High Places

MVBC Connection 02-03-12

2012-02-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

Love God, Love Others, Reach the World

Reminder:

Keep our Honduras Mission Team in your prayers - Bernard, Barbara and Dean
We start our new series, "Love and Marriage" this week. We'll be talking about "A Marriage Worth Fighting For." We're also baptizing Cindi Heffner Sunday morning.
Not all of our small groups are meeting Sunday night so be sure to watch the bulletin. The college group and the youth group are joining together for a time of worship and then a Big Game Party. They will be meeting in the Children's Wing Sunday evening at 5:45 pm. Everyone is welcome to join them, just bring your own food!
The Hegel small group has been ministering to the Elliot Family of Dandridge, trying to help provide some reliable transportation. They are needing about $400 to repair an engine. We'll receive a love offering at the end of the service Sunday for anyone that would like to give to help out. If you'd like to write a check, just make it out to Magna View and put "Elliot family" on the memo line.
Saturday, Feb 11 is our next Hwy Clean-Up day. We'll start at 9:30 am and end with a lunch around 11:30 am. Be sure to let David Hegel know if you are coming so we have enough food for lunch.
The youth are sponsoring a Valentine's supper on Saturday, Feb 11 at 6:30 pm. Registration forms will be in the bulletin on Sunday. The meal is free, but a donation would be appreciated. Proceeds go to the summer mission trip to Guatemala, July 6-13. The mission trip is open to everyone and We have applications for the trip available.
We also have tickets to the Wild Beast Feast coming up on Saturday, February 25th.
Be sure to check out the online calendar at our website (www.magnaview.org) to keep up with upcoming events. You can also access our sermon page from the website as well to hear previous sermons.

I think that is all for now. Look forward to seeing you Sunday!

MVBC Connection 01-19-12

2012-01-19T20:46:00.001-08:00

Love God, Love Others, Reach the World

Hey Church,

Just wanted to remind you about the special weekend coming up. We will be honoring Sanctity of Human Life Sunday this weekend. Cathy Gleason of Life Outreach Center will be with us to share about the ministry of Life Outreach. We'll also be receiving a love offering for them, so come prepared to give. If you are planning to write a check, you can make it out to Life Outreach Center. Brittany and the choir will be sharing a special song that reminds us that our Father loves us and knows everything about us. Adam and Anna will also be providing special music as well. It's going to be a great morning! Please be praying for the service, for all those who will be involved and for those who will be there whose lives will be touched by God!

Our small groups will be meeting Sunday night. We have five groups that are meeting each Sunday, and we anticipate expanding that number soon. Be sure to check out the times and locations for the groups that will be meeting and get plugged in!

Next Sunday (Jan 29) will be Baptist Men's Day. Wes Adams will be preaching that morning and Gordon Johnston will be leading the music. We need all of our guys in choir practice this Wednesday night at 6 pm to prep for Sunday. Andy Beltz will also be sharing his testimony. Be praying for this special service and be sure to invite someone to join you there.

The date has finally been confirmed for our Mission Trip to Guatemala this summer; July 6-13. The cost for the trip is $325+airfare per person. We've already started raising money to help off-set the cost. If you're feeling called to go, don't let money be the determining factor; God will provide. We'll have applications available soon!

We'll have tickets available this weekend for our Wild Beast Feast coming up on Saturday, February 25. TWRA will be bringing out trailers for pre-meal activities. Keith has lined up a great selection of various wild game. We're still finalizing plans for a guest speaker, but rest assured we will be sharing Jesus so make sure you get tickets to your lost and un-churched friends and family. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 12 and under. The proceeds will go toward our summer mission trip to Guatemala, but the money isn't the most important thing, so if you have lost friends and family who can't afford the ticket, give them one anyway - we want them to hear the Gospel. Since our space is limited, tickets will help us keep track of the number who will be attending.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

GIVING GOD THE GLORY #tim_tebow

2012-01-09T16:01:00.001-08:00

The world is all abuzz about Tim Tebow. The Broncos' one-play overtime win over the Steelers yesterday has caused quite a stir among fans and critics alike. I watched a good bit of the game (around small group last night) and was impressed with Tebow's play; it was probably his best game as a pro. In fact, it was probably the Broncos best game of the season, they seemed to be in a good rhythm all night.

