the backporch view

New church sign!

2010-09-09T09:44:00.003-05:00

Well, there wasn't really anything wrong with the old one.... (well, except somebody'd shot a hole clean through it!) Anyways, insurance came to the rescue and helped us get this new one!

(Photos and movable character ideas courtesy of Stephen Raub) :)

Junior Camp 2010 - Misfit Pirates!

2010-08-23T10:28:00.001-05:00

Here's a portion of a skit video from Pleasant View Baptist Church's Junior camp- themed the Old Ship of Zion! Starring: (in the order of appearance) Caleb Waycaster as Captain Courageous, Lee Wynn as Prankster the Pirate, Pastor Stacy Shiflett as First Mate 'Lick the Plank' Nate, Anthony James as Stump the Sailor, and Derek Gazaway as Captain Cook. Enjoy!

Kids for Christ

2010-07-10T19:06:00.002-05:00

Just sitting down on a beautiful Saturday evening and putting down a few of these thoughts about this weekend. We got a bus! The first ever bus ministry here at Pleasant View Baptist Church. From bus calling today, we've got plenty of riders lined up and ready to go! So excited about what God is doing through us! It's all because of Him.

Well, first of all, I'm excited that one day, I might be walking down the street, and get stopped by a middle aged man who shakes my hand and says, "You brought me to church on that little yellow bus. And now I'm a pastor. Thank you so much for doing that for me." I may take a missions trip to the Philippines and meet a missionary's wife and she might say, "Thank you so much for taking me to church on that bus every Sunday morning." Awesome thought, huh?

Like our bus captain says, I want to see the church auditorium filled with snot-nosed kids running around in blue jeans, baseball caps and rock-n-roll t-shirts. I want to love them just the way they are. Because I want to see all that potential realized in every one of their lives! Just think of the impact it could make in our community!

I'm thinking about Gaven, not even eight years old yet, and he's already brought more visitors to church than I have this year. And I'm thinking about little 'Bam'... the kid that knows everybody in town and is a better 'inviter-to-churcher' than I am. I want to see them in them grow up here. In church.

Yes, yes, yes, it takes up almost half of my Saturday and half of my Sunday. But who said they were 'my days' anyway? Besides, it's more enjoyable and far more satisfying to me than anything else I've done on a weekend to date.

I say bring it on! Bring on the blue jeans. Bring on the ball caps. Bring on the rock t-shirts. I want to see that little bus filled with kids for Christ!

God Leads His Dear Children Along - Ellie Lewis

2010-05-14T16:01:00.001-05:00

A great song sung at Vernon Baptist Church in Tunkhannock PA by a friend of mine's mother. Her daughter Kristi is accompanying her on the piano. Enjoy!

Follow me on twitter!

2010-05-12T12:31:00.001-05:00

Get fast updates on what I'm up to!

http://twitter.com/stephenraub

What's up!

2010-05-11T18:28:00.003-05:00

Hey Ya'll! Its been a while! I've been, as everyone else has been lately, extremely busy, and being tied up is, for me, a good thing.

Right now I am in Taylors, South Carolina going to Pleasant View Baptist Church! They've been very gracious to let me stay with some folks in the church while I teach in the Christian School, work with the boys in the boys home, or just be an elbow-grease lackey! Pastor Stacy Shiflett is a blessing to be with. It's been an exciting spring!

I'm praying about where God would like me to be for the next little while, so if you think about it, pray that God would give me wisdom & discernment to recognize his will. Don't want to miss out on the next cool thing that God has for me!

Moving a shed

2010-04-17T11:37:00.003-05:00

Working with some folks at Pleasant View Baptist Church to get ready for camp meeting in June!

awesome backporch view

2010-04-17T11:24:00.002-05:00

Beautiful, huh? This is just a little bit of the view from the porch of a house that we were staining the decks of...

Sunday, April 5th, 2010

2010-04-05T18:30:00.005-05:00

Here's a video from Easter Sunday that I took of the bus kids at Central Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, Mississippi doing their Easter egg hunt! Enjoy!

Pics from Bayou Drive Baptist

2010-03-09T16:56:00.002-06:00

Just thought I'd put a few pics from my stay in the Houston Area... most are from the winter revival. Enjoy!

Pastor's Training School

2010-02-26T08:36:00.002-06:00

Just got done with doing a pastor's conference here in Houston. Staying busy, praise the Lord! I'll try 2 post more later.

Let God Be Magnified!

What's happening with you, Stephen?

2010-01-25T13:50:00.003-06:00

Ah, the question of the hour. I am (1) busy, (2) in Houston, (3) involved in pastoral internship at Bayou Drive Baptist Church! I'm truly sorry about the radio silence... I'll try to post pics and such as I have the time. Definitely enjoying myself! I'll be here Lord willing until around the beginning of March, so I'll may be hit and miss until then... but thanks for stopping by the blog! Slip me a comment and let me know what's happening, eh?

the old man

2010-01-03T20:53:00.002-06:00

Here's a little something to brighten up your day... be glad I'm not turning 50 in a few days!

Skyscraper Steve

2009-12-31T10:59:00.001-06:00

Here's a cool graphic

2009-12-30T10:11:00.005-06:00

that Sharon made a few days ago... love the perspective...

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

2009-12-26T17:32:00.005-06:00

A belated Holiday greeting to everybody out there, and hope you all enjoyed yours immensely. I sure did! We're here in Harrisburg, PA, to visit with family & friends over Christmas and new years day. God is good; the whole family was here for Christmas.

But not anymore! Jon flew out to visit folks in Michigan for a couple of weeks just this afternoon. And I'm flying down to Houston before long to begin pastor internship at Bayou Drive Baptist Church! Wherever the Lord moves us, he seems to have plenty for us to do... we'll not be letting the dust settle, that's for sure.

I sure am blessed this Christmas, but then again, aren't we all?

Paris Mountain State Park...

