Good Monday Morning To You!!

Have you had a good week since we last visited? I hope you have, and I hope this blog finds you in good health. You will notice in my last sentence I used the word hope twice. Later in the blog we will talk about hope. For the time being, I want you to consider which is better: false hope or no hope. As you read on, think on that.

On my past two blogs, I have told you about my childhood in Elmwood Place, and my best friend, Johnny Miller. Someone asked me did I not grow up in Norwood? The answer is I grew up in both. We moved to Elmwood from Carthage (two blocks) in 1959, and moved in June of 1966. These were the best seven years of my life. As I said, we moved to Norwood in 1966, and as of the date of this writing, my brother, Greg, still lives in our house on Hunter Avenue. Dad has been gone since March of 2003, and Mom left us in January of 2013. I lived in that house from June of 1966, until I married in September of 1976. Many of my happiest memories are at that home. However, it wasn’t always so.

Our house on Oak Street in Elmwood was right behind the school. To get to school, all I had to do was jump the fence, which I regularly did. The fence was only three feet tall, so it was quite simple. I started Kindergarten there, and stayed until the end of my sixth grade year. The school was the reason my parents moved to Elmwood. Our house (rented) in Carthage was inside Cincinnati city limits, while Elmwood was not. My parents preferred I be schooled anywhere except Cincinnati Public Schools. From the day I started in Elmwood, I had this unspoken feeling that it was my school. The kids were my friends. I felt comfortable and at home in the Elmwood Place Public School. Then what I had always counted as a blessing turned into a catastrophe. The school took our house. This was the first house my parents ever owned, and I’m sure it was hard for them too.

Dad and Mom were paid a fair price, thanks to Johnny Miller’s Dad, John, who was on the school board. Mr. Miller fought to save our home, but his was the lone vote in our favor. Mom and Dad found a house on Hunter Avenue in Norwood. It was a nice house on a dead end street, with a public park four doors from our house. During the summer there were park leaders who had crafts, movies, and lots of fun things to do. It was a kid’s dream, but I hated every minute of it. I wanted no part of it. I spent as much time as I could inside watching television. I was away from my school, my friends, and my best friend Johnny.

Norwood Public Schools were like Elmwood, in that neither were part of the Cincinnati School system. Norwood had great schools, but the problem was they were not my school. When I entered seventh grade, I felt alone and vulnerable. I was not in my school, I was in “their” school. For the next two years I floundered because I simply could not make the adjustment. To their credit, the Norwood kids did offer me friendship, and I did make friends, but it wasn’t the same. I was miserable! I became withdrawn, moody, and quite surly. In 1968, something happened that would make a profound change in my outlook, and my life.

In September of 1968, I went to Norwood High School. All Norwood kids attended the same High School. Suddenly it was not “my” school, or “their” school; it was “our” school. I fit in again! I was relaxed, happy, contented, and nice again. Norwood High School probably saved me from a life of misery; possibly even delinquency. I had a teacher at Norwood, Mr. J. R. Phillips, who instilled qualities in me that have made me the man I am today. If I could go back in time and re-live any part of my life, it would be my Elmwood days, but I thank God I spent four memorable years at Norwood High School. Believe it or not, back in February, I was able to attend a high school reunion right here in Ft. Myers. What a treat it was!

What a great day we experienced at Friendship Harmony yesterday!! For this time of year, the attendance was good, and it was a pure joy to be at our church. The song service was excellent. We sang some familiar hymns, and it was a treat to hear people singing the different parts. Friendship Harmony might not be the biggest church on the planet, but she sure does have some mighty fine singers.

The morning message was on the topic “hope.” Earlier I asked you which is better, false house or no hope. I conducted a survey on Facebook where I asked that very question. I had eleven people respond, and eight said false hope was better. Before I began this study, I would have answered that same way. I polled the people at church and one third said false hope was better, one third said no hope was better, and one third did not respond. Below are the sermon notes. I think they are pretty much self explanatory, plus on Tuesday morning, you can watch our 10 minute video on this message. I want you to watch the video, but let me let you in on a glorious fact: for a born again child of God, there is no such thing as “no hope.” You will also find that according to Scriptures, false hope “…makes the heart sick." You can find the video at www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. If you feel as if you are trapped in a hopeless, helpless situation, please watch the video. The notes are below, and they too should be most helpful.

