Sodom and Gomorrah

August 30, 04
Sodom and Gomorrah Top of Mind This Sunday I am preaching from Genesis 19… the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

This is one of the saddest stories in all the bible. When we read about the people of the earth before the flood, that the thoughts and intentions of their hearts were only evil continually, God does not give us a concrete illustration – just the summary statement. But, in Genesis 19 we see the vivid colors of what pervasive evil looks like in the city.

Here are a few themes that run through the chapter.: The consuming wrath of God; The syncretism of Lot; A picture of wickedness running wild in a city; The power of the sin of homosexuality; The torment of living in a wicked city; What Lot lost in the wicked city; God’s mercy to rescue His children; Reminder of Lot’s wife; The tragic crushing of a family.

We see the terrible results of syncretism. Syncretism is the blending faith with the worldly ways of the world. Syncretism always was and always will be the most dangerous threat to God’s people. If you think you can fit in with this world, and keep your faith, think again.

Sodom and Gomorrah brings us face to face with a culture of rampant homosexuality. This obviously, is a very important issue in our day. The homosexual agenda is beginning to dominate the human resource departments of our major corporations. We currently have a ‘conservative” "christian" president who is for civil unions of homosexuals, has been appointing homosexuals to key posts, and his wife promotes the gay agenda in her reading programs. Amazingly, we have a rising consciousness that labels Biblical statements about homosexuality as “hate speech”.

It is already illegal in Canada to quote the Bible on homosexuality.

Last year a Swedish pastor was sentenced to one month in prison, finding him guilty of offending homosexuals in a sermon. His crime was that he named homosexuality as “abnormal, a horrible cancerous tumor in the body of society.” The prosecutor played the sermon tape in the courtroom and it was concluded said “collecting Bible verses on this topic as he does, makes this hate speech.” The pastor defended himself by saying that he was simply trying to make clear the biblical view of homosexuality. (Article in Christianity Today, Sept 04, page 23)

The world system always wants to muzzle the truth about everything, which is why the gay agenda in business and government (and soon in the church) is making the Christian position dangerous to your job security.

If Christian men can be muzzled by fear of earthly reprisals, they will find themselves dangerously syncretized and the church will cease to be the salt and light. This is what we see in Sodom. Lot went to Sodom to make a living and in the process, Sodom filled his heart to the point that he lost absolutely everything of value. Still, God is faithful to grip him by the hand and remove him from the city just before it is incinerated. Grace Alone!

My Dad"s Old House

I am blessed to have a wonderful father. My father took me to his old neighborhood in St Louis where he lived from age six to ten…. The place where he wrestled with the sons of Jimmy Doolittle, the famous WWII pilot; where he lived in an upscale neighborhood where the Methodist parsonage was located; where he experienced the great depression.


Dad’s house (we think) David, Kelly, Dad and my cousin Susan


My grandfather probably preached behind this pulpit.



Female pastor at the Methodist Church
My son David had a first experience. When we went to the church that Dad attended, we met the pastor (or pastorette). This was the first time my son had ever met a female pastor.


We saw the movie theater that he went to on Saturday.

We walked down the alley he used coming home from school. We walked down the street that he walked everyday. It had not changed much in all these years. What a serene neighborhood it was.

The years here did their part in shaping my dad. He ran and played and ate ice cream here. I really enjoyed walking up and down his street, almost as if I were reliving his life as a little boy in the 1930's.

Prozac Found in UK Water Table

August 9, 04
Prozac Found in UK Water Table... Amazing. The antidepressant, Prozac has been found in the drinking water in UK. Because it is taken so widely (24 million prescriptions per year), it has found itself back into the water systems through the sewer system. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1278760,00.html When we need a lift, we go straight to the medicine cabinet. This is a symptom of a people who have forgotten God.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”.

Psalm 46:1

If you go to the medicine cabinet for everything you might be missing some of the suffering God has planned for you to turn your heart to your only source of true comfort: Himself.