It’s Resolution Time.

It’s resolution time in America. My chief resolution is to do something that I have done for nearly 40 years. I resolve to read the Bible through in 2024. It is the best book, but not necessarily an easy read. Bible reading requires prioritizing and diligence.

Something has changed with regard to resolutions. Ten years ago, the top ten resolutions were what you might expect:

Lose weight

Get organized

Spend less, save more

Enjoy life to the fullest

Stay fit and healthy

Learn something exciting

Quit smoking

Help others in their dreams

Fall in love

Spend more time with family

Each of these is a worthy resolution. My research then was based on a google search.

According to a December 19, 2023 post by Forbes Health, the number one resolution headed into 2024 is “improved mental health.” I am surprised by that. Among young adults age 18-25, 50% listed it as their number 1 resolution. Ages 26-41 followed at 49%, listing it as the priority. Only 39% of ages 42-57 listed it as number 1. I guess if you are over age 57 it doesn’t matter.

Note that “improved mental health” didn’t make the list ten years ago. But that was before the last ten years of heightened fear that we are destroying the planet and our young people have nothing to expect but disaster. That was before a pandemic, vaccines, shut- downs and face masks. That was before another decade of school shootings. That was before the last election and the confusion that followed. That was before a dysfunctional government. That was before the October 7th invasion of Israel by Hamas and the increased antisemitism worldwide. That was before we felt we were looking out over Armageddon.

No wonder we need improved mental health. My prescription for improved mental health is as old as Solomon. Consider these words from Proverbs 3:5,6.

I am resolved to “Trust in the Lord with all my heart and not depend on my own understandings. I will acknowledge him in all my ways and he will direct my path.”

Ezekiel, Nicodemus, and the Fulfillment of Prophecy

Last Sunday, I had the privilege to preach at First Baptist Church Eldon, Missouri. My focus was on John 3 and the wonderful encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus that culminated with, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus, this devout, religious Jew, needed a new birth.

I am praying for Israel. In my time of sermon preparation, I was reminded that all of Israel needs to be born again, as did Nicodemus. I recognize the need to take Old Testament texts in their context. In its context, God promised Israel that he would bring them out of the Babylonian captivity and back into the land (Ezekiel 36:24). He did that in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. Never again did Israel dabble with false gods.

Israel would be scattered again. While there was a Jewish presence in the land, there was not a nation called Israel until 1948. From all over the earth, the Jewish people moved “home.” They rebuilt lives after the Holocaust and rebuilt a nation. Please read these words from Ezekiel 36:24-28.

“For I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgements and do them.

And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people and I will be your God.”

What is my point? Israel is in the land. As Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” even so, Israel today needs the complete fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. They are in the land of the Lord but desperately need the Lord of the land. Israel needs the complete fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Jesus’s words to Nicodemus await fulfillment. They need a new birth.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11:26, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.”

Brothers and sisters, pray for the people of Israel. Pray for the salvation of Israel.

Take Heart: A Year in Review

Israel Trip

I am very excited to announce that I plan to lead another trip to Israel. The trip is scheduled for May 28-June 6, 2024. If the Lord allows this will be my ninth trip. It is a great honor to stand and teach where Jesus and our Bible heroes lived and taught. A trip to Israel will transform your reading of the Bible from black and white to living color. It will change you. 

I chose these dates because the school year will be over and the calendar will be open for more people. It is expensive and I understand that. The cost from St Louis is $4897. That includes airfare, taxes, tips and entry fees. There are no hidden costs. You are only responsible for your own lunch as we tour Israel. 

You can check the trip out at RegisterNow.ittworld.com and the Tour Code is Shinkle24. We will post a brochure elsewhere. 

Think of this as the trip of a lifetime and pray about it. 

Upcoming Revival

Bro. Monte will be joining his good friend Bro. Manual Seaton at Campground Christian Church for Campground’s annual spring revival meeting. Services will be April 16-20 at 7pm each night. The Singing Disciples will join them Sunday night to lead in worship. The campground is 6 miles south of Meta on highway 133. All are encouraged to join us.

Journey to the Empty Tomb: The End of the Beginning

Early in the morning, on the first day of the week, some faithful women made their way to the place where the dead body of Jesus had been entombed. They had prepared spices and they were concerned about how to roll the stone away from the door. We worry about so many things God has already provided.

