Wednesday, December 17, 2014

AMAZING BETHANY

     I want to say something about my home church, Bethany Holiness Church. The environment that has been built here by Pastor Darrel Toliver and many others is amazing and life-changing.
     We are probably running between 200 to 300 on the services that everyone is able to be in one place at the same time but most of the time that is not possible. In this one little country church we have so many ministries and outreaches going on that I fail to remember them all at the same time.
     Pastor is on several boards literally across the continent, there are several ministers involved in a very large homeless mission style out reach program, different ministers take on jobs of driving buses and vans, organizing special services, preparing large meals and serving them, setting up and taking down instruments and sound systems in multiple sanctuaries, several brothers have a ministry in a local jail system, several sisters share in the jail ministry, at least one family opens their home to children that are troubled and up for adoption, we have a sister that works through CASA to mentor extremely troubled children, board members that meet and pray and make wise decisions to keep the entire system working, multiple families and individuals working in our own private Christian school system, A great young minister and his wife and children working diligently every day to minister to and help train our youth, many many families, businesses and individuals that give extra money above and beyond their regular tithes and offerings to finance all of these different ministries, a minister that is going around teaching and preaching healing campaigns, sisters that specifically write notes, make cards bake cookies and other things to give for encouragement to active ministries, young families and new converts, people filling prayer rooms and prayer closets at designated undesignated times to hold up all the workers, workers and volunteers that manage The Saving Place Furniture Store owned and operated by one of our ministries, people that intentionally purchase their mattresses and furniture as much as they can from The Saving Place so that the money that they have to spend anyway goes to continue to support our ministries, our former Pastor, Brother Tommy Toliver and his wife still aggressively evangelizing full-time at an age when many have to or choose to slow way down, a satellite church being put together in the ghetto of inner-city Tulsa so that many can be reached that are not able to be reached from as far out in the country where the mother church is.
     Just this week alone we have three weekend services, including a traditional morning service and a traditional evening service and a Christmas for the homeless outreach afternoon service, a special Christmas singing at a cancer treatment center, a Christmas play and program put on by our school and our youth, a work night at the satellite church, a service and singing at the county jail, the church as a whole sponsoring a mother and baby for Christmas, another family sponsoring another mother and baby in tremendous need also for Christmas, and multiple families sponsoring children from several other families for Christmas that otherwise would have very little. And the list goes on and on. There are many support roles such as book keeping, setting up and taking down tables and chairs, multiple levels of Sunday school teaching, etc that wasn't even mentioned. The list is just too long.
     My point is this. I have dreamed of s pentecostal conservative environment that not only teaches good, preaches good and worships good, but one that "for once", the people not involved in ministry are kind of the outsiders instead of the other way around. I travel the country over and over and many places that I go, the ones that want to do ministry are doing it kind of off in a corner, almost in shame. Not really fitting in. Dear God I pray for my home church. Protect this environment, let it spread here and many other places. Let others catch the vision to not just grow MY CHURCH but rather grow YOUR KINGDOM.
     I live a charmed life.

Your humble servant,
Rev. D. Todd Sloggett



Monday, April 14, 2014

Remarks and prayer from Sean and Jae's wedding

     
     I have been asked over and over for a copy of my remarks at my son's wedding on Saturday so here they are.

(I HAVE A FEW THINGS TO SAY AND IT IS SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU TWO.  IT JUST SO HAPPENS THAT ALL OF THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE, BUT FOR A FEW MOMENTS THEY ARE NOT MY CONCERN.) 

