The Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty; Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Economy

I have been a little concerned about the recent crisis within our economy. Well, it actually isn't 'recent'; it is just publicized within the media/political sector because of Wall Street, AIG, etc. This recent crisis and reading several months ago that the White House reported not long ago that our nation will reach a record deficit - led me to a question, '....didn't we have a surplus?' I wanted to attain some information regarding the surplus and deficit history within our nation. It took a while, but I found some very interesting information. This is just food for thought. I am just a reporter in this particular blog; I would ask that, as the reader, you would draw your own conclusions.

This is a summary of Deficits (which have a negative symbol), Surplus, and the Year. Note: This represents millions; therefore...-$400,000 would equal a 400 billion dollar deficit.

1975 $-73,732
1976 $-53,659
1977 $-59,185
1978 $-40,726
1979 $-73,830
1980 $-78,968
1981 $-127,977
1982 $-207,802
1983 $-185,367
1984 $-212,308
1985 $-221,227
1986 $-149,730
1987 $-155,178
1988 $-152,639
1989 $-221,036
1990 $-269,238
1991 $-290,321
1992 $-255,051
1993 $-203,186
1994 $-163,952
1995 $-107,431
1996 $-21,884
1997 $69,270
1998 $125,610
1999 $236,241
2000 $128,236
2001 $-157,758
2002 $-377,585
2003 $-412,727
2004 $-318,346
2005 $-248,181
2006 $-162,002
2007 $-410,047
2008 $-407,408

Another interesting point. At the beginning of 2001, our nation had a surplus of $540 Billion. As of now, our DEFICIT stands at $2.659 Trillion (not including the bank bailouts.) Is there a reason this information isn't mentioned more in the media? I guess it's not important. I don't know!

How My Wife and I Spend Our Spare Time...Funny!

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

I will not make this long. As a result of the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the lights at our present place of worship are still not on. Interestingly, millions of people in the Houston area are still without light. Of course, this does not mean that we can not worship. We did just that! Those of our members who were in town and got word - worshipped at our home. Many area churches opted not to have worship,,,some really could not, in their own right. I was amazed to see how God demonstrated His power and our people expressed their worship to Him despite the fact that we were gathered in the living room of my wife and I!!! I was amazed. This has confirmed (and I know many use this word quite often) for me that the Lord is leading our congregation back to Pearland at some point in the near future. Our vision has been to reach the people of Pearland, specificially; though we are generally called as any given church to go into 'all the world'. Interestingly, I met with a few of a key leaders at my home about a month ago and began to chart a specific vision; cheif of which we all agreed and stated, 'If the name of our church is 'Cornerstone Baptist Church of Pearland', we need to atleast hold public worship in Pearland.' This is certainly true; and we were certainly fruitful with being in Pearland our first year in 2005-06. We had no idea that night a month ago that Hurricane Ike would blog through. But after two years--even though it took a hurricane--we were back in our target area, PEARLAND--rather than being 20 miles outside of Pearland. I am not saying that Ike came through for our fledgling fellowship; BUT it is amazing to experience the things that the Lord will ALLOW in order to stretch our faith and push us closer to the center of HIS will. God is up to something great, I believe. Well...He's already doing that! Just keep us in your prayers!

At AWE in His Presence

Here is an interesting thought from Ed Rowell....

A number of years ago, a woman in Kansas City walked into a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop at the Plaza shopping center. While waiting, she turned to find actor Paul Newman standing behind her! He was in town filming the movie Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, and was now standing behind his biggest fan.

He smiled at her and said "hello." She took one look at those legendary blue eyes and her knees almost buckled. Her heart was in her throat. She tried to speak, but not a sound came out. Mortified, she turned around, paid for her ice cream, then quickly walked out of the store.
Outside, she sat down on a bench and caught her breath. As she calmed down, she realized she didn't have her ice cream cone. She was debating walking back in to get it when Paul Newman walked out. "You looking for your ice cream cone?" he asked. Speechless again, she nodded. "You put it in your purse with your change."

If you or I were to come face to face with a celebrity we admire, I imagine most of us would behave in much the same way. Our generation is infatuated with celebrities. Movie stars, rap stars and athletic superstars dominate the headlines of our magazines and tabloids. We love to read about their lavish lifestyles and ruined relationships. And though basketball star Charles Barkley emphatically stated, "I am not a role model," our children inevitably list media personalities when asked to name their heroes.

