I am thankful for…

Hey y’all-

It’s Thanksgiving in the United States, so I thought I would post a few things I am thankful for. Hope you can relate…

1. I am thankful for Jesus. (This is an obvious one.) He is my Lord, my Savior, my Friend, my Brother, my Redeemer, my Intercessor, and He wants to be all of those things for you. (Ask me about it. I would love to tell you the truth about Jesus. And, how you can have a personal relationship with Him.)

2. I am thankful for godly men in my life. Here are two:

Wade Hampton Gayhart

This is my Grandpa. He is my Dad’s dad. He loved the Lord.  He loved me. He loved me enough to tell me about Jesus. And, he loved me enough to tell me when I was in rebellion against God and God’s desire for my life. He was a master cornbread maker. He was a fisherman. A public speaker. A good husband. A good father. A good provider. He loved to play golf. He loved to laugh. He was fun. He was serious when he needed to be. If I could be half the man he was, I might turn out okay.

Melvin Leroy Parton aka "Doe Pop"

This is my Mom’s Dad, my Papaw. This picture represents him pretty well. When he wasn’t running the roads of East Tennessee, he could be found in that chair reading. Favorites? The Bible and the newspaper. I’m guessing the paper on the end table is sitting on top of his Bible. My Mamaw gave me that Bible when my Papaw died. I treasure it. He was a godly man who loved his Lord and his family. He, too, told me about Jesus. He loved me. He was a storyteller. He could eat….a lot. He loved black coffee. He loved people. I can still hear him singing as we rode around Knoxville….”Take that ribbon from your hair……shake it loose and let it fall….” Man, he had good taste in music.

Again, if I could turn out to be half the man my Papaw was, I might be okay.

3. I am thankful for the promise that I will see my Papaw, Mamaw, Grandpa, and all of my family members who trusted in and followed Jesus someday in heaven. We will live together for eternity. What hope we Christians have! Hope built on a promise given by the Living God. That is awesome.

4. I am thankful for the rest of my family. They love me. They support me. They correct me when I need it. They even try to help me when I don’t need it. (Like helping me find a wife.)

5. I am thankful for my new friends in Taiwan and my old friends in the United States (and other parts of the world). God has blessed me with many great people in my life. They are not all followers of Jesus, but I pray that they will be. Why? I love them and I want the best for them for all eternity. Not just temporary happiness in this life. Eternal joy. It’s guaranteed, trust Jesus!

6. I am thankful for too many things to mention but here’s a silly list: coffee, chocolate, friends, guitars, country music, Jeeps, leather jackets, boots, books, Skype, apple pie, old country churches, fall leaves, snow, the beach, rain, sunshine, mountains, surfing, basketball, french vanilla coffee creamer, soccer, cornbread, and many, many other things……

Be thankful!

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

 

 

Sin – What is it?

Hey y’all-

A friend posted an interesting blog on the topic of sin.

Here is the link: http://robintaipei.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/sin-what-is-it/

The Chinese language doesn’t really have a great translation for the idea of sin, so he is trying to clear the air over here. Check it out…

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

Thanksgiving

 

Fall in Trimble County

 

Hey y’all-

I thought I would post a quick note on Thanksgiving. Our friends in Taiwan hear about Thanksgiving, but they don’t really understand what we are celebrating. Also, people in the United States hear of Thanksgiving and do not really understand what we are celebrating. Let me tell you a bit about it…

Thanksgiving came about as a holiday to remember the debt of gratitude owed by the first American settlers (the Pilgrims) to the native Americans for their help in surviving in a new and harsh land. The Pilgrims were trying to escape religious persecution and came to the New Land to worship as they saw fit. They weren’t really into religious freedom for everyone, but that idea did come later….much later….

Nonetheless, when they landed in America, the living condition were rough. People died. Starvation. Wild animals. Disease. Cold. All kinds of hardships. The Indians (this is a term of endearment in my book, so fret not PC police) befriended the Pilgrims after a time and taught them necessary survival skills. They learned to farm, fish, hunt, and live in the new land.

The Pilgrims decided to celebrate and thank God for their survival. They invited their new friends the Indians to the party. Thanksgiving was born….the year was 1621.

Today, in America, Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas shopping season. It is an excuse to take a day or two off from work, eat a lot of food, hang-out with family, and overindulge. Thanksgiving is far from its original intention in the American landscape. What to do?