Here’s Hope: Jesus
Romans 15:4
Hope series: Part 1 Victor Cooper
07/07-12/14

Intro: Do you have hope? Do you even know what it is? Which is better, false hope, no hope, or what you define as hope? Do Scriptures speak of hope?

I. My Facebook survey question #!. Which is better false hope, or no hope?
A. Eight of eleven people said false hope was better.
1. Those answering false hope agreed that as My daughter, Amanda Cooper Nooner, said, “False hope is at least motivation to keep going.
2. My high school friend, Steve Brennecke responded, “With false hope, you are still in there fighting, even though it’s hopeless.
B. Three of eleven said no hope is better.
1. Two people simply responded no hope is the better of the two.
2. Bess’s and my friend in Ohio, Linn Ash,
Said, “It depends on the circumstances the hope is applied to.
3. Before I began this study, I would have said
False hope was better because at least you had something.
4. False hope is a lie --- you think you have something, but you are simply ignoring the fact of hopelessness.
5. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

Ii. The fact of no hope sounds bleak and debilitating.
A. Thompson’s Chain reference Bible defines no hope as, “state of despair, having no expectation of a favorable outcome.”
B. Jonah felt the full weight of despair and
hopelessness. Jonah 4:8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
C. For a believer no hope and false hope is swallowed up by hope!

III. My Facebook survey question #2 was, What is hope?
A. Amanda Nooner responded, “Hope is the feeling and belief that things can change. It’s knowing that there is more.”
B. A friend from my high school band days Linda Craycraft Albos, wrote, “A dream of something good. A belief that if you do something right, your hopes will come true.”
C. In the OT, several words are translated hope.
1. A place of refuge
2. Expectation.
3. A cord.
D. In the NT the Greek word is elpis, and means
Expectation.

IV. The world is full of hope, but it is a hope with the potential to fail.
A. Failed hope is worse than false hope or no hope.
1. We have a good team this year. We have the hope of winning it all.
2. I’m desperate, I sure hope these lottery numbers hit.
B. In both examples the potential to succeed or fail is present. The chance of failure is greater.

V. The hope in Christ is totally dependable, without the possibility of failure.
A. Paul said Jesus was his hope. 1 Tim. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.
B. The writer of Hebrews calls our hope an anchor.
Hebrews 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which
Entereth into that within the vail.

Conclusion: Which kind of hope is predominant in your life:
False hope, no hope, or the hope this world
Offers? Do you prefer these, or what Christ
Offers?

Thanks for reading the blog and for watching the video. My prayer is that they are a blessing to you. Have a good week, and I’ll see you tomorrow on the video, and again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.

Precious Sounds From The Past

Good Monday Morning To You!!!

Last week I told you about more of the adventures of Johnny and Vic. I told you about the different smells we experienced and their origin. This week I want to reminisce a bit more as I take you back with me to Elmwood Place located in southwest Ohio. Elmwood Place is a Cincinnati suburb, but is not part of the Cincinnati City limits.

There were three distinct sounds that I remember: the trains, the Carthage Mills whistle, and the nine o’clock siren.

Johnny and I lived next door to each other, and our houses were sandwiched in the middle of two railroads; the C&O a block and a half to the west, and the L&N a block and a half to the east. Our street, Oak Street ran east to west. When we road our bikes to the C&O tracks, at the next block from ours, just past the second house, we were inside Cincinnati. In order to get down to the Mill Creek, we had to cross these tracks. We very rarely played on these tracks. I don’t know why we didn’t, we just didn’t. Maybe it was because we just chose to stay inside our own little village and not to cross into Cincinnati. On either the north, or the west of us, we were about a block from the city.

