What Happened to Colt?

If the BCS isn't bad enough, the Heisman voting had to come along to demonstrate all that is wrong with college football.
Tonight's travesty: Mark Ingram is NOT the number one running back in the nation. He's #12 in rushing yards per game, 26th in scoring and 31st in all purpose yards. He had his best game ever against Florida last week, and Alabama will be playing in the national championship, but along the way they had to beat such powerhouses as North Texas, Florida International, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Auburn which combined for a 26 win - 34 loss season. By the way, Ingram did not rush for even 100 yards in any of these games. (San Antonio Express-News, Dec. 12, 2009, pg. 6D)
Sorry to be bitter, but Colt McCoy IS the winningest quarterback in the history of college football and though he didn't have the game of his career against Nebraska last week, he did lead his team to victory AND a spot in the BCS national championship bowl. This in addition to leading his team to an undefeated season with some outstanding games along the way in what is arguably one of the top two or three conferences in the nation. He won the Maxwell and the Walter Camp awards for player of the year, but he comes in 3rd in the Heisman vote? What!? Politically correct sportswriters cannot see past the last game of the season, don't understand season statistics and generally hate anyone from Texas (and that includes you Aggies too).
Go Horns! Beat Alabama and Mark Ingram!

How Do We Pray for a Crazed Killer?

This morning I received an email from a member of our church. It contained both as confession and a question that many are probably asking today, although most would not venture to voice it publicly. Though emails do not have inflection, I caught a hint of despair and confusion which I knew warranted immediate attention, so I prayerfully wrote out a response. The confession, the question and even the emotion of the email are most likely things many Christians are struggling with today. I asked my parishioner for permission to share the email and my response with you. I hope the few minutes it takes for you read this blog entry will be worth your time and help in your own personal struggle concerning this issue. Your responses are welcomed.

The email read:

Bro. Mitch,

I have a question.
How do you pray for this monster that murdered all these people on the military base, the fact that he is even still alive?
Is it wrong to wish he would have died or were dead? What a horrible thing for me to even say. God already knows what I am thinking, so I can not pretend the thought did not enter my brain.

Thanks,

Signed by Parishioner

My response (expanded somewhat from the original);

Your question is one all Christians deal with from time to time, even if we’re unwilling to admit it. For you to be honest with God is the first step. Like the man who came to Jesus with a son suffering from demon possession, we need to say to God, “I believe, but help my unbelief.”

Our goal is to see people through the eyes of Jesus and to love people as He loves them. U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan is really no different than any one of the Roman soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross. They had bought into the lies of the Roman government and church leaders but Jesus looked at them and said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.” Muslim extremists have bought into the lies of Eastern culture and the Muslim faith. They too are lost and are in need of the Savior. Actually, the Roman soldiers and this crazed killer are just like each of us once were. The Bible asserts, "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." The Message Bible paraphrases Paul's reminder to the church in this way: "It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. [2] You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. [3] We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us." (Ephes. 2:1-3 )

You see, Satan is alive and well. He has a grip on the lives of Muslim extremists, but we must also remember that most of the "good old boys" we share life with on a daily basis are just as lost as they are. God sees all people, including Major Hasan with the same eyes and loves them with the same heart He sees and loves you with. As God's children we must remember that there is always hope in Jesus Christ. Don't forget that Paul's reminder to the church didn't end in verse three. It continued, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, [5] made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephes. 2:4-5)

We can only pray that the senseless violence will stop and that all people, including Muslims like Major Hasan, will realize that the man on the cross gave His life for them. One of the thieves crucified next to Christ realized who Jesus was, confessed Him as Lord, and even in the waning moments of his life, his sins were forgiven. Until that final breath is taken, there is hope. There is hope for Major Hasan and his hope is only in Christ Jesus. Pray that someone will have the opportunity and boldnessto share the gospel with him and that he too will be saved. And, when you don't want to pray for his salvation because he "doesn't deserve it" remember, neither did you!

Now, there is one other thing of great importance to remember. The thief crucified next to Jesus, though forgiven, still had to pay his debt to society. Salvation does not relieve us from the consequences of our sin and Major Hasan will pay society for the heinous acts which he committed, whether or not he repents of his sin.

We are to pray for Major Hasan who committed this deadly act, understanding that Christ died for him just like He did for us. We can also rightly pray that the laws of our land will be upheld and that he will swiftly pay his debt to society. We need to pray for the surviving victims and the families of all of the dead and injured. Pray that many who have ignored Christ, or put off making a decision to accept Him, will see this as a wake-up call, realizing that life is short and the day of salvation is now. Pray for the Christians of Killeen and surrounding towns as they minister in the name of Jesus Christ and pray for yourself, that God will grant you peace that is beyond understanding, even in times like these.

