An Open Letter to My Readers

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Dec 16, 2011 in Challenge | 0 comments

First, thank you. Since 2005,  this site has experienced yearly growth and the emails have been encouraging and uplifting. I often wonder what these writing mean to others.  Your feedback is important because it allows me to know someone is actually reading what I write and allowing it to challenge your mind to greater service than when you first began reading. Again, I thank you!

I know sometimes my writings seem "hard core" on certain topics, but I have a reason. I know one day I will stand before God Almighty and give an answer for the things I have done; some good, many bad. While standing there I also know there will be someone standing with me - Jesus. Without Him all hopes is lost and our destiny is apart from the Father. With Christ, our destiny is secured in a room in the mansion of God. I prefer a mansion to punishment that I honestly deserve. God is good, by giving us His Son.

I want to share that message with the world. We do not have to stand alone, someOne will be standing with us – that someOne will be Jesus!

God has given us powerful opportunities to share His message with the world. This time of year provides one of those great opportunities, will you take advantage of it? Jesus walked this Earth so we can walk in heaven; will others walk with us?

It is time to move!  It is time that you and I become uncomfortable in our Christianity.

• It is time we leave the comfort of church buildings and find ourselves letting our lights shine in an uncomfortable world!
• It is time we leave our comfortable plush pews for the sidewalk of a lost world!
• It is time to stop babysitting church members and actively seeking the sheep that was lost!
• It is time we stop preaching to the saved and begin preaching to the lost!
• It is time we become the church instead of playing church!

It is time we move!

I want to challenge you along the way as we lift one another up to the Father in prayer. This challenge is for 2012…let us become uncomfortable in this world so we may stand with comfort (confidence) in the Day that is coming.

Just my thoughts,

The Resolve Challenge–10/2011

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Sep 21, 2011 in Challenge | 3 comments

October is right around the corner and I issue a challenge to the readers of the Preacher’s Pen. This challenge is a personal 31 day challenge to build your spiritual life.

For the month of October, I am challenging you to follow the Resolve Challenge below. These ten items, when followed, will change your current outlook and the opportunities you encounter.

The Resolve Challenge

1. I resolve to not miss a single service of the church.
2. I resolve to read one chapter of Proverbs a day.
3. I resolve not to focus on complaints but on blessings.
4. I resolve not to react but to respond.
5. I resolve to release every weight and hindrance which is weighing me down.
6. I resolve to talk to people instead of about them.
7. I resolve to pray like Daniel – three times a day!
8. I resolve to model the behavior I want my children to possess.
9. I resolve to journal and write about my accomplishments and blessings.
10. I resolve to live better.

Will you take part in the Resolve Challenge? It you want to take part, you make save the graphic above and post it to your website or you may download the participant graphic below.

Will you join me in the Resolve Challenge?

Just some thoughts,

Uncomfortable, I am Satisfied

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Jun 29, 2011 in Christian Living | 0 comments

Standing in front of Christians each week is no easy task. The message of Christ is a sacred message not to be taken lightly. The message is a changing one which steps on toes and breaks hearts in the process. There is no greater time to challenge Christians than the present. Immorality is growing more prevalent and Christians are becoming more accustomed to worldly pursuits.

The worldly pursuits involve an aspect of self. When self takes precedence, the thoughts of God are moved aside to make room for self. This is called selfishness.

Ministers have a difficult task of changing lives through changing behavior. The task is made more difficult by some who want a changed life without changing behavior. Many ministers have been taken to task, because the have stepped on toes, but I can assure you them stepped on their own toes or broken their own hearts first.

As a minister, my responsibility is not to assist you in happiness, but to assist you in godliness. Decisions must be made and many of those are uncomfortable and inconvenient, but they are worth making the change.

If those challenges make you uncomfortable, maybe it is time to move your feet.

