What are you looking at?

It’s Friday and it's date morning at Perkins with Allen. When I told Allen what I was going to name this devotion this title, he kinda gave the “what are you talking about” look.

Let’s look at Acts 1:1-11. The disciples are on Mt. Olivet, Jesus has given them one last and VERY important command, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Then in verses 10 & 11 really is the driving force behind the title of this devotion. There were two men who were standing among the disciples (I believe to be Moses and Elijah) asked them what are you looking at? Jesus “has left the building” and the way that you saw Him leave will be the way He returns. In others words, He’s given you one last command-go and be witnesses!! We are not to be pew warmers, trouble makers, gossips or people who are afraid to get out of our comfort zone. We are called to participate in what God has given us to do, not just be cheerleaders. BE A WITNESS TO WHAT I HAVE DONE IN YOUR LIFE! I’m sure many of you can share what Jesus has done in your life. Sure it’s easy to share it in church or among Christian friends, but is it easy to share with a stranger? ABSOULETLY not. That’s why God sent the Holy Spirit to speak to us and through us. God speaks through the Holy Spirit to tell us what to say to someone, when to speak to that person and the appropriate place to speak to that person. You ask how I can hear the Holy Spirit. There is a still small voice inside of you that, for the most part, whispers to your heart. My question to you is what kinda of junk do you have in your life that would muffle the talk of the Holy Spirit? Gotta get rid of the junk before you can hear.

With all the things that are going on in my life right now, it’s been very hard to hear the Holy Spirit. As each day passes by, I am learning more and more how to rely on my Heavenly Father to show me the way. It’s just a couple of weeks until Allen and I leave on vacation, we leave family, friends, work and church in Greenville. I’m sure that I will take a nice long nap while Allen drives up the mountains but it’s during that time I will be able to refocus myself and be able to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice. It will be refreshing to clearly hear His voice.

So one last time, what are you looking at? Go and be a witness for Jesus.

Friday’s fall-out . . .

I am so glad that it is Friday. That means that I am one more week closer to vacation. WOW – two weeks from today we leave for TN and vacation. Anyway, on to today’s post. This afternoon I will be in my shop working on Christmas gifts. I need to finish up one ornament that I have been working on and begin to drill wood for some specialty pens that I have been wanting to turn. Hopefully, these pens will generate some funding for paying off other Christmas gifts. I’ll be back in the shop in the morning and part of tomorrow afternoon. This is a great time of the year for working in my shop since it is not to cold or to hot.
I was talking with Irene this morning at our breakfast date. I’ll post another time about breakfast dates. Anyway, we were talking this morning and she said that she is going to try and type up a devotion that she did for our women’s missions group at church this past Wednesday evening. From what she told me she talked about this should be awesome. My wife can really turn it on for God when the Spirit hits. It will always amaze me that God gave me such a great help mate.
We are off to Union, SC tomorrow afternoon to celebrate our nephew’s first birthday. This should be too much fun. Drake (our nephew) has developed a great personality and he is so much fun to play with and watch. Not to mention that there will be birthday cake.
This week has been premiere week for the fall shows on TV. So far I have been able to watch the first show on Monday evening of “Dancing with the Stars”. Before you give me too much grief, I met Irene while dancing, so there is a warm spot in my heart for dancing. I saw the CSI premiere last night, but tonight I am going to struggle. Stargate Atlantis and Numbers come on at the same time. I am so glad that we bought a DVD recorder. Next Tuesday is the premiere of NCIS. Now you know what I watch on TV, not much.
If this post seems to be all over the place, well it is. I took a break to get some work done and to read a couple of other things - including a post by Ben Arment. He made this statement “It’s not the flock in the pen that concerns me so much as the lost sheep stuck somewhere out there in ravines and thickets. I’m not here to guard the gate. I’m here to do search and rescue.” To this comment I say a resounding – AMEN!! Speaking as a youth pastor – I am not called to be a baby sitter or the primary means of discipleship for students. I am called to carry the gospel to students and to equip students to do the same.
For those of you that may be wondering how my quiet time is going in Romans – this morning I spent time in chapter 9. Paul talks here about Israel’s rejection of Christ. This was done through the people’s reliance on the law. He spoke of their not attaining righteousness because they sought righteousness through the works of the law and not through faith. Paul also shows that in the words of the book of Isaiah a way was made for the gentiles to become children of God. I love the way the Old Testament is revealed in the happenings of the New Testament. I hope I never get tired of studying God’s word.
Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and spend some time in God’s word today.