2009-12-17T21:28:00.004-06:00

...is a great spot to take pictures! Enjoy!

to the Bayou and back

2009-12-15T12:03:00.005-06:00

Just got back from Houston, Texas! Pastor Shawn Nichols, of Bayou Drive Baptist Church, flew me down for the weekend to candidate for a short term pastoral internship. The flight down was uneventful, and got set up on Saturday for the Lord's Day. The morning services went well, Pastor Shawn preached on Mary's song out of Luke 1. It was a great message! Then they had good old fashioned food and fellowship after the service, then for the 'interrogation and torture' session with the men of the church. :)

Starting at 2:00PM and running all the way up to the evening service, we exchanged questions and answers regarding our specific beliefs and standards. It was great to help keep things fresh in your mind about what you believe! And it all went well. In the evening service, I preached a message entitled, "A passion for God", out of Psalm 42:1. As I expected I was more nervous about preaching than I was about answering questions!

But God is good.

On Monday, I was dropped off at the airport at 2PM, and because a series of mishaps, gate changes, terminal changes, airline changes, and departure time changes, wheels didn't leave the ground until about 10:30PM. Crazy. But I'm thankful to be back with my family here in Greenville, SC. I'll keep ya'll updated on the status of the Internship as things unfold. LGBM!

2 choices

2009-11-30T21:37:00.000-06:00

A Marine's thanksgiving note

2009-11-26T09:36:00.006-06:00

This morning I ran across these thoughts from A U.S marine, Staff Sgt. Mark A. Wojciechowski, concerning the Holiday that we call thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving often passes to some as another holiday: a day of food, family and football, with little more than just tradition and routine setting the tone. To some, it reminds them of the "American Heritage," the whole pilgrims came, made peace with the Indians, shared a harvest together -- and we still celebrate that today.
Thanksgiving is also, to most, a time to give thanks to the Lord, from which all things are made possible and whom without, there would be nothing to be thankful or unthankful for.
Perhaps it is now, [as] I am growing older and have a newfound respect for simpler and less tangible things, or the fact that I am unable to be where I would like to be sometimes, [that] I can describe what Thanksgiving means to me.
Obviously, Thanksgiving means being thankful for the things you have, but what does that include? I am thankful for being blessed with a wonderful family, a family that supports me in every way and is always there for me, even though I try not to need them as much as I probably should. I am thankful for health and well-being, not only my own, but the health and well-being of those around me which I love.
I am thankful for the society we live in and the comforts we take for granted each and every day. Although many will think our system is far from perfect, at least we can rest our heads each night without even so much as a remote worry of bombs being dropped, bullets being shot or poverty in our future.
Of all of the things I am thankful for, none of them would be as rich as they are without giving proper thanks to all of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice, in wars past and present, to give me the liberty and freedom.
Even though I am serving in the military and will be spending this holiday away from my home and my family, I am thankful for all of my brethren -- the troops that are currently serving in harm's way. Not only are they away from their families, but they won't even have the pleasure of safety or rest this holiday weekend.
I hope you have a happy and safe holiday. After all, I think being together is one of the things people overlook. It doesn't mean as much until you can't have it.
As for me, my holiday will be just fine. I will be surrounded by a great group of guys, which I have come to love as brothers.

Staff Sgt. Mark A. Wojciechowski ("Tony Wojo"), was killed in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 30, 2009.

A Declaration of Freedom

2009-11-23T20:04:00.003-06:00

Hey guys, this is something that you should check out. It's called the Manhattan Declaration, and it's really good. Check out this stuff from the last paragraph; it pretty much sums it all up!

"Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."

Follow the link to go to the website where you can read the whole thing, and then sign it. It's the first really strong stand for christian morals anybody has taken around here in America in a long while.

manhattandeclaration.org

Pass it along!

Fishing tales

2009-11-20T17:57:00.003-06:00

Yep, that's right, fishing. Never would have thought it, huh? Yeah right, ME? Do the fishing thing? OK, I didn't fish, but I was around fishermen, assisting in landing their prize(s).

Thursday night. We want to get involved in as much of the action as we can, so we go with Grace Baptist church to do some visitation. And guess what? Before the night is over, we're seeing 3 people bow their heads. Pray the sinners prayer. And be born again into the family of God. SWEEEEEEEEEEEET! Some awesome fishing story, I tell ya.

OK, so then, since we're near the ocean, and we hear they got fish in there, we get little bro Jason rigged up with a pole and some bait, and we're off the pier. And before we know it, he's hauled in a shark! OK, so it was 21 or so inches long, but until you can catch one PERIOD, we'll laud him for his achievement. And no, it didn't bite our heads off.

OK, so I like fishing. On the lake, on the river, on the coast, it's awesome. But as much as I enjoy the feel of a fighter on the end of my line, I'll trade it for fishing for men, any day of the week!

Just can't beat it.

Aviation Wednesday

2009-11-19T10:16:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was a cool aviation themed day! A brother in the church that we're staying with took Jon and I to see the Harrier jump jets at MCAS Cherry Point. Very cool. Then later, on the way to church, we stopped in by invitation to see a former bush pilot friend of ours' airport that he uses for missionary aviation support. Had dinner with he and his wife, and a few other aviation missionaries that were with him, then to church! Pretty sweet day!

Harriers on the tarmac

One of the planes that the brother (who is a aircraft mechanic) is currently working on

Awesome to see 'em up close and personal

The missionary aviation station

inside the hanger? a Cessna 206 and a 152

an 1800 ft. runway is no problem... for a bush pilot...

Here's Dad talking to a WWII vet, who just happens to be the recipient of both the Purple Heart and the Navy Cross

Two veteran bush pilots, Jack Hunt and Mark Robertson.

Family time on the coast

2009-11-17T15:29:00.007-06:00

This week we're on the east end on North Carolina. And with the weather being this nice, how can you resist a trip to the shore?

If nothing else, the pictures are nice...

But, thankfully, they were not the only source of enjoyment. Sure do have fun with the family... :)

Question

2009-11-12T15:07:00.005-06:00

Which is your most favorite picture on thebackporchview? Feel free to browse around, check out the archives, then let me know what you think!

Friendship Baptist Church

2009-11-09T18:43:00.003-06:00

Pastor Hickman, his family, and his church have been a blessing to us here in St. Pauls, NC. We were in services with them on Wednesday, and for some unknown reason they amazingly decided to have us stay for homecoming services on Sunday! Has to be the Lord...

Well, we sang, and Dad, Myself, and Jonathan all got to preach!

And lo and behold, they still took us to eat afterwards!

LGBM

2009-11-07T11:10:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll, update. Dad's back is doing a good deal better. We took him to the Chiropractor, yesterday, and then this morning. The Doc took x-rays, and I guess it's a bulging disk, which I guess is because of the tightness of the back muscles. Well, he gave him some adjustments, some kind of cream, and he seems to be improving. (at least he can walk now.. :) ) Thanx for all the prayers!

