Self Honesty

When I was 15 years of age, I remember seeking God seriously for the first time in my life. I spent hours day after day for the course of a month asking God for forgiveness, searching my heart without fail to make sure that I had asked God for His forgiveness for every past sin that I had committed.  Some would say, "That is overly excessive." I didn't think so, God was beginning a good work in me. I was learning the value of true repentance through "self honesty." Placing myself on the altar as Christ did for me.

The writer Spencer Johnson is credited with the following quote. “Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.” While both are equally powerful, I find myself looking really hard at the first sentence.  I am sort of lost in its meaning, staring incessantly at each word and in return being examined by them as well. Am I honest with myself, or am gazing above the facts walking aimlessly along a misguided path.  2 Corinthians 13:5 screams to us to, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves."

I all to often fail this test. Even now I sit in a church writing this blog painfully aware of my short comings,  faults, failures, besetting sins, thorns in the flesh. Self honesty is by far the most arduous task anyone of us can, should and must undertake in order to walk uprightly before the Lord. 


When did repentance become a 5 second prayer. When did realization of what you are without God become relegated to the raising of a hand during the invitation. Don't get me wrong it is a great start, and a honorable one at that. Yet, unfortunately for a good many it has become the extent of many a relationship with God. 

Be honest with yourselves do you want to be only called a soldier of the Cross or to truly BE a SOLDIER of the CROSS?

I plead with you to considered "Self Honesty." It is the only way to have a life in Christ more abundantly. The apostle Paul said, "I die daily."

The Formative Years of David

Pastor Ivey

Our young people just came back from camp and they came back fired up, rededicated and “Alive.” The Testimonies were moving to me personally, not because of the eloquence of speech but because it brought me back quite a few years to all the camp meetings I attended as a teen. The Spirit moving, tears flowing, promises made, callings confirmed. Wow what a high.  Oceanside has a great youth group lead by God, facilitated by Pastor Ivey.  My mind then drifted to what would inevitably happen when the “Mountain top,” the turned back into, "The valley."

Senior Pastor Trey

Our senior pastor (Pastor Trey, as he is lovingly called by all) quoted some of the psalms of David.  As before my mind drifted to the early years of David. Not much is known of David as a child other than that he was the eighth and youngest son of Jesse. David wasn’t the strongest, or the most valued he was just a kid in bible times with the task of tending some smelly sheep. He wasn’t the popular. But what David did have was a lot of time on his hands herding sheep in and out hills and valleys sleeping under the stars. Singing songs to God with only four legged balls of fur for an audience, and they couldn’t critique his sling practice either.  This was not a job the other seven of his brothers would have wanted. 

David as a "Shepherd Boy"

Yet, whatever it was he learned during these times alone; this is what equipped him to become one of the greatest men who ever lived. Oh, what I would have done to be able to spend time hanging out with him during the formative years of David. That would have however defeated what God had in mind.  David needed that time alone with God and God needed that time alone with David to make him whom He wanted him to be. 

David learned to communicate with, to trust in, rely on, and most importantly depend on GOD.  David later became known as a man after Gods own heart I believe mostly because he fostered a friendship with God. 

To the youth of Oceanside don’t long for greatness; long to be the best friends with the God of all creation. By doing this you will:

·        Long to be in His presence all the time.

·        Spend all your time in communication with Him.

·        Constantly abide in His favor, and grace.

·        Know, first hand, His protection and unbelievable provision as if it were an everyday occurrence.

·        Most importantly be great in His eyes.

Pastor Job Description

I found an illustration that sums up what most people expect out of a pastor:

The Perfect Pastor

1. The perfect pastor preaches exactly 10 minutes.
2. He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone’s feelings.
3. He works from 8am until midnight and is also the church janitor.
4. The perfect pastor makes $40 a week, wears good clothes, drives a good car, buys good books, and donates $30 a week to the church.
5. He is 29 years old and has 40 years experience.
6. Above all, he is handsome.
7. The perfect pastor has a burning desire to work with teenagers,and he spends most of his time with the senior citizens.
8. He smiles all the time with a straight face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously dedicated to his church.
9. He makes 15 home visits a day and is always in his office to be handy when needed.
10. The perfect pastor always has time for church council and all of its committees.
11. He never misses the meeting of any church organization and is always busy evangelizing the unchurched.
12. The perfect pastor is always in the church down the street!

