Dennis Snyder Ministries

In the past week and a half I have enjoyed somewhere around ten little, heart shaped, Dove chocolate pieces. The first one was at a writer’s retreat I attended with nineteen other writers/authors. We were each given a piece of the chocolate and told to enjoy it but to read what the foil wrapper had written on the inside.

I believe it was Mia who ate hers and crunched the foil into a small ball before the instructions were given. The consequences to that action got her another piece of chocolate.  That’s a different lesson for another time.

We were told that we were going to take a walk on the beach of Lake Michigan and to be observant to our surroundings. Then, when we returned from our walk, we were to write a brief story incorporating our observations and the saying on the inside of the foil wrapper into a short story. Most of us accomplished the writing. I’m not very sure mine was all that great and it is not what I want to share today.

The last dove chocolate I ate was after lunch today, April 2, 2013. Since I am now in the habit of reading what the inside foil says I cannot just wad it up and throw it away. As I have said this is about my tenth piece and I just now realized that every foil wrapper has had the same identical saying. “Exercise your heart today.” It is not supposed to work that way. There are many different sayings written on the individual foils. I do not, however, remember reading any but that one in all the pieces I have eaten. So I thought I should at least write something about exercising the heart.

Matthew 12 34-36 “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.”

Jesus is condemning the Pharisees as a brood of vipers who could never say anything good. Apparently, these so-called religious men had evil hearts and nothing good could come out of their mouths. Each and every one of us are responsible for the words that we use.

Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

We find the same principle in the verse above. An evil heart brings forth evil while a good heart brings forth good. We should be exercising our hearts for good not evil. Ephesians 4:29 is the capstone for us all. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers”.

A corrupt word is one that tears people down. Only those words that build people up should be used. Let’s be careful with the words we use and exercise our hearts with God’s Word so that good and not evil will spring from them.

The Yellow Rose of Texas: The Secession of the Lone Star State, book one of the The Struggle for Sovereignty series, takes a fictional look at the secession of Texas from the United States of America. President Nicholas Watson takes office January 2017, with a 22 trillion national debt and the promise to eliminate any mention of religion from the government including disallowing religious holidays. Taxes have increased, entitlement programs have flourished and gun control has attempted to disarmed the U.S. Citizenship. The military force has been cut by forty-five percent leaving the U.S. vulnerable. In the eyes of the conservatives the new President is finishing the plunge of the United States to the bottom of World dominance.

Texas, on the other hand, is debt free and the economy is booming. They now have complete control of the Mexico/Texas border and have all but eliminated the drug cartel operations in the border towns. Governor Halford Bent, has helped Texas to become self-sufficient and has now decided it is time to break away from the control of a Federal Government destined to failure. The Texas Militia, led by Colonel James Bowie, has secured the border.

Martial Law is instituted by President Watson and he launches an all out effort to stop the secession. The Scaled down United States Marines are called upon to ready themselves for a military take over of Texas. Detention camps are set up to hold Texans and sympathizers caught outside the Texas borders. The fear of another Civil War looms on the horizon as we find father against son and brother against brother in the struggle for Sovereignty.

Found at Amazon.com

Found at barnesandnoble.com

Yellow Rose of Texas: The secession of the lone Star State

After seeing the interest in all the near death experience books available today, I thought I would put out my own little self-directed study looking to the Scripture for answers.

Proof of Heaven: From the Bible not Near Death Experiences

gives a base for the study of God’s Word when it comes to heaven. It is by no means an exhaustive study on heaven but it will get you started. There are 692 uses of the word “heaven” in the New King James Bible and we only touch on a few of them. It will be your obligation to continue the study throughout the Bible.

Please read the verses dealing with heaven in the context they are written in and do not try to make them say something they don’t say. The Bible gives some description of what heaven will be like. It gives us direction for getting into heaven and who will be there among other things of interest.

Proof of Heaven: From the Bible not Near Death Experiences

is available as an e-book from Amazon.com. You do not have to own a Kindle to read the booklet. You can download a Kindle App for your PC for free or read it through the Amazon cloud. Both ways are very easily set-up.

Proof of Heave:From the Bible not Near Death Experiences is now available at Barnes and Noble Digital, for the Nook e-reader. Click here if you have a Nook.

Have a great and Glorious day in the Lord.

Thank you Dan Cathy for taking a stand.

I find it interesting that a city like Boston can stand on the freedom of all people, yet blast Dan Cathy and the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain because they take a stand. I am not surprised at Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s comments concerning same sex marriages. I am also not surprised that tolerance is a one way street when it comes to this subject.

