Musings from the Manse

New Website

2009-04-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
I have created a new website for Calvary Baptist Church and it can be accessed by using this address: www.cbcrittman.com. I also have a new blog spot there on the home page.

Please read my blogs there.

Thank you!

Security - a Wonderful Word

2008-12-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

I was awakened this morning early by a phone call from the security system that monitors our church property. “We have a burglar alarm at the west door. The police are in route” said the friendly voice on the other end of the phone. I quickly got dressed and went to the church to meet with the police. Thankfully there was no intruder and everything was OK. As I was driving back home I was thinking about SECURITY and began to rejoice that there is no problem with my ETERNAL security. No intruder can do anything to shatter my secure position in Christ and it is up to me to REST in that simple truth.

If your December is like mine, it is filled with “activity” and I am reminded of the little girl who prayed at Christmas, “Lord, forgive us of our Christmases and those who Christmas against us.” Augustine reminded us to “beware of the barrenness of a busy life.” I am THANKFUL that God’s unspeakable gift is the “gift that keeps on giving.” It is eternal in its PURPOSE, it is eternal in its POWER, and it is eternal in its PRESENCE.

I am secure NOT because I FEEL secure all the time, but because He says I am secure. I will gladly take His word over my feelings.

Ordinary Men - Extraordinary God!

2008-04-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I was reading in Judges 3 where God used two ordinary men to deliver His people following their deliberate acts of disobedience. Othniel comes from good stock - he is Caleb's nephew. The Scripture says, "The Spirit of the Lord came upon him" v. 10). The longer I live the more I realize how essential it is that God's Spirit be upon me in my service to God. The one verse devoted to Othniel speaks volumes by its brevity. He just did what God said and he was victorious in delivering Israel.

The second man was Ehud. He was left-handed (like me) and God called on him to deliver Israel again. His victory was one of daring and courage. He simply killed the king who was the oppressor and then led Israel to defeat their enemies.

From the lives of these two men I draw this conclusion: God uses ordinary men to accomplish extraordinary tasks when they are wholly yielded to Him.

I know I am ordinary. It is my prayer that I will be wholly yielded to God to make myself available for extraordinary times. What is your prayer?

I Choose "Reckless Abandon"

2008-03-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

In reading Numbers 23, God instructs the Israelites to "drive out" the inhabitants of the land that He has given them. They were to destroy all the idols and shrines (v. 52). God's word of caution was, "If you fail to drive them out ... they will be like spli1nters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live" (v. 53).
1. Clearly God wanted Israel to enjoy their new land.
2. Clearly God gave them the steps necessary for them to enjoy the land.
3. The only variable in the equation was their willingness to obey and the degree to which they would obey.

Application: At the moment of salvation God gave me a new life. In His Word He gives me instructions that will lead me to "enjoy" this new life. At this point I have the option of obeying or not and also of deciding how completely I will obey.

My degree of abundant living is dependent on how much of God's truth I embrace and how much of the old life I am willing to destroy and how many of the old idols I am willing to forsake.

So ... whether or not I live the "abundant life" promised in John 10.10 has NOTHING to do with God's promise and EVERYTHING to do with my willingness to agree with God about:
His Word ... His Provision ... His ability to keep His Promises AND my reckless abandon to enjoy His promises.

I CHOOSE RECKLESS ABANDON! What is your choice?

Life in the Fast Lane ...

2007-12-31T20:20:00.000-08:00

I don’t know about you but I have used that phrase a few times in my life to describe some “different” kind of happening. Well, this time, I am using it to describe my life in the last half of 2007. When I look back on the events of this year, my only response is “Yeah, God!” Reflecting back on New Years Eve 2006, it was uneventful, boring, and somewhat depressing, since I was alone, and there were no prospects for anything different in the coming months.

In April of 2007 I was returning from a 50th birthday party for a pastor friend of mine. On the ride home, I began talking out loud to God in my car. The long and short of the conversation was that I thought life “sucked” but if that was what God wanted for me, I was willing to yield all I was to His sovereign power and I would be “content” as He taught me the meaning of contentment. A little over a month later, God began a journey for me that I could never have imagined, nor would I have been able to dream of such a series of events.

On May 18th, I had breakfast with Carol Feistel, widow of deceased missionary Malcom Feistel. We met at the Cracker Barrel in Springfield, MO and that was the beginning of a relationship that God ordained from the beginning. On July 9th we were married in Frisco, CO. Carol finished her missionary responsibilities in Taiwan at the end of August and returned to Ohio and began serving the Lord with me here. Our lives together have been so much more than either of them could have been had we remained apart. We enter 2008 with a sense of God’s hand on our lives, our ministry, and our future. It seems that every day since our marriage has been one of adventure and blessing.