Good friends and good times . . .

To those of you that visit my blog everyday, I am sorry that I have not posted much this week. I have started three different posts this morning and have deleted each one about three sentences into them. I don’t know if this is a form of writer’s block or what, but getting my thoughts to flow has been awful today. I just thought that I would share a few random thoughts this afternoon.
Irene and I had the pleasure of sitting down at Cracker Barrel last night with Janet and Spencer Ledford. They are both dear friends who are starting new ministries at First Baptist Church in Union, SC – Irene’s home town. It was great to sit and hear how things are developing and how God is working in their situation. Janet is the person who prayed me into Rocky Creek Baptist Church and then into clowning while working with their creative ministry team. We had a great time sharing what God is doing in each of our lives so that we can support each other in prayer.
Before we got the call to meet Janet and Spencer, I had intended to get back in my shop for the second night in a row. I spent last weekend getting everything straightened up so that I could work. It is nice to get back in my shop, since I have not been able to work in it since the beginning of summer. I have started working on Christmas presents. This year I am going to try and make a lot of the presents that we give to our family and friends instead of purchasing them.
I’m looking forward to next week, because I have a friend coming into town who is coming to my house Tuesday evening for supper. We went to North Greenville together and we did a lot together before he was called to a church in the lower part of the state. It will be good to sit down and share with each other and catch up on what the Lord is doing in our lives.
We are now 16 days and counting away from leaving on vacation. Irene has planned to make two churns of homemade ice cream and a chocolate cake to carry with us when we go to TN. We will be meeting some friends in Pigeon Forge the first weekend there and spend a couple of days with them and then go with them to a church that they are helping to start about an hour away on Sunday. I am excited to hear how God is working in their lives. We might even break down and see if their kids can out run my wife in go-carts while we are there.
Before coming home from vacation I know my wife will have the balance of our Christmas bought so that there will not be any Christmas rush again this year in the Davis house. That is something that makes me very happy.
Irene sent me the link to Meltdown 2008 today. To any students that read my blog, you definitely need to check this site out.
Well, for a guy with writer’s block, this has gone way to long, so, until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and remember God is still working in people’s live and it is an exciting thing to see.

Recognizable after thirty years . . .

I went to my thirty years high school class reunion this past Saturday night. Now granted, I look a great deal different than I did when we were in high school. I’ve grown two to three inches in height and several inches in width since I graduated. I now have a beard and mustache and a quantity of gray hair that I did not have thirty years ago. The other thing that was different was that I showed up at the reunion dressed as a clown (if you want to know why I would do such a thing, read my previous post.) The thing that I found most disturbing; was the classmate that came from the other side of the room from where we entered and knew exactly who I was. To say that it was a little unsettling is an understatement, especially considering that I had not seen this person for at least twenty years.
As I sit a think about that happening (which I have done a lot this weekend) I wonder if anyone else noticed a difference in me. I am now thirty years farther along in my walk with Christ. Did anyone else notice that I was different? Do I reflect the Master that I serve with my life? Was I living my faith out loud? Thinking back to Saturday night, I now wish I had had more time to spend with those that I graduated with so many years ago. It has made me think about how I live my life and about the people that I once surrounded myself with. I have been telling the students that I work with, that this time and place in their lives, they have the greatest opportunity to witness to the people they go to school with.
Maybe the only real reason that God had me go to my thirty year reunion in clown was to make me think about the opportunities that He will give me in the future. Maybe He wants me to think about opportunities to touch the lives of my class mates in a great way someday. I don’t know. What I do know is that in reflection, I hope the people that I come in contact with see a different Allen than they did thirty years ago. I pray that they see more of Jesus than they do Allen.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and who do you reflect to the world around you?