2009-11-06T10:20:00.006-06:00

Hey ya'll, just a quick prayer request. My dad has had back trouble for years. There are good days and bad, but the past few days have been all bad. This morning the pain is to the point that he cannot move. If y'all could take a few minutes and pray for him, we would greatly appreciate it!

Your Life... Your Decision

2009-11-02T20:01:00.004-06:00

Airborne and Special Ops Museum

2009-11-02T14:47:00.002-06:00

Even though we are missionaries to the military, we won't let a chance pass to learn more, and to rub shoulders with our servicemen (and women). On Friday we went to a museum outside of Fort Bragg, which is the home of the highly decorated 82nd Airborne Division. It didn't disappoint. It's really incredible to see what the special forces fly in, jump out of, shoot, eat, sleep in, drive around in; the whole enchilada!

As we were walking in, over some memorials for soldiers killed in the most recent wars, this woman comes up and says, "That one is my husband." He was a Helicopter pilot that was shot down just 2 years ago. Amazing.

A tank...

A Humvee...

And a couple of fully outfitted (realistic) dudes.

Gone Fishing II

2009-10-30T21:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday it was the brothers on the river show! Here at the Raven Rock State Park in beautiful North Carolina, you just can't resist going out where the sun shines and the wind blows and the water washes by. Only issue: the fish didn't bite. Bummer.

Ah well, the pics were great, and it was a grand time out smack in the middle of God's created splendor!

Our budding fisherman, Jason.
(actually, the only fisherman that day...)

Big bro. baits the hook...

Found a beautiful spot to fish at!

Well, after a little wade (swim?) across the river, he was in need of a dry shirt, and I was the not-so-willing provider of the needed article of clothing.

Getting it done, just like so...

Ah, the photographer's delight!

Headed for home.

Confidence

2009-10-28T15:07:00.000-05:00

notes from my guitar

2009-10-27T14:16:00.002-05:00

Morning Star Baptist Church

2009-10-26T12:51:00.003-05:00

Pastor Ron Young and his family were a real blessing to us this weekend. Doing everything from feeding us multiple times, letting us join in the fun with sports and doing some music too! on Sunday our family sang, Dad preached on the Holy Spirit, and...

Three people got saved! That'll make you day, for sure.

Praise the Lord for like-minded Christians to fellowship with.

Brand new building, just finished this past spring.

The auditorium is a beautiful white and blue theme... really cool.

Singing "What a savior"!

The four PK's singing quartet style!

LGBM!

Expression

2009-10-22T20:54:00.002-05:00

The scoop about the 'troops'

2009-10-19T15:08:00.007-05:00

Hello all, how is your October going for you? Good. Glad to hear it. It's hard to believe that we're 2/3s of the way done with it already! God's been good, and we've been busy. At the moment, we are in Fayetteville, North Carolina, because as military missionaries, we go to a military base and see if there is a way to interface it with a local church. The installations that we're working with right now are called Fort Bragg and also it's little brother, Pope AFB. Lots of servicemen in the area! Dad's been in contact with the chaplaincy, and the Lord may open the door for us to get something started here.

In the meantime, we're visiting some of the churches in this area, and God's been allowing us to get involved in the singing and the preaching as well! A week ago, I had the opportunity to preach chapel at one of the local christian schools, and Jon at the mission!

We've not been gathering rust, because the He's been pouring out the oil for us.

I've been reading through the New Testament lately, and today I started in on Romans. Verse 1 of the first chapter says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ..." and I thought that it's kind of like this. Let's say you ran across an ancient cure for a widespread and deadly disease. You knew that if you could just tell these sick folks about the cure for their ailment, you wouldn't have any trouble doing whatever it took to get the cure into their hands.

You would do it, even if some people thought you were crazy and weird.

I say, "but it's a little strange to stand on the street corner giving out gospel tracts." Paul says, "I don't care, because it changes lives." I say, "People will look at me like I'm crazy if I knock on their door with a Bible under my arm." Paul says "Jesus can fill the emptiness in their soul and life." And I say, "What will my lost cousin think if I tell him about God's love?" Paul says, "if we can just pull back the curtains and let the Light in, he'll be a totally new person."

This is convicting stuff. I have this phobia of wierd looks and stares. But I feel certain that 99% of you feel the same way. Nobody likes to be thought of a strange! But my desire for God's power to be seen in a HUGE way is going to overpower those feelings. My love for Him is going to be bigger than my view of them. With me?

Just a thought. It may require a thinking cap, and don't do it without a Bible handy.

Psalm 70:4 Let God Be magnified!

Joyfulness

2009-10-16T10:54:00.002-05:00

Aspiration

2009-10-15T11:01:00.000-05:00

Justice

2009-10-14T13:51:00.000-05:00

from this view

2009-10-13T10:48:00.003-05:00

I stand on the platform , looking out over all these attentive faces. Folks from the city. Folks from the country. Rich folk, poor folks. Black folks, white folks. All different kinds of people. They're here to hear from heaven, and we are the privileged ones charged with delivering the goods.

The piano begins to play, and Mom starts in on the first verse:

He moves among us; all that he does,
In all of his mercy, all of his love.

10 year old Lydia joins in harmony...

If the pen of a writer could write every day; Even this world could never contain How I've been blessed.

You can see the stir, people sitting up, paying attention, nodding their heads with understanding as God begins to speak to their hearts.

and all of us sing...

Warmth in the winter, flowers in spring
Laughter of summer, the changing of leaves
Food on my table, a good place to sleep,
Clothes on my back, shoes on my feet,
I have been blessed.

A hand is raised in praise as we begin the chorus:

I have been blessed, God's so good to me,
precious are his thoughts of you and me.
No way I could count them, there's not enough time,
So I'll just thank him for being so kind,
God has been good, so good,
I have been blessed.

It's Sunday morning in Richmond, Virginia. Community Bainbridge Baptist Church. Standing where I am, I can see the sin-hardened faces of depleted down-and-outers as the begin to realize how good God has been to them. The mission that the church runs had brought in over half a hundred of them. Young and old.

They came wanting a hand out; but in desperate need of Jesus.

