The condensed version of, "I told you this would happen, but you wouldn't listen." is, "I told you so." It's been ingrained in me and I think, most, if not all of you, that saying "I told you so" is wrong. It's considered to be harsh, inconsiderate, unkind, jabbing; and therefore, the most unloving and graceless thing to say to anyone after they've neglected to heed wise counsel, and find themselves in an unsavory and often, painful situation.

"Call me crazy, but in the history of conversations, has the phrase 'I told you so' ever really generated a positive response? I'd say no, it has not...'I told you so' is a negative and counterproductive way of saying, 'I’m right and you’re wrong,' that does neither party any good. Even if the person in the wrong has been stubborn and refused constructive advice, that does not give another person the authority to rub their face in it...

"If you must say something, please do so the properly way. That is, be a friend and not a bully. Instead of saying, 'I told you so,' look to your sensibility and maturity for guidance. Try to offer a positive spin on the situation that will make your friend feel better."

-Richie Frieman, Modern Manners Guy

After a short hiatus from writing, I thought I'd kick off this new year by sharing an article from someone else.

Before today, I'd never heard of Dr. Everett Piper, President of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and author of "Why I Am A Liberal and Other Conservative Ideas". But after hearing Janet Mefferd read Dr. Piper's article about why he will not be sliding down the evangelical slippery slope of Jerry Falwell, Jr., President of Liberty University and Pastor Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Dallas (who also endorsed Donald Trump), I was greatly encouraged and am now following him on Twitter.

Sometimes reading articles, tweets, and various social media posts about what "Christians" in America are saying and doing these days, often puts me in a somber mood. It seems our world is riddled with  a soft, man-centered, and emasculated false form of Jesus. A false Christ that's all "love", but not righteous, holy or just, as opposed to what Scripture says about God in Jeremiah 9:23-24. So when I chance upon something like Dr. Piper's article, my spirit is encouraged and my heart leaps with joy and thanksgiving to God for His faithfulness!

With that said, it would be wrong of me not to share this tremendous blessing with you. Dr. Piper's article is full of biblical truth, love for God, love for people and most importantly, exalts the true character of Christ our Lord and how His people live in this world, without being of it (Jn 17:15-16).

[The following article was reprinted with permission from Dr. Everett Piper]

On January 18, Jerry Falwell, Jr. welcomed Donald Trump to Liberty University to speak in the school’s chapel. As the college president who wrote the “this is not a daycare” article that received so much national attention recently, I have been asked by the media if I would be next: Will I be inviting Mr. Trump to Oklahoma Wesleyan University to speak in our chapel service? My answer has been simple and brief. No, I will not.

In selecting speakers for Oklahoma Wesleyan, party affiliation and political positions do not matter. Personal conduct, public statements, theological integrity and moral consistency do. In short, unless it is an open debate where different sides of the issue will be presented, we choose speakers who generally promote our university’s mission and who do not stand in opposition, either in word or deed, to what we claim to hold dear as a Christian community. I believe I owe it to our students, faculty, staff, board, donors and church to do nothing less— and frankly, Donald Trump simply doesn’t represent OKWU’s behavioral, theological, moral or political ideals.

“But, we need to defeat Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders,” many have said: “Your criticism of Trump only helps them. You need to stop attacking those on ‘our side!’”

My response:

Anyone who is pro-abortion is not on my side. Anyone who calls women “pigs,” “ugly,” “fat” and “pieces of a–” is not on my side. Anyone who mocks the handicapped is not on my side. Anyone who has argued the merits of a government takeover of banks, student loans, the auto industry and healthcare is not on my side. Anyone who has been on the cover of Playboy and proud of it, who brags of his sexual history with multiple women and who owns strip clubs in his casinos is not on my side. Anyone who believes the government can wrest control of the definition of marriage from the church is not on my side. Anyone who ignores the separation of powers and boasts of making the executive branch even more imperial is not on my side.

