Crossing Honey Creek

An Extra Day

2012-02-29T11:25:00.002-06:00

February 29th! It almost never happens. Well, I guess it does happen on a regular basis, but a day that only appears on the calendar once every four years, is decidedly rare. So what do you do with an extra day? Do you relax, escape the humdrum demands of your overfilled calendar, or do you use the time to catch up on those things that have spilled over from yesterday's To-Do List?
Realistically, an extra day in a month that is shorter than the rest doesn't really seem to impact us that much. An extra day in an over-packed week, now that would be a blessing! Or even a couple of extra hours in a day that is so full that it seems impossible to get it all done, might be nice.
I guess the moral of the story is that we could all use a little more time. The Bible encourages us to "number our days" so that our hearts can apply themselves to wisdom. Translation? Examine our lives so that we can learn to use our time wisely and for those things that have the most eternal benefit. I've heard it said that no one has ever said as they were lying on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office." Time, invested in our family and friends, in our relationship with God, and in enjoying the fruits of our labors, is never wasted. So let's decide to use wisely ever second, minute, day, week, month and year that God has blessed us with in order to love and serve Him. And who knows, maybe every once in a while, He'll give us an extra day.

I Live In The Country

2012-02-01T10:09:00.000-06:00

Isn’t it amazing how one little thing can change your whole perspective? I love being a small town pastor. My schedule is pretty flexible, I get to have personal interaction with a wide variety of people and I get to witness the splendor of God’s creation every morning as I make my way across Honey Creek bridge. This week has been fun. Monday and Tuesday, my day started early with breakfast and discipleship with two of the young guys in our church. Last night, Shelley and Chelsea and I had dinner with a family that is considering joining and had a wonderful time of fellowship. This morning, I had an early breakfast meeting at the Hospital with the director of the Volunteer Chaplaincy Program, so as I left the house, the sky was just beginning to get lighter, but the sun wasn’t close to cresting the horizon yet. As I stepped out of my front door into the early morning calm, I heard it faintly in the distance, a rooster crowing. For the first time in the two years that we have lived in our house, I heard the sound that identifies for me that I really do live in the country. I just had the discussion last night about how much I love where we live because it is far enough out of Grove to be peaceful and quiet, and yet we can still get to WalMart in about three and a half minutes.

But this morning, I realized that I do live IN THE COUNTRY.

Okay, so this might not be such an earth-shaking fact to most of you, but to me it was an eye-opener. In my mind, ‘the country’ has always brought to mind peaceful feelings, calm, a slower pace, the joys of childhood memories at my grandparents house in East Texas. My everyday life, even at the slower pace that a small town pastorate offers compared to pastoring a church in Oklahoma City, still seems pretty hectic. I get to the office and fill out my To Do List for the day and wonder how I am going to get it all done. But just hearing that simple, far-off sound as I left my front door this morning reminded me that peace and calm are not that far away. As a matter of fact, I can find them on my own front porch.

I think that sometimes we get so focused on the swirling of the waters all around us that we forget to take a few moments to peacefully float down the river and take in the scenery. At this moment, two hours later, I find myself in my office, To Do List all filled out for the day, ready to get started on what this day requires. But the memory of that brief moment in the still of the morning, gives me assurance that I can handle whatever comes, and when the day is over, I can make my way back out to my home in the country and the peace and calm that it brings. Thank you, Lord.

Christmas Memories

2011-12-21T10:26:00.000-06:00

Christmas is a time for memories. Obviously, it’s primary purpose, one that is often neglected, is to remind us of the coming of the Messiah, the means by which God provided salvation for sinful mankind. But it is also a time for remembering long-lost joys and relationships that have made Christmases past so sweet.

As a child, my most vivid memory is of the uncertain nature of when ‘Santa’ would come to our house. My dad pastored a small church in Racine, Wisconsin and each year we would load up the car on the Monday after the Sunday before Christmas and we would make our way south. We would make a short stop in Paducah, Kentucky, where my mother’s family would gather, then we would go on to Center, Texas for Christmas with my dad’s family. We would miss one Sunday and get back right before the next, giving us almost two weeks to make the trek. Because of this tradition, I never spent Christmas morning in my own home until the year after I graduated from college and spent Christmas alone in Spokane, WA, 2000 miles away from the rest of the family.

Because we would always be away from home on Christmas morning, ‘Santa’ had to find us at home sometime before we left so that we could get our presents, so it was always an anxious time as we drew closer to the day of our departure as to when ‘Santa’ would come. Sometimes we would wake up on Saturday morning before our departure and our gifts would be there, spread out on the living room floor. At other times, Dad would say, “Hey, let’s go look at the pretty Christmas lights down at the lakeshore, and we would all pile in the car. Just before we would leave, Mom would have to go back inside for something that she forgot. When we got home from looking at the lights, the Jolly old Elf would have made his appearance and the presents would be there under the tree. That feeling of imminent expectation was one that I will never forget and is my best reference when I think of how my heart should flutter at the certainty of His promise yet uncertainty of the timing when it comes to Christ’s return.

The next thing that comes to mind when I think of Christmas is just a simple expression without a spoken word. It is the look on my grandfather’s face whenever we were gathered at his house on Christmas. He was a quiet man, mostly because it was hard to get a word in edge-wise around that house. The gift of gab is a dominant genetic characteristic of the Hughes clan. We would gather in my great-grandmother’s room, around the fireplace, and talk and laugh and cut up, and Papaw would sit in the corner and watch and listen and just smile. He was at peace and everything was right with the world, because he had his whole family around him. When I think of what heaven will be like, I can’t help but wonder if there won’t be a familiar taste of that spirit of love, joy and peace.

One more thing that comes to my mind at this time of year is the feeling that I had that one Christmas, mentioned earlier, out of my 52 Christmases, that I spent away from family and home. I had just turned 21, I was over my head in a job that I was unprepared for, and I was thousands of miles from the familiar. I went outside of town to a friend’s acreage and cut the top out of a fir tree, thinking that it would be a good Christmas tree. It more closely resembled a Christmas shrub. Charlie Brown had nothing on me. When all was said and done, friends from church invited me over for Christmas dinner and I enjoyed the fellowship, but for the first time in my life I understood what so many others feel at this time of year who are alone at Christmas time. The soldier off to war, the homeless on the street, the prodigal far from home, I got just a little taste of how they feel and I never have forgotten it.

These days, our Christmas traditions have changed a bit. With Mom and Dad now living with us, Christmas comes to us. We always go to my sister’s in Fayetteville for Christmas Eve, have dinner together and then go walk around the old town square, then we make our way home for Christmas morning and the family gathering Christmas afternoon. But it is really hard for me to wait to open presents, so I am always trying to figure out a way to convince Santa to come early but Shelley is a little bit more of a traditionalist (i.e. grown-up).

I am thankful for the memories that still remain. Instead of mourning the loss of those who are no longer with us, I relish the times that we shared. Instead of regretting what is no more, I look to and long for that which one day will be again, when we gather around the throne in heaven and witness God’s contented smile and realize that no one will ever be alone for Christmas again.

Does God Like What I Like?

2011-08-31T11:47:00.000-05:00

Okay, let's get it all out in the open. MUSIC IS A TOOL OF THE DEVIL!....Ummm, not all music of course, just the music that I don't like. Because God and I have similar tastes in music and therefore, I know exactly what He likes and what He doesn't.
Sounds pretty arrogant doesn't it? But it also sounds pretty familiar. Not just from those who would have us sing nothing that was written after the 1850's but from those who would gladly throw the hymnbook away and have us sing the same few words over and over again ad infinitum.
So now that I have properly offended everyone, let's take an honest look at this issue that the devil does use to divide God's church in so many cases.
First, let's acknowledge that our preferences are going to be different, so we need to have a starting point that we can all agree on. I suggest that we start with Scripture, because God's Word has an answer for everything.
The issue of worship has been a conflict from the very beginning. I have heard it said that the first murder took place over the issue of worship. Cain slew Abel over an offering that wasn't acceptable to the Lord. Our problem with this anaolgy is defining who is who, so we will leave that one alone. Jesus told the woman at the well that God was looking for worshippers who would worship him in Spirit and in truth. So our worship must involve both the Truth of the Word of God and a responsiveness to His Spirit. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Paul spoke in two different epistles about this issue. In Eph. 5:19, he invoked the need to speak to ourselves in "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." Each of those words described a different form of music, all present in their society, but each used for a specific purpose in their worship. In this passage Paul emphasizes the use of these forms of music in personal devotion and private time with the Lord.. But in Col. 3:16, he uses the same descriptive terms while speaking of corporate worship. He says "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..." implying that one way for the message to be enriched in your heart and spirit is through music. Then he broadens the application by saying "admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." We are to worship and sing together as a means of encouraging and edifying one another as we sing to the Lord with grace in our hearts. Grace, now there's a concept that is not always seen in our discussions of this issue!
So these texts describe the use of varying types of music for God's glory, personal devotion, and corporate worship. So what's the problem? The problem is most often in our definitions of those terms, so let's talk about definitions.
What is spiritual music? We most often want to define spiritual music by our own religious background and culture. If that were true then that definition would be constantly changing and in constant contention. Sadly, that is true, but I don't believe that God intended it to be that way.
Bear with me for a moment here and let me give you a scenario that is I believe is completely defensible from Scripture and is a reasonable approach to this issue.
Eph. 5:19 talks about "making melody in your heart to the Lord." What if music is the language of our heart? We know that it influences our heart, our feelings, our emotions. We can see that Paul recognized the importance of music to worship, so why didn't he define his terms more specifically? Could it be that God wants to hear us worship Him in the language of our heart? African Christians will worship God in a different language. Their music will also be different. Asian Christians will worship God in their own language and to their on rythym and tempo. We acknowledge this as natural and appropriate, why can't we see the same thing when it comes to the language of the heart between different generations in our own culture?
Music is ultimately a vehicle for the message. Even the most reverent of hymns can contain doctrinal error and be the tool of Satan to deceive and mislead. Therefore, whatever the style of music, the key is to examine the truth of the lyrics in light of the Scriptures.
One argument made against Contemporary Christian music is the association in the hearts of many with the music of rebellion and worldliness of generations past. It is important to understand that associations are personal, not universal and if we take this reasoning to it's logical conclusion, then we should all become Amish. It is a similar argument to Paul's discussion of meats offered to idols. He said that the meat was nothing, the idol was nothing, but if your heart condemns you, then you should abstain. He did say that those who were stronger in the faith would recognize that distinction and shouldn't cause the weaker to stumble, so this issue is important.
Another issue is the use of instruments in our worship. Many don't like guitars or drums being used in worship and I agree that these things sometimes overpower the message and distract from it, but we should be careful about associations once again, because the Scriptures are full of references to the instruments of praise used in worship by God's people and those instruments include a number of different instruments that strongly resemble the guitar and the drums. Just look in your Concordance for the word "instruments" and then look up the definition of the names given in those passages.
And if the volume is your problem, then you need to read II Chron. 30:21.
So the Scriptures give us good reason to consider our opinions about worship to see if they line up with what God clearly says.
Let me bring this to a close with a couple of things to consider:
First, the issue here is not my preferences but our collective worship, so I need to remember a couple of things. Spiritual maturity will result in patience, longsuffering, and deference to others. All of us need to extend this grace to those around us as we worship together.
While some consider this issue the evidence of compromise and wandering from the true faith in modern churches, let me offer a different possibility. Could it be that Satan knows how important music is in worship and that he has chosen to use it as a barrier between one generation and the next in an attempt to keep the Gospel from being passed down? If this is even a remote possibility, shouldn't we consider it? We would never say that we will share the Gospel with the world as soon as they learn our language. Neither should we say, we will worship together with the next generation as soon as they agree to only do so in the language of the heart of our generation.
I believe that God hears, not the words, the beat, the tempo, and the volume, but the attitude of the heart whether we are singing Amazing Grace or the latest thing off the pen of Chris Tomlin. So come, let us worship the Lord together. Amen.

Cracked Pots

2011-08-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

It amazes me, how God uses broken vessels to carry His Living Water. It has been a while since I posted to this blog. I could say that I've been busy, this has been an amazing summer filled with fruitful work and ministry. But in reality, I've just been distracted. I've told people for a long time that God blesses me far beyond what I deserve, and that has become more real to me in these last few days. At our Men's Retreat over the weekend, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Are you enjoying the blessings that I've been pouring out on your church?" He said, "Just imagine what I could do if you would just give me your whole heart, all of your attention, the full measure of your strength, and a single-minded focus."
The very first speaker quoted Ps. 19:12-14. It reminded me that my words, my thoughts, my actions, and the things that my heart meditates on are constantly in the sight of God and I need to be sure that they are acceptable to Him.
It is easy to let yourself think that the blessings of God are the result of your efforts, when in fact, I've learned that they are more often in spite of your shortcomings. All God wants from us is a vessel that He can use.
I guess my challenge today is that we give ourselves fully to the Lord so that He has a little more to work with when He sets out to bless our lives and our church. Because it truly is amazing how much Water He can haul, even in a cracked pot.

Lithuania - Day 4 - 17 More Set Free!

2011-07-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not having any pictures tonight. This has been a whirlwind of a day. Up at 6:00, ummm, 6:10, ooookaayyyyy 6:20 AM so that we could pack up, load up, and head to the gym for our last day of Basketball Camp in Kaunas, three hours of basketball camp that included 17 more young people choosing to follow Christ, lunch at McDonald's(oh, by the way, ketchup costs .45 over here), a four and a half hour trip to Riga, an adventure at the airport, checking in for our flight and checking our bags, turning in the rental vans, and taking a taxi to our hotel. By the time we headed out from our hotel for the half mile walk to Riga's Old Town, it was almost 8 PM. We decided to have one more good meal before we lift Riga, so we stopped in at T.G.I. Friday's. After a great steak and a little dessert, we hit the shops for souvenirs and headed back to the hotel. It is now 11:15 PM and the sun has just ducked below the horizon. My laptop battery and my body's energy resources are both just about depleted, but I couldn't go to bed without sharing this last post.
God worked miracles today. He intervened in a situation that could have thrown a stumbling block into the situation and turned it into a blessing. He spoke to the hearts of the children and answered our direct prayers about a couple of the kids that we knew needed the Lord. Our young orphan Gades prayed to receive Christ and I am praying that God chooses to use him in a mighty way.
One story that I must tell you. Each day we wrote our names on a piece of duct tape and asked the kids to do the same so that we could communicate with them. One of the younger orphans' name was Donates. Yesterday as we were walking out of the gym, my name tag was hanging a little loose and he reached up and grabbed it. This morning, when he arrived, he was wearing my name tag and made a point of showing it off to me. He is probably no more than nine or ten. He has such a sweet personality and I'm sure that the other boys make his life a living hell. If I could, I would have brought him home with me. When we asked them to pray and ask Jesus to be their Saviour, Donates was the first one to do so and the rest of the day, his smile lit up the entire room. Before he left, he brought me a gift for all that we had done for them.
Tomorrow we will leave Lativia. While we were here, God used us to see 103 young people come to know him. And although we will leave Latvia, Latvia will hold onto us for a long, long time.

Lithuania - Day 3 - Evangelical Christian Baptist Church

2011-07-03T15:10:00.000-05:00

This morning, we had the chance to sleep in a little later because we didn't have to be at camp at 8:00 am. Instead, we headed to the Kaunas Evangelical Christian Baptist Church at about 10:15. They are the church that is hosting us this week. They have worked very hard to get kids to come to the camp and we enjoyed worshipping with them this morning. When we walked into the sanctuary on Friday night during our meeting, it struck me that our ministry's theme verse, John 14:6, was written in 12-inch letters on the front wall of their church. I took it as a confirmation that god had brought us together. The following video is my greeting to the church before I preached from John 14:1-6 during their morning worship service.

When I finished preaching, Joel and Gary led the church in a couple of worship songs. They had sung a couple of hymns in Lithuanian before I preached, but they seemed to know the songs and sang along. Then the pastor came up and preached another short message and we had the offering, a couple of testimonies and we were finished.

After church we had lunch and then headed back to the gym for this afternoon's camp session. We were up a little bit from yesterday. We had a great time and it seemed that the kids were opening up to us a little more today.

I wanted to introduce one of our campers to you today. I learned that the word for name is 'vardas,' so when I address one of the kids, I first ask , "Vardis?" hoping that they will give me their name and that I can wrap my Oklahoma tongue around their Lithuanian letters. This young man speaks pretty good English so when I asked him his name, he said, "Harry not Potter." So I have continued to address him as Harry not Potter. We have had a good laugh over it.

Each day, we do a few things that have nothing to do with basketball, just to build our relationship with the kids and to let them have a little fun. In one of the games, Joel will take a 20 Litsas bill and hold it in front of one of the campers and ask them to hold their fingers half an inch apart. When he releases it, if they can catch it between their fingers, its theirs. It has been a real crowd pleaser. So far only one boy has caught the money here. The Latvian campers cost Joel a lot more money. :0)

After camp tonight, I went to the mall with the Hills and had dinner and did a little shopping. The professional basketball team from Kaunas won the European Championships this year so there is memorabilia all over the mall.

Well tomorrow is our last day in Kaunas. I miss you all and can't wait to see you, but there is one big thing that we need to do before we begin our journey home. Tomorrow is the day of decision for the kids in our camp. Please pray that the Spirit will have His way in their lives. We can see the devil trying to get in the way. It amazes me how that it is often those who already know the Lord that throw stumbling blocks into the path of those trying to win more to him. Please pray that we will have an eager and willing translator who is prepared to see kids call on the name of Christ when we share the Gospel tomorrow. See ya soon!

Lithuania - Day 2 -

2011-07-02T14:28:00.000-05:00

Day two of our basketball camp in Lithuania was a little down in numbers, but it was Saturday and there were several conflicting things that we had to deal with. The kids that were there enjoyed the camp and we got to give them the next portion of the Gospel, moving them toward a decision on Monday. The excitement today came when the camp was over. We quickly ate a couple of Hessburgers that our hosts brought to us at the gym and we loaded into the vans and headed to the Juvenile Prison on the other side of town. This facility is a medium security style facility housing about 300 prisoners from 13 -18 years of age. Their crimes range from car theft to murder and so we were aware that this was a little different than anything we had done up to this point.
We arrived and they had us put our valuables, cell phones, and wallets in a locker, they took our passports and they let us through the gate, three at a time. When we were all inside, it was a little ominous to hear that heavy door close behond us. Hmmmm, I don't think I told anyone where I would be. What if they won't let me out?
When we were in and had our balls and snacks ready, they let the first 49 kids into the gym. Later we would have another group of almost 60. They lined up against the wall and we introduced ourselves and played a couple of Minute2Winit games with them.

We then divided them into four groups and started our drills and teaching stations. Three groups worked with the coaches on basketball skills while the other group came upstairs in the un-airconditioned gym so that Joel and I, with the help of our translator, Yurij, could share the Gospel with them. We had just 12 minutes to tell them that there is a God who loves them and has a plan for their life, but unfortunately, our sin has created a barrier between us and God. They were somewhat flippant about things until I said, "You are in this place because you have done wrong. The wall outside is a barrier between you and the outside, just as sin is a barrier between you and God. But because you are in here, you can understand what I am talking about much better than many who are on the outside. They dare to say, 'I'm a pretty good person.' But the Bible says that there are none righteous. We are all sinners and there is a price for that sin." When I got to this part of the story, each and every group quieted down and became very somber. They listened attentively from that point on as I told them that Jesus had come as their substitute to take their punishment for them and if they would simply believe that He is who the Bible says that He is and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the grave like the Bible says He did, then they could pray and ask Him to forgive their sins, come into their heart, and be their Savior.

When we prayed with them, they were absolutely silent, and when we asked them to keep their heads bowed and to raise their hands if they had prayed and asked Jesus to save them, 51 of the over 100 inmates that we witnessed to raised their hand.

As the last group of 9 was entering our area and taking their seats, the chaplain's wife took me aside and said, "In this group is their leader. We must pray that God reaches him." I asked her not to tell me which one he was until after we gave them the Gospel. When we had finished sharing the Good News with them 5 of the 9 raised their hands that they had received Christ. As we dismissed them to join the others, the chaplain's wife was bouncing off the walls with joy, muttering in Lithuanian and English, "Praise God! Praise God! Oh, Thank You, Lord!!!" The young man recognized by all of the inmates as their leader had been the first in the group to raise his hand. The others had their eyes closed so he did not influence them, but it was such an answer to prayer to see this young man come to Christ. Later, as we prepared to leave, he presented Joel with a gift that the boys had made. It was an amazing "God moment."

Our team with a few of the boys and the chaplain and his wife.

We left the Prison knowing that almost half of the young men we dealt with today were set free from chains that bind them stronger than any prison cell ever could.

When we got back to the hotel, the Hill family and I decided to walk down to the Old Town area of Kaunas and get some supper. We had some great pizza and then continued down the pedestrian mall among shops and restaurants.

It had a beautiful, European feel. After spending the afternoon in the sweltering upstairs room engaged in spiritual warfare for the souls of those young men, it was refreshing to walk out in the open air and feel the freedom that God has given us.

Before we made it back to the hotel, it began to rain. It was a slow, warm summer rain. I found it to be rather romantic. Unfortunately, the one that I would have liked to be walking with was 7,000 miles away.

Our trip is almost over. It is hard to believe that we will only be here in Kaunas two more days. I will be preaching tomorrow at the Evangelical Christian Baptist Church, then we will hurry to the gym for our camp. On Monday, we will load everything up and check out of the hotel before the camp and then head out for Riga as soon as we are finished. We will spend the night there and then board our plane on Tuesday morning for the journey home. Joel Hill and his son, Jordan, along with our media mogul, Justin, will make their way to Austria and Poland for two American Football camps in the next week or so.
Please pray earnestly for several things. First, for the young men that received Christ today. They have a difficult road ahead of them. Pray that the chaplain will minister to them effectively and they will grow in their walk with the Lord. Second, pray for our campers, especially on Monday morning from 9 to Noon Lithuania time. That is 1 to 4 AM in the states so I'm sure that God would answer your prayers if you prayed early. :0) Pray that they will understand the Gospel and call on the Lord as well. We hope to see one more great harvest of souls before we go home. Third, pray for us as we travel home and for the teams that will be going to Austria and Poland. God is moving in a wonderful way. Please keep praying.

Lithuania - Day 1 - Perspective

2011-07-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing how quickly our perspective can change? If you had told me yesterday afternoon on our way here that we would have 41 campers for our first day of camp, I would have been very excited. At that point, I had no point of reference for my expectations and we had even talked about the possibility that we could have 5 kids or 200. If you had told me when I went to bed last night that we would have 41 kids in camp today, I think I would have been very disappointed, because we had heard of all the hard work that the church here had done in preparation and we were daring to expect 80 to 200 kids and talking about how to deal with that many kids effectively.

As I write to you this afternoon, we have finished our first day of camp with 41 campers and I am just marveling at the sovereign nature of the God that we serve. We had exactly what we could handle today. The gym here is 1/3 the size of the gym we used in Latvia. It has outdoor courts that we planned to use as well, but it rained much of the morning so they were not always available to us. And the language barrier seems to be a little harder to overcome here than it was in Latvia, but once again, God knows all that and He knows how to make it all worthwhile.
Among the 41 campers were a group of about 7 kids from an orphanage here in Kaunas. They made it clear as soon as they came through the door that they didn't want to be split up. They wanted to stay together. They were a challenge to work with. They were difficult and disruptive, but it soon became clear to us that what they needed more than anything else was a little bit of genuine love. One boy, Gadas, was expecially expressive during our presentation of the Gospel today. Today's portion introduced God. When we asked "Who is God?" Gadas answered, "Me!"

Please pray for this young man. While he is going to be a difficult case, if he receives Christ, he has the potential to have a great impact for Him among the orphans.
We also had four young men from the Juvenile Prison that were allowed to come to our camp today. They were all about 17 years old. Coach Joshua Laney noticed how buff one young man was and told him, "You'd better quit lifting those weights, you are going to hurt yourself." The boy said, "It's just survival." He later told Coach Laney that he had been in the prison for four years and had four more years to serve. This was the first time he had been able to go outside of the prison for an event.
Since today was the only day that these four boys would be at the camp, we took them back to the classroom when camp was over and shared the rest of the Gospel presentation with them. With most of these kids, we will take it very slow and present the Gospel over the entire four day camp, but since we don't have that luxury with these boys, we took extra time today. When we had finished, each of them bowed their heads and prayed with us. We don't know how many of them asked Christ to save them, but we do know that they received a detailed, step by step explanation of the Gospel and were asked to make a decision. In my heart, I believe that God did a work in their lives today.

Our team with the four boys from the Youth Prison

After the camp was over, the chaplains of the prison invited us to come tomorrow evening and do a two hour camp with 120 of the inmates inside the prison. We will have the opportunity to clearly present the Gospel to all of them, so I believe that God answered our prayers today. He gave us all of the kids we could handle and he opened a door to three times as many more for tomorrow afternoon. We serve an amazing God!

Latvia/Lithuania Day 6 - Travel Day

2011-06-30T15:58:00.001-05:00

Our sleeping quarters in Talsi
My bed is the one that is made up on the right.

We got up this morning, loaded the vans, ate breakfast, said our goodbyes, and we were ob the road before 8 AM. The trip to Kaunas, Lithuania would normally be about 4 1/2 hours if we were in a hurry, but we didn't have anything pressing in Kaunas until 6PM so we took a nice leisurely drive through the countryside, stopping to take pictures of interesting sites and eating at the McDonald's at the Acropolis Mall in Siauliai.

We learned that although Talsi is a quaint little village, it's standard of living is better than that of the people in the surrounding countryside between Talsi and the Lithuanian border. Lithuania's standard of living,however, seems to be much better. As we've travelled, we have seen several very interesting sites. Before we got out of Latvia, we saw a family of seven wild hogs cross the road in front of us. I wasn't able ask them if they were coming from Arkansas or headed back there. :0) We stopped and took pictures of several beautiful old churches, each one more elaborate than the last.

We also stopped at a shrine known as the hill of crosses. Historically it is a symbol of the resilient nature of the Christians in Lithuania. During the Soviet Era, the people would erect crosses on the hill and the Soviets would come and knock them down. Before long the people would set them up again. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, over 200,000 crosses have been brought to this remote hillside north of Siauliai. Two popes have visited the site and there is now a Fransciscan Monestary at the site.

Personally, I found the place rather sad. Like so many things that man creates for worship, at some point we begin to miss the point and before long it becomes an idolatrous spectacle. But it did show us one thing, the people of Lithuania are hungry for a relationship with God. We pray that we can lead them away from dead ritual to a relationship with a living Savior.

