I just went outside a few minutes ago and it is a beautiful warm spring day. The church lawn is covered with robins who announce the arrival of spring. Other birds fill the air with chirping and the flowers are beginning to bloom...but wait isn't it still February? Seems like it was just yesterday that our area was hit with a devastating ice storm in February although it was three or four years ago. But yes I do believe Spring is here to stay.
Spring is an especially important time in the life of the church. Every spring we get ready to celebrate one of the most important holidays in our faith: Easter. Every year, families come together and celebrate this most holy of holidays and in turn the church normally sees an uptick in attendance on that special day that we celebrate. Although much of the increased attendance is organic in nature due to long-held traditions, the church has a special opportunity to have a greatly increased impact on its community. We can expect more people who normally do not attend church to show up on our doorsteps and we welcome them with loving arms but what if we were intentional about inviting them, showing them love, and welcoming them into our faith family.
The leaders and administration of the church can create some of the "marketing" for special events such as Easter but there is a better way I believe. Everyone has heard that "word of mouth is the best advertisement". When the members of the church are excited about their church, it is contagious. When there is a buzz among the people about what the church is doing, their friends, family, and neighbors get curious. The church as a faith family is crucial in this concept. Every individual member plays a role.
This year, the church will be providing resources to the members in order for them to get the word out about our Easter services. There are no throw-away Sundays in the life of the church but we realize that Easter already presents a unique opportunity so we want to capitalize. In the next several Sundays, you will begin to see some of this material being made available to you and it is my desire that you join with me in this exciting opportunity to reach the lost this Easter.
So will you begin praying now for our church and our community? Here are a few things that I would encourage you to pray for:
1. That our church will be excited about what God is doing in and through it.
2. That we will have a great impact on our community this Easter.
3. That lost people will be invited to hear the Gospel on Easter Sunday.
4. That lost people will give their lives to King Jesus this Easter.
5. That I, as the pastor, will be granted wisdom and the words to speak to be an effective conduit of grace.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
That Frightening Thing Called A Calendar!!!
I just put a brand new calendar on my desk for the New Year and frankly, it intimidates me a little. So much to do and although the calendar is blank right now (that's because I haven't started filling it in yet), I know that soon it will fill up fast with all varieties of events. Church events, family events, holidays, you name it! Before I know it I will be getting ready to set out the calendar for 2018 and will be asking myself where 2017 went.
Time is one of our most valuable assets. Scripture says that we are to be "making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). In the last blog I wrote that we are to be living in the moment and taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us; but what if we are also planning and using time management skills to enhance those moments? No one really knows what the future has in store but in our faithfulness we can plan to be used by God in mighty ways.
Consider the Israelites.Because they did not have faith in the promises of God, they were essentially condemned to waste time. Forty years of time...wasted. Just gone. What a tragedy! Can you imagine wandering around aimlessly, wasting precious time for forty years?!!! Yet, in his wisdom, Moses had a different concept of time. He wrote, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say 'Return, O children of Man!' For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:1-4). Moses understood the eternal nature of God. He understood the importance of time.
We are some of the busiest people to have ever walked on the planet...yet somehow also the least productive. We have reduced our lives to events that we can write down on desk calendars...but how many of those events will have any lasting significance or impact? What if you determined that you would read God's Word in its entirety in 2017? That takes time, right? How about choosing to intentionally disciple someone this year? More time. What if you were to spend a few minutes with God in prayer every morning? More time. What if you were to volunteer for a ministry at church? You guessed it, more time.
So where is all of this extra time going to come from? It has to come from intentionally adjusting your routine. Think about what consumes your time. Some will have some valid reasons why they are so busy...others will not. How much time do you spend watching television? How much time do you spend staring at your smartphone? How many hours have you spent on your favorite hobby? There is nothing inherently wrong with spending time doing these things, but are they the best use of your time? Instead of getting rid of your smartphone, television, or golf clubs altogether, could the time spent doing those things be adjusted so that you might have a little more margin in your life for the things of God? I think we need to assess our calendars and schedules a little better before responding that we are just too busy for one extra thing. Are we really that busy? Or are we wandering around the deserts of mindless daily activities for forty years. Maybe so...maybe not. Just think about it a little bit and see if your daily calendar is filled up with time-wasters. If so adjust...you've got the whole year ahead of you.
