It always amazes me how good God is. It should not, but it does. I really wanted to talk with a friend of mine in TN last night. I was on the way to the bank to deposit my check and talking with Irene, asking her for a phone number for my friend. We had basically decided that it may be too late to call and a call came in on my other line. When I picked up it was my friend. God knew how much I needed to hear his voice and to be able to talk with him. My friend is in a church plant in TN and he has been on my heart the last couple of days. I also needed his wisdom in things that I am praying about. Through that phone call it got me thinking back to clown camp in July – which was the last time our families had anytime to spend together. What it actually triggered was meditation on the verse that was used as the focus for our week at camp this year – II Corinthians 3:18.
This verse talks about the believer being the reflection of our God. Sometimes I think we do a very bad job of that – at least I know I do. One of the things that I try to teach our students is that people around us should be able to see Jesus through our life by the way we live and conduct ourselves everyday. If we live our faith out loud – that is – we are a reflection of our Savior; that is the greatest witness that we can have. We should always be prepared to share the gospel, but our lives should be the greatest witness we can offer. It is easy to tell people what we believe, but what we live comes from our heart. I challenged our students to pray that God would give them the opportunity to share the gospel with at least one person everyday. That should be in all of our prayers – whether young or not so young. I believe that those opportunities will come when people around us see more of Jesus than they see of ourselves.
My question to those that read my blog is this – when people look at you – who do they see? My prayer for myself and you is this – that people who come in contact with me everyday could see more of Jesus and less of us. God grant that prayer. Help me die to myself so that you can live through me.
A quick shout to the students that read this blog – read and study this scripture – you may hear it again real soon. By the looks of the votes on the poll, I would say that most of you get it.
Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus and let us be a reflection for all to see.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
What are you willing to do ? ? ?
That was my question to our students this past Sunday evening. The question actually went something like – what are you willing to do to get someone to Christ? This questions stems from the scripture in Mark 2:1-12. If you have been in church for any length of time, this is a familiar story. This is the story of four men who brought a man to Jesus but could not get into the house where He was teaching. These men had brought someone to Jesus so that his legs could be healed because he could not walk. Since they could not get into the house because of such a large crowd, they changed to a more radical plan – they tore the roof off and lowered the man down into the room where Jesus was teaching. They did what ever it took to get this man to Jesus.
My question to our students was, once again, what would they do to get someone to Jesus? Sometimes I think that we will do whatever it takes as long as it fits in our schedule, or it’s not to inconvenient. Yet the example set in the scripture involved hard work. Chances are it did not fit into their schedule, since this meeting happened when people found out that Jesus had returned. It was a spur of the moment, it brought about a change in plans. These men had an urgency about what they were doing, since they actually tore up someone’s house. It does not say in the scripture, but they probably had to repair the house after the man was healed. The point is that they were willing to do whatever it took to get this man to Jesus.
So, once again – what are you willing to do? Are you willing to invite someone week after week until they say yes? Are you willing to get others involved to get that one person to Jesus? Are you willing to pick-up the tab for lunch to get them to church? Are you willing to change your schedule, to be inconvenienced, to work hard, to get someone to Christ? Are we willing as followers of Christ to set aside our personal preferences in order to see people accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. What I truly believe is that when we get to the point of understanding that what we are called to do has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus, we will do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus.
The mission that we have been called to do, is the last words spoken by Jesus to His followers in Matthew 28:19-20. These are the marching orders of the believer. The work is laid out before us. So my question to you is – what are you willing to do?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and do what ever it takes to get them to Jesus.
My question to our students was, once again, what would they do to get someone to Jesus? Sometimes I think that we will do whatever it takes as long as it fits in our schedule, or it’s not to inconvenient. Yet the example set in the scripture involved hard work. Chances are it did not fit into their schedule, since this meeting happened when people found out that Jesus had returned. It was a spur of the moment, it brought about a change in plans. These men had an urgency about what they were doing, since they actually tore up someone’s house. It does not say in the scripture, but they probably had to repair the house after the man was healed. The point is that they were willing to do whatever it took to get this man to Jesus.
So, once again – what are you willing to do? Are you willing to invite someone week after week until they say yes? Are you willing to get others involved to get that one person to Jesus? Are you willing to pick-up the tab for lunch to get them to church? Are you willing to change your schedule, to be inconvenienced, to work hard, to get someone to Christ? Are we willing as followers of Christ to set aside our personal preferences in order to see people accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. What I truly believe is that when we get to the point of understanding that what we are called to do has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Jesus, we will do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus.
The mission that we have been called to do, is the last words spoken by Jesus to His followers in Matthew 28:19-20. These are the marching orders of the believer. The work is laid out before us. So my question to you is – what are you willing to do?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and do what ever it takes to get them to Jesus.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A vision from God . . .
I am often confused by people that profess that they are believers in Christ but have a problem when someone tells them that they are doing something because God told them to. Someone feels lead to attend another church and everyone wants to know who made them mad and why they are leaving. No one made them mad and they are following God’s leadership never seems to be the answer that people want to hear. Leaders leave by the direction of the Holy Spirit and yet people will not accept that response.
