Insult To Injury

I guess you can go ahead and say "Ahhhhhh..."

I just received an e-mail from the person who bid on "Larry Boy Potato" on eBay and below is the actual note:

"...i recently bid on your potato by accident i'm sorry for the inconvience but i will not be purchasing it. I am sorry about the mistake..."

Ok, go ahead say it again. "Ahhhhhhhhh..."

I have a few of choices: I could be mean and complain to eBay and they could force this bidder to follow through with the purchase. I could also place a negative feed-back on this bidders history. But, I will just settle for saying "Ahhhhhhhh..." I could also re-list the Potato and hope for the best, but I think not..

Is anyone up for a nice bowl of Mashed Potatoes?

-John M

SOLD!

Yup! My Larry Boy Potato Sold on eBay! Well.... it sold, but for not that much.

There was one lone bidder from the great state of New Jersy that took it for the simple price of .99

I know, you may thinking "Ahhhhhh..." right about now, but I had a great time in the process.

There were 4 "watchers" in the auction, which made it all the more exciting with over 300 veiws as well.

I beleive that odd-shaped-potatos may have had their run in the auction limelight, that is of course, unless we find one of the Virgin Mary or Abe Lincoln, we may be out of luck. LOL!

Thank you to all who participated even if all you did was to check in from time to time.

Blessings,

-John M

By This Time

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again."

I have been thinking about this simple passage, well maybe I should say "meaty" passage for a while now, but especially the past couple of days.

This past fall, our pastor began a preaching-series through the book of Hebrews. I would never assume to speak so definitively on such a difficult and controversial passage in the scripture, but I do want to share what I believe the Holy Spirit revealed to me in my reading time.

We all have a "Comfort -Zone" that we love to live and work in. Ministry is no exception. When I spend time pre-planning for a worship service or prep for a Youth Message for Wednesday night, I have a "Routine" that I go through. I am sure that this is because of MY "Comfort-Zone".

When I was a baby I could only eat soft foods because of my obvious lack of teeth. When I grew teeth it was natural for me to begin to consume harder foods that required chewing.

I couldn't eat meat as a baby for two reasons: First of all, meat is impossible to chew without teeth; I would have choked. Second, when I finally got my teeth, I didn't start with the largest pieces of meat, because I was not skilled in the proper use of my new teeth.

The writer of Hebrews does talk about some very difficult issues here, but one thing that exploded off the page to me was something much more simpler than we tend to controvert in these verses.

Verse 12 uses the phrase "...by this time...". the original readers were obviously living in their "Comfort Zone"; unwilling to progress beyond it. They were being scolded in the highest manner.

Now, when I was growing up in the Martinez Household as a young man, from time to time (more often that I am willing to admit) I was scolded. Not because I was NOT a member of the family, nor because I was in danger of losing my membership in the family, but because I was not living up to what my parents set as the standard for a Martinez.

Now, I know that there are many differing opinions of whether these readers were actually saved and lost their salvation, or whether they were ones who were merely associated with the Church but never saved in the first place - kind of like Judas Iscariot or something, but all I am trying to say is that when we realize that we're living in the "Comfort-Zone", drinking milk and eating soft food instead of meat, then lets do "something" about it.

Verse 14 says: "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

That 'something', is "Constant Use".

One of the men I admire most is my friend Gene Lawley. He has, through the years, spent so much time memorizing the Word, that when you talk to him he is constantly reciting scripture relevant to your conversation. This is evidence, in Gene, of verse 14 and maturity by constant use..

Now, I also believe that all meat-eaters need a little milk to wash down their solid food, but let's build on these and not spend our time re-laying our foundation without going on the the solid exquisite feast of the Word.

-John M

Larry Boy Potato!

What do think about this crazy looking Potato? I can tell you what I think, I think it looks amazingly like Larry Boy as the Bad Apple.

Look at the picture on the right: See What I Mean????

This potato is from here in Twin Falls and I couldn't resist. I had to list it on e-Bay. Yup. It's on eBay as we speak. Check it out at this link: Larry Boy Potato

Ok, I know, this sounds weird, but whatever I get from the sale of the Potato above fees, will go to Youth Missions here at the church. So have a laugh and lets see what happens.

Have A Great Day!

-John

Need More Faith?

I thought recently that I needed more faith to to be a better Christian, so my natural reaction was to ask God to give me more faith. Sounds logical right?

I thought so too.