I wonder, we who get so excited about meeting a celebrity -- why is it that we can enter into the presence of God with a yawn and a shrug?

H.B.

Just when I think I've got it, I listen to H.B. Charles, Jr. and realize I have yet so far to go. What a rich exposition of Psalm 119 I've heard tonight!

T.O.

Okay...I am a staunch/die hard Cowboys fan. I used to say that I was a number one fan. But since I have no official autographs, have only been to one game (pre-season game), have no official jerseys - well, lets just say I have to be in the top...1 million?

I am very excited. Though I missed most of the game the other night between the Cowboys and Eagles, I have had the opportunity to see most of it again. All I can say is that I am pumped about this season. With all that I have going on - this is making my year complete! I feel as if I am back in the Aikman, Irvin, E. Smith era. This is great....only these guys MAY be even better. Of course, minus Emmitt. Let's face it - Emmitt is in a class all by himself. But these guys - Romo, J. Jones, Barber...and T.O.!!! Wow!!! Did you see that pass???

There is nothing left to be said. T.O. is more than just media hype, celebrity, etc. He is the BEST that there is when it comes to recievers. He WILL bypass Rice's record, just wait and see.

I don't want to put my foot in my mouth come February - but this is more than likely means Superbowl for us... I am praying for tickets!!!

What?

"The basic fundamentals of our economy are STRONG." For the person who made this comment - I am wondering what economy they are living in.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

I don't have many notes for Sunday; other than I had my devotion and worshipped the Lord in my own way. For about 1.9 million Houstonians, we were without electricity. We were blessed at the Pullam household to have our lights back on less than 24 hours after Hurricane Ike. Praise God! So...that means we were back up about 11 pm Saturday night. The place where we presently worship is still without electricity. 95% of Houston churches canceled services for today. I am thankful and grateful that all of my family in this area appears to be doing well; and that Cornerstone members are doing well. Prayerfully we will be able to hold service next Sunday, if not Thursday for mid-week.

Disappointment With God?

For the past seven days I have kind of been a recluse, so to speak. I have had, in my view, some major disappointments that have led to questions with God. I know there are many who say that we should never question God. I would almost echo the sentiment of Christ Himself had never uttered the interrogative, 'My God...why have you forsaken me?'. For sure, I am no better than Christ; so yes I have questioned God. For several months I have been praying about some things in my life and ministry; believing that the Lord navigated some of the circumstances - I became optimistic about it all. To say the least - I found myself devastated, frustrated, and completely confused. I found myself saying: 'God...if you are real, I need you to show me'. Response: Nothing. 'God...if this is your will...speak.' Response: Nothing. 'Lord...show me what to do now'. Response: Nothing.

Interestingly, it is not by accident that I have been given an assignment to read through and study the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk, one of the minor prophets with a major message, had a similar struggle. Habakkuk says, 'O Lord...how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save.'

The message that reverberates in Habakkuk is the fact that God is faithful and sure-even when life is fickle. I will not deny that this season of my life has challenged my faith; but I am still convinced that the Lord has a wonderful plan; and that He has ordered our steps. I am reminded of the words I once read: Never doubt in the dark what God has taught yon in the light.

Because I belong to Him

Though my schedule has been quite hectic, somehow I've managed to pick up a book off of the shelf and do some additional reading. I have found myself trying to read everything I can these days by Mark Dever, that 'XII Marks' guy. In reading this book - like much of Dever's work - I find great challenge, thought, conviction and instruction. Among the 12 (twelve) challenges - of which Dever references the Corinthian church, he lists 'forgetfulness'.

I am arrested by the striking words that Dever uses when he says: Our sharing in Christ is God's fundamental blessing to Christians.

If I may reference Dever, he says:

Many of us know the famous first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter catechism: "What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." But nearly a century before the Westminster Assembly produced their famous catechism, the German reformer Ursinus produced the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) with an initial question and answer no less worthy of being known:

Question: What is you only comfort in life and in death?

Answer: That I am not my own, but belong-body and soul-in life and in death-to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me whole-heartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.