The first comment he made was about the whales. The current thought is that they were a part of reverse evolution. This means that they evolved out of the ocean onto dry land and then back to the oceans to become the whales we know today. Coming at the world from a faith perspective that makes my head swim worse that the rocking of the boat out on the ocean. It is mind boggling how many mutations it would take for just one species of whale to go through this process. This then brings up the question that I often hear Creationists ask, where are all the intermediate fossils? – all those creatures that were not land animals any longer but not quite whales yet either. If the natural world is as ordered as science wants to make it shouldn't we be able to draw a line from a sea creature that moved to the land and then back into the sea to become say a fin back whale?

The second statement was about one of the bird species we were seeing. I am sorry I do not remember if it was the Greater Shearwater or the Wilson's Storm Petrel. Which ever one it was our naturalist told us that the species had developed a gland that allows the birds to drink salt water. The understanding of the word "developed" is that this species evolved with the salt gland. Again I can not imagine how many generations and individual birds it would take until the gland was perfected allowing the birds to survive on saltwater. Of course all of this happens by mere chance – natural selection.

As I have thought about this topic for some time and again in recent days as a result of our whale excursion I wonder which takes more faith? To believe that God created all the beauty, variety and wonder we can see or to believe that it all happened by chance - to believe that God spoke and the universe came into existence – including all living things, or to believe that life spontaneously occurred in some primordial ooze billions of years ago and that all the variety of life we experience today came from that single spark of life?

For me the words of the apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Rome ring true. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20 [NIV]

I totally enjoyed our adventure out onto the North Atlantic to see whales and it did make me think. What are you thinking?

            Of course the earth moving on its axis is not the big story resulting from these and the Haiti earthquakes. The great loss of life and the mass destruction has been the thing on our hearts and minds. When you add to the news of these devastating events the worst winter on record (I was born in the middle of the last century and I never remember a winter when there was snow on the ground in 49 of our 50 states at the same time) one's mind might begin to wonder. Add to this the recent movie based on the doomsday prediction of the Mayan calendar that the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012 and your mind might begin to race. Are all these events leading up to something even more cataclysmic? Perhaps something of biblical proportions?

            Well, let's think about that for a few moments. In the 24^th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament Jesus speaks about signs of the end times. In verses 6-8 He says, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." Then is verse 26 Jesus says, "No one knows about that day or hour, [not even the Mayan's or Nostradamus] not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

            Jesus said these things were the beginning of the "birth pains." Birth pains come on a woman who is carrying a baby. She knows she is pregnant and that the baby will come soon, but she doesn't know exactly when. We should also know that time is pregnant and that the end is closer today than it has ever been, perhaps even coming soon. That means Jesus will soon return and God will make a new heaven and a new earth and the old ones will pass away. But as Jesus said no one knows just when that time will be. Only the father in heaven knows the exact time.

            So, should we tremble in fear and start building underground cities or modern arks and begin storing up food and seeds for the future? Well, I do know that we need to be ready, but that is not the way. If the earth is destroyed then everything on the surface and under the surface will be destroyed as well. The only way to be truly prepared is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through whom all that we know was created in the first place. He is the One who is in control of time and eternity, but you are the only one who can determine your eternal destiny. Will you choose to spend eternity with God and rest assured today or are you going to spend your days worried about a date on some ancient calendar?

            The earth shook and its tilt was changed and the rotation shortened. Was this a foreshowing of worse things to come? I think it was more of a reminder at how small we are and how our lives can change in an instant. It is also a reminder that we need to be ready to enter eternity now and not wait until December 20^th, 2012. Are you ready to change your tilt?

            I was just thinking. What are you thinking?

            Thanksgiving and Christmas are wonderful days for us to celebrate but why do we make ourselves so crazy as we celebrate? Thanksgiving Day we gather family around us and that IS a good thing, but then we spend hours fussing over a meal that is far bigger than any of us should eat and we miss the time with the family that has traveled to be with us. After the meal we lie around like beached whales and nap or watch football again missing time with the family. The next day is "Black Friday" and the Christmas shopping season is in full swing. That means that we load everyone up in the cars as early as possible and join the throngs of others trying to get a deal on items most of us don't really need. We return home at the end of the day and collapse exhausted into a pile of department store bags and credit card receipts and we have missed spending time with family again. What is it we are thankful for? Is it health, home, family and friends or a 3,000 calorie meal, football and blue light specials?

            Christmas is much the same. We sing about peace on earth and silent nights but we live like we will have none of those in our lives. We fill the month of December with parties, pageants and presents instead of peace, praise and prayer. Not that parties, pageants are bad things, but when they get to be the main thing we will never find peace on earth or a silent night. We spend so much time fretting over what we are going to get everyone this year that I am afraid we miss the greatest gift of all – JESUS. Oh, we may put a "Jesus is the reason for the season" bumper sticker on our car, but then we will complain and even yell at that person that stole our parking space at the mall. Or we will get angry with a store clerk because everything in their sale flyer is sold out when we get to the store.