Arms that will raise, a voice that can talk,
hands that can touch, legs that can walk,
ears that can listen, eyes that can see,
I've got to praise him as long as I breathe,
I have been blessed.

A broken man makes his way down to the old-fashioned alter to pour out his soul to the Lord.

A father and mother, who nurture and raise,
sisters and brothers, memories made,
Our pastor to lead us, this alter to pray,
stripes that can heal, the blood that still saves,
I have been blessed.

How can you tell me that God no longer moves in peoples lives? I see it happening as we sing a simple love song to God.

I have been blessed, God's so good to me,
precious are his thoughts of you and me.
No way I could count them, there's not enough time,
So I'll just thank him for being so kind,
God has been good, so good,
I have been blessed.

The beauty of holiness is in changed lives! I wonder how people can live life without seeing it up close and personal. Or even at all.

We live in a country, the greatest on earth,
where the flag stands for freedom, and what it is worth,
She stands in the harbor, Miss Liberty calls,
all gave some, but some gave it all,
so we could be blessed.

He's my shoulder to lean on when I am down,
that rock where he leads me, when I'm overwhelmed,
the place where he hides me, under his wings,
he's not just a song, he's the reason I sing!

We've been blessed! God's sooooooo good to us! Our song's just a period at the end of this sentence compared to the UNIVERSE of praise that he deserves.

I have been blessed, God's so good to me,
precious are his thoughts of you and me.
No way I could count them, there's not enough time,
So I'll just thank him for being so kind,
God has been good, so good,
I have been blessed.

The final chorus. We take our seats, in awe of what God just did. It makes you want to spend forever and ever recounting His goodness in your life.

Isn't it great to know that we will in heaven?

***

Washington D.C. wrap up!

2009-10-09T13:09:00.004-05:00

On our 3rd day in D.C., we explored the Smithsonian Museums, as well as the Capitol building. The air and space museum was pretty cool, they had a lot of the original artifacts that I had heard about all my life. Like the Bell X-1 and the Spirit of St. Louis! After this we looked around outside the Capitol building.

Here's a crazy little story. We were standing around the step of the Capitol ... Dad was just asking around for a bathroom, and the security guard that he just happened to be talking to (Dad can talk to just about anybody) told him that if he went to a certain area and asked to see the senate in session, they would let us into the capitol building! It sounds crazy, but before the night was out, we had sat in the senate meeting room while they were debating about health-care! Crazy. Dad has the touch, I tell you. :)

Anyway, here are some pics of the day:

Our family (sans photographer Dad in front of the Capitol building.

This is the flag that inspired our national anthem as it flew over for McHenry in 1812...

yours truly...

Jonathan and I...

Standing on Capitol Hill!

and the night view.

It was an exciting tour of D.C. this week, and I am very thankful to be living in the Good 'ol U S of A!

Arlington National Cemetary and the Marine Corps Memorial

2009-10-06T22:04:00.004-05:00

Guess where I was today?

2009-10-05T21:39:00.004-05:00

Mini missions conference

2009-10-05T19:52:00.004-05:00

We were blessed to be able to sit in on Fairfax Baptist Temple's mini missions conference yesterday! Dr. Don Sisk, bro. Tom Crawford, and others preached, and God's people were fed the heavenly stuff. :) Thank the Lord for his mercy and grace.

Our faithful 'home on wheels'!

Going to Sunday School!

My Dad and mom are awesome spiritual leaders.

Bro. Tom Crawford, missionary to Indonesia since 1973.

Dr. Tom Sisk, Chairman of missions at West Coast Baptist College.

A men's ensemble from FBT.

Missions is high priority at FBT, here some missionaries receive gifts from the church.

Traveling blessings and woes :)

2009-10-03T13:00:00.003-05:00

I love traveling! We are so blessed to be able to be a part of something that's nationwide, and sometimes global. I get to spend my time helping people. Take last Wednesday for example. God has allowed us to have a ministry of singing and preaching, and we were able to minister to Gateway Baptist Church in Rising Sun Maryland. It was a blast just being with God's people, and letting God have his way in out hearts and lives.

On the flip side, life does have its surprises! We just got done changing a flat tire on our trailer, but even so it could be MUCH worse. Thank God for his provision.

So I guess the moral of the story is trust God and keep your powder dry. (Oliver Cromwell.)

Perspective

2009-10-01T18:25:00.001-05:00

Where in the world is the Raub family?

2009-09-29T10:39:00.003-05:00

Crazy schedule! This marks the 4rd consecutive weekend that we were at a different church every every service. God is so Good!

Sunday morning found us in Fredricksburg, Maryland, at the Ambassador Baptist Church. It was patriot day! So we joined right in and pulled out a few flag-waving numbers. In the afternoon we traveled in our rig to go to Hanover, Pennsylvania. We had great services with Missionary Bible Baptist church that evening. Praise the Lord for another great day to love and worship Him!

Ambassador Baptist church in Fredricksburg, MD.

Playing some patriotic music on the brass instruments...

Dad preached on being 'a blooming christian' out of psalm 92.

Talking with a army vet who was directly involved in the cleanup at the pentagon on 9/11.

The view off the front steps of the church!

Gettin' ready to go at MBBC...

Dad breaking the bread in the PM service!

Meeting on the Mountain

2009-09-26T20:44:00.002-05:00

Youth rally! Dry Run Independent Baptist Church hosts it on the last Saturday in September. Brother Lee Bowman preached 2 great messages, and we were privileged to provide the special music.

And a great time was had by all!

Vernon Baptist Church Preachers Jubilee

2009-09-24T19:52:00.004-05:00

This week we were extremely blessed to be a part of a special meeting in Tunkhannock, PA. Many of the folks that were with us in the meeting in Sellersburg, IN. Best of all, the Lord met with us! His power was evident throughout the services from the singing and preaching to the testifying and praying.

We had a good crowd most every service...

The special music was excellent!

Bro. Jon Jenkins was a tremendous blessing in his preaching...

and when just hanging out.

Bro. Tim Davenport's son, Jonah...

Here's the 'volunteer choir' that we put together for the week.

My family were privileged to sing a few...

Jon and I singing 'Champion of Love' with bro. Tim (not pictured here) :)

Playing some softball...

with some of the folks at the meeting...

Bro. Jerry Harris and his minions...

One of the best preachers I know, Dr. Bob Hamblin.

