55 Spiritual & Practical Life Lessons learned in 55 years...A birthday gift to you...

Most of the time, people give you gifts or well wishes on your birthday and today for me, this has also been true. Today, May 15, 2019, is my 55th birthday on planet earth. That little fact means I’ve now lived 20,075 days. I’m old enough to go live in 55 or older adult only communities; I’ve routinely been getting “senior discount” offers for years. Some of you are now in shock I’m only 55 because you were convinced I’m so much older. I guess it’s just I’ve been accused of being old for so long I don’t know how else to act. Psalm 90:12 says “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I’ve been doing this for years partly because I’ve had an 8 year career in law enforcement and now over 20 years in full time ministry as a pastor and I’ve learned the brevity of life. So as my birthday gift to my family, my friends, my church family, acquaintances or for anyone really who’ll take the time to read this; I’d like to share 55 spiritual & practical life lessons learned over my 55 years. These are not an exhaustive list by any means - no-one has time for that; and these aren’t necessarily the most important lessons learned but many of them are. Some I probably shouldn’t have written down and there are no doubt are others I should have written down today. But these are what I’ve written today & I hope you’ll enjoy and reflect on your life in the process. My prayer in sharing is that it will be a blessing and an encouragement to you in your spiritual journey through life. Just to let you know I tried to think through my life by decade so these are in some semblance of order. So here we go…

1. God placed you in the exact family He wanted you in. Be thankful for it.
2. Because of #1, He has a plan and purpose for you; even if your family isn’t Godly.
3. Because of #1 & 2, if your family is Godly; you have even more reason to be thankful.
4. No discipline seems pleasant at the present time, but afterwards yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness by those who have been trained by it.
5. Your parents were not perfect but they did the best they could. Be thankful.
6. You learn submission to God’s authority by learning submission to parental authority.
7. You don’t always get what you want as a gift, maybe it’s what you need. Be thankful because it’s a gift!
8. Your parents have sacrificed immensely for you and more than you’ll ever know. You won’t understand and get it until you’re a parent yourself. Be thankful. Tell them thank you.
9. Write personal thank you notes. Always have an attitude of gratitude.
10. Your parents were not ogres when you were a teenager. They were trying to keep you from getting yourself killed. By the way, nothing good happens after midnight out of the house. That applies if you’re 15 or 55.
11. The Gospel is so simple a child, in my case as a 5 year old boy, can understand it, recognize his or her sinful condition, repent and embrace Jesus Christ by faith!
12. Be thankful for the wonderful grace of Jesus that reaches even me.
13. Some whippings and discipline you got as a kid were in fact way over the top. Just remember all the sinful stuff you got away with. Don’t be bitter, be thankful for the grace of God. See lesson #5.
14. Hard work and a diligent work ethic is ordained by God and honors Him. It is gratifying and rewarding and will pay off with a multitude of blessings from God.
15. Do all to the glory of God. As my father taught me “Son, I don’t care if you’re a garbage collector, be the best garbage collector you can be to the glory of God.” Interestingly, I have a friend named Ralph who was in fact a garbage collector & did it to the glory of God!
16. You appreciate the things you worked hard for more than things just given to you. However, you must learn to appreciate both equally.
17. Your teachers invested deeply in you. Be thankful to them and be thankful for your education.
18. Don’t wish your life away as a kid or a teenager. You’ll be old soon.
19. Team sports are wonderful life lesson teaching tools but they are not your life. Enjoy it while you can but know they are great preparation for learning to work with others. BTW winning isn’t everything, I hate losing but winning isn’t everything and you need to learn to be a good loser.
20. Pay more attention to spiritual matters while you are young.
21. Marriage is a wonderful, wonderful blessing! Thank God for your spouse like I thank God for Cheryl.
22. Marriage is hard work but it is worth every bit of it when husband & wife invest in their relationship daily. It truly gets sweeter as the days go by. Divorce was never an option, murder however was always a strong possibility. I’m kidding! No not really…Cheryl is the most amazing woman ever; thank you God.
23. Children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them. Ps. 127
24. The sense of pride, joy & overwhelming awe of God & His gift of life is indescribable & I’ll never get over holding each of my babies for the very first time. I’ve had that joy 5 times w/ my kids and 6 times with my grandkids.
25. The sense of responsibility for a Dad holding his newborn baby for the very first time is completely overwhelming. You know you have to lean on God.
26. Parenting is exhausting, stressful and hard. But by the grace of God & obedience to the Word of God; you can do it.
27. God’s Holy Spirit, prayer & the Word of God is a parents secret weapon & super power to be used against their manipulative kids.
28. Put your coffee pot in your bathroom when your kids are little so you and your wife can have a Quiet Time & walk with God. Teach your kids your bedroom is Holy Ground.
29. Hot sex at night flows from doing laundry or dishes in the morning for your wife.
30. God’s gift of sex is greatest between a monogamous married husband & wife completely sold out to each other and gets greater over your life time together.
31. People think you’re nuts when you have 5 kids. You were & are; but it’s awesome and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
32. Never ever argue with your teenagers. They will change their mind tomorrow. It’s a total waste of emotional energy. Be encouraged because they actually do listen to what you say.
33. Trust is a very, very, very fragile thing in your family. Guard it, nurture it, don’t every break it & be thankful to God for it. If you break it, repent immediately and ask for forgiveness!
34. Living far away from your family on assignment for Jesus is often hard and very difficult. Keep eternity in mind, lean on Jesus and bloom where you’re planted. BTW, home is where you hang your hat and where your wife and children are.
35. Give God a blank check with your life & you’ll never regret it.
36. When you wake up one day and you don’t like the person staring back at you in the mirror; you can choose to change & you have within you the power of the Holy Spirit to change. If you aren’t a believer, becoming a Christian is as simple as ABC! Admit your sin; believe in Jesus Christ by faith and repent of your sin; confess Him as Savior & Lord committing the rest of your life to Him.
37. Never ever put anything in higher priority in your life than your personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.Your family is 2nd place; everything else including your job is a distant 3rd. Those priorities in order will serve you well in life & result in great blessing.
38. We can trust God implicitly; He is always, always, always faithful.
39. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
40. Don’t be reckless & stupid with your life or the lives of others around you. However, you are bullet proof & can live fearlessly knowing nothing happens to you without God’s express permission. So fear not! 2nd Timothy 1:7 “God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.”
41. The life of faith, trust & walking with Jesus Christ daily wherever He walks is the greatest, most exciting adventure you’ll ever have.
42. There is no substitute for personal, daily Bible Study & prayer for a child of God. It is your life line, it is oxygen for your soul. Neglect it to your own demise & peril.
43. When you make a mistake, own it, ask for forgiveness from all the people you wronged and move on by the grace of God.
44. Your kids desperately need you to be their parent and not their buddy. If you will be faithful as their parent when they are young, you can in fact be their buddy when they are grown. Delayed gratification on this is worth the work and the wait!
45. Save more, spend less, live within your means. Pay cash and never go into debt! Give God His tithes & offerings with a joyful heart; you cannot out give God. Man I wish I had learned this sooner than later.
46. The tough assignments God gives you are His prerogative & a blessing. Get over yourself and be thankful God chooses to use you at all.
47. God has all the wisdom, knowledge and resources you need. This is always true but especially in the tough assignments He gives you. He will provide for you when you walk with Him in humility & ASK - Ask, Seek & Knock.
48. Choose to make a small difference each day, walk with the King and be a blessing or an encouragement each day. You will find great joy and your life will have great impact for the glory of God.
49. God isn’t through with you until He calls you home. So keep walking with Jesus Christ by faith & your 4th quarter can be your greatest quarter for the glory of God.
50. Slow down, enjoy the season of life, lean in close to Jesus, love people & keep being faithful.
51. Treasure your parents in their old age. You will not have them long. Their mind or their life may be gone all too soon.
52. The cure for personal grief is service to Jesus Christ and others. Focus on the joy of your loved one in Heaven if they knew Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord. 
53. Be a faithful witness for Christ so others can enjoy #52 when their loved ones die.
54. Lifelong friends are great treasures. Invest in those relationships, nurture them and take care of those relationships by the grace of God.
55. I am who I am by the grace of God. I am one tremendously blessed Husband, Dad, Grand Dad & Pastor. A trophy of God’s grace because of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope these 55 spiritual and practical life lessons learned over 55 years are a blessing to you today as my gift to you on my “Double Nickel” birthday; from my little corner of the world to yours…

