Quiet and There Alone!

Matthew 14:22-23(KJV)
22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We live in a world full of "noise". Our days are filled with it from sun-up to sun-down. IPods, ears plugged in, heads filled with noise, cellphones everywhere you go, CDs in the vehicles, now DVDs in our vans etc., Turn on the radio, tv or whatever to get the latest news, music or weather..hurry here, rush there with schedules that don't quit. People seemingly need to be entertained everywhere they go. Even in church it is "Entertain me". This is our world today it would seem.

Let me ask you some questions. What does silence sound like? Do you have a quiet time with the Lord where you are alone with Him during your day? Are you afraid to be alone with your own thoughts?

We all need a time alone with God so we can hear from heaven and have our minds renewed so we are not conformed to this world and know what the will of God is.

Even our bodies need down time to renew as well as our minds so Draw near to God and experience Him drawing near to you.

Just as Jesus after a busy, busy day took the time to draw near to the Father in prayer so should we do as He has shown us to do as the one we are following after.

These are some thoughts from my Sunday morning sermon 2-28-10.

Be blessed in you day!
Pastor Kitner

Question

DOES ANYBODY CARE?

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Pay with a Wave of Your Hand! - click here

There is coming a time when one cannot buy or sell without the Mark of The Beast either in your forehead or hand. Look at the technology that is rushing us to the desired end of the world system. Read the article and see what some of the fears of the people are concerning this kind of system.

PS. This is not new technology it has been around and tested for more than 10 years.

How will this affect how you live in the near future?

Blessings on Ya
Pastor Kitner

Give me some feed back or thoughts on this if you would..TIA

More Videos Check this Out - click here

Tell me what you think here. OK?

I really don't know what is true here about the birth certificate. If it is true and if the people have bought a lie - what would, what would have been done in the matter be called, in the legalities of established law and our Constitution?

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

A Great Question of Life

Matthew 28:16 - Mark 1:1 (KJV) 16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

I want to ask a great question of life for the believer in the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If Jesus said He has ALL authority in heaven and in the earth, and He did,then my question for you is this: How much authority does satan have in heaven, in the earth and even under the earth? (Phil 2)

Make a comment on your answer.

Blessings on ya!
Pastor Kitner

Concerning Prayer in School - click here snopes

Here is an e-mail someone sent to me today. It is true and the idea conveyed in it is important to us and our Constitutional rights. It also shows the moral decline in our nation.
Blessings on ya!
Pastor Kitner

I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT A HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL CAN SEE THE PROBLEM, BUT OUR SOCIETY CANNOT.
Subject: Tennessee Football !

This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at Roane County High School , Kingston , Tennessee , by school Principal, Jody McLeod

"It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games, to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and Country."

Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it "an alternate life style," and if someone is offended, that's OK.

I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and calling it, "safe sex.." If someone is offended, that's OK.

I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a "viable! Means of birth control." If someone is offended, no problem...

I can designate a school day as "Earth Day" and involve students in activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess "Mother Earth" and call it "ecology.."

I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depicts people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as "simple minded" and "ignorant" and call it "enlightenment.."

However, if anyone uses this facility to honor GOD and to ask HIM to Bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated..

This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical.
Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except GOD and HIS Commandments.

Nevertheless , as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical... I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression.

For this reason, I shall "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's," and refrain from praying at this time.

"However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank GOD and ask HIM, in the name of JESUS, to Bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that's not against the law----yet."

One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with one another and began to pray.

They prayed in the stands.. They prayed in the team huddles. They prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer's Box!

The only place they didn't pray was in the Supreme Court of the United States of America- the Seat of "Justice" in the "one nation, under GOD."

Somehow, Kingston , Tennessee Remembered what so many have forgotten. We are given the Freedom OF Religion, not the Freedom FROM Religion. Praise GOD that HIS remnant remains!

JESUS said, "If you are ashamed of ME before men, then I will be ashamed of you before MY FATHER.."