The stone was rolled away and they went on in to take a look. Luke’s gospel says they were “perplexed.” His body wasn’t there. Emerging from the tomb, they encountered two men in shining garments who asked them a profound question. “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.”

Thank you for taking this little journey to the open tomb. It is still empty. He is alive. Every week when we gather to worship, we preachers must ring the resurrection bell. Because He lives, we believers can offer a word of hope to everyone we meet along the way. The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus is the core of our faith.

John wrote that if all Jesus had said and done had been recorded, all the books in all the libraries of all the world couldn’t hold them (my translation.) One thing I know for sure, the grave could not hold Him. And that was just the beginning.

Loved ones die and are buried. One generation gives way to another. The work goes on and we we watch and wait. Billions of people have believed in this risen Christ and by believing have been saved. He is alive and at work.

The next great event on God’s timetable is certain to come. He shall come with a shout and the earth will give a tremendous shudder. The graves will burst open and the living and dead will rise to meet Him in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Comfort one another with these words.

Journey to the Open Tomb: They Crucified Him

From the house of Caiaphas, Jesus was led away to Pontius Pilate. Pilate was the Roman Governor and he actually was headquartered in Caesarea Maritime, down by the Mediterranean. He just “happened” to be in Jerusalem. Pilate sent Him across town to Herod. Herod sent Him back to Pilate. 

Pilate found no good reason to crucify Him. He had been warned by his wife to have nothing to do with this “just man.” He gave the rabid religious leaders a choice between a known criminal and Jesus. They chose to have Barabbas set free. He said “I find no fault in Him.” The crowd cried “Crucify Him!”  Pilate turned Jesus over to His soldiers to be scourged and crucified. 

Each of the four gospels give the account of the crucifixion. Beaten. Mocked. Stripped. Disfigured. Wounded. He suffered in our place. They led Him up a winding street we know as the “Via Delarosa” called the “way of suffering.” It is narrow and makes many turns very much like a maze. Today it is crowded with pilgrims and shops full of merchandise. It moves steadily upward toward the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. That church is enormous and most scholars believe it sits on the location where Jesus was crucified and buried. 

There is another place. On or about 1882, British General Charles Gordon noticed a place along the road outside the city wall. A major thoroughfare ran past it. It looked to be a face in the bluff. There were two eye sockets, the bridge of a nose and the slash of a mouth. Not far away is a well preserved tomb dating from the period. Could this be the place?

Today the bluff has become more disfigured as the limestone has deteriorated. A Jerusalem bus station sets where three crosses may once have stood. The garden and the tomb are beautifully preserved and welcome to visitors. 

Jesus was crucified at 9am and died at 3pm. He forgave His crucifiers. He saved a dying thief. He provided for His mother. He cried out to His Father. He finished what He came to do. 

The sky grew dark at noon and remained so for 3 hours. Even the sun couldn’t bear to look on Him. 

Lifted up was He to die. 

It is finished was His cry. 

Now in heaven exalted high. 

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Journey to the Open Tomb: Gethsemane

Gethsemane. The word means “oil press” but so much more than oil was pressed in that peaceful little garden. For on that night, all the sins of all mankind throughout all ages were pressed down on Him. He prayed and His sweat was as great drops of blood. He drank the cup of suffering for us.

Gethsemane is a special place. It is located near the base of the Mt. of Olives. It remains an olive garden today. In fact, there are trees in the oldest part of that garden that reach back toward the time of our Lord. They produce olives to this very day. It is against the law in Israel to cut down a living olive tree.

I am thankful that tourists can enter into the newer part of Gethsemane. It is only open by appointment and under the watch-care of a Catholic order. I have found it to be the most moving place on earth. To kneel under an olive tree that is hundreds of years old and reflect on the suffering of our Lord. It was not possible that the cup pass from Him. My sins were in that cup. And so were yours. He suffered in our place.

If you listen closely you might hear the snoring of disciples or the approach of temple guards. They will take our Lord up a rugged hillside to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest. The physical suffering will begin in earnest. Peter will deny that he knows Him. The rooster will crow. “Good Friday” has arrived.

Courtyard outside Caiaphas’s house. Peter denying Christ.

