Go Tell It On The Mountian!

As I have been working on sermons and reading scripture this month in preparation for Christmas one theme keeps jumping out at me....we need to be sharing Christ. We are commanded to do it. We are privileged to do it. Yet like a bunch of Scrooges we refuse to do it. Often times I wonder what lost people think about a Christian...who believes in heaven and hell...that doesn't share their faith.

I found a video on the blog page of my good friend Matt Johnson that might help shed some light on that question. This is a video of a an atheist. Listen carefully!!

The Big Day

Parties, gifts, shopping, cooking...there is a lot that goes into celebrating Christmas with friends and family. We work and work and go and do... yet I find myself wondering if it is all worth it. Really Christmas day is quite anti-climatic to say the least. Everyone gathers around after a huge meal and we begin to pass out gifts and one by one the tree starts to look lonely. After all the smoke clears what are you left with? You are left with empty boxes and paper all over the floor. Even the wonderful food you just ate has become leftovers. Its like coming down off the high you get from a drug....that's really what the commercial Christmas spirit is anyway a drug!

Then December 26th arrives and everyone is so tired and worn out and all the excitement is dead. I wonder what the Shepherds or the Magi would say is they could see what our Christmas celebrations have become? Would they see a lot of hurried people frantically working for a day that quickly passes or would they see people who truly understand and appreciate the Christ of Christmas? I pray it would be the later and not the former. I am seeking to truly worship this year. I hope you will do the same.

The Little Things

Tonight is dance night for Cooper. For the past month we have been taking our daughter to Perry for an introductory dance/gymnastic class. Cooper loves it!! She runs and laughs and plays her little heart out.

Recently I have had to blow a few people and meetings off because of dance and I have caught some flack from some people for doing so. "Its just dance" some say while others say, "you can see her when you get home." But these people don't get it. I love to watch Cooper dance and play. It is the sweetest thing in the world.

I write this to say: Don't get so busy that you miss the little things in life that make life so wonderful. God gave us one life on this earth and most of us waste it with meetings and other activities that in reality just are not that important.

I can't wait for dance tonight!!!!

Thankful

I hope you guys are still reading this blog. Its been too long since I last typed out my thoughts. I have just been so busy with church and family so the blog had to be put on the back-burner for a while. However, in my time away from blogging God has been showing me some amazing things that have left this pastor thankful.

I have had opportunity to preach and teach in several churches, other than man own, and I find myself thanking God for Byromville Baptist. We are small but we are not dying. Ive been in some churches that smell like nursing homes and hospitals...the smell of death. I pass no judgement on these churches...I'm not blaming the leadership or the preaching...they are just dying. Being around death makes you grateful for life that's for sure.

I have also found myself being challenged greatly by God in are of thankfulness. God has revealed to me that being thanful is much more than saying the words "thank you". Being truely thankful is an attitude...it is a lifestyle. I am trying to live a life of thanfulness to God who has done so much for me though I deserve nothing at all.

Just Another Gripe

My heart has just been so heavy for the past month. I am so burdened for the body of Christ and now find myself even challenging the views, blogs, and conversations of some of my closest friends. Being at odds with people I don't know that well is one thing but to have some issue with a friend is another.

There is this movement out there for a "pure" church; filled with "authentic" worship and "passionate" preaching. Everywhere I turn, with people I know personally, in blogs, you name it; people are wanting church to be completely different. My issue is with the wording and the attitude. For example: Why does "authentic" worship always mean or at least is attached with contemporary music? What does passionate preaching mean? I know plenty of guys in old-fashioned churches that are passionate. How is non-denominational pure when Methodist or Baptist isn't? These are just a few questions that come to mind.

I also can't get away from this mentality that a pure church is one that breaks all ties with doctrine and the focus in only the Gospel. This attitude is what is keeping people trapped in spiritual immaturity. If all I do is preach the Gospel then where would that leave the people of my flock? The answer is hungry, void and immature. What some people in this new movement don't realize is that in context and all practicality the Gospel is for lost people outside the walls of the church. The Great Commission was not intended to be carried out in a worship service. Church is for saved people not lost people!!! My fear is that some are more "seeker sensitive" and even emergent than they realize.

I'm praying for revival of the Body. A revival in the love of theology and doctrine that pushes us to the end of ourselves and closer to Christ.

Grow Up

In the past few weeks I have become very overwhelmed about the lack of maturity in believers. I have talked with pastor after pastor that has expressed how difficult it is to get the young men in their churches to do anything. After preaching at a BCM service at Georgia Southwestern State University I see why. We have a maturity problem; men that refuse to grow up.

I was horrified last Wednesday at what I saw. It was like a watch an overglorified youth group. The leader got up and did announcements for trips and fun activities. They watched a funny video then they had almost 40 minutes of worship, which left only 20 minutes for preaching the word. (I preached 40 minutes and could tell some didn't like it). There were people there almost my age and one guys and gal that were actually older (age 30). Some of these kids are in their 20's and are still living at home, eating Captain Crunch and playing video games. The whole thing just makes me sick.

No wonder there are so many maturity problems in our churches. We dumb down the youth minitry send them to college where they still attend youth services at a BCM then they graduate and expect church to be the same way. Maybe thats why my generation is missing.

I could write for days and never say all I wish I could. I just wish people would grow up!!!

Church Plants

For the third time this year a good friend of mine has asked me to pray for him as he looks to start a new church. Is this becoming an epidemic or is God truly up to something great? More and more pastors are becoming great discouraged with the existing church. There is too much tradition, legalism, unbiblical leadership and power. The list could go on and on. A huge part of me understands where the church planting phenomenon is coming from. How wonderful it would be to start from scratch and begin to do church like they did in Acts.

Then I have this other side that is madly in love with the Bride of Christ; with all her problems and issues. There is a part of me that is still very hopeful that God can do great things int he existing church because there are still people in them that want to grow and see God glorified.

I honestly find myself at a crossroad on this issue.

Revival

We had a mini-revival last week with three of Byromville's former pastors. First let me say that its great for the current pastor to see that former pastors can come back and are welcomed with open arms. That says a lot for a Southern Baptist church. The preaching was great and the food and fellowship was amazing. People were laughing and talking and embracing each other.

However, I found myself wondering if people were really being moved by God. On the last night I got my answer. God used an 85 year old lady in my church to bring out revival in me. She came to the front and took me by the hand and in her own words told me that she wanted to do better. I was floored. This woman is 85 years old and holy! But she wanted more. God used her to speak in volume to me. The longings of the Apostle Paul to press on to know Christ more began to flood my mind. I was overwhelmed by the weight of God's presence at the front of our little church.

I certainly hope that if I make it to 85 I have the zeal of this lady!!

Baptist Preachers

I don't want to be a Baptist Preacher!!!! That sounds crazy at face value because I pastor a Baptist Church but let me explain something to you. When you hear the term Baptist Preacher what comes to your mind? I see a loud, red in the face, pulpit slapping, friend chicken eating, Sweat-Tea drinking, coat and tie wearing, 3 point sermon having, 30 minute preaching, seminary loving man. That's what I think about when I think about a Baptist Preacher and I don't want to be one!!!

