Wretched Sinner

Together For The Gospel - Suffering, Matt Chandler Speaks

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 13:59:00 +0000

This is 50 minutes long, and I recommend listening to the entire thing. Each time I thought I found the most powerful moment...it was only a matter of time until another one came along. I Praise God for what He has done and is doing through this man. I pray that when my time of suffering comes I will look upon the cross and only the cross.....

-W.S. (Mike)

Convicted By A Shovel? What God Taught Me Today

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:44:00 +0000

So here I am, just 30 miles south of the Mason Dixon Line. Last Friday, we were slammed by 30+” of snow and we were blasted again yesterday with ~20” more. Everything around us is shut down (even the snow removal crews and the Post Office). The road in front of my house is still unplowed, and that is strange b/c it is considered a “high priority” road by the county (meaning it always gets plowed first).

“Fortunately”, the nature of my job enables me to work from home. Frankly though, working from home is like torture for me b/c all day I hear my wife and kids playing in the house and it tears me up that I can’t be downstairs with them. I put fortunately in quotes b/c the ability to work from home also means that there is an expectation that I will actually work a full day from home and there won’t be any break in my productivity, and no excuse for missed meetings/deadlines/etc. Attending meetings and keeping everything on track doesn’t exactly give me the time I need to clear my long & steep driveway.

OK, so now you know all the things that were going through my head when I woke up this AM. I really hope I conveyed the tone accurately. I was bitter. I was grumbling. Bottom line, I was sinning! But give me some credit…I had a reason to be, right? I mean come on! I had to shovel my driveway! I had to get work done! I had to spend time with my family!

Nope, I had no reason to be at all.

As I sat down in my office to start my day of work I was immediately struck down and overcome by conviction. I knew I had to get into the Word. Believe me, I wanted to keep going on and on about how rough I have it. But that wasn’t going to happen, I knew that I was just about to be taught a lesson…and it was going to hurt.

As I got into the Word I knew where I needed to go, Colossians 3:17:

“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

Ouch. Add to that little gem the fact that I had been reading in Philippians 2:14 yesterday, and what we have here is a good old fashion head smacking “double ouch”.

So what was my conviction? The Holy Spirit exposed my ungrateful heart. The little things in life are often not little at all. How you handle them is a reflection of your heart, and will have a compounding effect on how you approach each subsequent situation. Think about this for a second. What was I grumbling about? What was I bitter about? Let’s take a look:

I have a long snow covered driveway – I mean come on!?!? I am blessed to have a driveway. My driveway isn’t just a barren road in the middle of nowhere…it leads to the house the Lord has provided for me and my family.
I have to balance work from home with clearing my driveway – Seriously Mike?!?!!? Do you know how many people out there don’t have a job right now? And even those who do have a job, do you know how many of them are being forced to take days off w/o pay b/c they can’t get to work?
I have to work from home while my wife & kids are downstairs – Cry me a river!! Poor little Mike has to sit upstairs in his warm office sipping coffee and working on his computer while his family is mere feet away from him. Then when he is done he gets to walk downstairs and be with them in a matter of seconds. Poor Mike.

Do you see how ridiculous my complaints are when we put them in the appropriate context? Who am I and on what grounds do I have to grumble at all? Do I somehow deserve a driveway/house/job/family/anything?

No.

So what was the result? Here it is:

Today I shovelled for the glory of the Lord. I'm thankful that the Lord has given me the health and strength to shovel, a driveway, and the conviction to examine my heart. (Colossians 3:17)

-W.S. (mike)

Bible on the Shelf - Featuring "General" Larry Platt

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:44:00 +0000

I was inspired to make my own version of the now infamous "Pants on the ground" song seen by so many on American Idol (and now the Internet) after a quick tweet to brother Joel over at http://5ptsalt.com/.

Since I didn't want to embarrass myself by actually rapping on it myself, I decided to get creative and put my own spin on it...and below is the end result:

-W.S. (mike)

The Christmas Story

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:33:00 +0000

I didn't put this together, but I stumbled across it today and was humbled by the lyrics. I recommend reading a long while you listen to it:

Lyrics:

A frightened virgin teenage girl
Receives a message that defies the laws of this world
All she can do is weep and nod
She's to bring into this world the Son of God

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

A star appears fufilling ancient prophecy
There's an ounce of fear as wise men follow faithfully
The Virgin Mary brings forth the human savior
And this future king sleeps soundly in the manger
Soundly in the manger

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Tonight He is born so one day He can die
To heal hearts that are torn and live the perfect life
So He hang upon a cross and we can take His life
So we can live as sinners
And He can pay the price
Tonight He is born so one day he can die
But He will rise again

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited savior is to be born
The goodness bound by Satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns
Ready for thorns..

