TLBC 29th Anniversary

It felt very cold outside this morning with the north wind blowing in arctic air from the Frasier River Valley in Canada but we had warm services at TLBC. Sunday School was on God's Creation and my morning message was on "The Faith of Enoch". See our church website for the outline of the message. click here We are looking forward to a good meeting this week 7PM NIGHTLY in celebration of our 29th Anniversary as a church. Marion and I will pick up brother George Kelley and his wife Alice at SeaTac tomorrow afternoon. We have advertized the meeting and invited several to come. Some of our elderly have already told us that they may not make it out to all the services. We are praying that God would give Elder Kelley the messages that we need to hear. Some of our friends from Seattle are coming and some from Idaho too. It should be good.

Here is a touching story I received a while back.

Recently I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said, "I love you and I wish you enough".

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom". They kissed and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?".

Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?".

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough'. May I ask what that means?".

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone". She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more. "When we said , 'I wish you enough', we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them".

Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them but then an entire life to forget them. TAKE TIME TO LIVE.....

To all my friends and loved ones,
I WISH YOU ENOUGH.....
LJK

Trail of Blood

The Trail of Blood Chart shows a graphic illustration of the history of the various different denominations of Christendom and when they got started. This chart is in the back of the little booklet by the same name that was written by J.M. Carroll. There is an electronic version of this booklet available on the front page of our church website. click here We had good services today at TLBC and visitors were back again. My sermon was on "The Faith of Abel" and an outline of it can be viewed on the front page of our church website also. click here We continue to pray for the special meeting coming up January 26 - 31 7PM nightly when Elder George Kelley, Pastor of the Grace Missionary Baptist Church of Ontario, California will be our guest speaker.

This is the time of the year when a lot of folks start thinking of getting in better shape physically. If this has been on your mind, let me encourage you to visit my Lifeforce page and browse the health related products that are available from Lifeforce. Thousands of people have been helped to a better healthier life with products like these. Yours truly is a LFI Customer for life. I can really tell it when I lay off of my Lifeforce products. click here

With the downturn in our nation's economy perhaps you are open to new ways to bring income into the family budget. Please take the survey click here to see just how open you really are to looking into a new stream of income.

There are some lively discussion going on in some of my Shelfari Groups and you might find them interesting to read. If you are a rock solid beleiver in the Bible, I could use some help dealing with some unbelievers and folks from other religions of the world in some of these groups. Browse my Groups on my Shelfari Profile page. click here

Yours in the old landmarks by sovereign grace,

Larry

My Links

Thank you Mr. President SIR!

Religious freedom is the foundation of a healthy and hopeful society. On Religious Freedom Day, we recognize the importance of the 1786 passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. We also celebrate the first liberties enshrined in our Constitution's Bill of Rights, which guarantee the free exercise of religion for all Americans and prohibit an establishment of religion. Our Nation was founded by people seeking haven from religious persecution, and the religious liberty they found here remains one of this land's greatest blessings. As Americans, we believe that all people have inherent dignity and worth. Though we may profess different creeds and worship in different manners and places, we respect each other's humanity and expression of faith. People with diverse views can practice their faiths here while living together in peace and harmony, carrying on our Nation's noble tradition of religious freedom. The United States also stands with religious dissidents and believers from around the globe who practice their faith peacefully. Freedom is not a grant of government or a right for Americans alone; it is the birthright of every man, woman, and child throughout the world. No human freedom is more fundamental than the right to worship in accordance with one's conscience. Religious Freedom Day is an opportunity to celebrate our legacy of religious liberty, foster a culture of tolerance and peace, and renew commitments to ensure that every person on Earth can enjoy these basic human rights.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2009, as Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to reflect on the great blessing of religious liberty, endeavor to preserve this freedom for future generations, and commemorate this day with appropriate events and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

GEORGE W. BUSH

My First Book

We went up to Duval Saturday afternoon and had a surprise birthday party and family get together for Mike Hirata, Marion's brother. It was great. Family was there from all over including New York, Italy, and all over Western Washington. Everyone was excited to hear about my NEW BOOK coming out soon called "Traveling For God". More about that later. My goodness, it was amazing to see some of the aftermath of the flooding in the area. Some of the roads are still not accessible.