But Romans 10:17 reminded me that "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom. 10:17 KJV


If I want more faith I have to spend more time in His Word. The thing I wanted to happen was for God to wave His magical wand over me and pronounce me as "FAITHFUL".

Hmmmmm?

It don't work that way.

This may sound strange, but we have increased faith about what God will do in the future because we see what He has already accomplished in the past. Let me put it another way:

The reason I have faith in the chair I sit in to hold me up is because I can see what it has already accomplished every other time I sat down. Every day I come into my office and flop right down without a second thought. I never worry that one of these times I may sit and fall through the floor, because that chair, and the floor for that matter are trustworthy.

God is just like that. He is trustworthy. He is faithful to provide all our needs and a lot of our desires on top of that.

A dear friend recently called me with a praise. In spite of losing a job in recent months and concerns about finances, they have continued to be faithful and diligent in God's Word daily.

Guess what. God blessed their socks off! Two cards came in the mail on the same day with a combination of $800.

When we worry about what God has already promised He would take care of, we show our faithlessness. Charles H Spurgeon says this: "When a man is anxious he cannot pray with faith; when he is troubled about the world, he cannot serve his Master, his thoughts are serving himself. If you would 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,' all things would then be added unto you. You are meddling with Christ's business, and neglecting your own when you fret about your lot and circumstances." Spurgeon goes on to say that we should, "...attend to the obeying, and let Christ manage the providing."

Spurgeon was quoting a passage in Matthew 6:31-33 where Jesus talks to us in the Sermon on the Mount about worry: "31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

I suppose we "Seek Ye First The Kingdom of God," by staying in His Word.

So do you need more Faith? My RX: Read His Word!

-John

Eve

Whats the point of celebrating an "EVE" if the main focus should be the actual holiday itself?

"Eves" have become holiday celebrations in and of themselves in a way that not only supports the actual holiday, but creates for itself a "Stand-Alone" celebration with it's own set of rules and regulations as it were.

Lets dig a bit deeper: There is Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Midsummer's Eve,(the day that proceeds the longest day of the year on June 24th) in fact, Halloween is a major "eve" that has trumped the actual holiday it precedes. "All Hallow Even" October 31st is the eve of "All Hallows Day" -November 1st.

So what about Christmas Eve? What are you planing to do on that night that couldn't be done on Christmas Day?

Well, I guess I'll go first: We have several traditions that our family chooses to focus on during the holiday season, and one of the most significant is the food.

In a Word: (well, actually two words: Clam Chowder)

I have to admit, we borrowed this one from Shari's side of the family, and I love it. We eat Clam Chowder on Christmas Eve. and for that matter Shari makes enough, that we are eating Clam Chowder through New Years.

Several Years ago, however, we took a family trip to the Oregon Coast and I experienced that absolute best Clam Chowder I have ever eaten in my life. We ate at "Mo's" in Newport, Oregon, and I was sold for life.


Shari makes a pretty awesome Clam Chowder from a recipe that was handed down to her by her mother. But there is a slight difference that even Shari agrees on. Well, nonetheless, it's our tradition.

When I was a boy growing up in the Martinez' household, it was our tradition to stay awake till midnight on Christmas Eve and then open our Christmas presents.

Other friends of ours would go to "Midnight Mass" at the Catholic Church.

Whatever your tradition, I wish you the best, but I do want to give you an invitation to our Christmas Eve worship service at Eastside Baptist Church, and then, if you're game, stop by our home for a bowl of Shari's Clam Chowder right aftre the service. It's ok, Shari says I have permission to invite you.

Blessings,

John M

Mary Did You Know?

“Some Tough Questions About Christmas”

#1 How Does Santa Get Into Your House if There is No Chimney or If There is a Fire In The Fireplace?

Well, ok that is not the kind of tough question I’m talking about…. I am talking about the apologetics of Christmas Theology. Things like the Virgin Birth, Origins of Christmas, How Many Wise men, when Jesus was really born, etc...
Ok, here we go again:

Q: What are the Origins of Christmas?
A: The roots of Christmas as a celebration go way back even before Jesus was born in a manger. Huh? It had a lot more to do then with the seasons of the year than a specific person’s birthday. For example: in the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice, (the day that represents the shortest amount of daylight during the year), actually coincided with December 25th. The decline of sunlight leading up to the Winter Solstice and the then increasing sunlight each day after that was reason enough for the people to create a day to celebrate that Winter was at least half over.