I’m a conservative. I believe in conserving the dignity of life. I believe in conserving respect for women. I believe in conserving the Constitution. I believe in conserving private property, religious liberty and human freedom. I believe in morality more than I do in money. I hold to principles more than I yearn for power. I trust my Creator more than I do human character. I’d like to think that all this, and more, makes me an informed and thoughtful citizen and voter. I’ve read, I’ve listened and I’ve studied and there is NOTHING, absolutely nothing, in this man’s track record that makes Donald Trump “on my side.”

I refuse to let my desire to win “trump” my moral compass. I will not sell my soul or my university’s to a political process that values victory more than virtue.

No, Donald Trump will not be speaking at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

As Christians, we are, by God's redemptive work of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, supernaturally transferred from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of the Son of God. Therefore, we are commanded by Christ our Lord, to be the light of the world—to be holy (that is, set apart) from the enslaving, self-indulgent deeds of this world. We have been freed to live holy, upright and self-controlled lives—filled with the Holy Spirit—bearing good fruit in the name of our Lord Jesus (Titus 1:8, Col 1:10-14).

"Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified."

-1 Corinthians 9:25-27, ESV

According to our Father God, there ought to be an unmistakable difference between the way holy children of God live their lives and how the children of the world live their lives. This doesn't mean however, that Christians can't and shouldn't enjoy a hearty and lovely Thanksgiving celebration with family, friends and strangers. What it does mean is that a Christian's Thanksgiving ought to be founded and filled with love, gratitude, and humility toward God Almighty for all His goodness to us, rather than be an occasion where gluttony is celebrated.

So how does one go about making a Christian's Thanksgiving look unmistakably different from the Thanksgiving of unbelievers? That's coming up, but before I share the practical applications of this biblical perspective, I'd like to take a short excursion into the past.


The 'First' Thanksgiving

There are many arguments about when the "first" Thanksgiving celebration took place. Did it take place by the first settlers of our country (the Pilgrims), in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, or was it established by our country's first President, George Washington in 1789? The answer is...yes. Though the Pilgrims did not officially have a name for their three-days of feasting and celebrating, this occasion was specifically held as a time to give thanks to Almighty God who endured them through much hardships (including many deaths) during their first year in the New World.

In 1789, President George Washington made an official proclamation for our country "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness". This was to take place on Thursday, November 26, 1789 (read the full proclamation here). Unfortunately, this proclamation waned as the American people forgot that it was by God's gracious and merciful hand that they prospered, won wars and could freely worship Him as He commanded (much like the Israelites did after God freed them from slavery in Egypt).

Thankfully, exactly 74 years later (to the day, on October 3) President Abraham Lincoln made another proclamation to the people of our country to observe a day of, "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens" (read full proclamation here). Lincoln's proclamation was different from Washington's in that Lincoln suggested a day of Thanksgiving to be observed on the last Thursday of November, annually, rather than on a single, designated day. Lincoln's proclamation was observed every year by Presidents that came after him. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill designating every fourth Thursday of November to be our nations official day of Thanksgiving.



Now, back to the present. How do we, as children of light, celebrate this day of Thanksgiving in a way that's notably different from the way children of darkness celebrate it? For starters, don't plan on making a meal you can't handle. We all have limits and we need to be wise enough to know what our limits are so we're not unkind and/or arrogant towards others (Prov 14:8). Next, begin the night before by reminding your hearts who God is and what He has done for you by reading Deuteronomy 8; Psalms 5, 9:1-2, 27, 40, 103, 116:5-14, 145; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Luke 11:27-28; Acts 4:13; Romans 6; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians 2:3-4; 1 John 2:15-17 and 4:9-12. Then prepare a short devotional to share with those God has blessed you with to celebrate this day of Thanksgiving. Include a hymn or another song of praise to our great and awesome God during this devotional time. Make sure not to choose a song where people will have to do vocal acrobats in order to keep up with the melody. Choose a song of praise and thanksgiving that exalts the name of Christ and can be sung by even a five-year-old.