Time is one of our most valuable assets. Scripture says that we are to be "making the best use of the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). In the last blog I wrote that we are to be living in the moment and taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us; but what if we are also planning and using time management skills to enhance those moments? No one really knows what the future has in store but in our faithfulness we can plan to be used by God in mighty ways.
Consider the Israelites.Because they did not have faith in the promises of God, they were essentially condemned to waste time. Forty years of time...wasted. Just gone. What a tragedy! Can you imagine wandering around aimlessly, wasting precious time for forty years?!!! Yet, in his wisdom, Moses had a different concept of time. He wrote, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say 'Return, O children of Man!' For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:1-4). Moses understood the eternal nature of God. He understood the importance of time.
We are some of the busiest people to have ever walked on the planet...yet somehow also the least productive. We have reduced our lives to events that we can write down on desk calendars...but how many of those events will have any lasting significance or impact? What if you determined that you would read God's Word in its entirety in 2017? That takes time, right? How about choosing to intentionally disciple someone this year? More time. What if you were to spend a few minutes with God in prayer every morning? More time. What if you were to volunteer for a ministry at church? You guessed it, more time.
So where is all of this extra time going to come from? It has to come from intentionally adjusting your routine. Think about what consumes your time. Some will have some valid reasons why they are so busy...others will not. How much time do you spend watching television? How much time do you spend staring at your smartphone? How many hours have you spent on your favorite hobby? There is nothing inherently wrong with spending time doing these things, but are they the best use of your time? Instead of getting rid of your smartphone, television, or golf clubs altogether, could the time spent doing those things be adjusted so that you might have a little more margin in your life for the things of God? I think we need to assess our calendars and schedules a little better before responding that we are just too busy for one extra thing. Are we really that busy? Or are we wandering around the deserts of mindless daily activities for forty years. Maybe so...maybe not. Just think about it a little bit and see if your daily calendar is filled up with time-wasters. If so adjust...you've got the whole year ahead of you.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
A New Perspective on YOLO
If you are anything like me, you spend December 31st waiting on something to fall out of the sky. Not real festive, I know but tradition is tradition. I am a bit of a sentimental so I enjoy quietly reflecting on another year in the books and I certainly love giving my wife a smooch when the ball falls over Times Square. This year will most likely be no different; complete with all of the pomp and circumstance of a living room lit only by the dim light of television.
There is something about this tradition though. Every year we look for another opportunity to do something that we wish we had done in the past. We long for the endurance and perseverance to accomplish something great in the next year that we haven't completed or succeeded in before. Often times these things that we call resolutions don't even last more than a couple of weeks, if that. There's always next year, right? Well, as we all know, not necessarily. We have only been given right now. The past is in the history books and we are living in the present as God sees fit. This year I am challenging myself, my family, and my church to live in the moment. This is not to say that we can't have plans. Not only can we, but we absolutely should. I am only attempting to say that we should not let the opportunities presented in our routine lives pass us by.
A common phrase that is bantered about by my generation, (yes I am a millennial), is YOLO. I can almost see some of your eyes rolling. This phrase simply means that You Only Live Once. The underlying message behind it is that you should take every opportunity to do something meaningful because you may not get the chance again. The urges that you are encouraged not to resist by this phrase are typically fleeting, possibly even trivial things. This is most certainly not the sentiment behind what I am attempting to get across.
Jesus expects and deserves excellence. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth and said "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Whatever you do. Whether you are eating, drinking, working, playing, cleaning the car...whatever. Do it for the glory of God. Not all of us were called to be pastors. Not all of us were called to be doctors, nurses, teachers, janitors, farmers...but all of us are called to leverage our lives for the glory of God. You can do what you are already doing but change your perspective, change your outlook, change your motivations and align the things that you are already doing for God's glory. Do you go to the grocery store? Share your faith with the clerk. Do you eat out at restaurants? Glorify God with your your generosity to your server. Do you have coworkers? Invite them to church. It's just everyday life. Again Paul writes, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17). Just be who God designed you to be, live according to His will, and live a meaningful and intentional life.