Is America a Christian nation? click here

What direction has America taken in the last several years even decades?
I believe that the average American has been and is deceived into thinking that this nation and its leaders can do no wrong. The good that once was called such is now being called evil and the evil that once was is now being called good.

America needs an awakening as to what truth really is. PRAY for AMERICANS!
Check this website out and sign up to pray and get the book. AMERICA TAKE 5

Think about it!
Pastor Kitner

10 Good queations for leaders to ask themselves

Click on the title to see the questions.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Quality of Life

So what makes the biggest difference in your quality of life? Outward circumstances? Inward qualities? Most often we buy into the myth that if our circumstances were better, then we would remain happy throughout life. But contentment and peace of mind are not really tied to outward things.

Sure, having more money, pleasure, or leisure would bring temporary and immediate gratification in our life. But lasting happiness and inner strength comes from something deeper.

A Clean Conscience - you can't be at peace with yourself when you are living with duplicity or guilt.
A Soul Free Of Bitterness - choosing to forgive someone or something lifts an enormous weight.
A Full Spirit - being connected with Christ and feeling in the flow of the Holy Spirit.
A Good Attitude - yes, you can choose this. And yes, your choice of attitude determines so much about your quality of life.
Words Of Faith + Blessing - what you say makes a difference. It reinforces your moment and others as well.

So look at the list. Which one do you lack today, if any? You will do so much for your quality of life if you deal with the one DIFFERENCE-MAKER DECISION that you can make today. May God bless you with an abundant life!

Thanks to Jeff Leake for this post.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

How Can I Regain My First Love?

How Can I Regain My First Love? (By Mike Brown)

I believe Jesus gives us the three crucial steps we must take in order to recover our first love. Listen to His words to the believers in Ephesus in Rev. 2:5a: “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.”

First, we must remember the intimacy we once had with the Lord, the closeness we once enjoyed, the fellowship we once experienced. It really was a glorious height, and the Lord is calling us back to that height. He is jealous for it too!

Second, we must recognize that the forsaking of our first love is actually a sin, the sign of backsliding in one way or another. And it is a sin that Jesus takes very seriously, actually warning the Ephesian believers that if they did not repent as a congregation, they would be no more: “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Rev. 2:5b). So, rather than blaming others or blaming circumstances, we should acknowledge our sins before the Lord, whatever those sins may be.

We forsake our first love by putting other things before the Lord or by getting caught up with the things of this world or by allowing wrong attitudes to fester in our hearts or by practicing sin or by yielding to the flesh or by becoming “professional” in our ministries or by making our walk with the Lord into a dry habit. Forsaking our first love can happen in many different ways, but all of them, on one level or another, are sin.

I know that in some cases, believers suffer terrible hardship or tragedy or prolonged struggles, because of which they find themselves distant from God. Our Father understands all this and rather than rebuke us, He simply calls us back to that place of refreshing or renewal. But for most of us, the problem is that we forsake our first love through wrong choices or wrong priorities, which is why one of the first steps back is repentance.

Third, we must “do the things we did at first.” This means there are practical things we can do to restore the intimacy – the things “we did at first.”

Have you ever read a Christian book on rekindling the spark of love in a failing marriage? In a book like this, you will not only be shown how to diagnose the nature of your marital problems, but you will also be given specific, practical steps that will help you to correct the problems. For example, a book written to men might remind the husband about the early days of his relationship with his fiancée/wife. In those years, he used to call her several times a day, send her flowers once a week, take her on a special date every Saturday, be sensitive to her unspoken needs and desires, always put her first, leave her little love notes, and let her know how special she was.

But all that was a long time ago – to be exact, five children, three apartments, one house, four moves, six jobs, and about thirty pounds for him and forty pounds for her. Things aren’t quite the same anymore!

What does this husband need to do? He needs to do the things he did at first. He needs to re-ignite the romance and make an effort to renew and deepen the relationship. He needs to set aside quality time with his wife and for his wife, making her happiness his number one priority. He needs to let her know how important she still is to him and break away from his routine for her sake. He needs to love her again as his bride!