A Quiet Time God Story...

Many of you who have listened to me preach on a regular basis know I often talk about the importance of a having what I call a daily Quiet Time. I learned this discipline years ago as a teenager as it was embedded in my nature from my faithful parents who modeled this for me. As home missionaries with Word of Life Clubs, they used the Word of Life Quiet Time Diary as their primary tool for personal devotions. What I learned from having a Quiet Time Diary given to me each year by mom and dad was the important discipline of opening God’s Word each day in order to allow God to speak directly to me. 

The QT Diary had guided readings in Scripture designed purposely to take you systematically through the Bible. In those early days of learning to study God’s Word for myself, there was no commentary - someone’s opinion about what the passage was saying, it was just the Word of God and two simple questions: 1) What is the writer saying? 2) How can I apply this to my life? There was an empty space under each question for me to jot down a few sentences of what God said to me that day from that passage of Scripture. What I began to experience was exhilarating because I learned pretty quickly that God not only wanted to speak to me, what He had to say was going to come into play that day! I also learned the accountability of having a Quiet Time with the Lord because if I neglected it, that blank page was staring me in the face as a reminder I missed it the previous day…or two or three…you know how that is. While it was a simple blank page that was mute in the real sense, the Holy Spirit would be whispering in my ear “I missed you yesterday Ralph.” Man a live, that blank page had the powerful voice of God.

While I’ve not used the WOL QT diary for a while now, the discipline of a daily QT has been rooted in my DNA for years now and I use a variety of things in my QT but the fundamental resource is still God’s Word without commentary or someone else’s devotions. What I’ve been amazed to see over the years is how God always manages to speak truth into my heart and life that I desperately need at that moment, at that season, on that day and time. God always sees fit to make sure I find myself in some situation to where I see how the passage I read that day applies directly to my life. It’s why the Bible describes itself this way in Hebrews 4:12-13 “¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. ¹³ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. (NKJV).

Okay fast-forward to 2018 and I’m the pastor of a great church in Corpus and I’m still telling people the need to have a QT (not a Q-tip - a Quiet Time) each day and the importance of it. A few weeks ago while preaching, I was challenging our church to watch for God at work around them and when they see it; get involved with what God is doing. I told the congregation I wanted to hear their God stories. Well I got an email from one of our members telling me his God story and he gave me permission to share it however I chose. So I’m going to simply let Roy tell his God story as he shared it with me in an email. It was so encouraging to me and I believe it will be a blessing to you too. You see it’s one thing if I’m telling you this stuff about a Quiet Time, but it’s another thing to hear from a “satisfied customer.” Here is Roy’s God Story:

Pastor Ralph,

A God story from Roy:

I am in pursuit of a plan that guides daily bible reading over the course of a half year.  As I have finished the Pentateuch recently, I progressed into the book of Joshua.  Monday evening I completed Joshua. Upon reaching chapter 22, verse 5, at work (night shifts), a coworker randomly texted me a request to share another coworker's contact information.  I texted Reuben the info and decided to share with him a random fact- that is, that God was speaking through Joshua to the Reubenites in my reading as he texted me.  I figured it was an interesting way for me to help better know how this guy positionally relates to Christ- a hint if nothing else.  Also, this info spurt would be a friendly and non-invasive way to help Reuben understand the person within my work blues.  Each of us shake hands upon passing but have never discussed much more than work matter.    