I hope this blog entry has helped you and my prayer for you is the same as that prayed by the Apostle Paul for the church in Ephesis found in Ephes. 1:18 : "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you..."

A freind of mine posted a photo of a Lion Fish on her Facebook site. These fish are very harmful to the Carribean reefs and are not indigenous to the area. They have been introduced by people buying them for their aquariums then releasing them, either in the Gulf of Mexico or the Carribean. Either way, they end up in the warm waters of the Carribean and on the reefs there. They eat the roe and fry of the reef fish and they have no natural preditors on the Carribean reefs. Dive masters in Cozumel have received instructions to capture and kill all that they find. An effort is underway in the US to outlaw the possession and/or sale of these distructive fish. Guess where my friend took her photo. You guessed it, in a local pet shop aquarium!

Here are a couple of photos of Lion Fish I took in Cozumel this summer.

This first one is of a lion fish hiding under a small shelf of coral.

These next two photos are of our dive master, Julio, holding a captured Lion Fish. It has been bagged to be taken to the surface and disposed of .

Day #2 in the life of Drew Pellerin

Actually, this first photo was taken on day one, but Grandpa was relucant to share it before now. The sign on the window of the Nursery says "Do Not Take Photos Through The Window". When my sister was born two and a half years ago, Grandpa almost got kicked out of the hospital for breaking the rules. Can you believe he's a preacher? Anyway, he accidently tripped while walking up to the window to see me and as he fell the camera went off and Poof, this picture was taken.

This is mommy showing off a pretty handmade quilt Ms. Barbara Engelman made for me. It matches my room which is a monkey motif. Thank you Ms. Barbara, we love the quilt!
This is how I spend most of my time. Snoozing!

He I am with my Gram and big sister, Ashtyn.
Here's my proud grandparents, Gram and Grandpa with Ashtyn and me.

This is my cousin Thatcher and Double A (Aunt Angela).

Grandpa brought me my first fishing rod and I can't wait to try it out.

Yesterday afternoon at 3:16, our daughter Laura Pellerin, gave birth to Andrew Charles Pellerin, 7lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long. He and mommy are doing wonderfully well. His daddy, Bobby, and big sister, Ashtyn are also doing well and very excited. Here are a few photos of Drew, our third grandchild (second grandson). I guess you could say Gram and Grandpa are pretty proud, also. Enjoy the photos!

Mr. Drew Pellerin

Mommy and Drew

Big Sister, Ashtyn, and Baby Drew

Daddy, Big Sister and Drew

Gram and Drew

Nana and Drew

Grandmother and Drew

Grandpa and Drew

Whimpy Parents

There was a time, not too many years ago, when schools and other organizations designed to meet the needs of children never considered having activities which conflicted with church attendance. Not so anymore! Why, you ask? Well, I think the answer is simple: We have a bunch of whimpy parents who, though they profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, are afraid to stand up to the Satanic influences of society. I thank God that a long time before I became a pastor, my wife stood up in meetings of the Seguin Youth Basketball Association and the Seguin Youth Soccer Association and said "NO!" to playing or practicing on Sunday's. It was interesting that all it took was one person of conviction to stand and say "no" to see many others join in. As the wave of support for no Sunday practice or games grew, both organizations backed down and Sunday was protected as "the Lord's day".

Not all churches met on Sunday evenings, and many do not today, but Christians of many faiths banded together with an understanding that Sunday belonged to the Lord.
Even those who did not meet on Sunday evenings remembered that God said, "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy." Why? Because they respected one another.

Today, whimpy parents have forgotten how to say "no", both to the organizations and to their own children. Today, schools and organizations never think twice about having events on Sunday. It's no longer the Lord's day, but "family day", or "fun day." I'm pretty sure the Bible hasn't changed and that God still sees it as His day.

Whimpy parents, learn to say "no" again. Dave Ramsey gives some great instructions: "Place your tongue just behind your upper front teeth. With a nasal "n" sound, exhale slowly while moving your tongue down and your lips into a circular shape. Keep doing this until you hear it...'.......Nnnnnoooooooo."

By the way, once you catch on, you can stop being a whimp toward your own children as well. You can begin to say it to them too. "Nnnnnooooooooo."

Got it? Now try it!