We arrived at our hotel in Kaunas at about 4PM. It is a very nice place, The Park Inn by Raddison. The beds are no larger than the were at Talsi, but they are up off the floor.

L to R (Interpreters Uri and Aukse and Pastorus Vladymir

We met our host, Pastor Vladymir of Kaunas Evangelical Christian Baptist Church and our interpreter, Aukse. Pastor Vladymir speaks very little English and comes off pretty serious but I rode with him and Aukse to the school and tried to break the ice a little bit. The church was started in 1875 and PastorVladymir has been there for 30 years. They endured some pretty heavy persecution under the Soviets, and their church building was used for everything from a barracks to a night club to a warehouse for salt. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, they have been a shining light in their neighborhood, which once was one of the most violent in the country but now is recognized as peaceful and safe.

When we arrived at the school we were pleasantly surprised by what we found. The school had repainted the gym floor and added several side goals since Joel had visited in the spring. It is nowhere near the facility that we enjoyed in Latvia, but it is much better than we expected.
We then went o the church for a snack and a planning meeting with the Pastor and our interpreters. They told us that they had given 200 flyers to the PE teachers at the area schools and that they had handed out around 700 flyers in the neighborhoods. The announcement had been made on the radio and in the newspapers as well. So, tomorrow we may have 50 and we may have 200. It's all in God's hands.
We were speaking about the services at the church on Sunday and Aukse began talking about her love of praising God. She said, "I have found something on the internet that I love. Have you heard of K-love? Positive and encouraging, yes?"

We also saw that Pastor Vladymir had several Gideon New Testaments in the Lithuanian language that he had been given for his people. I told him that there were several Gideons who had been instrumental in our being able to come on this trip. We left our meeting tonight expecting God to do something so big that no one would mistake it for anything that we could have accomplished on our own.
When I got back to the hotel, I stopped at the display case for the restaurant in the lobby. What I saw was an array of wonderful looking desserts. There in the middle was a teacup filled with Creme brûlée. I bought it and it was the second best that I have ever tasted(surpassed only by that prepared by Brenda Nowlin).
I thought it would be hard for God to outdo what He did last week, but I am beginning to believe that this week is going to be more memorable yet.

Latvia (Day 6) Part 2 - Day Trip to the Baltic Sea

2011-06-29T14:26:00.000-05:00

After lunch today, a few of us hopped in the van and headed north to Kolka, a small village located at the convergence of the Bay of Riga and the Baltic Sea. Along the way we saw some amazing old churches and beautiful countryside. As we approached the Baltic, we wound our way through forests of cedar and birch trees and through great fields of wheat and hay. At one point, we watched the farmers mowing and baling hay. Walking through the fields behind the machinery were storks looking for lunch.

As we passed through Valdemarpils, we saw a couple of the older girls who had attended our camp walking along the road. We stopped and asked if they needed a ride and they got in. They were hitch-hiking to Rojas (pronounced like my dad pronounces Hawaii, except with an 'R') to go to the beach for the afternoon. The people here walk almost everywhere they go and they have no fear of hitch-hiking. The American in us made us very concerned for their safety, so we dropped them in Rojas on our way to Kolka.

When we got to the Baltic, we walked about a half mile out to the point, where the Gulf of Riga and the Baltic Sea meet. The waves in the picture below are where the waters of the two come together.

The beach was pretty clear and the water was not terribly cold, so we waded out and got pictures in the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Riga.

Here is a short video to show you how far we had to walk to get from the Baltic Sea to the Bay of Riga.

When we got back to Talsi, we took a walk through the town and saw a few of the sights. The Lutheran church here in Talsi was built in 1567, just 50 years after Luther hung his 95 Theses on the door of the Church in Wittenburg.

The school is teaming with kids tonight as they are saying their goodbyes to the kids that we brought with us. Tomorrow morning at 7 AM, we head for Lithuania. Pray for that God prepares the way for us as we go.

Latvia (Day 6) - Tears on Earth, Rejoicing in Heaven

2011-06-29T11:15:00.001-05:00

Okay, so the kids probably didn't understand why I was crying. I was standing in the gym watching them go from coach to coach and asking for our autographs on the balls and t-shirts that we had given them, and it was all I could do to keep the tears from rolling down my face. What I had witnessed in the previous hour and a half is still causing goose-bumps as I sit here seven hours later writing this post. Today was the last day of our camp here in Talsi. Each day, we have shared a small portion of the Gospel and explained it as best we can to each group of kids who either weren't in the camp last summer or just didn't make a decision for Christ. The first couple of days, we spoke of God's game plan for their life and the problem of sin. It was evident that some were grasping what we were saying, because yesterday one of the boys, said, "Is today when we hear the good news?" Well, this morning we brought each group into one of the locker rooms so that we could have a little privacy.

The first group was made up of 6 middle school boys. When Joel asked them if they would like to ask Christ into their heart, all six raised their hands, all six prayed to receive Jesus, and all six became our brothers in Christ. I left the room with the feeling that this day was going to be very special. So that every coach would have the opportunity to witness the impact of our work here this week, we rotated with each group so that each coach had a chance to sit in while the invitation was given to a small group of campers. By the end of the day thirty-five campers prayed to ask Jesus to forgive their sins and be their Saviour.
When I heard the final results, I just couldn't hold back the tears. 5000 miles, thousands of dollars in travel expenses, time away from family and church responsibilities, all for a little basketball coaching???? Nice vacation, Pastor, have fun on your little basketball trip. Well, today is what it is all about. This is why we came. There may be tears here in Talsi, but they are tears of joy, and they are nothing compared to the rejoicing that is going on in heaven right now.

Latvia (Day 5) Basketball, Bees, and Shish-kabob

2011-06-28T13:43:00.004-05:00

It's been another beautiful day here in Talsi, Latvia. We had 54 kids at camp this morning and things went very well. I introduced Justin Hull to the kids that I am discipling. Justin is our outstanding video guy who, when our portion of the trip is over will be returning to Talsi to continue the ministry to these young people long-term. Justin is a great young man and I am excited to see what God is going to do through him here in Talsi.

Today is the first day that every minute hasn't been scheduled, so after lunch, I came back to the school and took an hour long nap. I have been staying up till 1AM every night getting my blog posted and my pictures up, etc. So the nap was a wonderful thing. When I got up, our hostess, Inguna, took our team and the VBS team that is here from Texas out to a campground for a little getaway.

The place was beautiful, but then again, I've been using that word alot this week. It was located in a birch and pine forest and had several small lakes with several nice cabins scattered around. The cabins each had a large sauna and the plan was for Inguna to fix shish-kabobs for everyone and then we could use the sauna. While the shishkabobs were grilling, we went on a little tour through the park that was focused on the life of bees. We even got dressed up in a beekeeper's "costume" and the keeper showed us the hives and the whole process of honey production.

It was interesting. It would have been nice if they had given us the costumes earlier, because the mosquitoes were terrible. They even carried off a few of the young children. :0)

The meal was amazing. The meat was wonderfully seasoned, and the bread was excellent, and there was smoked chicken and these little bread twists that were slightly sweet and it was all fantastic. One of the ladies in the other group asked me to pass the smoked chicken and I said, "You know that it's not chicken, it's stork." One of the other ladies eyes got as big as hubcaps. She had eaten about four bites of the chicken and was convinced that I was telling the truth. It was hilarious.

After dinner, the youngsters in both groups put on their swimsuits and got in the sauna. I refrained, because I was sure that there was no one that wanted to see me in a swimsuit. The sauna is a part of Latvian culture. They sit in the dry sauna with the temperature at about 180 degrees, then they run outside and jump in the cold water of the pond. They say that the sudden change in temperature is exhilerating, but I just took their word for it. Besides, the little pond that they were jumping into was very small and kind of marshy.

I had the chance to sit down with Inguna for a little while and hear her testimony and the story of how she came to start a Christian school and how it is supported, etc. She and her husband Maris are amazing people that God is using to do a tremendous work. I have invited them to come speak at our church in November.

Tomorrow is our big day. We will be giving the invitation to follow Christ to the 40 or so campers who have not accepted Him. Please pray that God will move in a mighty way. It will all be happening between 1AM and 4AM Grove time, Wednesday morning, so I'm sure that you will all set your alarms and spend that three hours in prayer. :0) Ummmmm, or at least pray for us before you go to bed tonight that we can see a great harvest of souls here.

I have fallen in love with the people of my team. I only barely knew any of them when we started on this journey together, but I have seen their hearts this week and I am glad that god allowed me to be a part of all this. And after tomorrow, we will only be half way finished. Thursday morning it's on to Lithuania!

Latvia (Day 4) Riga 500

2011-06-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

Today was an exciting day at camp. I taught a lesson on feeding on the Word of God and the kids really responded well. We gave Bibles to all of the kids who made decisions to follow Christ at last year's camp. The groups were arranged a little differently today which allowed me a couple of free segments to do some coaching. I really enjoyed that and I think the campers did too.

After lunch we loaded up the vans and headed to Riga, Latvia's capital and site of their airport. The last member of our team arrived this afternoon, so we took it as an excuse to visit this wonderful old-world city. Located on the banks of the beautiful Daugava River, Riga's central district holds all of the classic charm that you can imagine. The 13th Century Riga Cathedral is a wonder of medieval architecture and it contains the second largest pipe organ in Latvia.

The Cathedral is set in the middle of a gorgeous piazza filled with shops and restaurants, with a soundtrack provided by street musicians of every variety, a talented young woman on a violin, playing a classical piece, a young girl in the market deftly playing a dulcimer, three teenage girls singing their version of a modern pop song as one of them strummed her guitar, and an old bearded man producing a hauntingly beautiful sound that flowed from his saxophone and echoed from the brightly colored walls of the courtyard. Against the backdrop of an azure sky and snow white clouds, it gave you the feeling of an old romantic movie scene.

After our visit to Old Town Riga, we made our way to the airport to pick up Gary. We dropped three of our team off at the terminal just a few minutes after his scheduled arrival time with the intention of making the circle a couple of times and saving the 2 Lat parking fee. This is where our story enters the "Sounded like a good idea at the time" Zone. Apparently Gary purchased the ticket that allows your luggage to visit all of the historic European capitals and Riga was well down on the list, so while we waited for him to find out that his socks and underwear may just get to see Springtime in Paris, we made enough left turns to qualify us for the next race on the NASCAR circuit.

We had dinner at a great restaurant in Riga and then made our way back here. We are finding that this country is a study in contradictions; tremendous natural beauty, wonderful people who have endured great oppression and come out on the other side as survivors, and yet they are groping in spiritual darkness. Please pray for us as we share the gospel these next couple of days. We have almost 40 unsaved kids coming to camp everyday. They are hearing a simple presentation of the Gospel that is progressing each day. On Wednesday, we will bring them to the place of decision and we would ask that you pray very vigorously that they respond. The basketball is fun, the sightseeing is awesome, but the reason we are here is to see kids saved. Let's bombard the throne of God over the next 48 hours.

We have a great video guy with us on this trip. Justin has put together a short video with pictures from each day of the camp. You can find them on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/thewaysports#p/a/u/0/YwNK6Ob1_1c

Latvia (Day 3) Talsi Baptist Church and Day 1 of Basketball Camp

2011-06-26T16:20:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning in Talsi, Latvia was a beautiful thing. The sun comes up at about 3:00 AM and by the time we left the school and walked the three blocks to Talsi Baptist Church, it was a balmy 61 degrees and a beautifully sunny day. Our group and another group of foreigners (Texans) who are here to do a VBS at the school joined with the regular crowd to fill the little church to capacity.

The church looked like it usually runs around 100 in attendance. They had a wonderful Choir and several extraordinary instrumentalists and they did hymns and praise songs that we were familiar with, although the lyrics were in Latvian, making them a little hard to follow.

God had been working ahead of time to prepare the way before us today. While we are here in Latvia to present the Gospel to a Gospel-starved people, we found ourselves in the midst of a wonderful church full of Baptist people who know and worship the same Lord and Saviour that we do. And not only that, but the guest speaker today was a young Latvian preacher who went to Denmark to start a church. He spoke of many of the same struggles that we experience back home; the struggle between ritual and relationship, the division between Christians over music and standards, and the loneliness of ministry in a difficult place, relieved by the visit of praying, encouraging friends from home. As I sat in the service listening to him preach in Latvian and hearing a sketchy translation from one of our new Latvian friends, it made me aware of how those that we have come to minister to must feel when we speak to them of their need for Christ when they know nothing about him. We have come to be the translators of the Gospel to their darkened hearts.
The church service was a real blessing and it got our day off to a great start.
After lunch we made our way to the Gym for the first day of our Basketball Camp. This is a holiday weekend here in Latvia, so we didn't have as many as we expected for the first day. We had 42 kids show up, less than half of them had been at the camp last year. The kids were very enthusiastic about learning basketball.

My main job at the camp this week will be to help those kids who received Christ at last year's camp to grow in their walk with the Lord. Today, we reviewed what they had learned last year and introduced the things that we would share with them over the next three days. I had 14 kids today and was able to converse with more than half of them in English. My young friend, Janis, our host's son, served as my translator with the rest. It was exciting to see their continued commitment to the decision that they made last year to follow Jesus.
We even had a slam dunk contest on a slightly lowered goal and I competed with the kids and made it through the first two rounds, so I guess I didn't embarass myself too much.
When the camp was over for the day, I had the opportunity to Skype into our services back home. Even though I have only been gone a few days, it was great to see everyone there. It is amazing to me that we can be 5,000 miles apart and be able to see and hear each other live.

Supper tonight was a hotdog from a local gas station, which normally wouldn't seem like a very appetizing prospect, but the bun was really unique, almost like a French Bread that was hollowed out for the hot dog. The filled the hole with ketchup and mustard and then slid the dog down into it. Very nice and neat, and also very tasty.
Well, it's only 11 o'clock, so I must be making progress on getting this blog posted. Keep praying for us. God is working and lives are being changed; our team's as much as anyone.

Latvia (Day 2) Stripping Wallpaper For Jesus

2011-06-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful day in Latvia. We got up and had a wonderful breakfast that featured scrambled eggs, a very interesting toast with melted cheese and garlic that was awesome, and more fresh strawberries with something that was called Russian creme. I later found out that it was just sweetened condensed milk, so I have a new thing to try when I get home.
One of our team is going to stay here in Talsi as a missionary to disciple the young people that we see come to Christ through these camps. After breakfast we went to the apartment that they are preparing for him to live in. We spent most of the morning stripping wallpaper and moving furniture and painting ceilings.
After doing as much damage as we could, we came back to the school for a little nap.
When everyone was refreshed, we went to a pizza place for dinner and then for a short tour of the town. The menu of the pizza place was very interesting. I have to say that it is the first place that I have ever seen beef tongue on the menu for a pizza.
The town of Talsi is a beautiful little village whose archetecture reminds you of a WWII movie set.

We saw a family of swans walking down the middle of the street holding up traffic. Later in the evening, we saw a hedgehog walking around the school grounds. Fortunately, we had one of our hosts there to tell us that they were very gentle animals, so I took the opportunity to pet one.

I'm a little sweaty because a couple of us had to show some of the young bucks around here how to play basketball.
We ended the evening with a long planning session for our camps which start tomorrow. I will be in charge of discipling the kids who came to Christ in last year's camp. The station where we share the Gospel will be divided into two sections this year. Joel will teach the basic plan of salvation and I will teach some basic discipleship stuff. It is looking like we will have a much better turnout than last year. We are looking forward to a great start tomorrow afternoon. Pray for us.

Latvia (Day 1)

2011-06-24T14:42:00.000-05:00

World travel in the post-9/11 era is always an adventure. Thursday around 12:30 PM, I headed for Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. If you've never been to NWA, let me tell you, it doesn't exactly exude "International Terminal." It is simply a few buildings out in the middle of a farm field equipped with x-ray security equipment and a host of pleasant TSA employees. I arrived two hours prior to my scheduled departure time, met up with four of my team members, and quickly found out that there was something wrong with our plane that would result in an hour-long delay in our departure. As it turned out, they found it necessary to delay our flight for an hour because one of the overhead lights was malfunctioning, which could have forced one of the passengers to take a short nap instead of reading the two-day old USA Today that they found in their seatback.
After an uneventful and well-lit 45-minute flight, we arrived in Memphis just 35 minutes before our scheduled Transatlantic departure. When all was said and done, the tension of the early portion of our journey didn't have a major impact on our arrival in Amsterdam. When I found my seat on the second leg of our journey, I met a young man named Robert. He was an IT professional for the Hilton Hotel chain whose job took him regularly back and forth to the States from his home in Glasgow, Scotland. His wonderful Gaelic accent made for a fascinating conversation and it wasn't long before the details of my trip and our ultimate goal of presenting the Gospel in a place that was darkened toward it came to the forefront. Robert was very curious about my faith and as I shared the plan of salvation with him, he asked many very perceptive questions. We discussed the problem of sin, the tendency of religions to fracture and fight, the fact of his spiritual hunger, but the absence of regular religious practice. He listened carefully as I shared the details of God's simple plan of salvation and immediately drew the conclusion that if I believed what I was telling him, then I must believe that all mankind should follow the path that I was presenting. But wouldn't God be sympathetic to the man who lived a good life and followed the principles of Buddha or Mohammed? Our conversation emphsized one impication of the Gospel after another as the moments flew by. After a full two hours, Robert apologetically said, "I really need to get some rest. I have a big day tomorrow, so I am going to try to sleep."
When we reached our destination, I just couldn't bear the thought of seeing Robert step out of my life without one more opportunity to receive Christ. I took my New Testament and wrote my name and phone number in it and I said, "I want to give you something. This will answer the questions you have about your spiritual life. Since you are in America so often, I've put my name and number in the front so that if you ever have a question you can call me." He said, "I have a two hour layover, I think I'll start reading it right now. Thank you very much, you've given me a lot to think about."
Our work in Latvia doesn't begin for a couple more days, but God has already given me the opportunity to share the Gospel with one searching soul. Pray for Robert, a young man in his early 30's, with a six-year-old daughter, who knows that he has a need. Pray that God will use our time together to only cause that hunger to increase until he comes face to face with the One who loves him enough to die for him.
Well, there is a lot more to tell, but it's time to hit the hay. We are sleeping in the classrooms of the Talsi Christian School, a wonderful ministry in this small town that is doing a tremendous work in reaching young Latvian students for Christ. Tomorrow, I'll post a few pictures of this quaint little town and the wonderful uniqueness that I've already seen.

Perspective

2011-05-24T10:44:00.002-05:00

Before the winds that blow do cease,
Teach me to dwell within Thy calm:
Amy Carmichael

WOW! Sometimes God allows us to step back for just a moment and get a perspective on the things that really matter. Over the last few weeks, I have heard myself say on several occasions, "I just haven't been able to get to that yet. I have been sooo busy." In the past few days, God has shown me that if I'm too busy for some things, then I'm just too busy and I need to reset my priorities. Let me explain.
On Friday, I had a visit from a couple of old friends. They had been members of the church I pastored in Oklahoma City. While they were very dear to our hearts, their family was a constant source of difficulty. Sin, pride, abuse and turmoil were their family legacy and as their Pastor, I was right in the middle of it. The strife impacted three generations and the consequences will continue to be dealt with for years to come. I had only recently received a call from their present pastor about new turmoil and the possibility of more problems. Then last week, I got a call that the father had been diagnosed with a terminal liver disease and that he had only 3 months to live. When I called to console them, they asked if they could come for a visit. They wanted to share with me what God had been doing in their life recently.
As the day of their visit approached, I wondered what I would say. The hope that we find in Christ is wonderful, but it is easy to seem callous or flippant when we disregard the obvious turmoil that death brings.
Heaven is real and the relief from suffering that it offers is sweet, but we are often conflicted by the pain of separation that those who are left behind will have to endure.
When the couple arrived at our home, I was surprised to find them upbeat and joyful. As they shared with me the events of the past couple of months, there was a peace that I had never seen in their eyes before. They told me of the work that God had been doing in them even before the diagnosis had been given and of how the Lord had worked things out so that their family could face this trial with grace rather than with dread.
Longstanding hurts and unforgiveness had been dealt with. The father, whose prideful self-will had brought about a controlling harshness, had acknowledged not only the sinfulness of his outward actions toward his children and his wife, but also the underlying spirit that continued to wound those that he loved and cared for.
What I saw when I looked at this couple were two people who were rejoicing in what God had done and trusting Him for what the future holds. When the subject of his impending death came up, the answer was simple, straight-forward and confident. "How can we be sad about the fact that He is going to be with Jesus? His sorrow and pain will be over."
The two of them left on Saturday intending to take the backroads home and find a romantic spot to spend the evening and just enjoy some of the time that they had left together. I found myself encouraged by their visit.
Just over 24 hours later, the storms blew in. A small tornado hit just south of our house and a horrific tornado took almost 1/4 of Joplin, killing at least 116 people. The first news that I received about the Joplin tornado was that St. John's Hospital had taken a direct hit, that the top two floors were gone, and that the entire front face of the building was devastated. One of our beloved church members, Ann Hickman, was in ICU, on the third floor of that hospital and her room had a front facing window, so immediately I began trying to find out what had happened to her. I would not know until late the next day that she had survived and had been moved to a hospital in Springfield.
This morning, 36 hours after the storm hit, sitting in my office with the sun shining outside, I am struck with the contrasts between the events of the past few days. In the case of the couple that visited us, the storm that struck their life gave them time to contemplate their actions, their heart attitudes, and their relationship to God and to each other. The spectre of death was bounded by the awareness of God's promises and His blessings even in the storm. The result in their life and family was ultimately a blessing. Their attitude reminded me of the old Jake Hess song, that Ron Fisher asked be played at his funeral, "Death Ain't No Big Deal."
In contrast, I see the massive destruction of the tornado, that descended on its victims in a moment, with very little warning, and left turmoil, devastation, and suffering in its wake. This morning on the radio, I heard the voice of a man whose mother and his toddler son were in the path of the tornado and had not been heard from since the storm. The desperation and panic in his words, as he pleaded with anyone within the sound of his voice, "If anyone knows anything, please contact us as soon as possible." I see pictures of the survivors, wandering through demolished neighborhoods in stunned silence, their shock-numbed senses struggling to bring order to the chaos of their world. And as the hours and the days pass, the stories will be heard of the lives cut short, the opportunities snatched away in a swirling whirlwind, and the long-road to recovery and restoration.

It is in this vast contrast that I hear the still, small voice of the Lord saying, "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Life is uncertain and if the Lord tarries His coming, death awaits us all. But we don't have to live our lives in fear. We can be prepared. The Lord told Hezekiah, "Set thine house in order..." I am sure that there will be those who, in response to this storm, build a storm shelter. But I would encourage you to also prepare for the storms of life now matter what form they take by making things right with God and with those whom He has placed in your life. That way, no matter what happens, no matter how strongly with winds blow, you can be at peace.

Say It While You Have the Chance

2011-04-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I got the news that an old friend had passed away. Chester Henry was the first Pastor that I worked for after graduating from BBC. My time working for him was short and tumultuous, but I learned some very needed lessons while serving under him.
During the first semester of my senior year at BBC, Ken McCormick, Pastor of Tri-Cty Baptist Church in Gladstone, OR, came to speak in chapel. He issued a call for students to consider the Great Northwest of our own country as a mission field. During that service, I felt that God was calling me to the state of Washington to start a church. Over the next few months, as graduation approached, I looked for contacts up there that might be able to help me get started. My dad called one day and told me that a man who had pastored in Wisconsin for a while was now in Spokane, WA and might know of opportunities in that area of the country. I really didn't know Brother Henry. I had seen him at camp, but had little contact with him, but I wrote him a letter asking if he knew of any churches in the region who were looking for someone in the areas of youth or Christian school ministry. His response was that there were very few churches in that area that were big enough to have staff, but that his church had a Christian school and might be needing someone in the fall. I took that as a very positive response, but when March and April and May passed without further word, I began to lose hope that anything would come of it. I graduated from BBC and moved to Crane, MO, where I had served as Youth Director of Crane Bible Baptist Church during my Junior and Senior years at BBC. The summer flew past with no news. Then during the last few days of July, Brother Henry called and said that if I could get packed up, spend a week in Lewisville, Texas for administrators training and be in Spokane in two weeks, I had the job.
Get this! I was 20 years old and single and I had been hired as the Principal and High School Learning Center Supervisor at Baptist Temple Christian School aaannnddd Youth Director at Inland Empire Baptist Temple. But armed with my BBC diploma and my ACE Administrator's Training Certificate, I hit the road in my beat up '72 Malibu sure that I was ready for anything that life could throw at me.
1700 miles later, I showed up on the doorstep of IEBT and dove head first into Chester Henry's philosophy of ministry. We worked seven days a week for the first three months I was there. I found that his expectations were high and that he didn't believe in handing out a lot of praise. Looking back, I probably hadn't earned much. I struggled with the dual roles of authoritative administrator through the week and counselor and confidant on the weekends. Those that I was so desperately trying to get close to as their Youth Director, I was having to discipline and motivate as their teacher and principal. It is a difficult job, at best, but when you are just a couple of years older than the kids that you are trying to reach and teach, it is very close to impossible.
Add to it my inate desire to be liked by everyone that I come in contact with, and you have a formula for disaster. By late January of 1981, it was evident to both Brother Henry and me that I wasn't the man for the job. I had lost control of my classroom and the youth department was floundering. I felt like a failure, so I walked into Brother Henry's office and told him that I would resign, effective at the end of the school year. He was gracious and suggested that since the problem was fueled by my dual role, he could assign the Youth Department to a young couple in the church and I could concentrate on my duties with the school.
The change, although gradual was like night and day. My effectiveness with my students improved and I started a bus route with a friend of mine so that I was still actively serving in the church. God blessed our efforts and we built that bus route from 0 to 56 in only three months.
In the end, if I hadn't already tendered my resignation, I probably would have stayed. I look back on my time in Spokane as my "back side of the desert" experience. Although it was pretty tough, there are memories and friendships that I made there that I dearly treasure.
Just recently, I came across Brother Henry's daughter on Facebook. I told her that I would love to get in contact with him again. I would have liked to thank him for giving me the opportunity to serve in Spokane. I would have thanked him for the philosophy of hard work and self-discipline that he instilled in me. And I would have apologized for any problems that my immaturity may have caused him as my Pastor. But his death this week has robbed me of that opportunity.
This is just one more example of the importance of not allowing your words of love and gratitude to go unspoken. In just a few weeks, it will have been 30 years since I left Inland Empire. The church and the school are no longer in existence. But the mark that they made on my life and ministry have followed me every step of the way.

This Changes Everything!

2011-04-25T14:28:00.001-05:00

“This Changes Everything!”