To the west, about the same distance as the C&O, were the L&N tracks. We did play on these from time to time. I remember one time putting rocks on the tracks to see what would happen. These rocks were small, not much bigger than a marble. That night we heard an awful sound: an L&N train had derailed. I knew I was going to jail! Those rocks had forced that locomotive off the tracks, and I was headed to prison. As much as I feared jail, I feared Howard Cooper even more. I knew that by the time he was finished with me, there would be nothing left to jail. I imagine the same thoughts were running through Johnny’s mind. We decided to keep quiet and only breathed again when we heard that the derailment was caused by a more serious problem, but not our rocks. My dad explained to me that a train’s wheel were made to throw debris off the track. He probably never suspected why I would ask a question about things on tracks.

The train’s sounds were wonderful. At night you could hear the trains roar past, and up at the L&N tracks, the engineer blew his horn when he crossed our street. Back then a train went by nearly every fifteen minutes. For the most part, we were so used to them, we rarely heard them. However, even now in my mind I can hear the horn and the train passing by. I’d love to hear that sound again, but I now live on an island in the Gulf of Mexico, and there are no trains here.

Two other sounds were the Carthage Mills whistle, and the siren located at the fire station. My dad worked at Carthage Mills, so I was always proud of that whistle. Its sound was a low, deep sound that could be heard for miles. The whistle sounded at 7:00am, 8:00am, and 3:30pm. Although its primary purpose was for signaling the beginning of work, and the ending later that day, the people in both Elmwood, and Carthage depended on that whistle. It helped moms know when to get the kids ready for school, and when it was time for them to go home. Years later I would bowl on the Carthage Mills bowling team, and one of our bowlers was John Smallwood. John was the factory’s boiler engineer; the man who so faithfully blew that whistle. That whistle is silent now, and Carthage Mills is gone, but I can still hear it if I really concentrate. It said, “AOOOOOOOOHH! AOOOOOOOOHH!”

The nine o’clock siren was also an unmistakable sound, and one that you’d better not ignore. It had a twofold purpose. The first was to call the volunteer fireman or the life squad people to the station. If it sounded one time, the ambulance was needed. If it sounded multiple times, it was for a fire. Whenever the fire alarm was sounded, we’d run up the street to the station and follow the truck to the fire. Elmwood Place was a small village, so seeing where they went was not too difficult. Even back then, you could see what they were doing, but the police wouldn’t let you get too close.

The second purpose was to signal the nine o’clock curfew. When it sounded it meant kids needed to be at home. You could play out past nine, and we often did, but you needed to be in front of your house. For most moms, it was the “time to go to bed” signal. I honestly do not know if today’s Elmwood citizens get to hear the siren. I doubt it, but I am not sure.

Even though these memories were fifty years ago, I still count them as some of my most precious. What I wouldn’t give to be able to reset the hands of time and go back to those days! Maybe one night soon the LORD will allow me to go back, even if only in a dream.

We had a good service at Friendship Harmony yesterday. What was really encouraging was our visitors. Our church is always so honored when people come. All three visitors have visited before, so I hope they continue to come. Who knows --- one day the LORD might direct them to become members. I hope so.

I’ll not tell you about the morning message, but I will invite you to hear it over the internet. It is at www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. I will say it is about the transfiguration of Christ, and its significance for us today. You do not have to have a Facebook account to see the video. This week’s message is 12 minutes in length. We try to keep them at ten minutes, but I missed my signal and went over. I hope you will enjoy the videos.

Thanks for sharing this time with me. I really appreciate each of you. Stay safe and well, and I’ll see you this Tuesday with the video, and again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

The Further Adventures Of Johnny And Vic

Good Monday Morning To You!!!

It is so amazing to me how many of you want to hear more stories about the adventures of Johnny and Vic. John and I were talking about it the other night. We grew up in a tiny village nestled within, but not part of the Cincinnati city limits. Our houses were in Elmwood Place. To get a good feel for what Elmwood was like when we were kids, just visualize Sheriff Andy’s Mayberry, and you would be close. Some of my fondest childhood memories go back to those days in that place. If the LORD would let me go back and relive any part of my past, it would be with Johnny and Vic in Elmwood Place.