I've never been a Broncos fan, even in the Elway glory days, but I am a Tim Tebow fan (have been even when he was a Gator). Here's why:

1. He is a passionate player - I love people who go all in no matter what they are doing, and Tim Tebow goes all in. He plays with enthusiasm and energy and it inspires his teammates.
2. He's a winner - he is not the best football player to ever play the game. He is not, and probably never will be the best quarterback in the league. But Tim Tebow still finds a way to help his team win. Kyle Orton was the Broncos' starting QB when the season began, and by all accounts, Kyle Orton is a better quarterback than Tebow, but Orton couldn't consistently lead his team to victory. Tebow believes he can win even if he is not the best player on the field, and he's got his teammates believing they can win also; and now they are winning more than they are losing.
3. He's humble - say what you want about his performance on the field, but when he is behind the microphone, Tebow is consistently deflecting the attention away from himself and directing to his teammates and coaches. He is always heaping praise on his linemen, his receivers and his coaches for putting them in a position to win. He also gives a lot of credit to kicker Matt Prater whose field goals have led to many of the Bronco's victories. A lot of people are talking about Tim Tebow, but Tim Tebow is not one of them.
4. He is a follower of Christ - I'm sure you expected this one to be at the top of the list, but I decided to save the best for last (lol). Yes, I like Tim Tebow because of his public stand for Christ. I don't think it is cheesey when he bows on the field in a brief prayer (Tebowing), and I'm not bothered when he first "thanks his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" in an interview. I'm glad to hear the name Jesus Christ used as something besides a curse phrase in a movie. I don't think he does these things for show; it is who he is and he has been this way for a long time. I'm glad to see a follower of Christ who doesn't turn it off and on depending on the context he is in. Yes, it is going to rub some people the wrong way, and he is going to catch some flack for it from all sides, but so did Jesus. So, I for one hope he keeps winning and people keep talking about him and to him, because he will keep giving God the glory. The number one search on Google today was John 3:16 - if all the Tim Tebow hype can get 90+ million people searching out John 3:16 and perhaps reading it and at least being exposed to the idea that there is a God who loves them enough to send His Son so that they could have eternal life, then I pray he keeps winning and giving God the glory!

SPIRITUAL GROWTH PLAN FOR THE NEW YEAR

2012-01-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my wife and I bought usa new GPS. Our old one had gone brain-dead a few weeks earlier and,though we don't always need a GPS, it comes in handy when we aretraveling in areas we don't normally travel in. A GPS (GlobalPositioning System) is a small computer that enables you to get frompoint A to point B the quickest and most efficient way possible. Itoperates by satellite signals sent from high above the earth. If youprogram it correctly and follow the directions it will generally getyou to your destination in a timely manner.

For the last couple of years I havebeen working on/from a spiritual GPS that I call a Spiritual GrowthPlan (SGP). It is basically a goal-map that I develop (with the help of signals from above) at thebeginning of each year and seek to follow it through-out the year.The ultimate goal is to grow spiritually, i.e. become more likeChrist (Ephesians 4:15), the SGP is the tool that helps me reach thatdestination. Of course, spiritual growth is a life-long process, andI will never reach the ultimate destination until this life is over,but as a follower of Christ, I am called and commanded to beconsistently moving toward becoming like Christ in every way.

For most of my Christian life I thoughtspiritual growth would happen naturally, like physical growth. But,as I have learned the hard way with physical growth, unless there isdiscipline and direction healthy growth doesn't just happen. BecauseI wasn't disciplined or directed in my physical growth as a youngerperson, I'm now having to make some significant changes in mybehavior in order to improve my physical health. I also have to havethe aid of medicine to keep my physical body functioning the way itis supposed to. Growth in my body occurred automatically, but healthdid not. A healthy body requires discipline and direction. Likewise ahealthy spiritual life requires discipline and direction, thus theSpiritual Growth Plan.

