Upcoming Revival

50 Years Ago

Fifty years ago this weekend I received Jesus Christ as my Savior. I was born again. I was saved. I was made alive in Christ. I moved from the kingdom of darkness to light. There are many ways to express it and I often try to explain it but experiencing it made all the difference in my eternal trajectory. One moment in time and everything changed.

Betty and I were sweethearts at the time (still are) and we attended a revival meeting on a Saturday night at Gratz Baptist Church in Gratz, Kentucky. Many details are vivid in my mind. I always thought it was Saturday, October 5th but it must have been October 7th. October 5th was a Thursday in 1972. My Dad was preaching that night and The Gospel Reporters were singing. I loved and still love good gospel music, Southern style.

That particular night “Bro Buck” was preaching from 2 Kings 5 about Naaman and Elisha. Naaman was a leper and leprosy was incurable but Naaman had his pride and his plans. When Elisha said, “Go dip yourself seven times in the Jordan River and be clean,” Naaman resisted. He knew of other rivers that were cleaner and better than the Jordan. Why must he dip seven times in a muddy river? His servants said to him, “If the prophet had asked you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you have done it? This is simple. Do what the prophet said.” Naaman obeyed the word of the prophet. He went in a dying leper and he came out clean.

Fifty years ago the Holy Spirit settled all over me like a smothering blanket of conviction. As the preacher preached, he spoke of the many ways mankind tries to deal with the leprosy of sin.

There is the world’s way of dealing with it. Live a good life and don’t do anything terribly bad.

There is religion’s way. Be sincere. Be baptized. Join the church. Read the Bible. Tithe.

There is your own way. Just as Naaman had his own opinion, even though he knew no one who had been healed of leprosy, still mankind makes its own plans.

These are all false rivers that cannot cleanse us.

Ultimately, cleansing can only come God’s way. He has provided a sacrifice for our sins. It is only through Jesus who died for us and rose again that we can have our sins cleansed. We must go to that cleansing river and humble ourselves before our loving Savior. Cleansing proceeds from the blood of Jesus and whoever calls out to Him shall be saved.

I know because it happened to me 50 years ago this week. I was justified and I am still being sanctified. He is still working on me. As “Just as I Am” was being played, I stepped out of that seat and took the first step and I was immediately forgiven. The leprosy of sin was cleansed. The burden of doubt that I had carried for years was lifted and I was given a “know so” faith.

The next morning at my home church I stood before the people who had known me from birth and confessed the hypocrisy of pretending to be something that I was not. Shortly thereafter I followed the Lord in believers baptism and surrendered my life to declare the gospel. It has been a glorious 50 years.

I still struggle. I still sin. But I am standing in Christ who is perfecting me until that day when I am in His presence.

If I can help you, believe me I want to. Contact us at takeheart.org or message me on Facebook.

Laws of the Harvest

It is “harvest time” in the Midwest. Already across Northern Missouri, farmers are beginning to realize the fruit of their labors. Combines have been serviced and are beginning to fulfill the purpose for which they were made. They were manufactured to bring in that which was planted months ago.

Every combine lives by the “laws of the harvest.” We can’t expect them to know that, but each one of them shouts out the fulfillment of four absolute laws relating to the harvest. As they lumber through the fields they give mechanical testimony to biblical truth.

They reap what was sown.

They reap where the seed was sown.

They reap much more than was sown.

They reap months later than it was sown.

Those are four laws of the harvest and although I have proclaimed them many times over many years they remain true. They are laws, not principles. A principle speaks in generalities. Generally when something happens, something else follows. But a law speaks in absolutes. Unless God interrupts the process in some miraculous display of grace, we can expect to reap what we have sown.

The apostle Paul expressed it this way in Galatians 6:7-9: “Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”

Both the good and the bad are expressed in this passage. You may reap a wonderful harvest of spiritual growth and blessing. You may reap a horrible harvest of loss and destruction. The harvest is based on what you sow and where you sow. It follows behind us in abundance.

Years ago, my mom and I decided we would make a bunch of money one summer raising cucumbers. Paramount Pickle Company came to Gallatin County and convinced us that there was money to be made. You plant the cucumbers and enjoy the fruit of your labors. Plant, cultivate, pick and sell. It sounded great and it would keep a sixteen year old boy busy for a summer. I didn’t understand that they wanted little bitty pickles. Our first delivery to the purchasing station netted a grand total of $.98. That was not a fun summer.