Church today at TLBC went very well. Attendance continues to improve. I preached on "Living By Faith" and the sermon outline is available on the front page of our church website. Click Here. Now for an introduction to my new book.

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to encourage the reader to prayerfully consider the possibility that God might have you travel to some Mission Field for a visit. You may not feel called of the Lord to be a full time Missionary to some given field of service but it might be consistent with the will of the Lord for you to take a short trip at some given time and help a Missionary in some small way while your are there in the place where God has called him to serve.

Every Missionary minded church should consider sending their Pastor for a visit to a mission field. It will do wonders for him. But you don’t have to be a God called preacher to get a blessing from visiting a Missionary your church supports on the Mission Field somewhere. Many a church member has returned from a week or two of “vacation” where instead of staying at a luxury resort somewhere, they stayed with a Missionary and his family and helped out in what ever way they could while they were there. It is a life changing event. You will never forget it if the Lord should ever open the door for you to do something like this. Sometimes there are youth groups that go to a mission field for a short term for the purpose of helping with the construction of some building project on the mission field. Nothing could be more rewarding for the young people in your church if they could do a project like this.

There are three parts to this book. First are the notes from Pastor Larry Killion’s journal of an exploratory trip he took in 1993 with Kenneth Long to spy out the land in Siberia for a possible Mission work under the authority of The Lord’s Baptist Church in Tacoma, WA. Second is brother Killion’s notes from his trip to the Philippines in 1994 when he assisted Missionary Cresencio Baldemor in the organization of two churches by the authority of The Lord’s Baptist church in Tacoma, WA. Third is a description of the events around a possible trip to Ukraine and the establishment of a sound New Testament church there in that place but after much prayer, planning and preparation the door suddenly closed on this trip. Things like that happen too and it is always important to trust God to lead and direct in all activities of this kind. The important thing is to be willing to go if the Lord would let you and willing to stay if on the other hand that is His will on the matter. Pray without ceasing.

08 Reflections

Reflecting on 2008, we can say we had a great year:
Blacks are happy; Obama was elected.
Whites are happy, OJ is in jail.
Democrats are happy; George Bush is leaving office.
Republicans are happy: Democrats will finally quit saying George Bush stole the election.
And all of us are so happy; The election is finally over!

I think 2009 will be even better: Immediately after his inauguration, Obama will balance the budget, revive the economy, solve the real estate problem, solve the auto industry problem, solve our gas/alternative energy problem, stop the fires and mudslides in California, ban hurricanes and tornadoes, stop identity theft, reverse global warming, find Osama, solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, get rid of corruption in government and achieve world peace .
Then on the 7th day, He will rest.

My best wishes for 2009.............and remember:
The government cannot give to anyone anything that it does not first take from someone else."

Visit some of my discussion groups on Shelfari click here.

Grandparents and Grandkids

Good services at TLBC today. I preached on "Do Yourself A Favor" and the sermon outline is on the front page of our church website click here. We had about nineteen in attendance including two first time visitors.

Grandparents and Grandkids

Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting. ~Author Unknown

What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret

Grandmothers are just "antique" little girls. ~Author Unknown

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb
A grandmother is a babysitter who watches the kids instead of the television. ~Author Unknown Never have children, only grandchildren. ~Gore Vidal

Becoming a grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric. ~Pam Brown

Grandchildren don't stay young forever, which is good because Grandfathers have only so many horsey rides in them. ~Gene Perret

When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window. ~Ogden Nash

Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now the day was complete. ~ Marcy DeMaree
Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. ~Author unknown

