Stay On The Line

There is a commercial that comes on television that advertises investments or some other financial matter. In it, the advisor maps out a plan for the client. After the consultation, the advisor shows the client a line that is painted on the ground. She tells the client that all he has to do to be successful is stay on the line. Afterwards, we see the client walking down the street, being careful not to stray from the path that has been drawn for him. But after a while, something in a store window catches his attention. The man takes he eyes off of the line and heads toward the store. Just then, we see his financial advisor standing behind him, yelling, “Stay on the line.” The man steps back on the line and follows it to financial freedom.

After seeing that commercial, I thought about a park that is located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is named Forest Park. It is very large and there are a lot of roads, twists, turns and curves in it. One day I decided to take a short cut through Forest Park. When I got in there, I got lost and couldn’t find my way out. Every turn that I made was the wrong turn and every road that I took was the wrong road. Finally, I said, “Lord, if you will get me out of this park I will never set foot in here again.”

Some time later, I was driving down a street that was close to Forest Park. I started thinking that I had gotten lost in the park the last time because I had gone in too deep. I thought I could go back in there, and as long as I was careful and watched where I was going and could see the main road, I would be OK. Besides, a lot of people drive through there without getting lost. So I ventured back into Forest Park. Before long, the street that I was driving on turned into a one-way street, so I couldn’t turn around. I found myself getting deeper and deeper into the park. Before I knew it, I was lost again.

Satan tricks us that way sometimes. When God delivers us from things, instead of staying away from them, we think that we can flirt with them again. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can dibble and dabble as long as we don’t go too far or get in too deep. But we don’t realize how quickly that road can turn into a one-way street, and we cannot turn around. Before we know it, we are lost again.

Don’t let Satan fool you with the distractions of the world. Jesus has drawn a path for us to follow. All we have to do is stay on the line.




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A Good Soldier

Christians are often compared to soldiers and Christianity to warfare in both song and scripture. One songwriter said, “I’m a soldier in the army of the Lord.” Another one wrote, “I am on the battlefield for my Lord.” The Apostle Paul knew this is warfare that we are involved in. That is why he told the church at Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God. Four years later, he wrote a letter to Timothy, telling him to fight the good fight of faith. Three years after that, he was led by the Spirit to write another letter to young Timothy telling him to endure hardship like a good soldier.

What is a good soldier? Some people confuse being a good soldier with being a soldier who is good. There is a difference. I was in the United States Marines for five years. Almost half of those years were during the Viet Nam War. During that time I saw a lot of soldiers and marines who had received medals for being good. Being good simply meant showing up for roll call, being at their assigned post, doing a good job and not causing any trouble. For that, they received Good Conduct Medals because they were soldier that had been good. But that was the only medal that many of them received. They did not receive a medal for valor. They did not receive a medal for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. They did not receive the Medal of Honor or the Silver Cross.

We have some Good Conduct Soldiers in God’s Army as well. Our churches are full of them. They never miss roll call, meaning, they are in church every Sunday. They are always at their appointed post: the usher’s board, the mother’s board, the deacon’s board, the choir, the pulpit, or whatever their post may be. They do a good job and never cause any problems. If God were to give out Good Conduct medals, they would certainly receive one. But that is the only medal that many of them would receive. Because, when it is time to go onto the battlefield and minister to the people in the community, that is where they draw the line. They say, “That’s not my job.”

What about you? Are you a good soldier? Or are you just a soldier who is good?





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Is Your House In Order?

I hate an unmade bed. I can’t stand it. It doesn’t matter how clean or neat a house is, if the beds are not made, the entire house seems messy to me. I got that from my parents and from spending five years in the marines. One of my father’s strictest rules was for us to make our beds as soon as we got up. That was instilled in me at an early age. When we got married, my wife got up to go to the bathroom one Saturday morning. When she returned, she was surprised to see the bed had been made. When I was in prison, my celly (cell-mate) and I had a fight one day. He would not make his bed, and I refused to live in a messy cell.

My mother was the same way. If my brother or I left our clothes in the living room or kitchen, she threw them in the trash. And we better not take them out. She said that she was our mother, not our maid. She did not believe in cleaning up or getting things in order when we were expecting company. She said the house should be in order all the time.

Keeping your house in order might be important to you too. No one wants to be surprised or caught off guard with a messy house if someone were to show up unexpectedly. But what about your spiritual house? Is it in order? No one knows the day or the hour when Jesus is coming. (Matt. 25:13) You don’t want to be surprised or caught off guard with a messy house (lifestyle) when He comes.

A few years ago, people were quoting a popular phrase, “What would Jesus do?” I think a more important question is, “Is your house in order?”




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PART I

PART II

PART III





Rev. Burton Barr's Trilogy on KINDLE Now!!!

No Pain, No Gain

When we were children, my grandparents had a piano in their home. It was more of a decoration since neither of them played. We lived in a two family flat. I lived on the second floor with my parents and my younger brother. My grandparents lived on the first floor. My brother and I had always wanted to learn how play the piano. All we were able to play was, “Mary had a little lamb” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with one finger.

Eventually, we talked our parents into letting us take piano lessons. We were excited when we found out that the piano teacher was coming on Saturday. My brother and I started a list of all of the songs that we wanted to learn how to play. We wrote down the names of all of our favorite songs that we heard in church. Then we listened to the radio everyday and added some of the songs that we liked to the list. We figured that since the piano lesson was going to last an hour, we should be able to learn how play at least fifteen songs. Maybe even twenty. We were so excited; we could hardly sleep that Friday night.

