Same Sex Marriage in Washington State..

It is not about Civil Rights. Marriage is not a civil right, nor is divorce, nor is unmarried cohabitation or polygamy. Exodus 20:1-17 says God sets what is law.

It is not about Legal Rights. With the passing of the "civil union" Law, homosexual "couples" already have all the rights that married couples have in "Washington State."  Romans 13

It is not about fairness or equality.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 says it is not about fairness or equality, but what is righteous is the true scale.

What is it about then? It is about the definition of marriage. The activist homosexual community is attacking the institution of marriage, the foundation of any lasting, ordered society.  Marriage has already been defined. Gen. 2:21-24

It is about approbation. The activist homosexual community is demanding the approval of the rest of society of their "orientation" and practices. Romans 1:24-32 says that they are excited about your acceptance of their sin and feel even better when others join in.

It is about suppressing the rights and the speech of anyone who dare to oppose them, which has been the result in every other society which has taken this step, and which is the unspoken agenda of these activities. Hosea 6:6 tells us what God is pleased with and all other things are a waste.

I am astonished and amazed at any believer that believes in this agenda because they are not lovers of society that know these beliefs will always bring on the judgment of God. Gen. 19:1-6; 2 Peter 2:4-10

I MUST BE INVOLVED in praying, talking, phoning and door-to-door teams.

JESUS IS THE ANSWER – We do not make an “idol” of marriage. Jesus is the issue.

Prayer still works.  This was the resounding message we heard from Pastor Hutch at our last Gideon’s Posse event.  And the Text he chose could not have been any plainer.  In Josh.10, Moses’ successor boldly came before the Lord and asked Him to stop the sun in order for Israel to have enough daylight to defeat their enemies.

Now, Joshua was probably unaware of all the scientific and celestial hurdles his prayer would have to cross in order for God to move.  But that didn’t matter to the leader of Israel.  In fact, as Pastor Hutch reminded us, sometimes having too much information about our circumstances keeps us from trusting God.

Joshua knew he needed God’s help and that’s why he prayed the way he did.  Men, maybe its time we were a little bolder in our prayer life.  Maybe we should spend less time figuring out why things can’t work, and more time trusting God to do the impossible.  Do you face great difficulties?  Let’s take a lesson from Joshua and pray confidently for God to come through in amazing ways.

“Can you trust Jesus more than a fish?”  We have to be careful how we answer such a thing, for as we will come to see, even those who walked closely with Jesus on the earth had difficult times trusting the Master in their everyday lives.

In Mt.13, Jesus told His disciples the parable of the mustard seed.  He then, in chapters 14 and 15, gave them a physical illustration of what faith can accomplish as He fed thousands of Jews and Gentiles with only a scant amount of food.  These stories and events would shape and teach the Apostle Peter greatly, and we’ll be reminded of what Jesus was seeking to teach him about exercising faith.  Men, just as it was with Peter, the Lord wants to teach us things about Himself.  We have to remember to concentrate and connect the stories and events we encounter to ensure we are heeding the Spirit’s guidance in our lives every day.

The men of Gideon’s Posse were privileged to open the doors up to our better halves at our last meeting.  Pastor Hutch spoke directly about the 2 essential things every relationship needs to be healthy and successful.

To begin, it isn’t enough for one person to be great.  Both parties have to be sold out to one another.  In other words, you can’t make a great couple if only one of you is a good person.  Countless friendships and marriages have been destroyed because one of the people in them didn’t feel like the relationship was worth fighting for.

Men, if we want to see success in our relationships, we need, as Eph.5:15 points out, to “be careful how we spiritually walk, not as unwise people, but as those who are wise”.  This is the first step in helping us experience the Lord blessing on the relationships we hold dear.

Pastor Hutch spoke at our last Gideon’s Posse about how the Apostle Paul completely transformed the secular world during his time. According to Acts 23 and 24, Paul was brought before the governing authorities and was able to make a stand for Christ that challenged those who were not believers. He stood for Christ when it would have been far easier to remain quiet. He took a stand when he faced dire consequences. He took a stand when others wouldn’t.

The Apostle lived in such a way that people didn’t have to guess who he was sold out to. Whether before rulers or everyday people, Paul put God on display and took opportunities to make a stand when others remained on the sidelines. So men…if there is one thing we can take away from the legal trials of Paul, it’s that we should care more about pleasing God than we do about pleasing other people.