     SEAN, YOU ARE THE SECOND CHILD OF OURS TO GET MARRIED…..IN THREE WEEKS.  AND AS BEAUTIFUL AND GLORIOUS AS THE OTHER WEDDING WAS, IT TAKES NOTHING AWAY FROM THIS AMAZING MOMENT.  IF I HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING IN THE LAST MONTH IT IS THIS.  I HAVEN’T TOLD YOU OFTEN ENOUGH HOW PROUD I AM OF YOU.  YOUR MOTHER AND I ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU SEAN HARLEY.  
     I FEEL THE NEED TO COMPEL YOU RIGHT NOW SON.  TO ENCOURAGE AND ADMONISH YOU.  TO SPEAK TO YOU ON A LEVEL THAT YOU AND I ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH.  I MIGHT BE JUST A LITTLE TO REAL FOR SOME THAT ARE PRESENT BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT THEM.
     SON,  AS A MARRIED MAN I COMPEL YOU TO CHOOSE MATURITY OVER SELFISHNESS, WORK OVER PLAY, FORGIVENESS OVER GRUDGES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY I ADMONISH YOU TO CHOOSE YOUR WIFE OVER ALL OTHERS.  SEAN, WHEN YOU GET OFF WORK I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK ON JAE BEFORE YOU CHECK ON ANY TEAM SCORES.  TO THINK OF HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN SINCE YOU HAVE TAKEN HER OUT TO DINNER BEFORE YOU THINK OF HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN SINCE YOU HAVE HUNG OUT WITH YOUR BUDDIES.  I COMPEL YOU TO BE THE FIRST TO COMMUNICATE, THE FIRST TO FORGIVE AND THE FIRST TO PRAY.  
     AS A FATHER SOMEDAY YOU WILL MAKE ME A GRANDFATHER AND THEN I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER WHAT I SAID HERE TODAY.  REMEMBER THAT I ENCOURAGED YOU TO TEACH THE GRANDCHILDREN OF YOUR MOTHER AND I AND GLENN AND KAREN THAT IT IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT TO MEMORIZE A BIBLE VERSE OR ATTEND A CHURCH SERVICE THEN IT IS TO SHOOT A BOW OR A BALL.  THINK CLEARLY, LIVE SPIRITUALLY AND LOVE WITH ALL YOUR HEART.  

