God’s Valentine Card
14 Friday Feb 2014
Posted Holidays and Special Events, Quotes
in14 Friday Feb 2014
Posted Holidays and Special Events, Quotes
in13 Sunday Jan 2013
Posted Humor/Reaping and Sowing
inTags
Bible reading, castle, christianity, Christianstein, church attendance, courage of Stephen, creating spiritual life, doctor, evangelical, I Corinthians 13, Igor, Love, orthodoxy, patience of Job, prayer, Ray Navarro, thunder, voice of an evangelist
It was a dark and stormy night.
You could hear thunder in the distance. Bats flapped their wings in the darkness of the night as they exited a castle. If things weren’t creepy enough, the wolves were howling and the trees were swaying in the wind.
Inside the castle a faint light shown from the laboratory. This was the inner sanctum of one of the maddest scientist of time….the infamous Dr. E. Van-Gelical!
A lone rat ran across the granite floor as the Dr’s daunting figure appeared in the light. Dr. Van Gelical’s lab coat was stained with the evidence of his notorious experiments. His eyes were glowing with delight as he gazed upon the table in the middle of the room which was covered with a white sheet.
Under the sheet lay a human-like form.
Suddenly, Dr. E Van Gelical shouted, “Igor, come quickly! We have much to do!”
Irregular footsteps were heard coming down from the stairs. As if appearing from thin air, Igor was in the room. He was hunchback with tattered clothes. In his possession was a candelabra and a big cardboard box.
“Yes master. Here is everything you ordered. All is ready!”
“Very good. Bring all the materials to the table Igor. Now at last, we begin the experiment!”
Thunder was heard in the distance while Igor dragged the box toward the table.
“Tonight I will conduct the greatest experiment of my long, illustrious career. Tonight shall be my greatest triumph ever!”
Doctor E Van Gelical raised his fist towards the sky and with great gusto cried, “I shall achieve what no man has achieved before. Tonight I create spiritual life! This shall be my greatest hour for I shall create… Christianstein!”
More thunder and lightning poured through the halls of the laboratory.
“They say that I am mad Igor. But Christianstein shall be the greatest specimen of spiritual life the world has ever seen! He shall be everything Igor, EVERYTHING!”
“The moment has arrived. Igor, my gloves!”
“Yes master.”
“Give me the voice of a great evangelist Igor!”
“Yes master.” He handed him a jar from the box.
“The courage of Stephen!” Igor produced a dusty vial.
“The patience of Job!” the doctor commanded and he was rewarded with an ancient-looking flask.
“Now the hypodermic and all the serum I distilled!”
Igor’s hands trembled as he presented a long, steel syringe and bottles filled with different colored fluids.
“Double doses of daily prayer and Bible reading,” murmured Dr. E Van Gelical while he withdrew liquid from one of the bottles and injected it into the lifeless figure.
“Then faithful church attendance…generous giving…temperance…volunteer work…ability to resist temptation…witnessing…”
The doctor paused for a moment, then filled the syringe with fluid from the final container. “And last-but not least-a triple injection of orthodoxy!
The mad doctor consulted his list once more.
“Examine the box Igor. Have we forgotten anything?”
“Oh no master…Everything must be in place!”
“Excellent! This is the moment the world has waited for. This is the moment for….Christianstein!”
The doctor dashed to the nearest wall where the electrical control panel waited for his arrival.
“A million volts of lightning will bring my creation to life. Now stand back Igor while I throw the power switch. Prepare to meet the perfect Christian…CHRISTIANSTEIN!”
Doctor E Van Gelical threw the massive switch as an avalanche of thunder shook the castle.
The figure began to tremble.
“Doctor,” shouted Igor. “It is moving! It is moving!”
“Yes, yes, my creation lives!”
The thing called “CHRISTIANSTEIN” sat up slowly. After a few more tremors and shakes.. stiffly it climbed from the table and stood to its full height.
“Oh, my creation…..Speak to me, speak to me!”
The figure looked down at the doctor and frowned. Finally it began to speak in a low and hostile growl: “If I speak in the language of angels but have not love…”
“LOVE?” asked the doctor, examining in his list once again. “Whats love got to do with it?”
Slowly the creature lifted his hands towards the doctor who was still consulting his list.
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have faith that can move mountains and have not love….”
“LOVE? Igor, what is he talking about?”
“I, I don’t know master!” Igor hid himself under the table.
“If I give all my possessions to the poor and give my body to the flames to be burned and have not love…” Suddenly the figure, growling, picked up the doctor by his coat. “I gain nothing!”