As you prepare and bring your festive and delicious foods to the table, rather than play the martyr and do it all yourself, select a few helpers (young and old) to set the table and bring out the scrumptious feast for all to enjoy. Once everyone is seated, the head of the household should ask everyone to hold hands, and offer a humble and heartfelt thanks to God for the abundance of His goodness in Christ Jesus and the magnificent gifts we've receive through Him. As plates are being filled, beginning with the oldest person at the table (because you want wisdom to lead) have everyone share what they're most thankful for this season. Encourage your guests to share Scripture verses as they speak about God's goodness to them.

After this time of sharing thanksgiving and praise for God's awesome deeds in the lives of those sitting around your table; delight in conversations that are holy, gracious, appropriate and honorable. Refrain from conversations that include lewd and inappropriate/degrading jokes and other forms of irreverent babble (Eph 4:25, 29-32 and 5:4). If there are some in your gathering that engage in the latter, don't be afraid to lovingly ask them to stop and continue to encourage godly conversations so that everyone might enjoy this time together (Prov 27:5-6).

Once the main meal has been eaten and everyone is enjoying delectable desserts, read a verse or passage of Scripture (like the ones I suggested above, or one that's near and dear to your heart). Then invite everyone to play games, watch football, and/or simply enjoy the goodness of God and the gift of fellowship.

Be sure to keep an eye and prayerful heart out for anyone in your midst who needs a warm hug, a loving ear, biblical counsel, etc.

Whatever you do, whether you take any of my suggestions, or have many God-honoring, Christ-exalting traditions of your own, remember it's not about the food (or you), it's about God and the people He's brought into your home. Resolve to love God and others well, so that your Thanksgiving celebration will be a holy, acceptable, and a cheerful offering to God our Father.

"Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart."

-Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, ESV

Happy Thanksgiving!

God's timing is always perfect (cf. Is 30:18, Mt. 6:8).

Needing to recover from a recent erruption of verbal friendly-fire (Christians assaulting Christians), where I was greatly discouraged for sharing the Gospel with anyone the Lord leads me to (family, friends, neighbors, strangers, etc.), the Lord provided me with abundant comfort and strength through His Word, my darling husband, and my oldest son. And as if that weren't enough, my ever gracious Father also provided me more encouragement through soundly biblical and exhorting books*, sermons and articles. One of the articles (below) was shared today, at Ligonier Ministries.

During this recent verbal attack, it was intimated that I was an unloving person because I didn't always seek to first "love" people through acts of service before I "earned the right" to share the Gospel with them.

In our self-indulgent world, love has been desecrated and redefined to mean all that's warm and fuzzy, verses it's true definition, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). And if God is love, then love is holy, it is righteous, it is good (perfectly moral), and it is sacrificial—which is in complete opposition to the world's teaching that love always makes me or you feel good. Sadly, this worldly and defiled definition of love has been largely adopted and happily welcomed by many Christians. And why is this a problem? Firstly, because anyone who adopts the worldly definition of love, is blaspheming God's holy character and causing the unbelieving world to mock and malign God's Word. Secondly, it's a problem because it weakens our spiritual immune system, making us more susceptible to sin and less sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. And lastly, because it makes us unfaithful children of the Most High God, who prefer to rub shoulders with the world (making people feel good), rather than lovingly offend them with the life-giving power of the Gospel.

God is love and He said the best way to love Him and others well is to share the Gospel. After all, didn't our Father God say in John 3:16 that it was His love for the world that He sent His one and only Son to the earth to suffer and die for our sins? And look what our Lord repeats here in 1 John 4:8-10, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

"And I, when came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom...that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

-1 Corinthians 2:1; 5, ESV

During this recent discouraging and burdensome time with believers, most agreed that one of the best ways to share the Gospel (inoffensively) is to share our testimony. What? Unless our testimony includes the Gospel (which, actually, mine does...purposefully), then it's not the Gospel...it's our testimony...which, I'll say again, is not the Gospel. The Gospel is not about us. It's about Jesus.

Dr. R.C. Sproul, explains this biblically and succinctly.

"So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:24–25).

"This statement, 'Give God the glory!' seems positive until we read the remainder of the sentence, in which the Pharisees revealed that they had concluded that Jesus was a sinner and therefore could not have performed the miracle. They were saying that the man should give glory to God, not to Jesus. The man was straightforward with them, saying: 'I don’t know whether He’s a sinner. I don’t even know Him. All I know is this: once I was blind and now I see.'