I serve a Risen Savior! He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say! Jesus Christ our risen Lord, has conquered death and the grave and because He has, we no longer have to live in fear. Because of Adam’s Fall, we were born in sin, condemned to death and separation from God, but His coming to earth in the flesh changed everything. As a matter of fact, no one that ever came face to face with Jesus walked away the same.
In Luke 8, we see the story of a man whose life was in such a mess that he could no longer live among other people. His outrage and his demons had destroyed every relationship that he had ever tried to build. Satan had him so wrapped up in chains of addiction and destruction that he lived among the tombs, a dangerous outcast from society. In his extreme state of mental and spiritual bondage, he continually ran around in nakedness and rage, until the day that he met Jesus. His encounter with the Savior changed everything! His demons were vanquished, his mind was put at ease, and his relationships were restored. The result was a powerful witness to the ability of Jesus Christ to deliver from the bondage of addiction and spiritual oppression.

Imagine the impact in Jesus’s day of these two words, “Born blind.” All of his life this beggar on the side of the road had lived in darkness. His only recourse was to depend on the generosity of others. He could do nothing to provide for himself and really had no hope of anything ever getting any better. The account in John 9 tells us that his parents were still living, offering him at least one source of help, but as the years passed, this source of supply would have in that culture become an obligation that he was expected to fulfill, leading to more hardship. And once they were gone, he would have no one to care for him or give him a sighted perspective on the world in which he only marginally lived. His life was hard, cruel, and unforgiving...until the day that he met Jesus. Jesus’ disciples were no different than anyone else that had observed him begging on the street. They weren’t concerned with his condition or his need, only who might be to blame for it. But when Jesus looked at the man, He saw right to his heart and recognized someone whom, if healed would serve as a faithful witness to the glory of God. So Jesus spit on the ground and made eye salve out of the dust. He covered the man’s eyes and said, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” And when the man obeyed in faith, he came again, the Bible says, seeing. The miraculous event touched off a firestorm of theological debate. The Pharisees would not acknowledge that what Jesus had done was a miracle from God, and so they asked the man again and again what the meaning of all this could be. His simple answer was that whoever Jesus was, He had changed everything. He said, “I don’t know much about Him, but I do know that once I was blind, and now I can see.” The power of Jesus Christ to heal the sick and wounded was only one of the many ways that He showed us that He was and is the Son of God.

That night, in the upper room, He gathered his followers around Him and warned them that life as they had known it was about to change. They had been with him for over three years. They had seen Him heal the sick and raise the dead. They had listened to His teachings and had watched Him walk on water. They saw him rebuke the Pharisees and drive the moneychangers out of the Temple. Everything that they had experienced with Him pointed to the fact that He was the Messiah and would sit on David’s throne. But Jesus knew that what they had witnessed was only the first chapter of the story, and what they were expecting was near the end of the book. He knew that there were many difficult twists and turns ahead before they could enjoy the promised blessings of being His followers. And so, He took them to a quiet place, away from the crowds, out of the glare of the spotlights to teach them a few pivotal lessons that would prepare them for the long road ahead, once He had finished His work here. What He taught them that night turned their world upside down. If they were going to rule with Him, they would have to learn to wash feet. If they were going to sit at His banquet table, they first would have to partake of the bread of His broken body and the cup of His shed blood. He told them that, despite their time together, one would betray him and the rest would desert Him in fear during His hour of greatest need. But despite all of this, He loved them and was going away to prepare a place for them so that, when He returned, they could all be together again for eternity. He promised that He would send a Comforter to them and that as a result, they would be emboldened and empowered to change the World in His name. It was a beautiful, solemn occasion that changed everything once again.

We often speak of the change that took place in the disciples after the resurrection, how they became powerful witnesses capable of turning the world upside down once their faith was confirmed by the marvelous miracle of the empty tomb, but I am beginning to think that the transformation started a little earlier. The catastrophic emotional earthquake that hit them when they saw Jesus hanging on that cross was the beginning of an excruciating three days of doubt, turmoil and confusion. Their hopes and dreams had been dashed to pieces. The things that they had come to believe were thrown into major conflict. They had to think that their lives were in peril and their world had come to an end. From our perspective on this side of the resurrection, we can see that it was all a part of God’s plan, but from their side, it must have been almost intolerable. It is not unlike the upheaval in the lives of those who find themselves in some dark valley. It is often impossible to see God’s plan in it all and what life has thrown at us seems hopeless. But God’s ways are not our ways, and often He uses the worst of circumstances to accomplish His greatest blessings. It is often in our darkest hours that the Light of God shines the brightest. Those disciples found themselves in a situation where they didn’t even know what to pray, all they knew was that things had changed and God was going to have to do something big to set it right. But praise the Lord, Sunday was coming.

On that early Sunday morning, as the disciples made their way to the tomb, they had no idea how much their world had changed. They were going to lay their hopes and dreams to rest in a sealed grave. All that they had envisioned for the future over the past three years lay broken, bloody and cold, wrapped in a sheet in a borrowed tomb. Any joy, peace, or worship that their hearts may have once held, had quickly run dry as the One they believed to be the Messiah, had died a cruel and agonizing death on the cross. How could they face tomorrow? How could they face their friends and neighbors to whom they had loudly proclaimed, “We have found the Messiah! Come and see!” The future that so recently had seemed bright and eternally hopeful, now seemed to be a black void filled with confusion. But all of that changed when they arrived at the tomb! The massive stone was rolled out of the way, set aside like some discarded wrapper. The Roman soldiers had fled the scene and the burial niche was empty, except for the cloth that His body had been wrapped in and the napkin that had been placed on His head. Their minds raced with a combination of confusion and hope. Any number of possible explanations ran through their minds, but the truth seemed too impossible to even hope for. Then they saw the angel. His message are the words that still shake the world today, “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as He said.” The resurrected Christ changed the world for eternity. Death is no longer the unbeatable foe. The grave is no longer the inescapable prison. Our sin is no longer an unbreakable curse. And hell is no longer our eternal destination. Because Jesus lives, death has lost its sting, the grave has lost its power over us, sin’s price has been paid and heaven has opened its doors to all those who call on His name!

And today, two thousand years later, this Risen Christ whose finished work on the Cross fully satisfied the price demanded for mankind’s sin, is still changing hearts and lives today. If you are here this morning and you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, this can be the day when He changes everything for you. For His finished work on the cross to be applied to your need, you have to understand a few things. First, you are a sinner, we all are, and that sin has separated you from God. It is what will lead to your eternal destruction if you do not turn to Christ. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, both physical and spiritual. But the good news is that God loves you, even as a sinner, so much that He is willing to pay the price of sin for you. That’s why Jesus came. That’s what His death accomplished, the payment for your sins. And His resurrection proved it to be true and that our hope for eternal life is valid. All that He asks is that you acknowledge Him as Lord of your life, believe in His resurrection, and call upon Him for salvation. So, what better day could there ever be for Jesus Christ to change your life forever than on the day when He changed everything? Won’t you call upon Him now?

Death and Life, Endings and Beginnings

2011-04-23T11:10:00.001-05:00

This has been a pretty hectic week. In the last nine days, I've driven almost two thousand miles and have run the gambit from foreboding anxiety to deep sorrow to excitement to anticipation to hope for the future. In other words, I have experienced life on this earth as we have come to know it. Last Thursday, I traveled to Jefferson City, Missouri, to visit with Ron Fisher, our treasurer for the the last few years. He was at the end of his journey. Ron suffered for the last year and a half with kidney failure and a myriad of other ailments caused by it. He had lost weight until, at the end, he was no more than about 130 pounds. That afternoon, I was able to speak with him and laugh and pray with him and though I knew it would be the last time I saw him on this side of the river, he assured me that he was ready to go home. On Sunday we got the news that Ron had been promoted to glory and we prepared for the funeral in Jefferson City and the Memorial Service here at IBC.
On Monday, Shelley and I attended BBC's Sports Awards Banquet and it really sank in that Bobby's collegiate career was over. He was chosen as BBC's MVP for the second year in a row and we were very proud of our son's accomplishments. But as his basketball career comes to an end, we are anticipating the beginning of his new life after college as he moves through the application process for a wonderful job that would involve teaching, coaching basketball, and ministry.
I also received news this week that Clint Kidd, one of IBC's teens has been accepted to Moody Bible Institute. It has been Clint's dream to go to Bible college in a place where he could get a taste of the broad spectrum of real world problems that he may face in his future ministry. Moody is located in the suburbs of Chicago and offers its students a wide range of ministry exposure to any number of cultures and social classes. Clint's high school life in small town America is about to come to an end. In just a few weeks, he will graduate from Grove High School and launch out into a new world of experiences and opportunities to serve God. Even the ceremony that commemorates the end of his High School years acknowledges that in this ending there is a new beginning. It is called a commencement, not a conclusion, a commencement.
All of this week's experiences display the conundrum that is life itself. In every ending there is a new beginning. For Ron, this week was not truly the end of life, it was only the beginning. He is more alive today than he has ever been. Our sorrow for the loss of a friend and loved one is only temporary. The rejoicing in heaven for a child of God who has finally made it home will last for eternity. So in reality, the end of the temporary has only opened the door for the beginning of the eternal.
In Bobby and Clint's cases, the end of one phase of his life has opened the door for the next, more exciting, longer lasting, more fruitful phase which is about to begin. The details are uncertain, but in faith we know that God will lead and provide. It's really not that much different. When I spoke with Ron on Thursday, he knew that he was about to "graduate." While the transition process was a little scary, he knew that God had already prepared a place for him on the other side. And so it is with every ending here on earth. In the ending we find a new beginning.
Tomorrow, we celebrate the reason for our confidence in this hope. At Calvary, what looked like a tragic ending, an earth-shattering defeat, was transformed on resurrection morning into the consummate victory over man's greatest enemies, death and the grave. And in that gory ending we find that eternal life has its true beginning. The one source of joy, peace, and comfort that can be found in Ron's passing is that because Jesus rose again, we too have hope for a day of resurrection. Tomorrow, we will not be celebrating bunnies, Easter eggs, and the return of Spring. We will be remembering the sacrifice of the cross and the victory of the empty tomb. "He is not here. He is risen , as He said..."

Worship or Waste?

2011-03-30T09:56:00.000-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how diverse the Holy Spirit can be in His interaction with God's people. Over the years, I have been exposed to a wide variety of worship opportunities among several cultures and various age groups and I find one thing in common, a general feeling that "the way we do it is the right way." From small intimate gatherings of believers singing songs of worship and adoration to God, to stadiums filled with men singing a 19th century hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," to an almost raucous college chapel service with students singing at the top of their lungs about "arms high and heart abandoned," I have witnessed and experienced amazing moments of worship when the presence of God was palpable in the room. And, sadly, in almost every case there were Christian brothers or sisters standing back with a critical spirit questioning the authenticity or sincerity of what they were seeing. "How can God be honored with that kind of music?" "All I see is emotionalism. Where is the substance?" "Why does it have to be so loud?" Or on the other hand, "Why does it have to be so slow and dead?"
When are we going to realize that God moves and works in a myriad of different ways to minister to the hearts and to reach into the innermost part of the vast variety of people that He calls His own.We need to be careful of how we judge the worship of others, of how hastily we disregard their actions and their adoration of God. In John 12, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, brought out a costly box of precious ointment and she poured it out upon the feet of Jesus. Then she wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the glorious fragrance of the ointment as the impact of her costly sacrifice spread to all who were in the room. Mary's humble act of worship honored Christ and displayed her deep love for Him and her gratitude for what Jesus had so recently accomplished by raising her brother from the dead. You would think that everyone who witnessed it would have been touched by what they saw, but sadly that was not the case. Judas, wondered why such a waste was made. He said, in essence, "My way would have been so much better. Sell the ointment and give the money to the poor. That makes so much more sense. How foolish!"
The text points out that Judas' motive behind his criticism was purely selfish. I believe that we need to realize that most of our criticism of others' worship is also selfish. We have our preferences and we want to believe that our preferences are God's preferences. Rather arrogant, don't you think?
When all is said and done, I believe that we need to worship God in the language of our heart, offer Him the sacrifices of our lips, praise Him in love and sincerity, and let Him be the judge. Then, regardless of what others may think, we will know that our worship is not wasted.

Judgment: For Better or Worse

2011-03-29T11:07:00.001-05:00

Matthew 7:1 is probably the most misquoted, wrongly interpreted verse in all of the Bible. "Judge not, that ye be not judged." It is often quoted to avoid facing the impact of wrong actions or to divert the attention from an ungodly lifestyle by asserting that anyone who would point out sin, is an intolerant hypocrite. To be honest, Jesus was warning against hypocrisy and judgmentalism and a critical spirit, but He was not prohibiting all judgment or condemning loving warnings of the consequences of sin. If you continue on in the passage, you will see that what He was calling for was compassion, self-reflection, and love in our evaluation of the actions of others. The passage really warns about three kinds of judgment:
Harsh judgment - we often expect much more out of others than we ourselves are willing to give. Jesus warned that you will be judged by the same criteria that you use to judge others. One of the most important characteristics of Jesus that our lives should reflect is that of compassion for the sinner. His words on the cross are the best example of all, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
We are all a product of our generation and of our "raisin's," as the old folks used to say. I was recently reminded of a conversation that I had with my grandfather when I was about ten years old. I was raised in the late 60's and early 70's in Racine, Wisconsin, about half way between Chicago and Milwaukee. It was the era of the Civil Rights Movement and racial tensions were high. Bussing students from one part of town to another to insure racial integration in our schools was a part of my late elementary and Junior High School life. I had learned to be cautious and sensitive to the feelings of those around me, especially when it came to relating to those of a different race.
In the middle of that turmoil, I went to visit my grandparents for Christmas in 1969. They were good, kind, and loving people from East Texas, but the culture in which they had been raised was very different from the one that I was growing up in. I can never remember my grandfather saying an angry, mean or judgmental word about anyone in my entire life. But the conversation that I am thinking of reflected his upbringing. He spoke in glowing terms of a co-worker at the plywood mill who happened to be black. He said, "You'd never even know he was a n*****, he is just like a white person." It shocked me a little, growing up where I was growing up and being in the middle of the fray where the use of that term would have most certainly started a fight and maybe even a riot. To hear it come from my grandfather's mouth was startling. But through the years, I have come to realize that it was not uttered in anger, malice, or condescension, it was just part of his vocabulary that had a more benign meaning than I realized.
I believe that we need to consider the person when we interpret the words of others. We need to seek to know them for who they are and where they have been before we judge them too harshly.
Hasty judgment - Jesus was also condemning hasty judgment. In James we are told to be "quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." We must beware making a judgment before all of the facts are in. We should be anxious to hear the explanation of the actions of others, and we should allow our thoughts to be filtered through the principles of Scripture and the fruit of the Spirit before we speak them. Avoiding hasty judgments will protect us against having to eat our words later.
Holier-than-thou judgment - The most obvious warning in this passage is about pointing out the faults in others without dealing with our own faults first. This passage doesn't teach that if you are a sinner, you have no right to warn someone else of the consequences of their sin. It does, however, teach that if you are not willing to deal with the sin in your own life, you won't be equipped, nor qualified to deal with sin in the lives of others. It speaks of spiritual blindness when it comes to our own sin while seeking to point out the smallest infractions in the life of another.
As a Pastor, I am often called upon to confront people with the impact of their sin. Sadly, many people will not listen. Often, they become defensive and angry that anyone would "judge them." It is even sadder when a parent gets angry when their child is reprimanded and quickly comes to the defense of the child rather than dealing with the problem itself. I recently had a long conversation with a mother who told me that her daughter's personal life was none of the business of anyone else in our youth group. Another girl had spoken to her about something in her life that she saw as a danger to her spiritually. The mother railed about the hypocrisy of the one who would dare to tell her daughter that what she was doing was wrong. I told the mother that, at her request, I would instruct the other girl not to intrude any further into her daughter's life. Then I told her that what she was asking, would effectively remove the strongest safeguard available in the life of her daughter. There is no stronger deterrent to sin in the life of a teenager than the supportive admonition and exhortation of their peers. Accountability sometimes pinches, but if it didn't it wouldn't be accountability. Jesus, most certainly, was not prohibiting us from warning those that we love about the consequences of the sin in their life. He was simply asking that when we do so, we do it with love and compassion

Texas!

2011-03-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

I have lived in Oklahoma longer than I have lived anywhere else in my life. This summer it will be eighteen years since I became an Okie. When pressed, I say, " I was born in Texas, but I got to Oklahoma as fast as I could." Eleven years in Oklahoma City and almost 20 years as an Sooner football fan have built up a good-natured animosity toward Texas. I teasingly insult Texas and Texans at every opportunity, but over the past couple of days, I had the opportunity to jump in the old time machine and take a trip back to when I proudly proclaimed, "I'm from Texas, and everything is bigger and better in Texas."

Eighty years ago, a couple of the Jernigan sisters fell in love and married a couple of the Hughes brothers and between them they had nine kids. This passle of double cousins grew up as close as brothers and sisters in the piney woods and red dirt hills of east Texas. This past week, Bonnie Sue Hughes McGinnis, the oldest daughter of Arthur and Essie Hughes passed away. I took my dad and mom to the funeral in Center, Texas, the childhood home of the Hughes clan. For me, the experience was like stepping back in time. We visited the old "Baker place," the house that my grandparents lived in from my earliest recollection until my grandfather passed away in 1981. It sat on 100 acres with a place for chickens and cattle and a huge garden as well as two and a half ponds, where my grandmother taught me to fish. The house has changed a bit in the 30 years since Papaw passed on and Mamaw moved in with my aunt in Jacksonville. The Bakers, who had moved to Houston to work in the oil business, retired and moved back to the place and renovated the house, adding on to the back and building a large garage. They have since sold it to someone else and things have fallen into a state of disrepair. The chicken house and the barn are still standing as reminders of the times when I would follow my grandfather out to the barn and watch him milk the old cow. I'd gather a few eggs and we would tinker around with a few things until my grandmother would step out onto the back step and yell, "Elllllbert!," letting us both know that breakfast was on the table and it was time to come to the house. When we got to the house, washed our hands, and sat down at the table, the breakfast was always the same. Fried eggs and sausage, biscuits as big as a cat's head, home-churned butter, and strap syrup. With the left overs, Mamaw would make Papaw two fried egg sandwiches for his lunch and he would head off to the plywood mill.

For some reason the barn didn't look nearly as big as it used to, but seeing it reminded me that with all of the negative things that I say about Texas, some of the greatest moments of my life took place there. Just across the road from the barn was the hayfield where I first learned to drive a stick shift. I was six, and we were putting up hay. It was a cloudy day and Papaw was afraid that it was going to rain on the hay, so he and my uncle Jerry and a couple of my second cousins put me behind the wheel of the truck and I drove while they stacked the haybales. I remember that day like it was yesterday. My uncle Jerry was young and spry and when they came across an armadillo in the field, he chased it down and caught it for me. He put it is a chicken coup and set it on the front porch. After I went to bed, he found an old turtle under the front porch and he put it in the chicken coup with the armadillo. When I woke up in the morning, the tarrapin was closed up tight in its shell. Uncle Jerry told me that the armadillo had laid an egg during the night. I truly miss Jerry.

The old courthouse in Center, reminded me of the days of shopping trips with my Mamaw to Payne and Payne's and Beall's on the town square. Papaw would drop us off and we would walk from store to store and then make a stop at the barber shop where I asked the barber to give me a haircut like Bro. Cravey from the church. He was bald with tuft of hair on both sides of his head, and at six, I thought that was a pretty cool look. It must have been because I had never seen Bro. Cravey without a broad smile on his face.

The funeral home brought back a few more fond memories. I know that sounds strange, but the Watson family has been in the mortuary business in Center for over 30 years. When I was 18 years old and a student at BBC, the pastor at Central Baptist Church, Bro. Roy Wallace, thought it would be a great idea to have me come down and preach a teen revival. I'm not sure how great he thought the idea was when it was all over, but I appreciate his confidence in me at such an early age. The Watson's were members of Central Baptist at that time and Mr. Watson had a teenage daughter, Angela. I was talking with her after one of the services and she was playing with one of the little children. She asked the little boy if he knew what her father did for a living. When he said no, she said, "My daddy kills dead people." I don't know why that funny little line has stuck in my head all these years, but seeing Bro. Watson again brought it out.
The funeral home is located at another hallowed spot in my memory. The graveyard where Bonnie was buried is also the gravesite of one of my greatest heroes in the faith. In life and in death he is known simply as Missionary Bob Hughes. It is inscribed on his gravestone and it is his legacy. More than anything else in his life, he was a missionary. His legacy lives on in two daughters who serve God faithfully and a wonderful church in Cebu City, the Philippines that is still changing the world, 35 years after his passing. He is who my son is named after.
As I reflected on all of these wonderful memories, I was challenged to think of more of the wonderful things in my life that happened to me in Texas. The childhood joys were abundant, but they pale in comparison to the fact that I proposed to my wife of 28 years in Texas, I witnessed the birth of my first child in Texas, and I spent every Christmas but one until I was 35 years old there.
I have heard old-age defined as the point in life where you see the past as having more to offer you than the future. The older I get, the more it seems that my mind is drawn back to the days that have gone by. I hope that I can continue to look forward as well to what God still has for me in the days ahead. I never want to get so caught up in the past that I lose sight of the fact that God is working in me and through me right now and desires to do so for years to come. I guess the greatest lesson learned this past few days is that life is short and opportunities are fleeting. We need to live life to its fullest and build upon the foundation that has been laid in our lives by the past, and remember, "... pressing toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God." The finish line is still ahead.

Thank God for Technology!

2011-03-14T11:36:00.000-05:00

Almost a year ago, I went with my daughter, Chelsea, to a conference in Denver to check out a missions opportunity for her called the World Race. I really didn't know what to expect from the conference, but the one thing that I came away with after spending the day with Lanny Richardson and a few of the leaders of Adventures in Missions, was that I didn't want to miss what God would be teaching me through Chelsea's experience. The nine months of preparation and fund-raising were a series of incredible realizations as I saw my daughter's walk with God and dependence upon Him blossum into something rare and amazing. Now as she enters her third month on the World Race, I am not only seeing God do some exciting things in and through her, but I am recognizing little messages that He is sending me on a regular basis as well. Today's message was about the value of communication.
Chelsea spent last month in a very remote and somewhat primitive environment in Cambodia. As a result, our communication with her was infrequent and difficult at best. As a father, I really missed hearing about what she was doing and how God was working, but I tried to be patient because I knew that she was where God wanted her to be. A few days ago, Chelsea arrived in Darwin, Australia, where she will be staying for the next month, ministering in a place called Bagot, a few miles outside of Darwin. She is staying in a YWAM(Youth With A Mission) Base in Darwin and will have access to all of the modern technology and as a result, we have been able to hear a lot more about what God has been doing over the last month. One of Chelsea's teammates even posted a 9 min video with pictures and video from their work there. I will include that video at the end of this blog.
The thing that God has been speaking to my heart about this morning is the strong desire that He has to hear from me. He is my Father and I am just a visitor in a strange place far from home. I have a job to do, but He wants to be a part of it and wants me to keep the lines of communication open. I sometimes allow prayer to become a task or duty, and forget that it is the opportunity for intimate communication with the One who loves me more than anyone in the world. It is so easy to get so busy doing things FOR Him that I neglect my time WITH Him, and I know that grieves His heart.
With my daughter living and serving fifteen and a half time zones away, I am thankful for Facebook, Skype, email, text messaging, and cell phone service. I check these different outlets several times a day, just in case she might have posted something. I need to be aware that God is just as anxious to hear from me and to be a part of my day as well.

God's Ovation

2011-03-12T12:49:00.000-06:00

I found this devotional on Christian artist, Laura Story’s blog site, while searching for her song, “Blessings.” Blessings is getting radio play now but is not available until April 12th. It is an amazing song that finds its inspiration in the year-long struggle with a brain tumor by Laura’s husband, Martin. The words to the chorus are moving.

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

The song is a tremendous challenge to my heart when I want to take control and tell God how things ought to be. As I’ve said before, I have nothing to complain about. God blesses me far beyond what I deserve. And yet, sometimes, my heart starts to grumble. Martin and Laura’s experiences over the last year are deeply convicting to me. The sweetness of spirit that her trials have produced in Laura Story are evident in the following devotional blog. I hope it is as much of a blessing to you as it was to me.

“Performing. It’s a subject I think about more often than most, since I make my living as a performing artist. As my husband and I were packing this morning, preparing for an event in Long View, TX, I was reminded of a performance I witnessed a few years back. The evening began with the MC giving some announcements, then introducing the band. In his kind and gracious introduction, he explained that this band was a fairly new band and had never played for a crowd quite this large before. And then he did the coolest thing: He asked the audience to give the band a standing ovation as soon as they took the stage. So that’s what happened. The moment those young, timid, terrified musicians stepped foot on that platform, the audience erupted in applause! At first, the band members were so shocked that they could barely remember who played what instrument, but after a few seconds, they began to smile and laugh a bit. What followed was the best music that band had ever played. There’s just something to be said for receiving our ovation before we even start performing.
As I start my day today, it is good for my soul to remember that God has given me a standing ovation before I even begin to perform. The verdict is in: not guilty, loved, valued, forgiven, restored, adopted, friend. I do not have to perform in order to gain His approval, yet His overwhelming love and approval is exactly what compels me to perform for Him. I long for the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart to be acceptable in His sight (Ps. 19:14) because He has already accepted me as His own. Whether I succeed or fail at my task, His love is unconditional and was earned by another’s merit, not my own. So as you step out today, whatever deeds you are called to perform, as a mom, an employee, a friend, know that you begin your day with His standing ovation and let that compel you towards love and good deeds.”

Isn't it great to know that loves and accepts us and cheers us on.