To my surprise, Reuben felt that the situation was no coincidence, and that he had no convictions about it one way or another, but he would be interested to gather my interpretation!  This was interesting to me, for God had been working on my heart through the book, and very clearly has he explicitly indicated how he is mighty and powerful and ever at work in the sense of spiritual battle.  

His spirit had been convicting me of a heart with neutral motive over the past handful of weeks.  I had been complacent and lazy and sloppy but had begun to seek a way out of backslide in the last week or so.  Acknowledging sin an repenting to Him was a good start.  I did not feel that I was engaging in my readings or completing anything more than a meaningless religious checkpoint until these three things happened: I was convicted, I desired a positive change , God provided means of egress!  

At this point I began Joshua.  The content was very clear to me.  The lessons from the text, as I feel they apply to me, were striking; they are to acknowledge that God is the driving force behind the battle lines (of all types) and that he fulfills every promise to the word.  He desires our participation in his work and graciously offers refuge and his omnipresence for those who cleave to him through service of love and trust with one's mind, strength, and soul.  He finds it most pleasing when his children submit to him courageously- not passively as I had been, if that is even possible, for is passive submission submission at all?  Another topic...

I had been missing church fellowship over the past couple of months and had curiously asked God to help fill this void.  That's when Michael Mata came down sick.  Oops.  I offered my time and service Saturday night for the upcoming morning congregation. A new song called "The Battle Belongs to the Lord" was one scheduled.  Do you know how many battles belonging to the Lord I had read about in Joshua in the previous two days?!  Close to a dozen- and- God explicitly said that it was He who was accountable for the victories.  He.  Not by the bows or swords of the Israelites, but by the power of God! Even Rahab knew that her city was to be overcome by the Lord.  His name and acts of might are famous across the lands.

I could not keep secret how God had shown me his features and then set me up to sing of them at the next unplanned Sunday service!  I wanted to, but I didn't feel lead to share the above random timing comment.  I didn't feel lead to share it until Reuben said that he was interested to hear my interpretation of why I might be reading about Reubenites as he texted me.  As Reuben was my lunch provider tonight, I was able to meet with him and share with him the information above.  I didn't say "for sure," but I did tell him that this was at least my "out" provided by God to tell someone of the fun moments God has aligned for me these last few days.  Reading of Reuben and speaking to Reuben was icing on the cake.  

Small or insignificant or not, God has spoken to me through this example and has encouraged me to approach his throne with boldness again.  I am amazed at how quickly he can produce good works when a servant shows up-on time- with his or her tool belt!

Thank you for being a faith motivator, Pastor.  Please share this info as you are inclined.  It's hard even to get the message out to my own family when all we do is sleep on opposite schedules.  Maybe I need to speak with my buddies in China about this!

Blessings, 

Roy

How cool is that? Here is a regular guy, a husband, father, a fellow believer who faithfully put himself in a position to let God speak to him because he had the courage to open God’s Word in order to allow God to speak truth into his life. I use the word courage purposely because it can be a scary thing to have God speak to you directly, especially if you don’t intend to hear and obey what God says! (See what happened with the Children of Israel in Exodus 19:16 & 20:18-21). But for those who do have the courage to let God speak to them through a daily Quiet Time are in for an immense blessing. So what about you? Will you engage God each day in His Word? If you’re interested in the Word of Life Quiet Time tool, here is a link to different options and there are versions for kids, teens and even an online version: https://wolstore.org . Those who allow God to speak to them will have God stories of their own to tell, and I can’t wait to hear them; from my little corner of the world to yours…

Sense from the senseless...

Yesterday was a great morning at ChristCentral Baptist Church. You could sense the Holy Spirit’s presence the entire morning. People were expecting God to speak and visit His people. It was evident to me that God had answered my wee-early morning prayer time to give me Holy Spirit anointing in preaching the text from Philippians 1:19-21 “Christ Magnified.” I spoke of two promises God makes to His children that it is worth it to sell out to Jesus Christ and magnify Christ with our lives. Those promises are the promise of the Holy Spirit and the promise of an eternity with Christ. Those two promises are encapsulated in vs. 21 from Paul: “To live Christ, to die gain.” I challenged our church to give God a blank check with your life because wether you live or die, you have the Holy Spirit living empowering you from within and death is a promotion to Heaven. It’s nowhere to be found in my notes but I even used an example of if someone walked into church and put a gun to you head demanding you renounce Christ - what would you do? For believers; they can be assured the Holy Spirit would help them in that moment. 

Little did I know a mere 117 miles up the road at FBC Sutherland Springs Texas an evil  madman, an agent of Satan himself, was going to church to murder as many people as he could who were there to worship Jesus. As of this morning I heard he had murdered 26 innocent people including a number of children. Many of us are trying to make some sort of sense out of this awful, evil act of a coward. We are asking “why God?” I wish I could give you the answers to the why questions. I’m sure the evil motive of the murderer will come out as the law enforcement investigation continues. But that will not answer why. 

However, Jeremiah 17:9 gives us an insight as to why: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” The Ralph Green translation of that verse just concludes: “And don’t we know it?” If there was ever an illustration of that verse it was what took place at FBC Sutherland Springs yesterday. The evil in that man’s heart goes back to the fall of man in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve plunged this world into sin by rebelling against God presuming themselves to be like God. Satan authored that evil act and he authored the actions of this murdering gunman preying on people who were intent on worshipping Jesus Christ. It mirrors the evil in Cain’s heart that rose up and murdered his brother who was worshipping God the way God commanded and not through Cain’s invention.