I'm serious I have a big soap box to get on and I just can't help it. I met a fellow pastor today at a pastor's meeting. He was a young guy; more than likely 35 or 36 just by looking at him. He introduced himself to me and exclaimed that he thought he was a young pastor until he met me. Then he asked me something that to be honest I am tired of hearing. He said, "You go to seminary" with what appeared to be a very judgmental look as he gazed at me from head to toe. I simply said, "nope" and went on about my business. This attitude just erks me!! Did Peter go to seminary? How about John? Last time I read Acts the Bible said they were "untrained" men. They walked with Christ and did what he said. I have experienced, personally some stupid comments from Baptist leaders. While I was working on my 4-year I took some preaching classes. My professor marked off on my sermons because he said I was too comfortable up there. I put my hands in my pockets and walked around too much. I just took the deduction. A friend of mine who is in youth ministry preached at his church one Sunday. His pastor told him after the service that a baptist preacher didn't preach from a big hard-cover bible but a smaller bible that he could carry around. I know guys that spend more time talking about their seminary than they do their churches. Baptist are supposed to raise their hands in worship I heard.
Thats for the charismatics. The list could go on and on.

Now why am I ranting and raving? I love being a Baptist I really do. I love the doctrines and the structure of the church. But I don't like the program-driven mentality. I don't like the idea that we are to "do" church instead of "being" the church. I don't like how complicated and professional we have made the pastorate. If that's what it means to be a Baptist Preacher then I want a different title. I want to be a pastor of a Baptist church; not a professional but a wild-eyed crazy man that loves Jesus and His bride. I want to read my bible and do what it says instead of sitting around trying to make sure it lines up with the Baptist church. When I do get a masters I want to forget all about school and focus on the bride of Christ instead of bragging on my education and degrees. I don't want to feel like I have to only preach 30 mins and not a minute longer. I just long and thirst for the simple church of the Bible and not this monster that seminary and the convention have produced.

I guess it could be worse though. I could be a Methodist...just kidding.

Cant Sleep

You would think I would be in the bed. I only got about 2 hours of good sleep last night and I am dog tired. I just can't stop my thoughts from running off. There are a million things going through my mind; I'm trying to reconcile another miscarriage (2 in almost 4 years) and I can't. Is it part of some plane? Maybe it is divine judgement? The supper religious statement is that I am building character. But none of this makes it any easier. None of it helps bring meaning. The only time I can remember feeling this frail and human was the last time this happened to us; the last time we lost a child. Am I that selfish? Is this more about the absence of control or about a child. I really disgust myself...maybe it is judgement.

Why does the feeling of frailty cause us such grief? When it's financial or even medical we still have a since of control; like there is something more we can do. There is still a feeling of hope. For a cancer victim there is the hope of chemo or radiation. For the financial struggle there is the hope of assistance from a friend or relative; the hope that pinching pennies will help. But something like this is completely out of my hands; there is nothing I can possible do. I pray God will help me come to some clairity on hope because one of the points in my sermon this Sunday is about that very subject; HOPE. How will I ever be able to preach that message in the shape Im in?

I don't even know if this blog makes sense. If it doesn't just chalk it up to no sleep. All I know is the journey I am on is not a fun one. It is like being strapped into the passenger seat of a car you don't want to be as you watch a maniac take you for a drive. I'll let you know how the trip goes. Good night guys!!!

My Only Instrument

Today was a tough day for my family. We had our first baby doctor appointment and things did not go well. Mary Kathryn looks like she is 8 to 9 weeks pregnant but the baby only made it to about week 5. We will go for some test and things next week to confirm unless MK's body finally figures out something is wrong and she has a miscarriage before then. We are very heavy hearted and crushed and we are struggling to practice what we preach.

Everything within me keeps saying "just worship." The struggle is knowing how. Its easy to do it with instruments of happiness and security but how do you worship with pain and suffering? How do I allow God to be glorified in me through my satisfaction in this? My mind is tormented by anger but I must worship. I've got to find a way to play these instruments. Pray for me!!!

Top 5

My good friend Ricky Sowell has a blog that I read from time to time. On his blog he does something very cool; he gives his readers a top 5 list of random things. I find them enjoyable so I have decided to do the same. Today I have been thinking about the influences in my life as I now seek to be an influence to others. So in no particular order here are the top 5 influences on my life.

#1. My mom. She will admit she is not a perfect lady but man does she have passion. When she sets her mind to do something she does it and does it well. She taught me the value of speaking up for what I believe in. When I was a lost sinner she was the one praying in my room and pleading the blood of Jesus over me. Thanks mom!!!

#2 Chase Ostrander. Chase is a friend of mine that I have known for almost 5 years. He is my opposite in most ways; a Yankee and soft-spoken. What I love the most about Chase is that he takes everything to God in prayer. When I need prayer he is the first person on my list to call. He has challenged me on many things and as a result I have had to do a lot of repenting. My views of evanglism and family come from the fact that Chase loved me enough to give me some books and pray for me daily. There is no better friend than this guy!!!

#3 T.J. Mauldin. Ive never told TJ how much he has taught me. This guys is in his early 20's and has a better handle on scripture that most guys twice his age. TJ has taught me the value of digging deeper in the Word of God and seeing the things that are underneath the surface. He has an amazing heart for people and seeing lost people come to know Christ. This is the guy that will break out in worship and bible study at the Waffle House at 2 in the morning. I would know; I've seen it. And people just respond to him like they have known him for years even though they just met.

#4. Tim Rigeway. Tim was my first Pastor. He took me under his wing and taught me the value of wearing your emotions on your sleeve. I often wonder where I would be if God had not brought this man and his family into my life. Tim is like a father to me. We have shared each other's good times and bad. I hardly ever get to see him but when I do it just fits like an old pair of shoes.

#5. Charles Spurgeon. People at my church will laugh when they read this because I quote him every other Sunday. But it is amazing to me how a man that has been dead for so long has had such a rich impact on my life and ministry. I want to preach like Spurgeon; with bold, simple language that is surprisingly profound. I want of have half this man's zeal for the lost and for spurring on other preachers. If God give us a son and my wife would let me I would name his Spurgeon, I promise I would. My wife is praying for all girls now.

Here Is A Good One

In Sunday School Mr. Jimmy Lockerman, my teacher, mentioned some quotes I used in a sermon that he heard me preach when he was on the pastor search committee for Byromville Baptist. The quotes came from S.M. Lockridge in a sermon entitled "My King". This stuff is so good that if it doesn't bless your socks off you may not be saved. So give this video time to load and for the next 5 minutes enjoy!!!

Church People

Church people amaze me at times; amaze in that they act like pagans at times and try to hide it with spiritual statements. Today I managed to speak with a few guys in ministry that I know. The hot topic of conversation is the new church that my former pastor and another good friend of mine are starting in the Americus area. This church is going to be a "Family Integrated Church". Now let me honest for just a moment. If this was going to be the typical church plant pastors and leaders would be excited and behind it all the way. But this church model is not only different but it is the furthest thing from Baptist. This obviously causes some people pain I guess because there are pastors and leaders that are talking about this thing behind my friends backs; making statements of their disapproval and apparent disdain for what is being done. Just because it is different people feel threatened. The whole thing just amazes me!

Why are people so afraid of being challenged on the way we do things in church? These guys are not hurting anybody. They are not saying they are the best church or the only church in the area. They are simply offering something different. Do they personally think its the best? Of course! Why else would they be doing it? But don't most people attend a local church that lines up with what they believe? Again all these attitudes and statements coming from pastors just amazes me. Now before I get all self-righteous I will admit that I don't like to be challenged but at this point in my life I am open to it. I think that is the point here. You and I must be open to being challenged and we shouldn't be angry or threatened by those who think we are wrong or we think they are wrong.