That’s exactly what we need to do with Jesus when our love turns cold. We need to renew the relationship! How? We set aside blocks of quality time to meet with Him, pouring out our hearts to Him in prayer, sharing our innermost thoughts and burdens. We lift our voices to Him in worship and adoration, singing the songs and hymns that have been so precious to us through the years, expressing our appreciation to Him with thanksgiving and praise.

We saturate our minds and hearts with His Word, meditating on His truths, learning of Him, receiving from Him, growing in knowledge and grace. We think back to the awe and wonder of those early days, and we seek to recapture that sense of divine nearness. And whenever we feel prompted, we share our faith with those who don’t know the Lord.

According to Matthew Henry, believers who have left their first love “. . . must return and do their first works. They must as it were begin again, go back step by step, till they come to the place where they took the first false step; they must Endeavour to revive and recover their first zeal, tenderness, and seriousness, and must pray as earnestly, and watch as diligently, as they did when they first set out in the ways of God.”

Then, over a period of time, as we do these things – not with a “time-clock” mentality, not as a spiritual performance or out of a religious habit, not to earn brownie points or somehow merit His favor, but rather because we love Him and long for Him and want to deepen our fellowship with Him – His Spirit begins to flood our hearts, and before you know it, He becomes the most precious One in our lives. He becomes the reason for all we do, the center of our attention, the highest object of our affection. Then, all our good works – serving Him, sharing our faith, giving sacrificially – become expressions of love, the overflow of a heart enamored with the Master.

That’s what it means to “do the things we did at first.” That’s what it means to return to the height from which we have fallen, to repent and return to our first love. God eagerly awaits our move back towards Him! He remembers what our relationship used to be like, and He expresses it in vivid terms as a mournful husband: “The word of the LORD came to me: ‘Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me through the desert, through a land not sown.”’” (Jer. 2:2)

On Monday, January 1, 1750, John Wesley made the following entry in his journal: “On several days this week I called upon many who had left their ‘first love,’ but they none of them justified themselves: One and all pleaded ‘Guilty before God.’ Therefore there is reason to hope that He will return, and will abundantly pardon.”

Yes, God will abundantly pardon. The Lord will receive you again, no questions asked. And it is in this pursuit of the Lord that we become holy, as Oswald Chambers said, “Holiness is the characteristic of the man after God’s own heart.” We were made for Him, and in Him we thrive. In fact, the ultimate thing that will keep us from sin is the nearness of the Lord in our lives. If God is near to us – and we are conscious of the fact – sin will be far from us. In this light, M. P. Horban could say that, “True holiness is learning to enjoy friendship with God.” Our holy Friend will make us holy too!

And so, just as we did in our first days in the Lord when He convicted us of sin and made us aware of our disobedience, we do the same things today as we return to our first love, dealing with sin ruthlessly, cutting it off rather than merely cutting it back.

Does anything hold you back? Does anything stop you from renewing your relationship with the Lord? He has promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him (Jam 4:8a), and, as John Bunyan quaintly put it, when we take a step towards God He takes a step towards us, but His steps are larger than ours! Now is the time to pursue the Lord with all of our being. Our God will fully restore!

The answer to: What Are Signs I Have Forsaken My First Love? by Mike Brown
* Excerpted from Michael L. Brown, Go and Sin No More (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997); this book is currently out of print but should be reprinted in 2010.


Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

What Are Signs I Have Forsaken My First Love?

What Are Signs I Have Forsaken My First Love? by Mike Brown

In Revelation 2:4, Jesus brought a strong word of rebuke to the believers in Ephesus. What was their sin? They had been hard-working, faithful, and doctrinally pure, but the Lord had this against them: “You have forsaken your first love.” This is something that can happen to any of us, so here are some questions to ask yourself to see if this same word applies to us.

1) Is there a decrease in your personal devotion to Jesus? This will be reflected by a decreased desire for intimate and private times with the Lord (especially in prayer and worship) and decreased hunger and passion for the Word.