Secondly, we’re angry. I mean boiling angry that causes us to say things like we hope that guy rots in Hell forever and ever. I’m sure he is doing just that even now as I type this based on the Word of God. But the anger we feel in no way compares to the anger God has against all sin. We really have no clue how much our own sin angers God. We have no idea how much evil we are also capable of carrying out. And we certainly can barely grasp how just one of our sins was enough for God the Father to take His wrath against our wickedness out on His own Son Jesus Christ. We may not like it and we may not want that evil murdering gunman to have access to salvation but the fact remains Jesus’ death on the cross paid for that unconscionable deed yesterday too. I think about what God said through the prophet Isaiah in 18:23 - “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” God continues down in verse 32 with a clarion call to repent: “For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” We must remember in our anger that we’re are capable of this and much more apart from the grace of God. I know I’m a great sinner; but I am so grateful to God I have an infinitely greater Savior; His name is Jesus Christ. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

Finally I think events like this should remind us of the urgency of our task to be witnesses for Christ and share the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. I don’t know if this madman had heard the Gospel. Some reports say he had family ties to this church. Maybe he attended VBS or Sunday School. I have no idea.While we cannot do anything to introduce him to Jesus Christ today; there is someone today God wants us to engage with the Gospel. Events like this illustrate the uncertainty of life and that we’re not guaranteed our next breath. So we need to spend our lives for Jesus and His Kingdom because it’s the only thing that will not disappoint in the end.

My heart is broken for the families of those slain, the pastor of that church and his precious wife who lost their 14 year young daughter and half of their church. I’m broken hearted for that community, for people in my own church who know families and victims of this senseless act of evil. My heart is broken for the trauma on the law enforcement and first responders who are processing the scene and what it does to them. Having served in law enforcement myself; the gruesome nature of their jobs today is more than enough to break even the most seasoned of them. They will carry those scars forever. Pray for God to pour out boatloads of grace upon those heroes and everyone grappling with senseless loss.

Say a prayer of gratitude to God for a couple of resident heroes - one who had the God given courage to engage this madman with his own rifle to put a stop to the carnage and the other resident who drove the truck in pursuit of an evil doer. It is rare to find people who charge after danger and evil like those two men did yesterday. And as you go about your day; keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith knowing full well He is King Jesus, He’s seated on His throne and He’s making intercession for us. He will make all things right someday and we will trust in His divine redemptive plan. Even yesterday I listened to our state convention director Jim Richards being interviewed and he clearly and calmly shared Jesus who a national audience. It was Christ being magnified as I had been preaching that morning! 

Trying to make sense of the senseless, from my little corner of the world to yours…

Brother Ralph

"At your word..."

I HATE MOVING! My wife will testify that I don't do this very well, probably because I'm such a creature of habit; when things "aren't in their spot" it just throws me for a loop. Honestly it would be easier to just stay put and forget it. This causes my dear wife a great deal of stress because she nearly kills herself trying to get stuff unpacked and settled for her weird husband. SHE IS SIMPLY AMAZING! Honey I love you and I owe you a cruise. Over the last month we've been trying to get settled in our new home and ministry in Corpus Christi Texas. While I may hate moving, I have to go  when I hear the Lord say to me it's time for me to join Him in another assignment.

For those of you who've never moved cross country, the logistics of that are monumental. I am so thankful to the Lord for His grace and provision to make this move probably one of the smoothest transitions we've ever had. It was still full of stress, mostly related to the close timing of closing on the sale of our house in Moundsville West Virginia on a Friday and being able to close on this new home in Corpus on Monday morning. Yet the Lord worked out the myriad of details and supplied the funds we needed on both ends. The distance required a moving company that would do a long distance move and Cheryl and I both remembered our move to Houston several years ago from New Hampshire where we were without our belongings for 40 days! Thankfully this time, the company we used from Pittsburg did a great job and were right on time.

Over the last month, I've watched the Lord work out detail, after detail, after detail. Multiple miracles literally stacked up on top of one another. I tell you all this because in my Quiet Time this morning, my reading was from Luke 5 when Jesus first called His disciples. Simon Peter and his buddies had fished all night and had caught nothing. Their boats were empty on the shore and they were cleaning their nets and preparing them for the next time. Jesus came along and used Peter's empty boat as a make shift pulpit. He sat down in true rabbinical fashion and began to teach people the word of God. The context seems to indicate Peter and the other fishermen were listening to Jesus' teaching while they kept on working. After fishing all night, dragging those nets up and down, over and over again, catching nothing; I can say with certainty these hard working, blue collar, "salt of the earth" kind of guys probably wanted to do nothing else but go to sleep. As Jesus wrapped up his teaching, He addressed Simon, his nets drying nearby, and told Peter to relaunch the boat into the deep, put out his nets he just finished cleaning and Jesus specifically said "for a catch" in vs. 4. 

Now Peter had a big choice to make didn't he? He could have blown off what Jesus said and just dismissed it. He could have had a smart-aleck wise crack with a few choice words for the preacher to get out of his boat so he could go get some much needed rest. He could have made excuses about how much he had yet to do for his wife and kiddos at the house that morning before he could go to sleep. But old Peter didn't do that. He called Jesus "Master." That means he had surrendered his will to the will of this new preacher who showed up - much more than a preacher, the Messiah, the Christ, the Hope of Israel. Simon told the Lord (I believe for our benefit) that they had labored all night and caught nothing! Professional fisherman came up empty. That's a tough expensive night. That means no food on the table from the sale of the catch, bills aren't going to be paid and mama ain't going to be happy she can't go to the Galilee HEB or Walmart to buy food, school supplies and clothes for the kids.

Notice what Peter said however in Luke 5:5 "But at your word, I will let down the nets." Peter responded in obedience to the word of the Lord. He responded in faith to what Jesus said, that Peter needed to do this... "for a catch." Of course the rest of the story is they had such a fish haul their nets were breaking and they had to summon James and John to come help them. This fish catch was so huge Peter recognized it to be a miracle by the hand of His Creator and he was instantly, painfully aware of his sinful condition (vs. 8). The Bible says they were astonished at the catch of fish - literally they were afraid because they knew they were in the presence of God in the flesh. Jesus reassured them they were going to be catching men from now on.

A couple of quick thoughts of application to consider:
1. Obedience to the word of the Lord by faith is never convenient. When God speaks to us through His word, it always requires a faith response and it is always going to stretch us and move us away from the safety and convenience of the status quo. Yet the promises of God and responding to them in faith and obedience produce great blessing! Not just material blessings as in this case; but spiritual blessings! Peter learned that his sins can be forgiven. He saw God at work in and through his faith and obedience and it forever changed his life. "At your word" - Oh how I hope and pray you will respond to what God says to you daily in faith and obedience and watch God do incredible stuff in your life each day and also in the lives of others!