In the Roman Empire, during the time of Christ, the holiday had come to be known as Saturnalia. The Romans tried to do away with the holiday without success and eventually in the 4th century the Roman church tried to convert it into a “Christian” holiday by re-naming it “The Feast of the Nativity”. Western Culture still celebrates this tradition. We just call it Christmas.

Q: Why do we use a Christmas Tree at Christmas?
A: One of the main centerpieces of the celebration of Saturnalia was the use of “evergreen” branches and trees. There was a common belief that the evergreens had a special power to overcome death and stay green all year long that other plants and trees lacked. People believed that they needed to surround themselves with this power at a time of year when darkness and cold were increasing. Other cultures associated the evergreen with fertility and new life.

It is falsely believed that the “Christmas Tree” was referred to in the Book of Ezekiel as an artifact of pagan Christmas idol worship. It is important to know that the Ezekiel passage proceeded the use of Christmas trees and the writer of the passage was making reference to a person who would go to the forest to cut down a tree in order to fashion it into an idol specifically for idol worship un related to a specific holiday or celebration. The ‘wood craftsman’ would actually tool the tree down in a way that it no longer even looked like a tree.
Tradition holds that the first person to actually decorate a tree at Christmastime was Martin Luther by placing candles on its branches in order to create a “glow” from within his home to the outside passersby.

Q: Were There Three Wise men?
A: Actually the place we get this idea of there being three Wise men at the birth of Christ, is from a song. “We Three Kings Of Orient Are”. Words & Music: John H. Hopkins Jr. 1857. Hopkins actually wrote this carol for a Christmas Pageant at the General Theological Seminary in New York City.

The assumption is made that since scripture talks about three gifts that there must be three wise men or kings. Actually, if these men were travelling as far as it is presumed, there would more than likely have had a large entourage - More than three people - Scripture tells us what we need to know, there were three gifts: Gold, Incense and Myrrh. The Gold would obviously have served as money to appease a potential King such as Jesus, the Myrrh and incense would also be proper gifts for a King based on common customs of the day.

Q: What about the virgin birth was that just a myth or is this even really possible?
A: Well, it is indeed an unbelievable event that took place. In fact there are miracles throughout the Bible that are without human explanation except to say that with God, all things are possible. The fact remains that in God’s perfect plan for the redemption of fallen man, there had to be a “perfect” sacrifice and it had to be once and for all. Not something that had to be done over and over again, like the priestly sacrifices of the Old Testament, and not something that could ever be replicated by anyone past, present, or future. It had to be a God thing.

You may ask that if God was able to do all things, then why didn’t he just let Joseph be the father. Well, you see that goes all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 with the “Fall of Man”. The “seed” of humanity is passed from the man. And it is in that seed that sin nature is also passed along. It is by one man that sin entered the world. –Adam. This is why Jesus was born without that sin nature. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit – God – Who is without sin. In other words, Mary had to be a virgin so that this sin nature could not be passed on to Jesus. If Jesus was born of Joseph’s seed, at best all He could have been was just a “Good” man; but, since He was born of God’s seed He was perfect, blameless, and capable of serving as the “once-and-for-all-sacrifice” for all who would believe.

I believe it would take more faith to believe that God would allow sin to serve as a perfect sacrifice for sin. This would be against the nature of God and would prove that God is not perfect. This would have to assume that God had to attain His Godhood, meaning that someone or something gave it to Him also meaning that someone or something was greater than God.

Q: Was Jesus really born on December 25th?
A: There is really no way of knowing the exact day that our Lord was born. It would make sense that it was less likely to be in the middle of Winter or a cold month, based on the Biblical account in Luke 2. Since the Shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks and the fact that it was at night would be contradictory to normal ranging practices in the Middle East. Shepherds may have been at the bottom of the food-chain worker-wise, but they weren’t that dumb to be sleeping outside in the middle of December. Some experts surmise maybe late September or even April by other accounts. Furthermore, the year of Christ’s birth was also unlikely to be year “0”. It was likely later than our modern day calendar implies.

The point is that whether is December 25th or February 29th, the point is that we celebrate His birth on a fixed day every year and we all look forward to it with incredible anticipation.

Q: Should Christians Celebrate a Holiday that is all about Commercialism and has Pagan roots?
A: I believe we can and in this modern day I believe we should. In light of the fact that Commercialism is at its zenith with sales, shopping mall door busting, and with Santa Claus on every street corner, and every television show, we now, more than ever, need to celebrate the Birth of Christ at Christmas all the more.
We could hand it over to the money-makers and greedy store owners, and literally the world, but I would encourage you to continue to see Jesus as the reason we celebrate Christmas.

