Sonshine School of Evangelism

06/01/2024

Who Wants A Pet Buzzard?

Written By
Dr. James Spinnati

Our world is pet crazy. In fact dogs and cats head the list, but the “list” doesn’t stop there. There are gerbils, hamsters, snakes, monkeys, turtles, fish, and even skunks! And probably one of you reading this column will yell, “Hey, he left mine out!” You know there are hundreds of pets from A to Z but I have never ever had any person tell me that they had a pet buzzard. If the pet shop had them for sale nobody would buy one. In fact I have never even seen a stuffed one in the toy isle at your local Wal-Mart. And as I think about it, who would want a live one in their house? I mean you would always have to be looking over your shoulder because the “pet” buzzard would be looking over its shoulder eyeing you seeing if you were still moving and not ripe for road kill.

What is it about buzzards that no one wants them for a pet? First, buzzards are ugly obnoxious creatures. They are dirty and creepy. They are always circling the “field” looking for something that is dying or “dead as Fred”. They can spot stink a mile away. But if anything is sweet, vibrant and alive you won’t see a buzzard around for miles.

Some of you are thinking, “Dr. J why are you bringing this up; hey what’s the point”? Well, some people in our world are like buzzards; they love dirt and pure stink. They are always “circling” having their ears inclined for the latest “garbage” that is “floating” around. They like nothing better than to find some dark scandal, dirt, or gossip on other people and then they delight in spreading the “good news” to whoever gets within five miles of them. They remind me of a Hoover Vacuum cleaner; they love to pick up dirt and then dump it on anyone who comes near them. They are afflicted with hoof and mouth disease. They are always hoofing it over to someone else’s house and mouthing off. These buzzards never sing. If you want a singer buy a canary. These human “buzzards” never have a “happy tune” in fact nothing positive comes out of their mouths. They are the critical, negative, and complaining people who permeate the universe who you will unfortunately have to deal with in your life. They always predict “rain” in the forecast. They are broadcasters of gloom and doom and are always happy to bring dark daunting clouds into your life. There are some of these people that come to the assembly of the saints. I have had the unfortunate “pleasure” of having a few of them in my ministry in my lifetime. When you see them coming, even if you are the preacher, you want to turn and run! They are negative nellies that are laden with pessimism. In fact, if you really think about it they put a popular television show to shame; they are truly the walking dead. Their sole purpose in life is to rob people of any real joy, peace, or hope in their life and afflict them with as much pain and anguish as is humanly possible.

If you have a buzzard mentality don’t even wonder why you have no friends and people don’t want to be around you. You need to change your mind-set. Jesus can do that; you know. I know of people when I think of them it makes me smile. Why, because they bring sunshine with them wherever they go. They are cheerful, positive, and excited about the future while they delight in “lighting up” the present. The first word out of their mouth is not “I”, “I”, “I”! They are natural encouragers, who listen, notice the little things, and shower praise on others. It has been my experience that people flock to them. What is the person that I have just described? This person is a real Christian that emulates the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. This person believes in loving their neighbor as they love themselves. This person walks by faith not by sight. This person takes to heart the Lord’s teaching of shinning their light before men in order that their Father might be glorified in heaven. This person is living a life of faith and is truly a person that can sing without compromise, “What a friend I have in Jesus.”

Is the person I just described you or are you the “buzzard in the room”? Do you bring sunshine or rain when you are in the presence of others? Would you want you for a friend? Listen, being a real friend and having friends are entirely within your grasp. Just remember; no one wants a pet buzzard and no one wants or needs a friend that “dumps dirt”.

07/16/2021

Enjoy

Who Wants A Pet Buzzard?

Written By
Dr. James Spinnati

Our world is pet crazy. In fact dogs and cats head the list, but the “list” doesn’t stop there. There are gerbils, hamsters, snakes, monkeys, turtles, fish, and even skunks! And probably one of you reading this column will yell, “Hey, he left mine out!” You know there are hundreds of pets from A to Z but I have never ever had any person tell me that they had a pet buzzard. If the pet shop had them for sale nobody would buy one. In fact I have never even seen a stuffed one in the toy isle at your local Wal-Mart. And as I think about it, who would want a live one in their house? I mean you would always have to be looking over your shoulder because the “pet” buzzard would be looking over its shoulder eyeing you seeing if you were still moving and not ripe for road kill.