Just my thoughts,

The Danger of “What if…”

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Apr 7, 2011 in Christian Living | 0 comments

Human understanding is great to the human mind, but it can be fatal when adding a dose of emotions which overtakes personal responsibility.  When personal understanding is based on unstable emotions, as opposed to responsible thought, the human mind tends to side with emotions instead of truth.

Religiously, the “what if” game is a dangerous game negating personal responsibility and shifting it to one of a theologically quandary. Personal responsibility must not be taken out of the theological process. There are many scriptures which speak of the responsibility of each individual to receive and share salvation. While Christ bore the burden of our lives on the cross, it is our responsibility to live for Him and bear our cross.

The “what if” game usually goes like this, “What if someone lives on a remote island in the Pacific and never hears the gospel?” But this question simply needs rearranged to make it closer to home, “What if a neighbor, who  is an atheist, teaches their children atheism and they never hear the gospel?” Why do people reach for a remote island? I believe it takes away from our personal responsibility as Christ followers (as Christians). Using such an extreme examples places the work on someone else in the example than ourselves.

Playing the “what if” game begs the question, “What are you doing to reach everyone?” Is it our desire to plant the seed of Christ, water the seed and let God give the increase? Or is our desire to speak of endless possibilities of “what if” without reaching the people nearest to our home?

Passages such as 2 Thessalonians 1.5-15 reveal God’s words regarding ignorance. As Christ-followers, God-believers and Holy Spirit filled followers, Paul’s inspired words of 2 Thessalonians should cause tears because of the fate of those lost. Those tears should lead us to action on their behalf. The responsibility should inspire us to reach every person and not play a game of shedding responsibility.

My friends, let us put off the ‘what if” and begin putting on the “what can I do.”

Just some thoughts,

What Should Be Done With Evil?

Posted by Chris Gallagher on Jan 18, 2011 in Blog | 0 comments

The constant battle of the “good angel” on one shoulder vs. the “evil angel” on the other is portrayed as the battle each Christian faces in the midst of daily life. Choices arise each day putting our beliefs and morals to the test. Some of those choices challenge each one of us more than another. The answer is simple, in that we should all put the evil out of our lives in order to serve the Almighty God, but the practical application might not be an easy one. Each person has desires and emotions towards things we may know are wrong but we wish to hand onto those a little longer.

God, knowing the deeds and thoughts of man, instructed the Israelites in the Old Testament to purge the evil from the camp:

• Deuteronomy 13.5
• Deuteronomy 17.7
• Deuteronomy 17.12
• Deuteronomy 19.13
• Deuteronomy 19.19
• Deuteronomy 21.9
• Deuteronomy 21.21
• Deuteronomy 21.22
• Deuteronomy 22.24
• Deuteronomy 24.7

At least 11 times in the book of Deuteronomy, God wants to Israelites to purge the evil from their midst. Looking at this from a historical point, one can see how the relationship the Israelites had with God grew powerful when they listened to His words, then grew apart when the Israelites did not heed the words of God. As the creator and provider for mankind, God knows and has seen man struggle with the battle of good and evil on a daily basis, hence God’s words to mankind to “purge the evil” from the midst. God wants the best for man so He provided words to hear.

The apostle Paul understood the influence of one person on the congregation of the saints. Then dealing with a continual immoral-living person, Paul speaks of their influence when he says, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” (1 Corinthians 5.6; ESV). Paul knew that even one person’s example effects the whole group.

As Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 5, he says the leaven must be cleansed. Each person reading this understand that the evil must be purged from the group, because of the influence which will rub off on one another. While one today may think Paul’s statement to be harsh, the history of purging evil goes back to the Old Law.

When evil is not purged from our lives, we become callused to the emotions we once felt. To give you a modern day example, several years ago the hit television show, “Leave it to Beaver” was censored for showing a bathroom. Have you seen something worse than a bathroom on television today? Has our viewing of television callused us to the things of the world once thought of as being appalling?

What do you need to purge from your life?

What influences are not what the Lord wants?

Just some thoughts,

Chris