Missions - My Take On It All

There is rarely a week that goes by that I do not receive at least one request for assistance from some well meaning, biblically based missions ministry. They run the gambit in personality and style. They focus their ministries on building churches, assisting in disaster relief efforts, starting and maintaining orphanages, sending medical teams to combat AIDS, or any one of a thousand other missions. All are good and well-meaning missions. I have no doubt that most people involved in these ministries have a divine calling and real passion for their particular ministries, but I generally choose not to support them financially. I have been criticized for this on many occasions and some believe I am uncaring or lack sympathy for those who are hurting in our world. In fact, I am offended by those nay sayers. They generally insinuate that my position is founded upon little thought or prayer. That could not be farther from the truth. So, today I am sharing my reasoning for supporting Southern Baptist ministries and missions. I share from my heart to yours.

Long before I was ever born, the church began to realize that the Great Commission was given not just to the eleven apostles, but to the entire church. The importance of missions and evangelism began to grow in importance. In May 1845 two hundred ninety-three Baptists met together in Augusta, Georgia and formed the Southern Baptist Convention. Since then, Southern Baptists have had their fair share of squabbles, disagreements and even some downright failures, but to be where they are today, they must have done something right as well, I won’t go into a lengthy history of the Southern Baptist Convention here, but I believe God has had His hand on Southern Baptists down through the years.

In the early days of the Convention, and even before, each ministry segment of the convention was pretty much on its own, particularly when it came to funding. The Foreign Mission Board, the Home Mission Board, the publishing arm, and others all were self funded. All of these entities were called “Societies” and each society was busy raising funds for their own work, even at the expense of the others. It seemed as if they were often working against one another, rather than with one another. As the work of God’s kingdom grew, this societal method for funding became ambiguous, cumbersome and less effective in carrying out the total ministry of the church. In 1925 the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a simple but profound change in the way it funds ministries, both at home and around the world. They called it the Cooperative Program. Simply stated, churches and agencies would begin to cooperate with one another in their funding strategies. Local churches would send funds to their respective state conventions, who in turn would retain a percentage for state missions and ministry funding, then send the rest on to the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC would then divide the money among all of its ministry and mission agencies in accordance with directions received from its executive committee. This committee was, and still is, made up of members from every state convention. No longer were individual ministry or missions agencies allowed to solicit direct funding from the churches. For these last eighty-four years the Cooperative Program has worked magnificently well, and it is a major reason that I have elected to be a Southern Baptist.

I believe in the way we, as Southern Baptist’s do missions and ministry. I believe that when we cooperate together to carry out the great commission, we can accomplish far more than any of us could alone. Southern Baptists’ have, over the past eighty-four years led the way in evangelism and missions. Our missionaries, both at home and abroad, never have to worry about how they will be funded. They do not have to return home every few months to beg for more money. They never have to fret over health or life insurance. They can sleep in peace knowing that their children will be educated. When there is a problem, they know that there is a strong agency behind them with a competent, trustworthy team to support them. They can spend their time, all of it, doing the ministry they were called to, without worrying about their personal needs. They know that when Bibles are needed, they’ll be there. If an automobile, or boat, or even and an airplane is needed to accomplish their mission, it will be made available. The Cooperative Program isn’t perfect, but it is the best financial strategy God has ever given. Why, because it’s Biblical. God has instructed each of us to “bring the tithe into the storehouse.” That is, we are to bring a portion of what He has given to us (10 percent of our growth) to His church, so that it can do the ministry He has called it to do. The same principle has been applied to the conventions ministry and mission, and it works better than any thing else because it is a Biblical principle.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church, but as an adult I can choose to be a part of any denomination I desire, or none at all. I choose to be a Southern Baptist because I like the way we do missions! We have our faults, but mission support is not one of them. I support our missionaries for two major reasons. First, because they are depending on me. As a Southern Baptist, I have made a commitment to them and I plan to remain true to that commitment. This is also a major reason I rarely support other mission sending agencies or independent missionaries.

The second is equally important: Southern Baptist missionaries are held highly accountable. There is a structured system in place to both select the most highly qualified applicants for missionary service, and to monitor their activity once on the mission field. Southern Baptist missionaries are held accountable in their personal lives, their financial lives and in their ministries. I know that the money I, or my church gives to Southern Baptist work will be used in a manner that is uplifting to the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that our missionaries are held to a higher standard than many other agency missionaries are, and I appreciate that. While the Southern Baptist Convention is a huge organization, my church and I still have a voice and a vote in what takes place. Southern Baptist missionaries are OUR missionaries and they are accountable to US, and I like that. So, I will continue to support Southern Baptist mission and ministry causes above and before all others.

There are an abundance of wonderful ministries out there, but if you are a Southern Baptist, I would encourage you to support your own first. Give your tithe through your local church and celebrate the Cooperative Program. It’s our lifeline to world missions.