     JAE, ONE MONTH AGO NIKI AND I HAD ONE DAUGHTER.  TODAY WE HAVE THREE, AND WE COULD NOT BE ANY HAPPIER OR MORE PROUD THAN FOR YOU TO BE ONE OF THEM.  
     I ALSO FEEL PRESSED TO ADMONISH AND ENCOURAGE YOU.  TO SPEAK TO YOU NO MORE AS MY SON’S GIRLFRIEND, BUT AS A DAUGHTER.  
     AS A MARRIED WOMAN I COMPEL YOU TAKE POSSESSION OF YOUR HOME, YOUR MARRIAGE AND YOUR PERSONAL FAMILY.  MAKE DECISIONS DAY BY DAY AND MOMENT BY MOMENT THAT ENCOURAGE STRENGTH AND UNITY BETWEEN YOURSELF AND SEAN.  WHEN YOU SIT DOWN FOR DINNER OR LAY DOWN FOR THE NIGHT, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO TELL SEAN TO HIS FACE ABOUT ALL OF YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS BEFORE YOU TELL THEM TO ANYONE ON INSTAGRAM.  I ADMONISH YOU TO TELL HIM ABOUT YOUR DAY AND LISTEN TO HIM ABOUT HIS BEFORE YOU READ ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE’S ON FACEBOOK.  I’M NOT BEING CRITICAL OF YOU IN ANY WAY.  I AM JUST TRYING TO TEACH MY CHILDREN NOT TO FALL INTO SOME OF THE TRAPS THAT AS A MINISTER I SEE MANY OTHERS FALLING INTO.  
     ONE OTHER TRAP I WOULD LOVE TO HELP YOU AVOID.  I REALIZE THAT YOUR PRECIOUS MOTHER AND WONDERFUL SISTERS HAVE LONG BEEN YOUR BEST FRIENDS BUT NOW SEAN MUST BE.  IT WOULD BE UNFAIR AND INAPPROPRIATE FOR ALL OF YOU LADIES TO GANG UP ON HIM.  I FIND MYSELF IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT.  MY THREE MEN, JUSTIN, SEAN AND BRANDEN, ARE MY BEST BUDS.  BUT WISDOM TELLS ME NOW TO LEARN TO NOT JUST SHARE THEM WITH YOU LADIES BUT TO TAKE MY APPROPRIATE PLACE IN THEIR LIVES NOW AS COUNSELOR AND NOT CONDUCTOR.  IT REMINDS ME OF MY MOTHER.  WHEN NIKI AND I GOT MARRIED, SHE NEVER CALLED NIKI ANYTHING EVER AGAIN EXCEPT HER DAUGHTER.  (ONE DAY I WENT OVER TO MY MOTHER’S HOUSE BECAUSE NIKI AND I WERE HAVING A FIGHT AND I SAID SOME THINGS ABOUT NIKI, LOOKING FOR MY MOTHER TO TAKE MY SIDE, AND MY MOTHER’S RESPONSE ROCKED ME ON MY HEELS.  “DON’T YOU TALK ABOUT MY DAUGHTER THAT WAY!”  SHE WENT SO FAR ONE DAY TO TELL ME THAT IF NIKI AND I EVER DIVORCED THAT SHE WOULD KEEP NIKI AND I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE.)  WHEN YOU AND SEAN HAVE YOUR LITTLE FALLING OUTS JAE, I ADMONISH YOU TO REMEMBER WHAT I SAID HERE TODAY.  I WILL GIVE SEAN THE BEST ADVICE I CAN BUT ULTIMATELY MOST OF MY ADVICE WILL HAVE TO BE, “GO BACK TO YOUR HOME, TAKE YOUR WIFE AND COMMUNICATE, COMPROMISE AND LOVE YOUR WAY THROUGH THIS.”  
     I COMPEL YOU TO HEDE HIS COMMUNICATION, FORGIVE HIS SHORT COMMINGS AND PRAY WITH HIM AND FOR HIM.  
     AND AS A MOTHER SOMEDAY, IF THE GOOD LORD TARRIES, YOU WILL LITERALLY RAISE UP THE LAST OF THE LAST OF ALL GENERATIONS NO DOUBT.  I ENCOURAGE, NO I BEG OF YOU, TEACH THE GRAND CHILDREN OF GLENN JETT AND TODD SLOGGETT, OF SISTER KAREN AND SISTER NIKI THAT THEY ARE TO FEAR GOD, LOVE HIM AND SERVE HIM ALL THE DAYS OF THIER LIVES NOT BECAUSE THEY HAVE JETT BLOOD IN THEM, NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE SLOGGETTS, NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE FOURTH OR FIFTH GENERATION HOLINESS OR THAT THEIR GRANDPA IS A HOLINESS PREACHER, BUT BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR THEM AND THEY ARE CALLED BY HIM TO LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY.  THINK CLEARLY, LIVE SPIRITUALLY AND LOVE WITH ALL YOUR HEART. 


LET’S BOW OUR HEADS AND PRAY.  

     GREAT GOD OF ALL HEAVEN AND EARTH.  WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR GRACE AND POWER ON THIS BLESSED DAY.  LORD WE ASK THAT YOU POUR OUT YOUR LOVE, STRENGTH AND BLESSINGS ON THIS PRECIOUS COUPLE.  HOLD THIER UNION TOGETHER AND USE THEM IN A MIGHTY WAY.  LET EACH OF US DO OUR PART TO PRAY FOR THEM AND BE THE LOVING AND ENCOURAGING COMMUNITY OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT A COUPLE NEEDS IN SUCH A TIME AS THIS.  AND FATHER, FOR ABOUT THE 100TH TIME IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, SECOND TIME IN PUBLIC, I PRAY ONE MORE TIME LORD THAT WE AS A PEOPLE ACCEPT, THAT AS MY SON AND HIS NEW BRIDE LEAVE THIS BUILDING TODAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME THEY HAVE SOME BUSINESS THAT IS THEIR OWN BUSINESS AND NONE OF OUR BUSINESS.  IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

Comments and prayer with my son Sean and Daughter in law Jae during their wedding on Saturday April 12th 2014.  

