Last night, we were driving the back roads from Siloam Springs.  We headed east toward Gentry and we saw a bald eagle fly about 10-12 foot above our car.  It was at dusk and we noticed an Eagle Watch nature trail on Hwy 12 about a mile down the road.  Today we went back to Gentry and hiked the Eagle Watch trail.  We went down to the lake and noticed two eagles soaring over head as well as a flock of geese get startled and fly off from the shore.

Our camera has 12X zoom so I couldn’t get a good close up.  They were soaring pretty high and it was a beautiful sight to behold a bald eagle soaring in the gloomy sky.  I was reminded of the Scripture in Isaiah 40:29-31:

²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
      And to those who have no might He increases strength.
³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
      And the young men shall utterly fall,
³¹ But those who wait on the LORD
      Shall renew their strength;
      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
      They shall run and not be weary,
      They shall walk and not faint.

To watch an eagle soar and then read that God says we shall mount up with wings as eagles, stirs my heart to believe that God will help us rise above all trials and tribulation.  He will allow us to soar over all hardships and not be moved.  We might experience the cross-winds but through it all He helps us soar higher.

We also saw this old KCS train in Decatur then a caboose in Gravette.  What an awesome day we had as a family.

What a great time of year!  I enjoy this part of the Christmas season more than the first few weeks.  Christmas Eve service is my favorite service of the year.  These next few days is a time when I enjoy spending time with my family and just enjoying each others company as we slow down after a fast paced holiday season.

So, on this Christmas Eve, we have spent the morning getting ready for our Christmas Eve tradition.  Service at the church then coming home to enjoy some special food we have prepared and then watch the kids open their presents.  What a joy!

Tonight’s menu features a recipe we found on the internet for my favorite mexican sauce.  Green Sauce.  It is Heavenly and only a few restaurants make good green sauce, and all of them are in southeast texas.  Gringo’s and Casa Ole.  It has been almost a year since I have had this green sauce so I began searching for a recipe on the internet.  I came across the recipe for Casa Ole’s green sauce.  Proof that there is a God who cares!  If you would like to try some, here is the recipe.  Beware, it is extremely addictive and maybe a “little” fattening.

Casa Ole Green Sauce
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 28 oz    |   Difficulty Level: 1    |   Ready In: < 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 Avocados
1 (16 oz.) container Sour Cream
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 (4 oz.) can Green Chili Peppers
2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Lemon juice
3 ounces Cream Cheese

Directions:
Mix and blend all ingredients until smooth.

We hope you have a Merry Christmas!  Hope to see you tonight at service!

We had a fantastic weekend at RFA!  It was exciting to see our kid’s department present such an awesome play Saturday and Sunday.  You can see it here.

The list of shout-outs is a mile long so here goes.  There were a lot of people who put in a great deal of effort to make it happen.  Hats off to Shannon Wagner and Julie Lancelot who directed the musical/play.  You did an awesome job leading the kids.  Donna Shepherd who directs B.L.A.S.T. kids every Sunday.  You do a great job every week!  To Lance Manweiller who worked the sound…good job pulling it off with some inferior equipment.  Stan and Cordy Edwards made a great set of props for the play and Kevin Shockley made sure we had a fence around the country scene. We cannot forget the Brummett’s who lent us all the rustic farm equipment that made the scene look more authentic.  We cannot forget Patti Gilliland who made a great looking program for the play.  Doug Gilliland aka Uncle Yule and Terrell Manweiller aka Granny, you guys did a fantastic job on your “adult” parts.  I see Branson in the future.

How about those kids?  Our RFA kids did an awesome job.  Brittany, Levi, Sydney and Wiley you guys were great in your lead roles.  Jake and Josh, not to bad for a city boy and a country boy working together.  Harley, Elizabeth, Katie, Ethan, and the Boyson girls did a great job in all of their roles.  We have a lot of talent coming up in the future.

Not to mention, Saturday night was the debut of our new country rap group here at RFA, the Distant Cousins.  These guys are going to be big!  I have already promoted myself to manager/agent.  We will make sure their name gets out  You can check them out here.

Last but not least, the parents.  The play could not have been possible without the dedication of our parents that worked with their kids at home and made sure they were at the practices.  Parents, you are the heroes behind your kids.  It all begins with you making sure they are in church and learning to serve God with their talents.

Life is precious, is it not?
It passes away with little thought

The world full of despair and heartache and grief
People descend to Hell without belief

Not knowing that there is a God who loves
A God who calls them from above

But man often lives his life without a care
Not thinking that in eternity he must live somewhere

Heaven or Hell, it is all our choice
God asks us to call on Him with our voice

A voice of repentance, of pleading for grace
That forever we might gaze upon His face

What will it take for man to discover this truth?
One day he will find that this life will be through

But at the end of this one is the beginning of another
That we will ascend or descend, soon we will discover

When will we change the way in which we live
That to God we will run and ask him to forgive

Our sins, our thoughts even our evil deeds
And look to Him for whom our soul ever will keep

What will it take for man to turn?
What will he face before he learns?

That surely this life is but a breath from its end
After our last breath, where will we be sent?

