Lessons From A Glass Of Milk

To say my kids love milk would be an understatement. If we let them they would still be taking milk to bed at nights and caring cups of milk around the house all day long. They are not yet old enough to tell the difference between skim, 1%, 2% and whole but one thing is for sure their favorite is chocolate milk.
This morning as we sat at the table and the kids finished up their breakfast both Andrew and Elizabeth wanted more milk. I myself wanted a drink of milk and so after pouring a glass for Elizabeth I proceeded to drink it before pouring another glass for her. The screams that followed was deafening. This scene has happened many times and I decided that it was about time I explain why she shouldn’t throw a fit when I drink her milk. I proceeded to explain to Elizabeth that right next to me was a whole gallon of milk and if I drank all of her milk there was plenty more that I could give to her.

After apparently understanding what I had said I repeated the process. I poured her a glass of milk and drank half of it. This time there was no screaming and she informed me, “Daddy I’m not screaming” as if this was a great accomplishment. I hope the lesson sticks but we shall see.
As I sat thinking about the glass of milk I realized that as believers we do the exact same childish thing. We have a need or a want in our life that we are looking to God to supply. It may be a financial need, or a physical need, or something we desperately want to see happen in someone’s life like salvation or surrender. Things begin falling in place, or so they seem, and we think our prayers are going to be answered or our need met and then all of a sudden everything that God was doing is turned on its head. We may never say this but we begin to doubt God and even accuse Him of being cruel because we feel He is dangling a carrot in front of us.
Oh how little we think our God is! God is not holding a carrot in front of us. He has an abundant store of good things that will never run out and He wants to give those blessings to us. Our problem is we want God to give us good things on our terms and on our time table. Faith is looking at what seems like the impossible and knowing that God can and will do it. The measure of our faith is how long we can believe with how little evidence. When Elizabeth saw the empty glass of milk she didn’t realize that all I had to do was to pour some more. Even if the milk was out of sight and in the refrigerator it was no hard task for me to supply her need.

When circumstances and events don’t seem to be what they should be do you lose faith or does your faith rest in God?

Western States Youth Rally At Oregon Trail Baptist Church

We had a wonderful Saturday as teens poured in from the surrounding area. Evangelist Mike Fisher did a fabulous job preaching and the tees did well as they were quized over Hebrews 7. After the preaching and quizing the teens hit the streets of Guernsey looking for random photos that I had taken in town. We had 88 chairs in the building and people were still standing around so I think it is safe to assume we had more than 90 people in attendance.

For more pictures visit

 http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.489304614452515.1073741825.473346216048355&type=1&l=ad707de921

What is the gospel according to you?

 

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,

  By the deeds that you do, by the words that you say;

  Men read what you write, whether faithless or true.

  Say—what is the gospel according to you?

Phillip W. Keller, A Layman Looks at the Lord’s Prayer (Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1976), 66-67.

The Hand on Moody’s Head

 

I remember when I was a boy I went several miles from home with an older brother. That seemed to me the longest visit of my life. It seemed that I was then further away from home than I had ever been before, or have ever been since. While we were walking down the street we saw an old man coming toward us, and my brother said, “There is a man that will give you a cent. He gives every new boy that comes into this town a cent.” That was my first visit to the town, and when the old man got opposite to us he looked around, and my brother not wishing me to lose the cent, and to remind the old man that I had not received it, told him that I was a new boy in the town. The old man, taking off my hat, placed his trembling hand on my head, and told me I had a Father in heaven. It was a kind, simple act, but I feel the pressure of the old man’s hand upon my head to-day. You don’t know how much you may do by just speaking kindly.

D. L. Moody, D. L. Moody’s Child Stories Related by Him in His Revival Work, ed. J. B. McClure (Chicago: Rhodes & McClure, 1877), 72.

Sight or Sound

 

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.

  I’d rather one would walk with me than merely show the way.

  The eye’s a better pupil and much sharper than the ear.

  Fine counsel can confuse me, but example’s always clear.

  The lectures you deliver may be very wise and true,

  But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

 

Edgar Guest, quoted in Patrick M. Morley and David Delk, The Dad in the Mirror: How to See Your Heart for God Reflected in Your Children (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 128.

Baby Shower For John William Miller

Becca and John enjoyed a wonderful baby shower. Here are the photos

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A Book Worth Reading…

I just finished reading A SPIRITUAL CLINIQUE by DR. A. T. PIERSON. It was a very good read and although the truths presented were very profound they were presented in a very practical way. The book addressed four areas where believers struggle. First, he deals with unsubdued sin in the believers life. Many believers who have experienced the joys of salvation become ensnared with sin and fail to continue in the joy of sanctification. Next, he deals with the reason that believers have unanswered prayers. Although prayer is the greatest tool and weapon that believers possess it seems to be the most difficult for us to embrace. Third, he addresses the persistent darkness that many believers face. There are times in every believers life that are best described by darkness. There are various reasons for the darkness that we should be aware of. Lastly, he deals with the habitual unbelief that believers have. Truth be known most believers are better doubters. Unbelief is a crippling sin that is at the very core of all spiritual trouble.