            I know, I am really ranting. Forgive me and I will get off my soapbox. I was just thinking that if on Thanksgiving we would spend just a few minutes gathered with our family expressing what we are thankful for we might grow a little closer to each other and to the One who gave us all the blessings. Then on Christmas if we would really focus on Jesus and the reason He came we would again grow closer to our loved ones and to Christ. Then maybe, just maybe the grade would get a little less steep and our brakes will not be smoking when we reach December 31.

            I'm just thinking! What are you thinking? Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Shalom!

Every place has those things that we do not put in promotional brochures. The beach has sunburns, jellyfish, rip currents, undertow, sandspurs, sharks, a drug problem, other crime and of course work that detract from paradise. We certainly need to be aware of these things but why focus on them? Isn't it more fun to see the good around us? I'm not talking about simply seeing things through rose colored glasses but rather living out what we confess. Many people will quote the Scripture that says, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." [Psalm 118:24] But then they spend their time fretting about all the negative stuff around them. If you worry about getting a sunburn every time you go out side or if you go in the ocean your going to get stung by a jellyfish, bitten by a shark or sucked out to sea by a rip current, then you will most likely miss the dolphins jumping over the waves, the flock of pelicans skimming the water's surface, a ghost crab dance across the sand as it tries to avoid your stare, not to mention beautiful sunsets, ocean breezes and the waves breaking on white sandy beaches. To miss those things would be tragic indeed.

Say this with me, "This is the day the Lord has made and this is the place He has planted me, I will rejoice and be glad in them."

I'm just thinking, that's the way to live. What are you thinking?

Okay, now add to this mix a conversation with my family about the 10 commandments. During that discussion my son showed us some easy hand motions to remember the commandments in order. The motion for the commandment, "You shall have no other gods BEFORE me" was a two finger salute. WOW… that jumped out at me.

So here is the question – as Christians if we say the pledge to the US flag before we pledge to the Christian flag "and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands" are we putting country before God? I know when we say things about the two we normally say God and Country but when we say the pledges in the order we normally say them are we putting Country BEFORE God?

In this day and time when many in our country, even in positions of leadership seem to be moving away from Christ and things like In God We Trust and one nation under God are being challenged should we believers be even more clear about where our allegiance lies? Should we take a stand and change the order we do the pledges – Christian flag, Bible, US flag? Would anyone notice?

I'm just thinking. What are you thinking?

            All of this excitement is not because there is anything wrong with the one bridge we now have. It is a great bridge but a second bridge gives people a choice of how to get on or off the island.

            As I have thought about this a thought began to form somewhere in the recesses of my gray matter. The thought was this; Jesus built a bridge for us a long time ago and then said His bridge was the only way to get to the Father. The choice then was do I go across this bridge or not. Today, however people say that this is a narrow minded view and they want multiple choices. They want to say that all the world religions, all faith systems will get you to the same place. Simply believing something is the important thing I often hear.

            Some will say that Jesus was a good man and a great teacher, maybe even a prophet, but the truth is if that is all he was then he was crazy. I say this because he said things like, "If you have seen me you have seen the Father," "I and the Father are one," and yes he said, "I am The Way, and The Truth, and The Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If Jesus was just a man then these things could not be true and if they are not true then he taught lies and that would make him a bad teacher.

            Jesus built the Only Bridge that is capable of getting us back in fellowship with the Father, one bridge that can get you to heaven. You might try some other structures that claim to get you there, but they like the second bridge to Oak Island in its current condition will not take you anywhere. Trust the One bridge that has God the Father as the designer, Christ the Son as the builder and the Holy Spirit as its maintenance engineer. That's the bridge you can count on. That is the bridge that can not be rocked by earthquakes, damaged by storms, destroyed by the craftiness of men, or even tarnished by the wiles of the devil. Trust this One bridge! Walk across it today!!!

            I'm just thinking! What are you thinking?

            There are three bills of note. Two of the bills deal with our children and schools and the other on marriage. The School Violence Protection Act (Bullying Bill)[HB 548 & SB 526] would require local school boards to amend their existing bullying policies to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity and expression." This would create a protected status for homosexuality, bisexuality, cross dressing and other alternative sexual behavior. Now let me say that bullying for ANY reason is WRONG. Any person being bullied deserves to be protected. The other thing this bill will do is require schools to begin teaching that these behaviors (homosexuality, bisexuality and cross dressing, etc.) are normal and acceptable. The second bill is the Healthy Youth Act (HB 88) that would change sex educations in our schools from an abstinence until marriage curriculum to a comprehensive sex education. This would teach that homosexual, bisexual and multi-partner relationships are equal to the traditional heterosexual marriage.

            The other bills that are important are the Defense of Marriage bills (SB 272 & HB 361). These bills would define marriage in NC as one man to one woman.