As I was saying, last evening Johnny and I were discussing the smells and sounds we remembered. Cincinnati surrounded us on three sides, and St. Bernard filled in the gap. There were factories all around us, and depending upon which way the wind was blowing, determined what factory smell you got. One such factory to the north of us just a few miles was National Distilleries. The smells from them were nice, especially when they were making vanilla flavoring. It was my favorite then, and I’m still partial to it today. A bit closer to us was Fries and Fries. They made perfume. As I recall their smell was also nice, but could be overwhelming. Going the other direction, in St. Bernard was P&G. Crisco, Joy, and Prell were made there, as well as their flagship pride, Ivory Soap. Back then you could buy Ivory Soap, Ivory Flakes, and Ivory Dish Washing Liquid. When we had winds coming from that direction, Ivory filled the air. It was oppressive; it burned your eyes and nose, and was horrible. I wish I could describe it to you, but you would have had to have been there. We still played outside, but there was no doubt as to what Procter and Gamble was cooking.

However, in our little village, we had smells unique to us. Johnny reminded me about the Mill Creek, and the Chili Kitchen. The Mill Creek was a block west of us, and we occasionally went down there. Basically it was an open sewer. Many of the factories along its path released sewage into it because it had a chemical smell. We never played in it as I recall, but we often played beside it. I was in Elmwood about two years ago and I started to walk down to the creek. I was told it had been cleaned up and “improved.” I turned around and walked away, preferring to remember it as it was --- a nasty place that holds many precious memories for me. Funny, it did not seem nasty to us back then. (For more on the Mill Creek, go to Wikipedia.com and search Mill Creek Ohio.)

Also unique to us was three distinct chili restaurants. The smells coming from them was mouth-watering. There are no longer chili parlors in Elmwood, but our little village was chili and cheese cony heaven back when Johnny and Vic had their adventures. Next week I’ll tell you about the sounds. Let’s just say they were bone rattling.

Yesterday at Friendship Harmony was one of those services where you could go home feeling good about being in church. At this time of the year, we are at a seasonally low attendance. All of our snowbirds are back in their northern nests, and many of our full timers are taking their vacations. Still, the attendance wasn’t bad and the service was awesome. The morning message dealt with covenants; one covenant of God with man, and another man with death and hell. God’s covenant sign we examined was the rainbow. Not only does it signify that God will no longer destroy the earth with water, but God validates that it is indeed Him talking by the use of the colors in the rainbow. The colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, and they always appear in that order. ALWAYS! God has given it a sense of order, and it does not stray from it. God is not the author of confusion, as 1 Corinthians 14:33 tells us. He is a God of order, and the rainbow has order. The video will be available, and you can get a 10 minute version of the message. You can find it at www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. It’s an excellent way to invite me into your home and not have to feed me. Speaking of food, I believe I’m going to have a 4-way today. If you don’t know what that is, meet me in nearly any neighborhood in Cincinnati, and we’ll show you why Cincinnati is the chili capital of the world!!

Have a great week and I’ll see you tomorrow on the video, and again next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

Memories of Dad and Mom

Good Monday Morning To You,
I hope you had a good week since we last visited. Yesterday was Father’s Day. Was it a good day for you? It was for me. I heard from all four of my kids, and my youngest son, Jason, came over on Saturday and spent the day with us. Just having him there was great!!!

I was thinking about my own dad and many fine memories flooded my mind. I remember once when I was about five years old, my dad, mom, Howard and Alene Cooper, and I were all sick. My dad believed that when you were sick the best thing for you was a shot of penicillin. We went to a doctor in Cincinnati named Dr. Schuelsinger. He was an old German Jew, and he believed in shots also. I hated shots. I just did not do needles very well. Dr. Schuelsinger’s office was downtown, and it only had one exam room. Mom went back first and I went in with her. When she was about to get her shot, I went back out into the lobby. Mom came out and dad went in and I walked back with him. Sure enough, dad got his shot, but not a word was said to me. I was not getting a shot! I was elated!