Apparently, Boston mayor’s “our work to expand freedom to all people.” does not include those who disagree with him. I am sure that a same-sex couple could eat at a Chick-fil-A, I just wonder why they can’t do it in Boston.

I appreciate that Dan Cathy is willing to live and die on his biblical principles. It appears, that it is out of the “norm” now days for a husband and wife to remain married for any length of time. Thank you, Mr. Cathy, for taking the stand you have taken. Feel free to come and open a Chick-fil-A in the Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Michigan area. I will eat at your place of business. In fact, if I had the financial ability, I would open a franchise here in a heart beat. Your chicken is fantastic and your biblical stance is appreciated. As I travel, I will continue to visit your establishment for my meals.

As one who claims the sufficiency of the Bible, I thank you.

Dennis Snyder

How effective or detrimental are my words?

This is a question that I am pondering

this morning as I reflect on a discussion I had last night with two people that I

love from the deepest part of my being. As I consider, not their words but mine, I am asking myself five questions:

First, did I draw them to Christ or push them away? I am afraid that I did not show grace sufficient enough to point them to the One who can truly help them and me.

Second, was I thinking the worst or assuming the best? I am afraid, once again, that I was thinking and expecting the worst. In other words, my mind was made up before we started. I know that is never the best place to start. So why do I do that and what do I do about it?

Third, did I give encouragement or did I tear down? Once again, I believe I failed miserably with this one. I am usually an encourager but this time I believe I pushed my loved one away with my negativity. I understand fully how beneficial positive, biblical thinking is to me and others. Yet in this conversation I was overtly negative. Now in hindsight (which is always 20/20) I am kicking myself for not being an encourager.

Fourth, did I rehash the past or move into the present? Oh how quickly the past comes into play. Why do we do bring up those things that are done and gone? I am quick to preach against living in the past yet here I was trying to deal with things that cannot be changed. Granted we must learn from the past or the cycle continues but why hurt ourselves and the ones we love by reliving the past.

Finally, did I shine light on the growth or the weaknesses of my loved ones? It appears as I reflect on the conversation I was a good finger pointer to the weaknesses. I do see some growth but I do not remember pointing to it even one time.

I have no doubt that the discussion had to take place. My problem comes in the inappropriate way that I handled the situation. For that I humbly apologize and ask forgiveness. My goal in future discussions, regardless of who they are with, is to think about these fives things before I begin opening my mouth and causing undue hardship and pain. I understand that what I say and how I say it will make a difference in someone’s life one way or the other. I truly do want to be a positive, encouraging; Christ centered individual, living in the present, and growing in the grace and knowledge of the Savior. May I be like the great American theologian, Jonathan Edwards who resolved that there be something of benevolence in all he said.

Lord help me to do so!

God is more concerned about who we are than what we do. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

What  a great place to start when we are looking for God’s will for our lives. It does not say be happy it says to rejoice always. I am not always happy in my circumstances but I can always be joyful in the Lord and who He is.

Praying without ceasing is simply to be in communication with God constantly. It does not mean to assume the position of prayer (whatever that is?) close my eyes and pray. it means I simply to talk with God and allow him to talk with me.

Giving thanks in everything does not mean I enjoy my trial and thank God for them. It means that I thank God even in my trials not for them. Again I focus on Him and who He is not the trial or circumstance that I am going through.

I need to rest assured that He is God and in total control of all things and I can rejoice in Him, communicate with Him, and gives thanks to Him because of who He is.

If you were to ask someone, “How would you define true worship?”

Most people would answer by talking about a style of music, various elements of a worship service, or they will start talking to you about their church, or their view of religion.

People are certainly confused about this subject. Worship is something that is internal yet many times manifests itself externally. True worship has to do with the heart.  Yes, I hope, we do worship as we pray, as we hear the Word of God read and proclaimed, as we give, and as we sing.  However, we can do all of those things and never really worship at all. They can all be just window dressing to an empty life.

Let me give some simple positive principles about true worship.

First, True Worship is God-Focused rather than man focused.  God is the “audience of One”. It is not about entertainment or “showing off” our churches talent.

Secondly, True Worship impacts our daily life rather than being detached from daily life.  The individual who truly worships will be transformed in their living. Our worship will be 24/7 because God becomes our focus instead of ourselves.

Finally, True Worship involves giving God our best.  Since God is above all, we are called to honor Him by giving Him the best we have. This includes ourselves, our time, our finances, our all!

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:24

These comments made in 1955 were sent to me via an email forward (which I usually do not open) I cannot give a source because there was no source given in the email. Enjoy the read.

Comments made in the year 1955!

I’ll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it’s
going to be impossible to buy a week’s groceries for $10.00.