As I write, we are rolling down the road in our rig toward the next meeting; a youth rally in Duncansville. Please be praying that we'll be a help to the folks that we'll be with.

LGBM!

Psalm 86:12

2009-09-21T11:12:00.002-05:00

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for

evermore. "

Sunday services: Blessed Hope Bible Church, Liverpool, PA in the AM, Victory Baptist Church, Linden, PA in the PM! Praise the Lord for traveling safety and His grace in blessing us with these wonderful opportunities!

Pizza + volleyball = :-)

2009-09-19T09:46:00.004-05:00

We had a blast yesterday! Since we're only in town (Harrisburg) for just a few days, and we don't have time to see all the friends and family individually, we decided to have a big get together at the park for pizza and volleyball! Had more that 30 people show up. Great fun!

A day on the water

2009-09-17T21:11:00.005-05:00

Have you ever tried to do a 360 out on the water? No, I'm not talking about turning the boat around, I'm talking about standing on a small disk and spinning in circles while being towed by the speedboat. Well that's what Jon and I got to do earlier this week while we were in Pittsburgh! Tons of fun. A guy from the bro. Gelfand's Church took Jonathan and I out on the river in his cool little ship. We ended up water skiing and using that curious little red disk that could be used in a wide variety of ways. Enjoy some of the pictures of the outing!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

2009-09-15T13:47:00.004-05:00

On Sunday my family and I sang at Sewickley Lighthouse Baptist church in the morning, and Dad taught Sunday school for Pastor Richard Gelfand. Then in the evening, we went to Janette, PA where we sang for bro. Robert Ross and Heritage Baptist Church. We even got to fellowship with some old (yet, not-so-old) friends, the Turnbull family. :)

I love singing with my family! We get excited every time we get to use our voices to blend harmony to express our praise to God. Psalm 7:17 says:

"I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high. "

Singing has been called by some the "highest form of meditation". Why don't you purpose in your heart to spend a few minutes today singing or listening to some good, worshipful music?

As they say, practice makes perfect!

Teaching at SLBC

Jonathan & I got to teach Junior Church that morning!

Sharing our ministry with HBC

Thank God for friends that just stay faithful to the Lord!

Bearing Precious Seed & the Creation Museum

2009-09-12T15:05:00.006-05:00

Yesterday our family was treated to two tours. First, the director of BPS printing ministry in Milford, Ohio, bro. Al Braley, took us on a tour of the complex. He said that last year they printed over 9,200,00 scriptures! And next, Pastor Duttry, of First Baptist of Milford, somehow was able to get tickets for us to go to Ken Ham's creation museum for free!

And so the Lord blessed with a wonderful time.

Two things that I enjoy are writing, and music. I haven't the talent that I'm sure some of you have for both, but I'm focusing a little more time to songwriting. I would be interested in hearing some of your tips and tricks if you have some!

Let's all continue to use our efforts to give glory to God.

Perserverance

2009-09-09T11:33:00.000-05:00

True friendship

2009-09-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

Have blessings, will travel

2009-09-03T11:27:00.004-05:00

As a missionary's kid, and especially one that's 'on the road' right now, we get a new backyard every week! We get to see some things that we normally wouldn't be able to see were we back home. We meet people that we otherwise wouldn't have met, either. It's just a blessing to be used of God in this most interesting manner.

Some of the churches that we've been able to minister to in the past couple of weeks are:

Wolverine baptist church, Wolverine, MI, Pastor Orville Theaker, wolverinebaptistchurch.com

Faith Baptist church, Saginaw, MI, Pastor Scott McIntyre, faithofsaginaw.org,

North Baptist church, Flint, MI, pastor Todd Meese

Willis Baptist Church, Willis, MI, Pastor McKinnies, willisbaptist.org

A lot of cool opportunities, and we are so blessed to be a 'in the middle of something BIG!'

When I consider the heavens...

2009-08-29T10:06:00.008-05:00

I love reading about science. So when I read this stuff about the universe, stars, planets, and other cool stuff like that, I thought you, my fellow science buff, would dig it as well. :)

Enjoy.

When a large star gets old, it explodes, instantly releasing as much energy as the Sun outputs in ten billion years. This is called a supernova, which is Latin for "Wow. No really, Wow."

After the explosion, what's left at the center is a neutron star, which is an extremely dense object with just slightly more mass than our own Sun, crammed into a space the size of New Orleans. A neutron star is so dense that a teaspoonful of one would weigh as much as ten million Oprahs.

Occasionally, a pair of neutron stars will wind up orbiting each other. In 2003, a pair was discovered orbiting about half a million miles apart. This is twice the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Because neutron stars are so massive, however, each orbit takes only two and a half hours.

The astronomers who discovered this binary neutron star system gave it the name PSR J0737-3039. I wonder what these guys name their pets.

Every day, the two neutron stars in PSR J0737-3039 get a quarter of an inch closer together, because of energy loss due to gravitational waves. 85 million years from now, they'll merge together. One minute before this happens, the neutron stars will be only a few hundred miles apart, and orbit around each other 30 times per second. In the final few moments, they'll get much closer together, and extremely angry, and the orbital frequency will increase to 1000 times per second.

This is totally insane. Two city-sized objects, each with the mass of the Sun, whirling around each other 1000 times per second. If you don't think this is impressive, you might as well go back to bed now.

When the neutron stars in PSR J0737-3039 merge, they will probably form a black hole, which is an exotic astronomical object whose gravity is so strong that even humor cannot escape it.

Reminds me of Psalm 8, eh?

Sault Ste. Marie, MI

2009-08-25T14:09:00.006-05:00

On Saturday we drove across the U.P. to a meeting with the Community Baptist Church in the aforementioned town, and were there all day Sunday. On Monday, we took some time to be together as a family!

'A' marks the spot. :)

Playing the trumpet is something I enjoy...

as well as singing together with my family!

Dad preached on 'the potter and the clay'.

Monday was a beautiful day...

for being goofy...

and for enjoying God's creation!

U.P. State Fair

2009-08-22T14:12:00.002-05:00

On Friday some folks form the Northwoods Baptist Church took some of us Raubs to go spread the good news at the fair. I think we passed out over a thousand tracts in one afternoon!

And then Jon and I broke out the bluegrass gear and really got it going! :)

Grand kids! ;)

2009-08-22T13:36:00.005-05:00

My niece and nephew cause quite a stir in the Raub household every time we see them!