Your humble servant,

Rev. D. Todd Sloggett

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

RELATIONSHIPS MATTER


     THE ENTIRE BIBLE IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS.  GOD’S TO THE WORLD.  GOD’S TO MAN.  ADAM TO EVE.  CAIN TO ABEL.  NOAH TO HIS COMMUNITY.  SAMSON’S TO HIS FIRST WIFE, HIS PARENTS AND DELILAH.  DAVID TO SAUL, JONATHAN, ABNER AND THE PROPHET NATHAN.  JOSEPH’S TO MARY, MARY’S TO ELIZABETH, JOHN’S TO JESUS.  JESUS’ TO HIS FATHER AND ON AND ON AND ON........
     RELATIONSHIPS SHAPE, MOLD AND MAKE US INTO WHO WE ARE.  EVERY TIME THAT A MADMAN KILLS A BUNCH OF PEOPLE OR A POLITICIAN CHEATS OR A PREACHER LASHES OUT, YOU  CAN HEAR PEOPLE TALKING IN THE NEWSROOMS, IN THE DOCTOR’S OFFICES AND AROUND THE KITCHEN TABLES ABOUT WHAT HIS RELATIONSHIPS WERE LIKE.  DID HIS FATHER ABUSE HIM, DID HER MOTHER LEAVE HER, HOW WERE THEY RAISED AND WHO WERE THIER INFLUENCES?  RELATIONSHIPS MATTER!  
     HERE IS MY POINT TODAY, CHRIST GAVE US SOME PHENOMENAL INSIGHT IN LUKE CHAPTER 10 ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS ARE TO OUTREACH MINISTRY....LET’S LOOK AT IT.
     LET’S TAKE EACH OF THE PLAYERS IN THESE VERSES AND SEE WHAT THEIR REACTION OR ATTITUDE WAS TO THE STIMULUS THAT JESUS INTERJECTED INTO THIER LIVES.  IN THIS CASE THE STIMULUS BEING “A PERSON IN NEED”.  

To the expert in religious law- the wounded man was a subject to discuss, theorize and use as a pawn in a conversation to try to trap another teacher with

To the thieves- the wounded man was some one to abuse and exploit

To the preachers- the wounded man was a problem to be avoided

To the business man (innkeeper)- the wounded man was a customer worth serving if it meant making a profit

To the samaritan- the wounded man was a human being likened unto himself that was worthy of being cared for and loved...

To Jesus, our narrator of this story- the wounded man was worth dying for.


NOW IT IS UP TO YOU TO GO BACK AND SEE WHERE ALL YOU FIT IN THIS PARABLE!!!

     WHEN IT COMES TO THE TWO MAIN POOLS OF PEOPLE THAT WE ARE TRYING TO GROW OUR CHURCHES FROM, THE COMMUNITY AND OUR CHILDREN, RELATIONSHIPS IS WHERE WE ARE FAILING MOST.  AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE OF OUR HYPOCRISIES.  WHEN PEOPLE DECIDE THAT WE ARE HYPOCRITES THEN THEY QUIT FOLLOWING OUR EXAMPLES.  
     YOU MAY BE THE BEST PREACHER THAT THERE IS.  DEEP, FULL OF CHARISMA AND CHARACTER.  BUT IF PEOPLE FIND OUT, AND THEY EVENTUALLY WILL, THAT YOU TREAT YOUR WIFE LIKE DIRT?  THEY ARE GOING TO STOP FOLLOWING YOU.
     YOU MAY BE HELD UP AS THIS GODLY AND SPIRITUAL WOMAN.  GREAT TEACHER TO THE OTHER LADIES AND THE CHILDREN.  BUT IF PEOPLE FIND OUT, AND THEY EVENTUALLY WILL, THAT YOU WEAR THE PANTS IN YOUR FAMILY.  THEY ARE GOING TO STOP FOLLOWING YOU.
     YOU MAY BE THE HOTTEST NAME IN AN EVANGELIST OUT THERE TODAY.  OR THE MOST ENDURING NAME IN A PASTOR OR CAMP MEETING PREACHER.  BUT IF PEOPLE FIND OUT THAT YOU CAN LOOK A MAN RIGHT IN THE EYE AND TELL HIM ALL KINDS OF WONDERFUL THINGS THAT YOU THINK ABOUT HIM AND THEN GO RIGHT DOWN THE STREET TO TACO BELL AND GOSSIP ABOUT HIM AND STAB HIM IN THE BACK AND THROW HIM UNDER THE BUS.....WHEN THE PEOPLE FIND OUT, THEY ARE GOING TO STOP FOLLOWING YOU.  
     YOU SEE IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT WHY CAN’T WE GET ANY CONVERTS.  MOST HAVE HAD PLENTY OF CONVERTS.  THEY JUST COULDN’T KEEP THEM.  WE ALL HAVE SAID THAT IT HAS TO DO WITH FOLLOW UP AND DISCIPLESHIP AND IT DOES.  THAT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THEM BUT OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THEM IS NOT THE ONLY RELATIONSHIP THAT OUR CONVERTS ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO IT IS OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EVERYONE ELSE THAT MATTER AS WELL.