Rhyme and Reason

If you get to know me you will find out that I am a talker. I can't keep my mouth shut for I have an opinion about everything; just ask me. In order to get things out I blog (obviously), email, and I am a member of several Internet debate forums. Through these outlets I hear the opinions and thoughts of many people and I am frustrated at the current approach that many "Christians" take in debate.

I want to know when feeling and experience and personal reflection took the place of the Bible!!! Seriously if one more person tells me they are correct because they "feel" I'm going to scream! If feeling or simple belief made anything true then everything would be true. Now I don't want to sound all self-righteous and pretend that I don't struggle with trying to justify my beliefs based on my emotions because sometimes I do. But I tell you the truth...I want to be biblical. I want to read the bible, take it at face value, and do what the bible says. No more emotions and feelings. No singing and dancing like a little worldly puppet. I want to be man of God and if I want to be a man of God then I better hid his word in my heart and speak it and preach whenever I get the chance.

My Mentor

I called my mentor in ministry today to see how things were going. He was the pastor of my home church when I first received a call to ministry. He was the one that pushed to church to licenced me into the gospel ministry because he saw a calling of God in my life. He encouraged me and counseled me through some difficult times in my life and I will always be grateful. I have always viewed him as my Apostle Paul and me as his Timothy.

After spending some time on the phone he confessed to what I already knew. He was depressed; down and out about the difficulty he has been going through over the past few years. I understand that sometimes Christian people struggle but its hard to see your mentor that way. I guess I always thought of this guy as superman. I'm just praying for his strength today.It's hard to see the people you love when they are down.

American Idol

There is a gigantic idol in America today. It's not a statue or image. A.W. Tozer said, "Let us beware lest we in our pride accept the erroneous notion that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects of adoration, and that civilized peoples are therefore free from it." Some of the most civilized and "christian" people you know are flaming idolaters and they may not even realize it.

If America could change its national anthem I believe it should be the tag line to a song that you have heard in several movies and television shows. The lyrics simply read, "money, money, money, money.....money". If you know the tune then you obviously now the 80s. We are so stinkin greedy and money driven in our culture. We value possessions and investments over the two most important institutions God ever created; marriage and family.

Although I was on vacation last week and not in study and sermon prep God still showed me quite a few things. First He showed me the sad state of our nation in the area of marriage. Now we all know the statistics that a little over half of the marriages in this country end in divorce. The Southern Baptist Convention is not immune to that statement. However, as I was watching a local news channel in Florida I heard some shocking news. It seems that the divorce rate in the southern part of Florida is on the decline. Before you shout amen listen to the reason given for the decline. Apparently, due to the economic hardship that many people would face on their own they are deciding to stay together. Basically their financial situation is the driving force for their marriages. Secondly God revealed to me a truth I have been reading about and meditating on for a few weeks now. People love prosperity more than children. As Mary Kathryn and I were sharing the wonderful news that baby #2 was on the way I had 3 people make statements or ask questions that showed that money was a higher priority to them than kids. The whole thing just makes me sick to be honest. Money over marriage. Cars and houses over children....what have we been reduced to in this world. I'll tell you; a bunch of moeny hungry, selfish, maniacs that are missing the blessings of God in our spouces and children.

Great News!!!

God continues to be so good to me and my family. On July 8th, while we were on family vacation, Mary Kathryn and I found out that baby #2 is on the way. We are so incredibly happy and excited! I don't think it will really start to settle in until Mary Kathryn starts to get big. We are enjoying the process of coming up with names (we have plenty of girl names but no boy names at this point).

All I know Is that I can't wait to to meet my son or daughter. Cooper is so amazing I can't imagine all the joy that two children will bring. God is just so good!

As You Are Going

As I talk with many pastors I have noticed that one of their struggles is discipleship. They struggle with effective ways and or methods of growing people into mature believers. We will try all the latest or fanciest programs and bible studies to try to draw better discipleship training numbers on Sunday nights yet it just seems like nothing changes.

Over the past few weeks as I have been meditating of the scriptures, praying and talking with some friends of mine I have come to a conclusion. We are not effective in discipleship because we have place too many time restraints on it. You can't adequately disciple a person in a one hour class on a Sunday evening. In the Great Commission Jesus tells us to "Go" and this word in its original language means "as you are going." Discipleship happens as we are going. I have found some of the best and most spiritually beneficial encounters have happened when I wasn't even looking for them; when I met a guy from my church at the gas station and we talked about the things of God.

I must admitt that this has taken much pressure of me and my ministry. Now I just look forward to the opportunities to disciple outside of the four walls of my church because those moments are the ones that really matter.

Real Men

Look around your church and I bet you will see with your own eyes what groups like The Barna Group and the Nehemiah Institute are say is true; we are loosing 75 to 88% of our young people after their freshman year of college. Those ages 19 to 25 are absent from our churches. But I find myself asking a serious question. Where do our young people learn it from? The reality is that a parent has 100 times more influence than a Pastor, Youth Pastor or Sunday School teacher. At best a church leader will spend a few hours a week with a teen but a parent has much more time than that.

In addition to absent teens we have absent men in our churches. According to Barna, "Without women, Christianity would have nearly 60% fewer adherents." His research shows that women are 100% more likely than men to be involved i discipleship. They are 57% more likely to participate in Sunday School. Women are 56% more likely to hold a leadership position in a church (don't' believe that one just go and look at who is serving on the committees in your church). There is an absence of real, spiritual men in our churches. No wonder churches are so weak!

Some have offered help in this area. Various books and studies have been written to try to engage men and get them back in church. But to be honest these studies are trying to put band aids over a gaping wound. Most of these books and teachings focus more on being macho and hard core than they do on being biblical. A real man doesn't have to kill things with his bare hands and then eat it. A real man loves his wife and disciples his children.

I could go on and on for days on this issue but I wont. I simply want to ask a question. Where are the real man; the saved men; the biblical men? Where are the guys that are willing to step up and be spiritual leaders? Until these men show up our churches will be doing a doggy paddle in the middle of a vast ocean, dodging as many waves as they can.

A Jesus Box

I just couldn't help myself I had to share this with you guys. This past Sunday night my church observed the Lord's Supper. I wanted to change things up a little and try to make it special for my people so I took a look at The Broadman Minister's Manual that someone got for me when I was ordained. I must admit this is the first time Ive even looked at the thing and to be honest it will probably be the last. I read something that made me sick to my stomach. On page 17 it says this, "The Supper should be a central part of the of the service and the entire service kept within the usual length of an hour." Did you catch that junk? One hour!! So I guess The Spirit quits working and punches out after that time period. And Baptist wonder why our churches are crippled and dieing. We wonder why we loose most of our kids after their freshman year of college.

Most Baptist have a little Jesus box. We pull Him out pray for a moment, sing, listen to a sermon and go home. Then we put Him back in the box. The Bible teaches us that God is a 24/7 God that doesn't sleep yet we only give Him an hour. The whole thing makes me so angry.

What Is Biblical Truth

Women shouldn't be pastors; Parents should be the primary source of their children's discipleship not youth pastors and Sunday School teachers; Homosexuality is wrong. These are a few statements, based upon scripture. How do they make you feel when you read them because your response reveals much about who you are and what you stand for? Many people hear things like this and they cringe because these statements are very much anti-cultural and most Christians are very in to the culture and they do not even realize it.