“Nothing?” said the doctor.
“Aaarrggghhh!” the creature bellowed, throwing the doctor to the ground and reaching for his throat.
“Igor you fool! I knew that we forgot something! And such a small thing!” The doctor fled for his life with the creature CHRISTIANSTEIN in hot pursuit.
A few minutes passed before Igor finally had enough courage to come out from under the table. Finally, looking one direction then another, he whispered: “I, I think we have created a monster!”
by Ray Navarro
Blessings,
Pastor
20 Thursday Dec 2012
Posted Christmas
in17 Monday Sep 2012
Posted Servanthood
inTags
don't look in the mirror, friend of the groom, Jesus, jewish wedding ceremony, John, John 3:28-29, keep myself out of sight, Love, not the center of attention, return to your first love, subservient position, the best man, the greatest servant, the least man
I want to continue a blog thought I started a few days ago on what it means to be a great servant of the Lord. John the Baptist was considered to be the greatest servant of God in history. Jesus said of him, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” John said about himself, “I am not worthy to even untie Jesus’ sandals.” Did John know anything different about the Lord than we do today? I don’t think so!
Here is the question you need to ask yourself… Could you personally be Jesus’ best man? Even if you are a “lady“, I still want you to ask yourself this question. This is how John saw himself and his ministry. He saw himself as an intimate friend of the groom. Listen to his own description…
I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. John 3:28-29
John could have talked about being Jesus’ cousin through Mary, or about how he was the last prophet of the Old Testament. Instead, he used a word picture which emphasized a position of service. John saw himself as Jesus’ “best man.”
The “friend of the groom” played an important role in the first century Jewish wedding ceremony. The best man negotiated on behalf of the perspective groom and his future father-in-law. Contractually the best man served as mediator. In other words, he was someone who looked out for the groom’s best interests! John saw himself in this position. He was looking out for Jesus’ best interests.
An ironic event happened to the best man on the way to the altar. The “best” man must become the “least” man at the wedding ceremony. Once his job was complete, he willingly and graciously faded from the scene. If he did his job correctly and the couple were wedded, then he was truly the best man for the job. He had a prominent place and a very important job, but he was not center of attention.
So when John’s disciples brought him news that Jesus’ ministry was succeeding his and his was fading, it didn’t cause him to fall into a major depressive episode. This wasn’t bad news, but good news. His job as best man was a success. No one else may know or understand. John was now to take a subservient position to Jesus. John was a success prior and now afterward. By the way, sometimes choosing to allow your ministry to fade, which results in your head being chopped off, is not the ideal ministry end.
A little country boy was fishing with a makeshift pole, but he was catching fish! All this didn’t go unnoticed by a city dweller sitting close by him. This city fellow had the finest fishing tackle, but was having no success at all. He decided to ask the country boy about his success. The boy replied, “The secret of it all is that I keep myself out of sight.”
John understood this principle. When it came time for him to fade away, he did so with grace. He didn’t need the limelight to be successful. I think we struggle with our position in the Lord sometimes because we forget our first calling… to be a “friend of the groom.” The word here for “friend” is the same word for “brotherly love.” This is what motivates great servants to service Jesus — a genuine, loving, and intimate relationship with the Lord. If you need some motivation to serve Jesus with a genuine heart, return once again to your first love.
Blessings,
Pastor
18 Saturday Aug 2012
Posted Quotes
in05 Sunday Aug 2012
Posted Illustrations/Cartoons/Etc.
in28 Saturday Jul 2012
Posted Quotes
in21 Saturday Jul 2012
Posted Illustrations/Cartoons/Etc., Quotes
in26 Saturday Nov 2011
Posted Quotes
inTags
caregie, Christian quotes, extraordinary, faith, fear, Hellen Keller, i i will overcome, inspirational quotes, Love, never too old, psalms 24:1
I thought I would pass along some quotes to help you recover from the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Pastor
…. If you like these quotes you also might like these other posts on “faith”
https://eisakouo.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/journey-of-faith-picture-quotes/
Blessings,
Pastor
12 Wednesday Oct 2011
Posted Receiving Revelation
inI have spent a lot of time in the past few blogs discussing the importance of hearing God speak and walking in obedience to the spoken word. I haven’t been able to work in many illustrations. Below is a story from Beth Moore’s life back in 2005. It is a alittle long, but well, well worth the read. In fact…it’s a must read. Did I sell it? Please take some time to digest her story.
Blessings,
Pastor