Sometimes You Just Have To Complain

2011-03-09T10:46:00.000-06:00

Mark Twain said, "A man learns some things by picking a cat up by the tail that he can learn in no other way." I've found that adversity is a great teacher. The last few days have been a little tumultuous in our lives. I rarely, if ever, get sick, but Sunday I was under the weather. I preached the morning service but let my dad take care of the afternoon service and I went home and went to bed. Monday was worse, I was weak and congested and hurting all over, but I didn't get to rest much because my dad had a spell where he had no strength, he was short of breath, and even fell in the floor a couple of times. We took him to the doctor and eventually he was admitted to the hospital. They found out that he had a severe urinary tract infection that had gotten into his blood causing sepsis. He is doing much better now, but the process of finding out what the problem was taught me an important lesson about why the Lord allows pain in our lives. My dad has been dealing with some health problems for a while and has learned to live with the difficulties and inconveniences that they bring. He doesn't complain about anything. he just deals with it and goes on about his business. The problem is that apparently, some of his pain recepters are not functioning, so the symptoms that would normally warn you about a developing problem go unnoticed. Most people with the type of infection that he had would have been experiencing terrible pain days ago, but because there was no pain, he had no idea that he had a problem. The situation had to get bad enough to knock him down before anyone realized that there was a problem.
Sometimes we wonder why, if God truly loves us, He allows us to suffer pain, sorrow, and disappointment. The truth is, pain is usually the indicator that there is a problem somewhere. If you place your hand on a hot stove, the pain tells you that you should move it before real, lasting damage is done. If you had no pain, your hand would be seriously burned before you even noticed the problem. God is a loving Father, who doesn't wish pain on any of His children, but He knows that sometimes it is necessary to get us to change course. Whenever we start to experience pain, sorrow, or difficulty, maybe it is time to look at our lives and see if God is trying to get our attention. Maybe He is just trying to get us to take a step back and consider Him.
The doctors told my dad that diagnosing his problem was difficult because he didn't complain about anything. Now, I'm not recommending complaining about our problems, but sometimes our problems go unsolved because we aren't willing to tell anyone about them. God intended for us to live in community with other believers and for us to bear one anothers' burdens. If we don't share our feelings and our needs with someone, they can escalate into major catastrophes before they are even noticed.
My dad is going to be fine. He will have to make a couple of changes to his daily routine, but none of his problems are life-threatening. But from now on, he is going to have to make others more aware when he suspects a problem. It wouldn't be a bad idea for all of us to get a little more involved in the lives of those around us--to genuinely care about their needs--so that little irritations don't become major problems.

Hero

2011-02-16T10:58:00.000-06:00

5, 4, 3, 2, 1,..... Every kid that has ever played basketball has dreamed of this moment. The clock is running out, your team is behind, and you take the shot that potentially could win the game. Everyone dreams, but not everyone has the chance to see that dream come true. Last night, on his Senior Night at BBC, the last regular season home game of his career, my son Bobby had the chance to be the hero. It's not like he hasn't had the chance to carry his team to victory on his shoulders before, he is a 6'9" All-American who averages 19 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game, but last night was something special. This has been a difficult season. His team, which won 20 games last season, has not lived up to its potential this season and the frustration level has mounted as the end of this, his senior year has approached. Their opponent last night, Ecclesia, is an NCCAA Div I school that had beaten BBC by 23 in Springdale less than a month ago. This game was nip and tuck all the way. BBC got out to an early lead, but by halftime, they had let it slip away. The second half proved to be even tougher as Ecclesia seemed to be pulling away, stretching their lead to eight at one point. With 23 seconds to go, a BBC layup rolled around the rim and dropped out leaving the Patriots 5 points down without the ball. It seemed that BBC was destined to another frustrating loss. It was then that lightning struck. The Patriots stole the ball in the front court, passed to Bobby at the top of the key and he launched a three pointer, just as he was being fouled by Ecclesia's post. When the ball fell through the hoop, the clock said 16.8 seconds, and hope flooded back into the Patriot team. Bobby sank his free throw, making the score 83-82, Ecclesia. BBC then applied the pressure, almost getting a five second call and then coming agonizingly close to a steal on the sideline before having to foul the Ecclesia guard with 10.3 seconds left. Under the pressure of the moment, the guard missed the front end of the 1&1 and Bobby secured the rebound and called timeout. The last ten seconds were agonizing, as BBC brought the ball into the frontcourt and Johnny Golden made a handoff to Bobby at the top of the key. During a moment of confusion between the two defenders, Bobby was left open so he rose up and launched a three-pointer that rattled in with 1.3 seconds remaining to give BBC an 85-83 lead. The W.E. Dowell fieldhouse erupted, but the game wasn't over yet. After a long pass that was almost intercepted, Ecclesia had an inbound play infront of their own bench with one second left. Their player raced into the corner and put up a hook shot three pointer that bounced twice on the rim and then fell off giving BBC the victory. It was one of the most exciting Senior Nights for any BBC player in recent memory. Bobby ended up with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists and a memory that he will be able to keep forever.
As a father, it is rewarding to see your son living out his dreams. The kind words of the coach during the ceremony before the game meant a lot. He said, "Bobby is an All-American. He has won all kinds of awards for his play on the court. But he is also the kind of young man that people want to be around. He is a great young man that God is going to use." Bobby has at least three games left in his career, two road games at the end of this week, then the first round of regionals. If the Patriots are able to pull off two wins at regionals, then they will make it to Nationals in early March. I am excited to see what God is going to do in Bobby's life after basketball is over. I have no doubt that he will be a hero in whatever God calls him to.

What Now?

2011-01-26T10:36:00.000-06:00

The following song by Steven Curtis Chapman has always been a challenge to me. It's called "What Now?"
It finds its inspiration in the story in Matthew 25:40.

I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl
She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my heart
Didn't you say you wanted to find Me, Well, here I am and here you are

So what now? What will you do now that you've found Me?
What now? What will you do with this treasure you've found?
I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you'll remember
This is right where I said I would be. You found Me.
What now?

And I saw the face of Jesus down on Sixteenth Avenue
He was sleeping in an old car while his mom went looking for food
And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my soul
Didn't you say you wanted to know me, Well, here I am and it's getting cold.

So what now? What will you do now that you've found Me?

What now? What will you do with this treasure you've found?
I know I may not look like what you expected, but if you'll remember
This is right where I said I would be. You found Me.
What now?

What a challenging thought! We say that we want to know Him, but Paul reminded us that fellowship with Him is a fellowship with His suffering, and with that of those that He loves. So when you see someone in need, what are you going to do about it?
January is "Make A Difference Month" at IBC. I challenge you to be praying about how we can put into practice the truths that we are seeing from God's Word this month. I challenge you to make a difference in the life of someone around you before this week is out.

My Bangla Road Dilemma

2011-01-18T18:26:00.000-06:00

"Ok, Lord, but I'm still her father. Can't I just take care of her a little bit?"
By the time Chelsea was 13 years old, I had figured out that she was too much for me to handle on my own. Even with my awesome parenting skills :0) and my super-hero wife, Chelsea had already proven that she was going to be an exceptional child and an exceptional challenge. It was somewhere in her seventh grade year that I threw up my hands and said, "God, you are going to have to take over with this one." And as is often the case, God said, "What took you so long?" I can say without a doubt that the last twelve years have been an adventure, one that I wouldn't have missed for the world. And Chelsea's strong will and determination have resulted in some mountaintop experiences for all of us. When, after coming home from China in 2009, Chelsea shared with us that God had led her to surrender her life as a missionary, it was one of the greatest days of my life.
This past June, when Chelsea was accepted to participate in the World Race, I wrote a blog entitled Dangerous Milestones, where I shared the peace that God had given me concerning her taking part in this exciting, but potentially dangerous adventure. Over the past seven months, that peace has never waned. I knew that God was going to do great things in Chelsea's heart and life and that He was going to teach her some amazing lessons through this process, but the one thing that I didn't expect, was that He was going to do the same things for me as well.

Less than two weeks into her adventure and already, God has hit me with a 2X4. "He touched me, oh, He touched me..." Chelsea's first ministry assignment is to reach out to the prostitutes in the 200 bars along Bangla Road in Phu-ket, Thailand. She and her team are trying to build relationships with these women so that they can share the Gospel of Christ with them and see them set free from both their spiritual bondage and their physical nightmare. Her facebook status "worship with the teams before heading out for another night in the bars...please pray for divine appointments and protection." "Protection"??? One of my preacher friends said, "Bars? Do they have protection? Will they be safe?" My only answer is that she is in God's hands.
I spoke with her briefly the morning after her first night of ministry and asked if they would be going back that evening. She said, No, because the transportation costs to take the teams to the bars was too great to allow them to go everyday. Their funds would only allow them to make two or three trips a week.
Suddenly, my fatherly instincts kicked in. I can't let her travel to the other side of the world and then not be able to minister because she doesn't have the 900 baht that it takes to get her team to where the need is.

But even in that moment of passionate reaction, God spoke to my heart. "I am in control. I know what I'm doing. Don't interfere."
There is a reason that they have only so much budgeted for their time in Phu-ket. It may be that God, or their ministry leaders, want them to find a way to provide the need without outside help. It may be that they know that ministry that is this intense and heart-wrenching cannot be taken in large doses. It may be that a constant presence would arouse the suspicions of the bar owners or the girls' handlers. I don't know. But God does. And so I wait. I wait and watch to see what God will do. I have had to release my little girl once again into God's hands. I never thought I would be proud to say that my daughter spent last night in the bar, but these were the kind of people that Jesus spent His time with while He was here, so I guess there is no better way for her to be His hands and feet than to extend His love to the ones who need it most.

How About You?

2011-01-07T08:46:00.000-06:00

How About You?

The fields are white, His Word is true,

The harvest is great, the laborers few.

And when I inquire, "Why perish the lost?

Why are they wandering, blind, tempest-tossed?

Why won't some Christian go lead them in,

Out of hell’s pathway ravaged by sin?

Why won’t they show them the Way that is True?"

Then the Lord asks me, "How about you?

You know the story of mercy and grace.

You found me waiting when you sought my face.

You have been purchased by My love divine,

You claim to be one that I will call mine.

Why don't you tell them of My love so rare?

You be the one this message to share."

The harvest is waiting, we must count the cost,

For if we delay, their souls will be lost.

The time of the harvest is passing us by,

And if we don’t reap, we’ll mourn by and by.

But if we are faithful, God’s Word is true,

And we'll be rejoicing eternity through.

Pastor Marty Hughes

What Will He Ask You To Give?

2011-01-06T11:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was an amazing day in my life, a day of beginnings. I took my daughter to the airport to begin the next phase of her life's journey and as our last hug for eleven months came to an end, I felt the magnitude of what God has asked of me. He asked me to release her and trust her to His hands. Then last night, we had the first service of our Faith Promise Missions Conference and Brother Jerry Byars challenged us about faith and finding out what God would have us to do for Missions in the coming year. These two events stirred similar emotions in me.
I have had a number of people ask me if I cried all day yesterday. The answer is no. The process of releasing my daughter didn't happen all at once, so yesterday's farewell was not terribly traumatic. I learned from Dr. James Dobson many years ago that I needed to begin to let her go a little at a time as she approached her adolescent years, so that she could learn and grow and so that I would be ready when the time came to let her fly. Shelley and I have encouraged our children to make their own decisions, offering godly counsel, but allowing them to make choices and deal with the consequences. They have not always chosen to follow exactly the same path that I would have chosen for them, but as I look at their lives right now, I can see the hand of God moving them and both of them have learned to listen for His voice and to follow it wherever it leads. God gave me the responsibility to teach them what is right and then release them to His care. The result, in my life and that of my family, is that I am now being blessed by the life and testimony of my children. I am learning from them new ways to worship and serve the Lord with gladness. And by God's grace, I can now count both of my children as joint-heirs, co-laborers, and best of all, friends. What God asked me to give up was control, something that we never really have anyway. What He gave me instead was a relationship that is both fruitful in His service and joyful for me.
When I think about Faith Promise Missions, my mind goes to a similar place. This is not a new thing for me. I have been giving regularly to Faith Promise since I was 12 years old, almost 40 years. And God has never let my giving to His work become a burden. Long ago, He taught me that my life and all that it entails is not my own. It belongs to Him. Just as my children are gifts from God, so everything else in my life ultimately belongs to Him. He asks me to surrender control to Him, and promises that if I do, He will allow what He has given me to germinate and grow into something that will be fruitful in His service and a joyful blessing to my life. As I heard Brother Byars' testimony about Faith Promise last night, the question wasn't, "Will I give?" but "How much will I trust God for?" And since I have already learned to give Him control in my family, it's not too hard to surrender control over my finances as well.
I challenge you to be a part of Faith Promise Missions giving. It will change your life when you decide to trust God with all that you are and all that you have. Then you can just sit back and see what God is going to do with what you have given Him.

A Heart For The Harvest

2011-01-04T09:28:00.000-06:00

In Matthew 9:35-38, we are given a picture of the heart of Christ. Jesus was busily traveling throughout Judea, teaching, preaching, and healing. But in verse 36 we are told that He paused for a moment and just looked at the condition of the multitude around Him. They had come to the end of their own resources, they wandered around in confusion, and they didn't know what to do or who to turn to, and it touched the heart of Christ. He had compassion on them. It was this poignant moment of need that led to His famous challenge to His disicples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest." It is from this narrative that we get the theme for our Missions Conference that begins tomorrow night. We are asking God to give us "A Heart For The Harvest." Sometimes we get so caught up in the necessary busyness of life and service that we fail to take note of the multitudes around us. As a result, we lose compassion for their needs. I would like to challenge you to pray for three things as a result of the services this week: 1. That God would make it very clear in your own heart how He wants you to be involved in the Harvest. 2. That God would stir up in our church a new passion for missions and for reaching our community and our world for Christ. 3. That God would provide the vision, the resources, and the manpower to make our church a base of operations to turn the world upside down.
Let's begin by committing ourselves to be in every service of the Missions Conference and to listen for His voice through the sermons and presentations. Let's welcome God to speak to our hearts and then be prepared to put into action the things that He leads us to do.
The only thing that has changed in the 2000 years since Christ made this statement is that the harvest is now even more plenteous. Let's get busy reaping.

Wonders in the Night Sky

2010-12-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

Okay, I confess, I am a “wonderholic.” Call it what you will, mushy sentimentalism, hopeless romanticism, mindless preoccupation...I prefer to call it child-like wonder. Long ago, I made a choice to put my faith and trust in the Word of God as the basis for all truth. I accept it at face value and it shapes my world view and my outlook on life. I don’t need proof in the physical realm, because God has done his greatest work in my heart and soul. I know He is real because He is at work in my life on a daily basis. But when He puts on a show like He did last night, I am struck with wonder, just like a child in awe of His amazing artistic power and prowess. A couple of days ago, I heard that there was going to be a total lunar eclipse, a fairly rare event, but the fact that it was going to fall on the Winter Solstice made it a first in the last 372 years. The fact that it would be visible over most of the northern hemisphere was also something that intrigued me. On my way home from a hospital visit in Joplin, I saw the full moon rise in all of its splendor and I was struck with its beauty. I decided that I wanted to see the eclipse, so when I got home, I looked up the timing of the event. It was to begin at 12:35 AM…..OK, did I really want to see it that bad? So I made one concession to the fact that I am no longer a teenager. I went to bed at the regular time and set my alarm for 12:20 AM. When it went off, I got up and got dressed and made my way down to the Honey Creek Landing so that I could get a good view of the moon over the lake. It was a gorgeous night. The lake was calm and the temperature was in the mid 50’s. The sky was clear and as the moon progressed into darkness, the stars shone even more brightly. I was struck by the beauty of the scene; The lights of the bridge reflecting off the water, Christmas lights from the houses on the shore twinkling in the distance, and the mist rising up off the lake in the cool darkness. Even though I was alone, it struck me that others all over the country were looking at the same spectacle that I was. We were sharing a moment of wonder over God’s majestic handiwork. I stood there for an hour and a half in awe of what I was seeing and experiencing. As the light of the moon came close to being completely eclipsed, another image began to appear, a brownish, red reflection of the earth that became more evident as the sunlight reflecting off the moon was blocked from view. It was a beautiful sight, but looking back on it this morning, I can see a faith lesson to be learned from last night’s majestic show in the heavens. When Jesus proclaimed that we are the light of the world, the light that He spoke of was very similar to the radiant light of the full moon. The moon itself produces no light. The light that we see is simply a reflection of the light from the sun. In the same way, the light that shines from the life of a believer is light that is simply the reflection of the Light of Christ. An eclipse happens when the earth in it’s rotation around the sun, passes between the Sun and the moon. The eclipse gives us a pretty clear picture of what takes place when a Christian allows the world to come between him and Christ. Before long, the Light of Christ is completely covered up and what becomes visible in the life of the Christian is a reflection of the world. These rare but spectacular events should be taken as a reminder from God not to let the world get in the way of our testimony for Christ. Fortunately, the eclipse doesn’t last for long. After only a few minutes of darkness, the light became visible again and progressed slowly, but deliberately back to its full strength. Ultimately, the message of Ps. 19:1 was confirmed to be true. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork,” and like a child, I still look on in wonder.

Christmas Is...

2010-12-14T10:49:00.000-06:00

Christmas Is…

Christmas is a time for memories,

Christmas is a time for joy,

Christmas is a time awaited

by all little girls and boys,

Christmas is a happy season

Filled with tiny sparkling lights

We look forward to the time

Of snowy days and silent nights.

But let us not forget the reason

For this time of joy and mirth

Is the coming in this season

Of our blessed Savior’s birth.

For without Him all the glitter

Of this holiday refrain

Would be nothing more than ashes

And our lives would be in vain.

By Marty Hughes

Christmas Angels

2010-12-13T09:29:00.000-06:00

These little angels, depicted in a frescoe by Rafael in the Sistine Chapel, look bored and impatient with whatever it is that they are witnessing in heaven. After what I saw yesterday morning, I am sure that Rafael must have used children performing in a Christmas program as the inspiration for his masterpiece.

These little cherubs put on quite a show for us yesterday morning. The church was full of visitors, mostly family members, who had come to see their "little angel" perform. The young ones timidly sang their songs and recited their verses and then impatiently waited while the rest of the program continued on to its conlusion. The antics of the children is always one of the most memorable aspects of any Christmas program; the stumbles, the mumbles, and the missteps that cause us to giggle just a bit as the old familiar story is told. Children are notorious for their short attention span and their delightfully innocent ignorance of what is appropriate at such austere occasions.

This adorable picture of our little cherubs, brought a lesson to my mind about how we must look to God at times. Our Father has set in motion an elaborate presentation of His eternal plan of redemption. The stage upon which this story is set is much larger than we can imagine. He has chosen to give us a starring role, but our part is only a small piece of the whole. It is an epic story, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to die for those who had turned their backs on Him. He sent that Son into this world through a virgin birth in a lowly place with a lofty goal of changing lives for eternity. Those of us who have received this amazing gift are then called upon to be His messengers, proclaiming this magnificent story to the whole world. Yet in the middle of this amazing spectacle, we are often found, pouting and disinterested.

I know that Christmas in the 21st century lays a heavy layer of demands on most of us. I know that the commercialized version of Christmas in America strays far from its original intent. But I'd like to challenge you to remember what it really means, what its all about. And never forget that you are His "little angel" entrusted with the task of proclaiming good tidings of great joy that shall be to all people. Stand up straight, let His light twinkle in your eyes, and speak up so everyone can hear you. Your Father is watching.

Christmas's Cast of Characters

2010-12-01T11:33:00.000-06:00

The story of Christmas is a wonderful revelation of God’s eternal plan of redemption illustrated in the lives of the cast of characters in this cosmic drama. The Virgin Mary, a young innocent, who willingly offers herself to be the vessel that God will use to bring hope to mankind. Her hopes and dreams, her character and reputation, all must be laid upon the altar of service to the Lord. Joseph, a man whose faith is tested by the unusual nature of God’s plan. He didn’t insist on personal vindication, but simply responded to the message of the angel to take Mary to be his wife, even though she was already with child. Sure, he had an encounter with an angel, but he knew that his story of how she had come to be in her condition would be greeted by most with derision and ridicule. Still, he responded lovingly and faithfully to the role that God had chosen him to play. The humble shepherds represent the meek and lowly of the world, the common man to whom God revealed His plan with pomp and circumstance. It was to these humble laborers that God’s message offered forgiveness and redemption. Their front row seats to this grand entrance show that God’s love truly does embrace all mankind. The wise men from the east remind us that God reveals himself to those who seek Him. Wherever He finds an enquiring heart, His light shines forth to lead the way to Christ. The magi observed the message written in the stars, the handiwork of God that leaves all mankind without excuse. They doggedly pursued an encounter with the Messiah and God rewarded them with a one on one audience with the infant King. But there were others whose response to the blessed event left something to be desired. The inquiry by the wise men filled Herod with suspicion and jealousy. He saw the Promised One as a threat to his position as a ruler. He would rather destroy the long-awaited Messiah than give up his station in life.

The scribes and Pharisees displayed a knowledge of God’s promises, but a level of faith that was insufficient to carry them the short distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Their indifference caused them to miss the event that they had waited all their lives hoping to witness. Even the innkeeper has a lesson to share. The torrid pace of everyday life, the overwhelming stress of the rat race, caused him to lose sight of what was really important. When Jesus came knocking on his door, he had nothing to offer but the leftovers of an overly busy life. As a result, he continued to wait tables only a few yards from the pivotal event in human history, and he never knew it. The Christmas story is played out again and again in lives all around the globe every day. When some souls are confronted with the Savior, they respond with submission and faith and the result is miraculous. The angels rejoice and their lives are changed forever . Others spend their lives seeking Him and their efforts are rewarded with a personal encounter with the God who made the stars and set the world in motion. And yes, there are those whose pride and position cause them to reject and oppose Him to their own detriment. Some let their indifference sap their religious ritual of all meaning and efficacy while others are simply too busy to consider the claims of a Child whose life journey led Him from a manger to a cross to an empty tomb. So this Christmas, when you see the stars twinkling in the midnight sky and feel the brush of angels’ wings, don’t miss your chance to celebrate the coming of the newborn King.

The Gift

2010-11-29T11:27:00.001-06:00

Well, the Christmas season has officially begun. No not the Christmas shopping season, Walmart has been pushing Christmas ever since they put away the Halloween decorations. No not the Christmas music season, Shelley never misses a chance to play a little Christmas music, even if it is 70 degrees, sunny, and the middle of September. For me the real Christmas season begins with preparations for the first Sunday in December. That is when we start singing Christmas carols in church and I start preaching about the starry night that changed the world forever. Christmas time is a busy time around a church. Parties, programs, and presentations fill every waking moment. Add to the frenzy of the holiday the fact that final preparations for the New Year are also being made, and you have a somewhat chaotic time. Just as the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping has a tendency to exhaust rather than fuel our Christmas spirit, the full calendar of Christmas events around the church can distract us from the most important point of this and every other season. God loved this world soooo much that He gave us a very special gift, His Son. This gift was a costly one. God gave that which was most precious to Him, in order to pay the price for our rebellion and denial of His love. Wow! Hard to understand, isn't it? The details of the story, the manger, the shepherds, the inn that was full to overflowing, all serve to illustrate the wonderful plan of redemption that God established. Anyone who is foolish enough to believe that their good works are sufficient to win them favor with God, just doesn't get the underlying story of Christmas. Christmas is all about a loving God's response to fallen man's desperate need. Man's inherent sinfulness had condemned our race to judgment and death, but God "so loved the world" that He made the only provision possible for our dilemma. He sent His Son to be the very first Christmas Gift. He came into the world that the world might be saved. Through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, He offered us the gift of eternal life, something that we were incapable of earning. That is the true meaning of this hectic season. So over the next few weeks, as you prepare for the time that you will spend celebrating the holiday with your family and friends, don't forget that the reason for the season is the gift, God's gift to you.

Accumulated Grace

2010-11-18T14:25:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday of this week, I celebrated my 51st birthday. Shelley wasn't feeling well and went to bed early that evening, so I sat up for a while and thumbed through the old photo albums and reminisced about my life. It was fun seeing all of the pictures of my childhood and early adult years. It reminded me of all that I have to be thankful for in my life. Each picture brought back memories about the stories that surrounded that particular event. People that have played such a big part of my life that now have moved on, either to heaven or down the path that their own journeys have taken them on, others who still have a daily impact on my life, all were gifts of God's grace to me at a time when I needed them most. That stroll down memory lane helped me to realize that what I am today is the product of the accumulated grace of God over these many years. His creative nature has continued to mold me and shape me through the interaction that I have had with the poeple that He has brought into my life. Some experiences have been soft and sweet, feeding my spirit and helping me to grow. Others have been tough and abrasive and God has used them like sandpaper to knock off the rough edges. The influence of some has come in a few, occasional short doses, while others have been a constant, faithful, abiding presence upon which I have been able to rely, but now I see that each was sent from the hand of God to make me into what I am today. This seasoned, rugged, 51-year-old body and soul has stood the test of time. It has a few scars and a few constant aches and pains, but for the most part it is still strong and capable. I know that I still have a job to do and that in order to do it, I still need a daily dose of God's grace and mercy. I am thankful that He has given me a goodly number of friends and loved ones to continue the process of building, molding, shaping, and, yes, sanding me into a more representative likeness of His Son. And after all, you're only as old as you feel, right? :0)

Bring Your Umbrella!

2010-10-28T10:36:00.001-05:00

I once heard a story about a town that was experiencing a devastating drought. In spite of everything that they had done and all of the prayers that had gone up, it appeared that rain was nowhere in the forecast. The Christians in the community had gotten together and one man said, "I have heard that a famous evangelist will be coming through town soon. He has a reputation of being a man of prayer. God has done some amazing things at his meetings in response to his simple prayers. Let's ask him to pray for rain." So on the day the evangelist arrived in town, they sent four men from the community to his hotel room to see him. When they asked him if he would pray with them that the drought would be broken, he told them that the most common cause of unanswered prayer was unbelief and until they came to him believing that God would answer their prayers, he would not pray with them. He then showed them to the door. They were flabbergasted. How could he know whether they believed in prayer or not? The next day they returned, only to have him meet them at the door, take one look at them, and say, "You still don't believe that God will answer your prayers" and promptly shut the door in their face. On the third day, when they knocked on the door, he opened it once more, took a quick glance and said to the young man standing at the back, "You can come in, the rest of you go home and find your faith." When the young man entered the room, the evangelist said, "OK, let's get down to praying." They knelt beside the bed and in very simple words the evangelist asked God to show mercy and spare the community of any further judgment. He asked God to extend His grace and send the rain to break the drought and show himself mighty to the people of the area. After only a few moments in prayer, the evangelist got up and said to the young man, "Now you had better hurry home. The rain is coming." As the young man prepared to leave, he asked the evangelist why he had allowed the young man in on this day when he had not on the days before and why him and not the others. The evangelist said, "For three days you have been coming to ask me to pray for rain and today was the first day that you brought your umbrella."
Tomorrow at noon, we will begin a prayer vigil with the purpose in mind of seeing God shake our nation, save the lost, heal the sick, and provide our needs. As we pray, we must be prepared for God's answer. We must come with humble hearts. We must be willing to be obedient. We must put feet to our prayers and do what He calls for us to do in response to this special time with Him.
We will spend time in prayer for Revival. Will we be willing to allow God to revive our hearts? Will we be willing to lay down our pride, repent of our sins, and walk in obedience?
We will spend time in prayer for the nations. Will we be willing to be a witness to the lost? Will we be willing to give so that others can go? Will we be willing to go where He sends us?
We will spend time in prayer for our country. Will we be willing to fulfill our responsibilities as a Christian citizen? Will we be willing to stand up in the public arena for what is true and right? Will we be willing to face persecution and ridicule for the name of Christ?
We will spend time in prayer for the family. Will we be willing to submit our will to His will and follow His plan for our lives? Will we be willing to fulfill our God-given roles and be true and faithful to our vows? Will we raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?
We will spend time in prayer for the sick. Will we be willing to confess our faults one to another? Will we believe that God is able and willing to heal? Will we put our lives in His hands and believe that His way is best?
We will spend time in prayer for our needs. Will we be willing to let go of the controls and trust God to provide? Will we release the worry and fear that often accompany our needs and trust God's ability to handle the situation?
We will spend time in prayer for our church. Will we be willing to submit ourselves, our personal interests, and our preferences to God's will and way for our church? Will we be willing to take the first step in resolving conflicts with our brothers and sisters in Christ? Will we confess our rebellious and divisive attitudes that bring dishonor to the name of Christ?
Our willingness to take action on these things will be the evidence of our faith in God to answer our prayers. I hope that you will be a part of our Prayer Vigil. I hope that you will allow God to do a work in you that will change you forever.
Oh, and don't forget to bring your umbrella!