Why is this such a big deal? Many believers are operating in a worldview that is not biblical. As a result our churches and ministries are not biblical. Let me paint a picture for you that I believe captures the heart of modern-day Christianity. One day a woman came into her pastor's office to speak with him about the message he preached on Sunday. This woman was upset because the pastor said from the pulpit that homosexuality was a sin and that a person living within that lifestyle is not bearing the fruit of true repentance and without repentance we can not be saved. She proceeds to tell the pastor that she disagrees; that a practicing homosexual is loved by God and He would never send them to hell. The pastor asked the woman to back up her claims with scripture. Very heatedly she tells the pastor that her son is a homosexual and she refused the believe that God would send her son to hell. The pastor very patiently encouraged the woman to site a passage of Scripture that validated her belief but she didn't have one. She simply said, "I don't feel in my heart that God would do that."

This little story, that came off the top of my head, is similar to conversations that take place every day. Many Christians are so worldly that they will side with their personal feelings or beliefs over the Word of God. Then, trying to justify their feelings, they twist other verses and create doctrines and theologies that belittle the God that gave them life.

So I ask...What is biblical truth? Is it what the Bible says or is it what the Bible says, as we interpret it? My friends I want to tell you that it is what the Bible says and that's it! Truth is not our feelings or emotions but what the Scripture clearly teaches. And we should be okay with that for if we are not then I would assert we are in trouble at the core of our relationship with Christ. For if we can't take God at His Word what else do we have? The answer is chaos and unfortunately that is what many of our churches are today.

Family Revival

I got home last night around 10:45 after I had been in Valdosta preaching to a group of students at a youth event. I was greeted by Mary Kathryn with a big hug. I could tell she had be crying. She had picked up Family Driven Faith, the book Ive been reading lately. God had used it to break her heart. We sat down for the next few hours and spoke of the rebukes we had both recieved and we spent some time repenting before God. The good news is that repentance leads to revival. God did a glorious work in our family last night and I can't wait to see the fruit it will produce.

And boy did it come at a good time. Today is our 5-year anniversary!

Season of Repentance

Sometimes we look at repentance as the one time thing that happens in the blink of an eye; a time when a person does a complete 180. However I have learned something new about repentance in my own life. For the past few weeks I have found myself in a season of repentance; not just a one day type of thing but daily hitting my face and telling God how sorry I am for being wrong. I have realized that my views on family, church and evangelism have been severely misguided and even unbiblical.

My journey began a little over a year ago when my good friend Chase put a book my hands entitle Way of The Master by Ray Comfort. God used that book and the prayers of my friend to bring some serious conviction in my life about evangelism. The Gospel I preached was watered-down, weak and even worldly. I didn't help a person confront the reality that they were a sinner that had offended God.

During some recent bible study and sermon preparation God again brought me to my knees with conviction. As a believer in Christ I have always believed and taught that we should be most concerned about the things that God is most concerned about. However, my actions have not been lining up with my preaching. God is most concerned about His glory. Even in salvation the God is most concerned with His glory than He is our fire insurance. So I've been repenting for making evangelism more about an eternity free from hell than the glory of an awesome God who loved us enough to save us.

But wait there is more, much more. It has come to my attention that I've been a lousy husband and father. Before God ordained the church He ordained marriage and family. Mary Kathryn and Cooper should be coming before my church but that has not been the case. Once again my good friend Chase gave me a book and to him I say "keep them coming buddy". This book is entitled Family Driven Faith. God has used this book, that I am not even finished with, to rock my world. I have to repent and change everything I have ever thought about discipleship; to get it from the church and back into the home where it belongs.

Now you would think the past few weeks would have been horrible with all this conviction and repenting but nothing could be further from the truth. I feel great; like a 100 pound weight has been removed from my chest. I look at my wife and daughter in a new and wonderful light and our family time has reached a new and much deeper place than ever before. And as a result I actually feel like a more effective pastor. I know that sounds weird but it's true. I pray that my church and my friends and complete strangers would get a hold of the truth I have found and find themselves in a season of repentance.

Like a Pro

I am concerned about the professionalization of discipleship and Christian growth in our churches today. Many are under the assumption that seminary and other courses are required before one is "qualified" to preach, teach and disciple. This is why many parents are not taking responsibility for teaching their children; they let the Sunday school teacher or youth pastor take care of that. (See the blog below this one for more). Many wrongly assume that higher education is required in order to have a deeper understanding of God; His ways and His will. Let me give you an example.

Yesterday I spoke with a young man that couldn't have been much older than 21. As we spoke he revealed to me his future plans which involved some education. Then he asked me a question. "How much education do you have to have to be a preacher?" When I told him none the look on his face was priceless. Then I gave him a John Piper quote. "We are fools for Christ's sake. But professionals are wise. We are weak. But professionals are strong. Professionals are held in honor. We are in disrepute. We do not try to secure a professional lifestyle, but we are ready to hunger and thirst and be ill-clad and homeless."

What a message for the church today that seeks education for status or for possessions. Believers are called and equipped by God not by education and based upon that divine calling and equipping we are capable of teaching our children and discipling new believers. The key and unfortunately the missing ingredient for most believers in the 66 books that God has given us; The Bible. The reason many are not prepared and empowered is because they are not in The Word of God.

If there is one thing this pastor wants his people to know it is that we have all we need in our Savior. He can give us what we need to be a God-honoring, biblical church.

Family Focus

Over the past few weeks God has been speaking to me, in volume, about family; specifically the importance of being the spiritual leader to my wife and daughter. After studying the scripture, in preparation for my Mother's-Day sermon, It has become so clear to me that family is much more important than church;something I think the Southern Baptist Convention and the Church at large has lost sight of. The reason for this is due to the fact that when families are strong the church is strong and when families are weak the church is weak. The single greatest contribution that anyone could ever make to their local church and community, for the glory of God, is not to serve on every committee or teach a class but to be godly at home and raise children that are passionate about Christ. Yet in most churches the responsibility of discipleship has been placed on the ministers, the professionals, the leaders. We bring our families to church and we attend different classes and sometimes different worship services then we meet back up and go home. The average parent spends more time taking their kids to baseball games than they do studying the Word of God. My heart is just so heavy for this problem in our churches. I want to empower parents to lead their children.

To validate the things Ive been learning in scripture God provided a new book for me today and I'm already a few chapter into it. I had to tear myself away to come and write this blog. Its entitled Family Driven Faith by Dr. Voddie Baucham. Why is family so important? According to Baucham "my family is the primary place where my walk with Christ takes on flesh. It is my relationship with my wife and children that gives my walk with Christ legitimacy." I love this guy!! His mission is life is to give the privilege and duty of discipling children back into the hands of moms and dads. Ive added a short video of Dr. Baucham. He says it much better then I ever could.

My Sharpest Arrow

As a minister your goal is to make committed disciples of Christ; to motivate people, from the preaching and teaching of scripture, to be passionate about their Savior. You want your people to sharp and powerful arrows that have a deep impact on the world for Christ. I've been thinking a lot about arrows lately; mostly because of the conversations I have been having with a friend of mine about Psalm 127:3-5 and I have come to some conclusions.

Arrows must be crafted and this process can take quite some time but the end result is well worth it. Sometimes arrows hit or miss therefore it can take a few shots before a desired end is reached. Some people within my ministry are easier arrows to work with than others; some will just be sharper than others and some will have a deeper impact. All this sounds good. It might even make for a good book or chapter in a book but the one thing I keep asking myself is our of all the arrows God allows me to work with which one should be my number one? The answer is found in Psalm 127:3-5. My children should be the sharpest and most powerful arrows that my ministry produces. Up top is a picture of my daughter, Cooper. She will be one year old on Thursday. She is so full of personality and life and energy. Which will grow into gifts and talents that I'm sure her mother and I have never even thought about. But as I look at her all I can think about is her college education, the people she will become friends with, her husband even her children. The reality is that Cooper will have an impact on people; what type of impact will be determined by me.

