Theology by the Man in Black

Johnny Cash is one of those iconic figures who changed his profession. He was the outlaw, the Man in Black. He was also saved by grace! If you know Johnny's music, then you know he loved to sing about biblical topics. I listened to his album American VI: Ain't No Grave today (the second posthumous album due in stores Feb. 26). Many of the songs are repeats from earlier albums. I recommend the album to anyone who loves classic country. But the purpose hear is to compare the words of his song "A Satisfied Mind", written by Red Hayes, to the Word. Notice these words:

How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way

But little they know
That it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind

A proverbial truth. Money cannot ultimately satisfy. The more wealth earned simply drives a man to earn more wealth. Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We should be content with whatever we have as Christians because we have Christ. He will never leave us or forsake us. Fortune and fame come and go. But our life in Christ is eternal. It leads to a satisfied mind!


As a fan of a legend, I like to think that on September 12, 2003 Johnny Cash entered the eternal rest of the Lord singing...

When my life has ended
And my time has run out
My friends and my loved ones
I'll leave there's no doubt

But one thing's for certain
When it comes my time
I'll leave this old world
With a satisfied mind

He was satisfied to know the Lord. When you face death's door will you have a satisfied mind? I pray you do. Christ will never leave you or forsake you!

Talk to you soon...CW

Hello Blogging World!

As many of you know, I am not the most technology savvy guy in the world. Because of this I have run from the idea of blogging for a couple years. My wife recently sent me a post from Desiring God's blog that convinced me to begin blogging for several reasons. I want to give you my reasons for blogging, and then lay out the direction that this blog will take as we move forward.

Why Did I decide to Begin a Blog?

1. I need to sharpen my thinking skills. It has always helped me to think myself clear on any issue if I take the time to write about my subject. In the throws of local ministry it is difficult for me to justify time spent writing, but I believe a blog will help me write because of the accountability of readers. If there are a group of people looking for me to write on a regular basis, then I am more likely to be disciplined in writing which will lead to better thinking!
2. I want to communicate with the people in my church, family, and community. Part of being a pastor (a rather large part of the calling) is communicating clear biblical thinking on any number of real life issues. A blog is one of the best ways to have a conversation with a large group of people twenty-four hours a day.
3. I want to create a hunger for studying the Bible and theology. We live in a world of soundbites and spoon fed theology or Bible teaching. My desire is that this blog will be a place of constant interaction with deep, practical theology. If the readers are challenged to think on the issues of the day from a biblical standpoint, then our community will be transformed into Christ-likeness.
4. I want people to know who I really am. More than anything this blog will hopefully be a productive way for people to know who I am. It is impossible to know me from an hour on Sunday. My desire is that by reading this blog you will be more connected with who Carlton Weathers is in day-to-day life.

There are several other reasons for launching this blog, but I want to you to know that if you choose to read here, we will have a true to life discussion of the events in our world. My prayer is that God will be glorified and the church will be strengthened and the lost will be challenged to faith in Christ through this continual conversation that I call "Beyond the Walls." Its time to close this post because I hate reading long post!!!

Talk to you soon... CW