One event stands out in my mind. We only planted 1/4th of an acre but it was not easy. I was tired of planting cucumbers so at the edge of the field I threw a handful of seed under a flat rock. I finished planting before my mom and sister. My seed was gone that late April day. But it sprouted in May leaving no doubt as to why I finished planting so soon. Coming from under the rock was a forest of cucumber vines. They bore silent testimony to one of the laws of harvest.

There will be a harvest of what we have planted. Sow wild oats and expect a harvest of sorrow. Invest in the service of Jesus and He promises an abundant harvest.

We rarely sing the old hymn, “Bringing in the Sheaves,” but sometimes certain lines from that old song come to mind.

“By and by the harvest and the labor ended

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.”

Take heart, folks, your labor for Jesus will produce a harvest. It’s the law!

(To listen to the message “Sowing and Reaping” click “episodes” at takeheart.org)

Standing Somewhere in the Shadows

Nonsensical events occur in life. How much faith do you have? Your faith will be tested. Life is a stormy sea and our boat is very small.

We could make a list of all the crazy, ugly things that happen. The disciples could have made a list of their troubles and trials. And yet in their biggest storm they learned that Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. He walked to them on the very thing that threatened to sink them. He showed up in the middle of their storm (Matthew 14:23-33).

Mary and Martha questioned Jesus as to why He didn’t come when they called for Him. Lazarus had been sick and now he was dead. “If you had been here my brother would not have died” (John 11:21,32). The truth is that He did show up. He just didn’t do it on their schedule. He was on time and soon they would know it.

The disciples, some of them at least, watched Him die on a rugged cross. They thought Him to be the Messiah and they were devastated. Two were walking down the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and He showed up. Others were gathered in an upper room (John 20:19) and He showed up. The tomb was empty and He showed up.

I could make a long list of times when Jesus showed up. I could make an equally long list of promises that He will.

“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

“He that began a good work in you will perform it.” (Philippians 1:6}

“He works all things together for the good to those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28)

All things are not good. In fact some things are horribly not good. I frequently don’t like the “all things” of Romans 8:28. My human mindset and understanding fail. Where is Jesus in a storm, at a grave, on a lonely road, in a room filled with sad, ashen faces? Can I trust Him when my life falls apart?

This very issue strikes at the heart of doubt. There is believing doubt and unbelieving doubt. Believing doubt cries out with questions. I just finished reading the book of Job. Oh, my! But believing doubt also defends the God that doesn’t need our defending. “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Crushed and broken, Job questioned and believed all at the same time.

Unbelieving doubt is convinced that there is no good God. “If God is good, then why…?” A guide in Israel stood in the plaza near the western wall, the wailing wall and asked my group, “If God is good, why the Holocaust?” He had no living relations beyond his immediate, close family. They had all died in Hitler’s camps.

I don’t understand all of our troubles. I just know we can cast our cares on Him. I know that when we struggle to trace His hand we must trust His heart.

Kenneth Downie wrote a not so well known gospel song that tells this truth

Standing somewhere in the shadows you’ll find Jesus.

He’s the only one who cares and understands.

Standing somewhere in the shadows you will find Him.

And you’ll know Him by the nail prints in His hands.

Take heart, people. He is standing in the shadows and cares for you.

A Tribute to Some Mighty Good Teachers

As a new school year begins, my thoughts return to school years long gone and of teachers who changed my life. I was blessed with the best. While every teacher I sat under was not enjoyable, they were at least endurable and all respectable. I honor them to this day.

I grew up in an educationally divided home. My mom was a graduate of Georgetown College, a Baptist school in Georgetown, Kentucky. She taught English and literature for over 30 years at Gallatin County High School. She was a great teacher and disciplinarian. She gave me my first “C” when I was a Senior.

My Dad, on the other hand, was a different story. He quit school at age 16. He would recount that the eighth grade was the “three longest years of my life.” That wasn’t true but it always got a laugh. Mom taught English and Dad had horrible grammar. That was not because of a lack of intelligence. Together, they made a great pair and as the singing group Alabama sang, “It Works.” My sister would go on to become a teacher and family dinners would be full of educational conversations. Dad would say, “School, school, school! I get so tired of hearing about school!” He meant it.