Can Ye Not Watch With Me One Hour?

2010-10-27T11:13:00.000-05:00

I was reminded again as I crossed Honey Creek this morning what an amazing artist our God is. The sunrise was a brilliant display of colors shining through the clouds, reflecting off the water, on an otherwise gray morning. The beauty of Grand Lake at that early hour has never lost its impact on me. But this morning, a question crowded its way into my mind. Is my awe and wonder at the beauty of the sunrise just worship of the Creation rather than the Creator? Now clearly, the passage in Romans 1 that warns us against this speaks of those who have denied God and turned to perversion and idolatry, but the thought that came to my heart this morning was something different. If, in the beauty of the sunrise, God is inviting me into an intimate conversation with Him, have I responded as I should? If God is passionately pursuing an opportunity to show Himself to me, is it not incumbent on me to give Him the time to do it? I know that I have so structured my time with the Lord, that sometimes I crowd Him out and silence Him by all the things that I try to do in order to hear from Him. I try to cram my prayer, Bible reading, and journaling into 30 or 45 minutes in the morning and often by the end of that time, my mind has already wandered off to the myriad of tasks that I am going to have to get done today. I am reminded of the last night that Jesus spent with His disciples before the crucifixion. He was dealing with the weight of the sins of mankind bearing down on His shoulders. He welcomed His disciples to join Him in the Garden, but rather than minister to his needs, they kept falling asleep. His question to them, sometimes haunts me as well, "Could ye not watch with me one hour?"
I rarely spend an entire hour in prayer and intimate fellowship with Him. I read the stories of great men of God from centuries past who rose up early and spent several hours on their faces before God before ever starting their day, and I wonder, how did they do it? I believe that I have found the answer. They didn't look at prayer like a shopping list, rather they saw it as a conversation. They recognized that prayer involves several elements, many of which we neglect all together. We have so compartmentalized our walk with God that we lose sight of the fact that it is all worship and needs to be seen from that perspective. If we are going to spend sigificant time with the Lord in prayer, then may I suggest a few things that will help.
Worshipful music to prepare your heart and soul for communion with Him. In our discussions(battles) over church music in the past few years, I believe that we have lost sight of an important fact, music is a tool that the Holy Spirit uses to open us to His promptings. We should not let it become stale and ritualistic so that it loses its impact on our spirit. Neither should we allow it to become a performance that becomes the center of attention and takes the focus off of God. Music that draws us into worship will allow God to direct our prayers rather than having to follow the path that we have chosen for Him.
Read a few Scriptures about praise and thanksgiving and pray them back to God. Take the time to look up verses that refer to the glory and splendor of our God and the marvelous things that He has done for us. In the process, seek His face. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in new and deeper ways. Don't be satisfied with the snapshots of His glory that You have stored away in the past. Look for something new and fresh.
Be sensitive to His conviction of sin that needs to be dealt with in your life. As we become aware of God's presence and as we see His glory, it will make us more aware of our own sinfulness. Confession of sin is a vital part of prevailing prayer. Sin that is harbored in our lives robs us of power and hinders our prayers. Early on in our times of prayer, God will bring conviction of our sin so that we can deal with it immediately and have victory through His forgiveness. This is a matter of humbling, a test to see if we will submit our will to His will. Don't move on in your prayer time until you have dealt with the sin that God is dealing with you about.
Ask God to direct your heart toward the needs of others. Genuine worship will result in godly love for others. When we are humbled by God, it seems to put our needs and the needs of those around us into proper perspective. When we submit to His Spirit, the very first fruit of the Spirit is love. When we genuinely love others, their burdens become our burdens. It is only then that we can genuinely pray as fervently for their needs as we do for our own.
Make a conscious choice to rejoice in the Lord. Even in the hour of our greatest need, there are things that we can rejoice about. By exhibiting a joyful spirit, we acknowledge that God is in control and that He holds our future. Such rejoicing can very easily lead us back into a time of worship as we acknowledge God's exalted place in our lives.
Pour out your heart to God about your deepest needs and most pressing concerns. The elements that we have already discussed will help to put these things in perspective. Never be afraid to tell God what is on your heart. Christians often bottle up hurt, anger, or frustration, because they think it would be disrespectful, or worse, sinful, to aim these at God. But God already knows our heart and He wants us to be honest with Him. If we minimize the pain, deny the anger, or ignore the frustration, we only make the problem worse and we don't give God the opportunity to intervene. Remember, Jesus said, "Ask." He has welcomed you into His presence and He wants to hear from you.
Take the time to listen for an answer. God will speak to your heart if you will listen for His voice. Reserve a portion of your time to listen for God's answer to your prayers. The Bible tells us to "Be still..." God will not shout over the noise that we have allowed to crowd our hearts and minds. He will speak to us in a still small voice and the only way that we will hear it is if we shut out all of the other voices for a while. This is really the most important part of our prayer time. It is the part that gives us direction for our next step. It connects our time of prayer with the rest of our day and sets the tone for how we will approach everything that we will face.
If we will learn to include these elements in our time with the Lord, it won't be hard to spend significant time with Him. Our prayer life will cease to be the recitation of a shopping list and will become an active conversation with God that brings us joy and peace and fulfillment. As a result, we will never have to hear Him say, "Could you not watch with me one hour?"

Pursuit

2010-10-23T16:51:00.000-05:00

Wow! It's been a while. As a matter of fact, it's been so long since I posted to my blog that the website address dropped off my recently used URL's . The truth is, I have been working on a long list of procrastinated items and preparing for my favorite time of the year. The ministry opportunities and demands of this time of year are extraordinary and I love it. We have some of our most fruitful and memorable events during this season of the year and with the holidays approaching, there is excitement in the air. To be honest, you know that I love to write, and when I am doing my updates consistently I often spend the entire morning getting the devotional right. That means that I sometimes put other things off, but the morning devotionals are almost always the direct result of something that the Lord is saying to me in my personal time with Him. I never want to get so busy working for Him that I neglect to spend time with Him.
The thing that God has been impressing upon me in recent days is the concept of pursuing Him. It comes from the myriad of passages that speak of seeking the Lord, following after Him, searching for Him. At first sight, it appears from these scriptures as though God hides Himself or seeks to avoid intimate contact with His people. But the overriding indication from the New Testament is that this is not true. In reality, the natural tendency of human nature is to move away from God, therefore an intimate relationship with Him demands that we maintain an attitude of passionate desire for closeness that will drive us to match Him step for step. The rushing wind of the world flying by in the opposite direction makes our walk with God seem frantic. So this idea of pursuit really is more of a decisive attitude to move in God's direction than a high speed chase of a God who is leaving us behind. We must choose, moment by moment to follow God rather than conform to the world around us. When we do, God promises to make Himself available to us in an intimate way. One of Chelsea's favorite quotes is, "You will never possess that which you do not pursue. Lord, help me to chase what really matters, YOU!" May each of us passionately pursue an intimate relationship with God on a consistent basis.

Things I Never Want To Forget

2010-09-28T10:42:00.000-05:00

The mind is an amazing thing. God has created us with the amazing ability to think, learn, remember and imagine, all in vivid detail and in full technecolor. I was reminded how precious this gift is the other day when I visited one of our long-time members in the nursing home. Gary is suffering from an inoperable brain tumor and the combination of the tumor placing pressure on his brain and the effects of radiation therapy have had a profound impact on his ability to think, speak, and remember. My short visit with him has stuck with me for the last week; seeing the frustration on his face when he couldn't gather his thoughts enough to express what was on his heart, hearing the confusion in his voice as he tried to remember how long he had been going through treatments, and seeing the tears in his eyes as he apologized for being weak and emotional. I began to think about all that I would lose if I could no longer remember the things that God has done in my life. There are so many memories that I treasure, a joyous childhood marked by love, acceptance, and the godly example of my parents, a unique adolescent and high school experience that set me apart from my peers. I had the opportunity to go to BBC at the zenith of its fruitfulness and experience the excitement and challenge of college life. I would hate to lose the memory of the first night that I laid eyes on Shelley, and the near-stalkeresque pursuit of her that followed. I treasure my memories of my days on the back side of the desert in Spokane, WA and the magical moments and hard lessons that I experienced there. I can't imagine losing my grip on every little detail of the night I asked Shelley to marry me or the vision that she was as she walked down the aisle to become my bride. I couldn't bear to lose my sense of wonder at the birth of my children and at each stage of their development. I would hate to forget what my heart felt like the first time I stepped into the pulpit as the pastor, the rush of excitement and the utter terror at the awesome responsibility that God had laid on my shoulders. How could I ever lose sight of the hundreds of couples that I have counseled with and then presided over their weddings? How could I forget the blessed peace that God has given, even in the darkest hours, when I held beloved church members in my arms and sought to bring them comfort in the hour of tragedy and loss. It would be a tragedy to lose sight of the hundreds of people over the years that I have been given the privilege of leading to Christ, and the look of relief and gratitude to God that radiated from their faces. Victories and defeats, championships and near-misses, joys and trials, every one of these memories is precious to me. As I have struggled this week to process the emotions that I felt after my visit with Gary, I have come to this conclusion. First, I need to be thankful every day for the blessings that God has given me. Second, I need to tell the people that I love that I love them at every opportunity and the ones that are not so lovely, I need to make things right with before it's too late. And finally, I need to write these things down so that when my memory begins to fade, I can look back with thanksgiving on what God has done. I do not doubt that the day will come when I find myself in a similar situation to Gary's, whether it be because of illness or longevity. So while I still can, I plan to hold fast to the memories that I treasure and be thankful to God every day.

Hope for a Nation

2010-09-22T11:40:00.000-05:00

This morning I was able to participate in an event that I find very encourgaing. I stood in front of Grove Middle School with a group of sixth through eighth graders and prayed for our community, our nation, our leaders and the lost. The entire event was led by the students themselves and it offered hope for what the future holds for our country. There are, among the upcoming generation, a few young people who are passionately in love with the Lord and His Word. They understand their responsibility to be a witness and they are not ashamed to make a public stand for Christ out in front of their school. Another group met at Grove High School and still another at the Community Center, all with the common purpose of standing up for Christ and acknowledging that the first and best remedy for our schools, our community, and our nation is prayer. I look forward to seeing what God is going to do with some of these young prayer warriors. I believe that He can use them to shake their world!

Radical

2010-09-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

I have been reading a lot of things over the past few months that have challenged the status quo in my own Christian life. I have begun to realize that I have settled into a comfortable pattern of worship, service to God, and witness that doesn't really demand too much of me. Don't get me wrong, I work hard. Many Saturday nights, I am in my office until 10:30 or 11:00 PM putting the finishing touches on the plans for Sunday's services. I have a steady routine wherein, I spend Monday seeking the Lord about what the sermon should be the following week, deal with any bookkeeping that needs to be done as a result of visitors or decisions the day before, and settle in to study for the next Sunday's sermon. Despite what it looks like in my office, I have a fairly organized routine that allows me to prepare my sermon, create the study guide for the bulletin, create the PowerPoint, do the bulletin, prepare the order of service, set up the computer for projecting the song lyrics and sermon notes, and get all of the soundtracks and videos in place and ready to go. I love to write, so the daily blog and email updates that sometimes take up my morning, are a fun and exciting part of my day. They also serve as a natural outflow from my personal devotional time. The pastoral tasks of visitation and counseling fall where they may during the week, giving every day a little variety and adding a personal touch to ministry that I love. Salt in the daily times of personal and long-term planning and putting out the little fires that arise from time to time and you have a basic picture of what my life and ministry have become. I like it. It's comfortable. It's a challenge, but I generally know what to expect. When I compare that to the example that I see in the New Testament and some of the basic statements of Christ about following Him, I am beginning to see that maybe He is calling me to something more.
We have developed a brand of Christianity that we can easily align with the American way of life. Blessing equals affluence. Obedience is simply the avoidance of the big sins. Charity has its limits and its boundaries. But what if Jesus really did mean for us to give it all away and follow Him? Or what if He simply meant for us to live within our means, simply and frugally, and give everything else to reach the lost, to feed the hungry, and to change the world? What if He really intends for us to genuinely redeem the time? What if the waste of our resources, time, energy, and emotions on things of this world like sports, reality TV, and leisure activities really do grieve the heart of God and quench His Spirit in us? What if "Sunday Morning Christianity" only makes us accountable to Him for "Monday Morning Witness?" I'm not sure of all of the answers yet, but one thing I do know, God wants to speak and have us to listen. He is tired of us assuming that we know what He wants us to do. So I guess the first step, for me and possibly for you, is to be still....just pull over for a few minutes. Just turn off the TV, pull out of traffic, give your mind a minute or an hour to stop racing about what is next on the agenda. Find a quiet place and pray with Samuel, "Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth." Wait....wait....don't get in a hurry. Just stay there until He speaks to your heart. Listen for one thing that you can do to turn things around and begin to follow His plan for your walk with Him rather than your own. Be prepared. It may shake you up a bit. He may ask you to do something that upsets your orderly, cleanly manicured, fine-tuned ritual. But whatever it is, it will draw you closer to Him. And one by one, maybe we can set aside the "golden calves" that keep getting in our way and begin to see His Spirit move in us in a powerful way.

I Wonder...

2010-09-20T16:45:00.000-05:00

I had a conversation yesterday that made me wonder what it would have been like to talk to a young William Carey. How would a young Amy Carmichael have looked at the world, before she went off to change her world for Christ? How did a young Bob Hughes wrestle with the calling of God on his life? What did those missionary greats that we have come to know look like, act like, think like, before they hit the field for the first time? I have a unique vantage point right now on the workings of the Holy Spirit on the heart and life of a young missionary, because there is one who counts me as her confidant and sounding board. Who knows whether she will become one of those few whose exploits for God turn them into household names stirring the hearts of future generations to greater heights for God. Odds are that she will become one of the nameless multitude who faithfully serve in some darkened corner of the world known only to God, until the day when we all stand before Him to receive our crowns. However the future turns out, today I am standing in awe of the work that God is doing in the heart of His young servant, my daughter, Chelsea. It seems that every time we speak now, it doesn't take long for the tears to start flowing. Most of you know that she is preparing for an 11-month,11-country, missions trip that will take her into the heart of darkness in the most poverty-stricken and gospel-starved corners of the earth. But few of you have the window into her heart that she and God have afforded me. A year ago May, I moved Chelsea from Springfield, MO to Amarillo, TX. I packed most of what she owned in the back of our Suburban and a 6'x8'x12' U-Haul trailer and stored the rest in our storage space here in Grove. In only a matter of days, she would graduate from Baptist Bible College with a degree in business and she hoped to start her own business one day. But first, she planned to take a little missions trip to the Philippines and China. While there, God began a slow but deliberate process of pruning, shaping, and refining her into someone that He could use. Since her return, He has continued to chip away at the things that would hold her back. And she has willingly (sometimes) allowed Him to do so, until her life and heart are now refined to their most basic essence. In a few weeks, she will move back home for a short time before leaving on her journey. When she does, she will bring with her four plastic bins that contain what remains of her earthly possessions. She will, for the most part, have sold everything that she has in order to be used up for God. Which brings us to the conversation that we had yesterday afternoon. She said, "Dad, I'm sending you a list of all of my books. See if there are any that you want before I sell the rest. God has made it clear that He wants it all. At first, it wasn't too hard. He wanted me to simplify my life, make a few sacrifices, get rid of some of my excess. But now, He is carving away some flesh and bone. He is asking me to give up a part of my identity. I'm the girl who always has five books in her backpack, whose house is like a library to her friends, who almost any time you see her has a book in her hands. This is getting hard. My friends keep telling me, you are coming home someday and you will need some of this stuff, but God keeps saying, "If I can provide for you over the next year, why would you think I wouldn't provide for you later."" All I could think of while I listened to her speak of the running dialogue between her and God, was, "Who is this woman that she has become? How did she emerge from that defiant little girl with a rapier wit and a fiery temper? And with a heart of passion like this who knows what God will be able to do through her life?" I have always been proud of my children. I tend to brag about there athletic accomplishments a little to loudly and a little too often. But the feelings that I am having these days about both of my kids tend more toward awe and wonder than fatherly pride. Because what I see in their lives today is not the imitation of the Godly example that I have tried to live before them, but the passionate pursuit of an intimate relationship with God that goes far beyond what they have ever seen in me. I see in Chelsea a radically different level of commitment to the Gospel than has ever been true of me. I see in her an example to follow as I press toward the mark in the waning years of my life. I have no idea what the future holds, but I do know that she is ready to be used by God wherever He chooses and when someone is willing to lay themselves in the hands of God, He has a tendency to do great things through them.

Where Are The People of God?

2010-09-16T10:44:00.001-05:00

In this daily devotional, I often write of the beauty of the world that God has created and especially the splendor of the place that He has allowed me to live. I love Grand Lake. I love Grove, Oklahoma. I love my home and the people that God has called me to minister to. But this morning, as I have been studying for an upcoming sermon series, I have come across some very disturbing statistics that remind me that this physically beautiful world is a spiritually dark and forboding place. The numbers tell us that almost a third of teenagers have been drunk twenty times or more and 35% have experimented with illegal drugs. Every year 3 million young people--about 1 in 4 sexually experienced teens--acquire a sexually transmitted disease. Children as young as six are cutting themsleves. The average self-harmer is aged eleven, and 1 in 10 adolescents are thought to have cut themselves deliberately at least once. AIDS has now killed more people than the Black Death. In Africa alone, 400,000 children have been orphaned to this terrible epidemic. And even in America one in five children is living in poverty while more than half of adults in the richest nation on earth did nothing in the past year to help the poor. Such self-absorption in the midst of such crisis begs the question, "Where are the people of God?"
It seems to me that we have fallen into a comfortable Christianity that demands padded pews, temperature-controlled sanctuaries and finely managed production values for our orderly and high-impact worship services and we've forgotten that Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
It's time that we stepped outside our comfort zone and do something that we couldn't normally do. It's time to make a sacrifice for someone else, to go to those who are in need, and to make a difference in our world. The darkness around us is caused primarily by the fact that those who are called to be the light of the world are hiding their candles under a bushel. So let's go! Let it shine, people of God, before it's too late!

Present Reality

2010-09-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time..... or Someday when I..... These are two statements that rob us of the blessings of God in our lives. We spend so much time reminiscing about the past or longing for the future that we forget to live in the moment and rejoice in what God is doing right now. The past is a trap because we can either get caught up in anger, bitterness, or regret or we can romanticize the "good ol' days" so much that we long to return to them rather than moving forward. The future also has the potential of harm in that we often are so focused on some future blissful circumstance that we don't do what needs to be done today. While we wait for things to be "just right" we sacrifice the opportunities that God is giving us right now. Paul challenged us to "press toward the mark..." by forgetting those things that are behind. Jesus challenged us to "take no thought for tomorrow..." but to live by faith today. The answer is to look at the past with thanksgiving, to address the present with faithful determination, and to approach the future with hope. God is in control of all three. Nothing you do can change the past. The future will be what it is when it gets here. All you can affect is how you live today. So let's live it for the glory of God!

The Value of Your Christianity

2010-09-14T10:58:00.000-05:00

I've been reading a lot lately about "radical Christianity." Francis Chan and David Platt, among other authors, are challenging Christians to move beyond the luke-warm, dead-dog ritualism that has become the modern Christian experience into an exciting and passionate pursuit of genuine Holy Spirit-filled, "take up your cross" commitment that Jesus demanded of those who would be called His disciples. The ideas in these books stir my heart and move me forward toward attitudes and actions that I once may have thought were extreme, just because they were out of the ordinary, contrary to the status quo. But as I read Church history, I find that the men and women who have had the most impact on our world for Christ in centuries past have been the ones who gave Him everything that they had. People who burned their candles at both ends and in the middle so that they could be a shining light in a cold, dark world. These were men and women who rose early and spent hours in prayer and in the Word so that they would be prepared to face giants in the power of His might. They were people who looked beyond the circumstances that surrounded them and saw the need of people in dark, dangerous places and offered no excuses as to why they shouldn't be the ones to carry the light to them. These were people who actually took seriously the admonition of Christ to sell all that they had and come and follow Him. The common element in the testimonies of the great heroes of our faith is that they had entered into a deep personal relationship with their Savior that meant more than the world to them. Following through with the implications of that relationship was more important to them than life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness. His pleasure meant more to them than their pleasure. That relationship, that mission, that life of faith was something worth dying for.
What has come to my mind this morning is this question, Is the level of Christianity that so many of us live, what we believe and practice as our Christian faith, something that we value enough to die for? Are we so convinced of the truth of the Gospel that we would lay down our lives to share it with others? Are we so committed to our Savior that we would follow Him to the cross, or to the firing squad, or to the jail cell? We have so easily interpreted away the call of Christ to abandon all and follow Him and we've changed Christianity into something intended to make us happy and comfortable. This mutant, cheap imitation of Biblical Christianity has led to a consumer mentality in the church that results in a loss of vision, passion, and power. The only hope for this world is a revival of the kind of Christianity that Jesus called His disciples to embrace. "They that live godly WILL suffer persecution...." "Men will kill you and think they are doing God a service...." "Take up your cross..." It's time we committed ourselves to a walk with God that demands something of us, but offers us something worth dying for. The world is in need of radical followers of Christ who will live what He taught regardless of the cost. If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

Rainy Days and Mondays

2010-09-13T12:28:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing how we let outward appearances and circumstances affect our moods and feelings? When I stepped out of my front door this morning, the rain was pouring down. As I crossed Honey Creek, the sky was gray and it was almost as if a cloud had settled on the lake. In my mind, the old song started playing, "Rainy days and Monday's always get me down..." And for a moment, I believed it. Thoughts flashed through my mind about how tired I feel, how much I miss loved ones who are far away, how much work I have to do, and the pile of clutter laying on my desk crying out to be dealt with. A McDonald's breakfast and a cup of less than stellar coffee later, I sat in my office listening to the rain fall outside the window, wondering where to begin. Then it hit me. Why am I feeling this way? Because it's raining? We need the rain. It is cool and refreshing and the A/C hasn't kicked on once since I've been sitting here. Because I am tired? I got 8 hours of sleep last night and any residual fatigue is just the result of an awesome day of ministry yesterday. I am more rested today than most days, let alone most Monday mornings. Disappointments, struggles, conflicts, tests, trials???? These are all part of life and evidence that God is actively working in me to refine me for His purposes. They are not a reason to be down or discouraged. As a matter of fact, James encourages us to "count it all joy..." Despite the common theme of Monday morning FaceBook statuses, Monday offers a new beginning, another opportunity to get it right, a chance to be the salt and the light wherever God has placed us. So, I have decided that the best way to deal with rainy days and Mondays is to count my blessings. I have so much to be thankful for, a loving family, great people to work with and minister to, a comfortable home in a town that I love, and most of all a God who loves me in spite of myself and blesses me even when I don't deserve it. So I think I'm going to write a new Monday morning song...When it's raining Monday morning and the sky is dark and gray, I'll remember all God's blessings as I journey on my way. When I'm lonely I'll remember all the loved ones far and near, that He's given me to care for and my priceless friends so dear. When I'm facing trials and struggles that put me to the test, I'll remember that He cares for me and knows just what is best. With the love that God has given me and the blessings that abound, rainy days and Mondays should never get me down.

Trusting in His Promises

2010-09-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

J. Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China said, “There is a living God. He has spoken His word. He means just what He says, and will do all that He has promised.” It is sad how often we need to be reminded of these simple facts. God is alive! He is powerful! His Word is true! And He is faithful! We often fall into the same mindset with those few believers in the house of John Mark's mother. Peter was in prison under the threat of beheading. They gathered to pray all night long. God answered their prayers and released Peter, but when he arrived at the door, they didn't believe that it was him. They didn't expect God to answer their prayers. Most of the time we resist stepping out on faith, doing big things for God, because while we give lip-service to the efficacy of prayer, we don't genuinely put our trust in God fulfilling His promises. In the Book of Hebrews, Paul tells us how we can be pleasing to God. He explains that in order to come to God, we must first believe that He is. Sadly many Christians live their lives like "practical atheists." We proclaim that we know God, but we live our lives as if He didn't exist. If we genuinely believe that "He is," then we will live each moment with an awareness of His presence, His interest in our daily lives, and our responsibility to live for Him. Secondly, Hebrews tells us that in order to please God we must believe that He is "a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." How would you show that you believe this? By living as though you are confident in His faithfulness to fulfill the promises that He has made. I Cor. 10 speaks of the wilderness that believers are journeying through on their way to heaven. It warns us not to follow in the footsteps of the children of Israel who, while trekking through their wilderness, became self-absorbed, idolatrous, sexually obsessed, negative and rebellious. Paul encourages us to remember that God is faithful and that He will bring us through the fiery tests that this life inflicts upon us. With every trial, there is an escape hatch. With every temptation, there is a way to overcome it.
So let me encourage you today. Whatever you are facing in life, never forget that God is faithful. Remind yourself that His promises are true. The first of those promises is that He will never leave you or forsake you. You are not alone. He answers prayers, so maybe you need to go see who is at the door.

This Is Church!