Monday Morning . . .

I am not a big fan of Monday mornings, especially since becoming a student pastor again. What a lot of people don’t understand is how much energy it takes to get through a Sunday. This weekend was especially hectic, so I am extremely tired this morning. Let me just recap the weekend and add in a little commentary along the way.
Saturday was a good day. Irene and I slept in til 8:00 am and then got up and after showers went to breakfast. Then to AC Moores before going back home. Then we got into make-up and went to clown at a festival in Travelers Rest. We arrived at the festival at 2:00 pm and it was hot. That generally causes all kinds of issues with the balloons. We had a great time and left just prior to the fireworks so that we could go to my thirty year high school reunion and yes we went in clown. There were probably some people at the reunion who woke up Sunday morning thinking that they dreamed a clown came to the reunion. News flash – it was not a dream. We got into bed and asleep at about 12:30 am Sunday morning.
Sunday morning came about four and a half hours later when Irene’s alarm went of at 5:15 am. It was up, shower, dress and to breakfast. After breakfast it was on to the early worship service. Rev. Norman Ponder (he’s our interim pastor) brought a great message from the book of John. Then it was on to Sunday School. We are still working through the life of Samson. Then to lunch with my mother, home for a short nap, back to church for youth worship, out to eat and home to fall into bed. Did I tell you that I am not a big fan of Monday’s.
I have to admit that I had a better day yesterday that in the past couple of weeks. I have been struggling lately. But yesterday, I had fun teaching God’s word again. Don’t get me wrong, I always enjoy teach and preaching God’s word, but yesterday was fun again. I’m not sure what the big change was, but it was different. Although I had a desperate problem trying to talk yesterday. I was saying the right things in the wrong order, have trouble pronouncing words, and generally butchering the English language.
So today, I’m tired. There are things that I need to get done and they will get done, they’ll just take a little longer. I’m still bouncing from Jeremiah to Romans, and I’m still not sure why, but it is a fun trip. I know that God is still in control, although I still think it would be great if He used e-mail. But recognizing His voice in all the clutter of my mind is beyond cool.
We were talking with some youth and adults last night that had been to Pigeon Forge over the weekend. Now I am really ready for vacation. They were telling me about eating at the Apple Barn and all the things that they did while they were there. Irene and I are now at two weeks and four days from leaving for vacation and we can hardly wait.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and get out of the boat, the waters fine.

Traditional vs. Radical . . .

I read a lot of Blogs each week. It is fascinating to me to read about churches that are growing, especially those that are growing in different ways from the norm. This week alone I have read about churches with incredible growth over the last year, a church that had a meeting in a bar, churches that are expanding to other campuses to better reach the world around us.
I have also seen the words radical and traditional used in some of the posts that I have read. Traditional is usually used in a negative connotation and radical used in a positive connotation. I have had a friend point out to me, in the past couple of months, that no matter how radical something seems today, if it is done that same way for the next weeks, months or years it becomes traditional.
I am sure that most churches that consider themselves traditional today, at one time seemed radical in some way to either the people that were attending the church or the community around them. We need to remember that want seems radical may be right in line with what the bible says that we are to do to fulfill what God has called us, at this time and place, to accomplish.
The message should never change. The gospel should always be front and center. Yet, we need to realize that we serve, by today’s definition of radical, a radical Savior and Lord. All through the gospels and into the balance of the New Testament, Jesus changed things in new and exciting ways. The tradition of the Pharisees had bound up the people in the practices of the law. Jesus did not change the law, but He sure changed the way it was viewed. His teachings were different. What He said was said with authority. Almost everything that Jesus did, He did different than anyone had done before.
If we are going to label ourselves as traditional, my prayer is that label will mean that the gospel will be at the forefront of everything that we do as followers of Christ. Yet, since we live in a constantly changing world, we will radically do whatever it takes to reach the world around us with the gospel.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and remember – you can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd.