Have you seen the new cars
coming out next year? It won’t be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a
used one.

If cigarettes keep going up in
price, I’m going to quit; 20 cents a pack is ridiculous.

Did you hear the post office is
thinking about charging 7 cents just to mail a letter.

If they raise the minimum wage
to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.

When I first started driving, who
would have thought gas would someday cost 25 cents a gallon. Guess we’d
be better off leaving the car in the garage.

I’m afraid to send my kids to the
movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN
in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.

I read the other day where some
scientist thinks it’s possible to put a man on the moon by the end of
the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing
for it down in Texas .

Did you see where some baseball
player just signed a contract for $50,000 a year just to play ball? It
wouldn’t surprise me if someday they’ll be making more than the
President.

I never thought I’d see the day
all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They’re even making
electric typewriters now.

It’s too bad things are so tough
nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make
ends meet.

It won’t be long before young
couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they
can both work.

I’m afraid the Volkswagen car
is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

Thank goodness I won’t live to
see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I
sometimes wonder if we are
electing the best people to government.

The fast food restaurant is
convenient for a quick meal, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch
on.

There is no sense going on short
trips anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay in a
hotel.

No one can afford to be sick
anymore. At $15.00 a day in the hospital, it’s too rich for my blood.

If they think I’ll pay 30 cents for a haircut, forget it.

My comment: Have a Happy New Year and keep your focus on the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Dennis

The below is the first chapter of a novel I am attempting to write. I have seven chapters done and would like your opinions and thoughts on this first chapter. Please comment.

Leather and Graced Come Together Chapter One

Pastor Mike McIntyre turned onto Jackson Street and made a sudden swerve to avoid the emergency vehicles blocking the road. Parking his motorcycle in a small opening Pastor Mike headed over to a police officer attempting to control the gathering crowd.

“Hi officer, I’m Pastor McIntrye from the Gospel Chapel, can I offer any spiritual help”

The police officer nodded and said, “Go and see Detective Oakes over there.”

As Pastor Mike closed in on Detective Jim Oakes he caught the stench of stale beer and smoke on his brown sport coat. Sticking out his hand he quickly introduced himself to the clean shaved, sandy haired man and asked if he could be of any service. It was obvious to Mike, from the once over he was given by the Detective, that he did not meet Oakes’ idea of what a pastor should look like.

“What church did you say you were with?” asked Oakes.

“The Gospel Chapel, over on First Street, right across from the elementary school.” said Pastor Mike. “A lot of the people call me the Harley riding preacher. What happened here?”

“Oh, that’s you, huh.” said Oakes. “Some lady backed into a parked motorcycle that belonged to a member of the Sons of Lucifer Motorcycle gang. Five of them got carried away and savagely beat her. We’re not sure that she’s going to make it. The ambulance should be here any time. Could you go over and see if you can comfort her?”

“No problem.” said Mike As he turned towards the scene, Detective Oakes grabbed his arm and said, “Her face is so mangled that she can’t talk. The five gang members fled taking her wallet with them and we haven’t been able to identify her.”

Pastor Mike removed his leather jacket before he knelt down to comfort and pray with the victim. It was hard to look at the woman’s bloody and distorted face so he looked square in her eyes. As the beaten woman looked back into his, shivers ran up his back and terror struck his heart. Before Pastor Mike could get his composure the EMT’s were shoving him out of the way. Within minutes they had her loaded into the Ambulance and were headed toward the hospital. Still in shock, he stood staring at the ambulance as it raced off. After what seemed like an eternity, reality sunk in when Detective Oakes handed the pastor’s jacket to him and asked,

“Were you able to give her any comfort?”

“That’s my wife!” said Pastor Mike. “I need to get to the hospital.”

Before Oakes could say anything, Pastor Mike was strapping on his helmet and mounting his bike. Racing to the hospital weaving in and out of traffic the pastor’s mind also raced as he thought of life without his beautiful wife of 15 years. He knew that they did not have the perfect marriage but it had to be close to it. They had worked hard to keep God first in their lives and marriage. They spent many hours counseling couples on what a biblical marriage was all about and they did their best to apply the Word of God in their own relationship. No way would God take Pam away yet! They still had years of life and ministry together. Pastor Mike knew the hospital like the back of his hand having spent hours with others ministering to their needs so he rushed directly to the emergency room just behind the ambulance carrying the woman of his dreams. He stood just off to the side as the doctors and nurses attended to Pam. No one asked him to wait outside since he was a familiar face to most of these men and women who worked in the ER. They had seen him many times with moist eyes and a comforting arm around a loved one as he silently prayed for them. One nurse even remarked to the ER doctor,

“It looks like Pastor Mike beat the family here for this one.”

