FEBRUARY 8, 2012
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A year ago today my life changed in a most wonderful way. I became a grandfather. Yep, me. I wasn't too sure how well I was going to cope with the idea because frankly I was way too young to be a grandfather, but from the moment I laid eyes on Logan Thomas Dooley all that stuff about being an old grandpa didn't matter any more. All that mattered was that little life and all the hope it represented. Today, Logan is one. If the Lord wills I hope to see many more turns on the calendar as Logan becomes a young man. It has been a great year, watching him grow and begin to walk and hearing him laugh and laugh at some of the silly things I do. It has been all joy with that boy and looking forward to all the fun that is ahead. So happy birthday to my little buddy. As I have told you countless times this year, Poppie loves you!!!
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FEBRUARY 2, 2012
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A GRAPHIC REMINDER My wife is a public school teacher at Chaney High School in Youngstown, Ohio near where we live. Yesterday afternoon she texted me and told me that the police officer that works in her building had just collapsed and died of what appeared to be a massive heart attack. She asked that I would pray for their students and staff which I did. Thinking about what took place reminds me of some important things. 1- Death is going to come. The only ones getting out of this world alive are those who go in the Rapture (the way I hope to go) and excluding that exception death is inevitable. 2- Death comes unexpectedly at times. I have been at the bedside of many friends and loved ones who were dying. I suppose that one of the blessings of knowing you are dying is that it often provides the opportunity for expressing ones love, appreciation, and faith. A sudden, unexpected death of course closes the door on what could have been said or done. 3- Death needs to be thought about and planned for. This is true on many levels and for many reasons. First and foremost, everyone needs to prepare for death spiritually. Spiritual preparation involves understanding that the only way of salvation, forgiveness of sin, is through Jesus Christ. The Bible promises that all who will by faith in response to God's grace embrace Jesus as their Savior will be saved (saved from hell) and given eternal life in heaven. There are some practical matters that need our attention also. Such as, taking care of the funeral arrangements (financially as well as what casket, where the service will be held, ect...). Doing so will take a huge burden off of the loved ones left behind. There also may be some personal issues that should be addressed as well (relationships that need mending, words of love that need expressed, a trip that you always intended to take...). As I thought about the events of yesterday, I couldn't help but wonder, if that had been me (and it could be me today or tomorrow, and most likely one day it will be me...) would I have been ready? Am I ready for heaven? Yes. But some of the other things I mentioned I need to work on... and maybe you do too.
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FEBRUARY 1, 2012
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THE SAVING GOSPEL This coming Sunday I will be continuing a sermon series through the book of Galatians. I will be beginning chapter 3. I found the story below in a message by a pastor friend of mine, Robert Morgan ( He is the pastor of "The Donelson Fellowship" in Nashville, Tennessee. See many of his sermons at www.donelson.org) Anyway I plan to use the story to introduce my message. It is a great reminder of just how powerful the saving gospel is. Check out the story. In a recent edition of the Gideon Magazine, a single mother in Billings, Montana, told her story. She said her life was in a nosedive, and all she could think about was failure and despair. One day she went into the closet with a pistol. She was ready to end her own life. Just at that moment—literally seconds away, she said—her son burst through the front door of the house, shouting, “Mamma, mamma, come look what I have.” She quickly put the pistol away, composed herself, and walked out to meet her son who was waving a New Testament he had received from the Gideons. That little book, which arrived in the nick of time, changed her life and her family and her future. It introduced her to the hope of the Gospel and gave her a reason to live. ( “Literally Seconds Away” in The Gideon, January 2012)
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JANUARY 31, 2012
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I have posted a message preached by Dr. John MacArthur at Southern Seminary on the headship of Christ. This is a must listen for every preacher ! I trust this message will be a blessing to you. Listen here
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