Tag: Ron Phillips

Going Down With the Ship

On April 14, 1912 at 11:40p.m., the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage. In less than three hours, it slipped beneath the surface and sank at 2:20a.m. on April 15… 101 years ago today.

What was it that sent this mighty ship to its watery grave in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean? Was it a massive, gaping hole caused by the collision?

No.

Some experts have speculated that, had the Titanic hit the iceberg head-on, it would have survived. What sunk this magnificent vessel was a series of small holes and cracks punched along the hull by the iceberg. It was the the culmination of all of the seemingly insignificant cracks that led to a breakdown of the fail-safes and safeties, and took the great ship to its watery grave, over two miles down on the ocean floor.

What a picture of the Christian life.

For most of us, it is not the “major events” in our lives that put distance between us and our Savior. It is the little things – the gradual slipping away – that results in that loss of fellowship. It is our unwillingness to surrender completely to the will and authority of Christ that begins the breakdown in our own fail-safes.

In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis hits the nail on the head:

“Christ says ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it… I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’”

Are you feeling like you are sinking? What are the little things that you need to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus? Find those, and you’ll find the lifeboat you need to carry on.

Tags April 15, C.S. Lewis, Jesus, Lordship, RMS Titanic, Ron Phillips, surrender

Friendship Healing Living It Out In Real Time Miracles Out of Nowhere The Bible The Life of Faith The Mysteries of God The Secret Place

Whys, Lies, & The Mysteries of God

Post author By pastorron2013
Post date April 11, 2013
7 Comments on Whys, Lies, & The Mysteries of God

Why?

It is the single word ground into the bloody soil of every battlefield in the world.

It is buried in the rubble of every civilization, state, and neighborhood that has been devastated by a natural disaster.

It lies in the ashes of the burned-up dreams of a family that just lost everything.

It can be heard in quiet, night-time sobbing of a little girl whose mother just succumbed to cancer.

It resonates in the screams of a father as he buries his son.

It is the shortest, most-asked, and

least-answered question in the English language.

Why?

You’ve heard it asked thousands of times, and while there are sometimes physical reasons that events happen in our lives, reasons – even good reasons – don’t answer why.

Or, to be more specific…

Why did God allow this to happen?

Whether you are just wondering, have gone through something that you have come to terms with, or are in the heat of that emotional torture right now, I don’t presume to have an easy answer for you, or have anything to say that is going to make the pain magically disappear. In reality, I believe we have a very skewed, 21st Century perspective of life, pain, and suffering (and I’m as guilty as the next person). We don’t want to believe that “bad things happen to good people”. We cannot conceive a loving God who allows tragedies and atrocities to occur. We stand on the words of Thomas Jefferson and claim “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, while forgetting the words of Jesus that promised, “…In this world, you will have trouble…”.

Quite honestly, it is a mystery… pure and not-so-simple.

Mystery… one word that encapsulates the very nature of God.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. ~ Isaiah 55:8

The Bible is filled with references pertaining to the mysteries of God. The word mystery, by its very definition, means something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain. There is not the time, knowledge, or vocabulary to begin to explain either the mysteries of God or the mystery that is God. However, there is truth that, while it may not give us answers, can give us hope.

All of us are going to see difficult times. Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, and the subsequent curse that altered the course of human history from a state of perfection to what we find today, we will all face problems, suffer hardship, and experience death. It all goes back to the verse I mentioned earlier…

… In this world you will have trouble…

But the hope lies in the rest of the verse:

But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

While suffering in every conceivable way is part of the deal our ancestors signed in the Garden of Eden, Jesus assures us that He has it all in hand because He has overcome the world.

Whatever we are going through, HE has already been there. Bad things do happen to good people. If you don’t believe me, just think of Jesus. While being the sinless Son of God, He was falsely accused, suffered at the hands of sinners, and was killed in a horrific way by sinners.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:21

The mystery of this verse lies in the first 4 words: For He made Him… When Jesus went through all of the agony of being our sacrifice on the cross, God didn’t just watch it happen, or even allow it to happen… He MADE it happen. He wrote the law that provided our way of escape as a result of the fall, and then executed the plan even though it would cost Him His only Son. He did that for you.