So Finally, Yes! We can and do celebrate Jesus as Lord throughout the rest of the year, but since Christmas seems to be about “giving”, then lets talks about the greatest gift of all. The birth of God’s own Son who was born to die as a sacrifice; a gift that we could never earn. God gives us His Son as the Ultimate gift our gift back to God is our acceptance of that gift by giving Him “Our Heart”.

Titus' Plight ~ Paul's Tenacity

Titus 1:5 "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town as I directed you."

I was speaking with a friend recently about how sometimes we have relationships with people that allow us to speak bluntly and exactly what is on our mind and know that the other person won't misinterpret or be hurt or offended by what we say.

Let me give you an example:

When I was in a ministry in another state several years ago, I had a good friend who was in a crisis of belief. It was discovered that he was the owner of a large quantity of pornographic magazines, videos and paraphernalia that no doubt had a monetary value of well in to the thousands of dollars. He had amassed the collection over the course of at a least a couple of decades.

Without going into the long story and incredible details of how he had destroyed his family and eventually landed in prison after shooting a man. That day, he came to me in tears and begged me for help. I told him quite bluntly: " (Name), You know what you have to do." We spent a couple of hours gathering and weeping and praying and talking.

We took every bit of what he had hidden throughout the house and his vehicle and created a massive bonfire.

There were many times before and after that day that I could say to him whatever he needed to hear and he would accept it.

This is the kind of relationship that Paul had with Titus. Titus was a man that was actually led to faith in Christ by Paul himself.. 1:4 "My true son in our common faith.."

Paul was telling Titus to do what he knew he had to do even in the face of opposition and insubordination from within the church, especially from the Jews, who were more concerned about issues like circumcision than true conversion. 1:10 "For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers, and decievers, especially those of the circumcision group...";

Titus was encouraged by Paul to take care of business the way he knew it ought to be done. We need friends like this in our lives, don't we? People who allow us to speak bluntly, but more important, we need to have friends in our lives who have permission to do the same to us. To tell us when we're off track, to tell us we are wrong, to tell us when our breath stinks, and know that we will love them for it.

Who is your Paul?

December to Remember

Well, believe it or not, we are in the last month of the great year of 2007. 2008 is looming over us and if you haven't accomplished what you set out to do in January of this year, you have 3 1/2 weeks to Git 'R Done.

I am encouraged by the things God has allowed me to do this past year and especially for the relationships He let me start.

The banner of this year for me is no doubt the Chaplaincy. He inspired me to pursue becoming a Chaplain back in July of 2006 and here we are in December of 2007 well into this new aspect of ministry.

This past week at the Guard unit, I was allowed to lead our entire unit and many of their family members in a time of prayer before we enjoyed a Christmas Dinner. I consider it a huge blessing to even bring up the topic of our great God, and even more special that I could speak about this time of year as being a time to celebrate the Birth of His Son Jesus.

I have always enjoyed praying in an extemporaneous style, but I was given some advice by a Chaplain recently, that I should write down a prayer ahead of time in order to keep the focus. So I did this for the first time ever: This is that prayer...

Almighty God and Creator,

There are many things that bless our lives, but none as much as the blessing of Your Son. It is because of Him that we celebrate this season and because of Him that we gather for celebrations just like this. Thank you for the hands that have labored to provide the food. Thank you for the leaders who have committed to serve. Thank you for the soldiers and their families who will enjoy its nourishment and sustainment.

Allow us to enjoy each other and have a great time of laughter and fellowship.

Place Your blessings on the soldiers of this unit, and those of our comrades around the world who continue to hold guard force positions as well as fight for peace, joy and happiness.

In Your Name, I pray, Amen.

(Prayer for the IDANG Twin Falls Christmas Banquet 2 Dec 2007 b y 2LT John Martinez -my very first prayer as a Chaplain for our unit)

2007 will be a December to Remember.

Guard Weekend

I believe I have finally settled into a routine regarding my Guard duty. The first weekend of the month now has it's designation in my life. The next time you are on you way into church on a Sunday morning you might see the soldiers out on a run near the CSI Campus. Our Unit Commander says we will do PT every month as a unit. Hooah!

I have been so excited and amazed at how God has caused everything to work out so beautifully. I would never have imagined ever being back in the military let alone in such a significant role in the lives of our soldiers.

I do know for certain that I will make every attempt to stay in until retirement as long as the Lord allows. That seems like forever from now, but no doubt I will be looking back and wondering where all the years have gone.

-John M