This entire post is an excerpt from one of my sermons.

Rev. D. Todd Sloggett

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Greeting Saints,                                                                                                                  3/17/14


     2014 is already off to an incredible start.  As we continue to grow our outreaches, homeless works, drug programs and affiliates, we have specifically concentrated on our largest endeavor, our overnight stay facilities. 
     The Disciple House is one such facility.  It is a men’s half way house program that is designed specifically around salvation and Biblical principles.  Our program must be applied for and we only take the ones that we believe are trying, the best they know how, to surrender to Christ.  Men that live here actually work for our furniture store and build new dorm rooms for future clients.  They have a very rigorous schedule and routine.  Clients go to church 3 to 5 times a week, have Bible study and Bible class 2 to 3 times a week, they do their own laundry, cooking and cleaning and have to meet specific requirements in order to stay in good standing with the program.  While staying at The Disciple House they report to a dorm monitor, a teacher, a Pastor and Brother Todd on a daily basis.  While living at The Disciple House, all clients attend Bethany Holiness Church full time, attend many other special services and they have dedicated times at night to pray and study together.  We also make sure t  As they progress they are assisted in making sure that they have no warrants, get all proper identification, apply for jobs until they receive one and then get into an apartment of their own.  
hat there is good clean fun and fellowship every week.
     The men that are with us today are an amazing group of guys.  They have problems ranging from addictions, homelessness and severe financial crisis.  We do all that we can to love and help them all.  Our clients as of today range in age from mid 50’s to early 20’s.  Sin, Satan and circumstance are equal opportunity destroyers.
     The Disciple House is only one of the overnight stay facilities that we are currently administrating and supporting.  We have
recently donated more beds and more materials to The Life House that is run by our affiliates in Kentucky.
       I have heard many ministers over the years preach, teach and complain from their pulpits, about the thieves, addicts, dead beat dads and so forth, in their communities, but our staff is literally, 24/7/365, DOING something about it.  It has been a long and rigorous 18 years of ministry to get to this point, but to watch these guys clean up, repent, work, fight through, discuss, question, overcome, get to see their kids, be reunited with family, pay their debt to society and accept the debt that Christ paid for them……..makes it all worth while.  Will you help sponsor The Disciple House and our other outreaches?  We literally have to buy all of their food, sheets, towels, toiletries and much of their clothes every month in order for them to stay here.   
     These men are real people.  They are husbands, fathers, children, nephews and friends.  They hurt, they cry, they apologize and they repent.  Together with the help of HMA, our many supporters and God Almighty, they are being changed.  We are truly, now more than ever, reaching the least, the last and the lost. 
     Please continue, or begin, to partner with us.  We desperately need more prayer warriors, more monthly supporters and more 15 passenger vans.  God bless each and every one of you.  I hope to see as many of you as possible this summer and fall as I evangelize, itinerate and preach several revivals, camp meetings and conferences.  