Lake Superior

2009-08-19T21:47:00.003-05:00

Today my friend and brother-in-law's brother Mark, my brother Jonathan and I took a jaunt up to go kayaking in one of the coolest (in more ways than one) of the Great Lakes. The water was cold, but that didn't stop us from diving and snorkeling, and we were rewarded with some really awesome underwater views! Unfortunately, I don't have an underwater camera, so ya'll will have to put up with our pics in the areas of lesser density... :)

Yes, it really is my sister's 69' Chevy.

banjos, bows, and baptists

2009-08-15T00:40:00.008-05:00

Today, Bro. Brian Hatfield, Pastor of Beth El Midrash Baptist Congregation, took Jonathan and I to see the shop where Jon's Banjo was made here in Milwaukee. (Incidentally, bro. Brian was the one that gave him the instrument!) The guy who makes 'em has been doing it since the 70's, and he's great at it. I guess that's why he gets around $1500 for a cheap one, eh? Anyway, it was cool to meet the fella who crafted it.

Then Pastor Hatfield took us to the bow-range to shoot his bow. It had been a while since I had a, arrow flinger in my hands, but after I got warmed up I guess I didn't do too bad...

And after a great meal with the Hatfield family in their home, we sung and presented the ministry at their church!

Praise the Lord for a great day with His people.

Sing His praises!

2009-08-10T22:26:00.005-05:00

Psalm 95:1

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation."

Psalm 30:12

To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Family fun

2009-08-08T20:56:00.003-05:00

Today the Raub family spent some time together at a cool science center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The exhibits were nice, but I guess the part I liked the best was the aquarium; it was 3 stories tall! You could look down into it, stare into the side of it, and gaze up at it, too. All kinds of sea creatures. From Sea horses to sharks. They even had a place that you could pet some of these crazy sea animals! Pretty awesome stuff. Thank the Lord for a great family.

Bible Baptist Church, Highland, IN, plus!

2009-08-06T15:48:00.004-05:00

Hey Ya'll! Just thought I'd throw some picture of the recent happenings around here. Yesterday we, through a good reference or two, were given an opportunity to sing at a great church in northern Indiana. You know those times when all the stars and planets line up, everybody sings as a team, and it just sounds AMAZING and is a real blessing to God's people?

Last night was it.

And in our travels today we took a detour and somehow found ourselves in downtown Chicago. (Which is a real pain for the driver of our rig but awesome for pictures, eh?)

Turkey Run State Park

2009-08-04T10:16:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Bro. Keith McIntryre took our family to a state park that was a cool hike through awesome canyons and interesting sandstone formations. Enjoy!

Lighthouse Mission

2009-08-04T10:07:00.002-05:00

Yesterday morning Jonathan and I took the opportunity to minister to some folks at the mission in Terre Haute, IN. We sang a few songs and bro. McIntyre preached!

Bonus pic! Johanna and her new found friend, Snowflake.

Independent Baptist Church

2009-08-03T22:44:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning found us in Montezuma Indiana at Bro. Keith McIntyre's church. Great fun, fellowship, and food for the soul!

Jubilee 2009 wrap-up

2009-08-01T13:20:00.005-05:00

Just finished out the meeting in Sellersburg, IN, where God blessed and everybody who came with an open heart got some serious help. Thank the Lord that we can get around folks that truly love the Lord!

Jubilee 2009

2009-07-29T15:14:00.003-05:00

We are in the midst of a week-long meeting that has grown to among the most anticipated gatherings of folks all around the country. At crossroads Baptist church, Pastor Jerry Harris and Bro. Bob Hamblin have done a fantastic job keeping the spirit lively and allowing God to do his work.

And He certainly has blessed!

Here are just a few pics of the goings on...

Playing an upright bass...

Playing volleyball...

Little Jonah Davenport playing the piano with daddy...

Bro. and Sis. Case praising God in song...

Jon and I doing our thing...

Dad preaching a message titled "The potter and the clay"...

And Dr. Bob Hamblin, celebrating 40 years of preaching!

A day of rest and relaxation... not!

2009-07-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

My Saturday was a day of drill, hammer and saw. Fun, fun, fun! We got a couple of volleyball nets set up, and a swing set started. All through the coordinating efforts of 'the Timster'. (bro. Tim Davenport). Enjoy!

Louisville Science Center

2009-07-25T15:36:00.004-05:00

My family loves science museums! And when we travel around the country, there's a different one to see all the time! This time it was in Louisville, Kentucky that we enjoyed seeing the how and why things do what they do.

Youth camp completed

2009-07-24T19:17:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we wrapped up one of the best weeks of camp that I've ever been a part of. Attitudes were unselfish, spirits were in tune with God, and a joyful air was a wonderful refreshment! Here are some pics of the final few days...

Even though it rained on Wednesday, pastor Jordan kept the whole thing going smoothly.

Representatives from each team participate in the bible quiz!

Bro. Fusco preached some great messages, including "How to get God to forgive you", and "What you need is love".

Everyone worked very hard on their scripture memory sheets.

Dad gives the morning devotional at the flagpole...

Plenty of games were played (including volleyball)

The nine finalist who completed all 70 of their scripture verses competed in the scripture quote-off. And Sharon Raub was the winner!

The winning team! Go Ephraim!

Thank God for a wonderful time spent at the Pleasant Valley Youth Camp.

Pleasant Valley Youth Camp & more

2009-07-21T15:12:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we drove to the summer camp that Bro. Jordan (pastor of Lighthouse Baptist in northern Kentucky) runs and got right down to business.

Enjoy some of the pics below!

Jason loves his hot Chocolate!

It's finger-lickin' good!

Our rig, ready to rumble.

And let me tell you, it moves...

Pickin' and grinnin'...

...with bro. Tim Davenport!

Gatherin' around the flag pole to start the day.

The brothers...

Dr. Anthony Fusco, camp preacher for the week!

...and my team, the mighty Ephraimites! :)

The camp itself is in a beautiful valley in in New Albany, Indiana...

And I just got done with this pillow joust!

LGBM

Kids, don't try this at home.

2009-07-19T14:20:00.003-05:00

Did you know that a Ping-pong ball is a highly flammable object?