Journey to the Open Tomb: In Remembrance of Me

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, He took bread and broke it and said, “This is my body that is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke records that Jesus had great desire to observe this Passover meal with His disciples. It would be His last meal with them and only Jesus knew that. The hour had come. It was the pivot point in history. Looking to the past, the focus was on the Exodus and the night of blood on the doorposts. Looking ahead, the focus was on the cross and the blood of a perfect sacrifice. In less than 24 hours, He would accomplish what He came to do.

He loved them. He loved them to the end. In an upper room, Jesus set in motion a memorial that still speaks to us. The Lord’s Supper, communion, is a memorial of a broken body and shed blood. The bread does not become the body nor the cup the blood. We do not need to crucify Him again. We do need to remember. This is like a snapshot of the real thing. Jesus is the real thing. We see Him pictured every time we observe the Lord’s Supper.

Just outside the walls of Jerusalem is a house with a large upper room. There is some speculation it may have been the same place where they were gathered when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. We don’t know that.

What we do know is that the time had come. Across Jerusalem was Golgotha and beyond that, a brand new tomb.

Journey to the Open Tomb: the Temple that is no More

The Shrine of the Book is a museum in west Jerusalem, dedicated to the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is a fascinating visit for anyone interested in the preservation of God’s Holy Word. Scrolls that were buried for 2000 years emerged from the caves around the Dead Sea, well preserved in sands of time.

The model of the temple that you see in this picture actually stands out in the open air just inside the entrance to the museum. A whole city has been built to scale and appears as Jerusalem would have appeared at the time of Christ. It helps the pilgrim imagine what Jesus saw as He moved toward the Eastern Gate on that Palm Sunday.

Jesus encountered some Greeks who were shut out of the temple but not away from Him. John 12 records them saying “We would see Jesus.” They had come to worship in Jerusalem at Passover but the court of the Gentiles was full of moneychangers and merchandise. Jesus would cleanse the temple of buyers and sellers but it wasn’t appreciated by those in charge.

The temple was divided into sections. There was a court of the Gentiles and a court of women. Then there was the outer court where sacrifices were offered for sin and guilt. The Holy place was separated from the Holy of Holies by a thick veil. Once a year, on The Day of Atonement, the High Priest went into this dark chamber and offered blood for the sins of Israel. Everything was about to change.

On Golgotha (the location is debated), on Friday (the day is also debated), Jesus shed His blood on the cross for the sins of the whole world. All who by faith believe in Him are forgiven. When Jesus died, the veil separating mankind from Holy God was torn from top to bottom. God paid the price for our sins and He tore the veil. You are invited to come to Him. “It is finished!” The whole system of blood sacrifice was no longer necessary.

In 70 AD, the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem and burned the temple. The gold of the temple melted and the Roman legion pulled down every stone to retrieve the gold. Not one stone was left standing, just as Jesus said. Today on that Temple Mount stands the Dome Of The Rock. It is the third most holy site for Islam.

That temple area is the most valuable piece of real estate on the planet. It figures greatly in end time prophecy.

Journey to the Open Tomb: Through Those Gates

The Palm Sunday route began somewhere along the Mt. of Olives, descended down a steep hill through the Garden of Gethsemane, crossed the Kidron Valley and ascended to the walls of Jerusalem. Most worshippers would have entered Jerusalem on the south side. They would have made their way up the southern steps, singing as they climbed. We know the songs they sang. Psalm 120-134 are Psalms of ascent for the pilgrim making his way up to the temple.   

On this particular day, Jesus made His way toward the walls of Jerusalem surrounded by worshippers shouting and perhaps singing, “Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord.” He was a riding a donkey in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 which says, “Fear not daughter of Zion: behold thy King comes sitting on an ass’s colt” (John 12:15). It was a grand celebration and in all likelihood, Lazarus was there as well. Jesus was headed toward the Eastern Gate also known as the  Golden Gate. 

It was the beginning of Passover week and the population would swell as people poured into the city. Jewish-Roman historian Josephus estimated as many as 500,000 lambs would be sacrificed that week. That is a staggering amount, but the probability is the Lamb of God was surrounded by lambs. 

The Eastern gates are sealed today. The walls of Jerusalem have been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the last 2000 years. The present gates were walled up in 1187 by the Muslim conqueror Sultan Saladin and rebuilt by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1541. Tradition says that they were closed to keep the Jewish Messiah from entering them. 