2. This encounter with Jesus perfectly illustrates what Jesus would later teach His disciples in John 15  in the parable of the vine and the branches where Jesus said in John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Peter and his buddies tried hard, they worked and labored all night with no success. They did all they could do and had nothing to show for it. "But at your word..." They got invited to go work where Jesus was working and it made all the difference in the world. So are you laboring in your flesh and strength alone or are you abiding in Christ? Sure it takes time to have a quiet time with the Lord in the morning or evening when you have other stuff to do, or you want to veg and watch TV; or you want to have time to stop by the new Starbucks to grab coffee on your way to work. Abiding in Christ means you have to sacrifice things like sleep to get up a little earlier or stay up a little later like Peter did in Luke 5. Jesus showed His new disciples that time spent laboring in obedience and faith is never wasted time! Joshua 1:8 says "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Same principle, same result. "At your word" means the success and results of our labors for Him are in Jesus' Almighty and all powerful hands, not in our feeble pitiful fingers.

3. Finally, you know the old saying: "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Peter could have placed his wife and family on a higher priority that day. Sadly a lot of men do that every day. They labor ridiculous amounts of hours trying to provide a lifestyle for their wives and children to make them happy. Yet in the end it all collapses and their family is falling apart and they don't understand why. Men, as the spiritual leaders of your home, put Jesus first, obey Him and His word each day no matter how inconvenient it is. Leave the results to God. I bet Peter's wife that day was pretty pleased that her hard working husband decided to respond in faith and obedience "at your word."

I plan to obey the Lord "at your word" today, from my little corner of the world to yours. Will you join me?

The dusty, rusty "pen"...

Often times in life we go through seasons where we are engaged in something that we enjoy to do and we find satisfaction in those endeavors. We may take up a new hobby that we are passionate about, but after some period of time, our interest fades and we stop for a variety of reasons. Time passes but suddenly that passion is rekindled and we pick it back up again. I kind of feel that way when it comes to writing because for about 5 years, several years ago, I needed to do a newsletter every couple of weeks so I wrote in this space called "Ralph's Corner." I don't know how regularly I'll write but I hope it will be more often than it has been, maybe not as much as it was in days gone by. I'll leave it to the Lord to guide me and we'll see how it goes. I do find great satisfaction in sharing my heart and I enjoy sharing words of encouragement the Lord gives me in written form if anyone cares to read it. There have been some things going on in my life that kind of dried up that desire to write but recently my desire and need to write have been rekindled. So I'm dusting off, cleaning off the rusty "pen" and refilling the ink so to speak through the aid of modern technology and computers.

In 1998 in McAllen, Texas, on a hot summer afternoon driving home from work, God clearly confirmed His call to me to vocational ministry as a pastor. It wasn't something I wanted in my younger days growing up in a pastors home. But as I walked with God and grew in my faith as a disciple through the ministries of FBC McAllen and under the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. Bill Sutton, God began grooming me for pastoral ministry. That call of God began a journey and as Cheryl and I walked with God; that walk led us to North Carolina to seminary to prepare for ministry. We bloomed for a season there of 3 years and sunk roots even though we knew God would someday move us to a field of full time service. We joined Wake Cross Roads Baptist Church, got plugged in and I began teaching Sunday School; Cheryl worked in AWANAS and we loved and ministered to people while preparing for full time ministry. We established friendships there that last to this day. We loved our Pastor, Bill Bowyer, who loved on us and encouraged us. He modeled tremendous Pastoral leadership and a passion for missions that still impacts me today. It was sad for us and hard to say good bye to our brothers and sisters to go plant a church in Littleton, New Hampshire. But we had to obey God who once again came calling in the summer of 2001.

Our walk with Christ landed us far from family and friends in a pioneer area for the Gospel in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire with the express purpose of planting a church to the glory of God. By the grace of God we planted Crossroads Baptist Church or "Crossroads Church" as it's known locally. We bloomed where God planted us in Littleton and loved serving the Lord there and reaching people with the Gospel. What was awesome about it was that our brothers and sisters from Wake Cross Roads in North Carolina came on mission trips way up there to help us. What joy they brought us and what a blessing and encouragement they were in those early days. Brothers and sisters from FBC McAllen came in force several times nearly 2500 miles across the country to join God in the work He was doing through us. We saw God do miracle after miracle in New Hampshire changing life after life for the glory of God. I went there to pastor and my dream and my plan was to start and pastor the same church for 40 years or something like that. But God had other plans! It was hard for me when God found me and once again clearly called me to pack up my family another time and move, this time in 2006 to serve as an Associate Pastor with Pastor David Lino in Houston, Texas. 

Oh the heartache and gut wrenching goodbyes we had leaving Littleton and it was brutally hard for the saints there we left behind. But we had no choice! God called with another assignment and we knew it was His will for us so we moved. The new season of assignment lasted 2 1/2 years helping a new church plant get from the 2 1/2 year mark to the 5 year mark. We bloomed in Houston and loved our church family at Faith Family Baptist Church in Kingwood. We still have warm relationships and love those saints dearly as we served the Lord together. Again, we saw God do miracle after miracle reaching people as He birthed and grew a new church. It was a surprise to me in some ways but not in others when God started calling my number again. At the end of 2008 God called me to another assignment; this time to serve as the senior pastor of a growing church called Calvary Baptist Church in Bel Air, Maryland. The Green family circus packed up again and moved back across the country and sunk roots in Maryland because home is where you hang your hat and where God puts you. I'm still a Ravens fan and Orioles fan. You can bet one of the first things I did this morning was check the score from last nights game as the O's beat the Angels 6-2 on the west coast! For 5 years we labored, served and loved that church and community. Again God blessed and the impact for the kingdom of God from our time in Maryland will last for eternity. We continue warm friendships with many of the saints there as we’ve done every place we've been. We pray for one another and share life together. Thankfully through the aid of cell phones and social media platforms we have stayed connected. God drew my ministry in Maryland to a close at the end of 2013 and for a season we didn't know where God was going to place us next. 