Clowns and Reunions . . .

OK, today’s post is going to be a lot lighter than yesterday’s. Irene and I are going to be clowning and twisting balloons at a festival this Saturday evening at the YMCA in Travelers Rest. We have had the privilege of doing this festival with Bo and Brynda Brown for the last two or three years. It is always an enjoyable evening, but usually results in sore hands the next day because of the amount of balloons that we end up twisting. It’s always a good time because of the kids that we see, the snow cones and hotdogs that we eat and the fellowship that we share. I’m looking forward to it this year because we haven’t clowned together since July and I think we all are going into withdrawals.
This Saturday night is also my 30 year high school reunion. It really doesn’t seem like it was thirty years ago this past June that we graduated from Wade Hampton High School. It doesn’t seem that way until I walk by a mirror or I see somebody that I went to school with and see gray in their hair that I realize that the past thirty years have pasted in a blur. The school that we graduated from doesn’t even exist anymore. There is a brand new Wade Hampton in its place now. My friend that contacted me about the reunion wants Irene and I to stop by the reunion after the festival Saturday. I’m not sure that I have enough guts to show up to my reunion as a clown. But, one thing is for sure – I bet everyone there would remember the clowns coming in if nothing else.
We are now only three and a half weeks away from vacation and I can’t wait. I’m really looking forward to being able to get away and just relax. I look forward to blogging while on vacation because I think when relaxed I’ll be able to think again.
Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and let’s twist some balloons for Christ.

Longsuffering . . .

You may wonder will I am posting a blog with this title. It just came to me after reading a friend’s blog. She is struggling right now. She has stepped out on faith to do something that God has called her to do and now she has met with criticism. What I have come to understand from my walk with Jesus, is that any time I step out and do what God has called me to do, I have met with some kind of criticism or interference. The strange thing is that sometimes it comes from people that will quote scripture and hold themselves up as an authority. It can hurt and it can tear you down. We need to remember something that a friend of mine keeps reminding me of – we are in a marathon, not a sprint.
The battles are tough, but we need to remember that the war is already won. Days can be long, but our reward is eternity with our King. We will get beat up, but our healing comes from the Great Physician. When we get tired, we can rest in the knowledge that Jesus will carry us when we can’t go on. Most importantly – our reward awaits us in heaven, not in this world.
According to Galatians 5:22 – longsuffering is one of the gifts of the Spirit. It is a gift that will enable us to get through all the struggles and make it to the end. It is the strength to persevere, to finish the race. The Lord is the source of our strength. What we need to do is stay faithful to the task that God has given us. We are to stand our ground. Often time that may mean a fight. What we fight for – the souls of the lost, the strength for the battle, the reinforcement of fellow believers – to glorify our Lord - is worth the fight.
It is far more comfortable to stay on the side lines and never get in the game. We can wear the uniform. We can have a comfortable place on the bench to sit. We will never mess up or fail. The problem lies in the fact that we have been called to get in the game. We are not called to be spectators. We are called to be participators – to live our faith out loud. If we are in the game, we will – get dirty, not be comfortable and sometimes even mess up. But, we have a God that will help us up, clean us up, and even forgive us when that is needed.
To my struggling friend. Stay in the game! Stand your ground! When you need support, ask for it! Know that you are doing what God has called you to do. Most importantly – keep your eyes on Jesus – the world around you can be a distraction.
Just as a final note – if you find a note and open it and it has no name at the bottom, throw it in the trash before you read it. There is no authority in a note that has no ownership. Criticism is only good if it is constructive- not destructive.

Great Blogs I have read lately . . .

I have made the statement that I read a series of blogs everyday. I was thinking earlier in the week when I was reading that maybe some that follow my blog would like to see what I read. So the following titles are links to some of the note worthy blogs that I have read this week:

Give Up to Go Up - 1 of 5 by Craig Groeschel
Give Up To Go Up - 2 of 5 by Craig Groeschel
Give Up To Go Up - 3 of 5 by Craig Groeschel
Give Up To Go Up - 4 of 5 by Craig Groeschel
Give Up To Go Up - 5 of 5 by Craig Groeschel
Are You Willing to Sacrifice by Vince Antonucci
Open Doors and Un-wise Statements by Perry Noble
Eight Things I Think Every Worship Leader Should Know by Perry Noble
Is God Worldly Because of His Creativity by Perry Noble
Lost by Vince Antonucci
Can You Imagine by Vince Antonucci
Where Do You Get Creative Ideas From by Perry Noble
Prove It by Barry Ledford
Mark by Crystal Symsick
Mr. Jones by Vince Antonucci
Five Reasons I Have Hope by Perry Noble
Protocol For Pushback by Steven Furtick

These are just a few of the blogs that I have read this week. Check them out.



Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and share Him with the world.

What is rattling in my head right now . . .

I thought that maybe some of you might be interested in what is rattling around in my head at this point in my life. So just a quick layout of where I am going in my life and in my mind:

I just finished up a couple of weeks in the book of “Mark” and have now moved on to the book of “Romans”. I love this letter of Paul’s to the believers in Rome. My life verse lies in Romans 12:1-2. The road to salvation is threaded all through this book. I haven’t spent a lot of time in this book in a while so I look forward to what God has to teach me as I study through this book once again.

I am reading two books by George Barna right now. One is “Revolution” and the other is “Habits of a Highly Effective Church”. Both are very engaging. “Revolution” is a much easier read. It is definitely hitting close to my heart right now. Both books are dealing with the transformation of the believer and the church today. “Revolution” is a great place to find a basic biblical layout of how the church was to be structured. It is also a place to see what Barna believes to be our next big spiritual revolution.

I was reading on the web this morning and found out that there is in production a 4th Indiana Jones movie due out next year. Harrison Ford is back along with the female character from the first movie. I can’t wait for this movie. The characters are great, Spielberg is the director and Lucas Films is filming it. All the parts are there for a great movie.

I’m really looking forward to this weekend. Irene and I have nothing planned and I can get in my shop and work. I am going to clean it and get it organized again so that I can get back to turning some wood. I am also going to add a couple of work benches for extra work space. The temperatures are supposed to be in the mid 80’s. This should be a great weekend.

Right now we are four weeks and two days away from leaving to go on vacation. Irene and I are getting really jazzed about this vacation. We are going to get to spend some time with our friends Steve and Kim Conley and their great kids – AJ and Molly. The food in Pigeon Forge is always over the top. The end of the week there is a weekend clown conference in Knoxville that we may pop over for. Irene’s mom and dad will be in Pigeon Forge with some friends of theirs that same week. This vacation should be over the top.

I going to take my computer to Best Buy and have them load my copy of Vista. I really like the little extras I see that you can have run on your desk top.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and keep your head in His word.

Do we assume too much . . .

That may seem like a strange question to start with, but hang with me for a few minutes. The full question is – do we assume too much when we assume that everyone knows how we do church? Granted, I grew up in the “Bible Belt” and have been around church for a long time. But everyone living in this area today was not raised in or around church. As our city has grown over the years and even explosively over the last few years, people from all over the country and the world have moved into our area.

Even those of us that were raised in and around church all our lives can be confused by different denominations and beliefs. Let me give you an example: my wife and I went to a wedding this past Saturday at a Baptist church. But, the wedding was conducted in a Lutheran format. If it had not been for the printed order of service, we would have been totally lost. They stood at certain times and sat down at others. There was time’s that the Pastor would speak and the people in attendance would respond. Being raised in a Baptist church all my life, I will admit that I was confused.