This year my encouragement to you is to leverage your everyday life (whatever you do, in word or deed), to do it in the name of Jesus and bring glory to God! Because YOLO!!! Am I right?!!!
There is something about this tradition though. Every year we look for another opportunity to do something that we wish we had done in the past. We long for the endurance and perseverance to accomplish something great in the next year that we haven't completed or succeeded in before. Often times these things that we call resolutions don't even last more than a couple of weeks, if that. There's always next year, right? Well, as we all know, not necessarily. We have only been given right now. The past is in the history books and we are living in the present as God sees fit. This year I am challenging myself, my family, and my church to live in the moment. This is not to say that we can't have plans. Not only can we, but we absolutely should. I am only attempting to say that we should not let the opportunities presented in our routine lives pass us by.
A common phrase that is bantered about by my generation, (yes I am a millennial), is YOLO. I can almost see some of your eyes rolling. This phrase simply means that You Only Live Once. The underlying message behind it is that you should take every opportunity to do something meaningful because you may not get the chance again. The urges that you are encouraged not to resist by this phrase are typically fleeting, possibly even trivial things. This is most certainly not the sentiment behind what I am attempting to get across.
Jesus expects and deserves excellence. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth and said "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Whatever you do. Whether you are eating, drinking, working, playing, cleaning the car...whatever. Do it for the glory of God. Not all of us were called to be pastors. Not all of us were called to be doctors, nurses, teachers, janitors, farmers...but all of us are called to leverage our lives for the glory of God. You can do what you are already doing but change your perspective, change your outlook, change your motivations and align the things that you are already doing for God's glory. Do you go to the grocery store? Share your faith with the clerk. Do you eat out at restaurants? Glorify God with your your generosity to your server. Do you have coworkers? Invite them to church. It's just everyday life. Again Paul writes, "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17). Just be who God designed you to be, live according to His will, and live a meaningful and intentional life.
This year my encouragement to you is to leverage your everyday life (whatever you do, in word or deed), to do it in the name of Jesus and bring glory to God! Because YOLO!!! Am I right?!!!
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Good Intentions
As a kid, I grew up in an area near an army base. Many of the people that I knew were military and I can remember hearing war-games being played even from miles away. My father was in the military and fought in Vietnam but that was before my time. I never really knew what it was like being in a military family but I had a lot of friends who were intimately acquainted with that life style.
One of the harder parts of having friends whose parents were in the military was the constant revolving door. Many people that I knew would come into our community and then seemingly just as quickly as they arrived, their parents would be stationed somewhere else or sent on a tour of duty. It was always hard to say goodbye to friends. Then came along Ben. Ben and I were inseparable. He was my very best friend and then he was gone. His dad was in the army and got stationed on a base in Germany.
Ben and I swore to each other that we would keep in touch. We decided that we would become pen-pals. I thought that was the coolest thing to send and receive letters from a friend in Germany. He would write me and tell me all about his new school, the town he lived in, and the new friends he was meeting. I would tell him about the adventures that I and our old buddies were getting into. Everyday, I would anxiously wait to see if I would receive a new letter from him in the mail. At first, I was getting them all the time. But, as you can imagine, the letters started slowing down. Then one day, I realized that they had stopped coming altogether. Unfortunately the friend that I had was so distant that we completely lost touch. We had good intentions but it just didn't last. I don't know where Ben is today or how he is doing but I think of him ever so often when reminiscing on childhood memories.
Painful as losing Ben was, I learned an important lesson that I carry with me even today. Communication is key...without it you will grow apart. Being a disciple of Christ is not all that different. Being in communication with the Father is vital to a sustainable relationship. When Christ chose His disciples, He intentionally invested in their lives. He was with them. He communicated with them. He spent time with them.