What is it about buzzards that no one wants them for a pet? First, buzzards are ugly obnoxious creatures. They are dirty and creepy. They are always circling the “field” looking for something that is dying or “dead as Fred”. They can spot stink a mile away. But if anything is sweet, vibrant and alive you won’t see a buzzard around for miles.

Some of you are thinking, “Dr. J why are you bringing this up; hey what’s the point”? Well, some people in our world are like buzzards; they love dirt and pure stink. They are always “circling” having their ears inclined for the latest “garbage” that is “floating” around. They like nothing better than to find some dark scandal, dirt, or gossip on other people and then they delight in spreading the “good news” to whoever gets within five miles of them. They remind me of a Hoover Vacuum cleaner; they love to pick up dirt and then dump it on anyone who comes near them. They are afflicted with hoof and mouth disease. They are always hoofing it over to someone else’s house and mouthing off. These buzzards never sing. If you want a singer buy a canary. These human “buzzards” never have a “happy tune” in fact nothing positive comes out of their mouths. They are the critical, negative, and complaining people who permeate the universe who you will unfortunately have to deal with in your life. They always predict “rain” in the forecast. They are broadcasters of gloom and doom and are always happy to bring dark daunting clouds into your life. There are some of these people that come to the assembly of the saints. I have had the unfortunate “pleasure” of having a few of them in my ministry in my lifetime. When you see them coming, even if you are the preacher, you want to turn and run! They are negative nellies that are laden with pessimism. In fact, if you really think about it they put a popular television show to shame; they are truly the walking dead. Their sole purpose in life is to rob people of any real joy, peace, or hope in their life and afflict them with as much pain and anguish as is humanly possible.

If you have a buzzard mentality don’t even wonder why you have no friends and people don’t want to be around you. You need to change your mind-set. Jesus can do that; you know. I know of people when I think of them it makes me smile. Why, because they bring sunshine with them wherever they go. They are cheerful, positive, and excited about the future while they delight in “lighting up” the present. The first word out of their mouth is not “I”, “I”, “I”! They are natural encouragers, who listen, notice the little things, and shower praise on others. It has been my experience that people flock to them. What is the person that I have just described? This person is a real Christian that emulates the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. This person believes in loving their neighbor as they love themselves. This person walks by faith not by sight. This person takes to heart the Lord’s teaching of shinning their light before men in order that their Father might be glorified in heaven. This person is living a life of faith and is truly a person that can sing without compromise, “What a friend I have in Jesus.”

Is the person I just described you or are you the “buzzard in the room”? Do you bring sunshine or rain when you are in the presence of others? Would you want you for a friend? Listen, being a real friend and having friends are entirely within your grasp. Just remember; no one wants a pet buzzard and no one wants or needs a friend that “dumps dirt”.

07/16/2021

Book store is open www.tntministriesonline.org

11/04/2019

Christmas Concert

09/25/2019

There is a Rat Trap in the House

Written By

Dr. James Spinnati

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. He began to imagine what food might it contain? He was shocked to discover that the package contained a rat trap. Running frantically to the farmyard the rat proclaimed the warning; “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” The chicken clucked and scratched and raised her head and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.” The rat turned next to the pig and told him, “There is a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” The pig said, “I am so very sorry Mr. Rat, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers.”

Slowly pacing the barnyard the rat spotted the cow and said, shaking his head, “There is a rat trap in the house!” The cow kept chewing her cud and finally said, “Like wow Mr. Rat; a rat trap I am in grave danger; duh.” After his traumatic barn yard experience he returned to the house head down and dejected ready to face the farmer’s rat trap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house; a rat trap catching its prey! The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught thinking that she had finally gotten rid of that rat. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail had got caught in the rat trap and low and behold the snake bit the farmer’s wife.

Immediately the farmer rushed her to the hospital. Later that day she returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife continued to decline in health and one day she died. A large crowd came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat. The only one to survive the entire episode was the one who cried the warning; the rat!

So Dr. J what is the moral of the story? Brothers and sisters the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and you think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk. You see my friends drugs might not be a problem with you, but sooner or later, if not unchecked, they will come back to bite you! Therefore my friends be proactive and seek to make a difference in our area concerning drugs and other issues.