2010-09-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

This Sunday, September 12th has been designated National Back To Church Sunday. It is an attempt to get people who have wandered away from regular church attendance to reconsider church for all of its benefits to them and to their family. Some of the major reasons that people stop attending church are disillusionment with church leaders, conflicts with or disappointment in other Christians, or just a shift in priorities that has left little time for public worship. There are many misconceptions out there about what church ought to be, and there is a certain level of misunderstanding about the motivation behind what the church does. Today, I'd like to encourage people to take another look by defining what church is and is not.
First of all, the church is not a museum for displaying how righteous and spiritual Christians can become. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ will change you from the inside out and there are people in church at every stage of that change, encouraging and helping each other move from the place where Jesus found them to the place of spiritual maturity and fruitfulness. It's not a fashion show or a mutual admiration society. It is a place for spiritual growth and development.
The church is not a social club designed to prop up a person's standing in the community. It is, however, a wonderful place for genuine fellowship where people learn to live in community with each other and how to depend upon God and each other. It is a body of believers who, working together become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to the world around them.
The church is also not entertainment. God did not intend for worship to be a stage performance, but an act of congregate adoration of the God being worshipped. He didn't call for pre-packaged mini-messages based on man's opinions without the authority of Scripture. He gave us His Word and it is profitable and relevant in every situation, "for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness."
The church is not a political forum. Although, in a democratic society, Christians have a responsibility to vote based upon their convictions and do their best to use the freedoms that God has granted them to make a difference, political activism is not the solution for the moral problems of our society. The only real answer to the problems that we face in our nation is a genuine Holy Spirit filled revival. And the only way for that to happen is for the church to get back to being the church.
Finally, and this may sound strange, but the church is not a charity. I know that this is a radical statement, but think with me just for a moment. Many people only think of the church as a place to go when they need gas, or their electric bill paid, or some groceries on the table. God has called us to give unselfishly to meet people's needs, but if we meet those needs without addressing their deepest need, a personal relationship with Christ, we have done little more than rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic. When people come into a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, they begin to take on His character. Compassion, love, a giving spirit, and a willingness to sacrifice to meet people's needs are the natural result. So the focus of the church is not how can we alleviate hunger or poverty in our community, but how can we more effectively communicate the love of Christ to people who need Him. When we accomplish that purpose, we will naturally become a loving, giving body of believers.
So I've spent most of my time this morning talking about what the church is not. Let me use one analogy to show you what the church is. I once lived in San Antonio, close to the army post Fort Sam Houston. That facility is the closest thing that I have ever seen to a perfect picture of a church. It had an Induction Center that was focused on recruiting people into the Army and giving them the basic tools that they would need to become soldiers. They had an extensive Training Facility where those recruits would learn how to fight and how to survive the rigors of the battle. They had a Family Support Unit that provided housing and schools for the family of the soldiers. There was a Commissary where all of their food and household needs were supplied. There was an Armory where they were equipped and armed for the battle. There was a War Room where the plans and strategies for victory were developed, and there was a Parade Ground, where the trained and fully equipped soldiers were sent out to the fight with great ceremony.
The church is a place where people are brought face to face with their need for a Savior. When they accept Christ, they become a part of something far greater than themselves and they enter the battle of the ages. Our main task is to draw them to the awareness of their need for Christ, just like that recruiter seeks to draw them into military service. Once saved, the new believer must be trained, fed, equipped, supported, and sent out into the battlefield with the confidence of victory in Christ. It is the church that is tasked with this important mission.
Many people have become disillusioned with life, because they have lost sight of their purpose. Back to Church Sunday is an opportunity to reconnect with a reason for living and a cause worth dying for. Join us this Sunday and invite your friends and family to do the same.

New Things

2010-09-05T09:09:00.000-05:00

One of the great blessings in life is when you begin to learn things from your children. Shelley and I are spending the weekend with Chelsea in Amarillo and getting a taste of what her life is like these days. We spent part of the day yesterday getting a taste of Texas "culture," at the Cadillac Ranch and the Two Calves in a Field sculpture. Ummmm, I thought I had a strange sense of humor, but this place is seriously random.

Visiting Chelsea's office let us put her description of her daily work in perspective. It is a very interesting place, filled with trophy animals that have been shot and mounted by her boss, a lion, a wild hog, a hyena, and 50 deer heads scattered throughout the building. I'm not sure that I would want to visit that place at night.
But the best part of the day and where I actually learned something from my daughter was going to the places that she spends time with the Lord. Chelsea's life has taken a radical turn since coming home from China. She has a deep and sincere desire to know God and to serve Him faithfully and her passion for following His will has led her to spend an awful lot of her time in His presence. One of the places that she does this is a place called Pray Amarillo or the Amarillo House of Prayer. It is a church building that has been renovated into a place for 24/7 prayer. They have worship music playing at all times and encouraging scriptures on the wall and a wonderful atmosphere for entering into God's presence and genuinely seeking His face. While I was there, I just kept thinking, why couldn't our church be a place like this, a house of prayer for all nations, as the Scriptures say? I'm sure that God isn't through working in my heart about that possibility.
Then, yesterday afternoon, we attended one of the churches where Chelsea is actively involved, Family Fellowship. The service was exciting and moving and they had the Lord's Supper in an interesting way that I had not seen before. There was a common piece of unleavened bread and a large cup of grape juice and the people passed in front of the servers and received a piece broken off from the bread then they dipped it in the cup and partook of it. It was a moving depiction of the broken body of Christ and the blood that He shed for us.
Pastor Dale Travis preached on Stewardship and spoke of responsibility and accountability. As he shared from Psalm 24:1 about the fact that everything belongs to the Lord and that one day, He will ask us to give back what He has given to us, one thing came to my mind. On July 21st, 1985, just six days after Chelsea was born, we stood before the congregation at Bethesda Baptist Church in San Antonio and dedicated her to the Lord. We committed on that day to raise her according to His Word and to prepare her for the things that He might want from her. God had given her to us to keep and to care for, but only for a while. In January of this coming year, He will ask us to give her back to Him as He takes her to the uttermost parts of the earth in service to Him. It won't be the first time that He has asked us to give her to Him. But it will be the longest and the farthest that He has taken her away. But God never asks us to sacrifice for Him without promising great blessings in return. We look forward to seeing what God does with the surrendered life that Chelsea has offered to Him.
This morning, we will attend Chelsea's other church, Arden Road Baptist Church. Arden Road is a conservative, independent Baptist congregation that rounds out Chelsea's overall worship experience. It provides solid biblical preaching and teaching and opportunities for Chelsea to minister to a group of teenage girls.
It is exciting to see your children grow up, and even more exciting to see them mature in the Lord. I am thankful for the opportunity that God has given me this weekend to see Chelsea in her natural environment and understand her heart just a little more.
Oh, and one more thing she taught me. Shelley can be beaten at board games. I don't remember having seen that before. :0)

The Joy of Children

2010-09-02T10:22:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing the sheer joy and the unbounded energy that is contained in the heart of a child! What a blessing! Our church has recently enjoyed an increase in the number of young families with children that are attending our services. There is an added level of excitement that comes with children running around your feet. We have a tendency as we get older to lose that and it is a shame. While the Bible encourages us to grow up in the things of the Lord, there are some qualities of a child's nature that we should try to hang on to. The first of these is the sheer joy of being alive. A child hasn't been beaten down by the trials of life, so they can often look at life from a much brighter perspective. That little four-year-old doesn't know enough about the dangers of our world to spend his time worrying. As a result, he is just thankful for being alive and his thankful heart is expressed in sheer joy. Secondly, a child is full of energy, continually wanting to run a little faster to get on to the next thing. One of the difficulties of old age is that our bodies start to slow down and it is harder to go where we need to go. We have to overcome aches and pains in order to accomplish what we need to accomplish. A child will run hard all day and then fall dead asleep the minute his head hits the pillow because his mind is free of the worries of this life. Our tendency is to worry so much during the day that we can't shut it off when we go to bed at night and we toss and turn, struggling for the rest that we so desparately need. Finally, a child is trusting. He just trusts his parents to take care of things and spends his time learning and playing and growing. It may be that we need to trust our Father just a little more with the dangers of this old world and we might be able to look at life more joyfully.
As a Pastor, there is nothing that I enjoy more than having one of these children see me and run up and give me a big hug. I hope that just a little of that joy and energy and ability to trust God will rub off on me. Now if you will excuse me, I think I'm going to go out to the playground and swing for just a few minutes. :0)

Slow Soaking Rain

2010-09-01T08:42:00.000-05:00

The old joke is, "It's been so dry in Grove lately that the Baptists have started sprinkling and the Methodists are giving rainchecks." The ground is parched and every living thing is struggling for a drop of rain. Last night, we got a welcome little shower. Huge drops of rain fell for about five minutes, cooling off the landscape and teasing the ground with the promise of relief. But for the most part, it passed without having a major impact on the condition of the ground. What we really need is a slow soaking rain that lasts for about 24 hours and softens the ground and sinks in deep rather than just running off of the hardened surface.
The Bible likens our heart and soul to the ground under our feet. It is there that the Spirit plants its seed and seeks to bring forth life and fruit. Often, for any number of reasons, we begin to get parched and dry. Somehow our hearts get hardened by the circumstances of life or the pain of relating with fallen people and we begin to wander away from the wellspring of living water that the Holy Spirit has promised to provide. We hear the preaching, but it doesn't sink in. We read our Bibles, but the truth of the Word just seems to run right off, never penetrating our hardened hearts. Before long, we are spiritually dying of thirst.
What we need more than anything else is a slow infusion of God's Word that sinks in deep and softens those areas of our heart that we have allowed to become dry and crusty. You can see the impact of what I am talking about when we send our teens off to camp or our men go to a retreat or we have an extended revival meeting. People receive a steady diet of biblical truth for an extended period of time and it is able to soak through the hardness that continual exposure to the world and its negative influences causes. The result is a new awareness of the still, small voice of God speaking to their heart and a new willingness to listen and follow.
If you have found that your heart has become dry and crusty, then I would have a few words of encouragement for you this morning. First, take a new approach to God's Word. Determine to read it every day, but begin with a prayer that God would show you something that He put there just for you and then don't stop reading until you find it. Second, recommit yourself to living your life in community with other believers. While being in relationship with others is often hard and sometimes painful, it is also one of the best ways for God to teach you to walk with Him. And third, seek out new and effective ways to get a continual flow of God's Word into your life, whether it is through listening to Christian radio, praise and worship music on your iPod, or cassette tapes of Scripture reading or preaching, find a way to get a daily infusion of His Word. Then sit back and watch what God can do in good soil that has been softened by the rain.
Yes, it's been dry, but showers of blessing are in the forecast.

Bridges, Not Walls

2010-08-31T09:17:00.001-05:00

As I was thinking about my devotion this morning, I realized that most of the beautiful pictures of sunrises and sunsets that I post on my blog have been taken from the same place, crossing Honey Creek Bridge. I have already expressed my love for this beautiful place and the joy that it brings to my heart each morning as I head into town and each evening as I make my way home. But what is on my heart this morning is the significance of that 400-yard long expanse of concrete and steel that makes it possible for me to get from my side of the lake to town without getting wet. A bridge is a device that carries you across a divide, whether it be water or canyon and connects the two sides, making it easy to pass from one to the other. The tendency of the human heart is to protect itself against being hurt, so rather than building bridges that span the relational chasms between us, we generally build walls to keep others out. But God didn't create us to live in isolation. He intended for us to function in concert with others. Our sin had created a gaping chasm between us and God and between us and others around us, but Jesus came and suffered and died to become the bridge by which we could make our way to God. Our relationship to Him also leads us to build bridges to those around us so that we can relate properly with them. A few months ago, I wrote a little poem about this subject so I thought I would share it with you this morning. I hope that it is a blessing to you and I hope it challenges you to reach out to those around you with the love of Jesus.

Bridges, Not Walls

It seems at times our lives are filled

With conflicts great and small

And so we build around our hearts

A high foreboding wall

We set a watch and keep our hearts

From venturing outside

And chase all others from the gates

With spears of foolish pride.

But such is not the way that God

Created us to live,

He built in us an innate need

To nurture and to give.

It’s hidden and it’s oft denied,

But there down deep inside,

And when its given room to breathe,

Our hearts are satisfied.

The world may scoff and scurry on

In pursuit of their selfish goals

But all who find God’s way of peace

Find treasures half untold

For bitter hearts and selfish ways

Lead to a lonely life,

But open hearts and loving ways

Reflect the face of Christ.

And so instead of building walls

To keep the world at bay,

Let’s build a bridge of Jesus’ love

And show the world His way.

Let's go out and build a bridge to someone today!

Peaceful, Easy Feeling

2010-08-30T11:08:00.000-05:00

The air was cold for a late August morning. The sky was just starting to lose its star-freckled darkness as the light of the sun that was still hidden behind the Ozark foothills began to illuminate the morning. Thick wisps of mist floated up off the lake giving the scene an eery appearance as we left shore and began our journey to the fishy coves and rock bluffs of Lake of the Ozarks. The morning stillness, interrupted only by the high-pitched hum of the 250 HP motor, gave the entire scene an ethereal quality.

This was the way that I started each morning at our Men's Retreat last week, a couple hours of peaceful tranquility with a couple of our men before breakfast and the sessions of the day. I am not that much of an outdoorsman. I love to fish and hunt, but just haven't taken the opportunity to do it very much. This retreat gave me the chance to get out there with a couple of patient young guys who showed me the ropes a little bit and we had a great time of fellowship together. I enjoyed the playful, competitive banter and the stories of their lives, but I think the thing that I enjoyed the most was the quiet peacefulness of the whole thing.

One of the songs that the praise band sang at the retreat was a rendition of the old Eagles' song, Peaceful, Easy Feelin' that had been merged with Amazing Grace and adapted a little bit on the chorus. It really is a beautiful song and it expressed the way that I felt each morning out on that lake. My everyday life is a little bit frantic on occasion. It seems that I never have quite enough time to get everything done that I am trying to accomplish, so I run to and fro and sometimes get a little frustrated. But this weekend, the thought came to me. In the Gospels, I never see Jesus running anywhere and yet the Bible tells us that He fulfilled everything that His Father sent Him to do. He never seemed rushed or stressed.

I'm sure that Brent and James would tell me that I just ought to go fishing more often, and they might be right, but more likely the Lord is trying to get me to listen to the Apostle Paul in Phillippians 4:4-9. Rejoice! Don't worry. Pray. Be thankful. Let God keep your heart and mind at peace. Choose your thoughts wisely and follow the example of godly men and women that your Father has placed in your life. The result will be a peaceful easy feeling that is beyond our human understanding.

It doesn't hurt to close your eyes every once in a while and find yourself skimming across that water, through the mist in the dawn's early light. Just be sure you make it back for breakfast. :0)

Having a World Vision

2010-08-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing how small our world is becoming? Just this morning, while checking my Facebook, I corresponded with friends on three different continents. These days, I am able to schedule missionaries while they are still on the field and could, should I so desire, even have them speak to the church from the other side of the world through Skype. With the rapid development of communication technologies, more and more people are immediately accessible, and with the translation software available through Google and others, websites and blogs are available from every nation, tribe, and tongue. At least two of our missionaries send out weekly emails to their supporting churches, allowing for immediate response to their praises and prayer requests. Where once, monthly prayer letters arrived in churches weeks after they were sent and cost hundreds of dollars to produce and mail, today, we have the technology for more, better, and more responsive interaction with our missionaries.

But like many of the other opportunities that modern life offers, it seems that we are not taking full advantage of what God has made available to us. This morning, I want to spur you on just a little bit. I'd like to challenge you to develop a vision for the world. One of the elements of our church's mission statement is that we are a church that sees the world as its mission field. But what about you? Do you see that mission field as your own? Do you read the Great Commission and say, "That doesn't apply to me." What is your thought process when you hear a missionary share his burden for the people of the country to which he is being called? I hear people all the time saying, "I would love to go to the mission field, but..." Well, let me tell you, there will always be a 'but....' The natural human tendency is to look at a problem in the big picture and see it as impossible to solve. "I can't change the world..." But in reality, no one is asking you to solve the entire problem. God has commanded us to do our part. You may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world for one child, one family, one village. You may not be able to pack up your life and move to the other side of the world to be a missionary, but there are any number of things that you can do to make a difference. Begin by honestly opening your heart to God and asking Him to give you a broader vision and a deeper burden. Then begin to investigate ways to get involved right from your home. Check out http://www.bbfimissions.org/ or http://www.adventuresinmissions.org/ and follow some of the blogs for ideas. Begin by giving to missions through our church and take a deep hard look at ways that you can redirect some of your resources to be able to give more. Giving up some of those daily guilty pleasures like a cappacino or a donut or four Dr. Peppers and giving the money you spent to missions can add up quickly. Going out to eat one less time a week would make a lot of difference. Just ask God to show you the impact of those little decisions on souls around the world. Then, ask God to open your eyes to missions opportunities all around you. The mission field doesn't start on the other side of the ocean, it begins right at your front door, so keep your eyes open. And more than anything commit yourself to prayer for our missionaries and the people that they are ministering to.

These are just a starting point. As you open your heart to missions and ask God for a greater world vision, He may begin speaking to you in other ways. He may call for more direct action. He may reveal ways that you can have a greater impact. Just don't hold back. Let Him show you how to reach your world for Him. The time is short and the task is daunting, but if we obey, we can still see the Great Commission fulfilled in our lifetime.

The Christian Citizen

2010-08-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

It is surprising to me how many Christians acknowledge their responsibility to be the hands and feet of Jesus, yet shirk their duty to be His voice. I am focusing this morning on our duty as citizens of a nation that allows its people to determine its direction through the electoral process. There is no doubt that the political system of our once-great nation has degenerated over the last 50 years or so into little more than a shouting match, refereed by an increasing biased press and observed by an increasingly skeptical and uninformed electorate. However, I believe that our nation and our system of government are a gift to us from God, a gift that brings with it a great responsibility. Let me elaborate. Our nation was established on biblical principles and served for almost 200 years as a banner to the world of what could happen when a people acknowledged God as their resource and guide. When the Scriptures say, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord," all you had to do was look at the USA to see that it was true. The liberties that our system of government granted us allowed for unheard of prosperity, but also, open doors for ministry to the lost, the oppressed, and the needy around the world. It didn't take long for America to outpace Britain as the number one missionary sending nation in the world. The testimony of our nation was clearly displayed on our currency, In God We Trust!
As we all know, the climate in America has changed drastically in our lifetime. We are seeing the fulfillment of Isaiah 5:20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" With the ascendance of relativistic thought, anyone who would dare call anything a sin is characterized as an intolerant bigot. The result is that many Christians have either been shouted down or discouraged into silence. And now, with the spectre of Islam on the horizon, our lack of a spiritual backbone has robbed us of any moral high ground from which to defend our way of life, as exemplified by the fact that there is even a debate about allowing a mosque at Ground Zero.
I hear some of my Christian brothers saying, "That is all the world system. As Christians, why should we even be concerned about it? Why should I lower myself to be involved in an obviously corrupt process?"
Well, let me give you my answer. First, God has called us to be watchmen on the wall. Throughout the Bible, God's people had to stand up to wicked government officials and try to turn them to the right. Moses, Nathan, Elijah, and many others in the Old Testament. John, the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul, in the New Testament. All confronted the wickedness of those who governed them in an attempt to turn their nation back to God. We have been given the unique blessing of having a say in our nation's decisions. To shirk our responsibility as citizens is to give tacet approval to the direction that we are going and to allow those who deny Christ a greater voice.
As your pastor, I won't step over the bounds and tell you who to vote for, but I will tell you that God will hold you accountable for being His voice in the affairs of your community and nation. For those of you in Delaware County, you have an opportunity today to make a difference. As a Christian who loves his God and his country, I would like to encourage you to cast your vote and let God's voice be heard.

Storing Up Treasures

2010-08-23T12:28:00.000-05:00

Wow! Where does all of the clutter come from? This morning, I decided to get into the church early and start on the process of cleaning the old school room upstairs in our Sunday School building. We are having a big youth event here on September 25th and one of the things that we are going to do is take the kids up there and simulate an underground church service like they have to have in Muslim countries. But, in order to do that, we have to clean up 40 years of clutter in a room that has become our church's prime location for "out of sight, out of mind." Old records, remnants of school curriculum, used decorations, and a myriad of things that, for some reason, we have never been able to bring ourselves to throw away. I spent an hour this morning and barely made a dent.
It reminded me of two conversations that I had this past week. Yesterday, I was discussing with Steve, our focus on material things and he asked if God had not commanded us not to store things up down here. He was referring to Matt. 6:19,20, where it tells us not to lay up for ourselves treasures on earth, but to lay them up in heaven. I have always looked at that verse as a comparison, a statement of priority, rather than a direct command, but there is some validity to Steve's argument. For most of us, the reason that we store things up is so that we will have it, just in case we are ever in need. Most of the things in that upstairs room have past their time of usefulness, but you never know, someday we just might find ourselves in need of a 20 year old computer. :0) Storing up things here on earth often serves to relieve our need for dependence upon God, so it is a response to fear rather than faith. The other reason that we store things up is a response to our human tendency toward materialism, our desire to have stuff. Either of these reasons has its roots in a spiritual problem.
The other conversation that I was reminded of was one that I had with Chelsea the other day. She is knee-deep in the long process of preparing to set out on her journey of faith as she follows the Lord's leading to be a missionary. While many of us would look at her 11-month adventure as a parenthesis from which she will learn and grow and then return to normal life, Chelsea is looking at is as simply the beginning of a missionary life, a first step in a life-long pursuit. Last week, she wrote, "One of the lessons God is teaching me is to ask myself, 'In the light of eternity, does it really matter' and the funny thing is: not much makes the cut, save Christ and his cross." When she moved to Amarillo last fall, we rented a 6x8x12 U-haul trailer and packed the Suburban full of her stuff for the move. As we were discussing her move back to Grove this November in preparation for her departure, I asked if we would need a trailer again. Her answer was, "No, I'm selling everything except a few keep-sakes and everything that I am moving home will fit in four bins." God has been working to simplify her life so that she is able to respond to His leading at a moment's notice.
Most of us have to deal with the clutter that we have accumulated over the years. This applies to our spirit as much as it does to our closets. Too often, we have stored away old hurts and habits, lies and liabilities, pride and prejudices, until it is difficult to function without tripping over something in our past. The secret to getting rid of the clutter boils down to four simple steps: First, we must recognize things for what they are. Clutter is the result of placing an unrealistic importance on things of questionable value. We need to examine our hearts and the things that we are holding onto and ask Chelsea's question, "In light of eternity, does it really matter?" Second, we must repent. Much of the clutter in our lives is the result of sin that we just won't let go of. When we turn from sin to God, the path becomes much clearer. Third, we must release those things that hold us in chains, those people who have hurt us, and those ties to the past that keep us from going forward. Forgiveness is freeing a prisoner and then finding out that the prisoner was you. The final step to uncluttering our spirit is to rejoice in what God is accomplishing in your life. The grateful heart is much more able to let go of the things that hurt it than a heart that is focused on itself. Gratitude results in joy and God blesses the grateful heart.
Cleaning the upstairs room, at first glance, is a huge undertaking, so I have decided that I am going to work on it a little at a time, an hour in the cool of the morning every day until I get it done. Uncluttering our private world is much the same. If we will simply determine in our hearts to purposely deal with those things that stand in the way of our freedom in Christ, God will bless us along the way. Can I encourage you to get started today?

Distributing the Lightning

2010-08-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Mark Twain said, "The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right." Apparently, Twain was convinced that he would do a better job than God at weeding out the idiots among us. But aren't you glad that God has reserved the task of lightning distribution for Himself and has allowed it to be tempered by His grace, His mercy, and His love rather than determined by His righteousness and justice. I find that people, in general, and Christians, with great regularity, jump to conclusions about other people and are ready to fire the lightning bolts, often before the whole story has come to light. Comedian Bill Engvold has made a very good living pointing out people's stupidity, as he sees it, based on statements that they make without thinking them through. He says that he wishes stupid people had to wear a sign so you would know what you were dealing with right up front. He tells about a time when he and his buddy went fishing together. As they pulled back into the dock with a big stringer of fish, a guy on the dock asked them, "Did ya'll catch all those fish?" Engvold replied, "Nope, talked 'em into giving up." "Here's your sign." The problem with this line of thinking is that we all say stupid things every once in a while. I was having lunch at the Lazy Parrot the other day with Shelley and Steve and we were talking about the location of the restaurant and the fact that their sign sort of blends into the surroundings, making it hard to see. I said, "You know, if I didn't know that this restaurant was here, I wouldn't know that it was here." Now there is an intelligent statement! If Mark Twain was distributing the lightning, I would have been zapped right there. But God is merciful and I am thankful for that. The one area where foolishness becomes the most dangerous is when a person begins to live his life as if there is no God. The Bible calls that man a fool,(Ps. 14:1; 53:1) and the path that he follows will ultimately lead to his destruction.
The warning for us in all of this is found in Matthew 5. Jesus warned against premature judgment and open rebuke of fools, saying that God is the righteous Judge and that we should keep our accounts current with the people around us. If we would spend a little more time showing the love of Christ to people in need and a little less time comparing them to our standard of intelligence or perfection, we would see why God withholds the lightning. We serve a God of righteousness, justice, and power, but all of those attributes are ruled by the fact that God is, in very essence, love. So, I'm pretty sure there's not going to be any lightning today. :0)

To The Summit

2010-08-19T10:32:00.000-05:00

I am excited about where the Lord has been leading me over the past few months. He has been gradually pulling the feathers from my nest, making me uncomfortable with the status quo, encouraging me to greater heights. I wrote a poem about it a while back and I thought i would share it with you this morning.

To The Summit

Sometimes in the valley, beside the cool streams

With our Shepherd to guard us, our circumstance seems,

Idyllic and pleasant, well nigh sublime,

But the Shepherd, he tells us, It’s time now to climb,

Beyond this green pasture, up paths seldom trod

To a greater and better place, known only to God.

What? Leave all this comfort, where we’re safe and secure,

And venture to climb over footing unsure

Above and beyond this fair meadow we know

To a place where our Shepherd has bid us to go?

What if we stumble or by chance lose our way?

Why should we risk it all just to obey?

But the Shepherd assures us, if we follow His lead,

That the place that He’s taking us will far exceed

This safe little pasture that we’ve come to know

And again, He is bidding us, It’s time to go!

And so we set out on the arduous climb,

Up rocky pathways through difficult times

But assured that the Shepherd is walking ahead

Our faith becomes stronger conq’ring our dread

With each step the summit, now clearly in view,

Escapes from its cloud-covered shroud and breaks through,

With victory in sight, we surge to the peak,

Finding new strength in our legs once so weak.

And as we arrive at the high mountain’s crest.

We understand fully the Shepherd’s request.

For here at the summit, after passing the test,

We see that the Shepherd’s way surely was best.