Born To Die - The Real Story of Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:12:00 +0000

I put this together in as in introduction to a guest sermon I preached the day after Christmas last year. Since it was after Christmas I never uploaded it, but I figured I would share it this year in hopes that it could have the same impact on you as it did on me. Soli Deo Gloria!

If you want to hear the sermon, you can listen to it or download it here:

-W.S. (Mike)

Patricia King -"Spreading the Good Woo Woo"

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:26:00 +0000

Not sure how many folks know of Patricia King, but I know fans of Wretched Radio are well aware of her. The brief story is that she is part of the "Word Faith" movement *cough* heresy. Don't just believe me...check it against scripture. For more information on the problems with the "Word Faith" movement, check out http://justinpeters.org/

Anyway, after hearing the "original" on Wretched Radio and watching it on YouTube, I was struck that there could be something in there to make a sermon Jam. But since it's not a sermon, I would like to introduce my first ever "Heretic Jam" (auto tune edition)

The original:

My Remix:

Joshua Sings "Solid Rock"

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:09:00 +0000

I shot this this morning while we were getting ready to leave the house. As I walked back to the car, my 2 y/o was singing our favorite hymn.

I hope this blesses you as much as much as it blessed me.
-W.S. (Mike)

Dear Pop - A Birthday Letter To My Dad

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:48:00 +0000

I struggled with whether or not to share this private letter I wrote to my Dad for his 61st birthday, but I decided it may provide encouragement for others out there that have family members that aren't saved.

I read the letter below out loud to him after dinner tonight. He has heard the Gospel before, but this was the first time I was able to make it all the way through without it turning into a Catholic vs. Protestant debate. In addition to this letter, I gave him a copy of Mark Cahill's book, "One Heartbeat Away".

Please don't wait until it is too late to share the Gospel with those you love.

=========================

Pop,

Happy Birthday! I just wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the past and let you know how much I appreciate the father you have been to me. I look back over the past 31 years and it is full of such powerful memories; some good, some not so good. Even with all the struggles, the memory that is always foremost in my mind is how you carted me around to every conceivable sports game in which I was a part of. While I would not have been able to play on those teams without transportation, the most important aspect was that you stayed for every game. I know I didn’t appreciate it fully (or even grasp this at the time), but looking out into the stands during my baseball games and knowing that you were always there was so incredibly comforting. It showed how much you cared for me. I never once felt alone, I never once felt like you weren’t there for me. I never once doubted how much you loved me.

I know these are the types of things I couldn’t possibly have understood as a child (or a teen), but now that I find myself in the struggle between family & career, I know how much you must have sacrificed in order to be there for me. As I look back through this new lens, I know that you were there because you wanted to be there …that is what means the most to me. I know I haven’t always been the easiest to love, but you were still there. I know I wasn’t kind, or appreciative, or even remotely loveable…but you were still there. I know I wasn’t always respectful, but you were still there. You were there because you are my Dad, and that is what “real” Dad’s do...they are there.

The other memory that comes to mind is in much of the same vein. I’ll never forget how you played ball with me in the back yard as a boy. Countless hours of ground balls, you playing catcher and chanting “Umdada Beee Umdada Boy” as I would pitch at you from our makeshift pitcher’s mound. I can still hear the symphony of the bug zapper and the crackling of the AM radio as we tried to listen to the Orioles. I thought I was Cal Ripken, but only because you made me feel as if I really was. I am now only starting to understand the joy you must have felt then, as I get to experience it with my boys.

If only I could just fast forward and forget all those years between then and now. If only I could just skip over all the hurt I caused, avoid all the pain that resulted, and just arrive to where we are today. But we can’t, and that’s OK. Each and every one of those experiences has helped shape my full appreciation of you as a father. If there is one thing I have learned in the past few years, it is that if you don’t see the bad news, you’ll never fully appreciate the good news.

You see, that perspective is also part of what has caused some dissension between us over the past few months. I finally understand the “bad news” of how I look to the Perfect, Righteous & Holy God. I finally realized that I am not “good” when compared His Holy standard. I used to compare myself to others, and compared to them I do look quite good. I don’t do what “they” do, or I’m not as bad as “them”. But that isn’t how God says it works. We are not going to be judged according to our standard, we are going to be judged according to God’s standard, God’s perfect law.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for men once to die and after this comes judgment”, and when we die we will each be judged. And the result of that judgment is eternal. You see “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23). None of us can possibly be found innocent, we have sinned against an infinitely Perfect God, and His Word is clear that the punishment is an infinite punishment in hell. I finally realized that I deserve to go to Hell. I broke God’s law, and I deserve to be punished. So that is the bad news.