Your humble servant,

Rev. D. Todd Sloggett 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, TEXTING AND PAUL'S LETTER TO THE ROMANS


     (WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS A BASIC TRANSCRIPT OF ONE OF MY SERMONS)

      
     I was reading my Bible the other day and, believe it or not, I found a place in the book of Romans that enlightened me and gave me clarification on texting and facebooking. 
     In Chapter 1 Paul tells the church at Rome that he plans to come and see them.  He tells of spiritual gifts that he will give them.  Now these gifts are not tangible things that can be brought in a sack.  So why does he need to GO THERE to give them to them?
     Paul is called of God to preach and teach spiritual things to this group of people.  And the thought crossed my mind.  “If he is already writing letters to them, then why doesn’t he just keep writing letters and teach them that way?  It would be easier, less expensive and less time consuming than taking a trip all the way across a continent?  Right?”  But I think we all know the answer.  Some things just have to be done in person.  Some things can never be expressed that are not expressed face to face.
     What happens is when anyone reads something that anyone else wrote, they put their own internal spin on it.  They read it as they want to hear it or as they assume it was written.  And more often than not, the “want to hear” or the “assumed” version are far from the way that it was intended. 
     Expressions of human nature such as humor, sarcasm, playfulness, sternness, compassion and sincerity can not be absorbed off of the page or “the screen”.  The written word is best absorbed factually.  Many things, including spiritual things, are more than just factual.  They are intense, passionate and very colorful.  These are rarely interpreted correctly from text.  It is why the Bible plainly says ABOUT ITSELF in 2nd Corinthians 3:6 that “…the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”  Because without the abiding Spirit of God upon the anointed text, the words themselves would undoubtedly be interpreted many different ways.  The majority of which would be destructive, even deadly.  This has all come to pass many times over. 
     This differentiating between text and personal presence seems to have happened often in Paul’s ministry.  In 1st Corinthians chapter 11 Paul was writing about several of the do’s and do not’s of the church and he ended by saying, “…And the rest will I set in order when I come. “  Basically saying, “Here are some of the facts that you must do and not do.  There will undoubtedly be some interpretation issues and some problems with things deeper than just the facts but they cannot be dealt with in letter form so when I get there we will deal with them.” 
     If you remember there was even a little debate over the difference in demeanor that Paul had between when he was writing and when he was physically present.  Paul actually commented on it in 2nd Corinthians chapter 10. 
     Now the reason that I reference all of this is to tell you that God completely understood and built into creation the use of ALL forms of communication.  The creator of communication created it with rhyme and reason.  He is not the author of confusion.  If any form of communication is causing us confusion or problems it must be that we aren’t using it correctly. 
     Look with me now at the expansion of use of modern texting and facebook messaging.  As technology expands into every second of every day life it has grown into areas where it attempts to replace certain parts of communication that are irreplaceable.  A text saying, “Mom, I had a flat tire.  Tire is fixed.  B home in 15 mins.”  Is tremendous use of technological communication.  “These are the basic facts, no drawn out phone conversation.  It stops mom from wondering what is going on and the details of the story will be explained WHEN I GET THERE.  A facebook message or post of, “Little Joey said his first words today!”  Or, “Suzy and daddy brought me supper from Olive Garden.  #MYFAVE.”  These give facts and even induce emotions and feelings that are pretty hard to get wrong. 
     But now let’s look at some other communication.  For example: I know of an 18 year old young lady that had been on drugs off and on for about two years and after trying or perhaps not trying to get clean several different times, she finally prayed and seemed to get a lot of help.  Since being on drugs she had been a very mean and negative person.  She was much more cheery and fun loving before.  One night, after being clean for only a few weeks, she sent her mother this text.  “Ugh, I went out with my friends to get pizza and the waitress was a weirdo and our pizza was some concoction of bizarre things that we didn’t order.  Oh my word!”  To which mom responded with.  “Young lady, if you don’t get a better attitude and start seeing the blessings that you really have you are never going to make it in this life.  Are you still on something?  You didn’t used to act like this.”
     Now.  When the girl wrote the text this was her thought process.  I want mom to see that I am out with normal friends.  Not hiding from social activity.  I want her to realize that I am at a pizza place and not a party at some guy’s house and I want her to read my innocent/ humorous “complaints” about the pizza toppings and the waitress and realize that I have a sense of humor again. 
     What happened was the two women took a technological form of communication that works well for factual transfers of information and random bits of updates and sharing of thought and tried to use it to build a bonding, healing, life changing moment with it and it was never INTENDED to be used as such and it very very often fails horrendously when used as such!  Anyone who believes that a heart to heart, “Mom I’m getting better”, “Honey I still worry about you but I want you to understand how proud I am of you”, “I need to explain things about my addiction”, “Dear, you are going to have to help Dad and I understand”, “Addiction, salvation, life altering, family time, personal one on one stuff can be replaced with a series of texts is greatly mistaken!
