Still true after all these centuries

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. When the wicked comes, contempt comes also; And with dishonor comes reproach. The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook. It is not good to show partiality to the wicked, Or to overthrow the righteous in judgment. A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body. (Proverbs 18:1-8 NKJV)

Save yourself some pain; read the Proverbs.

Pastor Phil Owens

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Thinking and Speaking

Psalm 19:14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Colossians 4:5-6  Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The wisdom of God is both pure and peaceable. Amen!

Pastor Phil Owens

Thursday, March 6

From Proverbs 6

"Go to the ant, you sluggard!

Consider her ways and be wise,

Which, having no captain,

Overseer or ruler,

Provides her supplies in the summer,

And gathers her food in the harvest.

How long will you slumber, O sluggard?

When will you rise from your sleep?

A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep—

So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,

And your need like an armed man."

Morning traffic jams are no fun, especially if you're late for work. But in every one of those cars is a person who is providing for the needs of their own, day in and day out. These are the folks who make this country run. God bless them today.

Pastor Phil Owens

Prospect Avenue Baptist Church Santee

Hey, check out our new church website!

www.prospectbaptistsantee.com

My Little Boy is a Man

Those of you who know Ben know that he's been a man since he was about 15. But now he's graduating college. And he loves God and people. And he loves wisdom. And he is committed to excellence. And I am sitting here thanking God for His grace, and wondering how all this happened and where the years went. I was blown away when God granted me my heart's desire 22 years ago. But he took that initial blessing and turned it into a channel - an aqueduct - of goodness in my life. I am overwhelmed. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Thankful For God's Gifts

I brined this 14lb. Butterball for 3 days, then smoked it with oak chips for 9 hours at 250 degrees - breast down and tented with foil at about 5 hours (I also threw a ham in at this point). It was the best we've ever had. Then Toni prepared a bunch of incredible side dishes - roasted squash, cranberry sauce and stuffing from scratch, yeast rolls made with homemade buttermilk and served with homemade butter, and more. I am continually amazed at the grace of God who has given us so many incredible gifts. He made animals and plants to taste good, and He fine-tuned our taste buds to appreciate them. Really it is an awe-inspiring thing.

It's Not a Baby . . .

Thank You, Lord!

What a wonderful world! The beauty of creation and the wonder of family are reason enough to believe in God, and to praise Him for His goodness. We had a great week together touring California.

The merciful man does good for his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

 ¹   Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
      But a just weight is His delight.
       ²  When pride comes, then comes shame;  
      But with the humble is wisdom.
       ³  The integrity of the upright will guide them,  
      But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
       ⁴   Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,  
      But righteousness delivers from death.
       ⁵  The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright,  
      But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
       ⁶  The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,  
      But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
       ⁷  When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,  
      And the hope of the unjust perishes.
       ⁸  The righteous is delivered from trouble,  
      And it comes to the wicked instead.
       ⁹  The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,  
      But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
       ¹⁰  When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;  
      And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
       ¹¹  By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,  
      But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
       ¹²  He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,  
      But a man of understanding holds his peace.
       ¹³  A talebearer reveals secrets,  
      But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
       ¹⁴   Where there is no counsel, the people fall;  
      But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
       ¹⁵  He who is surety for a stranger will suffer,  
      But one who hates being surety is secure.
       ¹⁶  A gracious woman retains honor,  
      But ruthless men retain riches.
       ¹⁷  The merciful man does good for his own soul,  
      But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.
       ¹⁸  The wicked man does deceptive work,  
      But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
       ¹⁹  As righteousness leads to life,  
      So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.
       ²⁰  Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD,  
      But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
       ²¹ Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished;  
      But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.
       ²² As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,  
      So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.
       ²³  The desire of the righteous is only good,  
      But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
       ²⁴  There is one who scatters, yet increases more;  
      And there is one who withholds more than is right,
      But it leads to poverty.
       ²⁵  The generous soul will be made rich,  
      And he who waters will also be watered himself.
       ²⁶  The people will curse him who withholds grain,  
      But blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.
       ²⁷  He who earnestly seeks good finds favor,  
      But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
       ²⁸  He who trusts in his riches will fall,  
      But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
       ²⁹  He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind,  
      And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
       ³⁰  The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,  
      And he who wins souls is wise.
       (Proverbs 11, New King James Version)

He who sends a message by the hand of a fool cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