I have learned the simple truth of Psalm 18.30: “As for God, His way is perfect.” Not only do I believe it … Carol and I are living proof of that simple statement. Such is life “in the fast lane” with God.

Just my thoughts on this New Years Eve 2007.

Jerry

What Do I Need?

2007-10-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I was reading in Joshua. As I began thinking about what I need, as a man, as a man who is a Christian, as a man who is a husband, as a man who is a father, as a man who is a grandfather, I was reminded that the one thing that I need is "confidence." How does a man gain that confidence? Let me make some observations from Joshua chapter 1.

In Joshua 1.9 we read, "the Lord is with thee." That is a guarantee from God. If you knew that God was with you, would that give you confidence?
In Joshua 1.8, confidence comes from knowledge. The more you know, the more confident you are. V. 8 reminds us that we must spend time "meditating" on the word of God.
In Joshua 1.7, the instruction is to "be strong." Being with God (v. 9) and meditating on God (v. 8) leads to "be(ing) strong."

The question I am forced to ask myself is this: "How strong do I want to be?"

The High Cost of Mediocre Living

2007-09-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

The Bible says: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9.10

I want to use a word that most of us know or have heard, but for the sake of clarity, I want to define the word. Here it is: mediocre or mediocrity: 1. of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate. 2. rather poor or inferior. {Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)}

Just as in nearly every other aspect of life, mediocrity is not confined to the one who chooses to live that way. It affects everyone with whom he/she chooses to interact as well as those who are observing the behavior.

Sports figures have been “benched” for mediocre playing.

A doctor who practices medicine with a mediocre approach soon finds himself looking for patients.

When my doctor makes my eyeglasses, I want to be sure the technician does not approach my prescription with a mediocre attitude. Otherwise my trifocals would not be accurate and I would have great difficulty using them.

When your car comes down the assembly line, there is an inspector whose job it is to maintain quality control. Mediocrity is generally not acceptable.

In marriage relationships, mediocrity leads to no commitment and no commitment often leads to divorce. Why would any man or woman want to live with a spouse who was not giving his/her best to make the relationship work?

Why, then, it is OK to live a mediocre lifestyle when we are involved in ETERNAL matters?

Mediocre living is the height of arrogance. It says, “I know what my best is and you don’t deserve it!” Can you imagine saying something like that to God? Now, we don’t say it, but we do live that way at times.

Consider this verse:

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9.10

In this verse we find two things: 1) a call to excellence and 2) a warning against anything else.

Ecclesiastes 9.10: “Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom” {NLT}.

Ecclesiastes 9.10: “Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, for there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think in the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.” {The Message}.

In this verse there is a call to excellence and a warning against anything less. Once our last breath is gone, we have no further opportunity to do ANYTHING good or bad.

Let me speak to you about a Call to Excellence – “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;” If we believe that God orders our steps, then there are no coincidences for the Christian. Whatever turns up, grab it. And do it heartily! Last year I watched Drew Fetter and Sam Trogdon as they played basketball for the Rittman Indians. These young men brought a sense of excitement to the game that brought the crowd to its feet. Their zest and zeal for the game was evident from the tip off. I remember reading in the Trading Post a comment by Drew at the beginning of the season. He said, “I want to leave it all on the floor.”

In the arena of spiritual warfare, is there anything for us to do? Are we engaged in a battle? Is the enemy real? Is there a price to pay to move ahead? Is there room for anything other than excellence in our journey through this life? Would you agree that Satan’s warriors give their best in their battles against us? I realize that our salvation is never in jeopardy because our salvation is forever. I also realize that Satan is clever enough to sidetrack us on the journey and cause us to believe that the need is not IMMEDIATE, the cause is not IMPORTANT, and, just maybe, the price is NOT WORTH PAYING.

We often think of excellence as a comparative term. “I am better at it than so and so.” In reality, so and so is not the standard of comparison. Anything less than your best is mediocre.

The verse goes on to give us a Warning Against Anything Else – “for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” A few days ago I posted this to the “Nuggets from Calvary” email list: "Don't be so anxious to give your children what you didn't have that you neglect to give them what you did have." When will yesterday ever come by again? You and I never have a second chance to do the right thing the first time. Often we are consumed with seeing that our children have all the right “stuff.” A young man in my youth department some years ago had a father who was an executive in a large oil corporation. Every time the father went on a trip he would bring home some “stuff” for his son. The boy was a teen-ager.One day his father came home and gave his son his latest “purchase” thinking his boy would be happy with some more stuff. The young man threw the stuff back to his father and said, “Dad, I don’t want your stuff. I want you.”