I do not have all the answers but one thing I do know and I pray this will spur on any parent that may be reading this....I want my daughter to be in love with Christ and passionate about His mission in this world. I want her to be a soul winner comparable to any theologian and preacher I admire. I want little Cooper to grow up and refuse to marry a man who is less committed to Christ than she is. I want my baby girl to grow up to be one sharp arrow that leaves an impact for the Kingdom.

After Taste of Revival

Well our 3 day mini revival was concluded last night at Bryromville Baptist Church and all I can say is wow. This was brother Myke Harbuck's first revival meeting and you never would have known it. He did a great job! His messages were straight to the point and they hit you right in the face. I would say they were short but brother Myke wasn't telling a lie when he said he was good for at least an hour of preaching. But now that the meetings are over I can't help but wonder how my people are feeling. What taste was left in their mouth after the faithful preaching of God's Word?

I'm praying that what usually happens after a revival meeting will not happen in Byromville. Most of the time we do anything we can to get the taste of revival out of our mouths so we can get back to life as usual. I keep using the word taste because the type of preaching we just heard is bitter-sweet. It's difficult to take and hear at first but it produces good things like repentance and change. True revival is the recognition of God's people that they are far from Him and that they need to return; this means giving up some things and making some changes in life. Most Baptist I know don't like to do those things. But we must change, we must press on towards maturity and excellence otherwise our churches will die.

I think A.W. Tozer said it best. He said that a church is in one of only three places. "They are in rut, rot or revival." I'm tired of the rut religious activity and playing church. I'm certainly sick of the people of God rotting away because they never use any of their spiritual muscles. I'm praying for a God-sent revival in my life and my church. You know not one person made a profession of faith at our meeting. There where not very many who made their way to the altar. But I don't consider what happened to be a failure. Revival happens on God's time; not ours. He will do something in Byromville when the people respond to Him in the proper manner. As long as we are seeking revival we won't find ourselves in on of the other two places; rut or rot.

Robo-Church

You know we didn't need Tom Rainer to write Simple Church in order to reveal to us that the way we do church is too complicated. All we need to do is read the book of Acts and make a comparison. The church in Acts was simple in its approach. It was birthed and then it began to grow. The early Church was concerned about discipleship and evangelism. They came together to worship, pray and read the word then they went out and shared the Gospel and God added to their number. By every numerical and logistical standard the church in Acts was successful. What went wrong? This is the million dollar question that we find ourselves asking.

I have a theory. I think we have lost sight of the reality that the church is a living breathing organism. It is not something that can be manufactured then reproduced but something that is born from the life change that Jesus Christ brings to a lost world. Today people seem to be building their church; putting it together with programs, doctrines of men, money and the political and personal propaganda of various members. Like the Bionic man or Frankenstein we are trying to force our churches to look the way be want them instead of being obedient and letting them grow naturally into what God wants them to be. We are trying to build a Robo-Church; a super elite creation of man built in his image. No wonder whole communities are lost and headed for hell! No wonder we never experience true revival!

I have personally felt the conviction that I need to boil my life and my ministry down to the essentials; growing closer to Christ (Discipleship) and sharing the Gospel (evangelsim). The more I read, study and preach through the book of Acts the more and more I have a desire to be like the early New Testament church. Im tired of Robo-Church I want a living growing church.

What really matters

Tonight's service was an interesting one. I finished up a sermon series from Isaiah 6:1-10 tonight on the "Three Realities of Revival". I desperately want to see true biblical revival in my church; not just a pep-rally for Jesus. The theme of tonight's message was evangelism. Isaiah saw the need to go and speak the truth of God. He realized he came from a generation of "unclean lips". I simply shared with my church that if we can not be serious about evangelism then how could we say we are serious about Christ. Then as I was preaching a thought occurred to me.

What's the one thing we won't do at all in Heaven? Some think it's cry but the Bible speaks of God wipping our tears away so there will some crying. The answer is evangelism. If this is the one thing we will not be doing in Heaven then shouldn't it be the one thing that consumes us now. I used the quote from Wesely that is located at the top of this page. I think it says it all. Why are we not sharing our faith all the time?

What are they looking for?

I heard something very interesting on the radio yesterday. According to some recent research from Lifeway when looking for a church to attend the unchurched gravitate more towards churches with a traditional look. The guy on the radio said the same thing I was thinking; "that seems odd." All of the gurus out there paint a picture of the unchurched as being people seeking after the new or the modern. As a result more and more churches are meeting in places that don't look like churches. More and more gimmicks and or methods are being used to "draw" in the unchurched. Yet Lifeway's research shows they are attracted to the older buildings. The reason given my the radio personality was a connection to the past. Unchurched people like the older, gothic style churches because those buildings make them feel a connection to the past.

This totally reinforced my vision as a pastor. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. We simply need to do the old things with more passion and zeal. We don't need to build the "me church" where everything is about pleasing self and gratifying self. We can build upon the foundation of the past and use that to reach people for Christ.

Through Cooper's Eyes

My daughter constantly amazes me! She is so full of personality and joy. Even when I have a bad or a long day Cooper just makes me smile. We just put a swing up in our back yard for her. She absolutely loved it. At first she didn't know what to think about it but the more I pushed the more fun she had. The great thing about watching her is that the whole world is new to her. Some of the most average and typical things are new and exiting for Cooper. She just loves life to say the least. Everything is an adventure to her. I wish I was more like her. There are things I dread and don't look forward to. But what is everything was an adventure? What if I viewed life the way Cooper does; as something exciting and new?

I just thank God for my baby girl. Its hard to remember what life was like before she came along.

Church Makeover

The more I read and preach through the book of Acts the more I am convinced that the church of today needs a face lift. We are so far from the Church we read about in Acts. The average Sunday morning "worship service" is a religious service at best. We sit, we stand, we sit, we pray, we give, we listen, then we leave. Everything has become so ridged and stiff. Its a one hour pep rally at best. I am ready for revival! I'm ready to see the power of God rain down upon His people as opposed to the trickle of spirituality that we get on the average Sunday.

I know there are people out there that feel the same way. As a matter of fact a friend of mine who is also a young pastor feel the same way I do. We don't necessarily want whats new; we want what is biblical. My friend lives in Tampa Florida and he sent me a wonderful video, filmed in Tampa with real people who are in their 20's. I've put a link to this video at the end of this blog. I hope you will watch it and be encouraged. Maybe this is the beginning of a revolution!

#links

Baptist Are Fat

"Baptist are fat." That was a statement that a minister friend of mine made over a year ago. I wan't quite sure what he meant by that back then but I think Im starting to understand it now. You see today's church is filled with a generation of consumers. They consume most of the time, energy and resources of the church leaving very little for the weaker brethren or the outside world. Basically we take and take and take but we give little. No wonder the average church feels so dried up and empty!

Ive been preaching verse by verse through the book of Acts and the more I read and preach the more I am convinced that today's church is far from the church in Acts. The early church was a generation of givers. They shared everything and held nothing back.

Im tired of being fat. I want to give instead of take. I want to be like the church in Acts.