What do you do after you have spiritually blown it?  Men, maybe you’ve fallen, but you can still get up.  In fact, asking God and other strong Christians for help isn’t a sign of weakness; it is a sign of maturity in your life.

Paul was imprisoned in Rome because he didn’t heed the Word of the Lord through a godly prophet.  As he wrote to his dear friends, the Philippians, it became apparent that although he was shackled, he was spiritually free.  Perhaps he had learned a little bit about not allowing his failures to discourage him.  Men, failures will come and we will have to be ready to address them when they do.  In our next GP email, we’ll take a look at 4 essential things we need to do to move on after we’ve taken a wrong spiritual turn.

Pastor Hutch challenged us with some difficult questions, one of which was “Have you ever really blown it?”  This is a question that must be answered directly and honestly before God.  But even when we recognize that we’ve failed the Lord miserably, we as believers have hope that there is no sin that is too big for God to handle.

Men, we must remember the simplicity of I Jn.1:9.  Our sins are completely forgiven when we confess them before the Lord.  And remember: It is the cleansing of our past sins that helps us live well for Him in the present.

Preaching from Acts 21, Pastor Hutch showed the contrast between the Apostle Paul and Agabus, the prophet.  Agabus, first mentioned in Acts 11:27-28, was a gifted prophet in the early church that spoke authoritatively because he was under the submission of the Holy Spirit.  He prophesied of Paul that if he continued his course of action, the Apostle would end up in chains.

Paul, for all of his admirable qualities, minimized the prophetic utterance, and in what seems to be a bout of self-confidence, said he was glad to go to Rome in chains if necessary.  It is difficult to tell why he chose this course of action, but as Pastor Hutch suggested, it may have been because Paul was listening more to his personal spirit (little “s”), rather than the Holy Spirit (the big “S”).

Men, if you have big decision in your life, family and career, make sure that you’re listening to the right person.  Taking matters into your own hands can cause you to be chained up more than you would believe.

Pastor Hutch spoke at our last GP event about the characteristics of a man who has influence in this life.  Using the example of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 7 & 8, he showed us that the first thing Saul did was to be sold out to what he believed in.  While Saul was not yet a convert to Jesus Christ, he took his beliefs more seriously than most.  In fact, God had his hand upon this persecutor of the church, and would soon entrust him with greater responsibilities as a believer than those, like Ananias, who had been in the faith for years.

A second characteristic of a man with influence is that he must have a ruler (Lord) over him.  Saul’s Damascus Road encounter with Christ would change his allegiance to staunch and radical Law-keeping.  He would surrender to grace, and thereby, have a new Ruler in his life to call the shots.  Men, are these things true in your life?  Are you sold out to what you say you believe?  Do you truly acknowledge Christ’s lordship in your life?  If so, then you are well on your way to becoming the man of influence God intends you to be.

Samuel 1
The Life of Hannah

Set within the time-period of the Judges, Hannah’s story is the opening scene in one of the greatest biblical narratives ever recorded.  Hannah earnestly desired to have a son, but the Lord had closed her womb.  It even appears that her husband, Elkanah, had impatiently taken matters into his own hands and brought another wife into the picture: one that was able to give him several children.

Through the strain of a husband who couldn’t understand her to her insistence in prayer, Hannah is a picture for us of grace and strength.  Her character remained consistent even when it appeared the Lord was silent.  Men, may the Lord give us a tenacious spirit like this godly saint as we wait patiently for Him to boldly move in our lives.

At our last Gideon’s Posse meeting, we were blessed to have the ladies join us as we heard the testimony of Jon and Jen Kitna.  They spoke candidly about how the Lord brought them together as well as how He has been at the center of their married life each step of the way.

“What is your purpose in marriage?” was the question that they asked us.  As they shared their story and opened the Word, the first two things that they encouraged us to think about were our purpose with God and our purpose with our spouse.

Your Desire for the New Year:  Colossians 1:1-1:11

JESUS IN 2011
"Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4 NIV)

There are some amazing prayers in the Bible. This is one of them. This was Paul’s prayer for the church at Colosse. This is my prayer for you in the New Year (NOT a New Years Resolution). Paul’s prayer for the church at Colosse was a prayer for: