Saturday Morning Link Love: Updated!

Updated With The Newest Sermons!

Throughout this past week, I have been blessed to enjoy revival meetings being preached by a man named Dwight Smith. Our meetings began this past Sunday and will be concluding tomorrow. Each night had a different theme. Monday was ladies night. All of the ladies had to bring visitors. Tuesday was Men's night. Wednesday was Sunday School night. The goal was to bring as many people from your Sunday school class as possible to the service. The person with the highest percentage was the winner. Thursday night was coworkers night and last night was youth night. The teenagers brought the visitors. We also had a gym night after the service that lasted until midnight. We played basketball, volleyball, and some made up games.

So far, we have uploaded most of the services to our church website for download. I will link to them here and update this post with the new ones when the revival meetings are over.

Update: I have now added the rest of the sermons.

The Consequences of the Resurrection
Worse than Cancer
The Man Called Trouble
Why Not Serve God Anyway?
Brand New
The Test of True Salvation
Whose Pushing Your Buttons
Whose Blood Will Be Required at Your Hand?
When We Don't Do What We Should Do

An Update on The Baptist Muse Forum

Interestingly enough, the Forum section here at The Baptist Muse has been picking up a little bit of steam lately. In fact I recommend you swing by, read, and comment on the thread entitled, "Is Islam A Religion of Peace?" I have been debating with a Muslim man and it would probably be very enlightening and educational to stop by and read through it.

Faith Tunes: Digital Downloads You Can Trust!

Thanks to Tori, my good friend and world-famous missionary to Croatia, over at her blog, A Home Away From Home, I have discovered Faith Tunes. I love browsing through iTunes, but I can hardly ever find any music that is worth listening to. This problem is now over! Faith Music, a leading publisher of traditional, conservative gospel music has launched a new feature at their site called Faith Tunes. Now we can download great Christian songs directly to our computers and iPods. I am excited about this!

Anyways, I hope that you all have a blessed weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by The Baptist Muse don't forget to leave some comments and let us all know that you were here! God Bless.

In Christ,

Nick

The Watchman Awards

Hello! And welcome back to another episode of The Watchman Awards. Allow me to spread a little-link love to some excellent articles this week.

A Few Comments On Commenting

Before I get started, please note the new graphic that I have added to the sidebar just above the recent comments section. You will see a puzzle of The Baptist Muse logo with one piece missing. You, my friends, are that missing piece. When you leave comments, feedback, discussion, and even debate and disagreement, you complete The Baptist Muse. Please leave your thoughts. They mean the world to me and they are important for other readers. Thanks.

Shocking California Court Decision

First, there is has been a shocking court decision in California this week that challenges the rights of parents to home school their children affecting over 155,000 Californian home-schooling families. Rita Vernoy at her blog, The Jungle Hut, has written a great article entitled Home Education in which she thoroughly covers this issue. Please check it out to really grasp what is going on in this situation.

The World-Famous Watchman Awards

Now let me share with you a few of the articles that I have especially enjoyed this week. If you check them out, I am sure they will be a blessing to you.

• Go Forward - This article posted at Julie's Jewels is a challenging call for Christians to forget their pasts and to overcome their fearful ideas so that they can continue a forward climb through life.
• Auto Repairs 101 - This post is a challenge to return to the Word of God for our instruction manual for life.
• Dirty Wounds - Dirty Wounds at Life of a Soldier's Wife is an amazing analogy drawn from a lesson learned from wounds received in the Iraq war. This article creates a great spiritual application.

Guest Bloggers at The Baptist Muse

I would also like to make sure that you have all taken notice of the guest bloggers that have been kind enough to share their thoughts with us. If you haven't already done so, please stop by these articles and leave these folks with your comments and feedback. Let them know that we appreciate them here at The Baptist Muse. Thank you to all of you who contributed this week!

• Passion for the Things of God by my very own pastor, Pastor Philip J. Bishop.
• This Too Shall Pass by my very wonderful, talented and loving wife, Diane Cardot.
• Finding The Light In Cancer's Shadow by Kate Plourde.

Let's Tickle Your Funny Bone

Check out this great quote from presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama. I don't know about you, but this is exactly what I am looking for in the next leader of this nation.

“My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you’ll join with me as we try to change it.” — Barack Obama

Also, here is a FedEx commercial that I love!

The Weekly Watchman Awards

An Updated Look For The Baptist Muse

Over the past several days, you have probably noticed several design changes here at The Baptist Muse. I have expanded the main body of the page, rearranged the title and footer section of each post, removed the in-between-posts Google Adsense ads, and changed up most of the widgets in the sidebar. I'm always looking to make the site more effective in getting and keeping readers.

I have also recently added a couple of new podcasts for the resources section of The Baptist Muse. Bro. Jeff Voegtlin and his father, Pastor Roger Voegtlin, both from the Fairhaven Baptist Church in Chesterton, IN, are now offering their sermons via a podcast. Swing by our Podcasts page and check out all the preachers that are available for your iPod or mp3 player. If you know of any other podcasting preachings that I don't have listed, be sure to let me know.

And Now For The Watchman Awards...

Each week, I am very pleased to bring you a short list of some of the best Independent Baptist Articles posted that week. This week is no different. Throughout the past week, several unique and inspiring posts have been written on a wide variety of issues.

• Repentance is Necessary for Salvation (Part 1) and (Part 2) - Tim Dunkin has written a powerful two part series on the doctrine of repentance. His articles are honest, straightforward, and down-right controversial. He isn't afraid to nail heretics to the wall with his clear-cut proofs from the word of God. Finally, someone who will stand for truth!
  
• Scars of Love - Kate Plourde recently experienced here husband being diagnosed with cancer. As a result, she has been posting articles that are designed specifically to encourage and build Christians who are facing difficult circumstances. This article, though not original to her, is a powerful and engaging work that draws a beautiful picture of God's love. It is definitely a must read.
  
• Exceptions Regarding Salvation - In this article, Bill Hardecker revisits perhaps the most popular verse in the Bible, John 3:16, in a way that will make you stand in awe at God's amazing love. Two thumbs up!
  

Just To Keep You Smiling!

I found this awesome "Redneck Power Windows" video over at Kristina's Keepsakes. I laughed so hard that I almost fell out of my chair. This sort of reminds me of a room mate that I had in college. His desk was made out of scrap metal from a junkyard.

The World-Famous Watchman Awards

I created this nice eye-catching Watchman Award logo a few weeks ago for the sole purpose of praising those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their blogging. Maybe I should nickname this award as The Congressional Medal of Blogging. Then of course I would have to lobby congress to back this worthy initiative and although I am quite confident that they would whole-heartedly support it, I don't want to have to deal with that hassle. Anyways, anyone listed in this article is the recipient of the nearly-world famous and greatly-sought-after Watchman Award! Feel free to reproduce this logo on your own website to let the world know that you are such a fantastic, outstanding blogger!

I have found some really interesting articles and series of articles this week as I have been reading through all of your blogs. I have especially been noticing some very funny content that has been very entertaining. For example, over at "You Think Too Much" by Bro. Jeff Voegtlin, there is a humor series that he has been posting on this week that is just hilarious. He has been filling it with some short, one-paragraph stories that will just have you rolling on the floor laughing. He has entitled this segment the "Stupid Series." Without trying to steal his thunder, let me just post one on here and then you need to head over there and check out the rest!

A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and it should be fine. The mother says, I just gave him some ant killer…..

Dispatcher: Rush him in to emergency room!

~ Stupid #9 by Jeff Voegtlin at You Think Too Much

On another note in the topic of humor, be sure to check out this week's "Saturday Morning Cartoons" over at Rita Vernoy's Jungle Hut. She posted some great political humor in the form of some great images. She has a very nice montage of Sen. Clinton making some of her 'presidential' faces. There is also, of course, the wonderful tee shirt that I have posted here. You can get one of these and let the whole world know about your support. or lack thereof, for Hilary Rodham Rodham Clinton. (Isn't that how Al Rushbo always says it?)

In fact, generally speaking, The Jungle Hut is a great source for entertaining stories, informative news, and just great content. Since I'm on the subject, let me throw out one more link to an article on her site. She recently posted an article entitled "The Religion of Peace Kills Another Christian Worker." She writes in this article about the tragic execution of an American missionary in the nation of Afghanistan. That's right. You heard me, or rather, read me. American controlled Afghanistan!

As a finishing note, I found a couple of very thought provoking articles at two blogs that I really enjoy reading. Let me share them with you.

• What I don't Want by Jen over at Joy in His Presence
• Stop! by Sis. Julie over at Julie's Jewels
  

The Watchman Awards

Today I ran in a 12k race which was a fund raiser for a local hospice. I had a great time and now I am extremely sore. I never found out what position I came in but my time was 1:06:26 which is 7.45 miles at a rate of 8:54 per mile. I felt good about that time since it has been a long time since I ran more than three or four miles. There is a marathon in March that I am hoping to work up to being able to run. I actually qualified for it during the run this morning.

Each Saturday, I post some of the most enjoyable articles that I found that week. This segment of the blog is called the Watchman Awards. Here are a few of the articles that I have enjoyed reading this week.

1. Have a laugh on us by Rita Vernoy's Daughter
   
2. The Devil is in the Details by Kent Brandenberg
3. It is Real by Bro. Tim
   

The Watchman Awards

Well friends, it been another week. I have enjoyed all of the articles that I have been reading this week. There has been a lot of great articles written.

I am also very happy with the growth I have seen right here at The Baptist Muse. I pray for the effectiveness of The Baptist Muse. I genuinely desire to challenge and encourage Christians to love God more. I like to set goals for The Baptist Muse. It gives me something specific to pray for. I have been praying since I launched The Baptist Muse Topsites this week that six people would join The Baptist Muse Topsites by the end of the week. I believe that there are so many great Independent Baptist Blogs and Sites out there for people to find. The Baptist Muse Topsites is my way of bringing some of these sites together for Christians to browse through.

1. Baptist History 101 (Part 1), (Part 2), and (Part 3) - This is an ongoing series written by Rita Vernoy over at the Jungle hut discussing the history of the Baptist Church. It is great information for people wanting to know who we are as baptists and where we come from.
   


2. What to do when you've had enough. - This is a very encouraging article written by Bro. Tim over at Tim's Treasures concerning life's difficulties. Sometimes you need a little encouragement to keep moving forward. This article will do that.
   


3. The Grudge that Stole the Hand that feeds you. This article written by Joe over at Joe's Jottings is a great piece about forgiveness. I really enjoyed reading it.
   

The Watchman Awards

I have only two articles that I would really like to point your eyes toward this week. The first is a great illustration about abortion. The second is a well written article simplifying our nation's current recession from a scriptural point of view. Both articles are well worth your time.

• Would You Consider Abortion?
  by Maranatha at I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
• Recession in the American Economy and the Greed Cycle
  by Kent Brandenburg at What is Truth?

The Watchman Awards: Dancing Demons, Nasa, and a lesson in Soul-Winning

Excellent Articles this Week in the Blogosphere

The Watchman Awards is the segment on this site in which I recognize well-written, informative articles that I have found this week throughout the blogosphere. This is also the section in which you can leave feedback as to other articles that you believe are worthy of note.

This week, ladies and gentlemen, we have a great selection of articles that I would like you to take note of. Each of these articles is a great read.

1. "...As The Demons Danced On Our Roof" by Rita Vernoy at The Jungle Hut

This is a compellingly shocking story of a missionary family serving in a region of the world where the locals believe in spirits and demon activity in the literal physical sense. This story recounts an encounter that this family had in this type of an environment as they moved into the area. This account is a must read! I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning about missions!

2. "Nasa and the Bible" by Country Momma at Fundamentalist Wives

This article is an interesting look at another proof of the historical and scientific accuracy of the Word of God. By using basic astronomy and studying other contemporary historians from the ancient world, the author is able to prove such scriptural events as the sun not going down for the space of about a day and the earth moving back about five degrees. This article is a very easy read.

3. Quality or Quantity by Jim at Standing In The Gap

This is a very short piece disheveling the idea that it is more important to have quality believers than to have a quantity of conversions. The author provides a fantastic illustration to drive this point home. This is an excellent resource for any soul winner!

The Watchman Awards

Be sure to tune in this coming week and in the weeks to follow. I have a lot of material that I hope to cover in the near future. I will be posting an amazing testimony of a soldier in Iraq tomorrow, so don't miss it! I promise that it will bless you.

Also, stay tuned for the winner of this week's 'Free Book Giveaway!' On Thursday, we will be changing the rules and creating even more ways to win! If you like free stuff, you won't want to miss it.

This week's Watchman Awards is a blending of different types of posts. You will find below a comical approach to Christian apologetics, a sweet poem about straying away from God, and a insightful essay on modern Missionary methods from a missionary. I was extremely impressed with each of the blog posts that I list below and I highly recommend checking them out.

Anyways, here are this week’s awards. These three were easy winners. They are excellent articles and stories and I promise that you will be blessed if you take the time to read them. Have fun and God bless you all.

1. Apologetics For Curmudgeons by David Kjos at The Thirsty Theologian

"There once was a scholar from Esser
Whose knowledge grew lesser and lesser
It at once grew so small
He knew nothing a all
And now he’s a college professor!"

2. A Poem by Kristina at Kristina's Keepsakes

"I got the thoughts for this poem after I found out that a very, very close friend of mine that is 17 years old moved out of his parents house. We have known him and his family since he was just 4 or 5. It was really shocking and heart breaking to hear about it. I am hearing a lot about teens that are moving out of their parents home because they want to do their own thing. It is just really sad."

3. The Goal of Missions by Terry McGovern at Missionary Insights

"We need to be Biblically driven instead of numbers driven in our efforts to accomplish the great commission. Please do not think that I do not desire to see multitudes saved. I truly dream and day dream of entire villages coming to the Lord with only one true church in the village. However, we must stay focused on how the Lord has directed us and leave the results to him."

The Watchman Awards

First and foremost, I am very pleased to announce that I have updated and enhanced the theme of this website, The Baptist Muse. I am very excited to be able to express throughout my website the patriotism that I feel. Please leave me some feedback if you see anything that doesn't seem right. Thanks.

Also, I was very excited to see this week that Gov. Mike Huckabee won the primary elections in Iowa. In my mind, this is a giant step in his campaign for the white house. I hope and pray that he continues to see positive results in his efforts.

This week also marked the first week that we had a winner for our "Free Book Give Away" segment. The winner was Kristina of Kristina's Keepsakes all the way down in Georgia. Her prize was the book "The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw. Congratulation, Kristina. If you are not familiar with the contest, click here and be sure to get involved. This week's book is "How to Pray: The Best of John Wesley on Prayer" by John Wesley. Its easy and free to win so check it out.

This week, I also published a website for Prairie Baptist Church in Scotts, MI. I also added several new resources in the resources section of The Baptist Muse. These include a site dedicated to freeing Kent Hovind, The Fellowship Tract League, Faith Baptist Camp, and the Church Bus News. Find out more about these by clicking the resources link at the top of the page.

Now, without further ado, allow me to present this week's Watchman Awards.

1. Strings Attached by Dave Mallinak at Sharper Irony

"My father died when I was five. A few years later, my mother met a man, and after a brief courtship (which, as I recall, consisted mostly of their painting a picket fence in front of my house), they married. That year for Christmas..."

2. The Way of Approval by Pastor Kent Brandenburg at What Is Truth?

"Where we look for approval will decide what we believe and practice. We see this through Hebrews 11. Faith is how we get a "good report" from God. Faith pleases God (Heb. 11:6). But we have to make that choice: do we want to please God or man"

3. The Cloud of Witnesses by Gordy at A Voice Crying in the Wilderness

"This verse comes on the heals of Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith and Works, where many saints from the Old Testament are listed and we are told about their great faith, the works their faith produced, and the good report they obtained."

The Watchman Awards

Another week…another winner, or rather another three winners! Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to another week of the almost world famous Watchman Awards. Since I revived the Watchman Awards, I have been getting calls from all the major news networks and a few local news networks requesting exclusive interviews which I have, of course, declined. Fox News, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, Larry King, and many others are sorely disappointed......

And, don't forget about the free book give away that is taking place this week. Be sure to check it out and get in on the action!

1. Too Many "Coincidences" by Kent Brandenburg at The Jackhammer

"The events in the birth of Christ are enough to believe the Bible and to believe in Christ. They are events that are controlled from the outside of time and space."

2. The Virgin Birth - The Miracle of Christmas by Jim at Standing in the Gap

"Contrary to much popular lore, “The Miracle of Christmas” is not food for the hungry, or shelter for the homeless (though, of course, those are indeed wonderful things). “The Miracle of Christmas” is the Virgin Birth!

3. The Virgin Birth of Christ by Steve Weaver at Pastor Steve Weaver's Blog

"It’s interesting that for all the discussion of Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy, no one has opined that it is the result of a miraculous virgin conception. We need to realize that the story of Mary’s miraculous conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit was just as impossible to believe then as it would be today."

The Return of the Watchman Awards

After almost a year since the last Watchman Awards, the long missed tradition is being brought back to life. The Watchman Awards is the element of this blog where the local neighborhood watchman scours the internet looking for well written, doctrinally sound, politically right-wing, original articles. This is the segment where I post a list of the top three articles that I found in the blogosphere this week.

It's up to you to let me know via the comments section about other blogs that I may not have yet discovered. Be sure to nominate your friends' blogs for next weeks awards. You can even nominate yourself for one of these much-sought-after trophies! Its a great way to find more blogs and bloggers that are interested in the same things that we are...elevating the truth! Plus its a great way to let others know about your blog.

Don't be shy. Head down to the comments section. Congratulate the winners. Criticize the winners. Just let us know what you think. Give us a link to your blog. Make yourself known. And be sure to swing back by next week for another episode of the Watchman Awards!

And now, I am pleased to present to you this weeks Watchman Awards!

1. The War Against Certainty by Kent Brandenburg at What is Truth?

"Benjamin Franklin is given credit for saying: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Influential nineteenth-century, liberal, British thinker John Stuart Mill wrote: "There is no such thing as absolute certainty, but there is assurance sufficient for the purposes of human life." I don't believe either of those guys lined up with God in this matter of certainty. I'm certain that God not only wants us to be certain, but He provided all the evidence we needed to be certain."

2. Have You Any Room For Jesus by Jerry Bouey at Buy The Truth

"It is almost Christmas once again. Looking forward to time we will spend with family and friends. All too often we forget the meaning behind this holiday - the meaning we say we are celebrating Christmas for!"

3. Daffy Definitions by Joe at Joe's Jottings

"It seems there are those in this county who would make it their practice to define, or re-define, words to mean whatever they want them to mean at the time they are using them. The way a society defines words depends on many factors, such as their linguistic origin, their historical meaning and, to a lesser extent, their common usage."

The Watchman Awards #8 - The Best Of 2007

Welcome back friends and bloggers. I do apologize that my Watchman Awards are a day late this week. I try to have them posted each Saturday, but here it is Sunday. I’m sorry.

I have spent the week exercising in an attempt to get ready for Basic Training. I leave on Feb. 6…only nine days away! Yesterday I ran eleven miles without stopping. It took me almost two hours, but I did it without stopping. I have been working back up to this kind of endurance running for the past month now and am finally beginning to get back into the shape I was in in High School. I ran six miles every morning before school during my senior year. I am a little sore but not nearly as much as I thought that I would be. I actually feel really good.

Some of my friends give me a hard time because I am so skinny. They wonder what kind of strength someone as thin as I am can have. Well, I’m not entirely sure, but I do know that I can push myself as far as anyone else can…if not farther. I am beginning to feel like I am in great shape again. I am actually looking forward to Basic Training. I have always been a glutton for punishment.

Anyways, here are this week’s awards. These three were easy winners. They are excellent articles and stories and I promise that you will be blessed if you take the time to read them. Have fun and God bless you all.

Oh…and don’t forget to write to me when I am in Basic Training. I will post the address on this blog when I get it. One friend of mine said that he was going to send me a letter covered with lipstick kisses and write "From Bob" on the envelope. Now that's just disgusting and none of you are allowed to do that!

1st. Says Simpleton: Evangelism On George Street - "I was a rating on an Australian warship. I was living a reprobate life. In a crisis I really hit the wall. One of my colleagues, to whom I gave literal hell, was there to help me. He led me to Jesus and the change in my life was night to day in 24 hours. I was so grateful to God; I promised God that I would share Jesus in a simple witness with at least 10 people a day. As God me strength I did that. Sometimes I was ill and couldn't do it, but I made up for the days I missed it at other times. I wasn't paranoid about it. I have done this for over 40 years. In my retirement years, the best place was on St. George Street where I saw hundreds of people a day. I got lots of rejections, but a lot of people courteously took the tract. In 40 years of doing this, I have never heard of one single person coming to Jesus until today."

2nd. Jackhammer: How Do You Know That? – “Somebody might be saying, “How do you know that? What about what you don’t know?” Well, that’s a fair enough question. How can anybody be so sure that they know anything? No one is omniscient. True and False. I’m not omniscient. If I didn’t have help, I would be totally ignorant. But I have a Friend Who is omniscient. He knows everything, and whatever I learn from Him, I can be sure it is true and right altogether. The Christian who trusts the Word of God has an anchor that keeps the soul steady on the restless sea of life. Knowing God. Fearing God. Obeying God. These are all foundational to knowing anything. The source of all knowledge is God, and the only way for ignorant man to be sure of any knowledge is for that man to fear, obey, know, and depend on God and His Word.”

3rd. The Good Report: Dying Testimony of an Atheist - “A minister, while traveling one day, was overtaken by a thunderstorm and took refuge in what was called a tavern. His attention was soon directed towards a man who seemed to be trying to entertain himself and others by using profanity in its lowest degree. He claimed to be an atheist, and blasphemed the name of God with unusual recklessness. Finally, while the storm was raging wildly, he said to those around him, ‘There is no God, and to prove to you that I am right about it, I will go out there on that little hill and dare Him to strike me with His lightning.’”

The Watchman Awards #7 - The Best of 2007

This week's first place article is written by a college student named Jamie Kiley and is entitled "Don't Give Us The Vote." I have never found or read any article speaking of the anti-suffrage movement in the early 1900's until this one and was absolutely amazed that someone would tackle the subject. Although I figured they existed, I never knew about any female organizations that opposed suffrage. It was an eye opener and I highly recemmend the article!

In last week's post, I told you all that I had an announcement coming up in the near future. I then made that announcement in Monday's post entitled The Greatly Anticipated Announcement. I let you all know on that day that I would be leaving for Basic Training for the United States Army in early February. The responses to that post were so overwhelming. Everyone has been so eager to lend their support, prayers, and advice. The response has been much more positive than I could have ever expected. Thank you!

Please continue to be in prayer for my wife and I as we prepare for military life. I am working out almost everyday. I used to run and bicycle a lot in High School and was in awesome physical shape at that time. I have been working very hard to get back into shape in preparation for the military. I am up to running between five and six miles per day without being sore. I am also working aggressively on increasing my ability to do push-ups and sit-ups. I am open to any recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of my work-outs. Again, thank you to everyone!

While I am in Basic Training, I will not personally be able to update my blog. That, I think, is obvious. My blog will, however, get updated. My wife has agreed to post the letters that I send to her. I hope to send her at least one or two letters per week. Minus anything of a personal nature, my wife will post the letters verbatim so that all of our friends and family will be able to keep up with my training.

I will, however, be unable to maintain my Watchman Awards though I would like to. I have decided to offer an open ended invitation to anyone who might be willing to post a list of three great blog articles on my blog for me once per week. You would be welcome to write some information before the list as I often do, but you certainly wouldn't have to. If anyone would be interested in doing this please let me know and I will add you to the list of people who are allowed to post on this blog. If you are interested, either leave my a comment below or send me a personal message via my email which can be found on my profile at the side. Thank you all and God bless you!

And now for our feature presentation...The Watchman Awards!

1st. Jamie Kiley: Don't Give Us The Vote - "'What?' you say. 'There were women who actively fought against suffrage for themselves?!' Yep. And the movement wasn’t an insignificant one, either. In fact, the Antis, as they were known, enjoyed a high rate of success up until 1917, when suffragists starting pushing for a federal amendment to the Constitution instead of working on a state-by-state basis."

2nd. Missionary Insights: How Is Your Vision Of God? - "Today, many see God wearing a Hawaiian shirt and wearing flip flops. As one popular preacher described him in a book, "They see the 'man upstairs,' or their 'buddy.'" How we view God is very important because it is directly tied to how we serve God. Yes that’s right...your view of God does determine how you will serve God. The devil has done a good job at painting a distorted picture of God, and it has affected Christianity today."

3rd. Maranatha: Love and Reverence - "Marriage does not bring with it a 'bed of roses.' This cliche has been used so much but have we ever thought about its meaning? Roses need to be planted in just the right soil, have just the right amount of watering and sunshine, and continually need pruning if they are to grow healthy. One can see the difference between neglected roses and a rose bush which has been meticulously cared for. A good marriage takes years of nurturing by both husband and wife. Starting marriage off equally yoked with a desire to serve the Lord together is a wonderful start. But the key to a good and successful marriage begins with Eph. 5:33...Love and Reverence."

The Watchman Awards #6 – The Best of 2007

Thank you all for your wonderful support and encouragement since the inception of this blog. My readership and daily visits has been growing faster than I ever imagined. I mentioned last week that I was trying to compete against a rather unusual site at BlogTopSites. After making that mention, this blog has remained far ahead of the aforementioned competition. Thank you.

Be sure to tune in this coming week and in the weeks to follow. I have a lot of material that I hope to cover in the near future and some major announcements that I will be making public sometime quite soon. During the first few days of this coming week, I will be posting a series on the Holy Spirit and his work in the lives of believers. Please don’t tune it out and think that it does not apply to you. Every person, regardless of age, sex, occupation, or any other factor, needs the Holy Spirit to be actively working in their life.

Towards the end of the week, I will begin a series on blogging. That’s right. I will be posting a series of articles covering some of the things that I have learned since I began blogging. I am always looking for ways to improve my blog, and most of the people whose blogs I read are doing the same. In this series, I will be posting tips and ideas on how to create a successful, growing blog. I will be covering information relating to content, quality, blog layout, feeds and subscriptions, comments and dialogue, how to get blog ideas, and much more! Don’t miss it!

The weeks seem to be absolutely just flying by. It seems that I just launched the Watchman Awards yesterday when in fact it has now been six weeks. Thank you all for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy this weeks Watchman Awards.

1st. Unashamed Workman: The Case for Preaching (Part 1) – “We’ve all heard the criticisms. From the subtle jibe, ‘the preacher went on a bit this morning’ (which persists no matter how short the sermon gets) to the blatant diatribe, ‘preaching is an outdated form of communication.’ It seems that despite all the advances in 21st century education, attention spans are shorter than ever. Moreover, in an image conscious culture people cannot deal with an onslaught of words. Apparently. But this blog - and an increasing number of evangelicals - takes a different view. We believe on the basis of Scripture that there remains a place for preaching. A pre-eminent place.”

2nd. An Heir of Grace: Women in de Military – “I grew up in a mi1itary family, I joined the m1litary when I was 19, and I married a career m1litary man. I have known many excellent active duty m1litary women in my lifetime who have been poster ladies for w0men in the m1litary. In jobs where physical strength is not a component in performing a the job well, I think women can and do perform on the job as well as, if not better than men. All that said, over the past several years I have come to think that America’s m1litary would be stronger if it was void of women.”

3rd. The Reforming Baptist: True Believers – “The Lord Jesus was constantly challenging people who were following Him to be His disciples indeed! He would teach parables that had to do with the Kingdom of God and those stories taught about who was in and who was out. It was pretty suprising how many people would show up to a Jesus meeting when there was free food and miracles, but when Jesus told them to take up the cross and follow Him, the multitudes instantly disappeared. Well, I don't want any of our people to disappear, but I don't want people attending once a week, dropping $5.00 in the plate, going home and thinking they are good Christians, or that they are saved when they may not be. One of the worse things you can do in a Fundamental Baptist church is to cause someone to doubt their salvation, yet it was Jesus Himself who ripped the facades off of cold religion to reveal to those who were not really saved that they had every reason to doubt their salvations.”

The Watchman Awards #5 – The Best of 2007

Another week…another winner, or rather another three winners! Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to another week of the almost world famous Watchman Awards. I have been getting calls from all the major news networks and a few local news networks requesting exclusive interviews which I have, of course, declined. Fox News, CNN, Rush Limbaugh, Larry King, and many others have requested me on their shows......

On a slightly more serious note, I would personally like to welcome you all to this exciting new year. I hope that you all find many blessings and that you all take time to draw yourselves closer to God. I know that I made a lot of mistakes in 2006 and I look forward to this wonderful opportunity to move forward in a better, more positive way. I hope to make the most of this year. I am planning to do some things that are totally outside the box. I just want to serve my awesome God in extraordinary days.

I had been planning on blogging my devotions throughout this year at another blog, but have since decided not to. It seems that that site didn't generate the attention that I had hoped it would whereas The Watchman has been growing in readership and subscribers. Thank you all for your loyal readership. In fact, I have been pleased to know that I have moved up into the top 100 blogs in my category at topblogsites as can be seen in my sidebar under the section entitled "Watchman Statistics." The rank is based on the number of my visitors compared to the number of visitors at the competing blogs. My rank has been holding between 80 and 100. Thank you to all of you for making that happen! I actually went to their site recently (which can be accessed by clicking the button in the sidebar) and began browsing through some of the blogs that are beating me. The blog positioned directly above my blog was a site covering Christian Gay issues. Friends, you have to help me. I can't let someone covering such a perverted topic in the name of Christianity beat me! Every time you visit my blog it is a vote in my direction. This other blog was ahead of mine by only three votes at the time I checked it last. How embarrassing!

Please continue to let your friends and readers know about my humble blog. You will see that I added some buttons on the sidebar under the section entitled "Watchman Links." These can be added to your website or blog.

Also on the sidebar, under the section entitled "The Watchman Speaks" you will find a list of the categories on which I have written. I have almost completed my goal of creating a category for every letter of the alphabet. I have completed all but the letter "X." This is where I need your help. If you know of a good Christian topic that starts with this letter, I beg you to let me know. Also, if you have any ideas for names of a category that I should change or adjust please let me know.

Thank you all for stopping by and checking out this week’s Watchman Awards. Don’t forget to leave some comments letting me know which posts you thought were the best. Comments are like the icing on the cake for me, so don't be shy. Remember also that you can always nominate blog posts for next weeks award. Anything posted on Sunday or later is eligible for this coming week’s Watchman Awards.

Well, let's get into it and open this year in the fine fashion of another set of awards. Let's recognize the best and the brightest bloggers. I certainly had more to choose from with everyone returning from their Christmas breaks and blogging again. Here are a few of the best that I have found this week.

1st. Pyromaniacs: The Bible and Our Decisions – “So there it is: arguably the most crucial decision a human being can make, and she's free to make up her own mind and do her own wise choosing — within the moral absolutes God has laid down. And so here we see two major and conflicting concepts of the will of God: the pin-prick concept, and Biblical concept.”

2nd. Josh Harris: Teach Us to Number Our Days – “Coming to a start of a new year is a reminder that we need wisdom. We’re given a fresh slate—a brand new span of time and the question we all face is "What will we do with it? How do we make the most of it?" We need wisdom. Wisdom is the ownership of insight. It’s seeing what is most important, and then living accordingly. Eugene Peterson defines wisdom as "the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves."

3rd. Kristina’s Keepsakes: For the Gospel’s Sake – “There are missionaries who today are in foreign jails because they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are those that are not even allowed to own a Bible, but do anyway, and get caught and tortured. We on the other hand have the freedom to own a Bible and to tell others, yet most Christians are afraid of what people might think if they tell some one about Jesus.”

The Watchman Awards #4 – A Pursuit Of Greatness

I apologize to all of my blogging buddies for my lack of posts since Wednesday and for the belated posting of this week’s awards. I am sure, however, that you all understand and will therefore not attempt to explain.

This Friday, my home church, First Baptist Church in Amboy, IL, took our youth group to an overnight youth rally in Chicago. They asked me if I would attend and I gladly obliged. We had a wonderful time and the preaching was great, but there is one story in particular that I feel I must share with my loyal readership (you are all loyal readers, right?)

One portion of the overnight activity included activities at a YMCA from 10 P.M. until 2 A.M. Our group, being the first to arrive at the YMCA, was quick to head inside and explore our options. As we entered the building there was a long hallway leading toward the gymnasium. There were four doors along the right-hand side of the hallway leading to four separate locker rooms: girls, boys, ladies, and men.

As I approached the door to the men’s locker room, I noticed a sign posted stating that children who were seventeen or younger needed to use the boys locker room. I stopped my group and told them that if they were younger than eighteen they needed to use the other room.

One of my absent minded teenagers promptly turned around and marched straight into the ladies locker room, having no idea what he was doing. A look of horror quickly came over my face. “Quick,” I shouted, “Someone go tell him to get out of there!” One of my teens jogged over to the door to relay the message.

The second teen began to open the door when a YMCA employee decides to take a stroll down the hall. “Hey!” he hollers, “That’s the ladies restroom. Don’t go in there.” I explain the situation to the employee and the second teen hollers inside. We all stand back and wait for our absent minded friend to return.

As we wait a lady comes walking down the hall and begins to head toward the lades room. As she approaches, the door opens and out walks this teen guy. The look on her face was priceless. Oh well, though, it was an honest mistake.

When he came out, I took some time to re-explain what I meant about using the other locker room. He looked at me for a moment and then replies, “Oh…I’m eighteen.”

Hmmmm.

Thank you all for stopping by. I hope you all enjoy this weeks Watchman Awards. I won’t be posting anymore until next year!


1st. The Evangelical Outpost: Dismantling Implausibility Structures - “Everything that we believe is filtered through our plausibility structures -- belief-forming apparatus that acts as a gatekeeper, letting in evidence that is matched against what we already consider to be possible. For example, if I were to find a box of cookies in my kitchen cabinet I would assume that my wife had bought them at the store and placed them there herself. If someone were to argue that tree-dwelling elves baked the cookies, packaged them for their corporate employer, and stashed them in my pantry, I would have a difficult time believing their claim; the existence of unionized tree-dwelling elves is simply not a part of my plausibility structure.”

2nd. The Constructive Curmudgeon: Fifteen Refusals For 2007 - “In good curmudgeonly fashion, I will forgo the tradition of resolutions for 2007. Instead, I offer refusals, negations, denials. I soon turn 50 after the beginning of the year, so these refusals are born out of the gravity of aging and the thirst to make the most of the time God gives us in this vaporous life. But with every refusal comes an "instead," or an affirmation. Every true curmudgeon (in the sense defined and, I hope, illustrated on this blog) denies only because he is utterly enthralled by the transcendent Ideal, the divine Yes.”

3rd. Hardecker: “Thy Name” Introduction - “The Bible teaches us all of what we could know about God. We didn’t and couldn’t learn about God on our own in fact, God reveals Himself to us through His Word. The majesty of God’s name has been a blessing to me in my studies. I would like to share this with you and I pray that God would richly bless you as we look into learning more about God through His declared names in the Bible.”

Good Night and God Bless You!

The Watchman Awards #3 – A Pursuit of Greatness

Christmas is upon us. There is only two more days until the long awaited day of eating, sleeping and festivities…at least that’s what I do on Christmas day. I was making fun of my brother earlier today because he let his children open his presents this morning…two days early! I don’t remember ever being allowed to open my Christmas presents early. I mean when I was a boy………

Last year, while Christmas shopping I dawned upon a great truth about Christmas. My wife and I were in the middle of a very busy Wal-Mart when it hit me. I turned to my wife and quite loudly I said, “Honey, what’s the point of buying all these gifts. The bottom line is that we are spending money that we don’t have to give people we don’t like things that they won’t use!” A man standing nearby looked over at me, “Isn’t that the truth!” His wife/girlfriend quickly hit him. This is honestly a true story.

Anyways, who tunes in to the Watchman Awards to hear me ramble on about Christmas? It’s only the eve of Christmas Eve. With no further ado, I proudly present to you The Watchman Awards – Week #3. I was especially moved by the first place post found at "Amazing Grace and Old Chevys." I highly recommend that you take the time to read both the post and the comments. Have fun and God bless!

1st. Amazing Grace and Old Chevys: For Christmas My Kids Are Getting A Few Gifts And Most Of Their Inheritance – “What, one might ask, is the inheritance that you are giving to your kids ? I warn you, this isn't going to be very exciting: The inheritance I'm giving my three children is worn out Bibles…These Bibles have no monetary value to anyone. To me, however, they represent something far more valuable than money that I want to pass down to my children. When and/or if they remember me when I have gone from this earth, I want them to remember that, with all my failures, my life was dedicated to the preaching of God's Word.”

2nd. Standing In The Gap: Born Again??? - “Born Again? You hear that phrase thrown around a lot these days. Seems like everywhere I go, I run into folks who claim to be “born again.” As I wrote in last week’s column, who am I to judge the salvation of another. But the kicker is, the strange places that I run into these “born again” Christians. As I have stated before we do some ministry on the streets and it always sets me back a notch or two when I hear “born again” come out of some folk’s mouths. I find them heading into abortion clinics, outside strip clubs, drinking and swearing at Ohio State Football game parties, sleeping on the streets, and yelling at the referee at high school basketball games. Yep, those “born again” Christians are everywhere. Nearly 85% of Americans, or so George Barna tells us. Maybe we should look at that term.”

3rd. Heavenly Heartburn: A Gift Fit For A King – “The third gift brought by the wise men to Jesus was myrrh. This was an ointment that was used in preparing a body for burial. This gift obviously was a gift that foreshadowed the sacrificial death of Christ.”

P.S. Don't forget to post comments on this post referring me to any great articles that you may read throughout this coming week. I want to post good quality content and I need your help. Let me know if any of your Christian friends have nice blogs that you enjoy reading and I will be glad to link to them.

The Watchman Awards #2 – A Pursuit of Greatness

Several times throughout the past few years, I have seen signs referring to the world famous J.D. Power and Associates Awards. There was a billboard in the city where I live bragging about a J.D. Power and Associates Award that the local hospital had won. There was another on the Scottrade website bragging about some of the awards that they had won for excellent customer satisfaction in the stock brokering industry. Apparently, when someone wins an award from this organization, it is a pretty big deal and well worth bragging about.

Some day when the Watchman Awards are world famous, you will all brag about the awards that you received in the early years. You will place logos on your websites proclaiming to the world that you were chosen as one of the best out of the 55,000,000 blogs currently circulating in the blogosphere. You will rent billboards proclaiming that you earned the coveted award. Earning a Watchman Award will be the pinnacle of your web life!

On an only slightly more serious note, I was pleasantly surprised at all the comments and grumblings from lasts week’s Watchman Awards and for that I thank you. This was by far my favorite comment, "3rd place? Arrghh! My post was way more substantive than Voegtlin's!" What a filthy ungrateful termite...oh well...you can't please them all. Lol. I apologize, that wasn't much more of a serious note.

Please continue to let me know what you think about the blogs that I link and be sure to recommend any great articles that you read throughout the week. The whole purpose of this segment is to build visitor participation so please contribute any links or ideas that you may have.

And now, in an attempt to recognize some of the great blog posts from the past week, I once again proudly present the Watchman Awards – Week #2.

1st. Courtney’s Contemplations: In His Word and on Our Knees - “Just what advice would I give a mother, young or old? Get in God's Word and on your knees. Pretty "elementary", huh? Right now many of you are most likely thinking, OK...I read my Bible and pray every morning. I say it again, "get in God's Word and on your knees". Become a "student" of God's Word....right there in your home. Have a "prayer closet"....right there in your home.”

2nd. Just Your Average Revolutionary: Modern Day Money Changers – “I'm convinced that the carnal, cunning, conniving, crooked crooks that Jesus drove out of the Temple are still among us today. These modern day moneychangers are forever devising new and deceptive doctrines to defraud God's people out of His/their money. These masters of deceit have now set up their changing tables throughout the Christian television industry.”

3rd. Hardecker: Some Thoughts on Christmas...The Wise Men – “Obviously these wise men understood and applied the Hebrew Scriptures in order to find time to worship Christ. Do we take time to read, understand, study, and apply the Bible? And if we are obedient to the Scriptures, would it not then point us towards Christ?”

The Watchman Awards #1 – A Pursuit of Greatness

On the sidebar I have provided a list of links to what I consider to be some excellent blogs. I am, however, continuously seeking to find other great blogs. I utilize Google search, Google blog search, Technorati, and, of course, I follow the links on my friends’ blogs. I am constantly looking for original, well-written blog entries throughout the blogosphere. Sometimes, this is a difficult task.

To assist in this effort, I have decided to add a new segment to my blog entitled, “The Watchman Awards – A Pursuit of Greatness.” This weekly segment will be a look back over the past week’s blogosphere in an attempt to specifically recognize those who have contributed the greatest blog posts.

It is during this segment that I ask for your help. I beg of you to please submit your comments on this post, letting me know what you think of the entries listed and suggesting what you believe to be the best blog entries for the coming Watchman Awards. If you have read something that you have greatly enjoyed, been moved by, or was just very well written, please let me know. Also, if you know of a blog that you feel is of an excellent quality that I do not have listed in my list of links, please let me know. Thank you in advance for all your help and support.

And with no further ado, I proudly present to you the Watchman Awards – Week #1.

1st. Jack Hammer: Prank Calls - “When it comes to The Call to full-time ministry, we get some seriously goofy ideas. Almost always, the silliness takes root in the notion that God calls through feelings. Slick evangelists aggressively recruit young people in Youth Conferences around the country, massaging the emotions until, bingo! The teen gets The Call. And we’re all amazed at how God works…”


2nd. Fundamental Perspective: Is Music Really Worth Fighting Over Anymore? – “I am not arguing for a particular position on the issue of music. I am not seeking to sway anyone to my “side” of the music debate. I am arguing that we ought not be dropping music off the discussion table, and certainly not off the study table! Music is still worth examining!”

3rd. Big Orange Truck: Sanctified or Just Sleep Deprived? – “There seems to be a notion, popular in certain segments of Baptist Fundamentalism, that sleep deprivation is a means to holiness. Honestly…I don’t get it. I do appreciate a good tired feeling – one that comes from an honest day’s work. But I hate chronic fatigue. Hate it.”

P.S. In the future, I will try to post the Watchman Awards on Saturday.