thought of giving a copy of the music to all of the attendees so they will have something to remember their worship experience with. A group of God fearing worshipers, who’s sole intention is to worship and give praise to God in their daily lives, have just violated the copyright laws for playing and recording a song written by another alleged believer. And now we have the potential for a believer in Christ bringing suit against another believer in Christ over praise and worship to God.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture? According to what I read in my Bible, and what the word indicates to me, there is.

Consider for a minute when Jesus entered the temple and and overturned the tables of the men who were cheating those who came to worship God. Are we acting the same way? Aren’t we in fact profiting from the passion of the people to worship God, or do we deserve this because it’s our job, it’s how we survive? Jesus reminded everyone in the book of Luke that God’s house had been turned into a den of robbers. Was this said to them alone or does He still speak those words to us?

What’s the solution? The solution is really simple, stop trying to profit from God’s work. He calls those whom He has chosen to His house for worship. Consider carefully all of the songs that you write or sing, and remember who the actual owner is. God has given you your talent. God has given you your abilities. He has also gave you the desire to worship and praise Him. But most of all, He has provided us with the words for our songs.

For the next song you write, I would hope that you would give a long hard look at what you have written, and question the reason why you have written it. After you have done this, ask yourself who are you writing it for, and who is to profit from your work. God promises us as believers many things including that what we do for him, he will return to us in abundance. Or do you have a problem believing His word? Worship God, not the world we live in. Praise God, not what we have done. Lead people to Christ, not to ourselves. Love the Lord your God.

During my recent meditation and quiet time, God really put something on my heart that I wish to share with you. It is related to a response by the congregation following each of the three services at Uniontown Bible Church this past Sunday.

For several weeks, Pastor Tim Webster has been teaching on the tabernacle and the priests clothing, and how each item represented and displayed Christ. It’s been a very interesting series, one that I think we could all agree that there was a doubt as to where he was about to lead us. However, it has been several weeks in which we have all been amazed, and it has come to a close, well at least the clothing of the priest.

As with all of Pastor Tim’s sermons, he finds an interesting way of summarizing or collecting all of his points to tie up any loose ends. This week was no different. At the conclusion of the message, the worship team lead the congregation in singing a last song, then Pastor Tim approached the platform again. This time, however, instead of the normal dress slacks, formal shirt and polished shoes, he approached wearing clothing simulating the priests attire which he had just talked about. As he reached the platform, everyone took notice of him and we all laughed. Yes, me included.

Why did we laugh? Did we laugh at Pastor Tim because he looked or acted funny? Did we laugh because his attire looked funny? Did we laugh because everyone else was laughing?

Let’s consider for a minute, aside from the physical materials which made up his ‘priestly attire’ which lacked the gold, precious stones, finely woven linen, and blue chord, he was dressed as a priest of those days. Consider too that Pastor Tim is the leader or figurehead of our church, second only to Christ, in much the same was as the priest would have been to the Israelites. Did you notice the diadem, ‘Holy to the Lord’?

Pastor Tim’s simulation may have only been a mocked up representation of what the priest would have worn, but as you consider all of the items and their various colors and meanings, we probably should have been silent – in awe of God’s presence.

My point to this is not to say we were wrong for our laughter, but that as we laugh and enjoy our fellowship, we should also remember that what may be viewed as strange or pointless, may have a far greater meaning to God.

I would like to learn new stuff, things that may make my music better (and worse).

Here is a quick one for you electric guitar players:
When playing in a small room with your amp, turn your amp towards you instead of towards the congregation. This will allow you to decrease your amp volume and allows your sound technicians to remove you from the monitor mix. If you have an open back on your amp, you will need to cover it using some type of board or very heavy material. If you have no way of covering the rear, I don’t suggest turning your amp around, since it will produce a strange tone quality directed at your congregation. Experiment and enjoy.