On another page on this blog I haveplaced my SGP for the world to see. I'm a bit apprehensive about it,but I also realize that if I keep it just to myself, I have little orno accountability and can slide "off the wagon" anytime Iwant to. I'm hoping that the realization that other people in my lifemay read my SGP and may just ask me how I'm doing with it, will helpkeep me on track. So feel free to read it and check up on me throughout the year.

I also hope it will encourage you topray about and begin to develop your own SPG. Yours will be differentfrom mine, as mine was different from the person's who challenged meto develop it. Start by thinking about areas in your Christian lifewhere you may need some work and then begin by praying about what theLord would have you to do to strengthen those areas. For me, I saw aneed to grow in the areas of Scripture, prayer and disciple-making,so that is where I am primarily concentrating this year. It willprobably be a little different next year. Your areas may be similarto mine, but they may be different as well. Ask the Holy Spirit toguide you, and then follow His leadership.

One last thing about a Spiritual GrowthPlan: it is important to remember that the SPG is a means to an end,not an end in itself. Sometimes when I am driving and using the GPS,I find that I become so focused on making sure I follow thedirections to perfection, that I become overly stressed about thenext turn and if I miss it, I nearly blow a gasket. I get so anxiousabout following the GPS that by the time I reach my destination, I'mtoo stressed to enjoy it. I have to remind myself from time to timethat even if I miss a turn along the way, I will still eventually getwhere I need to go, because my GPS has this wonderful thing called"recalculating". So, even if I get off course for a littlewhile, the GPS will get me back on track in a short time.

Spiritually speaking, we have a wordfor "recalculating"; we call it grace. Grace is that wonderfulgift from God that allows us to get back on course even after we'vemissed a turn or two. So don't become so focused on fanaticallyfollowing the SGP that you don't enjoy the journey. Even if you missan element or two for a short-time, God allows for recalculatingthrough His amazing grace.

5 WOWS from the Past Week!

2011-12-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

WOW is really how I feel! I praise the Lord for the great things He is doing and the great people He is doing them through! I have several reasons to say WOW!

WOW #1 - We had wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services this past weekend. We had several visitors during both services, but most importantly, the Lord was very present! I'm thankful for Mark Self coming forward for baptism, which we will be doing this coming Sunday on January 1, 2012.

WOW #2 - Thanks to the prayers of our family of faith, my daughter Lydia is back to her old self. We spent much of Christmas day in the ER at Children's Hospital with her. The initial thought was that she had a kidney stone, but the doctor diagnosed it has a nasty virus. Whatever it was, we give the glory to God and credit the prayers of God's people because by Monday evening she was feeling much better.

WOW #3 - My mom is continuing to recover from congestive heart failure. Though I'm writing this blog from the ICU of JMH, she has improved much over the last 24 hours. I'm "wowed" over the outpouring of love and support from our faith family - thank you for the numerous calls, texts, emails, visits and most importantly the prayers. We've been at great peace throughout this ordeal and I know it is because if the prayers of God's people. We are blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family.

WOW #4 - Last night (Wednesday) our church approved a faith budget of $226,200.00. That is about a 7% increase over the previous year's budget. I'm thankful for the leadership of our Stewardship Team during the budgeting process, and the faith of our family to accept their hard work.

WOW #5 - (AND THIS IS THE BIGGIE!!!) After I left the hospital last night I stopped by the office to check messages, and on my desk was a note that read: "Lottie Moon Offering total - $10,264.33 (P.S. - total is after the "seed" money was put back in missions)". WOW! Our highest ever Lottie Moon Offering Goal has been reached, and in the first week of receiving it! Praise the Lord for answering our prayers and providing through His people! We'll continue to receive the L.M. Offering through January, so if you haven't had an opportunity to give, it is not too late. All of the monies received goes to directly support the 5,000 SBC missionaries serving the Lord outside of the United States.