The Doctor seemed to ignore her as he placed his stethoscope on Pam’s chest and yelled “We need to get her to the operating room, stat!” The ER emptied fast as they wheeled Pam into the elevator to the third floor leaving the Pastor standing alone.

After a few minutes Pastor Mike turned and walked to the surgery waiting room and informed the volunteer why he was there and that he would be down the hall in the hospital chapel.

“I will call the hospital chaplain to meet you.” the volunteer said.

Mike knew no one would come; he was the chaplain on call. The blue green of the stained glass, behind the cross, shimmered from the dim light of candles burning on the table to the right of the altar. The four pews were empty as the pastor walked to the front of the all too familiar chapel.

One hour earlier…

“Hi honey, how’s work going?” Pam said.

“Hey Babe, it’ going good, I almost have my Sunday outline ready and will be fleshing it out later today. How about your day?”

“Not so good. Mary lost the baby and I just left her house. It brought back a lot of memories that I need to address.”

“I will meet you in an hour Babe. Could you meet me for lunch at JW’s on Jackson Street? Why don’t I bring the bike and we can go for a good ride and cry after we eat.”

“Ok Mike, but we will have to talk about the baby again.”

“I know babe, I will see you at noon. Love ya.”

“I love you too, bye”

Pastor Mike kicked back in his chair as he wiped his tears. He and Pam had lost their only child in Pam’s second trimester over five years ago and it still hurt. He knew that they would gain their strength as they meditated on God’s Word and sought Him in prayer. Pam’s favorite place to pray was on the back of the Harley Davidson Fatboy with the wind in her face.

Back at the Chapel…

Pastor Mike knelt at the Altar.. “Our Gracious, Heavenly Father, Almighty God, I am at a loss for words this time. It’s Pam she has been hurt and is in bad shape, she may not make it Lord, if you don’t intervene.” Pastor Mike wept uncontrollably as he thought about losing his wife. “God”, he prayed, “If you will spare her I will do anything you ask, I will go anywhere you want me to go. Just don’t let her die you know that she’s my life. Where would I be without her? Lord, please I beg of you…”

Just then he felt a hand upon his shoulder. Looking up he saw the doctor and the look on his face…

We seem to hear a lot in the news about the Christian symbol of the cross. However, most of the news is about taking the cross down for various reasons. One reason many want the cross taken down is because it offends them. Such as the case of the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial Cross, when one man filed a lawsuit stating that the cross offended him. In 2004 a Federal Judge ruled that the cross be covered by a plywood box while the case was on appeal. We find this type of lawsuit on a fairly regular basis in our great country. So, what is the “problem” with the cross?

In some circles it is offensive because of the way it deals with human wisdom. 1 Corinthians 1:18 states, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” Then in verse 25 we read, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

When we get caught up in the philosophy of human reasoning being above God’s wisdom we get offended when we are faced with an absolute truth. The message of the cross is an absolute truth and that is something that many will not tolerate. Those who are offended by the absolute message of the cross are basically saying that they are wiser than the Word of God and that human reasoning and tradition is all that counts. Belief in the simplicity of the cross is out of the question.

The message of the cross teaches us that man cannot save himself. It does away with our human ability and our own strength to get through this life and into life everlasting. Our society teaches us that we can do anything our little hearts desire, we can pull ourselves up by our own boot straps and that there is good within everybody and we just need to bring it out.

The message of the cross says that we are totally depraved and are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-4). The Apostle Paul in his struggles with this very issue says in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.”

George Bennard penned these words “O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left His glory above to bear it to dark Calvary. In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, wondrous beauty I see; for ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died to pardon and sanctify me.”

The cross of Calvary is more than a mere symbol of religion or Christianity. Christ dying on the cross, shedding His blood to pay for our sins is the central focus of the Christian faith. The Crimson line of Christ is found from beginning to end in the Bible. Without the message of the cross there would be no Christian faith.

We can also rejoice in that the story does not end with the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The story picks up again three days later when Christ was resurrected from the grave. In the resurrection we see that Jesus Christ conquered death and those who put their trust in Him need no longer fear death. Victory is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord who gave His life a ransom for sin. (1 Corinthians 15:51-58)

From the beginning our country has been built on the Christian faith and the principles found in the Word of God. Why would we want to remove “in God we trust” from our money or take “One Nation under God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance? It is for the same reason that one man’s intolerance of the cross caused it to be hidden behind a strange looking plywood box. It is because “the wisdom of God is foolishness to them who are perishing.” Just because the cross offends a few does not mean we let the tail wag the dog.