     So if we can agree on that, then what other subjects and topics are we fooling ourselves with when we think that they can be crammed into technology thus saving more time to do more things?  People have literally convinced themselves not to take on highly effective things in their lives, such as Bible reading, regular exercise, regular date nights with their spouse, etc. for the reason that they just don’t have enough time in their day.  But the same people have “habits” of playing “words with friends” or “slappy birds” or they are ritualistic, almost spiritualistic about updating their status, reposting, hashtaging or scrolling through the feed.  Listen closely to what I am saying.  There is nothing wrong with playing some modern electronic version of scrabble or posting a picture of your macho nachos but if it is altering your ability to communicate on a deep enough level thus undermining your God given ability to communicate and have right relationships……Ok, let me give you an example.  Your kids are not listening to you.  They are getting rebellious.  They talk and it doesn’t even sound like your children.  You’re losing control of them.  It is as if they don’t even respect you as their authority anymore.  Sound familiar to anyone?  If you ever had a teenager it does.  So you get together and meet at The Olive Garden and sit there with your family in close proximity and……do what?  Facebook, instagram, text back and forth.  Your children to their friends, you to the office, your wife to her mother. 
     Let’s pretend for a moment.  You are God.  You are inventing humanity.  Marriage.  The family.  You realize that there must be different levels of relationships thus there will be a need for different levels of communication.  Ahha!  You got it.  The second closest of all relationships outside of their relationship with you needs to be the family unit.  They will live in tight quarters.  Share things, see each other often, learn moods and facial expressions.  The only relationship closer is the marriage and they will share all these similar things plus a bed.  Wait, one more thing.  You will build their digestive system in a way that they will of necessity meet together multiple times on a regular basis to “have a meal”.  Why?  Why not design it any other way?!?!?!  Because this way the children can ask curious questions and the parents will fill their heads with knowledge and wisdom and inspire them with kindness, mercy and regulations.  This way the parents can delve into the lives of the youth and get the who, what, when and where of their offspring.  Look into their eyes and decipher if they are telling the truth or not, ohhhh!!!!!  Come on church!!!
     Or when the husband and wife crawl up into the bed and take the God given time that should be used to strengthen the marriage by the wife telling the husband all about her day and the husband telling the wife all about his big plans and he caressing her and her feeling his strong arms of protection.  But instead they feel the desperate need to get fully updated about how Suzy’s Candle party turned out or what whimsical quote was posted on the face of the cute kid or answer those last couple of emails and get so distracted and so discouraged by things that are happening hundreds of miles away from their little house or apartment until they are exhausted and don’t have quality time for one another.  It should be enough for her that I paid the bills, no need to talk.  Right?  Right?  It should be enough for him that I made supper, no need to be intimate.  Right?  Right??? 
Please, please I am begging you church.  I’m not being radical, I’m being reasonable.  I am not preaching “against” these things I am preaching against the abuse of these things.  My wife and I at some point or another use almost every single thing that I have mentioned tonight.  And I am only against them when they become destructive to good Godly relationships.  But when they reach that point, I am VERY against that. 
     The Bible IS the answer to ALL of our troubles.  It IS in there!  The church world always has these battles and every time that the battle lines are drawn, the radicals take up arms on the front lines and it appears to be all about the radicals and not about the reasonables.  It is reasonable to expect that if you study to show yourself approved unto God and take his yoke upon you and learn the things that are built into the perfect law of liberty that are for you and about you, that you can expect health, joy, love, strength….it is all promised.  But if God showed us how to do it right and we try to circumvent his perfect plan it will not work.  It never has worked.  It cannot work.  In the 60’s there was a movement that thought that they could have peace without God, it failed, it the 70’s there was a group that thought that they could have love without marriage, it failed, in the 80’s there was a bunch of philosophers that believed that they could have marriage without intimacy, they even made a movie about it with Harison Ford and Barbara Striesand, it failed, now in the 21st century we have decided that we can raise good kids and have a strong marriage and happy family and a powerful church without good communication skills…..IT WILL FAIL!!!
     I’m going to get on some toes now….We have children that are   running around acting crazy, have to have new things, have to have new friends, have to be entertained 24/7  and grandma and grandpa are usually scolding mommy and daddy for not teaching their children better…..and then I noticed something.  When grandma and grandpa hold the children in church and within 15 seconds the children start fussing and squirming…..are you ready for this….grandma or grandpa pulls out their cell phone and gives it to baby and baby is happy.  Now when baby is 13 and can’t sit through a church service and doesn’t know anything about the Bible and has no attention span, Is it baby’s fault?  I want to brag on my wife for just a minute.  When we were evangelizing, we never took our phones into church and she would sit Justin, Sean, Branden and Tirzah on the very front row and often times I would sit on the platform with the pastor and my children were taught from a very young age to sit still, pay attention and be good.  Not very many days ago I saw a young evangelist’s wife that sat on the very front row and had 5 children from 8 weeks to about 7 years and outside of a little fussing from the baby they all sat, listened, cooperated and obeyed.  That doesn’t just happen.  It takes communication, dedication and discipline.  IT TAKES A SERIOUSNESS TO BE IN THE WILL OF GOD!  God knew and designed all of these things to take place at the time that each child would be most acceptable and in need of it.  But we think that we can REPLACE it.  Put it off until later or do it a totally different way. I’m asking you tonight, no I’m pleading with you tonight.  For the church, for the next generation, for America…..do it God’s way!  Look at the verses and realize that he meant what he said. 