The call to excellence must embrace every arena of our lives. 1) Our personal walk with God; 2) Our families; 3) Our work place; 4) Our recreational pursuits; and 5) Our ministry pursuits

Anything less than excellence is a reflection upon our Heavenly Father. If we do not love Him enough to give Him our best, we cannot expect anyone who watches us to do any differently? If we do not respect the person of God enough to respond to His call for service with a surrender of our will to His will, how can we ask that of anyone who sits under our teaching or parenthood?

I want to repeat something I said at the outset: Mediocrity is the height of arrogance. We say to others (including God) I know my best, and you don’t deserve it! If God does not deserve your best, then what reason will you give for anything less?

Change is Inevitable ... Growth is Optional

2007-08-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Somewhere I read the words found in the title of this article. "Change is inevitable ... growth is optional." When a person comes face to face with the claims of Jesus Christ, the options are limited. If Christ is Who He says He is, then the choice for me, though difficult, is essential.

Since God's purpose is to conform me to the image of His Son, I must be willing to surrender all of who I am to His sovereign will. There are parts of me that do not want to surrender and there is a part of me that cries out for Someone to be in control besides me. None of us would deny that we are changing every day. That is the reason for the phrase "Change is inevitable ..." The question is, in my change, am I growing?

As a believer, every day is an opportunity for me to be MORE like Christ, but the choice is mine. If I chose to be more like Christ, then change is not enough, there must be growth. Growth assumes purpose ... purpose must be defined ... and once purpose is defined, it must be demonstrated ... and that demonstration is the reflection of Christ in me.

So, in the final analysis, for the believer, "growth is NOT optional" ... it is essential. Growing, while painful, leads to a blessedness in life that can be attained no other way.

These are just my thoughts.

Jerry

Beauty Is Always from God

2007-08-07T18:34:00.001-07:00

As Carol and I stood before these two beautiful pieces of God's handiwork, we were both amazed at what others might call "just something that happened." The mountains behind us and the rock formation just to the right in this picture are absolutely breathtaking. We are standing facing the Apple Dumpling Bed and Breakfast in South Fork, Colorado. James declares in the book that bears his name in the New Testament that "every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." {James 1.17}
Let me ask you, dear reader, is your heart filled with the beauty which only God can supply? If you should have any questions about how to know God, I would be honored to tell you how.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2007-08-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that I read that line {the good, the bad, and the ugly} in some publication, but I can't remember where {I would give credit if I knew}. Life for me holds some very good happenings. God has blessed my life with a new wife and He brought her to me in a most unusual, God-like way. That is good. On the other hand, my new wife is now several thousand miles away and to me that seems bad. It is not bad that she is there. However it seems bad to me because I miss her so much. But in the overall scheme of life, there are others around me for whom life holds some ugly moments. Every day I have the choice of deciding what kind of day I want to have. I was in a public establishment one day and as I was leaving, the cashier said to me, as I am sure she did to everyone she checked out that day, "Have a great day!" I confess that my mind runs in some pretty comical areas and when I got outside I mumbled to myself, in a sort of humorous way, "Don't tell me what kind of day to have!" But it really is my choice what kind of day I have. Things may be good ... things may be bad ... and things may be really ugly. The choices I make in light of how things are will reflect my acceptance of who God is, who I am in His presence, and how I feel about how God is treating me. As for me, my choice is ... trust. After all, He does know what lies ahead ... and I surely don't. David said in Psalm 18.30: "As for God, His way is perfect." Come to think of it, I like His kind of "perfect." How about you?

Blessings Beyond Expectation

2007-07-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

For some this will not be a surprise and for others, they will wonder at the suddenness of my decision to marry. On July 9th, 2007, I married Carol Feistel, missionary widow of Malcom Feistel, who went home to be with the Lord a little over a year ago. It was in the scenic mountains of Colorado, at a conference called "The Summit." Carol and I had made arrangements ahead of time with some of those in charge to allow us to be married on Monday night. There were approximately 200 people in attendance and we had written and memorized our own vows. Rev. Don Rooks, my nephew, conducted the ceremony. All those in attendance were kind and gracious as they watched two people who were both widowed because of cancer find love with a new dimension for "such a time as this." The journey that brought us to this place is more than time and space will permit. Suffice it to say that God, in His wisdom and sovereignty, orchestrated the events of our lives in such a way that neither of us could miss His hand in our relationship.