Remember: When you were hot, Jesus was everything! You couldn’t wait to spend time with Him. Praising Him – even with the simplest little choruses – was pure joy. If there was a prayer meeting, you were there. You devoured the Word. You could relate to the words of Paul: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ . . .” (Phil 3:8). But something happened. Something changed.

You spend time with the one you love. You share your heart with the one you love. You are jealous for the one you love. You think about the one you love. Do you love Jesus today as you once loved Him before?

You may enjoy the forms of worship – good music, singing, dancing, being part of the exciting corporate experience – but what about the object of worship? What about the Lord? You may have a vision. You may be caught up in a movement. You may have a message or a burden. Theology may intrigue you. Spiritual issues may interest you. The ministry may consume you. But all these things are mere idols and distractions in comparison with coming into the light of God’s presence and fellowshipping with Him. You only grow and bear fruit to the extent that you abide in the vine (John 15:1-9).

2) Is there a decrease in your personal satisfaction in God? This will be reflected by the need for other things to gain fulfillment, an increased social orientation in place of private devotions, and an increased desire for recognition and acceptance by flesh and blood. The Word says that, “The desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19), and, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). What do you desire? What brings you satisfaction? Do you love God, or do you love the world? “Remember those earlier days . . . .” (Heb. 10:32-39).

At one time promotion on your job was not your primary source of satisfaction, nor was a big paycheck, a nice home, a new car, a special boyfriend or girlfriend, an exciting sports event, or even a happy family. (Yes! Even spouses and children can take away from your delighting in the Lord above all.) Walking with God used to satisfy you. Does it still satisfy you? Fully and completely? If not, you have left your first love.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne put it like this: “If ever you are so much engrossed with any enjoyment here that it takes away your love for prayer, or for your Bible, or that it would frighten you to hear the cry, Behold the bridegroom cometh – then your heart is “overcharged.” [Luke 21:34] You are abusing this world.”

3) Is there a decrease in your passion for spiritual work? This will be reflected by a decreased burden for the lost (both home and foreign “missions”, both domesticated heathen and undomesticated heathen), a decreased burden for revival and visitation (often replaced by good works, and more subtly, by good spiritual programs), and a penchant for respectability in place of radicality. “Unrefined” preaching of the gospel now embarrasses you. Holy zeal makes you uncomfortable and you are, slowly but surely, becoming ashamed of Jesus and His reproach.

How often do you share your testimony? You used to be a house on fire! You used to seek out opportunities to talk about Jesus. Witnessing used to come naturally. But now, you almost avoid the subject. You simply don’t care about the ones Jesus died for. You don’t fully believe that they are lost. Unbelief is always a result of backsliding somewhere, somehow. Do you find yourself spiritually numb?

And what about revival and visitation? How would you feel if the Spirit fell in power? (In other words, not necessarily in some “cultured” – and totally “containable” – way, but with intensity and suddenness and upheaval.) Are you willing to let Him be in control – of the service, of the leadership, of you? Are you hungry anymore for a real moving of God? Or have you become satisfied with a comfortable seat in the theater while the show itself never goes on?

Beware of a powerless spiritual sophistication. The world admires it, but it has no teeth.

4) Are your standards of holiness becoming lower? This will be reflected by your permitting things in your life, family, or congregation that would have been unthinkable when you were on fire and your ability to engage in certain activities, watch certain movies, enjoy certain sports and forms of entertainment, attend certain functions, etc., which the Lord at one time convicted you of – but now there is no conviction!

Beware! This type of backsliding is often done in the name of spiritual maturity. I warn you as one who once fell into this very error: It is a trap and a lie! Absence of divine conviction does not mean absence of divine displeasure. It may actually point to a withdrawing of His presence. In fact, if the Holy Spirit is dealing with you even now, cry out to Him for restoring grace right where you are. Do not harden your heart against your Lord, your King, and your Friend. It is spiritual suicide. The fact that something doesn’t “bother you” may be the loudest warning you will ever hear.