But here is the Good news. God doesn’t want us to go to hell. God is Love. And how does He demonstrate that love? “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) See, I deserve the punishment of hell. But God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to pay my fine. He didn’t “just” get beaten, bruised, and mocked, die & then rise again defeating death…He took the full wrath of God upon His head so I didn’t have to have it on mine. And He did the same for You.

The bible is clear Pop, "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36) You can see that John displays the meaning of the word “believe” by showing that the opposite of “believe” is “not obey”. Believe is much more than “acknowledging” Jesus is who He said He was. It is “obeying” Him. If you look throughout the bible you find that Jesus uses two words to describe this “belief”. In Mark 1:15 Jesus uses the words together as He arrived in Galilee, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” In Luke 13:3 Jesus says, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

If we repent (turn from our Sins) and trust in Jesus to save us He will cause us to be born again. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) He changes the desires of our hearts; we submit to His authority in our life, we are consumed by our desire to serve Him.

Pop, here is why I wrote this letter. Life is short, who knows how much more time we have left. I didn’t want to risk another day to go by without me telling you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me. I don’t want to risk the chance that I would look back after you are gone and say, “I wish I would have told Pop how much I loved him.”

But at the same time, I also don’t want to look back and regret not sharing the most important thing I have, the Good News of salvation. I know you may think that I’m just trying to convince you I’m right, but that isn’t the case at all. Think about it this way, if I know this to be true (which I do) than how could I possibly hold it to myself? How could I possibly let my Pop, get a day closer to eternity without telling you one more time about the only way to avoid the wrath of God?

I love you Pop, thank you for all you’ve done for me. Happy Birthday, and I praise God for giving me such a dedicated dad.

Love,

Michael

==========================

Powerful: A Cross, A Question, & A Fool

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:06:00 +0000

I saw this over at Tony Miano's Blog, and I just had to share. When I finish my recap of Deeper 2009 & The 500 you're going to see some examples and my thoughts on Open-Air Preaching, but this is something slightly different and just as effective of a springboard into the Gospel.

This is something every Christian can do, and any person who claims to be a Christian but doesn't go out of there way to share the Gospel with those who are destined to hell should take a real close look in the mirror. Somebody shared the Gospel with you, love your neighbor as yourself.

Deeper Conference 2009 - Wow

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

WOW! Praise God! That's all I can say about it for now. I met a lot of great folks, heard some powerful preaching, participated in 2 of the most God honoring worship ceremonies in my life, and open aired preached in the dreaded "Little 5 Points" area of Atlanta. My faith is definitely "Deeper", but it's going to take me a little while to articulate it all. Stay tuned....
-W.S. (Mike)

Off To The Deeper Conference - Follow along!

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:45:00 +0000

I'm really excited to be able to attend the Deeper Conference again this week. At first, it didn't look like we were going to be able to afford my plane trip down, as a matter of fact there was pretty much no chance we were going to be able to pay for the flight. Then, out of nowhere I was asked by my job to attend a meeting in Marietta the Thursday before Deeper! Amazing, absolutely Amazing! Well, I'm here in Atlanta now...and I'm really excited about the opportunity to worship and study in such an evangelical atmosphere. There is nothing like it, and if you can't get here this year....start saving for next year it is definitely worth it.

If you are interested in following along as things start happening, you can follow #deeper09 on twitter. There will be plenty of folks updating as the conference progresses. If you don't have a twitter account, you can just follow this blog entry:
#deeper09

Get ready for some amazing testimonies!
-W.S. (mike)

New Wretched Gear

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:54:00 +0000

On the recommendation of a close friend, I decided to check zazzle.com and I ended up making a new version of the "Friends Don't Let Friends Die" T-shirt:

Check it out and let me know what you think.

-W.S. (mike)

I need your help: What terms do you use to describe Jesus?

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:04:00 +0000

I need some help, I'm looking for your perspective on something. I set up a VERY SHORT survey which provides a list of 10 terms commonly used to describe Jesus. It asks you to rank them from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most likely term you are to use, and 1 being the least likely.

I would really appreciate if you would take a few minutes to honestly walk through this survey, and pass it along as you feel appropriate:

What terms do you use to describe Jesus?

Thanks for your help!
-W.S. (mike)

Are You Ready?

