My First Live Broadcast

Radio Airdate: Forgotten

(This was my first live radio broadcast and it was not live for a good reason!  But in it, I tell a little about myself. )

Good morning, and welcome to Christian Charity.

 This broadcast is live this morning, so forgive me if I misspeak. Usually, if the Lord has laid a message on my heart, I will record it the night before and bring it into the radio station early Friday morning. If the Lord has not laid a message on my heart, then I will request they play an older recording rather than trying to force a message that I don’t have.. But today, the message is live and you’ll understand why in a few minutes. I realize that the Christian Charity program just began airing a few months ago without any explanation or fanfare. No church affiliation is given and no name is given other than the Christian Charity name. So, with your indulgence, I thought I would take the time this morning to tell you a little something about myself. I am a relatively new Christian, and certainly not an well versed or well educated man. Any time I speak or preach I try to mostly read straight from the bible – I belive in the perfectness of the Word. I am not wise enough, enlightened enough, or experienced enough to speak authoritatively on it. I just know I believe it. And I know the Word drives me. But since I am not reading very much at all from the bible this morning, please forgive me if I err or if I show my ignorance.

I am not a preacher at any church, although I guess I have become a preacher of sorts, but then, isn’t every Christian a minister of some sort? Or shouldn’t we be? One reason I want to make it clear that I am not a preacher is because some people tend to put preachers on a pedestal. Mature Christians know better, but less mature Christians tend to put their faith and trust in the preacher. At least that’s how I was when I was saved. I loved God (and still do) with all my heart. And I thought my preacher could do no wrong. Well, that was wrong and it was unfair. To Him. And a mistake for me. And please don’t put me on a pedastal – I will fall from it, I will let you down. I am flesh and blood and I am flawed. I fight the flesh daily. I am a man – let me tell you some of the things I pray each morning - - I pray to the Lord that he will shut my mouth if I start to gossip. I pray to the Lord to help me live like a Christian today. I pray to the Lord to give me strength to witness to others, I pray that He helps me to submit, to take pride away from me. I pray that He will help me to be a servant and to willingly serve others. I pray that I don’t forget Him today. That sounds harsh doesn’t it – forget Him? The one who loves me and saved me. The one I serve. Yet sometimes, during the day I get caught up in the things of work and I’ll catch myself saying something I shouldn’t or thinking unkind thoughts. Do you know, when I was saved I actually thought I would never sin again? And I didn’t’ think this in some form of arrogance, I truly thought I wouldn’t. Now I’ve had a preacher tell me He didn’t sin. And because I am not educated I guess maybe he gets that from somewhere in the bible – but I speak from my experience and I know I still sin. Yet I also know I am saved. Soemtimes it makes my head spin trying to figure it out. You know like a lot of Christians, most of what I knew of God came from hearing the preacher. And the preaching I heard was good, and seemed accurate (and was) But since I rarely read my bible, I really didn’t’ have any point of reference to base my opinion’s on. I can say now that I was blessed to have been able to hear some good accurate inspired preaching. But we must be diligent to read our Bibles daily, we must learn this Word. Very little moves me more than hearing an inspired message, a good sermon. But if we don’t read the Word ourselves, how shall we protect ourselves against false teachings?


One thing I am drawn to is the nursing homes. James 1:27 says

(James 1:27) Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

So you will hear me speak a lot about the elderly in the nursing homes, because that is the calling that God has laid on me right now. I will tell you this, I don’t like to go to the nursing homes - - I have to fight my flesh every single time, I have to force myself to go. Because the sorrow, the depression, the misery, it seems to greet me as I approach the door. And I will have to face things that I don’t wish to face, I will have to confront things that I don’t want to confront. Tell me, how many of you can identify with the following verses?

(Romans 7:14) For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

(Romans 7:15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

(Romans 7:16) If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

(Romans 7:17) Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

(Romans 7:18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

(Romans 7:19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

(Romans 7:20) Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

(Romans 7:21) I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

(Romans 7:22) For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

(Romans 7:23) But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

(Romans 7:24) O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

(Romans 7:25) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Let me repeat (Romans 7:15) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

And (Romans 7:19) For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Well brothers, sisters, I have to fight this flesh mightily every single time. It does not want to go to those nursing homes. Let me digress for a moment, in every job I have ever had, I have always been required to get up around 4 or 5 in the morning, so my kids are used to me being gone when they get up in the morning. I have done this now for over 20 years. One day in a discussion with one of my children, probably one in which I was teasing my child about how late they slept, she exclaimed, “But you like to get up that early”. Wrong!!! I’d just as soon sleep in as the next person! But you do what you have to do, and if providing for your family means getting up way too early, then that’s what you do. Well many times as Christians we want to do what’s comfortable, we want to “sleep in” in a manner of speaking. We don’t want to do what we “have to do”. Well, visiting the sick and the elderly is one of those things I have to do.

I do it because I love God and I do it because I love them and they are hurting. I have never entered into a nursing home yet in which my flesh wasn’t telling me to go somewhere else. But once I enter, something happens – I stop worrying about the pain I will see, and I start comforting, I start speaking of God, I read the verses telling of how God is the champion of the widows and the orphans, of the weak. And then invariably something else happens – My mindset starts changing from being the one helping, instead I become the one being helped. I see such faith in eyes of some of my brothers and sisters that it lifts my own. I learn so much and I am lifted so much. I can also say this - - I have never, ever, left a nursing home feeling down - - in fact, I am often so inspired by the visit that I feel like I’m walking on air - - I often have to life my face up to the heavens and say “thank you God, help me to remember”. Help me to remember. Because I go in there with the altruistic intention of easing pain, of lifting a lonely heart - - and I leave having my own spirits lifted, my own faith renewed. It’s strange to me - - it’s NEVER comfortable walking in. It’s always like home once I’m there.

But I do tend to ramble on, don’t I? I was going to tell you about myself and about Christian charity. Well, time’s short, I’ll tell you the most important thing - - I am a child of God, I am a forgiven sinner, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. And I want to do the will of my Father. And I want to do all I can to spread the gospel. Except sometimes I don’t, because Oh yes, I was going to tell you the reason why the message is live today. Well I went home last night, and on the way home I was praying about what the message might be. And I got home, and we packed the car up and went and visited my folks. Then I came home. Sat down. Flipped the TV on - - Guess what - - first football game of the year. So I wrestled briefly and decided that, well, since God hadn’t laid a message on my heart that I would just watch that football game instead. That the radio station could play an old message. My God forgive me, how quickly I forget, how quick I am sometimes to give in to the flesh. I hate that, and I mean it, I really hate that in myself. So that’s why this broadcast is live – Because I was lazy and put football first. I am sorry – and it shames me. But the Lord woke me up an hour earlier than normal today and laid it on my heart to come in and confess it. And I am grateful that the Lord corrects me, I am so grateful. How much worse if He did not. I think I’m going to have to miss some football this Sunday, to put this old sinful flesh in submission. And brothers, if you find yourself rushing home after church to catch that first kickoff, please stop yourselves and take the time to visit someone who’s lonely, perhaps in a nursing home, perhaps not. And take the time to fellowship with your brothers and sisters after the service is out. Miss the first game, there’ll be plenty more. Lord, help me crucify this flesh of mine again today. May God Bless you and watch over you – Amen.