We began the year saying that we wanted to be a church that gave away more than we kept. I don't know if we've reached that goal or not, but I know Magna View has given sacrificially this year, both to our budget and beyond. We have been a conduit of God's financial blessings this year, and it has all been to the glory of God. Thank you Magna View, for being open to God to do what He wants to do through you.

Final note: for the first time I can ever remember, I missed being at the last service of the year. I was in the hospital with my mom, and was unable to attend the Wednesday night service last night (Thanks to our deacons for taking care of the service). The last service of the year, whether it is on a Sunday or a Wednesday, is always one of my favorites. I usually share my goals and hopes for the coming year. I will do that at some point, but let me say for now that I'm praying that 2012 will be the greatest year of ministry that Magna View has ever experienced. I'm praying that we reach and disciple more people in more places than we ever have before. My theme verse for Magna view this year is Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." I believe that what God has done in the past year is barely scratching the surface of what God is going to do in the year to come. WOW! Glory to God!

THE PREVAILING CHURCH - OVERVIEW

2011-10-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Tonight we continued our discussion about the church, looking at what the Scriptures teach that the church is to be. I titled this section "The Prevailing Church", borrowed from Randy Pope's book by the same name which I'm using as a resource. Tonight was the overview, and borrowing an idea from Pope's book I contrasted the Prevailing Church with what Pope calls "the Precautious Church." But first, a definition of "prevailing"...

Prevailing: "Prove more powerful than opposing forces; be victorious; having superior power or influence."

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not PREVAIL against it. The church Jesus founded is to prevail against the enemy, but as we take a hard look at the church and its impact on the modern culture, it appears that we are being overpowered and losing ground. We seem to more resemble the Precautious church.

The Precautious Church

Has a "protect what we have" mentality - more concerned with keeping the people we have happy, rather than reach lost people for Christ.
Provides a "comfort zone" environment - low expectations, and no challenges.
Focuses more on attendance than discipleship - is more concerned with building a crowd than building a church.
Resistant to change - a "don't rock the boat" attitude. While change is hard for all of us, the Precautious church is exceptionally resistant to change. The emphasis is on keeping the peace at all cost, and that usually means leaving things as they have always been. Change is seen as being too difficult and even dangerous. Jesus said, you can't pour new wine into old wineskins (Matt. 9:17). The precautious church would rather live with the rigidity of "old wineskins" than experience the power of the "new wine" of the Holy Spirit.

The Prevailing Church

Passionately committed to the Gospel - Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" is the passionate cry of the Prevailing Church and the primary message proclaimed inside and outside of the church. Jesus is the focus in the Prevailing Church.
Governed by Christ and His word - Jesus said, "I will build MY church." Jesus is the Head of the church and His word, the Bible, dictate the structure and activity of the church, as opposed to a church governed by a worldly business model, or the traditions of men ("this is how we have always done it.")
Intentionally living out the Great Commission - According to Luke 19:10, Jesus came to "seek and to save that which was lost." That was His mission statement. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, His last instructions to the church was to continue that mission by going and making disciples of all nations. The Prevailing Church intentionally and strategically lives out the Great Commission.
Overcomes the opposition of the enemy - Prevailing over opposition, temptation, trials, and resistance (spiritual, cultural and physical). Victory becomes the norm for the Prevailing Church.

Over the next few weeks we'll look at each one of the characteristics of the Prevailing Church.

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS

2011-10-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matt 16:18 (NKJV)

On Wednesday's we're doing a little "getting back to the basics" study concerning the church. Our discussion started by considering the perception of the church by those outside of it. As Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" I asked our church "What do people of our world say the church is?" The responses:
House of Hypocrites Community Service Organization
Country Club Place to get help (financial, physical, etc...)
Social Club Place to receive comfort
Childcare service Place of Entertainment

There may have been a couple of others, but these eight summarize the thoughts from outside the church. I then asked, "What do you say the church is?"
Believers who are baptized Organism
Bride of Christ Place/people of refuge
Family Business (Father's)
Community (of faith) Organization
Again, there may have been a couple of others, but these are the thoughts of those from within the church.