Atheist Day

Today is April Fools Day if you are in to that kind of thing. I personally like a bumper sticker I saw one time that said, "April 1st...National Atheist Day." The phrase was followed by Psalm 14:1 which says, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." I happen to agree with that bumper sticker; only a fool would say there is no God.

You see I know that God exists; I saw proof of that Sunday afternoon. Mary Kathryn and I had finished lunch, put on our comfortable clothes, and had planted ourselves in the living room to watch TV. However, my plans were brought to a halt by a phone call. One of my church members had just died of a sudden heart attack in the middle of his living room with his wife and several daughters present. When I got to the house his body was still lying on the floor. This was only the second time in my life I had been near a body before it was taken to the funeral home.

You would expect mas hysteria, crying and even some shouting but the room had a peace about it. There were a few tears but not as many as you might assume. His wife was calm and very collected and his girls had a peace about them that is hard to put into words. Then the wife spoke to me and said, "That's not him...he is in a much better place." Now many times when you hear that phrase it is a cliche but you could tell this woman meant every word of it. Her husband of many years was gone from this world and was in the presence of God.

My faith was greatly encouraged that day. The power of God had gone before me and made my job much easier. Our Lord had provided that peace which surpasses all understanding. I wish every Atheist I know could have been there with me that day. I think they would have been hard pressed to say there is no God.

God IsFaithful

My God is so faithful, even when I am not. If you read my blog you read about some of the spiritual warfare in my life; specifically an older congregant that I had managed to offend. Well today Jesus answered the many prayers that have been lifted up this person's behalf.

At 1:00 this afternoon I received a call from this person. They apologized and asked for my forgiveness. I was so shocked. I don't know why I was amazed; after all I preach and teach that God answers prayer. But when they asked for forgiveness my mouth dropped and I couldn't speak for a few seconds. God had gone to battle on my behalf.

I just wanted to share this experience today. I am so blessed and so amazed by my Savior. I can't wait to see what He will continue to do in Byromville.

Cancer and Ribs

I got an email yesterday form a person that just found out they have cancer. The doctors found something the size of a golf-ball and they discovered that the cancer has spread to the lymph nods. Needless to say this does not sound good. Now you would imagine that this person would be down-and-out or upset. But this was not the case. They found time in their email to tell me about the amazing ribs they ate for lunch in between all their tests.

They were not upset or mad. As a matter of fact their attitude was better than mine yesterday and they just got diagnosed with cancer. This individual is truly trusting God for healing on this side of heaven or the other. They know that worrying will not add one day to their life. I am amazed by their faith and I look forward to what God is going to do through this.

As you read this please pray. This person has a long road ahead of them.

A Great Funeral

Yesterday I went a funeral. Two of my church members lost a sister this past Thursday night. She was sick with cancer and this death was expected. When I walked in the church, about 20 minutes before the service was to start, there was standing room only. The place was absolutely packed! I couldn't help but marvel at the amazing testimony of this woman and her family has people where packing into a sanctuary that probably sat 300 people comfortably. As amazing as this was the thing that really blessed me was the service. The hymns being played on the piano where great; I found myself humming along and an older gentlemen standing next to me asked me if I sang in the choir. Two younger pastors lead the service; they read scripture, prayed and shared poems and stories on behalf of the family. The uplifting part about the whole thing was that this service felt more like a worship service than it did a funeral. I've never experienced anything like it.

But shouldn't a funeral for a believer be that way? It should be a time of rejoicing and worship of God because a believer has gone home. I praise God for allowing me the opportunity to be at that funeral service. It has been an encouragement to me ever since I left. I pray my funeral can be something like that to people.

More From The Battle Front

I didn't sleep much last night. I kept thinking about this person that I have offended. I have decided to visit Thursday mornings and Friday afternoon. I went got started this morning and made a few visits before lunch. It was encouraging! I praise God because He used the people Ivisited to be more of an encouragment to this pastor that I was to the people.

Spiritual warfare is difficult to say the least. But as I worked on my message for Sunday a thought accured to me. Jesus never taught us it would be easy only worth it. Running from the battle and refusing to fight would not grow my faith. I must face this thing and let Christ have His perfect work in me.

A Heavy Heart

I have had the worst night! Tonight at church I was informed that a particular congregant was a little upset that I have not been out to see them this week. When I got home I called that person as quick as I could to see how they were. It turns out they were more than a little upset they were mad. They had a good reason to be upset. I told them last week that I would come by on Monday but I never showed up. The reason for this is my horrible memory. I simply forgot; I didn't write it down on my calendar. I apologized and informed the individual that I had made a huge mistake. All I could do was ask for their forgiveness. They couldn't give it and my heart was crushed.

It's funny how the devil kicks you when your down. I was accused of "being a preacher but not a pastor." I was accused of "catering to the younger crowd but not the older." There where a few other comments then a "click" as the phone hung up. Only three months in and this is what I get.

Now for clarity I am not upset with this person at all. I feel horrible; like I have failed them as a pastor. I could blame it on inexperience or the flaw of forgetfulness or on the reality that many people need my attention. But none of those things make me feel any better about the whole thing. I just feel like a failure and if you know me at all you know that I have the tendency to blow things out of proportion and make things worse than they are. To be honest I probably wont sleep much tonight.

In the middle of this whole ordeal I find myself asking one question. What are the things that really matter? How am I; a pastor; supposed to break up my time to do the best I can for this church? If all I do is visit then the sermons are going to be lacking. But if I never visit or forget to visit then I become an offense to those I'm here to serve. Oh God where is the balance? I struggle to know what to do. Pray for me. My heart is heavy. The spiritual battle isn't going well today!

Spiritual Warfare

Since last Friday the reality of spiritual warfare has become more and more obvious to me. When I walked into the Rylander Theater there was no doubt that Satan was there. When I saw a good friend, who was heading up the rally, I knew war was being waged. After I spent some time with the band I realized they had a completely different views than those of the evangelist who would be speaking. It was a most difficult day to say the least. After our evangelist was done there was silence. People where in shock and awe...they had never heard preaching like that before.

After the bombs were dropped and the smoke cleared my friend realized this was only the beginning. As the leader of the event he has gotten calls, and emails and face-to-face encounters where people took the opportunity to bash the event, especially the preacher.

Without going into every detail I only wish to make a proclamation: We are in the last days. People want to have their ears tickled by sermons instead of being brought to conviction. People don't want the worldliness of their life and their church to be exposed publicly. It can be very discouraging. My friend is feeling the weight of it all at this very moment.

My prayer is that I would be counted as a worthy soldier for the Cross. I want to be a soldier who participates in warfare as opposed to the typical Southern Baptist who refuses to acknowledge that it even exist.

Absence of Fear

Sometimes I think we are a little too bold. Let me explain. One of the many flaws within the body of Christ is the overemphasis of the things about God we like; the things we can deal with. We love to give all of our attention to the reality that "God is love" but we never seem to focus on the truth that He hates sin and that His wrath will be poured out on those who die apart from Christ. Preachers love to say things like, "God is passionate about you" or "God is madly in love with you and He deeply cares about your happiness". Its like John Piper says, "we are fine with being God-centered as long and God is man-centered."

However, when I read scripture I don't see a God that is ultimately obsessed with man but a God that is passionate about himself...and He should be. There is no greater thing or being than God. No way higher than His way or power than matches His own. He is Holy and absolutely perfect. These are truths that should drive us to our knees as opposed to coming to God with pride and arrogance; like He owes us something. We need to be a people of fear (reverence, wonder and awe) for the God we claim to know.