In 1959, I started first grade at Glencoe Elementary. There was no kindergarten or day care in those days. Margaret Arrasmith was my first grade teacher. I thought she was ancient. She taught first and second grade in the same room. That was common in the last century. She was my teacher for grades 1,2,3, part of the 4th and for history in the 6th. I learned so much from Miss Margaret. In later years she would come to hear me preach and told me that she “never taught a bad kid.” Her memory must have been fading.

Every morning, we pledged allegiance to the American flag and recited the Lord’s Prayer. In 1962, when the United States Supreme Court ruled prayer and Bible reading unconstitutional in public school, we carried on. I learned to recite the Lord’s Prayer in a public school. Miss Margaret was a great Christian teacher who kept a Bible and a paddle on her desk and used both regularly. She was a teacher worthy of honor.

Godly teachers impact students in ways they could never realize. The Gallatin County school system had some of the best. Althea Craft, Kathleen Carver, Edith Norman, Doug Ball, Katie Lowe, Ralph Edwards and many more who impacted multiple generations. I know I am leaving many off my list.

Then there was Frances Shinkle. Mom didn’t just impact me. Her deep faith and unbending discipline shaped us. This week, I heard a a speaker begin to quote,

“It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee”

And I thought, “Oh, brother!”

How can a woman love God and love the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe at the same time? How can a teacher make students memorize and publicly recite 20 passages from Macbeth? But she did. And it has blessed me through the years.

I won’t even mention college and seminary professors who changed my life. I will leave that for another time.

So, “take heart,” teacher! Whether you are toiling in public, private or at home, may God bless you. Perhaps fifty years from now some old man will rise up and bless your name. Hang in there.

Our Confidence Must be in Christ

At some critical point in life we are all failures. You do not win every game. You may “ace” every test in school and fail in life. In fact, there will be many failures along the way. Our enemy keeps track of every stumble and as our accuser, he will remind us. He releases flights of burning arrows of accusation that cause us great pain. These are much more than distractions. They can be debilitating.

Show me one of our biblical heroes who did not know the attacks of our enemy. Jesus prevailed against those blistering, fiery arrows. He stands alone. He overcame on the Mount of Temptation and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Throughout His earthly life, He was tempted in all points as we are and did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15). There is no one like Him.

Hebrews 11 contains that wonderful Hall of Fame which is a tribute to the faith of God’s saints. They did much by faith. Some we barely read about in the Bible, but others occupy great portions of Scripture. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon and David are all listed as living by faith. There are others unknown to us but well known to God who accomplished much by faith.

Take heart dear people! Our confidence is not in our talent or ability. Every time we place confidence in ourselves we are as Noah after the flood, Abraham down in Egypt, Jacob on a normal day and Moses striking the rock in the wilderness. We are like Gideon before his army was reduced in size or Samson before he knew that the Spirit of God had departed from him.

David at Ziklag learned a lesson. When everyone spoke of stoning him, he “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6). That stands as example to all of us.

We may fail but that doesn’t make us a failure. We may sin. We are sinners. Yet in Christ Jesus we are “not condemned.” (Romans 8:1). We are knocked down in Romans 7 but we stand upright in Romans 8. There is no condemnation in Christ and there is no separation from Christ. Our confidence is not in our performance. Our confidence is in Him and His promise. David learned that, and so must we.

Writing in Philippians 1:6, Paul set forth the basis of our confidence. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” I take heart in that wonderful promise. Christ began this work and He will see me through. He began and He will complete it. My confidence is in Him and not in my own abilities. This is how the Christian life is to be lived. We live our lives confident in Him.

The accuser will continue to release his burning arrows. Life is tough and will get tougher. There is a promise, but a promise is only as sure as the one who makes it. Our Lord Jesus is our surety. He signed our note at Calvary. He finishes what He starts.

Our confidence is in Christ.

Upcoming Revival

Mark your calendars for these great upcoming nights of revival!

Revival

Mt Hermon Baptist Church, Olean, Mo.

August 7-10 (Sunday night through Wednesday night)

7pm each night

Sunday night – The Singing Disciples

Monday night – The Front Porch Singers

Tuesday night – Jonathan Shinkle with Jubilee Rising

Wednesday night – The Lesters from St Louis

We Need a Rain.

We need a rain. We need a soaker. The fields are dry. The leaves on the corn stalks are curling up. The crops are stressed. The leaves of the trees are falling early. The grass under our feet is crunchy. Gardens are being kept alive by sprinklers. The ponds are getting shallow and stagnant. Even the fish need a drink. We need a rain.