God was preparing us but gave us time to rest as we'd been in a full ministry sprint by that point for 12 years in full time pastorates and really 15 years if you count the 3 years of sleepless work, study and ministry while in seminary. Cheryl and I were exhausted. Rachel & Ginny were married and having grandkids (whew hoo!), Beth was finishing college and Ralph and Garrett were in High School with Ralph about to graduate and enter the military. It was hard to be patient and wait on God, not knowing what the next chapter would bring. Looking back on that season, I am truly thankful God allowed us to rest. I realized I was so tired from the riggers and deep stress of pastoral ministry having been through some deep waters. So tired in fact I was seriously considering leaving the pastorate and taking a job in the secular world. The thought of being a faithful Sunday School teacher, supporting and encouraging a pastor had a degree of appeal to me. I know in my heart that you can never go backwards with God; but I remembered how much fun ministry was when I served as a volunteer. That may not sound very spiritual but it's true. Of course Satan would have loved to lead me down that path so the spiritual warfare going on in my heart was intense. Questions of doubt; questions of my leadership ability (or lack of it) rolled around in my head as I wrestled with the fact that I had no job, no ministry prospects and after 5 years still hadn’t sold our home in Texas. The corporate world was something I knew before God called me to ministry; I thought if I went back to selling something we could survive. I really didn’t want to uproot Garrett yet again. While this spiritual wrangling was going on; God blessed me with a season where Cheryl and I spent nearly every moment together, interrupted briefly by her continued work part time then as a nurse. Every day was a date day even if the “date" was going to Sonic for happy hour - let’s just say that the Route 44 Diet Coke with lime was consumed a little too much… Cheryl and I drew even more close - something I didn’t think was possible. 

Thankfully God doesn’t ever quit on us! While I felt like a worn out old tool in a forgotten tool box buried in an old garage; God knew exactly where I was and what my skills are and how to use me. As the “Master Craftsman”, He didn’t need to use me at that point and just allowed me to rest; think and pray. The great thing about God is that His Word speaks to us daily if we’ll just open it, read it, study it, listen to God and obey God as He speaks. While I persevered in my quiet time and Bible Study, even though I was in a difficult place in my spirit and Satan was beating me up; I read one morning Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” 9 words, a simple but profound word from God to my battered and bruised spirit. I felt the warmth of Jesus’ love envelope me; like a warm spring sun that warms your back and knocks the chill off. I knew the corporate world was not what God had for me. I knew He’d called me as a pastor - something that took two careers, one in law enforcement and another in business as part of God’s growing process in my case for pastoral ministry. I knew none of that experience would be wasted by God. While I didn’t know where God would put me; I had confidence He’d get around to it when He was good and ready, when He knew I was ready.

Cheryl was praying in her quiet time that God wouldn’t make it a multiple choice test; like we’d experienced before moving to Maryland from Texas. (I had three churches, all named Calvary Baptist Church in three parts of the country who were having discussions with me. I jokingly told Cheryl I didn’t know where we were going but I was pretty sure it was going to be to Calvary!) God answered Cheryl’s prayer with one option and called me to Moundsville Baptist Church in the northern panhandle of West Virginia to follow a pastor who served here for 47 years. A crazy assignment from a human point of view - like Joshua following Moses. Besides they are Steelers fans around here and I’m a Ravens fan but that didn’t scare them away. God called me to serve here and that ministry began on our 29th wedding anniversary - Sunday June 8th, 2014. We have loved the people, God has blessed us with a great house that has been a great gathering place for the church and for our now grown family. We’ve seen God do some great things and some lives impacted I believe for His honor and glory. 

Everywhere God has moved me I’ve always gone with a long term view and have planned to stay till Jesus comes. I’ve led our family to “bloom where we’re planted.” So why am I sharing all of this history of God’s working, moving and calling in our lives? Because I need to demonstrate how God has consistently and patiently worked in life of the Green family. You see God has in fact called me yet again to move. This time to serve as the first pastor of a large church plant in the Corpus Christi Texas area at ChristCentral Baptist Church. For those who know us from previous ministry and church fields we’ve served; you probably don’t find this news shocking at all. You’ve kept up with us and continued to love and pray for us. You may even have a bit of excitement stirring in your hearts to hear the Green family circus is on the move again and you are looking forward to seeing what God will do in this next chapter. (I’m not arrogant enough to believe that’s the case but one might hope so. 😀)

For my current Moundsville Baptist Church family; this news has crushed many of you and for that I am profoundly saddened and sorry. Here in Marshall County, we are a stable close-knit community. A small town where everyone knows everyone, is related to someone and where people are born, raised and spend their entire lives. Sons follow in their father’s footsteps in the coal mine industry or the plant - whichever one it is and the name it goes by today. You’ve never had a pastor leave you before. You are used to a 47 year tenured pastor who is still a member of our church, faithfully teaches Sunday School weekly and is in church every Sunday. That is your “normal.” You are used to the stability of family and long-term friend relationships that living in this corner of the world affords and it is a good thing. The local papers routinely advertise family reunions happening all over our community and everyone in your family will be there because they are all close by.

I’ve never really known that. I followed my dad in his ministry roles being born in Indiana while dad was in seminary; to Piney View WV, to Ravenna Ohio, to Elkview WV and then on to Richmond Virginia for my junior high and high school years. The longest place Cheryl and I have ever lived together in our marriage was for the first 13 years in McAllen before God called me into the ministry. So to my current MBC church family; please understand I truly was not looking for this. God found me and has called me to a new place of service. 

