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Weblog of Pastor Brian Tibbs, pastor of
Charlestown Independent Church.
The Weblog is a weekly look at current events from a
Biblical perspective by Pastor Brian
October 20, 2006: Smooth Sailing [not] Ahead
 If you watch TV these days, everyone is trying to predict the
future...the outcome of the elections, the rate of global warming,
future population demographics, when man will land on Mars, and on and on. I think the reason is that if we humans think we know what is coming, we feel we can at least be prepared. But some of the most important things to happen in history caught everyone off guard...Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, Katrina.
The thing is, we humans have a pretty pitiful record at predicting
What will happen tomorrow: and that is true even down to our own little
lives. Could you have predicted 5 years before who you would marry, where you would live, where you would work, etc.? Even if you accurately nailed those things, I guarantee that there was an unexpected death or two, unexpected car wreck, or fire, or sickness or something that came your way.
What's frustrating is that God doesn't even let us believers know
what is coming in our lives. God always has a way of surprising us--with the good, the bad, or the indifferent. God doesn't want us to know all the details of the future. But He does encourage us to stay plugged into him now, so that when we hit the unexpected we'll be prepared.
When I was in my early-mid twenties I got into fantastic shape...I
Worked out all the time. During that time, some friends and I went
Whitewater rafting in the Royal Gorge. Hit with an unexpected wave, everyone on my side of the boat went overboard...including me. But at the last moment before my feet slipped out of their hold in the boat, I did a sit-up. My stomach muscles were good, solid, and in shape, and they alone pulled my torso back into the boat. Had I not done all that working out, I would have joined my other two friends floating down the cold and treacherous waters of the gorge.
Smooth sailing today? I have no idea what wave will hit you, or when,but I can assure you the wave is waiting somewhere for you out around the bend...and God isn't probably going to give you any advanced warning. So be in the Word, be in a good church where you're fed the Bible---be in shape spiritually; so that when the unexpected happens, you'll be fit
enough to stay in the boat, rather than be taken for a dunking in those cold, cold waters!
October 13, 2006: In A Galaxy Far Far Way
 If you don't already know, I LOVE Star Wars. I could discuss with you the principles of the Star Wars universe, the theology of the light and dark sides of the force, the dimensions of the Millennium Falcon, the History of the Clone Wars, and the Rise and Fall of the Old Republic, and on and on... (just ask my wife!)
BUT, I realize that Star Wars is totally fiction...it has NOTHING to do with reality. Luke Skywalker didn't really exist, there is no "force", and the Falcon isn't really the "fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy." While I might occasionally draw an application to my life from the Star Wars movies, they really have no impact on who I am, what I believe, or how I act. They exist solely for my entertainment!
The problem is, that is exactly the way many "Christians" view their faith. Every year about this time we hear politicians talking about how religious they are, but stressing that their faith doesn't have any impact on their policies or political beliefs. Unfortunately, many garden-variety Christians are the same way. They can sit around and chew the fat on theology, tell you the dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant, discuss Moses or Jesus or Paul, and even throw in a dash of prophecy, but for them, their faith does not impact their life...it exists for entertainment purposes only.
Friend, if that's your faith's extent, please stop wasting your time with Christianity! The message of Scripture is that Christianity is intended to not just affect our life, but every area of our life...how we handle our money, with whom we make love, what career choice we make, how we live, (how we vote,) what we believe, how we raise our kids, and even how we die. If your faith isn't that real to you, either make it real, or go to Blockbuster and trade it in for a good movie trilogy!
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Brian Tibbs was born on June 5, 1970 and grew up in Jeffersonville, graduating
from Jeff High in 1988. After receiving his Bachelor's Degree in Bible from Pensacola Christian College in 1992, he returned to Clark County where he volunteered as Youth Pastor at Charlestown Independent Church, while teaching Jr./Sr. High School History, Government/Economics, and Music at Victory Christian Academy in Louisville. He resigned from his teaching job to become Senior Pastor at Charlestown Independent Church in 1999.
He currently resides in Marysville with his wife Maria (wedded 10-16-2004) and two cats "abandoned" by his sister, called "Orange Cat" and "Black Cat."
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Charlestown
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