No You May Not

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Jerry Sandusky is guilty. After listening to the morning talking heads, it seems that there is little if any hope that he will ever get out of prison. He was convicted on 45 counts of child sex abuse. Now the focus will be shifting back to Penn State's culpability in the whole situation. We still don't know the impact upon the legacy of Penn State as well as Joe Paterno's mystique.

Thoughts on Joe Paterno's Legacy

Weirdly enough, in January, in the middle of all the legal wrangling, Sandusky asked permission for visitiation rights for his grandchildren while he was under house arrest. He felt is was unfair for his grandchildren not to have their grandfather around as he was waiting for his trial for 48 counts of child sex abuse charges. I have no idea if the parents of his grandchildren were willing to give permission for him to visit with grandpa. I just know the judge was okay with it.

Regardless of what the judge decided, as a parent, if I was asked permission for a grandfather who has been accused of sex abuse of children...did you get that? ...children...sexually abused. This is as dangerous to these children as a Moon Pie would be at a Fat Farm. It's playing with fire. My answer would be "NO, YOU MAY NOT!"

In our Christian walk, we are also playing with fire. We think we can give ourselves permission to sin. Think of it this way, Sin comes to us and demands the right to run our life. Many times we answer with a question, "Do I have choice?" The truth is you do not. Here's the Truth: sin is no longer your master, and you never have to allow it access to your life ever again. Your only choice is to refuse sin access. That is the what the Bible lets us know with this exhortation:

Sin shall not be your master. Romans 6:14

So, here is how we can and should live as Christians, not in misery, but in joy. Sin delights in making us miserable. God never intended for our Christian life to be like that. This is why Jesus entered human history. Not only to free us from the guilt of sin by forgiving us, but also to deliver is from the power of sin by sanctifying us (the process of making us holy). When it comes to our salvation, there can be no distinction between forgiving us and making us holy. It is all a result of what happens the moment we ask Christ Jesus to be our Forgiver (Savior) and Leader (Lord).

Why then do so many Christians continue to be ruled by sin? They have not been given the information they need to live an overcoming life. It is Satan's greatest weapon against believers...just keep them in the dark.

That is no longer the case. We now know that Christ empowers us to live life joyfully and without guilt. Knowledge can be your quantum leap in weapon technology when it comes to defeating sin and living as God intended. That is why the next time sin comes to you with temptation and asks, "May I?" All you need answer is, "NO, YOU MAY NOT!"

Pastor Trey Rhodes

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Joe Paterno's Biggest Worry, His Legacy

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Great men should be remembered by the great things they accomplished over their storied career. But, more often than not, it doesn't turn out that way.

It was in the 1978 Gator Bowl which saw 2 great football programs take the field. It was the Clemson Tigers against the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was a game between Danny Ford, an up and coming coach of the future national champion Tigers, and the fierce old war horse and three time national champion coach of the Buckeyes, Woody Hayes. But, would Hayes be remembered for his championships? No, particularly to those of us watching the Gator Bowl that night, he would always be that crazy coach that punched Clemson's noseguard after an interception. We read in a Sports Illustrated story in the January 8, 1979 edition that:

Ultimately, Hayes' volatile temper ended his career. On December 29, 1978, Ohio State played in the Gator Bowl against Clemson. Late in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes were down by two points. Freshman quarterback Art Schlichter drove the Buckeyes down the field into field goal range. On 3rd and 5 at the Clemson 24-yard line with 2:30 left and the clock running, Hayes called a pass rather than a run because Schlichter was having a great game up to that point. The pass was intercepted by Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman, who returned it toward the OSU sideline where he was run out of bounds; after Bauman rose to his feet and looked in the direction of the OSU players, Hayes punched him in the throat, starting a bench-clearing brawl. Hayes then stormed onto the field and abused the referee.

Hayes was summarily fired after that embarrassing incident.

Here then is the question: even if we live our lives with great accomplishments and huge accolades and then blow it in the end, how much should that impact our legacy? I think we have seen over and over again in history that it impacts us greatly.

There are few football coaches with as much accomplishment to look back on as does Joe Paterno. Yet, with this molestation scandal, many are already calling for his resignation. I now wonder how Paterno's legacy will stand? Will it be all that he did on the football field for all these years, or will it be those alleged horrific moments of his assistant coach taking advantage of children behind closed doors? It is now being said that Paterno didn't do enough (for more commentary, read this article by Ken Meringolo).

Here is what matters, our lives must be lived out every moment of every day. We cannot let our guards down for a single moment. It does matter what we say, what we do, and how we respond, all the way to the end of our lives. That means we must be willing to stand up and do the right thing over and over over and over again, no matter the immediate cost. Our legacy matters.

Jesus has also called us to stand up for Him no matter the consequences. The world has been sickened by what they see as hypocrites in the church. When we live for Christ and tell others of His work in our lives, it impacts our legacy for all of eternity. There will come a time when you will be asked to give your "testimony" for the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus assures us when that time comes, He will empower us to live and say what we should. In the words of Jesus Himself, He assures us:

"don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said." Luke 12:11-12 (HCSB)

The power of the almighty God will rest in us to do and say the right thing. Don't worry, He will do it!

Worried about your legacy? It can be one in the same with the legacy that Christ Himself left. May your legacy be your words and actions of Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Living His legacy,
Pastor Trey Rhodes


With ScareMare, we have seen God do great things in many people. Lives have been changed forever. I believe God wants that to be an every week occurrence, and it can be. How does that happen? Momentum. Listen to this:

"Momentum is that elusive sense of faith, vision  and excitement that causes church members to serve, give, sacrifice, and commit." M. Hatch, Mosaic Church-UK

That's you! We saw it happen with ScareMare, but that's just the beginning!

Oceansiders, keep your excitement and your inviting and your sacrifice level where it is, and there will be no end to seeing all that our Lord can do through you the rest of this year and on into the next. Don't let the devil steal your joy or excitement. Let's get involved and watch God make it happen!!

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