The Temple of the Holy Spirit

I have always known that it is important to take care of my physical body. There are some things that are just inherently known. But just because we know something, doesn't mean that we take it seriously or that we put into practice the things that we know about that thing every day. Sometimes we need somebody else to push us. So here goes my best shot...

When I developed cancer almost 8 years ago, I begin to look at my physical body differently. From a spiritual standpoint, I saw a great responsibility to take care of the flesh that God had given me. Maybe I had not been taking care of it like I should. Perhaps it was just genetics or perhaps it was just bad behavior. But I realized with great reflection what most people will never look deep enough to see. It was time to do things differently.

I don't really want to preach about alcohol or cigarette smoking. I don't really want to preach about drugs, or bad eating choices, food addictions, and the like. I want to preach about Jesus and the church and God's saving grace. People are willing to listen to the things that will help them spiritually. But people excuse themselves from the reality that they are losing to Satan when it comes to the flesh. I have found that people take it personally when you challenge them to stop making bad choices when it comes to carnal, temporal things. They want to redirect! They simply don't want to take a long look in the mirror and admit they are a mess!

After having cancer, and being forced to deal with the issues I had with the care of my flesh, my perspective changed and I can praise God for humbling me. Now that I realize what a great gift life is and how important good health is, I admit that it is hard for me to respect people who are being destructive or negligent when it comes to taking care of their bodies. I pray that they will see what I have been given the opportunity to see myself.

So rather than attacking one issue so that you can point to those who have problems in another issue, I want to challenge you to take a long look at yourself. Because, "...he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him...or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:17, 19-20).

Therefore, make this resoltuion:
"I am going to take care of the body that God has given me. I know that He dwells in me and that this body is the temple of His Spirit. I am going to treat my body with respect as a vessel of God. I am going to be a good steward with my flesh. I am going to eat differently, I am going to excercise, and I am not going to let substances that will harm my body to enter. My motivation for all of these things will be spiritual. I am not taking care of my body to get praise or attention or to be attractive to others. I am not working on my body to stroke my ego. I am taking care of my body because I love God and I want to serve Him. I am going to live in such a way that God is glorified not only in my spirit, but also in my flesh."

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." ~ Galatians 5:16

Living in Glory

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

A Tribute to David Pinckley

My life was profoundly affected from the moment I met David Pinckley. When I was 29, I came to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee to try out for the Pulaski St. church of Christ. On the evening before the tryout, we met some people for dinner at a steakhouse there in town. David and Frances Pinckley were among them. It was day one of our relationship.

After moving to Lawrenceburg, I saw David nearly every day of my life for almost eight years. We spent a lot of time at the Parkes House together (our office at the church). David lived at the Parkes house more than his own at times, and I can say the same. I even saw him and Frances on Saturday afternoons on a regular basis.

Everyone in Lawrenceburg knows David Pinckley. He and Frances were so well connected to the community. David and Frances are Lawrenceburg. David and Frances ARE Pulaski St. They made beautiful music together with their voices. They made beautiful music in their home and in their community. They made beautiful music in the church. They made beauiful music in our lives.

Nobody will ever know how much money David gave away to strangers when they would come asking for help. David used to say whenever we had a good Sunday offering, "Somebody opened their pocketbook and their heart fell out." If that is true, David's heart fell out every day. I bet he gave away 500 twenty dollar bills just in the time I was at Pulaski St. It didn't matter their story. If a needy person came, David was too full of compassion to say no.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" - This booming laugh - it was David's and it was special. An infectious and wonderous laugh that filled the building and it belonged only to David. This laugh will never be duplicated or improved upon. I would hear this laugh from my upstairs office and I would have to stop what I was doing, go downstairs and find out what it was about. Trust me, this laugh changed my life. We laughed for 8 years together, and I needed his joy. David's laugh filled me heart and my mind with the wonder of what it means to be a Christian and live in happiness. I will be able to listen to this laugh in the windows of my mind as long as I live. I can't wait to hear it again in heaven.

David was talented. He was diligent. He cared immensely about the church. We could talk about anything and we agreed on about 99% in every subject. He was my sounding board, my county roadmap, my spiritual father and one of the reasons I wanted to go to work every day. He wrote amazing and powerful articles every week in the church bulletin. It never hurt my feelings when I would be told all the time by people how much they enjoyed David's articles (I had articles in the same bulletin). David's articles were sound, mature, loving, disciplinary, frank, and truthful. They took people back to a generation past and made them feel like they were there again for a moment.