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse

My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~Gene Perret

If becoming a grandmother was only a matter of choice, I should advise every one of you straight away to become one. There is no fun for old people like it! ~Hannah Whithall Smith

It's such a grand thing to be a mother of a mother - that's why the world calls her grandmother. ~Author Unknown !
Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old. ~Mary H. Waldrip

You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. ~Proverb

An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that and you start to age quickly. ~Gene Perret
The best baby-sitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents. You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida . ~Dave Barry

I wish I had the energy that my grandchildren have - if only for self-defense. ~Gene Perret Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love. ~Author Unknown

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley
Grandmother - a wonderful mother with lots of practice. ~Author Unknown

A grandparent is old on the outside but young on the inside. ~Author Unknown

One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather. ~Joy Hargrove

It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one. ~Author Unknown
If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you're the grandma. ~Teresa Bloomingdale

Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their grandchildren. ~Author Unknown
What is it about grandparents that is so lovely? I'd like to say that grandparents are God's gifts to children. And if they can but see, hear and feel what these people have to give, they can mature at a fast rate. ~Bill Cosby

Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother. ~G. Norman Collie
Grandchildren are the rewards you get for NOT killing your own teenagers.~Unknown

Happy 2009

Happy 2009

We had a good First Friday Fellowship last night with a good turn out in spite of the icey weather. I preached on "How to have a Happy New Year."

There are many things in life that are depressing and discouraging but the child of God should not live in a constant state of unhappiness. Every year in January the world revels in the thought of a New Year and a new chance at happiness. Consider four negative tips about happiness and one positive fact. We’ll stay mostly in Luke 11 and the book of Galatians.

I. REFORMATION OF SELF WON’T WORK.
1. Lk. 11:24-26. When you go off your diet you gain even more weight. Try and quit a bad habit and sooner of later it is back again twice as bad. That is why we often make the same resolutions every New Year.
2. Gal. 1:1-5. Man made things won’t work to bring happiness.

II. ROMISH SACRAMENTS WON’T WORK.
1. Lk. 11:27-28. Jesus knew there was something better than the worship of Mary.
2. Gal. 1:6-12. There is a lot of false religion in the world today. It won’t work.

III. RELIGION OF SIGNS WON’T WORK.
1. Lk. 11:29-30. As they were in Christ’s day so it is today. People are ecumenical, charismatic, sign seekers. They all want dreams, visions and ecstatic feelings, but that won’t bring true happiness.
2. Gal. 3:1-3. It is the Spirit applied gospel that people need today, not carnal gimmicks and ecclesiastical gadgets for church growth.

IV. REVELING IN SIN WON’T WORK.
1. Lk. 11:31-32. People in Christ’s day were fleshly and carnal. They had no true spirituality and so it is with people today. How sad to think that even the unsaved heathen of the past condemn us. They saw God’s greatness with less light than we have. The complete word of God is ours today and we still can’t get folks to get their hearts and lives right with God. The pleasures of sin only last a season but they will not bring true happiness.
2. Gal. 6:7-10. You may rest assured that you will reap what you sow and sin will not bring happiness in the end. Live like the devil and you will die and go to hell with him too. If none of these things work, what will?

V. RELYING ON THE SAVIOR IS THE ONLY THING THAT WORKS.
1. LK. 11:33. When the light of God’s grace comes into your life by the gospel of Jesus Christ, it brings such joy and happiness that you cannot help but want to share it with others.
2. Gal. 6:14-16. Yes, we glory in the cross of Christ. Nothing else satisfies like Jesus. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.

Conclusion: God the Father purposed from all eternity to save a people according to His sovereign good pleasure. He gave them to Christ and He, the Eternal Son of God, purchased salvation for all them that the Father gave Him by His death, burial and resurrection according to the scriptures. This is the message that the Holy Spirit of God uses in our hearts to regenerate us and create in us true repentance and faith. When the triune God of the Bible does all of this, it brings real and true happiness for evermore. Hear Him today. Receive Him today. AMEN.