As a disciple of Christ, I am afforded the same luxury. I get to spend time with God. He communicates with me through His Word and I to Him through prayer. Unfortunately many do not prioritize this withness. To them it is enough to attend church sporadically and clear their conscious with their attendance. God desires a much closer relationship with us than that. He desires to speak into our lives on a daily basis. I would even argue that He desires constant contact with us. He desires to be with us.
One thing is for certain, if staying in touch with God isn't a priority, we will experience distance. But as my wife has asked me on more than one occasion, "Who moved?" It was always me.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Seasons
Fall is by far my favorite time of the year. Leaves, family, cooler weather...the list could go on and on. God has placed it on my heart to write today of the beauty of the leaves changing. The colorful canopy of leaves is brought about by the actual death of the leaves themselves. While we are rendered breathless by their beauty, the leaves are surrendering to the inevitable. This time marks a dormant period in the life of a tree. The tree gives way to the harsh and lifeless cold winter as it sheds this colorful arrangement.
As I write this, one of the dear saints and a patriarch of our church and community has gone on to be with his Lord. While we, as a church family, are grieving, we can notice the beauty in even such a time as this. You see, the Lord considers the death of His saints as a beautiful thing. Psalm 116:15 says this "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints". While for us, it marks the beginning of a time of bereavement, for the Lord it marks the beginning of an eternity of fellowship with one of His followers.
Another passage of Scripture that the Lord continues to remind of over the last several months is 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words."
When a leaf dies, we perceive it as a beautiful thing. When a saint dies, the beauty is that their life is just beginning. We grieve, yes we do. But, we do not grieve as those who have no hope because Jesus will bring with Him those who have gone on before us when He comes to rapture His church. It may feel as though as cold and harsh winter is upon us but we can trust in the Lord that He is bringing about life. As a follower of Christ, I simply want to follow the admonition from Paul in verse 18 above. I want to encourage you with these words. If you are a follower of Christ, death is a beautiful thing. Being absent from the body is to be immediately present with our Lord. That is what makes life livable and that is what makes death overcome-able.
Please, whatever you do, follow Jesus and make followers of Him!
As I write this, one of the dear saints and a patriarch of our church and community has gone on to be with his Lord. While we, as a church family, are grieving, we can notice the beauty in even such a time as this. You see, the Lord considers the death of His saints as a beautiful thing. Psalm 116:15 says this "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints". While for us, it marks the beginning of a time of bereavement, for the Lord it marks the beginning of an eternity of fellowship with one of His followers.
Another passage of Scripture that the Lord continues to remind of over the last several months is 1Thessalonians 4:13-18, "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words."
When a leaf dies, we perceive it as a beautiful thing. When a saint dies, the beauty is that their life is just beginning. We grieve, yes we do. But, we do not grieve as those who have no hope because Jesus will bring with Him those who have gone on before us when He comes to rapture His church. It may feel as though as cold and harsh winter is upon us but we can trust in the Lord that He is bringing about life. As a follower of Christ, I simply want to follow the admonition from Paul in verse 18 above. I want to encourage you with these words. If you are a follower of Christ, death is a beautiful thing. Being absent from the body is to be immediately present with our Lord. That is what makes life livable and that is what makes death overcome-able.
Please, whatever you do, follow Jesus and make followers of Him!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Ends Of The Earth
To the ends of the earth. Go everywhere with the rich fullness of the Gospel. Leave no place out. Tell the nations of matchless grace and mercy.
That is what Jesus told us to do. He has all authority in Heaven and on Earth to give us this commission. It is in His able hands. All we must do is be faithful. Go when, Go how, Go where He sends us. If we believe that He has all authority to send us, then we must also believe that He has all power to equip and enable us.
My heart has been broken for some time for the Quebecois people in Montreal. This is a burden that I have struggled with for over a year now. I do not know how God is going to use me to share His love in Montreal but I do know that I must be obedient. In His providence and grace, I am being allowed to go on a trip soon to this beautiful city and discover what God is already doing and what He wants to continue to do. I ask you that you pray for the city of Montreal and the province of Quebec. Pray that people will continue to respond to the good news. Pray that the church planters will be able to continue their work. Pray that God will provide guidance and vision to me as I go and seek His will in this area. Pray that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest. Prayerfully consider if you are one of the laborers that He might be wanting to send.