What I have come to the conclusion about is that some people have a problem with leadership from God. A leader receives a mission from God – a vision – something only seen by the one God gave it to. Since that vision does not take into consideration others personal preferences, they have a problem with this call from God. What we need to understand is that God is not really interested in our personal preferences. God is concerned with what He prefers. Our personal preferences should never hinder the will of God.
Often times a call from God will bring about a change of course. We need to understand that if we keep doing what we are doing we will keep getting what we are getting. If we are not actively seeking what God wants us to do – the direction - the vision that He has for us, then we are not actively seeking God. God was constantly changing the way that He did things throughout the Bible. Change can be both scary and exciting – most rest in the area of scary. Most change will cause us to be stretched and carried far outside our comfort zone – that is the way that we grow in Christ. Some may feel that they can not offer God their best if they are not comfortable with what they are doing. I believe that God ultimately receives our best when we are relying on Him the most. This will often cause us to work harder. Often to change the way we think. It may cause us to stop doing something that we have been doing the same way for years. That is OK. The manner of doing God’s work may have to change to do what God has called us to do, but we need to understand that the mission – to carry the good news of Christ to the world – will never change. We need to remember that what we are supposed to be doing is reaching the world one person at a time.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and thank you to Rev. Ken Forester and Rev. Johnny Hunt for their obedience in bringing a word from God.
What I have come to the conclusion about is that some people have a problem with leadership from God. A leader receives a mission from God – a vision – something only seen by the one God gave it to. Since that vision does not take into consideration others personal preferences, they have a problem with this call from God. What we need to understand is that God is not really interested in our personal preferences. God is concerned with what He prefers. Our personal preferences should never hinder the will of God.
Often times a call from God will bring about a change of course. We need to understand that if we keep doing what we are doing we will keep getting what we are getting. If we are not actively seeking what God wants us to do – the direction - the vision that He has for us, then we are not actively seeking God. God was constantly changing the way that He did things throughout the Bible. Change can be both scary and exciting – most rest in the area of scary. Most change will cause us to be stretched and carried far outside our comfort zone – that is the way that we grow in Christ. Some may feel that they can not offer God their best if they are not comfortable with what they are doing. I believe that God ultimately receives our best when we are relying on Him the most. This will often cause us to work harder. Often to change the way we think. It may cause us to stop doing something that we have been doing the same way for years. That is OK. The manner of doing God’s work may have to change to do what God has called us to do, but we need to understand that the mission – to carry the good news of Christ to the world – will never change. We need to remember that what we are supposed to be doing is reaching the world one person at a time.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and thank you to Rev. Ken Forester and Rev. Johnny Hunt for their obedience in bringing a word from God.
Monday, August 27, 2007
GodStock
It’s Friday night and we’re running on a low hum. Anxiously waiting for Saturday. It cannot get here soon enough. We’re waiting to see what God has in store for us. We know that He wants us to take our schools back, but somewhere deep down in the dark corners of our heart; we have a wee little bit of doubt that it is going to happen. All of the worries of where the money is going to come from are quickly fading away as God has already supplied for the needs and wants for this event. Now comes the God sized task. We’re praying for at least 1,000 students to show up and for at least 300 salvations. We’re also praying for the students to gain boldness to witness to their families, friends and teachers. We’re praying for a host of angels to surround the field and everyone as they travel in. We are asking God to bind Satan and his army, to keep him away from His event. We are praying for a good night’s rest, a cool breeze on Saturday, and no rain until we have cleaned the field. We are making out a list of last minute things that need to be done in order to help make this a “Giving God ALL of the praise” event. Now it’s time to get some sleep.
It’s Saturday morning, the day started at 6 a.m. Arrived at the church around 7:20 a.m. to meet the folks who brought in two trucks to make the stage. Thanks to EISI for the use of the trucks. Left for Hardee’s for breakfast, and then picked up the snow cone machine. Just praying for God to supply all the ice that we need, and then headed off to Sam’s. It’s about 11:20 now and the sound & lights are in the process of being set up. Drinks are in the refrigerator being cooled down. Some of the students are here helping out. Just waiting for rest of the folks to come and help.
“God, it’s all about you, not NHBC and not the students. Just show up and show out!”
It’s now Sunday evening, 24 hours after the event. We’ve had a good night of rest, worship services and a Sunday afternoon nap. Now we can reflect on what God has done.
Earlier, it was stated what the purpose of the event was for, through God’s divine power, that was accomplished. A young man gave his heart to Christ. That’s one more student that will be on fire for God and one more student for God to use in taking back our schools. It only takes one to reach one and the domino effect will take place as long as we do not stand in God’s way.
It was neat to see God working yesterday. A tarp was hung over the stage as relief from the sun and from any potential rain showers. Well…..God let us know real quick that the tarp was not suppose to be there so He took it down with a puff of wind. All afternoon, the storm clouds started gathering, folks were beginning to get a little uneasy and was asking what we were going to do. At that point, I saw a partial rainbow in the sky and I knew then that God was not going to let it rain. About 30 minutes later, I saw the other half of the rainbow. I started showing it to the folks and I think they began to realize that God wasn’t going let it rain on His event. He sent the clouds to block the sun and a nice cool breeze to give us comfort to continue to do His work. He ended the evening around 9:45 pm with a new child in His family. We worshiped, we prayed and we rejoiced.