The Church seems to have an absence of fear and this is the cause of much of the turmoil and strife with in the body today. We are stirred up by vanity and we try to sustain our spiritual growth and life with worldliness. This was not the case for the church of Acts. In chapter 2 verse 43 we see a people of Godly fear. Throughout the entire book we see a people who where motivated and sustained by their fear of God; not worldly methods and vain things.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to get across here. I am just so heavy-hearted for the Church. Many try to run away and start new churches to escape the baggage of one that has been around for a while. I don't want to be that guy. I think the modern-day, local churches just need to be awakened from their deep sleep. They need to compare themselves to church history, especially the book of Acts and realize how desperate we are to get back to our roots. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is what we learn in Proverbs 1:7 but all I see are a bunch of dumb churches. We have a fear problem!!!!!

Burning the Chaff

I just got home from the Oasis youth rally in Americus. This was my last fling with my good friends in the Friendship Association. Although I knew the guy that was coming to preach was honest and straight to the point, I did not assume that there would be so much conviction in my own life. After all; this was for the youth.

Ive come to realization that I'm more worldly and water-downed than I give myself credit for. That's a hard thing to say about myself. It's an easy statement to make about others from a pulpit but to make that accusation against my own person stings a little. My heart is just so heavy, to say the least. I find it most difficult to lay down and sleep although my body demands it my soul compells me to think and reflect. Why is the modern church so worthless? Why are we so afraid? There are people who die for their faith but we can't freely give of our time. There where preachers who preached for hours in extreame conditions until blood came from their mouths, but we preach for 25 or 30 minutes and speak softly for fear we will offend.

Where are the Spurgeons, Weselys and Whitfields? Where is the Church of Jesus Christ? Its kind of hard to see because of the circus that many of our churches have become.

Refreshing

I got a text message this past Sunday night from a church member. This text was an apology on behalf of a spouse who fell asleep during the service. In this person's defense they work odd hours and they had gotten a few hours of sleep but they came to church anyway. I was not offended, as a matter of fact I got a little board that night (my sermon was putting me to sleep). Text back and said that I didn't even notice.

Well the next night at church both people in the couple came and apologized to me again. It was just refreshing to see people who were serious about things. You know I never apologized once for falling asleep during a message. Maybe I need to make a few calls today.

Time

The longer I am the pastor the more and more I realize how precious my time is. Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to some important things. Sometimes certain things just have to be put to the side....like this blog...I have not written any thoughts since the 14th.

As I have been contemplating this issue of time management I have had to come to one conclusion. In short I waste a lot of time. The challenge for myself is to only do those things which really matter; spend time with my amazing daughter and wife, study and preach the Word, minister to the flock God has given me, and sleep. Because the reality is that how I use my time is a reflection of my worship.

God At Work

One of the greatest and most encouraging things a pastor can hear is that God is bringing conviction and challenge in the life of his people. I have been blessed this week to hear that He is doing exactly that in several people at my church. For the average person in church the word "conviction" is a dirty word that you are not supposed to speak of but nothing could be further from the truth. Conviction is a good thing in the life of a believer. It means that God is at work in their life; stripping away the old and replacing with the new. I praise God for the conversations I have had this week and I pray that I hear more of them in the future.

Why Do I Love Christ?

I had a great breakfast meeting yesterday with a good friend of mine who is in ministry. We talked about many things but only one thing really stands out to me. We began to discuss the average Christian, as we see in our churches and my friend made a profound statement. He said, "Many people love Christ for the wrong reason. As a matter of fact we the church often teaches the people to love Jesus for the wrong reason." He went on to explain by asking me a question. "What if Christ neve would have endured the Cross and died for our sins, would that change the nature of who He is?" The answer to my friends question was no it would not change.

The point here is that we should not love Christ simply for the things He has done for us but we should love Him because of who He is. This was something I had never contemplated before but it makes sense. If I only loved Mary Kathryn for the things she did for me then my love for her would change on the days she doesn't really do anything. A sad truth, I believe, is that many Christians treat Christ the same way. Our love is contingent on what He does in our lives when it should be based on who Christ is.

Feeling The Love

Yesterday a nice lady from my church said that she need to see me so right after I picked Cooper up from daycare I swung by her house for a quick visit. When I set foot in her house she handed me a big white bag and inside was a blanket that she had made herself. It was even UGA color; red and black. It really brightened up my day. I am truely feeling the love here in Byromville. The cards, calls and comments that my famlily and I hear keep us encouraged and motivated. I just cant say enough how excited we are to be in Byromville.

Eating Scraps

One highway 90, just before you get into Byromville, there is a little black and white dog that is always out near the road. He doesn't appear to have a home, yet he never wonders away from this particualr 5 mile stretch of road. Ive noticed him many times and have not really thought about him until today as a question occurs to me. How is this little dog surviving out here in the middle of nowhere? The answer came to me as I continued to ride down 90 on my way back into Byromville. You see this dog is living off the trash that people are throwing out the window. I know this is true because most of the time when I see this little dog he has his nose in something right next to the road. His survival is based on the scraps of this world. I imagine this little guys would be much better off at a home where people love him and feed him on a regular basis as opposed to a few McDonalds french fries.

You know a lot of Christians are like this little dog; there are barely getting by. They are just eating the scraps of this world when God is inviting them to come and eat as His table. Im tired of scraps; I am ready to feast. How about you?

Exciting Times

You can tell when there is true excitment in your church. The atmosphere is just different. The expressions on the faces are different. When excitment is in the air, for lack of a better term, church is just better.

This is certainly the case for yesterday's services. The Spirit was thick and the attitude of the whole church was wonderful. I felt a freedom in the pulpit that I had not experienced before. People lingered and talked to each other after both services as opposed to the usual Sunday in a Baptist church when everyone runs to their car as fast as their legs will carry them. The whole day brought much joy to my heart.

Maybe God is begining to answer the prayers of His people for unity. Maybe we are experiencing the beginning stages of a wonderful work of God in our church. Whatever is going on I certainly pray and hope that it continues.

Joy of Children

The more I get to know my daughter the more I realize what a blessing she is. This week has been a little stressful and somewhat disheartening. However, when I got home yesterday Cooper had these bunny ears on and I just couldn't help but laugh. She is so funny. I hope I never take her forgranted but I hope that I always remember that she is a gift from God that I get to take care of. I hope this picture will brighten your day as you look at it.

Labels

Its amazing to me to see how postmodern people are and they don't even now it. Someone emailed me a journal entry or blog of a college student who says he "believes in Christ but he doesn't label himself as a Christian." His reason for this, according to the blog, is that "there is so much negativity around the word Chrisitan or Baptist or Methodist. I am simply a follower of Christ."

Let me just take this moment and tye out what I would say to this young man or anyone else who holds this type of view.

You better be concerned about labels because Christ is. He is concernced with whether or not you are a "sheep" or a "goat", "sinner" or "saint", "holy" or "unholy". Now I understand that Chrisitans and those of various denominations have a certain stigma attached to them but to reject labels is impossible for certain labels are a matter of life or death. This attempt to escape from labels is nothing more than postmodern thinking and an attempt to make his faith sound and appear more culturally relavant. The whole thing just makes my head hurt. Does anyone have any tylenol?

At War or Warrior

In the few months I have been pastor at Byromville I have taken the opportunity to do a little teaching on prayer during prayer meeting. It is nothing facy; just the reading of a few verses on the topic of prayer and a short dicussion. However, these few passages of scripture have brought much conviction in my life. I have realized....Im not a prayer warrior!

