Jehu Hernandez

Say it isn't so! Larry Norman passed away Sunday of heart failure. I remember him most for singing rock music, having long hair, and writing "I Wish We'd All Been Ready". Oh, how we used to sing that song in our youth group when we were growing up! Christianity Today has this story on their website: C hristian music legend Larry Norman died Sunday of heart failure, according to his brother Charles Norman. He was 60. Norman, a blonde, long-haired rocker who is often called the father of Christian rock music, was a giant in the Christian music industry, said Chris Willman, senior music writer for Entertainment Weekly. "His influence outweighed his sales so much that it's comical," Willman said. "He certainly had a heart for evangelism — almost to his detriment, I might say. He really could've been a star if he were singing about something other than Jesus." Read more...

The Point has a post about some shocking news regarding Planned Parenthood. It seems that the Family Research Council reported that a pro-life student from UCLA conducted an undercover investigation that clearly exposed the racism of the nation's largest abortion provider. This really should come as no surprise to anyone who knows the history of Planned Parenthood and of its founder, Margaret Sanger. Read the post here and follow the links to the FRC story and the video on YouTube.

H ere are some of the highlights from this past Sunday's message, Just for Men . Ephesians 5:25 says that husband should love their wives just as Christ loved the church. Just as Christ. If men are going to love their wives just as Christ loved the church, they must start by modeling themselves after Jesus. The first step is to establish a personal relationship with him. The relationship includes recognizing that he is the Lord of our lives Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God . (1 Corinthians 11:3) How can a husband love his wife just as Christ loved the church? By giving himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:25) Jesus saw the need of the church and gave himself up to meet that need. Men, we must learn to live for our wives. We must learn to meet their needs. The marriage is not just about you. It’s about her, too. By making her holy. (Ephesians 5:26-27) If the wife is going to be holy,...

It's hard to believe, but Easter is less than a month away. You may already know that Easter comes earlier than usual this year, on March 23rd. In fact, the last time Easter arrived this early was in 1913! The next time it will be this early will be 2228. So this is the earliest that any of us will ever see Easter for the rest of our lives! For those of you who might be wondering, Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox, which is March 20. The earliest date Easter can fall is March 22, and the latest is April 25. Next year, Easter will be April 12. Now that's something to think about.

Dave Ramsey has some interesting thoughts about the stimulus tax rebate that most Americans will receive this summer. Basically, he's not too thrilled with the idea. Click here to find out why, and to learn some ways we can prepare for the tax rebate. It's all part of being a good money manager.

This Sunday, I'll continue the current message series on building a marriage according to God's design. I'm calling this series Lord of the Rings . This week, I'll be speaking primarily to the men. Guys, don't miss it. Ladies, don't let your husband (or boyfriend) miss this message!

Here are some highlights from last Sunday's sermon, Built to Last. It’s interesting to me that couples that are planning to get married will spend several thousand dollars on the wedding but then cringe when the minister tells them it will cost them $200.00 for pre-marital counseling sessions. They are willing to spend lots of money for the wedding but they can’t see spending a couple hundred dollars setting the proper foundation for the marriage. Many marriages today are built on romance alone. That is a terrible mistake. Romance alone lays a terribly weak foundation for marriage. That may be a shocking statement for many people because the concept of romantic love is so celebrated in movies, songs, and cheap paperbacks. This is not to suggest that romance itself or the desire for more romance in a marriage is necessarily bad. Good marriages work hard to preserve a sense of romance. (Read the Song of Solomon!) But the idea that a marriage can survive on romance alone, or that roma...

Tomorrow morning, I'm starting a new series of messages called Lord of the Rings . It will be a biblical look at marriage, and how we can enjoy God's blessing on this all-important relationship. Invite someone to go to church with you tomorrow and for the next three weeks for Lord of the Rings.

Another school shooting , this time in Illinois. What is wrong in our society? We truly need Jesus. Pray for the families of all the victims. May God have mercy on us.

Sunday morning's message was on what the Bible says about gambling. As a follow-up, here is how gambling is defined in the official Assemblies of God Position Paper on Gambling . To distinguish gambling from risks involved in legitimate venture it will be helpful to recognize three factors integral to gambling: (1) An incentive consisting of money or merchandise is offered. (2) The prize is acquired primarily on the basis of chance. (3) A payment of money or other consideration is required to become involved in the chance taken. Gambling then is recognized as any activity in which wealth changes hands, mainly on the basis of chance and with risk to the gambler. Creative effort, useful skills, and responsible investment are not integral factors. Click here to read the entire paper.

Listen in on a conversation I had with Missionary Nathan Alfaro where he shares about his calling to be a missionary and about his current ministry in Nicaragua. He also has timely advice for young people who are seeking God's will for their lives.

Tonight was our monthly InterMission service at Solid Rock Church. InterMission is an opportunity to focus on our mission as a church. Tonight, I spoke about The Potential of God's People from Ephesians 4:11-12. It dawned on me as I was getting ready for this sermon that I don't have a clear way to refer to people from our church. Should I say Solid Rockers or Solid Rockites? How about Solid Rockians? What if I got really brave and used Solid Rockettes? Any other ideas?

I found some very useful financial management tools on the Joseph Sangl website. Take a look at these tools . You might find something that is useful for you. Pay special attention to the budget forms. The Debt Freedom Date Calculator is a fun one to use. The one thing not found on this site is an expense-tracking spreadsheet, but you can set one up yourself pretty easily. If you need help, contact me. I'll be glad to assist you or find someone who can.

Here is a recap of some of the verses we looked at this past Sunday as a part of the last message in the series In God We Trust . In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. (Proverbs 21:20, NIV) This verse reminds us how foolish it is for us to spend every penny we make, rather than to save. I really like the way it reads in the New Living Translation: The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get . (Proverbs 21:20, NLT) Ouch! We also talked about learning to invest so that our money works for us. Jesus gave us this principle in the parable of the talents. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. (Matthew 25:16, NIV) In fact, Jesus said that the master had some harsh words for the servant who hid his talent. Notice what he says to him. His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown...

There's an interesting commentary on The Point Radio Blog concerning something Tom Brady said recently. There is more to life than winning a Super Bowl. I pray Tom will turn to Jesus. Click and listen.

This Sunday, we will finish the month-long series called In God We Trust . We are going to look at some practical tools for managing the business that God has given us, that of managing our financial resources. Don't let anything keep you at home this Sunday morning. I believe you'll enjoy and appreciate this message called The Buck Starts Here . See you Sunday!