When you are in your darkest night, there will be no shortage of people making inappropriate (and even stupid) comments. Some people truly want to help, but don’t know what to say, so they say the wrong thing. Some people just want to be judgmental, give you your why in the form of condemnation and criticism, and throw gasoline on your emotional fire. If either of these describe what you have gone through, you are in good company… consider Job. Everything that happened to Job was simply because Satan wanted to prove a point, and God took the challenge – at Job’s expense. When the bottom fell out in Job’s life (along with losing his possessions and health, he tragically lost his ten children), his “friends” showed up, and immediately started telling him everything he may have done wrong. His wife even chimed in, telling him to “curse God and die”. However, after all of the criticism, nay-saying, and unsubstantiated accusations from his friends, Job was vindicated. Not only was Job restored and blessed (even more than previously), but the very people who criticized him had to go through Job in order to be forgiven by God (see Job 42:7-10).

Whatever life sends your way, none of it gets by Him.

The fact of the matter is that God has a pretty profound list of whys as well. Why did God have to allow Jesus to go through all of the frustration, humiliation, sorrow, pain, and death? Why did He decide to offer a faithless, ungrateful, and fallen race a second chance with Him? Why did He decide that we were worth loving when He knew we would fail Him over and over again?

It’s a mystery I don’t understand.

But… I’m sure glad He did.

Tags Abba's House, death, hope, Jesus, Job, love of God, mystery, pain, Ron Phillips, sorrow, suffering, tragedy, trials, tribulation, why

Friendship Living It Out In Real Time Miracles Out of Nowhere The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Who Is Writing Your Future?

Post author By pastorron2013
Post date April 8, 2013
No Comments on Who Is Writing Your Future?

As we approach the anniversary of the assassination of one of America’s greatest presidents later this week, I am reminded of this story:

Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, was once standing on a crowded railroad platform when he was pushed up against the side of the train by the pressing crowd. Suddenly, the train began to move, and Robert fell into the space between the platform and the moving train. Facing serious injury or death, he felt someone reach down, grab his collar, and lift him up to safety. As he turned to thank the person who had saved his life, he instantly recognized the face…

It was renowned actor Edwin Booth, the older brother of John Wilkes Booth.

Following the assassination of President Lincoln at the hands of his brother, Edwin recalled that the memory of saving the son of the slain president was one of the only things that kept him sane in the dark months that followed the night of April 14, 1865.

Is your past is checkered by the notoriety of others, or maybe by your own actions?

If so, I have good news for you…

We serve a God who is bigger than our past, mightier than our memories, and makes all things new!

The past is what it is.

Trust Jesus to write your future.

Tags Abba's House, Abraham Lincoln, April 14 1865, Edwin Booth, Jesus, John Wilkes Booth, rescue, Robert Todd Lincoln, Ron Phillips, salvation

Friendship The Life of Faith

Thanks

Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to everyone who is following my blog. It is both inspiring and humbling to know I have so many friends out there, and I hope that what you find here is uplifting to your spirit, and encouraging in your walk with Abba Father.

I do want to remind everyone of a few of things…

First of all, don’t forget the Monthly Grab Bag. Tell your friends to sign up. Just by “following” my blog, you are automatically entered for the monthly giveaway. Just click on “The Monthly Grab Bag” tab at the top of the page to find out what the giveaway is for the month.

Next, please remember that this blog is interactive. That means I want to hear from you! I really want my blog to be a conversation, so I need to hear from you to make that happen. If something you find here inspires you, God uses it in your life, or you just want to leave a comment, feel free to do that. I’m always interested in your thoughts on the topics I write about. Please understand, however, that due to the amount of “spam” that blogs attract, all comments first go to my webmaster for approval. So, if you post a comment, but don’t see it immediately, please be patient. We’ll get to it soon. If, for some reason, you do not want your comment to be made public, please let us know that too. Otherwise, we’ll assume that it is ok for your comment to be a part of the conversation.