Take it back. Be thankful to God. Praise Him for all He is. Praise Him for all you are. Praise Him for all you have. Praise Him. Worship Him. Be thankful to the One who made you, loves you, and offers you salvation through His Son, Jesus.

The ultimate act of thankfulness? Accepting the free offer of salvation made by God through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Be thankful….for eternity.

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

Taroko Gorge – Thoughts

Hey y’all-

We went to Taroko Gorge National Park in eastern Taiwan this past weekend. It was beautiful. In reality, there was so much to see and experience, that it is hard to process it all. So, I thought I would post some thoughts about the trip (and pictures) and leave it there for now. Then, I will post more as the week progresses and I think it through. Cool? Here goes:

1. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…” Yes, He did. And, He did an awesome job.

2. It is good to travel with people who know the way. This is our friend, Wei Lin, and her family. Our guides, hosts, and awesome friends…

3. Sometimes you just have to break out in praise of God’s creation. Well, at least, I do…..Jesus said, “I tell you, if these [His disciples] were silent, the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40).

4. God says that the creation praises Him even if the people do not. I want to praise. Why be silent? “Worthy are  you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Beautiful

4. Sometimes people will climb a mountain to worship a false god when the real God is right there. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock . If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and him with me” (Revelation 3:20). These people were walking up three steps at a time and kneeling to pray. Such devotion…misguided as it is…..

5. God says, “I am the Lord your God. . . You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3). He also says humans are not to make any image or created thing and bow down before it. “You shall not bow down before them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God. . . ” (Exodus 20:5).

6. I worship the One, True Living God. I believe His is who He says He is in the Bible. I have my “hope set on the living God” (1 Timothy 4:10). John says, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). This is true.

Trust in the living God.

Confess your sin.

Turn from you sin and believe Jesus is God.

He came to earth to live and die for our salvation.

He accomplished what He set out to do.

Jesus will come again and gather His brothers and sisters.

Live for Jesus. Worship Him. Be saved.

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

Taroko Gorge National Park

Hey y’all-

Headed to Taroko Gorge National Park this weekend with our friend Wei. We are excited to go. A train ride. Mountains. Hiking. Friends. Food. Pictures. Love it.

I’ll post a pic or two when we get back. Here are a few to hold you over….

Me and Wei at our Halloween party....

Hope we drive through this...

Take care,

Uncle Jeff

Salvation

Hey y’all-

I sent this message to a few friends of mine here in Taiwan. The backstory: we have been hanging out and talking about God and salvation. So, I wanted to give a clearer picture of salvation and that can be done through email better than in person. Why? Because a lot of our Taiwanese friends read and type English better than they speak it. Plus, they can ponder, reflect, and respond…

So, my buddy Paul and I gave a Bible to two of our friends. They shall remain nameless. I decided to send them a message and reference the Bible. They have no real concept of a Bible, so you will see some page numbers. The Bible we are using is a Chinese/English New Testament that has been produced for us to use in Taiwan. It is an NLT/CNLT translation for you theology nuts who want to know that kind of stuff…..

Here is what I wrote to them:

Hey J___ and P____ -

Last night, Paul gave J___ a Bible. (Not a “bubble”, J___.) Now, you and P____ have the same Bible. So, I thought I would send you a message and tell you a bit about what we believe from the Bible. So, here it goes.

Last night, J___ and R___ mentioned the word “salvation” from the Bible. Here is what salvation means to Christians. Salvation is God’s desire and plan to save sinners from their sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let me explain….

In your Bible, there is a book called “Romans.” Turn to Romans chapter 3 verse 23 (it is on page 312). That verse says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” What does it mean to sin? Well, P___ and I have talked about this quite a bit and we use the term “unclean heart.” Sin is a difficult concept to understand, but I will try to explain it quickly and we can talk about it more if you want….

Sin is anything you think, do, or believe that is against God’s plan for your life. Sin is disobedience to God. God tells us how we are to live in the Bible, but we sin when we live our own way and not God’s way.

Turn to Romans chapter 6 verse 23 (page 317). The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” What does that verse mean? The term “wages” means payment. Wages are what you earn at work. It is payment for working at KFC, or Welcome, or anywhere else. Well, the payment you will receive for your sin against God is death. By death, God is telling us that if we are not in a personal relationship with Him and our sin paid for, then we will spend eternity away from Him. The place for that eternity is Hell.