Carol and I are looking forward to ministry together here in Rittman, OH. The people who are part of the ministry here have already embraced her warmly and are anxious for our ministry to move forward. We are living proof that God is able to "do exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think." The blessings are truly "beyond expectation."

Just When You Least Expect It, God Shows Up!

2007-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Aloneness is not something that someone with my temperament looks forward to with any degree of excitement. Having been widowed for nearly two years, I had reached the place in my walk with God that I was content to remain single for the remainder of my years if that was God's will for me. With that knowledge stowed away in my memory bank, I ventured to seek a relationship with a dear widow lady whose husband had gone home to be with the Lord just a year before. While we were acquaintances, our relationship was just that - one of sharing a common experience and sharing our thoughts with each other. Then, just when you least expect it, God shows up! In a dramatic and unmistakable manner, the Lord brought us together and showed each of us that His plan was for us to spend the rest of our lives together. In the brief time that we have enjoyed each other's company, God has confirmed in ways unmistakable that

As for God, His way is perfect.

Psalm 18.30

I know we should not be surprised when God does what only He can do. And yet we find ourselves marveling because just when you least expect it, God shows up!

Those God things!

2007-05-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

God has a way of showing up in the most interesting places in our lives. At times when we think people and events just "seem" to happen as they do, we look back from a perspective of a few days and discover that "He was there all the time."

I have experienced one of those God things these last few days. I was in a meeting last week in another state. I came into a meeting and sat, at random I thought, in a seat that was unoccupied, beside a person I did not recognize. After the meeting I spoke to this woman and introduced myself and we both realized that we had a common experience from our pasts. Her husband had died from cancer 11 months before. My wife had died from cancer 22 months before. We corresponded over the months, keeping in touch just to encourage each other.

We arranged to meet for breakfast in a couple of days. We spent some time just sharing stories of our experiences and then, on a whim, I said, "Would you like to go do something?" She said, "Yes," and we took the next several hours to visit the grave of her daughter who had died three years before and the grave of her husband who had died just last year. The day was a time of refreshing for both of us and we have continued to say in touch by email and phone since I returned home. I don't know what the future holds for us, but if God continues doing His thing in our lives, I wouldn't be surprised if He didn't just work a miracle for us both. I certainly hope so.

What Do I Do Now?

2007-05-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

I have probably asked myself that question a hundred times over the last 22 months. It was 22 months ago that my wife slipped out into eternity to meet the Lord whom she loved supremely. I have encountered many situations that would have been easy to handle ... if she were with me ... but she wasn't. So I was forced to ask, "What do I do now?" On one occasion I was seated at a restaurant with three people from my church. All four of us were single. The lady who had created this foursome had made it a regular practice to take my wife and me out to eat on our birthdays and she wanted to continue this practice. A waitress came by our table who knew me but did not know that my wife had died. She asked me if the lady seated beside me was the one who let me buy the pda/phone that I had. {She always admired the phone when I came in.} I said "no" and she went on with her work. After the others left, I went back to talk to the waitress and explained to her that my wife had died and that the people with me were all from my church and had taken me out to eat for my birthday. I explained to her that I wanted to be very careful so people would not think wrongly about me.

A few weeks ago our church hosted a single lady missionary and it is my custom to take missionaries to get something to eat if they would like to. "What do I do now?" ran through my mind since I didn't feel comfortable taking this person out to eat alone. I asked a husband and wife to go with us and they were glad to get to spend some time with the missionary and with the pastor.

These scenarios occur over and over in the life of a pastor who is single/widowed. God knows what He is about and I trust Him. I pray that one day He will allow me not to have to ask the question "What do I do now?" - but then that decision is in His hands.

"I tried to reach you yesterday," she cried!