The good news is that our Messiah has already entered through those gates. He did it on or about the “10th of Nisan,” April 6th, A.D. 32. That was Palm Sunday that year. And when the Messiah returns, brick and mortar will not stop Him from entering those gates again. 

The Eastern Gate to Jerusalem

Journey to the Open Tomb: Broken and Spilled Out

After Lazarus was raised from the dead, Jesus was invited to their house for a supper. John 12:2 records that Lazarus, who had been dead, sat at the table with Jesus. I wonder what they talked about. They may have discussed things that had never been discussed before. Martha served as she always did.

Mary took a vessel filled with pure nard, perhaps the most valuable possession she owned, and poured it out on Jesus’s feet. It was the best she had and she poured it out in gratitude and worship. She was thankful that Jesus had performed His greatest miracle on her brother. She broke the vessel, poured out the contents and wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair. She did this because she loved Him. The fragrance filled the room.

Mary understood what Judas Iscariot could not. In fact Mary was running ahead of everyone else. Jesus had not died, but already she was anointing Him for burial. The approach of death on a cross was quickly coming and Mary knew that. What seemed a waste to so many was loving preparation for a cross and an open tomb.

One day a plain village woman

Driven by love for her Lord

Recklessly poured out a valuable essence

Disregarding the scorn

And once it was broken and spilled out

A fragrance filled all the room

Like a prisoner released from his shackles

Like a spirit set free from the tomb

Lord you were God’s precious treasure

His love and His own perfect Son

Sent here to show me

The love of the Father

Just for love it was done

And though you were perfect and holy

You gave up yourself willingly

You spared no expense for my pardon

You were used up and wasted on me.

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote those wonderful words and expressed a common thought. Jesus was broken and spilled out for us. How can we do less than to pour ourselves out for Him?

Traditional home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus

Journey to the Open Tomb: Lazarus, Come Forth!

Perhaps Jesus had no closer friends nor more loyal disciples than Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They lived in Bethany, a village just over the Mt. of Olives from Jerusalem. It would have been a convenient place for Jesus whenever He went up to Jerusalem. Their door was always open, the welcome mat was out, and the light was on for Him. Jesus loved this family.

They were three different people with different personalities. Martha was the busy servant. She liked to cook and give orders. Mary saw in Jesus the Savior they all needed. She liked to worship at His feet. Lazarus enjoyed sitting at the table and talking with Jesus.

Just a few days before Jesus would make his Palm Sunday entry to Jerusalem, word was sent to Jesus that Lazarus was desperately sick. Come quickly, Jesus! But He didn’t come quickly. He delayed His coming as He sometimes does. The sisters didn’t understand that, and frequently, I haven’t understood it either. By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had been stone cold dead for four days.

John 11 presents us with both the humanity and the deity of Jesus. As a man, He wept at the grave of His friend. As a man, He groaned in His spirit and was troubled. We all have groaned and wept in the presence of death because we are human. But as God, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” A man who was four days dead, heard the voice of his friend and came out of the grave.

At Bethany, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25).

It was this event, the resurrection of Lazarus, that caused the religious leaders to call a meeting and come up with a plan to kill Jesus. They also wanted to kill Lazarus.

Within two weeks there would be another empty tomb about 2 miles away.

Tomb of Lazarus

Bethany, home of Mary, Martha and their brother, Lazarus.

Journey to the Open Tomb: One Last Trip Through Jericho

In the ancient city of Jericho lived two men, from two different stations of life, with two different problems and one basic need. They both needed Jesus. They were running out of opportunities to see Him. In fact they couldn’t see Him at all.

The first man couldn’t see Jesus because he was blind. There was nothing wrong with his hearing. He heard the pandemonium as Jesus entered Jericho. What was the noise all about? “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” There was nothing wrong with his voice. He began to desperately call out, “Jesus, have mercy on me!” The other onlookers tried to quieten him but he called out even louder for mercy. Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?.”

“Lord, that I may receive my sight.” And he did.