From sermon illustrations. com

Worship at Oceanside

This past weekend Oceanside Meet at Mt. Pleasant Water Works off of Rifle Range Rd. What a wonderful facility. Oceanside is growing and if your not careful you won't grow with it.  We as a fellowship of believers in Christ have been in a variety of locations, and although the facilities have change the worship hasn't diminished.  It doesn't matter whether we are in a tent, cathedral, warehouse, cinema, or where ever God allows us to meet; the fellowship, worship and Word has only changed for the better.  We in essence are following in the footsteps of the first church, it is so exciting. As one of the pastors of the church, I urge you to grow with us, by worship and small groups.  Join us in prayer and praise before each service as we seek God in prayer.  I really believe this sets the tone, and aligns our hearts to give glory to God.  It is a privileged obligation for each of us to come together in WORSHIP.  Our church is the Real Deal!

Darby Bible Translation
Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom is with some; but encouraging one another, and by so much the more as ye see the day drawing near.

Divine Being

Many Scientist and Sociologists: have the common understanding that since the dawn of creation earthly bipedal humanoids have had a yearning to acknowledge something or someone/s greater than themselves. As time progressed on this blue cosmic dot, we now call earth; acknowledgement transcended to worship, devotion, even sacrifice of varying sorts. As time further progressed, intelligence increased and as humans we began to classify these superhuman/natural beings as deities and or gods.

Present day educated men and women further classify different groups/civilizations’ of people as poly (many) theistic and mono (one) theistic. These classifications extend both into the past, present and future. Many debates on the true existence and divine nature of these beings have occurred.

The method of ascertaining divine, true, and enduring on my part delves with what is:

• Clearly documented existence
• Deeds of supernatural actions that can be verified by history.
• Motive of deity in relation to none deists (you and I).
• Continuing existence for all time.

This criterion of my personal research is a simplistic approach to better help the reader.

To help narrow the field of study even further, and to eliminate this becoming a tomb, I will endeavor to focus on a well known deity found in what is commonly called the bible.  I will in other blogs deal with the relevance and brief summary of the modern works combined and canonized as the Bible.

Let us pull a passage from one of the Books in the Bible (A Collection of 66 books and letters) specifically the book of Hebrews. In Chapter 11:1 it discusses the subject of faith.  Faith is not a relatively new concept, it origins have been displayed since the beginning of time. Unlike many other historical texts outside of the "Bible" it makes a successful attempt at defining "faith." "..As being the substance of things hoped for, but not actually seen, yet believed to exist either now or soon to come."

Pagans, Mono/Polytheist for millennium have used this practice of faith to not only substantiate but to propitiate their belief in their god/s, among other tactics not to be discussed at this time.

So we can conclude thus far:

• The divine being/s have existed for a very long time
• Faith is tool used to continue on existence.
• Defined Methodology in studying deity/s is important.

In my next blog I will delve farther into Faith and the Existence of Monotheism throughout the ages using a defined method of study. This will lead to further exhortation of popular modern deity.

As this is my first blog please feel free to give feedback that would allow me to fine tune my "newbie" blogging dynamics.

Suggestions

Yeah, I am finally becoming a blogger. Too Cool, Right?

Over the Years, Many people have asked me questions concerning theological topics.  I would normally come right out and tell them the answer.  Those individuals like so many others would take the answer and that was that.  Hindsight being 20/20 I realize now; that although the answer was provided, I performed a great disservice to those people.  Let me explain, by simply answering their question I did:

• Not share with them the source of the answer.
• Not instruct them on how to find the answer.
• Not, most importantly, assist them on finding the relativity of the "answer" and how it could have a lasting action-ability (personal relevance)  in their lives.

So.... for the first phase of my first blog space. I would like to guide you on relevant suggested topics that will add to your intimate and maturing relationship with Christ. 

That being said: What subjects, pinnacles of faith, doctrines would you like answered???