If you can get your hands on this short book it is defiantly worth a read.

An Encouraging Week

 

This week we attended the Dennis Brown Memorial Home Missions Conference at First Baptist Church of Englewood, Co. We were encouraged by much good preaching as well it was good to meet other pastors and church planters in our area and around the country.

 

With a three and a half hour drive we listened to God’s Smuggler. Becca had read the book before but I had not. As we listened to the book I was stirred by Brother Andrews faith. As he smuggled Bibles into communist countries he repeatedly saw God open amazing doors. He was a man who knew what it was to live by faith. This book goes beyond a well written biography, it is a book that has lessons for the believer in every chapter.

John Bunyan’s Dying Words On Suffering

 

OF SUFFERING

It is not every suffering that makes a martyr, but suffering for the Word of God after a right manner; that is, not only for righteousness, but for righteousness’ sake; not only for truth, but out of love to truth; not only for God’s Word, but according to it: to wit, in that holy, humble, meek manner, as the Word of God requireth.

It is a rare thing to suffer aright, and to have my spirit in suffering bent only against God’s enemy, sin; sin in doctrine, sin in worship, sin in life, and sin in conversation.

The devil, nor men of the world, can kill thy righteousness, or love to it but by thy own hand; or separate that and thee asunder without thy own act. Nor will he that doth indeed suffer for the sake of it, or out of love he bears thereto, be tempted to exchange it, for the good will of all the world.

I have often thought that the best of Christians are found in the worst of times. And I have thought again that one reason why we are no better, is because God purges us no more. Noah and Lot, who so holy as they in the time of their afflictions? And yet who so idle as they in the time of their prosperity?

John Bunyan, vol. 1, Bunyan’s Dying Sayings (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2006), 66.

I Love Living In Guernsey

One of the things I love about a small town is the postal service here. No one in town receives their mail at their house because all of the mail goes to a P.O. Box. Because our town is small the ladies that work at the Post Office are able to do things that very few can do. For instance today we received a letter with this for an address on it.

Pastor Jason & Becca Miller

Guernsey, Wy

There was no address, box number, or zip code but we got it.

Guernsey has a great Post Office!

Another Week With Our New Baby

Ministry Update

Where Does Time Go?

It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the New Year and now two months are already gone. It just reminds me of how short our time is here on earth and how we must spend it wisely for the Lord. I also look at my children and how fast they are growing up and thinking that I must make the most of the time that I have with them.

Wondering At God's Will

It has been exciting so far this year. Numerically we have had a great start to the year and yet we are also seeing some spiritual growth. A new young family has started attending church and the Lord has been opening doors that I never dreamed would be open. That does not mean that we have not experienced troubles and trials as we try to do God's will. It seems like it is easy to be misunderstood and Satan wants to use every misunderstanding to his benefit.

Waiting to see

The Lord leads in mysterious ways and I don't always know what He is doing. Recently I was contacted about establishing a radio station not just by one person, but by two. These individuals don't know each other and they both serve the Lord at opposite sides of the world. I'm not interested in starting a station and I can't see our church doing that right now, but if God is opening doors I will simply follow where He leads.

 

Winning Hearts

The Lord has used a book I read to stir my heart early on this year about reaching our neighbors. I felt that as a theme for the ministry this year I would preach once a month on "Who is my Neighbor?" To be honest I always thought that I was a good neighbor until I began to look at what Scripture had to say about it. Remember that Christ said the two greatest commandments are to Love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself.
As I pondered on the second greatest commandment I was struck by the fact that Christ calls believers to love their enemies in the story of the Good Samaritan but we don't even show love to our neighbors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we don't like our neighbors, but most people living in this social media generation have become increasingly connected to a screen and disconnected to the people living next door. There once was a day when neighbors helped each other out, borrowed a cup of sugar, and had informal chats over the fence. Today, with the bombardment of negative media we are afraid to engage those nearest to us.

How can we as believes claim that we are good neighbors when we don't even know our neighbors? I was objectively put to the test and failed utterly. Here are the questions I asked myself and I think every believer should ask.
1. What are the first and last names of my 8 closest neighbors?
2. What details do you know about your 8 closest neighbors that you won't know by looking at their house or car? (Example: Where they work?)
3. What personal details do you know about your 8 closest neighbors? (Example: What do they believe? What are they afraid of?
Alright, how did you do? About 10 percent of people can fill out the names of all eight of their neighbors. About 3 percent can answer question 2 for every home. Less than 1 percent can answer question 3 for every home. Can we honestly as believers say that we love our neighbors if we don't even know them? Why do we have rose colored glasses about foreign missions but when it comes to those nearest to us we have ruled them as impossible to win to Christ?
Preaching on this theme has already been very rewarding for me personally as well as I have received a lot of positive feedback about it.

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