The present news cycle is filled with talk of gas prices, inflation, January 6 hearings, war in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Covid variants and the President’s mental state. There is much to be concerned about. I will add one more thing to the list. Much of the Midwest and Southwest is growing desperate for rainfall. It could reach a point when we find water of greater value than oil.

Blame it on climate change if you wish. History would prove that there have been droughts on the earth since Genesis 3. There have also been storms and floods. In spite of changing weather patterns we have known “summer, winter, springtime and harvest.” I wasn’t alive during the “dust bowl years.” I do remember the long, hot summer of 1980. There was record breaking heat that continued for weeks. In more recent times, 2012 was an exceptionally dry summer. We need rain.

God can use many things to get our attention. That is a Biblical principle. He controls the weather. In the days of Elijah, God was so disgusted with the idolatrous nation of Israel that He sent a drought. There was no rain for 3 1/2 years according to the word spoken by the prophet Elijah. Everything dried up and famine shook the land. But God had their attention. That drought ended after a showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel.

Jeremiah proclaimed (Jeremiah 3:3) that God withheld the showers because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people. My point is that we have more to be concerned with than climate change. Is God trying to gain our attention? You know He is.

Simeon Webster was an old country preacher that God used in my life many years ago. He is long gone from this world. He told of dust bowl days in Kentucky. It didn’t rain for a long time. Pasture was scarce and ponds went dry. Trees were cut down so that cows could eat the leaves. They were desperate. When they gathered at church for their “summer revival,” the building was packed. People were desperate for rain and they turned to God. He had their attention.

One year later, the situation changed. The rains came. The ponds filled and pasture was plentiful. When they gathered for their “summer revival” everything was back to normal. The desperation had passed.

We need rain. We are beginning to pray for it because we are in a dry and thirsty land. More than H2O, we need an outpouring of God’s grace upon our people. In Psalm 72, David wrote these important words. These words contain the last recorded prayer of Israel’s greatest king. They are words of great promise.

“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth” (Psalm 72:6).

We need a rain.

Take Heart, Believer. There is Hope for America.

A cloud of despair and gloom settles over our nation even as we prepare to set off another round of fireworks. As a whole, our nation is as pessimistic as I can recall it being, and for good reason. It must be the economy! We are befuddled by inflation, beaten down by gas prices and broken by the stock market. We would feel much better about ourselves if we were not headed into a recession. At least that is what we think.

The economy may be a symptom but it is not the disease. Every thinking believer must know that there is a principle of cause and effect. Our nation is not prospering. That is the effect, not the cause. The cause is that we have rejected righteousness and have forgotten God.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

More and more earnest, sincere people find no cause for optimism. In doing so we discredit God. Can there be a reason for optimism? Can America experience a mighty moving of God again? Can a nation turn around? Is there any hope?

In Joseph Tracy’s wonderful accounting of revival, “The Great Awakening” published in 1842, he writes of the incredible low spiritual tide in the the northeastern colonies prior to a mighty move of God. He describes 1739 as a time of drunkenness, immortality, murder and lawlessness. Then God began to move.

Jonathan Edwards gave this accounting of the movement of God in Northampton, Massachusetts.

In the year 1740, in the spring, before Mr Whitfield came to town, there was a visible alteration. There was more seriousness and religious conversation, especially among young people. Those things that were of ill tendency among them were more forborne, and it was a more frequent thing for persons to visit their minister upon soul accounts. In some particular persons, there appeared a great alteration about that time. And thus it continued until Mr Whitfield came to town which was about the middle of October following.

The language may be a little archaic but the divine intervention is not. In a very dark time, light broke through. God began to move. George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards did not cause the revival. God moved in response to desperation and sent revival.

We have every reason to be desperate. The moral condition of America is so dark that it is hard to imagine it being much darker. Our churches are cold. Our families are broken. Our hopes fade. We cannot fix our brokenness but God can.

Oh people of God, where is your faith? God sent His Son into a broken world. There is still hope for America. God is still on His throne and He does not wring His hands. Ultimately we face revival or ruin but we cannot continue as we are.

May God, who moved to send revival shortly before the American revolution, do it again. He is our only hope.