Summer Is Ended

2010-08-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that summer is already coming to an end. The kids are back in school, the lake traffic is starting to be limited to just the weekends, and I heard the weatherman say that we had a .00025 % chance of snow today. But I'm sure it wouldn't stick. The end of summer is another one of those milestones on our calendar. This is a time of great anticipation for what usually is one of the most exciting and productive times of our year. And this year, we have even more reason to be hopeful, because we have had a great summer. But whenever I hear someone say, "I can't believe Summer is over!" It reminds me of an ominous and mournful passage of Scripture that has often served as a motivator for me. Jeremiah 8:20 says, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." We live in what I believe to be the terminal generation. I am convinced that we will see Christ coming back for His people in our lifetime. When He comes, those whom we have not reached with the Gospel will be left behind to face the greatest period of turmoil and devastation that this world has ever known. Life is uncertain and our time is short. We must choose today to be the witness that God has called us to be, before the opportunity has slipped past us. I belive that there are people all around us who are echoing the cry heard in Psalms 142:4, "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."
Can I challenge you this morning, to be a witness for Christ, before the harvest is past. Just care enough for the souls of those around you to ask them if they know Jesus. God will do the rest.

Finding My Place in the Picture

2010-08-17T07:29:00.001-05:00

My kids love to talk in movie quotes. I guess it gives them a semi-secret code, a context that only those who have seen the same movie would understand. Sometimes its funny. Sometimes, it scares me a little bit until I figure out what they are talking about, and therein lies some of the attraction for them, I'm sure. Hey let's see if we can shock Ol' Dad.
The foundation of humor is often an observation from real life that is given an absurd twist. That is the underlying basis for my favorite movie quote that I hear from them from time to time.
"I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."
The conceit and arrogance of this statement, made by an over-the-top news anchor, has always struck me funny. I'd like to think it is because I am a perceptive observer of the quirks of human nature, but it is more likely because my own nature often seeks affirmation and has a tendency toward braggadocia. Whichever is the case, I believe that it is important for each of us to realize that this life is not about us. In his outstanding book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan talks about the fact that most people believe that in this grand movie of life, they are the star, when in reality, it is all about God and we are just the extras.
However, God has made us a part of the picture for a reason. I think the healthiest way to look at our place in this world is to realize that we are like a puzzle piece. We are not the whole picture, but the picture is incomplete without us. But it is also true that we will never see the whole picture until we get together with other Christians. You have heard me say it over and over again. The Christian life was not designed to be lived in isolation. It was meant to be lived in community with other believers as a part of a living, breathing, functioning body.
So, this morning, I would challenge you to find your place in the picture. Ask God to show you where you fit. He has designed you to be a part of something much greater than yourself, something that He wants to use to shake the world, His church. And that, my friends, is kind of a big deal.

New Beginnings

2010-08-16T09:33:00.000-05:00

John Pierpont Morgan said, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” Monday mornings are always a dilemma for me. Getting the new week started is always a challenge. There are always a few loose ends that need to be tidied up from the last week, and a bevy of new tasks waiting to be engaged. But Monday morning, more than any other day of the week, comes with its own inertia, the tendency to just sit and ponder what has just transpired. Most weeks, I can look back on the blessings of a wonderful day of ministry and thank God for all that he accomplished. From time to time, when there have been difficulties or conflict, I sit and wonder what do I do now? But always, I face the same challenge, "Take the first step!" No matter how long this week's journey may seem, it will never be mastered until we get started. I am reminded of an old Indian (India Indian, not Native American) proverb that asks, "How does one eat an elephant?" The answer is always the same, "One bite at a time." So this morning, I would challenge you, if the day or week or month ahead looks like a challenge, just take the first step. Psalm 119:105 tells us that God's Word is a lamp at our feet. If you hold a lantern down by your feet, it only casts enough light for you to see the next step, and until you take that step, you won't see where the next step will lead. So on this Monday morning, take the first step and God will show you the next. And before long, you will be running down the path. You would be surprised how much energy an elephant sandwich will give you. :0)

Youth and Maturity

2010-08-11T11:20:00.000-05:00

Wow! Life passes us by so very quickly. The picture above was taken 30 years ago, almost to the day. I had just arrived in Spokane, Washington, and at 20 years of age, I was the Youth Director at Inland Empire Baptist Temple and the Principal and High School Learning Center Supervisor at Baptist Temple Christian School. Pastor Chester Henry was confident that I could do the job because I had just graduated from BBC and I had taken an entire week of A.C.E. Administrator Training. I was working 14 hour days, seven days a week for the staggering salary of $250 per week. I was 2000 miles from anyone that I knew and a million miles from reality. I survived, not because I was smart or particularly spiritual, but mostly just because I was young. It was a year of my life that God used to teach me a myriad of tough lessons, many that I still draw on almost daily. I also acquired some wonderful memories that still bring a smile after all these years.

When I came across this picture, it made me think about the changes that have taken place in my life over these 30 years. Last November, I turned 50, and I have to admit, it hit me hard. I began pondering Psalm 37:25, where David says, "I have been young, and now am old...." I spent the next six months almost killing myself proving that I wasn't old. I joined a basketball league made up of mostly 20-somethings and held my own for the most part. I played co-ed volleyball and ran a 5k in Colorado. Whenever people would ask me if I jogged, I used to say, "I only run if something big and scary is chasing me." Well, I guess when I looked in the mirror and saw what I considered old age sneaking up behind me, I figured it was time to run.

But lately, God is teaching me that, while youth is a blessing, He has a purpose for every season of our life. While I would love to have the body of that 20 year old again; the strength, the vigor, the quick rate of recovery that youth affords, I would never give up the perspective that these last 30 years have given me. The car in the picture above is a perfect example. It was the first car that I ever bought from a car dealer. It was a 1979 Datsun 310. Very sporty, lots of fun, front wheel drive. I put almost 200,000 miles on that car. But when I bought it I made one very short-sighted decision. The dealership had two almost identical cars, one red and one blue. The blue one was $600 more than the red one, and the only difference was that the blue one had air conditioning and the red one didn't. The salesman said, "Hey, your payments will be cheaper, and besides, you only use the A/C two or three weeks out of the year up here." So I bought the red one. A year later I moved back home and went through four Texas summers without air conditioning. I made a few other poor decisions during that season of my life that I look back on now and wonder what might have happened had I been able to see just a little farther down the road.

What has brought all of this to my mind this morning are the wonderful things that God is doing around our church right now. He is beginning to answer our prayers about bringing more young people to our church family. What a blessing it was to see Brent and Susie Malone and their two boys, Zane and Creed, join with us this past Sunday morning! We have four or five other young couples that are visiting regularly and are praying about becoming a part of our family as well. The vigor and passion for the Lord that we see in these young families is exciting and I can't wait to see what God is going to do in our church this fall. But the key to growth and long-term success in any church is the balance of youthful zeal and the wisdom of the elders. We will have to be especially mindful to work together to see God's blessings on our church to continue.

I am hopeful that this will be possible, because we have several of our older members who still have a youthful passion for the things of God, and I believe that I see a measure of spiritual maturity among many of these young Christians as well.

Oh, and I have concluded that if Chuck Nelson, at over 80 years of age, could climb a ten foot step-ladder on top of a 25 foot scaffold and change a light bulb in our gym, that I have a long way to go before I have to consider myself old.

Healing Rain

2010-08-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

This morning the sky is gray and rain is falling intermittantly outside of my office window. Often, this kind of weather would promote dreariness and dissatisfaction, but not today. The past week has been intolerably hot. Yesterday, the thermometer reached 105 and everytime that you walked outside the heat would slap you in the face like an oven mitt. So the clouds and the breeze and the rain are welcome visitors. The high today is expected to be in the low 90's, a welcome break and an encouraging sign that summer will not last forever.
The heat has not been the only exhausting element that we have been dealing with. One of the most faithful families in our church is going through the fire right now. Chuck and Helen Nelson have served God in our church for almost 40 years in any number of ways, seen and unseen. Chuck gets to church at 7 am every Sunday and makes sure the heating or cooling is turned on and things are in order. He reads his Bible, folds the bulletin, and often prays with me that God will move in a special way during our services. In my six years as Pastor of IBC, we have had hundreds of early Sunday morning conversations about God's blessings, His provision, our direction, and Chuck's grandchildren. Chuck has had his hand in every square inch of the facility here, using his skills as a mechanical engineer to build and maintain the facilities that we enjoy. He can tell you how many toilets we have and how many BTU's of heating capacity and cooling equipment we have and how it is powered and when the last time the filters were replaced. Maybe most importantly, he carries a pocket full of mints and candy and all of the kids flock to him for a taste on Sunday morning. When I came here as Pastor, Chuck was leading our music. My first Sunday, he told me, "Now preacher, I'm just the interim music director. As soon as someone comes along that you think can do a better job, they can have it." I said, "Chuck, how long have you been the interim music director?" He said, "Thirty-one years."
That was Brother Chuck. He was willing to do whatever God asked him to do and he was faithful to it.
On Monday of this week, while recovering from heart surgery, Chuck's heart went out of rhythm and they had to shock him twice to get it beating again. Since that time, he has not responded and the doctors have told Helen that if his condition doesn't change by the end of today, that they will have to make the hard decision of whether to continue life support or disconnect the respirator.
Chuck and Helen have been married for 62 years. This is a very difficult time, but the Bible promises that God will give us grace during such trials and Helen's attitude and demeanor display that added measure of grace.
Just like the cool breeze that the storm has kicked up this morning, the Holy Spirit's ministry to those who are hurting is a refreshing thing. The awareness of God's love and presence during this difficult time is like a healing rain washing over my parched and exhausted soul. In the short-term, we still don't know the outcome of this difficult trial, but in the long-run we know that Chuck has already made peace with God and that to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. In fact, our prayers for miraculous healing might just be a little selfish, because they would delay the joys of heaven for a man who has faithfully served his Savior for most of his life. But when all is said and done, we know that God's Will will be what is best. The heat of this fiery trial will be swept aside by the refreshing rain of His Spirit's ministry in our hearts.

Built on Sinking Sand

2010-08-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

Everything needs a good foundation! I'm relearning that today in a unique way. I have been talking with the YMCA and with some of the folks in our church about building a sand volleyball court here on the church property. It would give us another opportunity for outreach to the young families of our community and would open the door for fellowship with some of the other churches here in town. Once built, the maintenance and upkeep would be minimal and it would be just one more tool to draw people to our church.
In my mind, it was a simple little task with minimal cost and great potential benefit. Then I started researching how to build a sand volleyball court. There is much more to it than meets the eye. Although sand is a shifty substance to work with, if you are going to do it right, you have to have a pretty deep base. When all is said and done, the Sand and Gravel Co. figured that we would need 154 tons of sand for one regulation sized court and the surrounding area. That is not a typo. 30' x 60' x 15" deep for the court, plus a five foot buffer and declining depth all the way around, 154 tons. Wow! Seven semi-truck loads! Now, it is early in this process, so I may find out that I can do things a little different and use a lot less sand, I don't know. What I am seeing from this is that many times there is a lot more to a project under the surface than appears on top of the ground.
Jesus warned against building our lives upon an inadequate foundation. In His illustration, He suggested building upon a rock. That probably wouldn't be a good idea for a sand volleyball court, but for your life, it is right on. If you are putting up a tent for a night in the woods, you probably aren't going to be too concerned about how many years that tent will be able to stand on that piece of ground. But when we set out to make decisions that will impact our lives for years to come, we had better be sure that we have dug down deep and planted our lives upon the solid Rock of Jesus Christ and God's Holy Word. Such a foundation demands that we trust God to hold us up through the difficult portions of life and sometimes it requires sacrifice of us, but in the long run, it provieds a stability that we can obtain in no other way.
I am looking for ways to bring the cost down for this project, because money doesn't grow on trees. And I'm looking for people that want to have a part in it, so that it because we don't have it in the church budget. But if we are going to do it, then we need to do it right. We need to lay a solid foundation so that it will last for years to come.
When we set out to lay the foundation for our lives, we find ourselves in the same condition, needy, without resources, and dependent on Someone else to supply, but there is no substitute for building upon the Rock.
Pray that God will make it clear if this is something that we should do and that he will supply the resources to do it if it is His will.

A Visionary's Prayer

2010-07-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

Dear Lord, You are a God who knows all and sees all. And yet, You see things differently than we can. Help me to see things as you see them. Help me to see myself as you see me. Help me to recognize the value of my efforts in your service. Help me to see the grief that my sin causes you, and the consequences that it brings on my life and testimony. Give me new insight into my place in your family and the responsibilities that come with being a child of the King. Enlighten my understanding of my brothers and sisters in You. Help me to love them enough to overlook their quirks, trust them enough to bare my soul, and minister to them with the kind of spirit that will allow me to help them through their trials and out of their temptations. If I am injured or offended by any of them, help to speak of it only to them and You. And help me to seek reconciliation as soon as I can. In this way I will be able to see them as you see them, as your cherished treasures. Focus my eyes, as well as my heart, on the souls of the lost. Help me not to gaze at their sin, only at their need. Help me recognize as you do, that Your grace is their only hope and that I am your channel of grace to them. Give me enough courage to seek them out and win them regardless of the cost to myself, knowing that You paid a much greater price. Give me a vision of a world won to Christ and the strength to strive to see it come about. Help me to recognize that the mission field begins at my front door and extends to the ends of the earth. And most of all. Lord, help me to keep my eyes clearly focused on You so that I will not be caught unaware when you stand and call me to your side!

Till The Whole World Hears The Gospel

2010-07-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Till The Whole World Hears The Gospel

The Lord is calling us today

To preach His message come what may

To wand’ring souls who’ve gone astray

Till the whole world hears the Gospel.

To those whose heart by sin is bound

Who languish in the lost and found

We must proclaim the joyful sound

Till the whole world hears the Gospel

The poor and needy, tempest-tossed

The soul that’s paying sin’s dread cost

Need us to lead them to the cross

Till the whole world hears the Gospel.

To the brokenhearted, lonely soul

Who has felt betrayal’s painful toll

Let’s give them hope of being whole

Till the whole world hears the Gospel.

To the blind and lame and even dead,

To those whose lives are filled with dread

Hope and healing He brings instead

Till the whole world hears the Gospel

Our urgent mission for today

Is that we go and give and pray

And not relent until the day

When the whole world hears the Gospel.

And when this message of salvation

Has been proclaimed to every nation

With Him we’ll sing in celebration

That the whole world heard the Gospel

Pastor Marty Hughes

Setting God on Silent

2010-07-27T10:06:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, I look at my cell phone and notice that I have missed two or three calls. That is an unusual thing, because I carry it with me like it is connected with an umbilical cord. Then I notice that the little switch on the side that silences the ringer is flipped. That little switch is an important feature, especially for a Pastor. If you think it is embarrassing for you when your phone rings in the middle of a service, imagine what it feels like if you are the one preaching. But when we forget to turn the ringer back on, it makes it difficult for people to get in touch with us.
I think that sometimes, we do this to God. We turn off the ringer, and although He tries to speak to our hearts, we never get the message. Whether it is by filling our lives with worldly distractions or throwing ourselves into our leisure activities or even getting so caught up in the work of God that we neglect the God of the work, we let other things silence His voice.
When my phone is on silent, it vibrates to let me know that someone is calling. That feeling is a gentle reminder that just because I can't hear it, doesn't mean that there is no one there. God uses little things to stir our souls, trying to get our attention again, but sometimes we are so wrapped up in activity that we aren't even aware of that stirring.
I would challenge you today, that maybe it's time to check your messages. Is God trying to speak to you? Is He trying to move you to a new place of intimacy with Him? Or is He just longing to hear your voice? Take a few minutes today to check your settings.

Political Responsibility

2010-07-26T15:28:00.001-05:00

Those of you who know me, know that I don't make a lot of public statements about politics. I believe that the real hope for America is found in God's people being God's people and obeying the Great Commission. This is not to say that political action is not necessary, it is. It is just not the ultimate solution that many seem to think that it is. That being said, I feel that, as your Pastor, I need to encourage you to take seriously your role in our political process. Tomorrow, the Oklahoma primary elections will be held. This is the first opportunity that we, as Christians and as Americans, have to respond to the direction that the present administration is leading our nation. Often, such elections have very little impact on the moral fabric of our society. With the gridlock of modern American politics and the present tone of political discourse, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between one party and another. But this election, and I would venture to say, the next several elections, will have a great impact on our nation, because of the obvious and publicly stated intention of liberal politicians to take our country as far from it's Judeo-Christian, capitalistic, conservative roots as possible. This is really not an issue of political party. Both parties have been a party to the moral and philosophical slide of the past several decades. However, it is an issue of political philosophies and so today, I would ask you to fully consider the difference between the two.
In general, political conservatives stand for personal responsibility, personal initiative, and personal freedom, generally in conjunction with a strong sense of right and wrong that works toward rewards for achievement and consequences for wrong-doing. Their weaknesses are that sometimes their emphasis on personal responsibility leads them to a lack of compassion, although, more often than not, they are much more generous and giving than their liberal counterparts. They hold strong morality based positions on issues like abortion, drugs, crime prevention, gay marriage, etc.
Generally, political liberals take a stance based upon the assumption that there is no universally applicable standard of morals and ethics and therefore, to hold someone responsible for the negative impact of their lifestyle is arrogant and judgmental. They believe that it is government's responsibility to cure the ills of society and that the best way to do this is through government control and the redistribution of resources. They believe that the moral and ethical boundaries presented by religion in general, but Christianity in particular, are outdated and unnecessary in a pluralistic society. As a result, they seek to legitimize a broad spectrum of behaviors that to conservatives are morally reprehensible.
The point to all of this is that Christians need to take these things into consideration when casting their votes. We need to consider the philosophy held by each candidate that we vote for, regardless of political party.
If we truly believe that the freedoms, social and religious, that we have enjoyed for the last two hundred years are bestowed upon us by God, then we must naturally assume that they come with matching responsibilities. And should we shirk those responsibilities, God would not be pleased. So let me encourage you to do your homework. Find out who the candidates are who hold to morally and philosophically conservative principles and then get out and vote for them. You can begin by voting in tomorrow's Primary election.
P.S. If you think that it is inappropriate for me, as your Pastor to advise you on political matters, then it is likely that you have fallen victim to the liberal philosophy that would separate God from having a place in the public square. Let me assure you, you won't be hearing me tell you who you should vote for. But I will not be silent about the biblical principles that you should be considering when making your choices. Those choices should always be made based on principles not party.
Don't forget, the Bible says, He that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. It seems to me that God has called us to have an impact on this increasingly godless society, and one way to do that is to be conscientious citizens and fulfill our civic responsibilities. So be sure to go to the polls tomorrow and vote based upon your principles, not your pocketbook or your party.

Sovereign God

2010-07-22T15:20:00.001-05:00

One of the most difficult things to fully understand about the God that we serve is His sovereignty. How can a God Who is sovereign grant to His children a free will? How can a sovereign God Who is good, allow evil to happen? If He is in control, why do tragedies occur and why does His work get thwarted? It isn't an easy concept to understand.
I think that sometimes we want God to put Himself into a box that we can understand and even control. We want this infinitely complex Creator of the unfathomably vast universe, Who has the power to control and the wisdom to maintain all that He has spoken into existence, to make Himself fit into our incredibly finite rational mind. Hmmmm, that doesn't make a lot of sense does it?
I used to teach Geometry at a Christian High School in Oklahoma City. Geometry is a fairly complex subject, demanding the student to use his reasoning to take him from the starting point, the given, to a proven destination while justifying every move along the way. To do this, he applies a long list of postulates and theorems to gradually work his way through the process of proving the given statement. Geometry demands that the student employ a new kind of thinking that has not been required of him before this point in his education, and for some, it is a difficult transition.
As I muddled through the dark cloud of confusion that it cast upon many of my students, I developed a statement to help them see their way, "Go from what you know to what you don't know." There were always elements of the problem that were given to them and these elements implied other facts not in evidence. They had to hold onto the things that they knew and then systematically progress one by one to the things that they didn't know. As each new element was proven, it allowed them to show the validity of the next.
The same is true when we try to understand God with our finite, fallen minds. If we try to master the subject all at once, we are certain to fail. Many give up seeking after God because they come upon some aspect of His character that they can't rationalize. The only way to begin to understand our Sovereign Maker is to start with what we know and move to what we don't know.
I know that God is and that He has revealed Himself in His Word.
I know that God is good and that He loves me.
I know that He sees in eternal perspective and understands things that I have no way of comprehending.
I know that He loved me enough to pay a precious price to redeem me.
And I know that He is powerful enough that the puny efforts of wicked men or the stumbling steps of His unfaithful children cannot thwart what He is doing in this world.
I know that He desires to have an intimate relationship with me and that in order to accomplish that, He has taken up residence in my heart.
I know that Satan is a defeated foe and that I have already won the victory through the authority of the name of Christ and the power of His blood.
I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow.
And along with Paul, I know that He will work all things together for my ultimate good.
Whenever I face trials and tribulations, whenever the circumstances of life are hard to understand, whenever people that I have depended on let me down, I simply go back to the things that I know about God and ask Him to take me to a place of understanding about the things that I don't yet know.
Like Geometry, it demands a new way of thinking. It also demands a humility that acknowledges two important facts of life: 1. There is a God, and 2. I'm not Him.

Daily Reminders of His Love

2010-07-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing how quickly we forget how much God has done for us? It seems like sometimes, as soon as the clouds gather, we forget what the sun looks like. As I crossed the bridge this morning, I saw the sun coming up over the lake and once again it reminded me of how glorious God really is. When the psalmist tells us that "His mercies are new every morning...," it should assure us that His love is everlasting, never-failing, and beyond our comprehension. I know that I live a charmed life. God has blessed me in innumerable ways, yet I tend to get grumpy if I don't sleep well, or if the weather doesn't suit me, or if the price of gas gets too high. I am well-fed (no comments are necessary here), live in a safe and comfortable home, have more possessions than I deserve, and have a wonderful family around me. Compared to 95% of the world's population, I am rich, and oh, by the way, so are you. So why is it that we spend so much of our time and energy worrying or complaining about our lives rather than rejoicing in what God has done for us and sharing it with others? This is not a new problem. The children of Israel are a prime example of it. They continually asked God, "What have you done for me lately?" Instead of being thankful for His provision of manna and quail for them to eat in the wilderness, they acted like spoiled children and longed for the days of bondage.
I don't want to be like that, so I will just remind myself that life is hard, but God is good. The road is rough, but Heaven awaits. Many are the trials, but they pale in comparison to the price He paid and the glory that is to come. So today, I will rejoice in Him.

Dog Days

2010-07-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

We are certainly in the 'dog days' of summer right now. It is so hot here in Grove that I saw a dog chasing a cat and both of them were walking. People don't like to get out in this heat unless it involves going to the lake or some other refreshing water-related activity. I guess that is one reason (excuse) for what is traditionally known as the 'Summer Slump' in churches. Many people decide to take a vacation from God during the summer. But I am thankful that God is blessing our church in an unusual way this summer. We are seeing souls saved, visitors in our services, and a refreshing spirit of cooperation and excitement as we prepare for our Vacation Bible School. This morning, I would like to encourage you to think about ways that you can be more faithful to church during the summer. Little things like waiting to go to the lake until after the services or leaving earlier on Friday so that you can be back by Sunday. Everyone needs a vacation and God wants us to be a witness for Him wherever we go. But when we are in town, we ought to be in church. Hebrews says that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It doesn't say, "Except during June, July, and August..."
I hope I am not sounding grumpy here, because in reality, I'm only thinking of you. We have had great attendances and wonderful services for the last several weeks. We are really experiencing a 'Summer Surge' rather than a Summer Slump. But there are many of our faithful regulars who are missing out on what God is doing, and I hate that. My heart says, " Wow, that was such a blessing! I wish so-and-so could have been here for that. They would have loved it."
So let me encourage you to be here this Sunday and every chance you get for the rest of the summer. We have three installments left in our Summer Sermon Series, "Running Toward Goliath" as well as a special guest on August 1st and our Church's 45th Anniversary on August 8th. We have seen the altars full and lots of decisions being made over the last few weeks and I believe that God is getting ready to pour out his blessings on our church as we surrender to Him in new and exciting ways.
So if it's too hot on Sunday morning and you are tempted to stay home, just remember the church has Air Conditioning.

Remembering a Life of Service and Sacrifice

2010-07-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

I have been given an awesome privilege today. I get to sing at the Memorial Service for Pioneer Missionary Ike Foster, who went home to be with the Lord recently after 62 years on the mission field. The Foster's legacy of passionate service for Christ is one that I have admired for years. Their son, Paul is a good friend of mine and pastor's in Jenks, OK. He asked me to sing a song that I sang at a fellowship meeting in our church a few years ago. It is called Faces, by Greater Vision, and it speaks of those who have served faithfully, not always seeing the fruit of their labors, but when they stand before God, they will see the faces of those who have come to Christ because of their efforts. I will also be singing, Thank You For Giving to The Lord. While I sing, there will be a PowerPoint of pictures from the life and ministry of Ike Foster and his wife Jane, who graduated to heaven in 2006.
This honor is very special to me, because it was at a service very much like this that God did a major work in my own heart in my early formative years. Two days after I arrived on campus as a freshman at Baptist Bible College in 1976, they held a memorial service for Missionary Bob Hughes, one of my foremost heroes in the faith. The powerful testimonies of those that Bob had won to Christ and the impassioned preaching of his sending pastor planted in my heart a fervor for service to God and for reaching the world for Christ that has never subsided. I can still remember like it was yesterday the preacher saying, "And though he be dead, yet he speaketh..." and they turned on a tape of Bro. Hughes's famous missionary sermon, "I Sat Where They Sat," and he was proclaiming, "Why do you need a call when you have a command? Why do you need a voice when you have a verse? You want a call? I'll give you a call, There's a call comes ringing oer the restless wave, Send the Light! Send the Light!..." I am sitting here now typing through the tears as I remember the impact of that day on my life and ministry. Over 170 people surrendered their lives to the mission field during that memorial service, many of them serving God all around the world today.
I hope that the service today will touch someone in the same way that I was touched so many years ago.
At the very least, I know that it will be a challenge to my heart not to let that passion die.
I was blessed to visit camp last night and see our young people making decisions for the Lord. We have had four receive Christ this week and several surrender their lives to serve Him in one way or another. It was exciting to me to see how God is working in the hearts of our workers as well. I hope that these kids can come home fired up and that the rest of us will catch the passion instead of extinguishing it. I believe that God is preparing to do great things among us. I hope that you will be a part of what He is doing.

Five Smooth Stones

2010-07-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

A shepherd boy with a lowly sling, kneeling by the brook
Carefully he made his choice, as five smooth stones he took
The giant fumed and cursed his God, and threatened him with harm,
But David knew that he would win, so he was not alarmed.