Can you sin freely without feeling grief? Then fall on your face and cry for mercy before it’s too late. Otherwise you might disqualify yourself from receiving the prize. Do not be deceived: You are not experiencing the freedom that comes as a result of trust; you are experiencing the insensitivity that comes from hardness.

Have you actually deceived yourself by giving yourself a license for sin in the name of “liberty”? Have you despised the precious closeness you once enjoyed with Jesus by calling it “legalism”? Run back into His presence -- with all the discipline and devotion that demands -- while His arms are still open wide. Where godly sorrow is found, abundant grace is also found.

5) Are you backsliding in your spiritual authority and personal victory? This will be reflected by lack of victory over the flesh, falling back into old habits and lusts and inability to resist and drive out the devil from strongholds in your life or the lives of those to whom you minister.

Remember: You can fool others, but you can’t fool the flesh – and you can’t fool the devil. As Leonard Ravenhill often asked, “Are you known in hell?”

Are you moving from victory to victory, or do you find yourself more and more entangled every day (or, month, or year)? Peter taught that “a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Pet. 2:19b). You must ask yourself if Jesus is your Master, or if you are mastered by sin. Are you an overcomer or are you overcome? Is Jesus your Lord, or are you ruled by your belly, or your sexual lust, or your temper, or your greed, or your bitterness? Who, or what, governs you?

You once chased the devil; now you tremble at his shadow. You once cast off fear like a dog shakes off water; now you are paralyzed by anxiety and dread. You once forgave from the heart instantly; now you remember and hold a grudge. My friend, you are backsliding!

You once made effective inroads into the devil’s kingdom. Now he’s making inroads into you. What has become of your victory? You are backsliding from the place of spiritual authority! How tragic that Satan has paralyzed you, be it with theological questions, or with fear of failure, or with massive self-doubt. Press back in to Jesus! He is as victorious today as He ever has been! He will restore your faith.

I will never forget the words spoken one night by the pastor of the church in which I was saved. He said, “It may take a man twenty years to backslide” (referring to a complete apostasy from the Lord). This is a sobering thought. You grow old gradually. Your hair turns gray gradually. You can backslide just as gradually. Before you know it, you have wasted your whole life.

In which direction are you heading? Where is the present course and pattern of your life taking you? If you continued for ever on the same path you have been on -- be it of progress or regress -- if you continued eternally down this same course, would you wind up in heaven or in hell? Are you moving towards the Lord or away from Him?

Again I ask you: Are you backsliding in your spiritual authority and personal victory? What makes you think that things will be better tomorrow? It will be only downhill from here, unless you humble yourself and turn back.*

Next week, we will answer the question: “If I have forsaken my first love, how can I get it back?”

* Excerpted from Michael L. Brown, Go and Sin No More (Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997); this book is currently out of print but should be reprinted in 2010.

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

CLICHE

Merriam Webster Word of the Day

Main Entry: cli·ché
Variant(s): also cli·che \klē-ˈshā, ˈklē-ˌ, kli-ˈ\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, literally, printer's stereotype, from past participle of clicher to stereotype, of imitative origin
Date: 1892
1: a trite phrase or expression ; also : the idea expressed by it
2: a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation
3: something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace
— cliché adjective


I want to make a difference in the world and I don't want my life to be a cliche. How about you?

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Questions about Jesus

Think about it!
What would Jesus do?

blessings on ya!
Pastor Kitner

A Pastor On Porn

Embedded video from CNN Video

Pastor Kitner

The Wooden Bowl

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.
When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

Author Unknown by me

Pastor Charles Kitner

Try, Fail, Learn, adjust - click here

Bookie from LifeChurch.tv on Vimeo.

This video is from Craig Groeschel. This is a great lesson for leaders. Watch it. Share it with your team and others.
This video and others are now available for purchase on Amazon. You can learn more on Craig’s blog.

Pro-marriage speech garners professor's profane wrath - click here

Selective tolerance is the rage today so as to make it look like the Christian is the only intolerant person. All other views are OK it would seem in some circles.

