Random Thoughts From Southern California

I have flown in and out of LAX airport several times over the past 20 years. Other than a night spent there after a missed overseas flight, my time spent in California has only amounted to a few hours at the airport or walking between terminals. This summer gives me opportunity to spend nearly a week on the ground here in Southern Cali.

So far Albert Ham
mond has been right.  

"No rain in Southern California"!

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The weather here in Anaheim has been beautiful, and (to me) surprisingly cool most of the week.  I did not bring a jacket or sweatshirt, but thankfully I did bring some long sleeved shirts with me - since I am here for the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. It has been downright cool here in the mornings and evenings. What a contrast to what friends and family are experiencing at home, with temps in the mid 90s!

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The people here are more friendly than I would have expected. It's not like the folks in the tri state of course, but fairly friendly.  Not at all like I have experienced in New York City and other areas of the northeast.

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We have encountered several Calif natives in conversation who indicated they would like to get out of here and move to Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida etc.  My guess is that it has something to do with the crazy politics of this state and the high cost of living here. Surely not because of the weather.

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Our SBC annual meeting was interesting. We are a convention divided over many things - but I have still been impressed that even though we have had some bad stuff to deal with, and even though there is always a group who just want to be contentious - we are still a people of The Book, and we are united in the determination to carry the Gospel to the Nations. Our outgoing president, Ed Litton, and our parliamentarians did a great job of keeping order and decorum during business sessions.  The preaching we heard was outstanding, the fellowship with old friends and meeting of new friends was sweet. And the worship times were terrific!

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We are made up of 47,000 autonomous churches.  Each is unique in it's own way.  Each with its own personality and worship styles. There is no hierarchy that hands down orders from above, but the highest institution is the local church. There are some "megachurches" with thousands of members who meet each Sunday, and there are the "little white churches by the side of the road" that make up a huge portion of our convention of churches.  There are "celebrity preachers" whose names are easily recognizable and are often seen on television.  But the majority of pastors are us "average guys" who may not even be well known in the next town.  Guys who would be considered "nobodies, but "nobodies who are laboring to tell everybody about Somebody who can save anybody".

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I thank God to be part of an imperfect convention, of imperfect churches, made up of imperfect people, who have, since 1858, sent out over 25,000 missionaries to the ends of the Earth with God's message of grace, forgiveness and salvation.  Any group who desires and labors to take the Gospel to everyone - around the corner and around the world - is going to come under the attack of the enemy.  The SBC has it's faults and many critics, but I have never come away from one of our convention's annual meetings, without feeling a true sense of Revival in my heart and a desire to get back in the trenches and attack the Gates of Hell with a squirt gun.

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I'm so thankful to have had Linda come along on this trip. She is suffering from a torn tendon in one of her legs, and I am stumbling along with a big knee high walking boot on the foot where I had the partial amputation and a trauma boot on the other foot from an infection I have been fighting there!  We are the walking wounded, but have had assistance in the airports from the wonderful personnel of American Airlines, and have had the blessing of a borrowed wheelchair here for the convention meeting and going to and from the convention hall.  I do not know the name of the lady who owns the chair, but she is a member of Saddleback church here in Orange County.  She had seen a tweet a week ago that Jay had put out there asking if anyone might have a wheelchair that could be used at the convention - since there were none available in the convention hall. She responded to him with her gracious offer and it has been a real blessing. We will be making arrangements to get the chair back to her on Saturday evening as she will meet us at the airport before we depart for home.

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And speaking of the airport here, it goes by several names. Santa Anna airport, Orange County airport, and officially, John Wayne Airport.

Yep, John Wayne Airport! After all - we ARE in Southern California!

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Linda and I will be flying back overnight on Saturday evening. Somewhere between here and Dallas Fort Worth Airport it will turn to Sunday Morning, June 19th.  That is the day that marks our 51st Wedding anniversary.  We look forward later in the day to get together with our Kentucky family to celebrate Father's Day and 102 years of marriage (51 for me and 51 for Linda!)

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It has beeen nice spending time and "rooming" with Jaay, Michelle and Canon. We do miss Quint who is doing Fuge Camps again this Summer, leading worship for a team that will serve several camps across the midwest.

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Considering some of the medical and physical challenges we have faced in the first half of this year, 2022 has been a little tough, but hasn't really been all that bad. We've made it to our 70s, we have the Lord and each other, and a wonderful family. Too blessed to be distressed!

 

 

PLEASE STOP SAYING THAT

 

Those of us who have been around for a few years are often asked for advice from younger people or other friends who are dealing with important decisions.

For years I have heard well meaning people, often followers of Christ, give this advice to the one asking the question,

“Follow your heart.  Follow your heart and you will never go wrong.”

PLEASE STOP SAYING THAT!

That is some of the worst advice you could ever give anyone.

Why?

Consider what the Bible says about the heart of man.

Jeremiah 17:9  “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?

If the Old Testament reference is not sufficient for you, then consider the words of Jesus in:

Mark 7 ²⁰ And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

²¹ For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

²² Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

Considering what the Bible tells us about the condition of the Human heart, we should NEVER advise anyone to “Follow their heart”!

Some might say, “Well. A Christian has Jesus in his heart so that should be ok for a Christian.”  And the resounding answer to that would be another big NO!

We who follow Christ have a basic human sinful nature in this flesh but we also have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  The Apostle Paul acknowledged that in Romans  7  and tells us of a spiritual warfare that goes on in our bodies between the flesh and the Spirit.  ¹⁴ For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. ¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. ¹⁶ Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. ¹⁷ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.   ²¹ So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²² For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, ²³ but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. ²⁴ Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  .(ESV)

To follow our hearts would still be wrong but to follow the Holy Spirit is Just what Jesus would tell us.  Look at what He told His Disciples (and us) in John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

So the Christian answer to the questioning person should never be “Follow your heart:.  It should be “Follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  If you do that you will never go wrong!}

On a personal note, I think I gave some pretty good advice to the 1991 Graduating Class of Ashland Paul Blazer High School in their Baccalaureate Service at Putnam Stadium. I shared with the graduates the wisdom of Solomon from Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (certainly better than “Follow Your Heart”}