When the teacher arrived, we were ready. I handed her the list of songs and sat on the stool. She didn’t even look at the list. She had us play some crazy exercise over and over again for the entire hour. Then she told us to practice that exercise everyday for an hour, and she left. My brother and I were in shock. We looked at each other, trying to figure out what had just happened. I looked at the list of songs that we had prepared. I thought we would be able to play some of the songs that were on our list. I was so disappointed; I never took another piano lesson. As a result, all I am able to play today is, “Mary had a little lamb” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with one finger.

Nothing that is worthwhile happens overnight. To be successful at anything, it takes hard work. No pain, no gain. Although many of the great athletes, musicians and singers are gifted, they still have to work hard, practice and make sacrifices to perfect their skills. That applies to everything in life. Not only your chosen profession, it also applies to education, marriage, and parenting. It even applies to discipleship. Becoming a Christian is easy. All you have to do is repent of your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. But if you want to be a disciple of Jesus, you have to work at it. Bible study and prayer are very important. You also have to make sacrifices. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24)

Do you want to be the best at whatever you choose? Or are you satisfied being able to play, “Mary had a little lamb” and “Twinkle, twinkle little star” with one finger? No pain, no gain.



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Are You Using All Of Your Strength?

A little boy was playing in his backyard one day when he noticed a huge rock that was in the middle of the yard. He decided to move the rock so he would have more room to play. He pushed the rock as hard as he could, but it would not budge. He tried pushing it from another angle, but still the rock would not move. Becoming frustrated, the boy sat down and tried to shove the stubborn rock with his feet. The rock would not move.

His father glanced out the window and saw him struggling with the gigantic rock. He went outside and watched his son as he toiled intensively, trying to move the rock. Finally, he said, “Son. Are you using all of your strength?” The boy said that he was. His father stood there, watching his son as he strained and struggled with the enormous rock. He asked his son again, “Are you using all of your strength?” Again, the boy said that he was.

His father stood there, watching his son grunting, groaning and sweating as he desperately tried to move the humongous rock. He said, “Son. Are you sure you are using all of your strength?” The boy was almost in tears when he said, “Yes Dad. I am using all of my strength.” His father put his hand on his son’s shoulder and said, “Son. You are not using all of your strength. I know, because you haven’t asked me to help you.

David said, “The Lord is my strength.” (Psalm 28:7) When things get rough and we find ourselves struggling, trying to move the gigantic rocks that life throw in our paths, instead of calling on God and asking for His help, we are determined to move them ourselves.

I don’t know what your situation is or what you are going through right now. But God is watching you. He is asking, “Are you using all of your strength?”





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Why Don’t You Quit?

I love Jazz. I love listening to the sweet sounds of gifted artists like Miles Davis, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington, Jr. and Wes Montgomery. One of my favorite musicians is the legendary Gene “Jug” Ammons. The first time I heard him was in a lounge in Chicago. The D.J. played a cut called “Ca’ Purange (Jungle Soul)”. I had never heard anyone play the tenor sax like that before. Some time later, I heard other records of his, such as Angel Eyes and Canadian Sunset. I was an instant Gene Ammons fan.

At that time, Ammons had just been released from prison after serving seven years of a 15-year sentence for narcotics charges. Shortly after his release, he put out a new album titled, “The Boss Is Back.” The number one tune on the album was a cut named, “The Jungle Boss.” Although I liked that tune, my favorite was a cut titled, “Why Don’t You Quit?”

Like many jazz artists of the 50s and 60s, Ammons was addicted to heroin. Even with all of his success in the music industry, and his two stints in prison, he was still unable to kick his habit. This is purely speculation on my part, but some of his friends and relatives probably kept asking him, “Why don’t you quit?” Well, speaking from experience, that is easier said than done.

I was addicted to heroin and cocaine for more than twenty-two years. During that time, many of my friends and relatives were asking me that same question. “Why don’t you quit?” I was never so tired of hearing any one question in my life. I can only imagine how tired Ammons was of hearing it. That is probably why he took that question and made a record out it. Why don’t you quit?

There are literally thousands of people that are strung out on something; drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, pornography, etc. To those who are on the outside looking in, the solution seems simple. But to those who are caught up in their various habits, it is a different story.

Different people were able to turn their lives around by using different methods. I can only tell you what worked for me. It was the power of God through Jesus Christ. The problem is, people want to put God in a box. They think He only works in certain ways. The truth is, God works in many ways.

God has miraculously healed many people from deadly diseases through prayer or the laying on of hands. Others had to spend time in hospitals or undergo surgery. Likewise, He has delivered a lot of people from drugs after they gave their lives to Him. Others had to go to treatment centers. God uses doctors, hospitals, treatment centers, 12 step programs, or the power of prayer to heal or deliver us from our situations. Sometimes He uses prison.

I don’t know why God works the way that He does. When you get to heaven, you can ask Him. Maybe He has already told us. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”(Isaiah 55:8-9)

One day, Oprah did a show called, “Why don’t they quit?” It was a very interesting and informative look at drug addiction and the inability of addicts to kick their habits. Part of the program was very technical, dealing with different parts of the human brain and how it functions. The discussion made some people realize that quitting is not always that easy. I’m not just talking about the drug culture. It amazes me how many people have smoked cigarettes for years, knowing the damage that they are doing to their bodies. But as hard as they have tried, they are unable to stop. Many of them knew what the dangers were before they started. But they look at the person who is struggling with a drug habit and they say, “Why don’t you quit?”

They might argue that cigarettes are legal and socially acceptable. So is alcohol, and look how it has devastated the lives of so many people. I don’t know if we will ever find an answer that we can all agree on. But there is one thing that I am convinced of. As long as there are drug addicts, there will always be someone who will look at them and say, “Why don’t you quit?”




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