God supplied a wonderful group of adults and teenagers to do His work. He made sure that all were feeling well and ready to share the gospel at any given moment. Even had one to show up after having surgery on Thursday! Now that’s God’s work! Be sure to talk with any of the teenagers or the adult leaders to get their side of the story. Each one was able to see God work in many different ways.
“Thank you God for showing up and showing out, even when we failed to trust you completely for every little detail. We give you ALL of the praise for what You have done. It is truly all about you.”
It’s Saturday morning, the day started at 6 a.m. Arrived at the church around 7:20 a.m. to meet the folks who brought in two trucks to make the stage. Thanks to EISI for the use of the trucks. Left for Hardee’s for breakfast, and then picked up the snow cone machine. Just praying for God to supply all the ice that we need, and then headed off to Sam’s. It’s about 11:20 now and the sound & lights are in the process of being set up. Drinks are in the refrigerator being cooled down. Some of the students are here helping out. Just waiting for rest of the folks to come and help.
“God, it’s all about you, not NHBC and not the students. Just show up and show out!”
It’s now Sunday evening, 24 hours after the event. We’ve had a good night of rest, worship services and a Sunday afternoon nap. Now we can reflect on what God has done.
Earlier, it was stated what the purpose of the event was for, through God’s divine power, that was accomplished. A young man gave his heart to Christ. That’s one more student that will be on fire for God and one more student for God to use in taking back our schools. It only takes one to reach one and the domino effect will take place as long as we do not stand in God’s way.
It was neat to see God working yesterday. A tarp was hung over the stage as relief from the sun and from any potential rain showers. Well…..God let us know real quick that the tarp was not suppose to be there so He took it down with a puff of wind. All afternoon, the storm clouds started gathering, folks were beginning to get a little uneasy and was asking what we were going to do. At that point, I saw a partial rainbow in the sky and I knew then that God was not going to let it rain. About 30 minutes later, I saw the other half of the rainbow. I started showing it to the folks and I think they began to realize that God wasn’t going let it rain on His event. He sent the clouds to block the sun and a nice cool breeze to give us comfort to continue to do His work. He ended the evening around 9:45 pm with a new child in His family. We worshiped, we prayed and we rejoiced.
God supplied a wonderful group of adults and teenagers to do His work. He made sure that all were feeling well and ready to share the gospel at any given moment. Even had one to show up after having surgery on Thursday! Now that’s God’s work! Be sure to talk with any of the teenagers or the adult leaders to get their side of the story. Each one was able to see God work in many different ways.
“Thank you God for showing up and showing out, even when we failed to trust you completely for every little detail. We give you ALL of the praise for what You have done. It is truly all about you.”
Are You Willing to Step Up . . .
Well, the weekend is past and there was a lot that happened. Some I will post later in the week and one I am going to arrange for a guest to post about.
Yesterday was Pastor Chad and Robbie’s last day at New Hope as our Pastor and Associate Pastor. I personally am going to miss my friends. I have seen our church grow over the past year – not just in number of people coming but also spiritually. Some may not agree with that and I am sorry that you feel that way. What I see in the bible is that any time Jesus did a work where the kingdom was increased or a miracle was done there was controversy. There were people that did not like Him doing what He did. These were usually the religious people in the crowd. These were also those that should have recognized a work of God, but they missed the point of what Jesus doing. Pastor Chad and Robbie have done a great work for the Lord at New Hope and we should all be thankful that we were there to be a part of it.
I believe that God still has a great work to be done at our church. I look forward to meeting the Interim Pastor the God has set aside to help us continue to advance forward. My question to those that read my blog is this – are you willing to step up? In order for God’s kingdom to continue to advance forward through New Hope we have got to step up. We need to spend more time in prayer and bible study than we ever have. We need to invite people to be apart of our fellowship. We need to share what God has done in our lives. We need to live our faith so that the world around us can see Jesus. If we are not careful Satan can gain a foothold in our fellowship in this time of transition. But, if we step up – join God in what He has started, continue the work that He has birthed – I believe that we will see our church continue to grow. We need to keep our focus and continue to work.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and stay on the wall.
Yesterday was Pastor Chad and Robbie’s last day at New Hope as our Pastor and Associate Pastor. I personally am going to miss my friends. I have seen our church grow over the past year – not just in number of people coming but also spiritually. Some may not agree with that and I am sorry that you feel that way. What I see in the bible is that any time Jesus did a work where the kingdom was increased or a miracle was done there was controversy. There were people that did not like Him doing what He did. These were usually the religious people in the crowd. These were also those that should have recognized a work of God, but they missed the point of what Jesus doing. Pastor Chad and Robbie have done a great work for the Lord at New Hope and we should all be thankful that we were there to be a part of it.
I believe that God still has a great work to be done at our church. I look forward to meeting the Interim Pastor the God has set aside to help us continue to advance forward. My question to those that read my blog is this – are you willing to step up? In order for God’s kingdom to continue to advance forward through New Hope we have got to step up. We need to spend more time in prayer and bible study than we ever have. We need to invite people to be apart of our fellowship. We need to share what God has done in our lives. We need to live our faith so that the world around us can see Jesus. If we are not careful Satan can gain a foothold in our fellowship in this time of transition. But, if we step up – join God in what He has started, continue the work that He has birthed – I believe that we will see our church continue to grow. We need to keep our focus and continue to work.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and stay on the wall.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Four days til GodStock ’07 . . .