Zaccheus was of small stature, therefore he couldn’t see Jesus because of the crowd. He was a wealthy man, but not well liked. Jesus was coming through town as He had before, and this time Zaccheus would climb a tree if he had to. He would do what he needed to do to see Jesus. He may not have expected that Jesus would notice him. Jesus did notice him and called him by name, “Zaccheus, hurry up and come down. I am going to your house.” And at Zaccheus’s house, Jesus said, ”This day is salvation come to your house.”

This was the last time Jesus passed through Jericho. I think about that last journey through Jericho. Many people with needs were in the crowd that day. These desperate men did not know it was their last chance, but it was. Jesus was headed to Jerusalem to fulfill the plan of the ages. He was destined for the crucifixion in just a few days and would not pass that way again.

When Jesus passes by, don’t take it for granted. Call out to Him. He has not lost His touch, nor surrendered His power. He still changes lives.

The Zaccheus Tree, Jericho

Journey to the Open Tomb: Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

I will never forget the first time I saw the holy, historic city of Jerusalem. In Israel, it is always “up” to Jerusalem. From Jericho, you travel a modern four lane, sometimes six lane highway upwards to this beautiful city situated on the mountains of Moriah. The song, “The Holy City” takes on new meaning as you emerge from the tunnel that goes through Mt. Scopus, and there it is. Jerusalem, the city of gold, is a sight to behold.

One of the best vantage points is the overlook on Mt. Olivet. The Mount of Olives offers a breathtaking view of Jerusalem. Jesus wept over this city. Matthew 24 records His answer to the disciples’ questions. “When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?” Matthew 24 and 25 is Jesus’s answer to those questions, albeit veiled in mystery. Jerusalem will be destroyed. Israel will be scattered and persecuted. Israel will bud and blossom again like a resilient fig tree. Jesus will return. His kingdom will come.

At the end of Matthew 23, Jesus considers the suffering that lies ahead. Jerusalem will suffer. He will suffer, too. He wanted to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks but they would not. “Behold your house is left unto you desolate.”  (Matthew 23:38)

From the Mount of Olives I can see a winding path down into the Kidron Valley. It passes through a garden called Gethsemane. It climbs up to the Eastern Gate. Today, a Moslem graveyard covers this slope to block the gate and a guard is posted to keep any would be Messiah from blowing open the gate. In a day to come, King Jesus will enter those gates again. Graveyards and guns won’t stop Him.

Jesus prayed for Jerusalem. Beyond the gates He would have clearly seen Herod’s temple. Beyond the temple He would have perhaps seen a small hill that was outside the city wall. It was a place of execution called Golgotha. He had an appointment there in less than 72 hours.

Over these days leading up to our celebration of His resurrection, I hope to post some pictures and thoughts concerning the events of that week. In the history of mankind it is the most important of all weeks. Walk with me to the empty tomb.

View from the Mt. of Olives

Palm Sunday route

Fifty.

Monte at Clark’s Creek Baptist Church

Fifty years ago this month, February 1973, I was invited by Bro Simeon Webster to preach at Clark’s Creek Baptist Church. He was the pastor and a long time friend of our family. Bro Sim had faithfully preached for many years all around that part of Kentucky. This was his second go round at Clark’s Creek. The church had had numerous pastors in a short period of time. Bro Sim was back and he invited me to come preach on February 6 and I did. 

On February 13th Simeon Webster resigned and recommended that they “call that boy that preached last week”. I did go back the next week and preach for them. I preached several weeks through the spring but did not want to be their pastor. I was a student at the University of Kentucky at that time, sensing a call to preach, but not to Clark’s Creek for $20 a week. I felt surely God wanted me to start out at First Baptist Church Dallas, Texas or something comparable. On June 6, 1973 I became their pastor and served there until August of 1977 when I resigned to begin seminary at Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis Tennessee. 

Some of my Facebook friends came to Christ during those years at Clark’s Creek. Betty and I look back with fond memories and laugh at those days. They were not easy but they were good. I was getting an education before I ever went to seminary. I encourage every young man who senses a call to preach to jump in with both feet. Small churches across our country are looking for pastors of all ages who love Jesus and will love them. 

Clark’s Creek Baptist Church is closed now. I pray for each of the four churches God entrusted to my care. Whether in Dry Ridge, Leachville, Washington or Jefferson City, it has been a joy to try to lead a local church. Somewhere there is a young man who will hear God’s call and will “yes”. In my heart I can still hear Simeon Webster say, “We need to have someone come to this church and get the work started.” Amen!