05/19/2019

New Life Resolutions

Written By

Dr. James Spinnati

The Word of God sates that an unexamined life is not biblical. Socrates once said “An unexamined life is not worth living.” An unexamined life is a life that is not being lived to its fullest potential. It is a life not being lived out in abundance that only Jesus Christ provides. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (NRSV)

At least once a month we should take time to measure our progress in becoming more like Jesus Christ. Are we more loving, more forgiving, and are we showing more grace to others? We need to take time to measure our emotional balance, spiritual balance and our physical balance. Sit down and ask yourself or even better sit down with an accountability partner and ask the tough questions. For your emotional balance, ask, “How am I handling the stress in my life? How am I reacting to irritations? How am I handling the relationships in my life? Are my relationships with others becoming deeper and more meaningful or am I pushing people aside? Am I becoming more loving and more Christ like?” For physical balance ask, “How are my eating habits.” You know the computer acronym, GIGO, “Garbage In, Garbage Out”, it applies to our bodies. “Am I getting regular exercise? Am I sleeping enough? Am I always worn down?”

For spiritual balance, I ask myself almost daily, “Am I growing in Christ? Is my love for the Bible increasing? Is my love for the Lord Jesus Christ increasing? Is my love for lost people increasing? Is my heart growing bigger for the cause of Christ? Are my prayers more frequent and more heartfelt or am I asking things for self? Am I taking every opportunity to mature in Christ? How are my church attendance, my Bible study time, and my prayer times working out?”

Brothers and sisters take time; at least once a year set aside a day to reflect back on your life asking these same questions. Instead of you making “New Year’s Resolutions” make some “New Life Resolutions”!

11/14/2018

Join us Monday November 26 for a night of music and celebration: Dan Bentley

10/18/2018

Come to our 25th annual Christmas Gift to Portsmouth Ohio

08/11/2018

The Horse That Nobody Wanted
Written By
Dr. James Spinnati
Once upon a time, a man owned a race horse. He didn't see much potential in that ani¬mal as a money-maker. In fact those around him said that he would continued to grumble and complain about the horse while calling him a looser who wasn’t worth sending to the glue factory! He finally “unloaded” the horse and sold him for $1,000. The next owner felt the same way about the horse and sold him for $2,000. The third owner didn't like the horse and determined to get rid of the looser almost as soon as he bought him. But he did even better than the first two and sold the horse for $10,000 of which he bragged how smart he was, to all who came around him, because he made $9,000 on a looser. The fourth owner soon took advantage of an opportunity to trade the horse for what he determined were two quality horses; which he said, “Were far better than that old flea bag of a “looser”.” Probably about this time the horse felt like he was Rodney Dangerfield; he was getting no respect. Even the fifth owner thought he was wasting his time with the horse and got rid of him because he decided there wasn't enough potential to waste his time on. Finally, someone took a risk, buying the horse that nobody wanted - for $25,000.

The horse I am writing about was known as John Henry. And the fact is that John Henry, the horse that was deemed a looser and not worth selling to a glue factory, became the leading money-maker in racing history in 1981. When he was eventually retired from racing, this “looser” was credited with earning more than six million dollars during his career. Five men had owned a winning race horse and didn’t realize what they had.

Christian, do you know who you are and what you have? Or are you like those five men who owned a winning race horse and didn't realize what they had? Are you like those five always search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow while not realizing that the “pot of gold” is right in front of you? Are you still searching everywhere for something that you already have in Christ Jesus? Do you know all the blessings that come packaged in Jesus Christ? Have you forgotten the love, joy and peace that are available to all who come to Christ?

As followers of Christ, we have so many more resources than we realize. If you just examine the fruit of the Spirit listed in the Bible it will blow your mind. Paul, the writer of the Book of Galatians, tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

Let us determine that, regardless of what life brings, whether it is trials or tribulation we will still understand that we are truly winners in Christ Jesus. Listen brothers and sisters, I am not talking about winning in the future; I am talking about our winning as being a present reality! Our Lord desires for us to have victory in the here and now and victory, if it is to be obtained, is all wrapped up in the knowledge of what we have in Christ!