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:09:00 +0000

This is amazingly powerful...and true.

The Return of Ray Comfort To Radio!

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Ray Comfort Live

Date / Time: 9/14/2009 5:00 PM
Category: Religion

Call-in Number: (347) 884-9617

The premier broadcast of "Ray Comfort, Live!" Stay tuned for more details.

Upcoming Episodes

9/15/2009 5:00 PM - Ray Comfort Live (2009-002)

Friends Don't Let Friends Die (w/o the Gospel)

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 23:12:00 +0000

I came up with the idea for this shirt while driving with my brother a few months back. We were talking about evangelism (of course), and about how hard it can be to share the Gospel with those closest to you. That is, however, if you don't have the right mind set. We need to love people enough to step out of our comfort zone and share with them the most important thing we have...the Good news about Jesus Christ.

Here's the breakdown of the shirt:

Front - Skull and crossbones with the text:
"Friends Don't Let Friends Die" above & "without hearing the gospel" in parenthesis below.

Back - The text of 1Cor 15:3-5

If you're interested in buying the shirt, you can find it here:
http://www.cafepress.com/wretchedsinner

-W.S. (Mike)

The Judgement Seat of Christ - Leonard Ravenhill

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Thanks to Wayne Dawg over at (dawgonthelawn.blogspot.com) for sharing this.

-W.S. (Mike)

My Guest Sermon: "Raising The White Flag" James 4:7

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Last week I was honored to be asked act as guest preacher and deliver the message at my church. This is a huge reponsibility that I don't take lightly. I decided to teach from one of my favorite books in scripture, James 4. The sermon below is the result. I pray it was, and continues to be Glorifying to the Savior.

Powered by Podbean.com

You can also download the MP3 directly here, or subscribe to my iTunes feed

For His Glory,
W.S. (Mike)

Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine? - Wretched Radio Dance Party

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Is Jesus your friend? I started to put this together as a joke, but realized there may be a teaching principle in there. It features the cast of Wretched Radio (Todd Friel, Tony Verkinnes, and David "Hip Hop" Shannon) break dancing.

For more information on wretched radio, check out www.wretchedradio.com

-W.S.
(Mike)

State of The Nation Webcast - Tonight (June 25, 2009)

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:08:00 +0000

(source: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/museum/2009/06/25/tonight-is-the-night/)

I'm really excited about this, I'll be watching tonight.

-W.S. (Mike)

Discussion Re: The Message "Bible" - A Compare/Contrast

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Hey Brothers & Sisters,

I would love your thoughts on the 4 page document by Justin Peters (JustinPeters.orgthat can be found at the link below. It is a only a quick summary of a few passages within "The Message", but I found it to be quite powerful. I've have never done a formal study from the message myself, but the few times I have pulled from it I found it to be entirely too much of a paraphrase for my personal taste...however I never read the passages cited in the article.

http://justinpeters.org/The_Message.pdf

In the words of the apostle Paul (Phil 1:9-11)

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledgeand all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

For His Glory,

-W.S. (Mike)

What Does This Verse Mean To Me?

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Wanted to share a great article from John MacArthur:

What Does This Verse Mean "to Me"? :: Grace to You

Would love your thoughts here.

-W.S.(mike)

Your Kids Listen To Your Actions - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:34:00 +0000

Last November I posted about how our kids listen to our actions, and just this last Sunday I was blessed to be able to witness another example just last that I want to share with you.

Before I share this story, I want to reiterate that I do not share this as any sort of righteous testimony to my competency as a parent, or out of pride for the actions of my daughter. I know I have many shortcomings as a parent, and there are likely many more that I have yet to realize. I am sharing this as an encouragement for each of you; so you can see that the children in your life are watching you...they are listening to your actions.

Each Sunday morning for the past few months, my 5 y/o daughter "Minnow" and I wake up and head off to church early so I can finish my prep for the Youth Sunday School class I teach. My wife (who is expecting) and our 2 boys (2 & 3 y/o) stay back and arrive later in time for worship. Minnow & I have developed a bit of routine on Sundays. We leave the house in plenty of time and stop by a local gas station/convenience store and get some breakfast. We typically bring at least one million dollar bill tract in with us to give out in the store, and usually leave one at the pump if we need gas that AM.