Dad paid the receptionist and we started back home. We lived in a little village called Elmwood Place. We were not in Cincinnati city limits, but it surrounded us on three sides. Our house was about five miles from the doctor’s office. Dad turned to mom and said, “How did Victor do with his shot?” Mom said, “I thought he was you when he got his shot.” It was at this point that I knew that a shot was the least of my worries. Dad, much to my surprise, did not say a word. He simply circled the block and headed back downtown to Dr. Schuelsinger’s office and took me in. He went to the receptionist and told her what had happened. I heard her say, “Sure, no problem.” I was then escorted back to his office, where I was examined, and received my sentence: penicillin injection. At the time it was a horrible experience, but as I look back on it some fifty five years later I can say in all honesty that it was indeed a horrible experience. At least now the tears are not from fear of the shot, but from missing mom and dad so much. The beautiful thing is that mom and dad were Christians, so the separation is just temporary. I will see them again.

My Father’s Day message will be available tomorrow, Tuesday morning. The title is “What Every Man Should Be.” The life we examined was Joseph, the earthly daddy of the little boy Jesus. Joseph was a fine example for his children, and is a good role model for us today – men and women alike. I hope you’ll watch the video, it is only 10 minutes in length. You can find it at www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. Remember, you do not have to have a Facebook account to see the video.

Thank you for spending these few minutes with me. Thanks for letting me share my memories with you. If you’d like to share some with me, drop me an e-mail at fhbcsjc@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you. Stay safe and well, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

The Pot of Gold

Good Monday Morning To You!

I trust you had a good week since we last visited. Yesterday in Sunday School we looked at God’s sign that He would never again destroy this world with water: the rainbow. As I was studying the lesson, I couldn’t help but recall a time when my best friend Johnny Miller and I saw a rainbow and decided to find the pot of gold we believed was at its end. Johnny and I were next door neighbors and had quite a few adventures together. We wanted to find that pot of gold, so off we went on our bikes. We lived in a village near Cincinnati called Elmwood Place. Elmwood Place, we simplified it and called it Elmwood, was surrounded by Cincinnati on three sides. Johnny and I could ride our bikes anywhere we wanted, but we had to stay in Elmwood. Occasionally we ventured into Carthage, which was inside Cincinnati city limits, but it was only two blocks away and was allowed. Johnny and I are still friends after 55 years, and I can tell you that neither of us ever found it. I was always told you could not find the end of a rainbow. I believed it until about a year ago when my son, Jason, said he happened upon a rainbow that touched the ground in front of him. Sadly, he also reported that apparently someone else had been there before him - the pot of gold was gone! Jason has my luck; a day late and a dollar short. However, at least he found what Johnny and I couldn’t.

Yesterday was a super day at Friendship Harmony. We had an excellent service and the attendance was good. If there was one word that could be used to describe Friendship Harmony it would be “excited.” Our people are excited about their church. What a blessing! This upcoming Saturday at Noon we are having a picnic/concert. We have invited all of Pine Island to join us. We want them to get acquainted with our church. It is our prayer that once they experience Friendship Harmony, they will want to be a part of us. As I’ve said many times before, you do not attend Friendship Harmony, you experience Friendship Harmony. If you’re in the area this week-end, come see us this Saturday at 12 noon. There will be good food and a concert with the Gulf State Quartet from Bowling Green, Florida. If you are anywhere close by, you’ll be glad you did!

Yesterday I preached a sermon called, “The Great Love Story.” It was taken from The Song of Solomon 7:10-13. In this passage we see a beautiful story unfold about a bride who is greatly in love with her husband. She loves him because she knows he loves her too - beyond measure. This is a picture of the church and her bride-groom the Lord Jesus Christ. The notes are below and the video should be ready by tomorrow. To see it go to www.facebook.com/friendshipharmony. I believe you can see it even if you do not have a facebook account.

The Great Love Story
Song of Solomon 7:10-13

v. 10a. not a feeling of ownership, but relationship
1. This is not a unique human trait ex.. My wife, my children, my church etc…
b. The reason for the feeling expressed.
1. From a Hebrew word pronounced
tesh-oo-kaw’ meaning “stretching out”

V11-12 We want to go where He wants to go:
In the field - John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Christ commissioned us to go into the fields, because He came to “seek and to save that which was lost.