Is time going by extremely fast or am I just tied to a stump. GodStock is only (4) days away. The excitement is almost unbearable. I will send out an e-mail tonight with the line-up for the bands and our final meeting will be Friday night. Saturday will be a dead run from 10:30 am until. You may notice I did not put a finish time – some of us will be there until we are ready to have church the next day. The one thing that I am sure of is that this event is in God’s hands because He has pulled it all together.
Pray hard and don’t stop. We are praying for 1000+ people to be in attendance and 300 decisions. When that happens, I won’t be hard to find. I’ll be on my face at the stage giving God all the glory.
A note to the bands:
There will be a band meeting for all bands at 2:00 pm in the church gym. Please be in attendance. This will let you meet the sound guru’s and help getting the bands on and off the stage with the least confusion.
We ask that you bring in your band and instruments on the Golden Park side of the church so that we can get you as close to the stage as possible.
Be flexible. We are all in one spot for one reason – to see people come to Jesus.
Just a quick shout to all the New Hope students that are going to be in attendance:
Bring sun screen – it’s going to be hot.
Be flexible – we are learning and there will be problems to over come.
Have a servant’s heart – come ready to serve.
If you don’t want to sit on the ground at the end of the day – bring a lawn chair.
This is at our house – so we are the hosts. We have to work, but I will promise you, you will have time for fun.
To everyone else that is coming:
Everything is free – except: food (Chick-fil-a sandwiches, popcorn, etc.), drinks and t-shirts.
There is going to be door prizes (mp3 players, I-tunes cards, possibly a gaming system) so don’t forget to register. You have to be in attendance to win. Drawings will be the last thing of the evening for the big prizes.
There will be a lot to do – climbing wall, obstacle course, slides, bounce houses, non-stop music, etc.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and pray. I really believe we are going to see a great thing happen at our church this Saturday.
Pray hard and don’t stop. We are praying for 1000+ people to be in attendance and 300 decisions. When that happens, I won’t be hard to find. I’ll be on my face at the stage giving God all the glory.
A note to the bands:
There will be a band meeting for all bands at 2:00 pm in the church gym. Please be in attendance. This will let you meet the sound guru’s and help getting the bands on and off the stage with the least confusion.
We ask that you bring in your band and instruments on the Golden Park side of the church so that we can get you as close to the stage as possible.
Be flexible. We are all in one spot for one reason – to see people come to Jesus.
Just a quick shout to all the New Hope students that are going to be in attendance:
Bring sun screen – it’s going to be hot.
Be flexible – we are learning and there will be problems to over come.
Have a servant’s heart – come ready to serve.
If you don’t want to sit on the ground at the end of the day – bring a lawn chair.
This is at our house – so we are the hosts. We have to work, but I will promise you, you will have time for fun.
To everyone else that is coming:
Everything is free – except: food (Chick-fil-a sandwiches, popcorn, etc.), drinks and t-shirts.
There is going to be door prizes (mp3 players, I-tunes cards, possibly a gaming system) so don’t forget to register. You have to be in attendance to win. Drawings will be the last thing of the evening for the big prizes.
There will be a lot to do – climbing wall, obstacle course, slides, bounce houses, non-stop music, etc.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and pray. I really believe we are going to see a great thing happen at our church this Saturday.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Sunday reflections . . .
Just a few thoughts from yesterday:
I now understand why Preachers don’t want to talk to people on Sunday before their time in the pulpit. Yesterday was the first time my mind and spirit was so scattered that it was hard to stay focused enough to preach. My hat is off to all pastors that suffer this every week.
It was great to see our church pray over our students and teachers last night. There is definitely something special about a time where your church lays their hands on people and commits to support them in prayer.
I really believe that we are going to see a change in our school’s campuses because of the students and teachers that are going back to school today.
GodStock is only six days away. I am really getting pumped. Keep praying – God is going to do a mighty work in front of us this weekend. He has made the arrangements – we need to be obedient.
I had the privilege of preaching the first sermon of the summer and the last sermon of the summer.
I look forward to hearing from our students and teachers about their first week back at school. I really hope that God grants them the boldness to do what He has called them to do.
I sometimes feel like Paul – is anybody listening – is any of this making a difference.
I look a churches around us and “business is picking up.” God is supplying workers for the harvest. The fields are ripe. Don’t stand back and miss taking part.
God has messed me up with this vision He has given me. My only rest is in Him and the knowledge that He will accomplish the vision – I need only be obedient with what He has given me.
Sometimes you just have to get out of the boat – even if you can’t swim. Just keep your eyes on the master and walk on top.
What I have come to the conclusion about is that anything Jesus did, He generally upset someone.
I wonder sometimes – if Jesus came back to our world, not to take us home to heaven, but just to hang out – who would He hangout with?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and remember who you are and whose you are.
I now understand why Preachers don’t want to talk to people on Sunday before their time in the pulpit. Yesterday was the first time my mind and spirit was so scattered that it was hard to stay focused enough to preach. My hat is off to all pastors that suffer this every week.
It was great to see our church pray over our students and teachers last night. There is definitely something special about a time where your church lays their hands on people and commits to support them in prayer.