I am a Branch.

(Arad, Romania 2017)

It is now time to cut back my grapevines. Winter is still here but springtime is coming. I am ready for it. If my vines are to produce grapes in August, I must tend to them now. 

It is not that I am an expert vinedresser. After a trip to Romania several years ago, I was inspired to to try my hand at grape production. I am not going to start a winery. Don’t worry. But I would be thankful to have enough to make some juice and enjoy some jelly. If I had enough juice to supply Concord Baptist Church with juice for the Lord’s Supper that would be wonderful. 

With good intention and much anticipation, I put six grapevine seedlings in the ground six years ago. They have grown rapidly. The vines are beautiful every year. The vine itself is growing in diameter and there is no shortage of branches and leaves. In fact, over the last four summers they have really prospered. I trim them back. I tie them up off the ground. I work at keeping the bugs off of them. In every way this project has been a success. 

I only have one problem. No grapes. Thus far, I haven’t produced enough juice to fill one communion cup. What is the problem?

When I trim them back before the sap rises each spring, I get very introspective. God compared Israel to a vineyard. He planted them, dug around them, moved rocks and built a wall around His vineyard (Isaiah 5). He went to His vineyard expecting grapes and found wild grapes. Eventually His patience with Israel expired. 

Jesus gave instruction concerning grape production. In John 15 we are reminded to “abide in Him.” Without abiding in Him we will not produce anything because without Him we can do nothing. He spoke of pruning, lifting and staying connected. The cutting away of pretty branches is hard on the vinedresser. Pruning is painful. Eventually those branches that don’t produce are cut off and gathered to be burned. 

As I cut away non productive branches and gather them in a pile to burn, I ponder Isaiah 5 and John 15. Is there a lesson here for me to learn about myself?  I am thankful for a Savior who patiently prunes and ties up the branches. Every year as I cut my vines back I wonder two thingsWill this be the year my vines bear fruit?  How much longer do I give my grapes before I do the biblical thing and cut them down?

Thinking about it is good for my soul. I am a branch. 

My current vines

Trimmigs.

And the Beat Goes On

I stepped away as Senior Pastor of a wonderful congregation at the close of 2021. Thirty years of pastoring and preaching to that group of saints had brought much joy to my life. The decision to leave that good church was probably the most difficult decision that Betty and I have ever made. That decision was in no way a decision to quit the calling that God had placed in my heart 50 years ago. It was not a retirement. It was a readjustment.

Concord Baptist Church was so gracious in helping me as I entered this time in ministry. The congregation transferred my “intellectual material,” (that is funny) all of the recorded messages, and written sermons to my ownership. They also transferred the rights to the “Take Heart” domain so that I could establish a new ministry that looked much like the old ministry.

Many good things have happened because of a gracious God and good people:

• Take Heart Ministries was established as a non profit 501c3 religious organization.

• An office was built in my barn. I call it “World Headquarters.” No Take Heart contributions were used for that.

• Take Heart Ministries established a website. Encourage people to visit Takeheart.org. Full length sermons are frequently added to this website.

• Take Heart Ministries also has a Facebook page. Follow us.

• Take Heart Ministries is now on Bott Radio Network 22 times a week with 2 minute spots.

• Take Heart Ministries is now on the Zimmer Network station known as “the Wave 101.9”at the Lake of the Ozarks. We purchase 30 sixty second spots per week on that station.

On a personal note, God continues to give me opportunities to minister. In 2022, I preached 53 times, participated in 6 revival meetings and led a group of 39 to Israel.

I am very thankful. One year has passed since we launched this new adventure. We continue to look for ways to expand our footprint. From the beginning, we have determined that our footprint would be equal to His provision. He is providing and we are negotiating for a larger footprint. We have a good foundation.

Thank you to all who have visited our website or Facebook page. Thank you to all who have invited me to preach at your church. Thank you to all who have helped us along the way.

Brothers and Sisters, pray for us.

Take Heart!

Jesus cares for you.

Brittney and Me

In recent days, I have given much thought to the release of Brittney Griner from a Russian prison. Brittney Griner is a professional basketball player who had been arrested on charges of possessing drug paraphernalia and cannabis. She was found guilty and sentenced to 9 years in a Russian penal colony. It was clear that she broke Russian law and as someone who is famous, she would be used as an example.