Heaven or Hell, Have you ever given it a thought?
Hell for those who reject, Heaven for those blood-bought!

-Danny Cheney-

Here is a great article by Joe Thorn on how to pray for the lost:

“How do you pray for those who have not believed the gospel? I’m guessing you do pray for these friends, relatives and neighbors, but how do you pray? Do you simply offer up the prayer that God would save them, or do you seek God’s work more specifically?

Are you praying…

• That God would bring people into their lives to share the gospel with them
• That God the Holy Spirit would convict them of their sin and convince them of their need of a Savior through the ministry of the word
• That God the Father would draw them to Jesus
• That God would cause them to be born again
• That God would open their hearts to respond to the gospel
• That God would open their eyes to see the truth
• That God would set them free from the tyranny of sin and the Devil
• That God would grant them repentance

Prayer for the lost should be more than a hail mary pass to our father in heaven. Be specific. Ask God to do what only he can do. And as we pray let’s make every effort to share the gospel with them as well.”

The time has come for the Cheney household to part ways with Sassy, the cat.  Sassy is a good cat, lovable and has great perseverance.  Her perseverance comes from enduring Hannah who loves this cat and gives it lots of hugs; bear hugs.  The problem with Sassy is that Sonya is allergic to her.  Sonya cannot get over the shingles that is caused by the cat.

With much heartache:) the time has come to give the cat away to a nice family or even a mean one.  Anyone who will take the cat…she is free.  For a limited time, you will get the cat, litter box, litter scoop, litter, food and cat toys all for the very low price of $0.00.  If you are interested leave a comment and we will work something out.

Seriously, if you would like the cat let me know.  If not we will have to take it to the pound.

For many years, my heart has been broken when hearing the reports of ministers who have moral failures.  My heart bleeds for those pastors and especially for their families in the wake of immorality.  Certainly Satan’s attack on the church of Jesus Christ has become more evident in recent years as many in leadership have failed.

Is there an answer to the crisis that has affected God’s Church?  It is not Satan’s fault that man fails.  He is only  the tempter.  Somewhere, I believe, there is a disconnect from God when the man of God runs after worldly things.  Last night, I heard of yet another pastor who committed gross immorality and was arrested.  I went to bed with heaviness in my heart.

In my devotional time this morning, God gave me hope through His Word.  Hope that He is indeed triumphant over Satan and His ploys and His Word gives us the answer to this moral crisis that is shaking the church world.

Jude 24, “Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, to the only God our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord…” (HCSB)

The beginning of that verse arrested my attention, “Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling.”  Jesus Christ is able to protect us from stumbling.  Satan’s temptation is not a death sentence.  His plight to destroy the church does not go unanswered.  Indeed, Christ is victorious over Him.  Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.”  We have a God who is on top of things.

The answer to this moral crisis lies in our willingness to partner with God and allow Him to protect us from stumbling.  Men and women of God are able to complete their race through life without falling away, because of the provision that has been granted to us through Christ.  We must cling to Him and His Word and stand against temptation and sin, knowing that we do not stand alone.  We must live holy and blameless lives while depending on His grace to help us live holy.

Peter gives the believer the prescription of how to live a fall-proof life.  Read closely:

II Peter 1:3-11, “For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. ⁴ By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, ⁷ godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted, and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. ¹¹ For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.” (HCSB)

This text is too lengthy to discuss in depth but if we will live out these words and continue to add to our faith these traits, Peter says we will never stumble. Certainly we play a huge part by living our lives according to God’s Word and His character.  When we do our part, He will help keep us from stumbling.  I have decided that I will strive harder than ever to live these things out.  He has given us His divine power and everything we need for life and godliness.

Pray that you can stand…and pray for those who have fallen.  Pray especially for the families of fallen ministers.

Most people love it when the holidays roll around. Christmas seems to bring out cheer in everyone. I love the meaning of Christmas but despise the commercialism of Christmas. If Christmas was really about Christ I would enjoy it more. In our household there are a few things that I do that seems to drive the other’s nuts.

I won’t look at Christmas decorations/trees/anything Christmas until at least November 1st. I think it is ridiculous that we have to see Christmas decorations for sale in August. Ugh!

I don’t want to hear Christmas music played until December starts. The fact that retail stores start playing Christmas music at the beginning of November proves that it has become more commercial. They know Christmas songs make people buy more.

It drives me crazy that as soon as Thanksgiving day comes, it is Christmas music non-stop for the next 5-6 weeks. Can’t we at least mix Christmas music with regular music? Can someone please write some new Christmas songs? Radio stations play the same songs in 100 different formats.

For those of you who think I am bah-humbug, maybe you are right. My favorite Christmas music is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and my new found favorite is the following song by Punk band Reliant K. Now, this is the way to play Christmas music.

You see, Christmas for me is celebrating the birth of Christ, but it should be a year-long celebration of the Savior of the World. Christ came that He might save mankind from their sins. This Christmas, let’s keep the right perspective on what this season means. It is not about the presents, or the festivities, it is about the greatest thing that could ever happen to humanity. God became man that He might redeem them from their slavery to sin.