Now, let’s think about someone that is invited to attend your church and they have never set foot in a church in their life – church can be a very confusing place. The terms that we use can be confusing. The directions for getting around our church building may seem crystal clear to us and confusing to someone who has never walks our halls before.

Maybe we should take a lesson from “Carrabba’s Italian Grill”. My wife – Irene – and I met some friends there last night for supper. When we arrived, someone met us at the door and welcomed us and asked us how many would be in our party. They walked us to our table – not point and give directions – and seated us with menus. Shortly there was our waitress, along with a waiter in training (mentoring is a great way to learn your job), welcoming us a second time. They made sure that we were comfortable and found out if this was our first time to visit this restaurant. After returning with our drink order, they were able to answer questions that my wife had about terms that were used in the menus that we were given. They checked on us throughout the evening to make sure that we were comfortable and happy. I was impressed that when we wanted to go boxes for our left over food, they took our plates and put it in boxes for us. At the end of the meal they thanked us for coming to the restaurant and for the privilege of serving us.

Maybe visitors would come back more readily to our churches if we took them as seriously as our waiter and waitress did at the restaurant last night. Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and spend some time with a visitor. Who knows – maybe Jesus will change their life.

Monday reflections on this past weekend . . .

It never seems like I have enough time to just sit and just think about what happened on the weekend. Sometimes you really just need to stop and reflect on what happen over the last couple of days. Just thinking back – these are a few things that come to mind:

Worship doesn’t happen at church if you have not worshipped all week long in you private time with God. Sunday’s worship is supposed to be an overflow of our lives during the week. The speaker Sunday morning – Rev. Floyd Parker – said that we will live out what we believe. I would go one step further and say that we will worship on Sunday the way we worship during the week.

I am thankful for people that want to see our church grow and have a burden for that. They are an inspiration to me.

A big thank you to Boomer, David and Jane Baldwin for going out to eat and to Heritage Park with the youth last night with Irene and I. Your company and fellowship was appreciated. I love to be around people who enjoy being around teenagers.

A big pat on the back to Lyle Watson for bringing a great message last night to the church. His sermon brought out the wisdom that in order to move forward we must look back to the cross. You did a great job.

I am excited that the man that may become our interim pastor is going to be preaching this coming Sunday. I am anxious to meet him and hear him bring a word from God.

I really thought that it was cool that Newspring Community Church in Anderson baptized over 500 this past Saturday. They are really getting in done in Anderson.

I had the privilege of spending some time with some of my best friends at a wedding Saturday evening. It is always good to spend time with good friends.

When we have business meetings in our churches – why don’t we celebrate the number of people that have been saved in the last month? Isn’t that the business of the church? I understand that we need to take care of the money issues and month to month business – but if the church’s real business goal is to reach the world for Christ – you would think we would celebrate the salvations that have happened in the last month. Maybe we would look forward to the business meetings a little more.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and spend some time worshipping with God on your own this week

What This World Needs – Part 2 . . .

Ok. Here it is finally – the scriptural follow-up to the What This World Needs post. If you missed that post click the title in the sentence just before this one and it will take you to the post. Enough said – let’s jump right in!!

Matthew 7:1-3 - don’t judge because you will be judged in the same way. We don’t need to worry about another person’s problem until we have taken care of our own problems. I personally have enough problems in my own life to deal with that I don’t have time to deal with someone else’s – just being transparent.

John 7:24 - we never need to judge on someone’s appearance. If we are going to judge, we need to judge by the condition of the heart. That means that you have to get to know someone to get to know their heart. Some of the most sold-out Christians I have ever been around were some of the most different looking people that I have ever been around.

Romans 16:17-19 - watch out for people that cause divisions within the body of Christ and upset people’s faith by teachings contrary to the gospel. They are serving their own personal interests and agendas. They deceive innocent people by smooth talk and glowing words. They have no intention to live for the Master.