Last Sunday as we pulled into the parking lot Minnow asked me, "Daddy, can I give a million dollar bill to the lady at the counter?" I had a feeling this was coming, as we had been talking about whom we would give the tract to ever since we left the house. "Of course!” I replied, and we walked into the store. We picked up my coffee and her water, our sandwiches & some pastries for the boys and my wife and went up to the counter to pay. Without any hesitation whatsoever she handed the tract to the woman at the counter and said, "Did you get one of these?" and immediately followed up with "Read the back when you get a chance." I was quite impressed with how smooth it came out for her, but this isn't even the part of the story that I wanted to share. It gets better.

On the way to church we were listening to a sermon and talking some more about the Gospel. Minnow asked me if she could have a couple of tracts to keep in her bible, and I gave her a few after giving her some instructions:

a) They are for giving away, not to be kept and treated as toys.

b) They should always be kept crisp and new looking.

After church, I headed out the front door and back towards the rear of the building where we parked my truck. As I started walking down the hill I noticed three little pony-tailed heads huddled around the opposite side of my truck. I was wondering what they were up to, and my first thought was that it wasn't something good. I decided to slowly approach the truck and keep the cab of the truck between us to shield their view of me.

As I approached, the only voice I could hear was Minnow. What she was saying absolutely melted my heart. This is what I heard:

"Here girls, take these. They are not real money, they are Gospel tracts, and they have the Gospel on the back of them. Here's what you do with them. You give them to someone that doesn't know the Gospel. Just say, "Did you get one of these?" and then you ask them to read the back when they get a chance. Remember, don't keep them for yourself, they aren't toys. Oh yeah, and don't wrinkle them all up. Keep them flat."

I must admit I was quite filled with pride at that moment, and I had a hard time not just interrupting their little pow-wow and picking up Minnow to give her a giant Daddy-sized hug and kiss. But I quickly checked myself and focused on how pleasing this must have been to the Lord, and thought of how I could use it to teach Minnow a lesson on obedience. It is so often as parents that we only teach lessons of obedience when we are battling disobedience.

On the trip home I asked Minnow why she gave those tracts to her friends and she said, "Because I don't want people to go to Hell, Daddy. They need to know about the Gospel so they don't go to hell."

Maybe I need to start listening to her actions more.

(Matthew 18:2-4)

-W.S. (Mike)

Resolved 2009 Live Streaming

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:55:00 +0000

I'm watching Steve Larson now, and figured I'd post the link here just in case there were others who were interested. If you want to find out more about the conference, check this out:

http://www.resolved.org/conference.aspx

As you can see below, there are some heavy hitters in the list of speakers and they are offering live streaming so if you want to watch it live (this is an awesome thing) go here:

http://www.resolved.org/LiveStreamPlayer.aspx

Saturday, June 13 (all times in PST)

11am - Session 2, Steve Lawson
5pm - Session 3, C.J. Mahaney
6pm - Session 4, Enfield Concert

Sunday, June 14

11am - Session 5, Steve Lawson
5pm - Session 6, John MacArthur
7pm - Session 7, John Piper

Monday, June 15

9am - Session 8, Rick Holland
11am - Session 9, John MacArthur
5pm - Session 10, C.J. Mahaney
7pm - Session 11, John Piper

-W.S. (mike)

New Logo - What do you think? & Why I did it.

noreply@blogger.com (Wretched Sinner) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Hopefully you have noticed the new logo/banner at the top of the site. I have been considering making a change for quite some time now but I just haven't had the time. But today I decided to just get it done. And here's why:

I created the previous logo when I launched the site well over a year ago. I put a lot of thought into the development of that logo. To me, it symbolized my sinfulness (the red lava like skin) calling out to my Savior to save me. In the logo, I attempted to symbolized Jesus as pure, holy, perfect, exalted (white, w/o blemish, elevated above me). And this is exactly where I failed, and it has been bothering me for some time.

What in the world was I thinking? I'm a wretched sinner, whose every work compared to His (from God's perspective) are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and I tried to somehow capture the essence of the Pure, Holy, Perfect, Loving & Righteous God in a logo? I mean, even if I was able to come up with it, can you even imagine what that would look like? Do you see how inaccurate it would be? I dare not make myself a graven image of the one true God, in order to make him my god. (Deut 4:16-18)

I just want to be clear on something. I'm not saying you can't paint a picture of Jesus, or you shouldn't wear a cross as a reminder of what Jesus did for you. But I am saying that we should be careful with those things. We should be careful anytime we try to capture the essence, character, or nature of God outside the bounds of scripture. When you make (or use) the image of Christ there is a very fine line between glorifying & blaspheming.

Like most of the "gray areas", it comes down to a matter of the heart. I prayer-fully searched my heart, and The Holy Spirit convicted me...I dare not ignore His conviction.

-W.S. (Mike)