Lodge in the villages --- Be around others, including sinners The Bible says Christ was a friend of sinners and publicans.
Too many believers stay locked in the church.

Go to the vineyards -- the vineyard can refer to Israel. Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
They are in the field where sinners are, the villages where all kinds of people are, and the vineyards where believers are.

V13 The results of our love for Christ.
We offer Him pleasant fruits -- souls!
Psalm 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Conclusion: Do you have a love relationship with Jesus? To have it, all you have to do is want it?

I do hope the notes are a blessing to you. If you will print them, then follow on the video, you will receive so much more from them. Summer is past and autumn is here, so enjoy this new season the LORD has given to us. Stay well, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

Pastor Vic: A Sweet, Innocent, Misunderstood Freshman Seminarian

Good Monday Morning To You.

Happy Memorial Day to each of you. As you enjoy this special day, don’t forget to thank God for our military --- both active and retired. Be sure to pray for those currently serving. My daughter is married to a soldier, Tim, and I sure am proud of him. I pray for his safety, and the safety of his buddies daily. May God bless our military and their families.

It is hard to believe that this coming January I’ll be sixty years old. It seems like just days ago that my childhood best friend, Johnny Miller and I used to tear up the streets of Elmwood Place, nestled in Cincinnati, with our bikes. Only yesterday I was a freshman in Bible College, starting life’s journey, yet that was 41 years ago. Who would have dreamed that a rowdy Southern Baptist prankster attending an “independent” Baptist College would return to Seminary one day as professor of Human Geography. Talk about the Sovereignty of God…!

I recall the day I started my Bible classes. I went to the school knowing only one other person. I hated my name. I literally cringed at being “Victor” - even “Vic” bothered me. I did, however, like my middle name, Wayne. I decided that since this was a new environment, I could change my name and go by “Wayne.” I introduced my self as Wayne, and that is how I was known. Everything was fine for a day or two, but soon I got the reputation for being a conceited snob. The problem? I would walk the sidewalks of the campus and someone would call out, “Hey Wayne!” I would walk on by, not realizing they were talking to me. People would say, “He’s one of those Southern Baptist. They’re uppity.” I really wasn’t, I just did not link “Wayne” with me. Soon I became Vic again and all was well. Actually I became a bit of a hero when I knocked the Dean’s hat off his head with a snowball. I’ll tell you more about that in a future blog.

All I can say about services yesterday at Friendship Harmony is, “WOW!” What a blessing! The attendance was good, and the service was very uplifting. If a genie in a bottle was to allow me to pastor the church of my choice, it would be Friendship Harmony. There are churches that are bigger, but none are better. Each week the presence of the LORD is real. He is indeed with us. I am pleased to announce that we received a special offering for the Southern Baptist relief efforts in Oklahoma. As you read this, Southern Baptists are on the ground in that tornado stricken area providing assistance, food, and spiritual comfort. If you would like to help, send your donation of any size to Friendship Harmony Baptist Church. On the memo line write “Oklahoma.” We will then forward it on to the proper location. Send your gift today so that we can get the money to where it is needed most. The address is Box 583; St. James City, Florida 33956. Our offering was $300. With the help of you, our faithful readers, we should be able to increase that total. Thank you for your help.

Several years ago I was preaching a message and I made the statement that when I got to Heaven, I planned to find Adam and ask him, “What were you thinking?” From those few words, a sermon series developed called “What Were You Thinking?” Yesterday we asked the question of Adam. From Scriptures we can ascertain his answer. The notes are below and you can see and hear the message in its entirety on Tuesday. To do so you can go to www.youtube.com. From their homepage banner type, in Friendship Harmony Baptist Church and hit enter. From our icon, scroll to the title, “Adam, What Were You Thinking?” I hope the notes and the video are a blessing to you.

“Adam, What Were You Thinking?”
Genesis 3:1-9
1st in a series By: Vic Cooper
09/21/06
Updated 5/13

When I get to Heaven, one of the first people I want to meet is Adam. I want to ask him, “What were you thinking?” Until then, we can look into Scripture and get a glimpse of what was going on with our first parents.