 ¹   As snow in summer and rain in harvest,
      So honor is not fitting for a fool.
       ²  Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,  
      So a curse without cause shall not alight.
       ³  A whip for the horse,  
      A bridle for the donkey,
      And a rod for the fool’s back.
       ⁴  Do not answer a fool according to his folly,  
      Lest you also be like him.
       ⁵   Answer a fool according to his folly,  
      Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
       ⁶  He who sends a message by the hand of a fool  
      Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.
       ⁷ Like the legs of the lame that hang limp  
      Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
       ⁸  Like one who binds a stone in a sling  
      Is he who gives honor to a fool.
       ⁹ Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard  
      Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
       ¹⁰  The great God who formed everything  
      Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages.
       ¹¹  As a dog returns to his own vomit,  
      So a fool repeats his folly.
       ¹²  Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?  
      There is more hope for a fool than for him.
       ¹³  The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!  
      A fierce lion is in the streets!”
       ¹⁴ As a door turns on its hinges,  
      So does the lazy man on his bed.
       ¹⁵  The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
      It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
       ¹⁶  The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes  
      Than seven men who can answer sensibly.
       ¹⁷  He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own  
      Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.
       ¹⁸  Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,  
       ¹⁹ Is the man who deceives his neighbor,  
      And says, “I was only joking!”
       ²⁰   Where there is no wood, the fire goes out;  
      And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
       ²¹ As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,  
      So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
       ²²  The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles,  
      And they go down into the inmost body.
       ²³   Fervent lips with a wicked heart  
      Are like earthenware covered with silver dross.
       ²⁴  He who hates, disguises it with his lips,  
      And lays up deceit within himself;
       ²⁵  When he speaks kindly, do not believe him,  
      For there are seven abominations in his heart;
       ²⁶ Though his hatred is covered by deceit,  
      His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.
       ²⁷   Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,  
      And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
       ²⁸  A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it,  
      And a flattering mouth works ruin. (Proverbs 26, New King James Version)

Thanks For Coming Everyone!!

Hey, we did it!  We covered the existence of God, the trustworthiness and inspiration of the Bible, the deity of Christ, the problem of man's sin, and finally God's gracious provision of salvation.  The pace was good, attendance was excellent, and the chow was superb.  Among the resources we gave away to each participant - our own 120 page 'Foundations' outline, 'God Wrote a Book,' 'God of Wonders,' 'More Than a Carpenter,' 'The Case for Christ,' and 'The Answers Book 2' from Answers in Genesis.


We are so grateful to everyone who served and attended; looking forward to seeing everyone at our Lasagna finale this Thursday.  We hope you all can make it to our special summer series with Ben Owens Wednesdays @ 7 beginning June 2.  God's richest blessings to all.

Great Bible Teaching in Santee

I am so looking forward to this summer Bible series at Prospect Avenue Baptist Church.

Two of My Favorite Things - Together

No God, No Music. Period.

Awesome Creation Resource

You can watch the chapters online here.  If you would like your own free copy on DVD, come on out to Prospect Avenue Baptist Church in Santee.

Turn up your speakers and enjoy!

Two Ben Owens originals:
"Waltz For a Friend" in honor of the late Verna Lembcke.
"Goin' Home"

God's Beautiful World

Went down to La Jolla with the family yesterday.   It was gray and gloomy until the sun dropped below the clouds; then we enjoyed the splendor of a Pacific sunset.  So refreshing.  After dark we ate at a taco shop, then went home and watched a cowboy movie wherein the bad guys got swift justice.  A good day. 

Christmas Merriment

The Prospect Avenue Bluegrass Band (in one of it's various forms) performing at our church Christmas party this past Sunday. (L-R) Bryan, Timmy, (behind Timmy is Justin on bass) Jake, Wyatt, Jameson, (and love-of-my-life) Toni. That's a bunch o musical talent in one place.

Toni's Boys

We got up at zero-dark-thirty to get Ben to the airport.  (Everyone has hat hair except Ben.)  He had a full travel day, 6 hours by plane and 5 by car.  We pick him up again this Thursday.  Yay!

Awesome Interview With John Sanford

‘I was totally sold on evolution. It was my religion; it defined how I saw everything, it was my value system and my reason for being. Later, I came to believe in “God”, but this still did not significantly change my intellectual outlook regarding origins. However, still later, as I began to personally know and submit to Jesus, I started to be fundamentally changed—in every respect. This included my mind, and how I viewed science and history. I would not say that science led me to the Lord (which is the experience of some). Rather I would say Jesus opened my eyes to His creation—I was blind, and gradually I could see. It sounds simple, but it was a slow and painful process....'
More here  and  See also