            We live in NC the heart of the Bible belt (if the "Bible belt" is even a valid term any more) and we have to deal with these issues. Is it really any surprise that people in the media, which has for a long time supported a liberal mindset, reacted in such a way to this young lady who spoke the truth. It also shouldn't be a surprise because the bible tells us this kind of persecution will happen and it will most likely get worse. Does this mean that we throw up our hands and give up? No!!! We still need to stand up for what is right, just as this young lady did, but we need to brace ourselves for the onslaught of attacks from the other side.

            We need to contact our elected representatives and let them know our opinion on these pending bills and speak up in other ways, like with our vote.

            I'm just thinking. What are you thinking?

            Now you might think that some people just forget their Bible when they left Sunday. But no one came looking for them on Monday. And some of these Bibles have been here for months. So, what does this mean? 

            A couple possibilities come to my mind. 

1. We are so affluent that things, even things as precious as the Word of God just don't mean that much to us. If we leave something behind that's okay, we have another one at home or if we lose it we will just go out and buy another one. This really makes me sad when I think of the untold thousands of people around the world that would love to have an entire copy of the Bible and are not able because the price to too high or it is not available at all. 

2. If someone did simply forget their Bible and figured they would get it next Sunday, then I wonder how or if they are doing personal Bible study during the week. How are they studying their Sunday school lesson during the week? Only using the Bible on Sunday morning in Sunday school and worship is not enough to help a person grow in their relationship with the Lord and it is not enough to help us through difficult days. 

3. Perhaps someone leaves their Bible in the pew because they sit in the same place every week and they use it during worship and read another Bible at home. This sounds reasonable, but then I wonder - Is God not speaking through his Word during worship? Do they not feel the need to meditate further on a passage? 

            Well all of this may seem to be much to do about nothing. But Baptists have always been known as "People of the Book." We got the name because we were people who read the Word, knew the Word and lived the Word. Today biblical literacy is at an all time low among Southern Baptist. Could it be that there are far too many "Pew" Bibles out there? 

            Someone asked me this question – "Do you know what the Devil really loves?" The answer is - a dust covered Bible. 

            I'm thinking it is time to blow some dust off some Bibles and to pick up some "Pew" Bibles – open them up and get back to reading and applying the truths found there. 

            I'm just thinking. What are you thinking?

            I know these are things that most church members have thought of as they relate to themselves. But I wonder how many have stopped to think about what the church expects of them? Here are a few things to consider.

When someone joins the church they are expected to be present and to participate. Why would you join and then disappear? How can the body function if all its parts are not working together?

When someone joins they are expected to grow in their relationship to Christ and the church. That happens through corporate and personal Bible study and through participation in worship and missions/ministry.

Missions and ministry participation is expected because we are all called to acts of service.

Each person is expected to financially support the work of the church through their tithes and offerings. The tithe is the biblical foundation for giving. It is 10%. The folks in the Bible understood it to be 10% of everything they had. Today we typically understand it to be 10% of a person's income. But we need to understand that this is a beginning point and that as the Lord continues to bless you, then you give offerings to reflect those blessings.

If someone joins the church because they have a relationship with Jesus Christ the church expects you to tell someone who doesn't know him about his love. That is called witnessing or sharing your faith or evangelism. Jesus said, "You will be my witnesses…" so it is appropriate for the church to expect this of its members.

People inside the church are expected to love one another and to live at peace with one another. Jesus said that is how the world will know we belong to him.

The church expects its people to be prayer warriors. That means that we are in regular communication with the Creator of the universe, seeking his guidance, direction, strength and encouragement.

Well these are the big things. Some of us might expect some other smaller things like no complaining church members, folks ready to do any job no matter how small, large, visible or invisible or how dirty it might be, or members who think more of what will bring other people into the church before they think about what they themselves like.

I expect some will like this list and others will not. I'm just thinking.

            From the prospective of someone who is concerned about reaching everyone we can with the Good News I must say all this new fangled stuff is great. No, I don’t understand it all, but I do know that it can be used for good. Maybe I can’t do it all but I can do something and encourage others to do the same. We can tell the old, old story of Jesus and His glory through these new means. I know without a doubt there are people who need to hear and we should use the new technology as tools to reach them. If we do not reach them someone else will use this new technology to lead them down a path that is not good for them. To say it another way there are plenty of people who will use all of this wonderful technology for harm rather than good. If we Christians do not have a presence, then we surrender the air waves to the ones doing harm.

            The seven last words of the church are, “We’ve never done it that way before!” Those words need to fade into the past if we are going to reach the current generation for Christ. Now I am not saying that we need to jump on every band wagon that comes by, but I am saying we need to be aware of what’s available and use what we can. God’s Word is a living word. That means that it transcends time and I believe technology. Never before has there been a time when we could instantly send a message around the world and then get a reply in a matter of moments. What better message to send than the love of God to someone who needs to hear it?

            I always enjoyed the Bill Cosby Show. One of my favorite episodes was when Cliff took Rudy to dance class. While he was waiting an older dance master walked up to Cliff and tapped out a few steps and then pointed at Cliff and said, “Challenge!” Can you hear my keyboard keys tapping?...Now I’m pointing,  “Challenge!”

Just thinking!

Peace!

Pastor Charlie