I. What Adam had:
A. dominion over the earth --- 1:28-30
B. a home with provisions --- 2:8, 9
C. responsibility --- 2:15
D. a companion --- 2:21, 22
E. fellowship with God --- 3:8a

II. What Satan had:
A. nothing --- 1:30 --- man had dominion over the serpent
B. loss of God’s fellowship --- Ezekiel 28:14-16
1. Cherubim were in the “inner circle of the angles.” (BKC)
2. They were charged with guarding God’s holiness.


III. What Adam wanted:
A. to please his companion --- 3:6
1. It was willful on Adam’s part. Cf.1 Tim. 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
B. to be like God --- 3:5
C. more
1. J. Paul Getty, the one time richest man in the world said all he wanted was one penny more.


IV. What Satan offered:
A. Lies, and deceit --- 3:1 subtil> aw-room’> shrewd
B. (BKC) “ The word of the Lord brought life and order; the word of the serpent brought chaos and death. Truth is older than falsehood; God’s word came before Satan’s lies.”
C. John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, …He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. …he is a liar, and the father of it.”

“Adam, What were you thinking?”
“I thought God was withholding good from me.”
“I thought I could be like God.”
“I thought it would be good to be like God.”
“I didn’t think God would really punish us.”

V. What Adam received:
A. the curse --- 3:16-19 They would still be doing as
they had done before with one notable addition: the
curse.
B. separation from God --- 3:23,24

Next week we will meet with the Apostle Peter and ask him what was he thinking when he denied Jesus. If you cannot be with us at FHBC, I hope you get a copy of those notes, and that you will continue to visit with us on youtube. Again, have a happy and safe Memorial Day, and I trust that whatever your plans are for the day, they will include a pause to reflect on the true meaning of the day. I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!

Theodore The Chicken

Good Monday Morning To You!
The other day I told Bess about a pet chicken we had when I was a kid. He was a rooster named Theodore. My younger brother named him after a member of his favorite band --- Alvin and the Chipmunks. I believe to this day that is still his favorite group. Now I’m sure many of you who grew up in the country had farm pets. Some of you might even have had a pet chicken. This is not strange for a country child. I, however, am a city boy. I grew up in Cincinnati, often living inside city limits. A pet chicken was a bit of a rarity.

Theodore was no ordinary chicken; he had a very colorful beginning. When I was a kid, we lived near a dime store called Ben Franklin’s. Every year at Easter, we would go there and they had colored little baby chicks for sale. There were red ones, blue ones, green ones, and yellow ones. Theodore was a bright yellow baby. Usually these birds only lived a few days then died. It was later determined that the dye used to color them was poisonous to them. The practice was stopped years ago, and I fully support the decision. However, occasionally a chick would live, and Theodore did.

We lived in a village inside Cincy called Elmwood Place. Elmwood Place would remind you of Andy and Barney’s Mayberry. We had a big house and a big yard. Theodore ruled the yard. Dad, Greg, and I could move freely around the yard, but not Mom. Theodore had her number. If she stepped outside, he’d chase her back in. If she came out to hang laundry, Theodore would run her all over the yard. It was one of the funniest sights I have ever seen. Here is this grown woman, running all around her yard, in plain sight of the neighbors with this chicken chasing after her squawking and flapping his wings.

Mom wasn’t the only one Theodore kept at bay. The poor mailman was ran off each time he even walked by on the sidewalk. Most mailmen have stories they can tell about being chased by dogs, but not at 403 Oak Street. At our house, our guard chicklen was on duty. I asked Mom the other day where Theodore stayed at night. I know she was not about to share her living room with poor Theodore. She said he stayed on the back porch at night. Early in the morning, the milkman would come and deliver our milk. He sat the milk inside a milk box very close to Theodore, but I do not recall our pet chicken ever giving him any problems. He only tormented Mom, the mailman, and my best friend Johnny Miller’s pet cat, Tabby.

