You can run on for a long time, but...

My recent sermon brought to light the truth that it God in His love for David would not allow him to live out his days without confronting the sin in his life.

Even though it appeared David had covered up his sin and long since moved on with his life, God brought David to repentance.

Which brings to my mind a song- sung by Elvis, Johnny Cash and I think best by the Blind Boys of Alabama.

I have always loved the Blind Boys of Alabama. When we were planting churches in Montreal we heard them perform live in the open air on a warm evening in Downtown Montreal. Check out this video of the Blind Boys of Alabama singing "Run On". I have included the words to the song as well.



Run On
First up, great God, let me tell you the news 

My head got wet with the midnight dew 

I've been down on bended knee,
Talkin' to the man from Galilee 

Then my God spoke and he sounded so sweet 

I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
Then he put one hand upon my head

Great God almighty let me tell you what he said:



Go tell that long tongue liar 

Go tell that midnight rider 

Tell the gambler, the rambler, the back biter
Tell them God Almighty gonna cut 'em down

You may run on for the long time 

Run along for the long time
Run along for the long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down

You may run on for the long time
Run along for the long time
Run along for a long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down 



Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand 

Work in the dark against your fellow man 

But as sure as God made rich and poor

You gonna reap just what you sow 


Some people go to church just to signify
Tryin' to get a date with the neighbor's wife
But listen to me brother, sure as you're born,
You better leave that woman alone
Cause one of these days, you mark my word,
You think that brother is goin' to work
You're gonna come up and knock on the door
That's all brother, you'll knock no more

You may run on for the long time
Run along for the long time
Run along for the long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down

First up, great God, let me tell you the news 

My head got wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee,
Talkin' to the man from Galilee
God he spoke, he spoke so sweet
I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
Then he put one hand upon my head

Great God almighty let me tell you what he said:



Go tell that long tongue liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the gambler, the rambler, the back biter
Tell them God Almighty gonna cut 'em down

You may run on for the long time
Run along for a long time
Run along for a long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down

You may run on for the long time
Run along for a long time
Run along for a long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down

You may run on for the long time
Run along for a long time
Run along for a long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down

You may run on for the long time
Run along for a long time
Run along for a long time
Let me tell you God Almighty gonna cut you down

You may run on for the long time

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go tell that midnight rider
Tell the gambler, the rambler, the back biter
Tell them God Almighty gonna cut 'em down

With that song in mind listen to the message from 2 Samuel 12:1-23. Remember God will NEVER let a true regenerate believer live in a prolong state of unrepentant sin. He will always penetrate the darkness of our sin and bring us to repentance.

Listen to the sermon here

eating well

As I child I remember vividly this picture, about 6 inches by 8 inches on a little easel on the end table by the sofa. As I would sit and watch my favorite TV shows, Whizzo, Torey and Old Gus (if you were a kid in the 60's in Kansas City you watched them too).

I would glance over at this picture and wonder why in the world my parents had that picture always on our end table. Who were these ladies and what were they doing picking up grass? When I ask my mom why we kept that picture there she said because someone in the church gave it to us (I was a preacher's kid) and we kept it out in case they dropped by. But she also told me it was Ruth, from the Bible and she was "gleaning the fields". I don't know if the person who gave us the picture ever stopped by, but if they did they would have seen it displayed on our end table. Funny how images get imprinted on our minds.

Years latter as an adult when I saw this print it was like seeing an old friend...it brought a great feeling of comfort. So now every time I read the book of Ruth, I think of this picture. Which brings me (finally) to the sermon from June 28, 2009. You can listen here:




I love the book of Ruth. Recently God has been speaking to me from this amazing little book. The book of Ruth displays the Glory of God at work in the lives of some very ordinary people involved in some very ordinary events. People just like us living lives much like ours, loving, losing, gaining, trusting and always God directing every step, every movement for His Glory.

As you listen to this message and as you read the text, ask God to give you a passion to feed from His fields, to glean every single truth from His land and to value greatly that which we have so wonderfully received from our great "Kinsman Redeemer"