Love God. Love America

Can a Christian love America and love Jesus at the same time? Can a believer honor Christ and honor the U.S. flag in the same service? It may come as a shock to many of you who grew up pledging allegiance to three flags in Vacation Bible School that such a question would be asked. If your answer to those questions is “yes,” then you are considered by some to be a “Christian Nationalist.” You didn’t know there was such a thing, did you?

Generations change and so do ethical standards. Educational systems change and so does educational content. There is much wrong with America. The list is overwhelming. The latest round of tragic murders in our schools, stores and streets points to our depravity. For 50 years in America, a mother’s womb has been the most dangerous place for a child. The redefinition of family and confusion of the sexes have suddenly burst on us. Distrust or hatred because of skin color remains a real issue not to be swept under the rug. A tidal wave of confusion and craziness has rolled over us.

There is much about America that I do not like, but I love America. No Christian loves America to the same degree or level that he loves Jesus. It isn’t even close. Katherine Lee Bates gave us a wonderful hymn when she penned the words to “America the Beautiful.” God DID shed His grace on this country. I thrill to sing of it but not like I thrill to sing of Jesus. When I pledge allegiance to our flag, I am not pledging to “one nation over God.” Let us remember the order: “One nation under God” – without a comma. That comma makes a difference.

One cannot take Old Testament promises, meant for Israel, and apply them to America. That is not a proper way to handle God’s Word. But one can take the principles and precepts of scripture and bring them to bear on our nation today.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). That verse was written to Israel, but the principle remains.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Promise and principle come together in this verse. If you are going to sing “God Bless America,” then this verse better be in the back of your mind. Sin is a reproach to any people.

“If My people who are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). The promise was to Solomon and the people of Israel. That much is clear. The principle is for all believers of all time. Humble. Pray. Seek. Turn. Watch God work.

Throughout this month of July, it is fitting and proper to celebrate America. It is proper to do that in our places of worship. It is very difficult to imagine celebrating our great country and not calling this nation back to God. Everything about our founding was not right, but it was far better than modern revisionist writing makes it out to be.

Perhaps this makes me a “Christian Nationalist.” If so, I am at least glad the “Christian” part comes first.

Take heart, America. Jesus still cares for you – even if you pledge allegiance to the American flag.

Take Heart! Jesus Cares For You.

I am so glad that you are reading these words of hope, thankfulness and vision. They mark a new beginning for me and the continuance of a ministry launched in 1994 by Concord Baptist Church. The ministry, “Take Heart,” began as a television broadcast that eventually expanded to radio. The development of the World Wide Web would expand the reach of our efforts to (you guessed it) the world. God guided and provided all along the way.

Now we begin again. At the close of 2021, I concluded a 30+ year ministry as Senior Pastor of Concord Baptist Church, Jefferson City Missouri. It was a difficult decision. I loved and still love the people of Concord. My health was good. I still find great joy in preaching the gospel and ministering to people. The desire to see God’s kingdom come and His will done remains my daily prayer. Obedience to Christ is paramount and after 49 years of being in a pulpit each week, obedience to Christ led me to make a change. It is time to do the same thing, but in a different way – lift up Jesus with a ministry launched by but separate from one local church.

Concord Baptist Church graciously blessed the change by granting me the right to use all of my recorded messages as well as giving me full use of the name “Take Heart.” “Take Heart Ministries” has received 501c3 status as a not-for-profit ministry with its own board of directors and a vision statement that will guide us for years to come. We will seek to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to a world that needs a reason to “Take Heart.” By means of radio, archived messages, new messages and podcasts the gospel will be proclaimed.

Good gospel teaching is available in quantity as never before. Why is a ministry such as Take Heart needed? The focus of our programming will be on Jesus Christ. Jesus said “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32.) This directly spoke to His death on the cross. Beyond that, it can be argued that every part of the Bible points to His atoning death. The ministry of the Holy Spirit points to Jesus. The prophecies and pictures in the Old Testament point to Him. The Apostles proclaimed salvation through no other name than Jesus.

I feel that there remains a great need for Christ-centered preaching. People find hope and can take heart in Jesus. Ultimately, He is our only source of heart and hope. He is the Good Shepherd who “restores our soul.”

Come with me on this journey of lifting up Jesus. This ministry will only reach as far as the Lord allows. We will depend on the generous giving of God’s people to purchase air time. Our footprint will be as big as His provision. We wish to take no one’s tithe or gift away from a local church. I want to complement, not compete with, the local church.

May you have peace and be encouraged knowing that you can “Take Heart.” Jesus really does care for you.