Tabby was a beautiful long hair solid white cat. Tabby, we called her Tebby, was as gentle a cat as you’d find anywhere. Tabby would come next door into our yard on occasion, and Theodore would go to war. Nobody ever told Theodore that cats ate birds and that he was one. Fortunately for him, no one ever told Tabby either. He would latch onto her tail and start pulling out the hairs. Tabby would go back home, and Theodore would stay in his yard. He was good about that.

We never needed an alarm clock. Theodore would crow at the top of his lungs every morning. The neighbors didn’t need alarm clocks either. So what is the point to my story? Absolutely nothing! I just thought I’d share it with you.

Yesterday at Friendship Harmony was really good. We tried something new: we sang to CD recordings of hymns. Karan Berry had been so gracious in coming to play for us, but we were keeping her from the church where she and her son attend. Hopefully, someone from the congregation will step forward and play the piano, but until then, the recorded music worked pretty well. People seemed to enjoy it, and the tracks were easy to sing to. It was also Fellowship Dinner day. Our ladies put a fine meal out for us. I do believe they just keep on getting better and better! Good fellowship, good food, and a great service at Friendship Harmony! (My last sentence is an incomplete sentence on purpose, so don’t any of you English teachers write and fuss at me.)

I preached part three of my three part series on Victorious People. We looked at Victory Over Self. I said that self is the toughest enemy we must defeat. Here are the notes. I hope they are of benefit to you.

Victorious Over Self ©
2 Cor. 2:14; Various
Victorious People Series 3 of 4 By Victor Cooper
9/10-5/12

Intro: In this four part series, we are going to see how believers are victorious over Satan, sin, self, and sorrow. No believer needs to live a defeated life. We are a victorious people so lets start believing it and living it.

In order to be victorious over self,
One must first be victorious
Over Satan, and over sin.

I. What a self centered life looks like.
A. It is a life that has all the answers.
Numbers 12:2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.
1. It was motivated by pride.
2. It was motivated by envy.

B. It is a life that calls attention to itself --- even over God.
1. “Look at me!” Daniel 4:30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
New Testament example --- Luke 12:16-20 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: [17] And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? [18] And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. [20] But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Illustration 11195. Roosevelt’s Drive
Theodore Roosevelt, sometimes known as Roosevelt the First, was a President who knew his value; he did not cheapen himself by underestimating it. “Father always had to be the center of attention,” said one of his children. “When he went to a wedding, he wanted to be the bride. When he went to a funeral, he was sorry that he couldn’t be the corpse.” Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations
2. God is placed under self. Deut. 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

II. The self centered life will ultimately fail.
A.. Lucifer learned that lesson. Isaiah 14:13-15 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. [15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
B. Edom learned that lesson. Obadiah 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.
1. Edom was descended from Esau, making Edom and Israel family. That made their treachery against Israel worse.
2. Self exultation makes the fall further and harder.
Pastor Victor Cooper
C. The Church of Laodicea will learn that lesson Rev. 3:14-17 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; [15] I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. [16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. [17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
D. “Self” is often more difficult to defeat than is Satan.
1. People are willing to fight Satan. He’s a natural enemy. However, they are not willing to fight themselves.
Pastor Vic Cooper
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III. Self can be defeated. 2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
A. “…that you … may abound…”
1. You can do it because the grace to do so comes from Christ.
B. Paul told the Romans it was called being a living sacrifice.
1. Sacrificed animals were dead, thus they had no choice.
2. A living sacrifice does have a choice.
Radio preacher Steve Brown says that the trouble with most living sacrifices is that they keep jumping off the altar.
C. When self is at its weakest, Christ’s strength is at its strongest.
2 Cor. 12:9-10 (ESV) But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
1. Paul is saying not to shun weakness, but to embrace it!
(a) When was the last time you heard a politician bragging about their weaknesses?
2. At our weakest point we are at our strongest --- as long as it is through Christ’s strength.

I do hope you will have a good and joyous week. This coming Sunday I will conclude the Victorious People Series with the message, Victorious Over Sorrow. We have all had sorrowful events in our lives, but I want you to know you can have victory in spite of sad circumstances. For those of you who are beginning to make your way down to Florida for the winter, be safe as you travel. We don’t want anything to happen to you. Whether you’re here or not, I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic!!!