Philippians 3:18-20 - there are those whose conduct shows that they are really enemies of the cross. They brag about shameful things and they dwell on life here on earth.

Romans 12:9-21 - don’t pretend to love, really love one another. Hate what is wrong and hold tight to what is good. Love one another with genuine affection.

These are a good start. Let me encourage you to look these scriptures up in God’s word and study that scripture for yourselves. There are other scriptures that I have not had a chance to finish studying. I try to post about them later.

Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and spend time with God in His word.

Breakfast, Good Friends, and a Multi-post day . . .

Ok, I know that I said that I would get the scripture that goes with the song “What This World Needs” by Casting Crowns posted today – and I will. Just not in this post. To be honest I forgot the journal that has my notes on the dining room table at home, so that post comes later today.

I really like breakfast. Not so much that stuff that they call breakfast – donuts, sweet rolls, cereals, etc. – you get the idea. I like real breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, biscuits, gravy, grits, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, etc. That is one of the reasons that I look forward to going to Pigeon Forge every year – we will eat at the Apple Barn almost every morning. Their breakfasts are over the top. I like Friday’s breakfast the best because for the last nine years I have had a breakfast date with my wife. Sure there have been a few dates that we missed, but only a very few. This morning I had the opportunity to start breakfast with a good friend – Toby Dix – before Irene came and joined us. Toby and I have been friends for a quite a few years now. I value Toby as a friend for many reasons, but the main reason is that he strives to be a bold man of God. He really wants to be real in all that he does. I know that if I am doing something that is not in line with what God’s word says he will hold me accountable. He and a few other close friends have helped me over the last few weeks get through a hard and confusing time. For that I will be forever thankful.

Sometimes I think we take our friends for granted and that is a bad thing. I figure that if God felt it important enough to talk about in His word we should take it seriously. People that we call friend is talked about in God’s word and God gives us great guide lines for choosing our friends and what makes a good friend. A true friend will even get in your face if that is what it takes to keep you on track. To all those that I call friend – THANK YOU!! I can never say that enough. To my beautiful wife Irene – whose is the best friend I have – I LOVE YOU!!

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and hold your friends close.

Brain in over-load . . .

Am I the only one that feels like their brain is in over-load? I feel like I have contracted some kind of attention disorder. Before anyone gets their nose out of joint, I am not making fun of someone who may have that kind of disorder. It’s just, lately, I can’t slow my mind down. I’m sleeping fine, but if I’m awake, my mind is running 1000 miles and hour. Just a few quick things that maybe, if I can get these out, I can slow things down:

A shout to my friends Spencer and Janet Ledford. God has answered your prayers and given you a church to minister in. Minister in His strength and His direction. The church will give you a pay check but you work for our Father in heaven. Please Him and a true believer will be pleased with what you bring to your church.

To the students at New Hope – study so that you understand what you believe. Remember who you are and whose you are!! If you don’t understand that last statement, then see me or my wife and we’ll explain it to you. One, more thing – how is the book of Mark going?

To my friends that are starting Metamorphosis Community Church – I am praying for you and excited about what God is going to do through you in this church plant. We miss you!! Keep us posted on how things are going.

I can not get enough of God’s word lately. Everything I do triggers something that I want to look up or study about. I wish everyone felt like I do about God’s word.

Students – See You at the Pole is coming up Wednesday the 26th. Are you preparing to be at your school to pray with your friends? We will be going to a rally at Chick-fil-a that night instead of our usual youth bible studies. Make plans to attend prayer time at your schools and let’s celebrate what God does that night at Chick-fil-a.

I am 5 weeks away from our anniversary trip to Pigeon Forge. We are going up on Friday afternoon so that we can spend some time with some friends that live in TN. I can’t wait – good friends, good food (The Apple Barn, The Old Mill, Alabama Grill, The Alamo steak house) and good rest. Maybe a little shopping to be thrown in on top. It can’t get here quick enough.