The first stone that he chose would be the hammer in God's hand
To bring Goliath to the ground, and vanquish all his band
The second stone would set to flight the enemy's dark horde
And show them that they could not beat the armies of the Lord.

The third stone held there in the scrip, was chosen for another
For David knew that one day he would face Goliath's brother
This enemy, the Philistines, would fight another day
And David might be called upon to keep them all at bay.

The fourth and fifth stones in the bag were kept there to remind him
That those who rise against the Lord would always seek to find him
The enemies of good and right will never, never rest.
So we must always be prepared to handle every test.

When facing giants in my life, I follow David's pattern
I face the foe with confidence because it's God that matters
I know that there will always be another battle brewing
But I can face it without fear because it is God's doing.

And so as I, as David did, kneel down beside the brook
I choose with care my five smooth stones and confidently look
Unto the One who guides my hand and joins me in the fight
Because I know that I can't lose when trusting in His might.

A Prayer For America

2010-07-04T06:57:00.000-05:00

My prayer for America on this, her 234th birthday.

A Prayer for America

Once she stood tall, her goodness acclaimed,

Men flocked to her shores, for freedom from chains.

She offered them hope and a chance to breathe free

And all who came to her knew her to be

A bastion of liberty, a fortress of faith,

Where God's Word was law, and His Name was raised

In prayer for her safety, prosperity, might,

And even her government sought Its pure light.

But oh, what a mystery! Has she lost her way?

To the sins of humanity has she fallen prey?

For now in her courtrooms, His Word is scorned,

And from safe in the womb unborn babies are torn,

And schoolrooms have vanquished His very name

Leading to anarchy, scandal, and shame.

Leading the Christian to sadly surmise

Before very long we will see her demise.

But wait, there is hope, if only she'll turn

Away from her idols, and seek to relearn

The lessons once taught her by strong, fiery men

Who awakened our country when last she gave in

To greed and to passion, to sensual lust

And turned their hearts back to "In God is our Trust”

Like Edwards, and Whitfield, Moody, and Hamm,

Sunday, and Riley, and Norris, and Graham.

She needs the help of a few willing men,

Who'll give up their comfort in order to win

Her heart back to Jesus, and back to His Word,

Please God spare our country, may our prayer be heard.

Pastor Marty Hughes

Craving God

2010-07-01T11:20:00.000-05:00

Paul said, "All things are lawful unto me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." I Cor. 6:12 There is a power in addiction that is hard to break. No matter what your mind is telling you, no matter how much your conscience is screaming, your body begins to crave the relief of one more moment of surrender to the drug, or the drink, or the baked fudge. We live in an addictive and addicted world. We are constantly bombarded with sights, sounds, and sensations that tug on our flesh and seduce our hearts drawing us into the quicksand of spiritual bondage. Drugs, alchohol, pornography, promiscuity, gambling all send out their siren call. More socially acceptable, yet just as addictive, television, internet, social networking sites, career pursuits, materialism, sports and leisure all clamor for our attention and once they have it, they slowly wrap their tentacles around our hearts and suck the spiritual passion out of us. In I Cor. 16:15, Paul talks about the house of Stephanas, and how they had addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints. David spoke of his soul following hard after God, of panting after Him. What would it look like in our lives if we were addicted to God, if the cravings of our hearts were for a deeper walk with Him, if we couldn't bear to be apart from Him for an hour? What if the first thing that we thought of when we woke up in the morning was God and His Word? What if the first question we asked any time we faced a decision was, "What will God think about this?" I hear Christians talk about their hobbies, their sports teams, their favorite TV shows or movie series like the outcome of these things will determine whether they are going to be happy in their daily lives. The Bible promises us that if we will delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. So let me ask you, Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Do you crave intimacy with God? Does a day without time spent in His Word leave you shaky and weak, hungering for another opportunity to hear from him? If not, then maybe you are addicted to the wrong things. Maybe we all need to examine our hearts and determine which of the many things that have begun to clutter our lives have begun to rule us. Then we need to pursue that intimate walk with God that is the only way to true happiness and satisfaction.

Down The Rabbit Hole

2010-06-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

Isn’t technology wonderful? I love the Carrollian “rabbit hole” that the internet offers, opening doors of exploration never before available to mankind. Why, Google alone offers us the opportunity to explore avenues of adventure that our predecessors would never have even dreamed of. One such adventure occurred to me the other day when I decided to Google my own name, just to see if there were any references to me on the internet. I have to say that the results about me personally were a little disappointing to my ego, but as I followed the links describing others who share my name, I was struck with an intriguing thought. What if you could get up every morning and decide which of the various and sundry lives of people that share your name you wanted to live that day? For me personally, I think it would be fascinating. With my personal fondness for sports, I think I would start out with a day as the Co-head Football, Girls Basketball, Wrestling, and Track Coach for Dundee County/Stratton Public Schools. Just about any day of the year would be interesting and exciting in the life of that Marty Hughes. If I wanted to see what the world of big business and high finance was like, I could spend a day as the Marty Hughes who serves as the Chairman and CEO of the brokerage firm, HUB International. If I wanted to try something new and exciting, I could take the place of the Marty Hughes who plays collegiate hockey for Boston College or the Stock Car Racer from Lancaster, PA. Some weekend, I think I’d like to sit in for the Jazz aficionado, just to see what the life of a musician is like. If I wanted to help people, I could take my pick of the North Carolina veterinarian, or the Optometrist from Tennessee, or even the humanitarian who is carrying on the work of Mother Teresa. They all share my name. If I need some time off, I can just fill in for the Nebraska fishing guide that specializes in fishing from a kayak. They call him Kayak Jack, but his real name is, you guessed it, Marty Hughes. But with my sense of humor, I think that the one on the top of my list would be the Marty Hughes who serves as the President of the Notre Dame Bagpipe Band, although I’m sure he can get annoying at times. This Walter Mitty fantasy journey is something that intrigues me, but then again, I am easily entertained. I have to say, most days, I really love the life I already have, so I’m sure it wouldn’t take long for me to head right back home where I belong. The Bible encourages us to be content with what we have. I have to confess that although I have lived a charmed life and God has given me everything that my heart could desire, I sometimes find myself struggling with contentment. I guess it is the human tendency to take things for granted and not live in the joy of the moment, but I have found that the best way to deal with it when it comes, is to begin to look at the things that I have to be thankful for. God is good all of the time, even if we have to take a closer look to see it once in a while. And besides, I don't even know how to play the bagpipes. :0)

Tearing Down Strongholds

2010-06-29T10:32:00.001-05:00

The giants that we face in our daily lives are generally tied to spiritual strongholds. Neill Anderson defines a stronghold as "a mindset, impregnated with hopelessness that convinces a believer that something that they know to be contrary to the Word and will of God is an unchangeable in their life." The sin itself is not the stronghold, it is the deceived thought pattern that leads us into that sin again and again. These are the rationalizations that we use to justify our actions and they keep us bound up in our sin. "It's not hurting anybody." "I know I have a temper, but I'm Irish." "Well, I just speak my mind, and people will just have to get used to it." We need to recognize that these false impressions build prison walls around us and they must be torn down if we are going to live victorious Christian lives. The good news is that Jesus has provided the weapons that we need to tear down these strongholds, the authority of His name and the power of His blood. Without taking up too much space today, let me walk you through the process of breaking free from the chains of spiritual strongholds.
First, you need to recognize them as sin. This requires that you take a good, long look at your daily life and ask God to reveal anything that is displeasing to Him. Then take some time just to listen for His voice and commit yourself to respond to whatever He asks.
Second, you must repent. Repentance is a change of heart that leads to a change of direction. It is both a decision and a process. There must be a point of decision where you say, I am turning from my sin to God and there is a process whereby you actively move away from your sin and draw closer to the Lord. It takes time and determination to break the patterns that you have developed in your life and to replace them with things that edify rather than destroy.
Third, you need to renounce the stronghold that Satan has had in your heart and mind. A stronghold is a place of refuge that you have given Satan so that he can return again and again with the same temptation. You need to evict him in the name of Jesus and through the power of His blood. Do this out loud so there is no doubt that Satan will know that he no longer has any right to this area of your life.
Next, you need to ask the Lord to reclaim the ground that you have surrendered to this stronghold. The time, energy, and resources that you have spent pursuing your sin should be dedicated to pursuing a closer walk with the Lord. Surrender it to Him and ask Him to reclaim it for Himself.
Then, ask the Holy Spirit to refill that area of your life so that it brings forth the fruit of the Spirit instead of the works of the flesh. The filling of the Holy Spirit is the active surrender of every area of our life to His control. Strongholds reserve parts of our lives for ourselves or worse yet for Satanic influence. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to refill that area and use it for God's glory and honor.
Finally, we need to rejoice in the victory that Christ has already won for us. This is often an act of faith, because we may not see it outwardly immediately, but the Bible says that "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Your freedom is promised and assured, so go ahead and celebrate. Show God that you take Him at His Word.
II Cor. 10:4,5 talk about these weapons and encourage us to tear down the strongholds in our lives. As long as we are bound up in the prison house, we will never be able to face our giants. It's time to break free!

Fighting For Freedom

2010-06-28T12:57:00.000-05:00

Most of the giants that we face in our daily lives are things that want to put us into bondage. The Bible says that our enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil, and each of these would like nothing more than to wrap us in chains so that we could never escape, chains of addiction, regret, bitterness, pettiness, unforgiveness, anger, and materialism. Goliath tried to broker a deal with the armies of Israel. He said, "Why should we take the risk of fighting a major battle at the cost of hundreds of lives, when we can just have a simple mano-a-mano contest with the prize being your liberty. If you win, we'll serve you. If I win, you will become our slaves. I'm sure that many in Saul's army were thinking that maybe this was the easy way out. Sure, they would be slaves, but they wouldn't die in a hopeless battle against a giant and his minions.
Goliath, like the giants that we face, defied the Lord. He asserted that God wasn't big enough to give them the victory. And most of the army of Israel believed that he was right. Often, we simply give in to our problems because we don't have enough faith to believe that God is bigger than our giant. The result is spiritual bondage that saps us of our strength and passion to serve the Lord. I Samuel tells us that the soldiers were fearful and dismayed, so much so that they wouldn't even fight for their freedom. Many Christians have ended up in the same place. They are so bound up in their sin that they aren't even fighting any more, and all because they have lost sight of just how big their God really is.
David, on the other hand, had seen God work in his life before and knew that no giant was big enough to stand against Him. He entered the battle with a confident faith that proved to be the deciding factor.
If we are going to become Champions for Christ, then we are going to have to deal with our strongholds and break free from our chains. The first step to freedom is getting a glimpse of just how big our God really is. Once we know that, the giant doesn't look so big after all. And the victory that comes when we stand in the power of His might, brings a new freedom like we have never known.

Prone To Wander, Lord I Feel It

2010-06-22T14:44:00.000-05:00

Robert Robinson, in his classic hymn, Come, Thou Fount, expressed a common struggle that we all feel from time to time, the world's tug upon our heart. He spoke of "how great a debtor" to God's grace he found himself to be on a daily basis. His old heart was "prone to wander" and always tempted to leave the God that he genuinely loved. Robinson recognized that he needed God's love and grace to bind his heart to God's heart and to seal it for eternity. No matter how active we are in the service of the Lord, the world's siren song is always ringing out. We need to beware the carelessness that could cause us to stumble and fall. We need to walk closer to our Savior so that He can lead the way and protect us in the path. The following is a poem that I wrote while thinking about this human struggle. I hope it is a blessing to you.

THE WANDERER'S PRAYER

Alas, Dear Lord, I fear this day,

for I have chosen my own way.

This path that not so long ago

Seemed right for me. Now, I don't know.

The way is slip'ry, and sometimes steep

And I, just like a wandering sheep,

Have strayed from where you safely led,

By quiet waters and peaceful bed,

To this place filled with sin's loud call

Where careless steps may mean a fall.

O Lord, I need your guiding light,

A beacon in this lonely night,

I need your comfort and your love.

I need your mercy from above.

And strengthen me to face each test,

And help me know Your way is best

Overcoming Obstacles To Becoming a Champion

2010-06-21T14:55:00.000-05:00

The story of David and Goliath is used regularly in our society to illustrate the struggle of someone who finds themselves facing insurmountable odds. But as I have said throughout this series, David didn't just stumble into this circumstance, he fought to be there facing Goliath in the name of the Lord. And if you read the account in I Samuel 17, there were several obstacles that David had to overcome before he ever found himself standing beside the brook at Elah. Remember, David was just a teenager. He had been a musician in the king's court for a while, playing the Iron Age equivalent of Muzak so that Saul's temper wouldn't flare up, but then he was sent back home and, as the youngest, was once again relegated to tending the sheep. The one annointed to be Saul's successor as king of Israel, sitting on a rock watching the sheep graze. So the first obstacle that he had to overcome was the common problem of inertia, getting started. Many Christians live their entire Christian lives thinking, "One of these days, I'm gonna really do something for the Lord. One of these days, I'm gonna make a difference." And yet they never take that first step toward active service for God. David's first step was to be the lunch delivery boy. His father said, "Here, take these cheese sandwiches down to your brothers and bring me back a little report on how things are going." So, off David went. But when he got to the battlefield, he ran into another obstacle. When David heard about the "Goliath predicament," he got stirred up. How could this pagan Gentile be allowed to say the things he was saying against God and God's armies? But as he looked around him, all he saw were eyes filled with fear. And that's when the leader in David kicked in. He pulled out his little soap box and started to proclaim the necessity for someone to stand up for the name of the Lord. Someone had to vindicate God by dispatching this bully with a glandular problem. And David's words were starting to have impact, when His big brother, Eliab, showed up. Now when you read this story, don't forget that it hasn't been that long since Samuel had overlooked, if not rejected, Eliab in order to annoint David king. So maybe it was jealousy or maybe it was just a big brother's tendency to criticize the baby, but Eliab unloaded on David. His words cut deep, implying that David had no right to be here, his job was insignificant and maybe he was too, he was arrogant and his motives were wrong. Wow, Eliab, tell us what you really think! David had seen the need and had stepped up to face it, but before he could ever confront the giant, he had to deal with criticism from someone who should have been his biggest supporter. But David didn't let that stop him. He simply answered, "Is there not a cause?" As Christians, we must get past our petty differences, some that come from unexpected sources and are deeply painful, and we must focus on the cause, the mission, the giant that is in our path. David turned from Eliab and continued to address the soldiers trying to motivate them to fight this battle, but in the end, David was the only one willing to take the risk and fight the giant.
When David was brought before King Saul, he faced more obstacles. At this point David was attacked with doubt about his qualifications and his methods. The king said, "You're just a kid. Surely you can't do this." Once David insisted that he was the man....uhh, or boy... for the job, then he faced another hurdle. Saul insisted that if David was going to do this, that he needed to do it the way that Saul wanted it to be done. Saul said, "Here, use my armor." But it didn't fit David and it wasn't the weapon that God had already shown David how to use effectively. Many Christians get caught in the trap of trying to do things the way that they have always been done or like old Professor Hornblower used to do it, when God may have a unique pattern and method that He has called for them to use. David had to fight the battle using the weapons that God had provided and proven. When David got to the brook at Elah, he found himself face to face with Goliath, and here he had to deal with the most difficult obstacle yet, his own fear. Goliath saw David heading his way and he began to laugh and mock. He threatened David that he was going to feed him to the birds. If David was going to give in to fear, that would have been where it would have happened, but David was walking in faith and all of Goliath's threats slid off like water off a duck's back. When David stood up after choosing his five smooth stones, there was no turning back.
We need to remember that if we are going to be champions for God, then we are going to face obstacles. We are going to have to deal with criticism from unexpected sources. We are going to have to overcome the doubts of those around us. And we are going to have to face our fears with faith that God is going to show up. And we need to keep practicing with that slingshot! :0)

A Man After God's Own Heart

2010-06-14T10:14:00.000-05:00

After my last blog post, I had a friend ask me, "How was David a man after God's own heart if he did all that he did?" That's a great question, especially since David is viewed as such a hero and role model for so many Christians. I believe that the answer is found by looking at when that statement was made about David. We find it two times in Scripture. The first time, in I Samuel 13:14, we hear Samuel telling King Saul that God had taken his kingdom away because of his heart of disobedience. David was chosen to be king because his heart was wholly given to seeking the Lord and following after Him. David's spirit was displayed in his attitude toward Saul, in his zeal for the name of the Lord during his battle with Goliath, and in his deep desire to build a dwelling place for God, and in the fact that he led the nation of Israel to worship God and God alone. David's lapse and descent into sin, came much later in life, but even there, David displayed the kind of heart that honors God. When David sinned, he came to full repentance, he humbled himself before the Lord, and he gave everything he had to be restored to fellowship. One of the characteristics of Scripture that testifies to its credibility is the fact that it doesn't gloss over the failures and weaknesses of its heroes. David's sin with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, were horrible failures, but God is a God that looks at people as redeemable rather than disposable. He forgave David, although the consequences of David's sin were long-lasting and far-reaching, and He restored David to a place of fellowship and blessing.
The second place in Scripture where we find this reference is in Acts 13. Paul refers this statement as a part of his argument that Jesus is the Messiah. He came through the line of David, a man after God's own heart, who would fulfill all of God's will. This statement is a historical overview of the entire life of David, the place that he had in the history of the Jewish people and his role in the coming of the Messiah. It was the sum total after all the good and the bad had been figured in. David's downfall should never be used as an excuse for sin in the life of a Christian, but it should also never be used to set aside the things that God accomplished through him as a result of the great majority of his life when he followed hard after God with all his heart and soul.
So, we can use David as a role model in several ways, both as an example of the things that we should do in order to be the kind of man that God wants us to be, and as a warning against the kind of things that can destroy a man's life and testimony and rob him of fellowship with God. And when we sin, we can follow his example of humble repentance, full confession and brokenness before God so that we can find that place of complete restoration that David found. Not bad for the runt of the litter, huh?

A Heart for God

2010-06-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

What was it that made David God's choice to be king over His people? It wasn't the obvious things that usually set someone apart. When Samuel came to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, his first impression was that David's oldest brother, Eliab, was the one. But God had His own set of criteria for choosing a king. He wanted a man after His own heart. It wasn't his strength and stature. It wasn't his outward appearance or the leadership skills that came with his birthright. It wasn't age and experience. God looked on the heart. But what did He see when He looked at David's heart? He saw a young man whose soul thirsted after God (Ps. 42:1). He saw a student who was dedicated to learning God's ways and following them. (Ps. 25:4) He saw a hungry soul who loved the Word of God like his necessary food. He saw a worshipper whose expressions of praise flowed from a thankful heart. And most of all, He saw a man of faith who believed that God would do mighty things through him if he would only place himself in God's hand. David's victory over Goliath is just the outward fruit of an inward reliance upon God that had been David's lifelong habit.
If we want to see God working in our life in this way, then we are going to have to develop the heart for God that David possessed. We cannot simply desire to see God's hand, we must seek His face. Too often we treat God like a mail-order catalog, when He wants to have an intimate personal relationship with us. The way that God works in our lives has everything to do with the relationship that we have with Him. So the first giant that we must face in order to be like David is a heart that is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. We need to draw close to God so that he can do a work in us before he will ever do a great work through us. My prayer for you today is that you become a child after God's own heart.

Running Toward Goliath

2010-06-08T16:36:00.002-05:00

It's one of the most-beloved of all the stories in the Bible and it is probably the most often used analogy from Scripture applied in the arenas of sports, politics, and business; David and Goliath, the underdog tale of underdog tales. Whenever someone seems to be facing insurmountable odds, this story is brought to mind. But there is something here that many people miss, and that is that David didn't just find himself in an impossible situation, he fought to get there. He had to overcome an awful lot of obstacles just to be standing there beside the brook at Elah. And when he looked up at the giant, that wasn't fear in his eye. It was the sparkle that comes when a person knows that he is about to see God do something amazing. So who was this kid with the slingshot and the dead-eye aim? Where did he get the 'chutzpah' to stand up to a warrior who had shouted the entire army of the Lord into cowardly silence? In actuality, David was the runt of the litter. He had seven brothers who were taller, stronger, better looking and more battle-ready. But David had one thing that they didn't have and it made all the difference. David had a heart for God. David had dedicated his young life to following after God, seeking His face, and stepping out in faith to fulfill whatever challenge that God had placed before Him. When he was charged with watching the sheep, he took it as a sacred calling and defied the lion and the bear to stop him from fulfilling it. When he found himself on the back side of the mountain in pleasant pastures and peaceful times, he filled the hours with worship and sought to know His God more intimately. When given the opportunity to go to the warrior's camp, he jumped at it, eager to see the armies of the Lord, fighting the good fight and subduing God's enemies. What he saw instead were a pack of whipped puppies with their tails between their legs.
David's approach was simple. He never looked at the Giant. He stayed focused on his God. He looked past the circumstance and looked to the cause. He knew from experience that it was God's battle and that He would do the fighting. All David had to do was be the weapon in His hand. And so, as David crouched there by the brook, his carefully chosen weapons in his hands, he slowly began to rise, each step fell faster than the next until he was running toward the Philistine with all that he had. And with a final twirl of his wrist made mighty by his passion for God and guided to its target by his surrender to the Spirit, David fired the shot heard down through the ages and Goliath fell.
Over the next several blog posts, I want to show you how to follow in David's footsteps and defeat the giants in your life. There will be those that question your motives and qualifications. Others will try to encumber you with their way fo fighting the battle. You will face the mockery of the enemy, but never fear. The giant is going down.

Free At Last!

2010-06-08T15:21:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago, the leadership of Independent Baptist Church saw a need to expand their ministry to young families in Grove. In response to that need they began the process of building a Family Life Center. When Pastor Marty Hughes came to the church in 2004, the building was up, the gym floor was usable, but the rest of the infrastructure was unfinished. Seeing the wonderful potential of what they had started, Pastor Hughes led the church to resume the building process. In November of 2007, the church entered a capital funds campaign that they called Faith2Finish, with the expressed goals of finishing the building and paying off the remaining debt in three years time. In September of 2008, IBC held a Grand Opening for its completed Family Life Center, featuring a fully furnished guest quarters for visiting speakers, a 30x30 youth meeting room, a 30x30 game and fellowship room, restrooms equipped with showers, and a concession area. On Sunday, June 6th, six months ahead of schedule, the church burned the mortgage achieving its dream of a wonderful ministry facility and freedom from debt.

Board Chairman Bruce Hensley, of H & H Construction served as General Contractor on the building and Deacons Chuck Nelson and Don Brewer spent almost every day for the final year and a half of the project moving the building toward completion. The faithful efforts and sacrificial giving of the entire Independent Baptist Church family have led to a wonderful tool for the thriving youth ministry of the church that is led by David and Khristi Hardesty and Jason and Becky Dantic. IBC's cooperation with the Grove YMCA has led to a steady flow of families through the facility since its opening, as the building serves as the venue for the YMCA's Adult Coed Volleyball League and as a practice site for their Youth Basketball League.

Pastor Marty Hughes said, "We thank the Lord for providing us with a place and an opportunity to reach out and minister to the young families of Grove and the surrounding area. And we plan to see that vision bear fruit in a powerful way as we head into the future."

Living the Examined Life

2010-06-03T09:47:00.000-05:00

Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." I'm not sure of his context, but in the Christian context, this is a very true statement. We have a tendency to go through the motions and wander off down paths that are either unproductive or personally harmful. One of the most beneficial things that we can do is to take a step back and examine our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and beliefs with a somewhat critical eye. When we do this, God will reveal to us those things that are weighing us down or causing us to stumble. Some of these things are good things, just not the best things. We often allow our lives to become cluttered with things that really don't matter much. They rob us of the time, energy, and motivation to do the things that God has really called us to do. One of the principles that I have learned from reading leadership books by John Maxwell and others is that, as a Pastor, I should delegate everything that I possibly can so that I can devote my time to the things that only I can do. The Apostles did this in Acts chapter 6, when they chose the first deacons and gave them the responsibility of dealing with the needs of the widows in the church. They did this so that they could devote themselves to the Word of God and to prayer. Those were things that no one else could do for them. As Christians, we need to take a little time each day to determine what are the very few things that only we can do and then set out with all of our resources, strength, and passion to see them accomplished. By examining our daily practices and attitudes, we can focus on the things that really produce fruit in our lives. The end result is a more fruitful Christian life and a more satisfying and fulfilling relationship with God. So I would modify Socrates' statement just a bit and say, "The examined life leads to fruitfulness, faithfulness and fulfillment."

Yad Vashem

2010-06-02T09:14:00.000-05:00

One of the most soul-stirring stops on my recent trip to Israel had little to do with it's role as the birthplace of Christ. We took an afternoon at Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Museum and what I saw there had a great impact on me. We were not allowed to take pictures inside, so the only ones that I have are from the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations and the Children's Memorial, but I do have something else that I was left with after my visit. As I wandered through each exhibit, I was struck by the cruelty and inhumanity that was perpetrated upon the Jews. I saw how the Nazi regime systematically tried to wipe the Jewish race off the face of the earth. In the spirit of Pharoah, Haman, and Titus, they set out to remove every remembrance of God's people from the record. The name, "Yad Vashem" comes from Isaiah 56:5 and loosely translated means, "a place and a name." As I walked through the museum, I could hear the voices of the 6 million Jews, over 1.5 million of them children, who were mercilessly slaughtered at the hands of diabolical men, whispering, "Please, remember me. Don't let my death be in vain. Never again allow the world to sit by and rationalize their inaction while people are being slaughtered." The first couple of stanzas of this poem began to take shape while I was in the museum. Other impressions were jotted down on paper in the days following. It is only now that I have been able to gather those thoughts and impressions into coherent form. I hope that they will stir you as they have stirred me.

Yad Vashem

Horrific scenes in black and white portrayed upon the wall,
From 70 years of darkness, their silenced voices call.
Their homes destroyed, their lives cut short, forced to hide or flee
I see them now and hear them say, Oh please remember me!

The stories of their brokenness, the pictures of their pain
The haunting questions of the past, and history’s shameful stain
The darkest secrets of our time, revealed for all to see
So that others will not have to die, Oh please remember me!

Down a pathway marked with broken stones, solemnly we are led,
Into a room of portraits, where children’s names are read
Five candles of remembrance, reflected endlessly,
The voice of every murdered child cries, Please remember me!

An Avenue of Righteous Ones commemorates the light
Brought to the hopeless darkness by those who saw their plight
The ones among the nations who heard their desperate plea
And sacrificed and risked their lives, when they heard, Remember me.

From the ashes of those tragic days, a nation has arisen
And like the phoenix they ascend from the smoke of hatred’s prison
The voice of the heroes reminds us of the price paid to be free
And lest this ever happen again, they cry, remember me.