I really believe that we are going to see a change in our school’s campuses because of the students and teachers that are going back to school today.
GodStock is only six days away. I am really getting pumped. Keep praying – God is going to do a mighty work in front of us this weekend. He has made the arrangements – we need to be obedient.
I had the privilege of preaching the first sermon of the summer and the last sermon of the summer.
I look forward to hearing from our students and teachers about their first week back at school. I really hope that God grants them the boldness to do what He has called them to do.
I sometimes feel like Paul – is anybody listening – is any of this making a difference.
I look a churches around us and “business is picking up.” God is supplying workers for the harvest. The fields are ripe. Don’t stand back and miss taking part.
God has messed me up with this vision He has given me. My only rest is in Him and the knowledge that He will accomplish the vision – I need only be obedient with what He has given me.
Sometimes you just have to get out of the boat – even if you can’t swim. Just keep your eyes on the master and walk on top.
What I have come to the conclusion about is that anything Jesus did, He generally upset someone.
I wonder sometimes – if Jesus came back to our world, not to take us home to heaven, but just to hang out – who would He hangout with?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and remember who you are and whose you are.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Can we afford to play it safe . . .
I was following along in the sermon this morning and Pastor Chad asked us to go to Matthew 25:14-30. This is the parable of the talents. I have been reading “The Message” lately, so that is the bible that I had with me this morning. When you read this parable in this bible and get down to the last verse or two the master refers to the servant that would not risk anything as one who plays it safe.
That got me really thinking. In the time that we live, can we afford to play it safe in carrying the word of God to the world around us. I was reading in a blog the other day where it talked about church in terms of baseball. What this blog post suggests is that the church needs to get dirty. I grew up with a brother and a dad that were both into sports, especially baseball. One thing was for sure, if they played in a game they got dirty. We need to understand that God has called us to be in the game of life, not spectators to the game of life. When was the last time that you got dirty for God? When was the last time that you did something for God that was cutting edge? When was the last time that you partnered with God in what He is doing?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s get dirty.
That got me really thinking. In the time that we live, can we afford to play it safe in carrying the word of God to the world around us. I was reading in a blog the other day where it talked about church in terms of baseball. What this blog post suggests is that the church needs to get dirty. I grew up with a brother and a dad that were both into sports, especially baseball. One thing was for sure, if they played in a game they got dirty. We need to understand that God has called us to be in the game of life, not spectators to the game of life. When was the last time that you got dirty for God? When was the last time that you did something for God that was cutting edge? When was the last time that you partnered with God in what He is doing?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s get dirty.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Finally Friday . . .
Any of you ever have a week that just never seems to end? Well this one was one of those. Too much work to get done at all of my work places. I must say that I am sorry that I have not posted this week, so here are a few random things about myself that some of you may not know:
My favorite Movies:
Lord of the Rings (all three)
About anything with John Wayne
Chronicles of Narnia
My Favorite kinds of food:
Mexican
Italian
My favorite books of the bible:
James
Romans
My favorite things to do:
Listen to good preaching
Work with wood
Preach and teach from the Bible
My favorite preachers:
Rev. Ken Forrester
Rev. Johnny Hunt
Rev. Ron Lynch
Rev. Perry Noble
My favorite books:
Fresh Wind – Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala
Lord of the Rings
Chronicles of Narnia
My Favorite Vacation spots:
Pigeon Forge, TN
Outer Banks, NC
My favorite College Football team:
University of Arkansas
Favorite Pro Football team:
Green Bay Packers
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus!
My favorite Movies:
Lord of the Rings (all three)
About anything with John Wayne
Chronicles of Narnia
My Favorite kinds of food:
Mexican
Italian
My favorite books of the bible:
James
Romans
My favorite things to do:
Listen to good preaching
Work with wood
Preach and teach from the Bible
My favorite preachers:
Rev. Ken Forrester
Rev. Johnny Hunt
Rev. Ron Lynch
Rev. Perry Noble
My favorite books:
Fresh Wind – Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala
Lord of the Rings
Chronicles of Narnia
My Favorite Vacation spots:
Pigeon Forge, TN
Outer Banks, NC
My favorite College Football team:
University of Arkansas
Favorite Pro Football team:
Green Bay Packers
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Stretched in all directions . . .
Am I the only one that feels stretched in all directions? I understand that often times when we are stretched, we are being stretched by God so that we can grow. Here lately it feels like I must be in some kind of growth spurt. Sometimes growth happens at times when we wish we could just sit still. In some ways that is where I’m at right now. New things can bring about growth and stretching. Changes can also bring about growth and stretching. I’ve been quiet about a lot of my stretching lately but I feel I need to share a little from my heart.
I have been confused and hurt and excited all at once here lately. I am hurt that I am loosing my pastor and my associate pastor. I consider them both friends. I am hurt that I will be losing their leadership and counsel in my ministry at New Hope. I am confused about God’s timing and what He is stretching me for. God has taught me so much this summer, under these two men. I am excited about their new church plant and the new direction that God is giving them. I am excited about new opportunities for New Hope and for me and my family. Saying that, here is what I know for sure – God has not told me to do anything other than keep my eyes on Him and stay faithful to the task that He has set before me and that is what I am going to do. If I have learned nothing else this summer – it is to keep my eyes on Jesus, my ears and heart open to His voice and block out every thing else. I am more open to hearing the voice of God right now and following His leadership than any other time in my life.