You were born for this.
Please watch a short video about what God is doing in Montreal and about the trip that I will be going on!
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Our Samaria
Anyone who knows much about me knows that I really enjoy sports. I especially enjoy rooting for the Georgia Bulldogs! While I am not a sports connoisseur, I enjoy them enough to appreciate a lot of different sports. As a result of this, one of the things that I also really enjoy is the Olympic Games. Much can be learned from observing the Olympics but one particular thing that stood out to me during the summer games in Rio this year was the sportsmanship displayed by many of the athletes. I remember specifically thinking of how many of these athletes represented countries that were in opposition to each other...some even at war with one another. Yet the athletes competed with professionalism, sportsmanship, and integrity. While there were exceptions and there were some obvious tense moments during the games, overall I sensed some unity and respect among the athletes.
This scenario that played out in the Olympic Games made me consider the whole of humanity. While governments may declare war on opposing governments, there are still people who, by and large, are peaceful people and are not represented well by their leaders. It is not until we get to know people on individual levels that we get to see the humanity that is inherent to them. It is not fair to place anyone under an umbrella of hatred based on where they came from, what they look like, or their socioeconomic status. It is easy to affirm stereotypes when we are actively seeking them but when we get down to the individual level with people, we can see that most people do not fit the stereotypes that we have labelled them with.
The Bible is specific in Leviticus 19:18 when it tells us to love our neighbors. A lawyer, wanting to test Jesus, once asked Him who his neighbor was. To this Jesus replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. Jews and Samaritans generally despised one another...they were certainly not very neighborly! Jesus, after having told the parable to the lawyer asked the lawyer to identify the neighbor. Much to his surprise, the lawyer had to identify the Samaritan as the neighbor. We can identify all Samaritans as enemies or we can see them as Jesus sees them. Jesus wound up telling the lawyer that he should act as the Samaritan did in this parable. That is a tough pill to swallow. I, in my own heart, would hesitate at the thought of acting as someone who I had been trained to think of as an enemy.
Samaritan or otherwise, Jesus shed His blood for the whole of humanity. It is our responsibility to break down walls of hatred that have been ingrained in us, often times with no logical reasoning, to make disciples. So ask yourself, who is your Samaria? Why? Should you be harboring hate for anyone in your heart? Obviously not...so how will you make disciples of the Samaritans in your life?
This scenario that played out in the Olympic Games made me consider the whole of humanity. While governments may declare war on opposing governments, there are still people who, by and large, are peaceful people and are not represented well by their leaders. It is not until we get to know people on individual levels that we get to see the humanity that is inherent to them. It is not fair to place anyone under an umbrella of hatred based on where they came from, what they look like, or their socioeconomic status. It is easy to affirm stereotypes when we are actively seeking them but when we get down to the individual level with people, we can see that most people do not fit the stereotypes that we have labelled them with.
The Bible is specific in Leviticus 19:18 when it tells us to love our neighbors. A lawyer, wanting to test Jesus, once asked Him who his neighbor was. To this Jesus replied with the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37. Jews and Samaritans generally despised one another...they were certainly not very neighborly! Jesus, after having told the parable to the lawyer asked the lawyer to identify the neighbor. Much to his surprise, the lawyer had to identify the Samaritan as the neighbor. We can identify all Samaritans as enemies or we can see them as Jesus sees them. Jesus wound up telling the lawyer that he should act as the Samaritan did in this parable. That is a tough pill to swallow. I, in my own heart, would hesitate at the thought of acting as someone who I had been trained to think of as an enemy.
Samaritan or otherwise, Jesus shed His blood for the whole of humanity. It is our responsibility to break down walls of hatred that have been ingrained in us, often times with no logical reasoning, to make disciples. So ask yourself, who is your Samaria? Why? Should you be harboring hate for anyone in your heart? Obviously not...so how will you make disciples of the Samaritans in your life?
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