2006-12-31T16:42:00.000-08:00

It was 9.30 A. M. on the Friday before Christmas. I had just entered "my favorite restaurant" Bob Evans for breakfast. I eat breakfast there almost every day of the week. After I was seated, the waitress took my drink order and went to get my coffee and water. Before she could return, the phone rang, and she took the call - she was closest to the phone. She came to my table and said, "Pastor, the call is for you. It's ______. She wants to talk to you. This person on the phone had waited on me many times. As I walked to the phone, I remembered a conversation we had had about two weeks before. She spoke to me as I sat at the counter and asked, "Would you pray for me? I have some spots on my liver." I assured her that I would and immediately added her name to my prayer list on my trusty Treo phone/pda. When I picked up the receiver and identified myself, she sobbed, "Pastor, this is _________. I tried to reach you yesterday but couldn't get you. I went to the doctor and he told me I have cancer and I have 3 to 6 months to live." I asked for her address and arranged to meet her later that day. After a brief trip to my office, I told my secretary that I was going to visit this lady. I arrived at her house, about a ten minute drive from my church. She asked me in and her first words were, "I want to go where your wife is. I want to know how." She knew Jean and me from the times we had eaten at the restaurant. She quickly told me something of her background - raised in the Philippines, met a G. I. in Germany and came to the states and got married, a Catholic, but in name only. I asked if she would like for me to give her the knowledge of how to go to heaven to be where Jean is, and she responded, "Yes." I slowly shared the verses on salvation with her, asking her to read, and then I asked if she was ready to receive Christ. She replied emphatically, "Yes." I helped her pray and then went through the steps of giving her assurance. I asked her to get her Bible - a Phillipine/English translation - and had her write in the front fly leaf the date and time and her decision to receive Christ. She said, "Is that all there is? Am I going to heaven now?" I replied, "God did all the work. All you had to do was trust Jesus. He wasn't concerned about your religious label but about your personal relationship with Him through His Son."
In a few minutes her husband came into the room. He is disabled. He told me that some years before he and his wife had been married in the church that I now pastor. We talked for a little while. I asked if I could come back and visit them at another time. They assured me I could. Just after Christmas I went back to see them. She was still rejoicing in her new found faith and said, "I have a real peace inside. I have been reading my Bible."
These events are "God moments" and I rejoice that He allowed me to be part of them. I have withheld the name to protect this dear lady. I know she would appreciate your prayers for her.

Jerry Burton

It's Almost Christmas

2006-12-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas will be here inless than two days. I have fond memories of Christmas. One year my wife and I were driving from Texas to Iowa to visit her sister and husband. Red Hobbs pastored in Round Prarie, Iowas. We were almost at their house when we got caught in a valley between two high spots and the road was too slick to get up the other side. It was just before day break. We couldn't see any lights in any houses no matter what direction we looked. I kept the car running to keep us warm. After a little while I spotted a light in a farm house several hundred yards away. I began the trek to the house to see if they could help us. They invited us in, gave us something warm to drink and let us call my wife's sister. In a little while he was there to get us and we were able to get on to their house for Christmas. Jean's nephew, Billy Hobbs, liked to play basketball and we would go almost every night to a school nearby to play with his friends. We actually packed the car twice to come home and Billy begged us to stay a little longer. Finally we had to go home but I remember that Christmas with fondness. My wife and I had a wonderful time with her family who had become my family when we got married.

This year I will spend Christmas with my daughter, Kristi, and her family - Greg, her husband, Lindsey, Chelsea, and Kaylee, my three wonderful granddaughters. It is a day filled with mixed emotions - I love being with them and I miss my wife so much. But God knows all these things and He will, in His goodness and grace, sustain me through these difficult hours. I trust Him and He loves me.

God Really Is Good

2006-10-30T20:24:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Friend Day at our church - Calvary Baptist. We had 73 visitors and a total of 213 people who filled out cards for the day. We were blessed with three public decisions for salvation. Our people worked diligently and brought their friends. Our ladies prepared a meal that was fit for a king.

I am blessed to pastor such wonderful people.

Just wanted to share this good news with any who choose to read.

A Memorable Day

2006-07-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning to a day that I could not have possibly imagine just 18 months ago. My dear wife of 46 years went home to be with her Lord just one year ago today. I was unsure how I would handle such an anniversary. As pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, I was fearful that I would not be able to perform all my duties so I scheduled guest speakers for the morning and evening service.

The members of my congregation have been very supportive during these last months. My secretary ordered flowers for the Communion Table in honor of my wife.

Sometimes people look at a grieving person and think, "Why are they acting like that?" Especially is that true for people of faith. We seem to think that "faith" takes away everything else associated with death. My grief has nothing to do with my faith and everything to do with my emotions - I desperately miss my wife. I am healing and I am not angry with God for taking her to heaven. I would not bring her back to this sin-cursed earth, even if I could. But I certainly do want to see her and be with her and I have no doubt that one day soon I will. But until that day comes, I will go on serving God, allowing Him to bring healing to my wounded spirit, and take every opportunity to tell others that "God is good ... all the time ... even when I don't understand." Some song writer {I don't remember who} "When you can't trace His {God's} hand, trust His heart.

Jerry

Welcome!

2006-07-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

The electronic media allows one to publish so easily. At times I will be able to express my thoughts easily. At other times I will struggle to come up with any thoughts at all. To those who will read, thank you for understanding.

J Burton