I’ll post the second part of the “What the world needs . . .” post tomorrow.

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and can someone please slow this ride down??

What this world needs . . .

A quick shout to Ms. Mary Roach who prepaid for me and several others to get a copy of Casting Crowns newest CD – “The Altar and The Door”. Ms. Mary you are da’ bomb! This collection of songs is incredible!! If you don’t have this CD yet, run – do not walk – to a store and buy it.

I have realized while typing this that this post will need to be in multiple posts to keep it form being too long. With that being said - on to the post. The title of this post is the first track on the new Casting Crown cd “The Altar and The Door”. This song is beyond great. It hits me in the heart – right where I am living right now. After listening to this track over and over I decided to go to the Casting Crowns website and do a little research to check out the back ground on this song. The following is what I found:

Galatians is the main basis for this song.

False teachers were slipping in and adding to the Gospel. Jesus + being good = the believer’s life. Paul builds in a foundation for the Galatian people that it is by faith in Jesus that we are saved.

Even today, we, the church, are in danger of adding to the Gospel. Jesus plus my denomination. Jesus plus our style of worship. Jesus plus good behavior. We must be careful not to strap ourselves to the Gospel.

The last statement that is made – “we must not strap ourselves to the Gospel” – really took some chewing on for me to understand what is being said. The conclusion that I came to is this – if we strap ourselves to the Gospel we bring ourselves – our preconceived ideas, our agendas, our likes and our dislikes to the Gospel. What we need to understand is that the Gospel stands on it own – without our help. God does not need us for His Gospel to do its work. God allows us to be a part of what He is doing – it is our privilege granted by God. The Holy Spirit makes the changes in people’s lives – He does not need not our rules, demands, or preferences.

One last thing to finish today’s post – the following is from the song – spoken by teenagers, from the sound of their voices:

“People aren’t confused by the gospel they are confused by us
Jesus is the only way to God but we are not the only way to Jesus
This world doesn’t need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination or my translation of the bible,
They just need Jesus
We can be passionate about what we believe but we can’t strap ourselves to the gospel because we are just slowing it down
Jesus is going to save the world but maybe the best thing we can do is just get out of the way.”

Until next time – keep your eyes on Jesus and watch the Gospel change lives.

What does it mean to be a disciple . . .?

Sorry this post was supposed to be posted yesterday, but we were having computer problems - so here is my Sunday post.

This morning was our first Sunday with Pastor Chad and Robbie. The early service went very well. Lyle, Ms. Terry, Mitchell, Crystal and Ashley led us in three worship songs – they did a great job. Rev. Ron Davis the DOM of the Greenville Baptist Association brought a great message to our church – it was on what it means to be a disciple of Christ. It was wonderful to sit and listen to this man of God bring a message that hits so close to where my heart beats. He even referred to our students as missionaries to their campuses. The following are the notes that I took form this morning’s sermon:

- Jesus never called us to go into the world and be good church members – he did call us to go into the world and be disciples.
- John 8:31 – a disciple will hold to the teaching of Jesus. We are not only to believe in the doctrine – the sound teaching from the word of God – but our lives should give forth the actions that comes from that knowledge.
- John 13:34 – a disciple will love others. Jesus says that others will know that we are His followers by our love for one another. We were cautioned that when we quit loving others we begin to judge others.
- John 15:8, 16 – a disciple bears fruit for our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not talking about the fruits of the spirit. A disciple bears fruit by producing other disciples.
Rev. Davis left us with one last challenge – that during this time of interim – without a Pastor to guide us – we should strive to grow.

There was a wealth of wisdom in this sermon – if we will take it to heart. There is a cost in being a disciple. Jesus said that if we are to follow Him, we are to take up our cross daily. That is to say that we are to die to ourselves – our preferences, our desires, our agendas – in order that the most important mission we have as Christians be moved to the front of everything that we do – to carry the gospel to the world.

Until next time - keep your eyes on Jesus and lets make disciples.