The Christian Life is not easy. Christians wrestle with the demonic forces of the devil, they feel the sinful desires of the flesh, and they are squeezed by the influences of this world. One of these problems would be enough to overwhelm a person, but all three can really tie a believer up in knots and seriously rob their joy

On Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th Pastor Charles Leiter will speak to the difficult issues we all face in the Christian life at Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. If you are just exploring Christianity we hope these messages will give you an accurate picture of the Christian life. And if you are a believer we hope that these meetings will restore your joy, and give you practical help for difficult days.

1. Saturday Sept.26 evening @ 7:00pm – Nursery will be provided
2. Sunday Sept.27 morning @ 9 & 11am – Nursery will be provided
3. Sunday Sept.27 evening @ 6:00pm – Nursery will be provided

Charles Leiter is the Pastor of Lakeroad Chapel in Kirksville, Missouri, a frequent conference speaker, and the author of the book Justification and Regeneration. He is married to Mona and together they have five children.

Immanuel Baptist Church is located at 1121 S. Clay St. Louisville, KY 40203.

1. Live each day with courage.

2. Take pride in your work.

3. Always finish what you start.

4. Do what has to be done.

5. Be tough, but fair.

6. When you make a promise, keep it.

7. Ride for the brand.

8. Talk less and say more.

9. Remember that some things aren’t for sale.

10. Know where to draw the line.

I am not a believer in love at first sight.  For love, in its truest form, is not the thing of starry-eyed or star-crossed lovers, it is far more organic, requiring nurturing and time to fully bloom, and, as such, seen best not in its callow youth but in its wrinkled maturity.

Like all living things, love, too, struggles against hardship, and in the process sheds its fatuous skin to expose one composed of more than just a storm of emotion–one of loyalty and divine friendship.  Agape.  And though it may be temporarily blinded by adversity, it never gives in or up, holding tight to lofty ideals that transcend this earth and time–while its counterfeit simply concludes it was mistaken and quickly runs off to find the next real thing

–Richard Paul Evans, The Letter.

Greetings in Ma’dain

Originally uploaded by Army.mil.

Staff Sgt. Richard Grimsley, of Charleston, S.C., greets a young Iraqi girl during a checkpoint patrol, Aug. 19, 2009, in the Ma’dain region, located outside eastern Baghdad. Grimsley is a squad leader assigned to Troop A, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. Prior to moving to the outskirts of eastern Baghdad, Troop A operated in the heart of Baghdad’s Rusafa District.

Photo by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann

I will admit that the past year or two has been very trying for me spiritually. It is one thing to claim to be a “Calvinist” and a whole other thing to live like one who actually trusts in the sovereignty of God. Those pseudo-A types like myself who intensively put in the effort to “work out” the will of God in our lives, we often over-exert ourselves and try to make something happen that is completely beyond our control.

This over-emphasis on self-trying and self-power is in fact an over-estimation of our own abilities to control our lives and an under-estimation of God’s sovereign authority to rule it: everything we have is from God, and there is nothing we have in this life that we did not first receive from him.

What this leaves me with is the continual search for a balance between self “trying” and God “trusting”: the fine line between not working too hard for God’s will & waiting patiently, expectantly, in trust of God who will ultimately (now and in the end) work out all things for the good of us who love Him.

Psalm 37 is a simple tell-tale reminder of what I need to do when life throws me a lemon.  I prayed through this Psalm back on March 7, 2008. I have been working at God’s commands in verses 1-7 since at least that day, almost a year and a half-ago. May this blogpost thus serve as a mile marker for how far I have come, how far we have yet to go, and how God desires us to live.

1 Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
be not envious of wrongdoers!
2 For they will soon fade like the grass
and wither like the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
over the man who carries out evil devices!

Psalm 37:1-7

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” –The Apostle Paul