Last of all, help us spread the word about “The Heart of Abba”. This blog is meant to be, not just a place “of ” discussion, but a springboard “for” discussion. It could be that something you or a friend see here becomes a launching-pad for a personal conversation – a “door-opener” for you to speak into the life of someone else the Good News of Jesus. That is what it is all about, and we’ll rejoice with you for the courage and encouragement you find here to share your faith.

Thanks again for being a part. I hope everyone has a great weekend – God bless!

Tags Abba, evangelism, Jesus, Ron Phillips, witness

Living It Out In Real Time The Bible The Life of Faith

Allegorical or Absolute: Finding Faith in The Bible

Post author By pastorron2013
Post date April 3, 2013
No Comments on Allegorical or Absolute: Finding Faith in The Bible

Over the last few weeks, Americans have been captivated by The Bible on television. The record-setting series garnered huge audiences, and brought many of these most well-loved Bible stories into our living rooms in living color. Congratulations to Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, for the wonderful job they did in bringing the Book of the Ages, God’s Holy Word, to life.

But lest we get lost in the fanfare surrounding the success of Christian-friendly programming, I would like to mention a few of things that would be good reminders for all of us regarding The Bible:

Now that you’ve waited for the movie, don’t forget to read The Book. All in all, The Bible was very well done, and the producers should be commended in trying to “stay true to the spirit of the book”. However, be sure not to base your theology entirely on what was depicted on the screen: Read the Bible for yourself, and let the Holy Spirit of God reveal to you personally what is the holiness, righteousness, and love of the God of the Universe.

You can’t make this stuff up. In the course of promoting The Bible, I saw Mr. Burnett and Ms. Downey on a well-known (fairly conservative) talk show. The interviewer (who said he was religious), while discussing the series, stated repeatedly, “Now, we all know that the Bible is just allegory (good moral stories, but not factual, historical accounts)”. When he pressed the issue, and asked the producers their opinion, they stated, unequivocally, that they believed the Bible to be a historical, factual account of actual events.

As Christians, our faith depends on the factual and literal life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:9 states it very plainly:

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Now, I could go on for hours about historical fact, archaeological evidence, as well as personal observation (having personally traveled to the Holy Land more than a dozen times). However, in the interest of time (and not to be overly simplistic), I’ll sum it up as a friend recently noted:

“If you are going to pick and choose ‘truth’, and if the death and resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith (and thereby must be factual truth), which story is easier to believe: That a boy killed a giant with a stone, or that the God of the universe became a man, was born of a virgin, was killed by His own creation, and got up out of a grave after being dead for three days?”

Eating at the buffet of truth. It would be impossible to cover every significant event of the Bible in the 10 hours that it took to portray what ended up on screen. Just as God’s plan for the ages cannot be contained in a mini-series, truth is not a “buffet”. Unlike the stories chosen for the series (for time and content purposes), we cannot pick and choose what truth we want to believe and what we want to leave at “the bar”. If we cannot trust God in matters of judgment and justice, how can we trust Him on matters of grace and mercy? When it comes to truth, it’s all or nothing. God does not operate on the shifting winds and whims of the masses or mobs. Even if “the majority of Americans believe” that which is contrary to the Word of God, God is not going to change His opinion. Truth is truth… regardless of polls, public opinion, or political correctness.

When we come to Christ, we must come to Him on His terms…

We must recognize our need for Him. “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

We must recognize that we have sinned. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

We must recognize that our sin separates us from God. (Romans 6:23… 1 Corinthians 6:9-10… Romans 1:28-32)

We must believe, accept, and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

When we come to Jesus, we are invited to come and die; die to our old self… die to sin and the sinful nature. We are invited to “deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him” (Matthew 16:24). If you did see The Bible, then you realize that taking up the cross (even figuratively) is not to be taken lightly. But although the path in following Him may be steep, stony, and wrought with peril, that which awaits us at the finish line is joy, peace, grace, mercy, and life eternal… all found in the open and nail-scarred arms of Jesus.

Tags Jesus, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, Ron Phillips, salvation, sin, The Bible, the love of God

Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Be Consistent

Consider this quote:

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

In making this statement, I believe author and former Franciscan priest Brennan Manning hit the nail squarely on the head.