Most ministers I know have a handful of guys they can call for prayer; I know I certainly do. There are 2 or 3 men that I call for advice and prayer about everything. But as I began to examine my life I realized that no one really calls me for prayer. This leaves me to ask myself the difficult and probing questions. Am I not a prayer warrior? If I had shown myself to be one then wouldn't these same guys I call, call me as well?

Needless to say I feel horrible. How can the pastor not be a prayer warrior? The difficult thing about conviction is the bad taste it can leave in your mouth. But Im not going to wallow in self pity, on the contrary I am declaring war on this enemy and my God will give me the victory. Pray for me as I learn to pray.

Planks and Specks

Its weird how a certain day or week can have a theme to it. For example a few weeks ago I was bombarded by people going through difficult times. People where coming to me with the difficulty they were facing for prayer and encouragement. It just seemed like everyone was anxious about things and lacked contentment. For the past few days the theme has been complaining about others or pointing out fault in others. It appears that some Christians have a hard time dealing with each other, go figure.

As I replayed, in my mind (that's what pastors do; we replay over and over the difficult things we face in ministry) the conversations I had in people's homes and over the phone I realized something. Most of us are flamming hypocrites! Many of the people I talked to were mad or upset because others where judging them and treating them unfairly. They had no trouble pointing out the flaws in other; seeing the speck in their eyes, thats how Jesus put it. Yet none of the people I spoke with could see the plank in their own eye. Most of these kind people were doing the same thing to others that they where accussing others of doing to them; they where passing judgement and as a result they where harboring agression and bitterness.

I wonder why it is that we can see the wrong of others but we can't see the wrong in ourselves. Why can't we see the forest for the trees? As much as I dislike visits and talks filled wiht negativity, I did learn something valuable. If I spent half as much time looking at and examining myself as I do examining others, I would be a much better man of God.

Hypocritical Intolerance

I had a conversation with a lady who claims to be agnostic (she believes in a higher power but not a God that you can know). As begain to share the Gospel she stopped me in my tracks and said, "you are so intolerant sir" and she stormed off. Now I must admitt that I got a little upset and fleshly at this point. I hate when people hide behind tolerance and they refuse to discuss the issues. So I chased the lady down and asked her if I could ask her one question. She reluctantly stopped. The conversation when as follows.

"What makes me intolerant?"
"You Chrisitans are always condeming other view points"
"Why does that bother you?"
"We can all be right without having to say the other side is wrong."
"Do you know how ludicrous that sounds?"
"Can my shoe laces be banna peels at the same time?"
"Thats different."
"Do you think I am wrong?"
"Of course I do!"
"You are being very intolerant of me aren't you?"

The conversation went on for a little while longer and the lady refused to give in to reality. There was no reasoning with her. She is a flamming hypocrite and doesn't even realize it. She labels me intolerant because I think Christianity is correct and all other religions are false. Yet she tells me I am wrong. What is so funny about the postermodern thinker is that they are very intolerant of the people they label intolerant. I hope that as you may be reading this you find that fact helpful. It will help to level the playing field as you encounter these people and attempt to share Christ.

No Wonder Jesus Prayed

I recently spent some with a group of guys that, for lack of a better term, are not very holy. They claim to be Christians, and they attend church a few times a year, but man are they lost or at least very backslidden. Some of the language and jokes made this preacher very uncomfortable at times, even a little red in the face. But Jesus spent time with lost people on a regular basis. Often in Scripture He would rub elbows with the lowest people in society; loving them unconditonally and teaching them about the Kingdom which is what I wish to do as well. But I can't help but wonder...How did He handle the blasphemy and corse joking?

The longer I am a pastor the more and more I realize the deep need in my life for prayer. No wonder Jesus prayed all the time; He had so much to deal with during His ministry here on earth. Prayer and intimacy with the Father is the only thing that got Him through. Charles Spurgeon said, "I think we should make it a rule, whenever we hear a foul or blasphemous word in the street, always pray for the person who utters it. Perhaps the devil might find it expedient not to stir up people to swear, if he knew that it excited Christians to pray." What a great statement! I will be praying more for the lost people I spend time with as I am with them and I look forward to seeing what will happen.

Missing Persons

Do you ever stop and think about what would happen if people didn't step up and fill positions and ministries in our churches? There are missing people in the church today and those people are leaders. I can't help but wonder where are the people who are serious about Christ; serious enough to step up and teach, pray, and evangelize.

I believe leadership was very important to the apostles and the early church. I base this statement what I find in Acts 1:21-26. They wasted no time in finding a replacement for the fallen Judas. The truly convicting part of this passage is that Peter and the other Apostles didn't have to look high and low like pastors do today. They found two men very quickly who were qualified and willing. Just typing that statement leads me to another thought. Maybe the reason it is getting harder to find leaders is due to the reality that those who are qualified and willing are few and far in between.

I pray God will raise up leaders. We desperately need men and women who can lead, otherwise the church as we know it will die.

The Missing Ingredient

"Christians" continually amaze me. I had a conversation with a person not too many days ago about a holiness issue. This person claims to be a new convert. The issue being discussed was a matter of clothing; their clothing was inappropriate not only for church but for everyday Christian life. After confronting this individual they made it known to me that they would continue to dress this way.

You see most of us treat the Christian life like some sort of recipe; a pinch of morning devotions, a dash of prayer meeting and a tablespoon of Sunday School and we think every thing is covered. But oh how we overlook what is in the scriptures. In 1 Peter 1:16 the Word of God makes is abundantly clear that we are to be holy; "be ye holy for I am holy". This means separate or set apart. Yet many believers look and act just like the world. We pick and choose what we shall be devoted to in our walk with Christ; choosing those things which are easy or cost us very little and holding on to the desires of our flesh. I am in no position to get on my "high horse" on the issue for there are areas of my life that need improvement. However, I am purposing in my heart to be holy. I want to look like Jesus, not like the world.

Jumping High

In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell speaks on something he calls "the law of the lid". In the simplest of terms Maxwell compares a person's leadership ability to a flea that has been put in to a jar. Before you give up on reading this blog let me explain. When you put a flea in a jar and put the lid on it that flea will jump and jump; continuously hitting the lid above it. However, after a period of time you can take the lid of the jar and the flea will only jump as high as the place where the lid once was. You see there was limit placed on the flea that did not allow it to get any higher.

The application of this chapter, for the leader, is to set the bar or the lid very high so that those under his leadership can go higher. As a new pastor, filled with excitement, joy and uncertainty I want to set the set the lid high for those in my flock. I want my congregation to know and experience the joy and fulfillment that comes when we reach places that are higher than we ever imagined.

Old Like New

It is a new year and people all over the place are making resolutions that they probably will not keep. God has recently challenged me as a pastor to not look for something brand new to do or accomplish this year. The challenge from my Heavenly Father is to do the old like new.

You see many churches are looking for the new and exciting this year. However, what we fail to see sometimes is the lack of excitement and life in our churches and ministries is due the fact that we fail to accomplish God's calling on our lives with excellence. We don't do evangelism, missions, fellowship, worship and prayer like we are overly concerned on the contrary we do most of those things in a half-hearted manner.

Therefore, the burden of my heart for my personal life and my ministry is to do things with excellence. A popular proverb says, "there is no need to reinvent the wheel" and I agree. I just think if the church did the old things like new we would be much better off.