The best analogy I can give you is in the plant situations you all are familiar with. The industrial plants here are huge! Miles and miles of piping; electrical lines; mechanical structures, conveyor belts, cogs, gears, machinery and most importantly teams of people with different jobs, skills and areas of expertise and responsibility. You are very familiar with a foreman coming to get a team of welders or steel workers to go repair a break or build on in a different section of the plant. You are used to being laid off for a season while a shutdown takes place and the union shop gets you on in a different plant. You need to view this change God is making in our lives in that same fashion. 

God has a need to use me and my meager skills elsewhere and I have no choice but to obey Him. Not only does God have the right to make this change; He has all the authority to make this call as the Head of the church! If I ignore God’s call; it will not go well for me or Moundsville Baptist Church! Some of you feel like I betrayed you by not telling you ahead of time. You can’t believe you were hearing of this for the very first time this past Sunday when I announced my resignation. You’re in shock, some of you are angry, a very real stage of the grieving process. I get it. That’s why I’m writing this very long article because I love you and I deeply care for how you are feeling, your emotions and distress this is causing you. I am deeply sorry if you feel that way. I literally did not know for sure this would be a reality until the church in Corpus affirmed God’s call to become their first pastor when they voted to call me with a 99% vote on July 30th. I shared the news with you the very next Sunday. The Scriptures tell us we are not to put a stumbling block in our brother or sisters way. So how can I tell you I’m moving if I don’t know for sure? Why would I unsettle you and put doubt in your heart that I might be moving before it is a done deal in case the thing completely fell apart and never came to reality? I could never do that to you! Yes, I kept this possibility close to my chest with my family, a few very close ministry friends and believers I asked to pray with me about God’s leading. I did this precisely because we live in a small community and I know from experience the rumor mill can cause much damage with speculation and questions. Misunderstandings often take on a life of their own. My intentions were to protect you from unnecessary heartache and difficulty; but you all know as I’ve told you for weeks now, that I’ve always given God a blank check with my life.

A word of caution and encouragement is in order. First, be careful in your grieving process that your anger does not become sinful by hanging on to it. If you do, in reality you are not angry with me; you are angry with God. God has confirmed His call for me to this new field of service directly from His word using Hebrews 11:11-16 during my quiet time. I have no doubt I’m to be the first pastor of this new church plant. I’ve known we’d be involved in church planting again someday I have supported the church planting process in other ministry locations; but it’s taken 11 years for God prepare me to do it again personally. Please come talk to me in the next week or so and I’ll be happy to share the story of what God has done if it will help you understand. My door is open, my phone is always on if you care to chat. 

Secondly be encouraged! Everywhere I’ve pastored I still consider those saints, sheep God has entrusted to me. A change of ministry location doesn’t mean I can’t still care for you, pray for you if you call me with a need; message me on Facebook, send me an email or a text message. I faithfully pray for the needs my bothers and sisters share with me. I want that to continue with my MBC family but that’s up to you to pursue. You can also be encouraged that God may grant us the joy of working on mission partnerships and projects together possibly with RUHU or other places as we serve the Lord. Who knows how our great God will direct our paths? Maybe God will send a mission team from MBC to Corpus to join God in reaching the lost people there? Please know of my love for all of you. Keep your eyes on Jesus, He is your Savior, not a field hand named Ralph Green. Pray for us in transition & encourage us as we step out in faith once again in response to God’s call. Hoping I’ve knocked the dust off my “pen” & it won’t rust to encourage you; from my little corner of the world to yours…

Spiritual lessons from the Cicadas...

May 31, 2016

As I type this, there is a distinct and some would say obnoxious sound going on outside. I can hear this sound from inside my office, with music playing on my computer. It’s those strange little bugs called Cicadas; the Brood V 17 year Cicada to be exact. These unusual and curious creatures haven’t made an appearance for 17 years and they last time this Valley was introduced to them was in 1999. In 1999, Bill Clinton was President and was impeached by the US Senate (I’ll resist commenting further); Michael Jordan announced his retirement only to return a year or so later; a professional wrestler named Jesse Ventura became Governor of Minnesota, the horrific and tragic shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado took place where several Christian students were killed, the Space Shuttle Discovery completed the first docking at the international space station. In 1999 the average price of gas was about $1.14 a gallon and Cecil H. Underwood was Governor of West Virginia! All that to say a lot has happened since these Cicadas came on the scene.

They seem to be the topic of conversation and curiosity and I’ve been interested in them myself. I’ve heard a number of people question their purpose and comment they have pitiful lives. After all, they are buried in the soil for 17 years and when the ground temperature reaches 65 degrees 8 inches below the surface and the rain loosens the soil, they emerge by the millions crawling up trees, shedding their outer shell and for 6 weeks they produce an ear splitting cacophony of noise that gets louder as the day goes on. Their dead bodies litter our sidewalks, driveways and yards to where you can’t walk without stepping on them and we wonder what in the world God had in mind when He created these things? Here are some quick spiritual lessons we can learn from the Cicada.

1. They draw our attention to our Creator God. In this area we’re surrounded by natural beauty but we get immune to it and stop paying attention to the magnificent Creation our Creator and Maker God Almighty has made. You can’t ignore the presence of these Cicadas and so you cannot ignore the Creator who made them. Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” I think one simple lesson from these insects that show up once every 17 years is to draw our attention to the Creative handiwork of Almighty God. 

2. Cicadas play an important role in God’s Creative plan. They help prune trees and underbrush by the cuts they make in the wood to lay their eggs. Weaker and dead limbs will often fall off the tree allowing new growth to take place. They are a tremendous food supply for birds and all manner of creatures who find them rich in protein. The robin population that stayed at my house nearly all winter long are a testimony to that! When Cicadas emerge after 17 years, as they burrow up to the surface, they create a pencil sized hole that goes down about 8 inches and so they aerate soil very effectively, better than any machine I have access too. After they breed and die often at the base of those very same trees, their nutrient rich bodies decay and fertilize the tree roots below and their offspring burrow down into the soil for 17 years. These are only the things I’ve been able to learn in my research and yet they speak to me that God’s wisdom and Creative design are infinitely greater than I can comprehend.