Youth Conference 2009 Day # 3

2009-07-18T20:11:00.005-05:00

Wow, youth conference sure did seem to fly by this year! We had a great Friday, with much good preaching, singing, skitting, and twittering, and everything!

Lord willing, we'll see you all next year!

Youth Conference 2009 Day # 2

2009-07-18T19:43:00.006-05:00

Day # 2 started with the singles conference in the early A.M., then went to combined sessions until lunch. We enjoyed sermons by Bro. Schaap, and Bro. Lapina, among others. Then we all went out tho the Illyanna Speedway to watch the demolition bus derby, and Steve Showman do his thing.

Pretty cool stuff!

And for the finale, we capped off the day with a wet but good time with fireworks at the College. Enjoy!

Youth Conference 2009 day # 1

2009-07-15T23:36:00.004-05:00

Today Sharon, Jonathan and I drove up to Hammond, Idiana from Indianapolis to attend First Baptist's youth rally. Here are some pics of the night...

Both the old building on the right, and the new on the left...

Here's the group of young folks from Michigan that we attend with.

With T. J. Evans, the lead singer for Sacred Heritage Quartet.

Myself with Bro. Steve Shrine and Bro. Jake Geisler.

About 8,000 - 10,000 folks attend this conference every year...

Our seats were pretty far back, just a few rows from the rear, under the balcony.

The youth choir sang some good songs...

As did Sacred Hertage.

But the preaching, by Bro. Mike Ray and Bro. Jack Schaap, Was just Phenomenal. The Lord Blessed us tonight , to be sure...

More to come!

Family Day!

2009-07-14T08:53:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the first full day that we'd spent together as a family since, like, April! I'm so thankful for a christian family...

Usually when we take a small trip someplace, we occasionally end up wandering around trying to find whatever it is that we're wanting to look for, but it's become less common since we made the acquaintance with our friend 'Tom.'

We decided to go to a place that they call "Little Nashville". It's a down-home sort of small town with a definite bluegrass feel, nestled in the hills of central Indiana.

Enjoying some home-made ice cream!

One of the music stores we stopped in at had a harp... a definitely exciting prospect to my sisters...

As does the older, so do the younger...

But the younger definitely have an adventure streak!

Climbing a hill...

...overlooking the town of Martinsville.

Jonathan and Jason check out the view...

Praise God for an awesome family!

Three horizons

2009-07-13T09:47:00.007-05:00

While studying for a sermon this week, I ran across this cool 'scientific dollop' that I'm sure you all will enjoy. It reminded me of just how awesome God really is. ---

If you're standing on the edge of the beach, the ocean looks enormous, as if it stretches off forever. However, because of the Earth's curvature, the horizon is only three miles away (a little farther, if you're wearing platform shoes, or stilts and a clown costume). You can really only see a very small amount of the ocean. The Pacific Ocean, for example, is roughly nine thousand miles across.

When you look up at the night sky, it's fun to try to imagine how huge our galaxy is. It contains at least two hundred billion stars. However, because most of the stars are very dim and far away, you can usually only see several hundred of them without a telescope. The farthest star you can see is about a thousand light years away, and our galaxy is a hundred times larger than that. In short, you can't see squat. And if you live in a big city with lots of light pollution, you might as well have a paper bag over your head with a rotting fish in it. That's how much of our galaxy you can see.

The term "observable universe" refers to the portion of the universe that we could theoretically see, based on limitations of the speed of light, the age of the universe, its rate of expansion, and whether or not there's a tall person with a hat sitting in front of you. Current evidence suggests that this is a sphere about 95 billion light years across. That's getting pretty high up there in the overwhelmingly large department. However, the actual universe might be much, much larger than this. So far, there's no way to really know how large it is, and scientists can only guess. One theory suggests that the ratio between the size of the whole entire universe we can't see, and the smaller, merely observable universe might be the same as the ratio between the size of the Earth and a proton. The scientists who proposed this theory had to invent specialized equipment to achieve the exponentially large amounts of smugness that were required to discuss the theory in public with other scientists.

What I am really saying here is that as far as I'm concerned, you're fully justified in staying at home on the sofa, playing video games, eating ice cream, and getting super fat. If you were to bother to go outside, then even under the most ideal conditions, you wouldn't get to see very much of anything anyway.

'The day that the Lord hath made...'

2009-07-12T22:04:00.005-05:00

Today was the last day of the missions conference here at ZBFC. We sang, played the brass, Dad preached on 'The heartbeat of God' in the morning, and Jon and I preached in the afternoon! Then the sports began. Volleyball, basketball, and, over at a member's house, ping-pong, golf, horseshoes, etc... pretty busy day.

The way I like it.

Some pics of the day are in order, I suppose, so I'll give you a glimpse of what my day was really like...

Missions Conference!

2009-07-11T13:17:00.005-05:00

Zion Baptist fellowship Church has been known for their outstanding group of young people. (they told me to say that...) :) We have played more games of volleyball than I can count, we've put more than a few rounds downrange, we've worked on more than a few projects, sung more than a few songs... you get the picture...

I think I'll have to postpone my jet-lag. :)

A dynamic game of killer volleyball!

Sharpshooter Jon takes out the target...

The damage!

One of my favorite preachers and also my dad! ;)

A patriotic family... (guess who)

'Packhorse Jon'

Singing 'the old time preacher'... by popular demand!

Operation Wayside

2009-07-09T10:02:00.004-05:00

I am now able to speak on matters which I was previously unable! Below are some pics of scripture signs affixed to the back of traffic signs near Hiensburg, Germany. No, I have no clue how they got there... :)

Okay, it was us.

But we had a grand time, and it's probably the most scripture that that highway has seen in hundreds of years!

First we drove through the area, conducting special ops recon of the target. (That is, Bro. green, his sons Daniel and Jacob, and Jonathan and I.) Then we made the covert insertion of the Commandos. We each had a pre-taped sign about 2' x 4'. Each guy hid in the bushes until there were no cars coming, then raced up the built in ladder, smacked the scriptures on the target, then got out of there. Whahoo! After meeting up at the designated extraction zone, we deemed it a complete success! Not one of us was seen.

And as far as I know, those signs are still up there.

Return of the Raub guys!