I am also being stretched by GodStock. God is really teaching me about how He deals with things on His time table. Things are coming together for this event in spite of everything else that is going on. Yet I am being stretched here in ways that I did not think possible. I am being taught to rely on God and Him alone as this comes together. There is one thing for sure – when this event happens, all the glory is due God and not any of the people involved. God has put this together in a magnificent way. I will share in the future all that God has taught me through this event and where He is directing a vision for the future.
Enough said for now. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and stay at the task He has given you until He says move. Then join in with the excitement due the opportunity.
I have been confused and hurt and excited all at once here lately. I am hurt that I am loosing my pastor and my associate pastor. I consider them both friends. I am hurt that I will be losing their leadership and counsel in my ministry at New Hope. I am confused about God’s timing and what He is stretching me for. God has taught me so much this summer, under these two men. I am excited about their new church plant and the new direction that God is giving them. I am excited about new opportunities for New Hope and for me and my family. Saying that, here is what I know for sure – God has not told me to do anything other than keep my eyes on Him and stay faithful to the task that He has set before me and that is what I am going to do. If I have learned nothing else this summer – it is to keep my eyes on Jesus, my ears and heart open to His voice and block out every thing else. I am more open to hearing the voice of God right now and following His leadership than any other time in my life.
I am also being stretched by GodStock. God is really teaching me about how He deals with things on His time table. Things are coming together for this event in spite of everything else that is going on. Yet I am being stretched here in ways that I did not think possible. I am being taught to rely on God and Him alone as this comes together. There is one thing for sure – when this event happens, all the glory is due God and not any of the people involved. God has put this together in a magnificent way. I will share in the future all that God has taught me through this event and where He is directing a vision for the future.
Enough said for now. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and stay at the task He has given you until He says move. Then join in with the excitement due the opportunity.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Dealing with it . . .
Dealing with what you might ask – dealing with sin of course. Romans 6:23 says that the “wages of sin is death”. You know I’m really glad that payday is not immediate. I mean, what would it be like if as soon as you sinned – you died. What I don’t think that we understand is that sin can and will lead to death if it is not dealt with. Sin is a progressive thing not an immediate thing. No one wakes up and goes – I think I’ll go out and murder someone today or I’ll go out and steal or commit adultery. What you don’t agree with this, well go look at the life of Samson. As you read and study about his life and understand who he was and how he was supposed to live you begin to see a progression of sin in his life. That is generally how it happens with us.
Understanding that sin is progressive (growing like cancer) – we can find ways of dealing with it. What we need to understand is the often times that may mean cutting something a way – like surgery. Let me give you an example: sex outside of marriage. God says that sex outside of marriage is wrong and can lead to all kinds of problems. Now, most people don’t just meet a guy or a girl and 10 minutes later they are in bed. What happens is a progression. Most relationships start with holding hands, a hug, a little peck on the cheek. That is where the progression starts. Don’t get me wrong – I am not saying that holding hands, a hug, or a peck on the cheek are sins. Often very innocent things can and will lead us to sin. What we don’t understand is that once the progression starts moving, it is really hard to stop and roll back. Once you move from a peck on the cheek to a real kiss, it is really hard to go back to a peck on the cheek. The fallacy that we live under is that we can control it. You may say that it is not a fallacy – you can control what you do. My answer to that is – possibly – but can you control what the other person is going through.
We need to understand that the father of lies – the devil – will put stuff in our heads – like “we can handle this.” Always remember that sin is a progression. Bad habits don’t start as habits. Smoking generally starts as “I’ll just smoke one to fit in” or drinking as “I’ll just have one drink”. Progressively it becomes a habit. So how do we deal with it – it being sin?
Understand the dangers. Separate yourself from the sin. You can not deal with sin if you are still participating in it. Repent of your sin to God. Have someone that cares about you hold you accountable. Do not put yourself in a situation where a progression can start. Read God’s word and meditate on it. Pray for strength and wisdom. Join a fellowship of like minded believers who can support you and you support them.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t do anything that you would not do with Him sitting right in front of you – because basically He is.
Understanding that sin is progressive (growing like cancer) – we can find ways of dealing with it. What we need to understand is the often times that may mean cutting something a way – like surgery. Let me give you an example: sex outside of marriage. God says that sex outside of marriage is wrong and can lead to all kinds of problems. Now, most people don’t just meet a guy or a girl and 10 minutes later they are in bed. What happens is a progression. Most relationships start with holding hands, a hug, a little peck on the cheek. That is where the progression starts. Don’t get me wrong – I am not saying that holding hands, a hug, or a peck on the cheek are sins. Often very innocent things can and will lead us to sin. What we don’t understand is that once the progression starts moving, it is really hard to stop and roll back. Once you move from a peck on the cheek to a real kiss, it is really hard to go back to a peck on the cheek. The fallacy that we live under is that we can control it. You may say that it is not a fallacy – you can control what you do. My answer to that is – possibly – but can you control what the other person is going through.