David taught me how to adore my wife. Some men are slow on this but David was truly devoted to his wife and family. Frances Pinckley was loved by David Pinckley. They were true companions in every way. David would not ever let anybody say anything negative about the people he loved. He defended and protected them and made no excuses. He was loyal and no person could fault him for it.

DAVID PINCKLEY KNEW HOW TO FORGIVE PEOPLE...(this sentence deserves its own space)

David loved my wife and kids. He was so good to them all of the time. Many times I told him, before my dad moved to Lawrenceburg, that he was my in-town father. Being so separated from my parents was softened by his presence.

David changed peoples lives over the phone. He called people all the time and was their only link to the outside world sometimes. The shut-ins and older folks who were depressed...he made their days special by being an ear. Hours and hours of selfless phone time with people who needed someone to love them. David will have so many stars in his crown.

You don't share your innermost thoughts with just anybody. But David and I shared. We talked about anything and everything. We talked confidentially to each other. We fought and made up again right away and apologized to each other. We laughed and cried and told each other that we loved each other.

Since moving from Lawrenceburg I have greatly missed David. When I told him I was leaving I broke down and cried in his office about how wonderful he was and how much I was going to miss him. That was a special moment and I still can feel the emotions of that news. The last few times we have talked on the phone, we have expressed our feelings and I will never regret our open communication.

I don't know how to end this short tribute. I could write a book. I could talk about "the house on the hill", his love for animals, his special glow over his nieces or 100 other things that you get to know about somebody you spend every day with. I think I am writing this because I know just how big the void that "Hoss" has made by leaving us for a little while. I know that Pulaski St. will never be the same minus David Pinckley. I know that I lost something very special in my life today.

A few years ago we started "Coming Home Sunday" at P. St. - a tradition they have continued and I have also carried on at Willow Ave. Both churches had their "Coming Home Sunday" today. It is no small coincidence that after David worshiped the Lord this morning, that he laid his burden down and went home to his reward. I am happy for him, but I will miss him more than I can ever express in words.

I feel so blessed. David Pinckley's laugh fills my soul. And nothing can ever take that feeling away.

Crying Out for Daddy

I was eating lunch with my wife and daughter when suddenly a child began to scream. This was no ordinary scream. It was a sound of horror, fear, and concern. It was a desperate cry for help! It is common for children to make noise in public and to even cry out very loudly. On this occasion, every person in the sandwich shop fixed their eyes on this little boy. It was an undeniable call that moved us all. This boy was less than two, and his father had just stepped away for a moment, leaving him at the table alone. He could not see his father. When he realized he was gone his instincts took over. The father was quickly summoned and as soon as he picked up the boy there was silence. I have not seen something like that in a long time.

This event made me reflect on some things that are always true that I would like for you to consider:

1. Children need their parents. They need a mother and a father who will not leave them alone. They need involved parents who care for them, spend time with them, and love them. They need responsible parents who would never allow them to be in danger. They need parents who will always put the best interest of their children first. They need parents who will be obedient to God and teach them about Jesus.

2. We all are instinctively afraid of some things for a reason. God has placed in mankind a natural mode of protection from those things that we perceive as dangerous or threatening. Although our fears may differ somewhat based on our personalities, there are healthy fears that will keep us in a proper view of God's will for us and at times keep us from harm.

3. We need God! Human beings are born completely dependent. Spiritually speaking, God intended for us to stay dependent all of our lives. Each one of us should have the same desire for God that the little boy had for his daddy. How helpless we are with out God! How terrible and lonely and endangered we are without God! How deep our anguish, and how serious our cry without God!

When our Father appears, everything gets calm again. Everything is okay. There is no other solution to our cry than the loving, caring presence of our Father.

"For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'" ~ Romans 8:15

Positive Thinking

I want to encourage you today to think of the church and its people in a positive way. Preachers, elders, and even regular members often tend to look at the negative things that are going on in the church. Granted, it is not only appropriate to have concern, but we are commanded by God to protect the church and fight for the church. So please do not read this and think that I am saying that we should not be doctrinally sound. I am not saying we should not keep the church holy. I am not saying we should not be evangelsistic and build up a new generation of believers.

On a typical Sunday morning, I am looking all over the building to see who is and isn't present. I am interested some in numbers - always checking the attendance and the offering. If we have a special event, I am looking even closer at these things. Preachers want churches to grow, have spiritual revivals, see changes in people, and have positive results all of the time.