"With these simple words, the man bore witness to Christ. He testified about the redemptive work of Christ. However, he did not preach the gospel. What am I getting at? In the evangelical Christian community, we sometimes employ language that is not always sound or biblical. You’ve heard the lingo. It goes something like this: 'I plan to become an evangelist so I can bear witness to Christ.' Or sometimes we say, 'I had a chance to witness the other day,' meaning, 'I shared the gospel with someone.' We tend to use the terms evangelism and witnessing interchangeably, but they are not synonymous. Any time I call attention to the person and work of Christ, I am bearing witness to Christ. But that is not the same thing as preaching the gospel.

"More than thirty years ago, I learned the evangelism technique taught by Evangelism Explosion, and I trained more than 250 people in that program and led them through evangelism efforts in Ohio. One of the finest aspects of that program is that everyone who goes through it must write out and memorize his or her testimony. Your testimony is your story of how you became a Christian. I think it’s very important that Christians are able to articulate to other people how and why they became believers. We all should have a prepared testimony, and we should be willing to share it at the drop of a hat.

"But we shouldn’t confuse our personal testimonies with the gospel. Sharing our personal testimonies is not evangelism. It’s merely pre-evangelism, sort of a warm-up for evangelism. Our testimonies may or may not be significant or meaningful to those with whom we are speaking. There are lots of folks who can relate to my story; they say, 'Yeah, I know what he’s talking about because I used to live like that too.' But not everyone can relate to my story. In any case, the gospel is not what happened to R.C. Sproul. God makes no promise that He will use my story as His power unto salvation. The gospel is not about me. The gospel is about Jesus. It is the proclamation of the person and work of Christ, and of how a person can appropriate the benefits of the work of Christ by faith alone.

"We see this from our passage in John’s Gospel. The healed man could say, 'I once was blind, but now I see,' and that was a wonderful testimony. But it was not the gospel. The man could not tell the Pharisees about Jesus’ saving work and about how they could be delivered from their sins by faith in Him. So we need to learn not only our testimonies but the concrete elements and content of the biblical gospel. Evangelism takes place when the evangel is proclaimed and announced to people—that is the gospel."

-Your Testimony Is Not the Gospel

Ligonier Ministries article by Dr. R.C. Sproul,

11/23/2015, excerpt from commentary on John

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is this: Repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Mk 1:14-15). We are all sinners who have broken and are incapable of keeping the commandments of a holy, righteous and just God. Therefore, our eternal crime has earned us eternal suffering—the wrath of God—Hell, where the worm doesn't die, the fire is never quenched and where the Lake of Fire eternally burns without consuming you so that you will suffer for all eternity. But God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son into the world, not to condemn it because we are already condemned (John 3:16-18), but to suffer our punishment and die the excruciating death we deserve. Christ Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that all who repent and trust in His name, will be saved from the wrath of God and be granted everlasting life.

If you're a Christian, you've already "earned the right" to share the Gospel because Jesus Christ already gave you the authority/right to do so as a demonstration of your love and gratitude to Christ for your eternal salvation (Mt 28:18-20). Therefore, any Christian, who isn't prayerfully seeking opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, no matter how nice or loving they or others think they are, according to God, the only person they're loving, is themselves.

Don't ever allow anyone, believer or unbeliever, deter you from faithfully sharing the Gospel with whomever the Lord leads you to share with.

"If you believe there's a Heaven and Hell and people could be going to Hell, or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think 'Well, it's not worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward' ...How much do you have to hate somebody to know that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?" -Penn Jillette (Illusionist/Comedian, and self-professed atheist)

*The Crook in the Lot: The Sovereignty and Wisdom of God Displayed in the Afflictions of Men, by Thomas Boston (1676-1732)
The Practice of Piety, by Lewis Bayly (1575-1631)
Keeping the Heart: How to Maintain Your Love for God, by John Flavel (1627-1691)