We need to understand that the father of lies – the devil – will put stuff in our heads – like “we can handle this.” Always remember that sin is a progression. Bad habits don’t start as habits. Smoking generally starts as “I’ll just smoke one to fit in” or drinking as “I’ll just have one drink”. Progressively it becomes a habit. So how do we deal with it – it being sin?
Understand the dangers. Separate yourself from the sin. You can not deal with sin if you are still participating in it. Repent of your sin to God. Have someone that cares about you hold you accountable. Do not put yourself in a situation where a progression can start. Read God’s word and meditate on it. Pray for strength and wisdom. Join a fellowship of like minded believers who can support you and you support them.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t do anything that you would not do with Him sitting right in front of you – because basically He is.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Be Still . . .
Am I the only one that has a problem sometimes, just stopping and letting go of the controls. There have been times in my life (like right now) that I needed to just stop and understand that God is still on the throne and He is still in control. This morning through all that is going on in my life right now I was drawn to a passage that states that we need to be still (to let be and be still, to get out of the traffic, to stop and recognize) and know that God is still God.
There was also a word used in this scripture that I had seen, but never really thought about much – Selah. According to the Amplified Bible this word means to pause and calmly think about. Once again going back to being still. I like to fool myself into thinking that I am always in control. What I have come to realize about myself in light of who God is, is that I am not in control of anything – really. God is still in control. He allows me to decide of my own choosing if I am going to join Him in an opportunity or not. But, what I understand from my walk with Him, is that He will accomplish His goals with or without me. God does not need us, but He wants us. It should always be our greatest pleasure to serve our God.
So I invite you to be still and know that God is still in control. Whatever we are going through – He is still in control of. God promised that He would never give us a burden to heavy to bear with His help. Don’t try to understand it – just know that He is God.
Until next time – Keep your eyes on Jesus and know that He has everything taken care of.
There was also a word used in this scripture that I had seen, but never really thought about much – Selah. According to the Amplified Bible this word means to pause and calmly think about. Once again going back to being still. I like to fool myself into thinking that I am always in control. What I have come to realize about myself in light of who God is, is that I am not in control of anything – really. God is still in control. He allows me to decide of my own choosing if I am going to join Him in an opportunity or not. But, what I understand from my walk with Him, is that He will accomplish His goals with or without me. God does not need us, but He wants us. It should always be our greatest pleasure to serve our God.
So I invite you to be still and know that God is still in control. Whatever we are going through – He is still in control of. God promised that He would never give us a burden to heavy to bear with His help. Don’t try to understand it – just know that He is God.
Until next time – Keep your eyes on Jesus and know that He has everything taken care of.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
The vision behind GodStock 2007 . . .
For me to explain what GodStock is, I have to go back to the early part of my ministry at New Hope. Early on I was sitting around talking with one of our students and he said that it would be great to have a festival so that area praise bands could come together, play to a crowd and experience the fun coming from this type of worship. Now, we fast forward to a meeting of youth workers after we had returned from Meltdown in January of this year. We were sitting around talking about what it would take to move our student ministry to the next level. I shared what that student, months before, had shared and the idea took of and the vision began to develop. That vision developed even farther through what God has been teaching me over the past four months.
God has given me a vision and a burden for the school campuses in our area. Even now, I’m not sure that it is something that can be tied to just our area. This vision is continuing to grow and take a greater form with every passing day. Anyway, I feel that God has let me know that our school campuses are ready for a mighty movement of God. That being said – it brings us to GodStock.
GodStock will be a festival setting, for praise music and activities, for students that will be taking place on August the 25th at New Hope Baptist Church. There will be inflatables and climbing walls for the students to have fun with. Even while they are having fun with all of the activities going on, there will be praise bands on stage playing music. At the end of the day, we will have one last set of praise music leading up to a time when a guest speaker will bring the gospel. This year, the last set of praise music will be led by Jonathan Elrod and the band that he will bring with him. If you have been to Meltdown, then you know how great a job they do each year. Jonathan and I have been doing things together for almost 14 years and God has had his hand on him in a mighty way and continues to do great things through him and his talents. The speaker this year will be Matthew Elrod. Matthew is Jonathan’s younger brother who has his own ministry based out of Columbia, SC. I am excited about what God is going to do through not only Jonathan and Matthew, but what He is going to do through all of the praise bands participating. We have been praying for 1000+ students to come to this event and we are praying for 300+ decisions for Christ. What we believe is that God wants to impact our school campuses for His glory.
Please be in prayer for this event. If you can help through participation, we will find a place for you to serve. If you can help monetarily, we would love to be able to do give door prizes to attract not only students that go to church, but students that don’t. Any way that you can help will be appreciated.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and hang on. This ride is fixing to get fun.
God has given me a vision and a burden for the school campuses in our area. Even now, I’m not sure that it is something that can be tied to just our area. This vision is continuing to grow and take a greater form with every passing day. Anyway, I feel that God has let me know that our school campuses are ready for a mighty movement of God. That being said – it brings us to GodStock.