Whether by commission or omission, the church has allowed godlessness to permeate our society. We have allowed our “nation under God” to bury the Presence of God under a mountain of misinterpreted laws and legal catchphrases.

So what can the church do?

We can be consistent. We can practice what we preach. We can show our love for Christ by a lifestyle that is consistent with the Bible we claim to believe.

So, here’s the challenge:

Be that consistent light that the world needs. Don’t just believe it… live it. Let’s see if, just by walking our talk, we can make a difference in a world that needs Jesus.

Tags Brennan Manning, consistent, Jesus, Ron Phillips

Healing Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith

Making a Difference in the Dominican Republic

Post author By pastorron2013
Post date March 31, 2013
No Comments on Making a Difference in the Dominican Republic

This was taken two weeks ago. A short video of some of our recent visit and ongoing work in the Dominican Republic.

Tags Abba's House Children's Center, Cien Fuegos, Dominican Republic, Jose Rodriquez, landfill, ministry, Ron Phillips

Living It Out In Real Time The Life of Faith The Secret Place Uncategorized

The Pardon

“In the year 1829, a Philadelphia man named George Wilson robbed the U.S. mail, killing someone in the process. Wilson was arrested, brought to trial, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged. Some friends intervened on his behalf, and were finally able to obtain a pardon from him from President Andrew Jackson.

When Wilson was informed, he refused to accept the pardon.

The sheriff was unwilling to exact the sentence since the president had pardoned Wilson. An appeal was made to President Jackson who, in turn, asked the Supreme Court for a ruling. Chief Justice Marshall ruled that a pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends on it’s acceptance by the person implicated. If it is refused, then it is not a pardon.

George Wilson was hanged, although a pardon lay on the sheriff’s desk.” **

During this Easter season, I am reminded of this story. We, too, have a pardon that is there for the taking. However, our pardon is not written in ink by the hand of a president, in order to save us from the hangman’s noose…

Our pardon is written in blood by the nail-scarred hands of Jesus, in order to save us from an eternity of torment — forever separated from Him.

And while this free gift of God is available simply for the asking (because He desires that “none should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9)), so many reject His pardon, missing out on the life of peace, protection, and promise that life in the Presence of God brings.

So what about you? Will you choose a life of hope and purpose, or an existence of uncertainty.

Will you choose the Rock of Ages, or the stone of judgement?

If you want to choose life everlasting, it is here.

HE is here.

All it takes is a simple prayer of faith…

“Jesus… I am a sinner. Please come into my life and save me. I know You died to pay the price for my sins. Thank You for all You did for me on Calvary. I accept Your gift, and ask You to be my Lord and Savior! Thank You Jesus for saving me.”

If you prayed that prayer… CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a part of the Family of God!

If you prayed that prayer, please let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Happy Easter!

** from my book… Isaiah: Light for Days of Darkness

Tags Abba's House, Andrew Jackson, Calvary, Easter, Jesus, Rock of Ages, Ron Phillips, salvation

Friendship The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Nothing But The Blood

The Petersen House in Washington D.C. is the house across the street from Ford’s Theatre where a mortally wounded Abraham Lincoln was taken after being shot by John Wilkes Boothe. A few hours later, Lincoln succumbed to his wounds and, as then-Secretary of War Edwin Stanton observed, passed into the ages.

For years, his blood-stained pillow remained on display – a testimony to the horrific events of April 14, 1865, and the violent death of one of our greatest presidents.

A while back, some friends of mine visited the Petersen House only to discover that the pillow had been removed, and placed into storage. The only item that contained the blood of the Great Emancipator had been taken out of public sight, and put into a place where it could, potentially, be forgotten.

As Christians, we must never let it be forgotten that it is only by the blood — the blood of Jesus — that we have been forgiven. We must never forget the price that was paid when Jesus spilled His blood, and willingly gave up His life out of love for us.

In this time of history revisionism and self-obsession, as well as being an appropriate reminder during this Holy Week, may this story remind us all that we must never lose sight of the ONLY thing that can save us… the blood of Jesus.