Because preachers are so results oriented, sometimes we only look for the outward signs of what we would consider a spiritually strong church. We may not be happy to see so few publicly respond to the invitation. We may be discouraged with poor attendance. We may even be ready to just give up when something we are planning falls apart. We are human. It is natural for us to have moments of dissappointment when it looks from the outside like nobody cares.

But I am here to tell you, people care and they care all the time. Meals are being cooked for people who need them. Homes and healthcare facilities are being visited. Those who have lost loved ones are being comforted and prayed for. Cards are being written. Words of encouragement are being spread. People are involved in various programs every week. On an individual level, Christians are considering their relationships with God daily and contemplating how they ought to walk with Christ. There are so many things that we cannot account for that people are doing. But God knows all of these things and I believe we tend to give people less credit than they deserve.

I believe in the church that Jesus built and I believe in the people who have submitted their lives to God in order to be a part of it. I believe in the fact that people can, will and do change. I believe that God is working on hearts, that His word is powerful, and this His way is best.

The church and its people are doing better than we often think. Praise God for the love He has given us, which binds us together and helps us to love God and one another!

"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul..." ~ Acts 4:32

The Day the Cloud Moved

When the Israelites had made it to the banks of the Red Sea, they began to doubt and fret as they saw Pharaoh's army camp nearby. They begin to cry to Moses (Ex. 14:12), "Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."

Moses assured them of God's deliverance as he replied, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace" (Ex. 14:13-14).

Then God offered a further sign of hope that they were not expecting. "And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night" (Ex. 14:19-20).

God taught several important lessons when He moved the cloud:

1. His presence is with His people, both in front and behind. God literally "has our back." He will not allow former enemies to overcome us when we trust in Him.

2. Egypt is no option. How soon we forget our chains! As soon as their faith was challenged, the Israelites began to think about living in Egypt again. We need to remember that the slavery of sin is no picnic. It would be better to die for the Lord than to live in Egypt.

3. In the presence of God, there is light and peace and eternal deliverance. Those who have obeyed God and who are being led by Him are walking in the light. The cloud represented more than God's providencial care for His people. It also revealed that for those who choose to deny God's existence and power - darkness and everlasting death will be their fate.

We need to trust in God. He will lead us to the promised land. When we doubt and begin to think about trying the old life, He will shield our backs with His cloud.

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea." ~ 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

A Phone Call for the Preacher

She called on a Sunday afternoon. It was about 4:00 p.m. I had come to my office at the Pulaski St. church of Christ to study my lesson for the evening worship. I have often wondered, if I had not been there, who would she have called? Maybe another church that did not teach the truth...maybe someone who could have helped her and her husband much better than I did. But she did not call somebody else. She called me.

She told me she needed help immediately. Her husband was sick and dying and she was also feeble. She wanted someone to come and pray with her and her husband. I told her I would be there immediately.

When I arrived, I learned more about her husband's terminal condition. He had a few days, maybe a week. No one had ever taught him the gospel. She had been exposed to the church over 50 years ago, but faded away from it. They were good, kind people, they just did not know the truth. We prayed together, and I taught them the plan of salvation. The next morning, Al and June Parkhill obeyed the gospel. We had to get help from the family, and a wheel chair and a special chair to baptize Mr. Parkhill. He passed away two days later. I conducted his funeral.

June immediately came to worship. Her physcial condition was poor at best. But she did all she could to come when she had the opportunity. She was very happy, even though she had to come in on her walker and it was hard for her to sit. One of the things she was very dedicated to was giving to the pantry. It always amazes me that the people who have the least often tend to give to things like the pantry the most. She insisted on people even coming to pick items up from time to time when she was unable to come on Sunday. It was not long before Mrs. Parkhill could not attend at all. She spent the remainder of her life shut-in. She appreciated every call from the church office she received, especially from David Pinckley. I regret not visiting her more.

This one phone call I received has caused me to reflect a great deal on my ministry. People need the Lord, and they expect to receive Him in some way from us. Are we doing enough? Are we handing out things but not going the extra mile? Would more people call us for help if we were more kind, more helpful, and more dependable?

My mother sent me a forwarded email this week that informed me that June Parkhill passed away on Tuesday. I have since left Lawrenceburg and will not be conducting her funeral. I am thankful for the good people at Pulaski St. and their good preacher there who will be there for this family. Although time and distance separate us, we are all linked together eternally in love and unity in the kingdom of God's dear Son. We will all be together in heaven.

I wish I could make one phone call today. I would call June Parkhill. I would thank her for the phone call she made on a Sunday afternoon. It changed her life. It changed mine.

"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" ~ Romans 10:14