The Bible teaches that Hell is a real place for people who do not worship God alone (the One True God) through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Hell is not a place you will go and have a chance to get out. It is not a place of comfort or ease. It is eternal torment and pain and sadness away from God.

So, how do you have a relationship with God? Through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Turn to Romans chapter 10 verse 9 and 10. (Page 324). The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” That is salvation to a Christian!

You must trust in the Lord Jesus as your only Lord and Savior. You cannot worship Jesus and other gods. You must make a decision to follow Jesus, live for Him, trust Him, and be obedient to Him.

Why do I tell you this? J___ and P___, I tell you this because this is what I believe. This is a decision I made to follow Jesus. It has changed my life for the better. I am in a right relationship with God. When I die, I will not go to Hell. I will be in Heaven with Jesus and all the others who have trusted in Jesus and lived for Him.

I also tell you this because you are my friends. I want to be in Heaven with you. I want you to have the peace and joy in your life through God’s love that I have. It is the greatest thing ever.

See you soon. If you have any questions, you can email me back or ask me in person. I am here to tell people about Jesus. Your friend, Jeff

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

When will the world end?

Hey y’all-

We went to see the movie 2012 last night. It’s pretty good. Lots of crazy action that could never happen, but it’s a movie. What do you expect?

The movie has brought up a lot of folks asking serious questions. Will the world end? How? When? Can I survive it?

Also, the movie has some biblical themes that it uses to move the story forward. The biggest and most obvious theme is a bit of a spoiler….so I’ll let you find out for yourself.

Check out an earlier blog of mine for the answers to some of these questions.

Uncle Jeff

The Movie 2012 – The Questions

Hey y’all-

I posted about the movie 2012 yesterday. We are going to see the movie this afternoon in Taipei with some friends of ours from a local college. So, since we are going to see such a big movie with a big theme, I thought I would ask some of the “big” questions.

Here they are: (with my answers in bold)

1. Do you believe the world will end? Yes, I do believe the world as we know it will end someday. The Bible teaches us that God created the world and he will destroy the world in the future. How will He do it? Read on…

2. How will it end? I read in the Bible (and believe with all of my heart) that God will let the “first heaven and first earth” pass away (Revelation 21:1) and He will create (or re-create) the “new heaven and new earth.” So, the world will end someday.

3. Are you afraid of the possible end of the world? No, I am not afraid of the future end of the world. I expect it to happen and it may happen during my lifetime.

4. If you are not afraid, why not? I am not afraid of the end of the world because I have a relationship with Jesus Christ that secures for me a place of security, protection, and peace.

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ came to earth the first time as a man to live a perfect life, teach about God, select disciples, and die on the cross as payment for the sins of mankind. He rose from the dead three days later to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He walked on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection teaching and strengthening the disciples. Then, he ascended into Heaven. He went back to Heaven to be with God the Father. But, He promised that He is coming again.

Since Jesus did all of the things he said He would do, then I believe He will do the things He promises He will do in the future. I believe He is coming again to gather all of His followers. Why? To pull them out of this world, to defeat Satan and the powers of evil for a final time, and to re-create the heavens and earth into a perfect place for all eternity.

Why would God do all of this? To show His glory, His power, His majesty, His love. In other words, God saves sinners because He wants to…not because He has to.

So, the movie 2012 will be interesting. I’m curious to see how the Hollywood special-effects people envision the end of the world. It might be fun to see, but it will not be scary. Why? Because I’ve already read the end of the book and I know who is really in charge of the end of the world.

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

The Movie 2012

Hey y’all-

This weekend I am going to see the movie 2012 with some friends here in Taipei. This should be fun. I like big blockbuster movies and this one looks like it will have some cool special effects. But, there is a greater reason for going to see this movie…..

2012 claims to be about the end of the world. So, a few questions…

1. Do you believe the world will end?

2. How will it end?

3. Are you afraid of the possible end of the world?

4. If you are not afraid, why not?

Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff

Rainy Day in Taipei

Hey y’all-

It’s a rainy Friday in Taipei. What do you do on a rainy day?

Here are a few ideas:

1. Play guitar.

I love this guitar....

 

2. Watch this sermon. (It’s awesome.) There’s an audio version as well on the site…..

3. Drink one of these. Delish!

4. Read a book.

5. Get out and walk in the rain…….

Just some ideas. Thoughts?

Uncle Jeff