Brittney Griner’s lifestyle choices and anti United States feelings have been well documented. You and I may choose to differ with her on many points. She is a US citizen and as such appealed to her country for help. Other US citizens are also in Russian prisons and I might even judge them more worthy of high level assistance. Nevertheless, an exchange was made for Brittney. On December 9th, our government gave over a Russian arms dealer so that Brittney Griner could be released.

I am glad for Brittney and her family’s sake that she was released. I wish her no ill will. I just didn’t think it fair and I considered it even dangerous for a “merchant of death” to be released to buy her freedom.

A funny thing happened on the way to the pulpit. God spoke to me. He didn’t speak audibly but in my heart, as I wrestled with the word “redemption.”

“And what price did I pay for your redemption?” The thought stopped me dead in my tracks.

Paul wrote clearly in Galatians 4:4,5 that, “In the fullness of the time God sent forth his Son, made of woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons.” My redemption was purchased by Jesus Christ and God did not stagger at the weight of that cost. I am redeemed and any reasonable human analysis says the cost was too much. It is a far more unfair and outrageous cost than what was paid for Brittney.

I am not better than Brittney. Neither are you. Christmas stirs many memories and emotions. But a true celebration of the coming of Jesus into this world must make us consider the cost of our redemption. There would be a cradle in Bethlehem but there would be a cross in Jerusalem. On that cross, Jesus shed His life’s blood for even me. Oh, what a Savior!

Somehow, this whole episode has made me reconsider how much God must love me. He loves me with all of my sin and rebellion. He loves me when I excuse my disobedience and transgression. He loved me before there was a Christmas and Easter, and the price of my redemption was paid. He loves you, too. He loves Brittney Griner, too.

May God give you a very merry Christmas. May you stand before Him gloriously redeemed.

What a Good God You’ve Been to Me.

David sat before the Lord. He was a young lion of a king. His kingdom was established and, for the moment at least, at peace. He had built a house of cedar for himself and thought perhaps the Lord needed one, too. So David thought it was time to replace the tabernacle with a temple. In his heart, he wanted to do something great for the Lord. The prophet Nathan said, “Do what is in your heart.”

But in the night, God gave Nathan a different message to deliver to David. You can read the story in 2 Samuel 7. In short, it went something like this.

You’re my man, David. I removed you from tending sheep and put you on the throne of Israel. I established your power. I gave you rest from your enemies. Your offspring will be established on your throne. They will build a temple. That is not my plan for you.

David responded with some of the most heartfelt praise in all of the Bible. And regularly my heart turns to David’s response to God’s refusal. How could God’s refusal provoke such praise in a king’s heart? Quite simply, David was learning to trust God’s providence in his life. And the pathway of providence was the pathway he was on. Oh, how he praised God!

Who am I Lord and who are my people that you have poured out such goodness upon us? If that weren’t enough, you have promised all of this glorious future. There is no God like you. You chose me. You chose your people, Israel. What a good God you are!

The quotes are from 2 Samuel and all are from the unofficial “Shinkle Revised Version” but check out that passage.

Have you ever had a “Who am I?” moment? You need a “Who am I” moment. It may lead you to a cross and an empty tomb. When the late Rusty Goodman wrote his song by that title, it certainly did. “Who am I that a King would bleed and die for?” Good question.

Or it may lead to a simple time of sitting before the Lord. Reflect. Repent. Respond. Rejoice. Give thanks. Sit before the Lord.

Tommy Walker wrote the not so well known chorus, “What a Good God You’ve Been to Me.” This Thanksgiving season it is “top of mind” (very popular phrase) in my scrambled brain.

What a good God you’ve been to me.

Your goodness and your grace everyday I see.

What else can I do but give thanks to you?

What a good God you’ve been to me.

What a faithful God you’ve been to me.

You’ve provided far beyond everything I need.

What else can I do but give thanks to you?

What a faithful God you’ve been to me.

What a loving God you’ve been to me.

Shed your blood upon the cross

So that I could be made free.

What a loving God you’ve been to me.

What a good God you’ve been.

What a faithful God you’ve been.

What a loving God you’ve been to me.

What a good God He has been to Monte Shinkle.