GodStock will be a festival setting, for praise music and activities, for students that will be taking place on August the 25th at New Hope Baptist Church. There will be inflatables and climbing walls for the students to have fun with. Even while they are having fun with all of the activities going on, there will be praise bands on stage playing music. At the end of the day, we will have one last set of praise music leading up to a time when a guest speaker will bring the gospel. This year, the last set of praise music will be led by Jonathan Elrod and the band that he will bring with him. If you have been to Meltdown, then you know how great a job they do each year. Jonathan and I have been doing things together for almost 14 years and God has had his hand on him in a mighty way and continues to do great things through him and his talents. The speaker this year will be Matthew Elrod. Matthew is Jonathan’s younger brother who has his own ministry based out of Columbia, SC. I am excited about what God is going to do through not only Jonathan and Matthew, but what He is going to do through all of the praise bands participating. We have been praying for 1000+ students to come to this event and we are praying for 300+ decisions for Christ. What we believe is that God wants to impact our school campuses for His glory.
Please be in prayer for this event. If you can help through participation, we will find a place for you to serve. If you can help monetarily, we would love to be able to do give door prizes to attract not only students that go to church, but students that don’t. Any way that you can help will be appreciated.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and hang on. This ride is fixing to get fun.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Reflections from a befuddled mind . . .
I am sorry that I have not posted in a while. Clown school took a lot out of me and between getting back in the groove at work, GodStock and several other things going on at one time – my mind has not been where it needs to be to post. The fog has not entirely cleared, but it does seem that I can see shapes now. The following are just a few reflections from a befuddled mind –
When I think about the Apostle Peter the one word that always seems to come to mind is boldness. Right, wrong or otherwise, he always seemed to be the one at the forefront of all that was happening. Sometimes that worked out good and sometimes not so good. But what I notice in studying his life is that he lived life on the edge and experienced life to the fullest. When I think of an abundant life, Peter is who I think of. Everything that Peter did, he did with passion for the Master. I love the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. Most just notice him taking his eyes off Jesus and beginning to sink and crying for help. What I notice is that he is the only one of the disciples that got out of the boat. He did not step timidly out of the boat but he jumped out of the boat. He did everything with passion. Oh, that I might have that passion and boldness.
Summer has been a blur and it is almost over. I know the students don’t want to think about going back to school, but I am excited for them. They are going to be walking back into the greatest mission field that any of them will ever visit. My prayer is that God would grant them the boldness of Peter to get out of the boat and witness to their friends. I pray that their hearts would be so heavy for the lost that they would have a hard time resting because of their lost friends.
GodStock is almost on top of us and I am freaking out. Things are coming together, but all at the last minute. If you can help, please let me know. If you don’t know what GodStock is – ask (I will explain GodStock in a post later this week.) If you can give financial support – give. Don’t miss being a part of something I think God wants to be an annual event in our area.
Sometimes I wonder if we actually get it when it comes to church. God has whipped my tail this summer and opened my eyes as never before. What He wants me to do with all this information is not clear yet. What I do understand is at times we as believers have done church very poorly. Church was never designed to be about us, it was always designed to be about God. The church’s focus should be outside the walls, not inside. We should not expect a new born in Christ to act like someone who has walked with Christ for years. Jesus died for all, not just those who look like someone we want to spend time with. Sometimes we act far more holy than righteous. Sometimes we forget that we were once lost too. It will always break my heart to hear someone say that they are happy with the size of their group or church and that they don’t need to grow anymore. What about the rest of the people around them that are going to hell, don’t they matter anymore?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and pray for boldness. Don’t just step out of the boat – jump!!
When I think about the Apostle Peter the one word that always seems to come to mind is boldness. Right, wrong or otherwise, he always seemed to be the one at the forefront of all that was happening. Sometimes that worked out good and sometimes not so good. But what I notice in studying his life is that he lived life on the edge and experienced life to the fullest. When I think of an abundant life, Peter is who I think of. Everything that Peter did, he did with passion for the Master. I love the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. Most just notice him taking his eyes off Jesus and beginning to sink and crying for help. What I notice is that he is the only one of the disciples that got out of the boat. He did not step timidly out of the boat but he jumped out of the boat. He did everything with passion. Oh, that I might have that passion and boldness.
Summer has been a blur and it is almost over. I know the students don’t want to think about going back to school, but I am excited for them. They are going to be walking back into the greatest mission field that any of them will ever visit. My prayer is that God would grant them the boldness of Peter to get out of the boat and witness to their friends. I pray that their hearts would be so heavy for the lost that they would have a hard time resting because of their lost friends.
GodStock is almost on top of us and I am freaking out. Things are coming together, but all at the last minute. If you can help, please let me know. If you don’t know what GodStock is – ask (I will explain GodStock in a post later this week.) If you can give financial support – give. Don’t miss being a part of something I think God wants to be an annual event in our area.
Sometimes I wonder if we actually get it when it comes to church. God has whipped my tail this summer and opened my eyes as never before. What He wants me to do with all this information is not clear yet. What I do understand is at times we as believers have done church very poorly. Church was never designed to be about us, it was always designed to be about God. The church’s focus should be outside the walls, not inside. We should not expect a new born in Christ to act like someone who has walked with Christ for years. Jesus died for all, not just those who look like someone we want to spend time with. Sometimes we act far more holy than righteous. Sometimes we forget that we were once lost too. It will always break my heart to hear someone say that they are happy with the size of their group or church and that they don’t need to grow anymore. What about the rest of the people around them that are going to hell, don’t they matter anymore?
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and pray for boldness. Don’t just step out of the boat – jump!!
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