2009-07-07T23:00:00.005-05:00

We're back in the land of the free and the home of the brave! Arrived last night, and have been feeling the jet lag for sure.... :) This week is the missions conference at Zion Baptist Fellowship Church. The Calland family, missionaries to central Asia, presented their ministry tonight. The our family sang! Sang for the first time together in a few months, so we sang What a savior! Then Dad preached out of Luke 5 about 'devising means' for the spreading of the gospel. Played some volleyball with some church folk afterwards... can't beat good 'ol fashioned christian fellowship, can you?

a quick note

2009-07-05T15:48:00.003-05:00

Hello, all. Had good services today, bros Michael Falconberg and Gary Lutrick preached, and the Lord blessed! We sang a few numbers... hopefully that didn't spoil the spirit... :)
Tomorrow we jump on the plane to head back to the US!
LGBM!

Are we having fun yet?

2009-07-04T10:06:00.004-05:00

It's been a wonderful week! We've been making several trips back and forth between Hiensberg area and Hanau. We've moved at least 4 moving truck loads of stuff, and countless loads of garbage to the dumpster. :) We've been getting an average of 5.3 or so hours of sleep, been running almost every day, lifting weights, playing basketball, so we're somewhat weary. A wonderful week, I tell you!

:)

Have a wonderful 4th of July, everyone!

the last sunday...

2009-06-29T07:31:00.004-05:00

for New Hope Baptist Church. We met in the basement of the Fravor Family's house, and had a sweet time of fellowship. For the evening service, Bro. Green rented an indoor pool for a half-hour, and had a baptismal service! Amen! God is good... If you thinks so too, leave a comment and let me know!

Gettin' the job done

2009-06-27T09:39:00.002-05:00

These past few days have been busy, with getting everything ready for the Green's move. Both the church building and the house have to be ready to leave in just a coupe of days! Needless to say, we're all pretty tired, but the end is in sight! :)

I return to the U.S. in just nine days... looking forward to it for sure! Please pray for wisdom for Bro. Green and his family as they transition back to the states as well. They're not sure what God has for them to do just yet, so they would appreciate it very much.

LGBM!

Have scriptures, will travel

2009-06-24T09:13:00.006-05:00

This morning I picked up a copy of a classic scripture compilation, called Daily Light. Today's reading was excellent; on the matter of God's guidance, and so I thought I'd share it with you!

JUNE 24

The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them to search out a resting place for them. — Numbers 10:33

My times are in thy hand. — He shall choose our inheritance for us. — Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness; ... make thy way straight before my face.

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shalt bring it to pass. — In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. — Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters. — Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. — Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. — Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Psa. 31:15, 47:4, 5:8, 37:5, Prov. 3:6, Isa. 30:21, Psa. 23:1-2, Psa.103:13-14, Matt 6:32, I Pet 5:7

Loaded up in only 1 1/2 hours

2009-06-22T14:10:00.003-05:00

Ah, yes. Many strong hands make big work look easy. This morning we got the Green's container packed and sent on it's way. hooRAY!

two men will move you

2009-06-20T05:23:00.002-05:00

These past few days we've been staying pretty busy getting stuff ready for the container that we'll be loading in just 2 days... Everything must fit or be thrown away... and there's a lot of the latter going on! Here are a few pics of the melee...

Jake & Jon carry a small dresser outside to be thrown away...

The garage being cleaned

two of the vehicles loaded down with junk to be hauled away

Gittin' 'er done!

Jason, the movie

2009-06-19T10:17:00.003-05:00

Just dug up this video of my little bro that I made a few months back. Just knew ya'll would enjoy it!

Gone camping...

2009-06-18T05:37:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday the green family, Jon and I drove over to the Frankfurt area to the campsite where we'd spend the night. We were joined by some folks from the church that Bro. green used to work with in the nearby town of Hanau, as well as the Falconbergs, a local pastor and his young family, also a close friends of the Greens. Enjoy some pics of the fun and fellowship below!

A wonderful Lord's day...

2009-06-14T11:31:00.004-05:00

Just got back from distributing about 500 tracts in downtown Sittard, Holland. Had great time worshiping the Lord in services today, He is mighty! Here are some pics of the day...

Bro. Green and Festus, an auslander that we pick up for church every Sunday

The Fravor Family, with their 1970's mini strait from Great Britain

And now, the staring lineup for the NHBC smackdown team!

Bro. Fravor, Bro. Green, Jon, Daniel, and Jacob...

It's just like in America; the people in the Netherlands are religious, but lost!

The beautiful downtown areas of Europe...

Let God Be Magnified!

Spiritual Fitness

2009-06-13T14:10:00.004-05:00

You know that feeling that you get when you haven't done a blessed active thing all day? It's like, "Man, I feel like a blob sitting here on this couch popping Hershey's kisses all day... I need to get a life!" When you get that feeling, it's time to take action! So what do you do?

You get moving!

A lot of books have been written, videos made on the subject of staying in shape. And a lot of people spend a lot of time and money getting their bodies in top form and keeping them that way. It's a big step toward healthier lifestyle and a longer lifespan.

Did you know that spiritual fitness is even more important than it's physical counterpart? The scriptures tell us to "Stir up the gift" in II timothy 1:6. It's important to keep the wheels and cogs greased up so that we can "be ready always to give an answer to every man..." in I Peter 3:15.

Bro. Green goes to the gym about 4 times a week to work out, and I like to go with him to stay on my A game physically. It's rough stuff sometimes. Especially when you get so weak after lifting what seems like half a ton... then you look down and it was 10 lb. dumbbell. Embarrassing, let me tell you! On top of the scheduled stuff, the Green kids and Jon and I play just about every sport imaginable round the clock... basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, etc... So I get pretty sore sometimes. :) But I do it to stay fit.

In much the same way, getting off the spiritual couch and getting those muscles moving is tough, but REWARDING! It can enable you to take some pressure and heat that otherwise could easily knock you out of the race for God. It's effective! It give that boost when rusty parts would have started falling off the car.

Becoming spiritual giant doesn't happen overnight, just like a bodybuilder doesn't get big muscles on day 1. Give it some time, though, and the results will be not only be amazing, but lifesaving as well! When your atheist friend starts dragging the name of Jesus through the mud, you'll be able to speak with wisdom and boldness for the Lord. Something a spiritual couch potato couldn't do. Jesus will be magnified, sinners saved and lives changed, all because the abilities of a surrendered, unselfish, strong christian were put to good use.

So get off that spiritual lazy-boy and get moving for God! :) You'll be so glad you did.