3. Cicadas teach me that God’s resources are limitless. I couldn’t even begin to count the numbers of these things I see on the ground at my house and certainly I could not guess how many million there are in the trees singing their hearts out with their mating calls around me. In their simple way they remind me that God doesn’t need my help, my wisdom, my power, ability or lack there-of. God is self contained like these strange bugs and His power and might have no limit just like there seems to be no limit to the numbers of these creatures.

4. Cicadas teach me that God can use anything to bring glory to Himself. These 17 year Cicadas help me learn that if God can use a bug like the Cicada to bring glory to Himself; how much more could He glorify Himself through me, someone He created in His own image, one to whom He gave a mind, a body and most importantly a soul that has a choice to enter into a relationship with Him. Paul said in 1st Cor. 10:31 “Therefore whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Whatever you do, live your life in such a way as to bring glory to God with all of what God has given you and don’t let some bug that shows up once every 17 years do a better job of bringing glory to God than you do.

5. Cicadas teach me about God’s character and nature. Who creates an insect that you have to wait 17 years to see? God does. God is so patient, patient with 17 year Cicadas to develop to maturity and He’s patient with sinners who desperately need to repent of their sin. These creatures teach us of God’s faithfulness, I have forgotten what was going on in my life 17 years ago in 1999 - oh yeah, I was in seminary preparing for ministry and my soon to be graduate son Garrett was only 2 years old! God hasn’t forgotten and is faithful to these little creatures and if He is faithful to them; He’s always going to be faithful to me. Cicadas remind me that time is in God’s hands and no one else’s and they help me see part of His eternal nature. We look at these bugs and marvel at their sad little lives that last 6 weeks or less top-side. Yet beneath the surface, they are there for 17 years! God’s eternal nature is like that because we don’t see it. The brevity of the life of Cicada highlights the eternal nature of God but also reminds me of the brevity of my life. Scripture says our life is like a vapor that quickly vanishes away (James 4:14). Cicadas don’t have much time to do what they do and neither do we. Paul’s exhortation to believers in Ephesians 5:15-16 is appropriate: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.” Cicadas also demonstrate the Holiness of God. How is that possible? God is holy which is His most unique character trait. God’s holiness drives everything else He does. What that means is He is “wholly other” - there is no one like Him in the universe and He operates according to His own plan, schedule and agenda which I see in the life of the Cicada. These are just a few of the character traits we can learn about God from the Cicada. I challenge you to think of other traits about God and His nature on your own.

6. Cicadas teach me of my glorious hope in Christ. Yesterday, while peering out my second floor window in my home office, I could see these Cicadas taking flight up to the trees, being drawn like a magnet to the call of their future mate somewhere in the wooded tree line. They know there is someone waiting for them and they will be together shortly...I won’t go further with my description. Seeing those bugs taking flight up to those trees encourages me that someday I’m going to hear my Savior’s call to come home to glory and I will go! It may be when I close my eyes here in death and my brief life comes to a close when I breathe my last; or it may be when the Lord returns and raptures His Bride, the church, home to be with Him. Either way, that will be glory for me. “Oh that will be glory for me, glory for me, glory for me. When by His grace I shall look on His face, that will be glory, be glory for me.” (Charles Gabriel 1900). The Lord used these 17 year bugs to remind me that I have great hope because He’s going to call me someday to be with Him. I only have that hope because I’ve placed my faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

These are just a few, quick simple spiritual lessons from the 17 year Cicada. When you hear their “noise” view it as praise to God and thank your Creator for the Cicada and praise Him for His infinite wisdom in making these creatures. Take time to reflect on some lessons the Holy Spirit might reveal to you before these creatures disappear beneath the surface in a few short weeks and apply those lessons to your own life. Remember that God loves you and has a plan for your life as you reflect on the simple Cicada; from my little corner of the world to yours... 

National Day of Prayer

Today I was able to participate in our community National Day of prayer in Moundsville. I don't write out my prayers but today I did. I was asked to prayer for our nation. Below is the text of my prayer today.

National Day of Prayer – Moundsville WV, May 7, 2015

 1st Tim. 2:1-4 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, nd giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Father we thank you for today and the privilege we have to come to this public place
and pray for our nation. We thank you Lord for giving us the great blessing of being
citizens of the greatest country on earth, the United States of America. Lord, we thank
you for the blessings and freedoms we enjoy because of our men and women who serve
in the greatest military in the world. We thank you for our first responders, our law
enforcement officers, our fire fighters and emergency medical personnel. Lord, please
keep our military & first responders safe & encourage them in their work as they have
incredibly hard jobs to do.

Lord, we are gathered in prayer today because we are broken-hearted at what we see
taking place in our beloved country. It seems the very fabric of our society is being
ripped to shreds in front of our very eyes. Mayhem and chaos is too often found in the
streets of our cities. It appears we live in a day like the book of Judges tells us that
“everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Oh God please forgive us for our
wickedness. Forgive us Lord for the scourge of abortion & the resulting devaluation of
human life at every stage. Lord please forgive us for kicking you out of every public
institution and for our rebellion against your commands. Lord please forgive us as
Christians for not representing you well in front of a lost world that desperately needs
the purpose, peace and hope found in Jesus Christ. Lord forgive us for allowing our
society to become a sex-saturated and filthy society. Lord we need to be cleansed and
purified by your truth. Oh Lord God; we pray that you would guard the institution of
marriage, the first institution you created even before the church and the government
was created. As our Supreme Court is deliberating even now on the issue of so-called
same sex marriage, Lord we affirm here today publicly that your definition of
marriage is still the only correct one that matters. Lord would you please reveal this
truth to the Supreme Court and that marriage between one man & one woman for one
lifetime will prevail?

Now Lord Jesus, I pray that you would encourage all of us gathered here today that
there is always hope regardless of what is happening in our society because you are the
King of Kings and Lord of Lords! You reign over Heaven & earth and no human can
overthrow your plans. We bow before you today Lord Jesus and ask you to be gracious
and merciful to the USA even though we do not deserve it. We pray this in the name
that is above every name, the ame of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.