Pastor Kitner

There is really only one way to be a loser!

Tuesday Morning Epistles

Kyle Rote Sr. was a consensus All-American football player at Southern Methodist University in 1950 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame sixteen years later. He was the first pick in the 1951 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, where he played with distinction for the next eleven years. His son, Kyle Jr., chose soccer over football and became one of the first well-known, American-born professional soccer players. The younger Rote once said, "There is no doubt in my mind that there are many ways to be a winner, but there is really only one way to be a loser, and that is to fail and not look beyond the failure."

I can't begin to tell you how many people I have known who have let a personal or professional failure imprint them for life—never rising above the place where they "crashed and burned." Some have allowed one failure to destroy their lives and profession. Others, on the other hand, have determined that their failure would not be fatal. (Simon Peter was one who not only survived his denial of Jesus but went on to become a leader in the New Testament Church.) Those who have followed in the tracks of Peter have recovered their integrity, have earned back their good reputation, and their future became more successful than anything they had done in the past. I applaud these folk. They redeemed their past, and with God's help they re-directed their failure to project them forward. And God has blessed them.

This week's "Tuesday Morning" is entitled "Failing Forward." It is the title of a book written by Dr. John Maxwell. Continue reading whenever you are ready. Then—please do this—forward this message to a friend who is burdened down with guilt and pain over a failed past. This essay is not a sermon. It is a way through the wilderness. I am praying now that someone you know will be encouraged and will re-direct their life to follow the plan that God has had in mind for them all along.

by Tom Barnard
A Senior Encourager

Blessings on Ya!
Pastor Kitner

Questions of the Decade

Questions of the Decade

When I preach to people in their twenties, I am aware that they are asking questions such as:

What makes me different from my family of origin or the people around me?

In what direction am I going to point my life in order to pay my way through life?

Am I lovable and am I capable of loving?

Around what will I center my life?

Those in their thirties tend to have accumulated serious long-range responsibilities: spouses, babies, home mortgages, and serious income needs. Suddenly life becomes overrun with responsibilities. Time and priorities become important. Fatigue and stress levels rise. The questions shift to:

How can I get done all of these things for which I am responsible?

Why do I have so many self-doubts?

Why is my spiritual center so confused?

What happened to all the fun I used to have?

Why haven't I resolved all my sin problems?

Why is there so little time for friendships?

For people in their forties, the questions do not get any easier. Now they are asking:

Why are some of my peers doing better than me?

Why am I so often disappointed in myself, in others?

Why isn't my faith deeper?

Why is my marriage less than dazzling?

Why do I yearn to go back to the carefree days of my youth?

Should I scale back some of my dreams?

Why do I no longer feel attractive?

People in their fifties are asking:

Do these young people think I'm obsolete?

Why is my body becoming increasingly unreliable?

Why are so few of my friendships nourishing?

What do my spouse and I have in common now that the children are leaving?

Does this marriage of mine offer any intimacy at all?

Why is my job no longer a satisfying experience?

Are the best years of life over?

Do I have anything of value to give any longer?

Those in their sixties ask:

How long can I keep on doing the things that define me?

Why do my peers look so much older than me?

What does it mean to grow old?

How do I deal with angers and resentments that I've never resolved?

Why do my friends and I talk so much about death and dying?

Those in their seventies and above have questions such as:

Does anyone around here know who I once was?

How do I cope with all this increasing weakness around me?

How many years do I have left?

How long can I maintain my independence and my dignity?

When I die, how will it happen?

What about all these things I intended to do (and be) and never got around to?


Can a sermon speak to these issues? For many listeners, sermons that ignore these questions will not be credible.

It is around matters like these, which change through the years, that the preacher can speak into the fears, the failures and regrets, the longings and opportunities, and bring words of hope and clarity, touching a life with Christ's presence.—G.M.

It's not just living your words, it's knowing the lives of those you're speaking to.
by Gordon MacDonald

Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Leadership Journal.
Summer 2007, Vol. XXVIII, No. 3, Page 48