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger

Proverbs 5:18 rejoice with the wife of thy youth

1st Corinthians Chapter 7  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with CONSENT for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan temp you not for your incontinency

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, let us reason together

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man

     These verses and many others need to be studied, understood, taken seriously and implemented through teaching, structure and example.  Then life will get better.  Church life, home life, eternal life. 
     God has a perfect plan for every moment of every life but it must be implemented Biblically, not just religiously or fellowshiply or pastorally or grandfatherly…..

     What is wrong with your world?  Drugs?  Look at Jesus’s refusal of the pain killing potion on the cross.  Adultery?  Study proverbs Chapter 7.   Selfishness?  See what the Bible says about it.  Lack of church growth?  See what the Bible says about it.  I know I know.  But brother Todd, this is the way we have always done it.  If it hasn’t worked for a long time, it’s not going to work if you do the same thing…harder.  The answer to teen preganacy still is not preaching harder on longer dresses, the answer to drugs still is not preaching harder against drug addicts.  The answer to selfish church goers and ministers without a vision still is not a tighter standard and a more political fellowship.  It’s not trying to be connected to the big names and the big players across the country or to marry into one of the key families.  The answer, the solution, the fix the repair, the restoration, the joy, the shout, the cleansing the GLORY is the answers that HE already gave us that we have not been applying.

     You want a better wife, be a better husband, you want a better family, be a better leader or a better follower, you want a better life, be a better person, you want a better eternal life, be a better Christian.   The plan of the old KJV Bible will work in any situation.  If you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth or white trash.  If your back ground made you susceptible to sin or your bad choices did.  If you were raised on a church pew or a bar stool.  Technology or no technology, 20th century or 21st century, don’t let anyone fool you and don’t let the trends of society shake you…..THIS IS THE ANSWER!!!  THE BIBLE, THE BIBLE, THE BIBLE!!!  No, I did not say Church, church church or preaching, preaching, preaching…..It’s THE WORD and the understanding thereof. 

God bless You,
Your humble servant,
Rev. D. Todd Sloggett