It is important to have an understanding of the perception of the church from the community, and it is important to understand how the church sees itself, but most important is to understand what the church is from a Scriptural standpoint. Over the next several Wednesdays we'll be looking at the church through the lens of Scripture. Tonight we laid a foundation by looking at the first use of the word "church" in the Scriptures, Matthew 16:18. Here's a summary of the teaching:

1. The Church Belongs to Jesus - "I will build MY CHURCH"

Jesus conceived the church (MY church)
He chose the church (we are the chosen BRIDE of Christ)
He bought the church (Eph. 5:25)

Though WE invest ourselves in the local church, we must avoid the thinking that it is MY church. We can have membership or partnership, but not ownership of the church.

2. The Church is being Built by Jesus - "I WILL BUILD My church"
Jesus is building the church, but He is doing it through us. We are the laborers, and He is the contractor which means to very important things:

We have to stay in close contact with the Contractor - our job is to do His work His way, and the only way to know how to do that is to stay in constant communication with Him. Pray first, then plan and work.
We have to follow His instructions - the Bible offers the blueprint for the church. The Bible instructs us how the Lord wants to build His church, not our traditions.

3. The Church is Prevailing because of Jesus - "the gates of Hades (Hell) will not prevail against it"

The church is to operate from an offensive position, not a defensive.
"Building" implies expanding and the enemy cannot stop the church from growing (because Jesus is building His church).
Rather than trying to "hold our own" or protect the "territory" that we already have, we are to be actively taking territory from the enemy.

Next week we'll talk more about the "prevailing church."

It Takes Discipline to Be A Disciple

2011-09-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

D.A.Carson once wrote: “People do not drift toward holiness. Apartfrom grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness,prayer, obedience .. to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. Wedrift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift towarddisobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition andcall it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control andcall it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and deludeourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide towardgodlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

Ittakes discipline to be a disciple, because spiritual growth isintentional not automatic. If left to ourselves, we tend to move awayfrom God and His glory. Just as our bodies atrophy without exerciseand our minds weaken without challenge, so our spiritual life witherswithout, as Carson says, "grace-driven effort."

Jesusis committed to our spiritual growth. He is not content to allow usto wallow in spiritual immaturity. The Bible, in Ephesians 4:15says, "...we will speak the truth in love, growing in everyway more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, thechurch." (NLT) Jesus loves you the way you are, but He lovesyou too much to leave you the way you are. He's committed to enablingyou to grow spiritually so that you become more and more like Him inevery way.

That'swhy uncommitted Christians are spiritually miserable. They go tochurch, but get nothing from it. They sporadically read theScriptures for their devotion, but see no application to their dailylives. Prayers are occasional, mostly before meals, but spoken fromchildhood memory rather than heartfelt devotion. They have a form ofgodliness (basically good people), but deny the power of it. Theysense something is missing, but can't quite put their finger on whatit is. Often, their solution is to withdraw and put the empty feelingon the back-burner of their lives. Because it is easier to ignore theproblem than to practice the discipline needed to grow spiritually.

Butit takes discipline to be a disciple. The apostle Paul wrote: Don’tyou realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person getsthe prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in theirtraining. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do itfor an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am notjust shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training itto do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching toothers I myself might be disqualified. 1 Cor 9:24-27 (NLT)

Paul had a plan forspiritual growth:

1. He knew what thegoal was - Paul knew the goal of spiritual maturity (Christ-likeness)and he went for it

2. He trained himselfin godliness - Paul practiced the spiritual disciplines of prayer,study, obedience and others.

3. He lived withpurpose to his life - Paul's goal in life was to glorify God ineverything He did.

4. He mastered hisfleshly desires - Paul made his body subject to his spiritual nature.Many times I've heard it quoted (and said it myself), "Thespirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt 26:41),but I'm afraid that verse often becomes the excuse for failing todiscipline ourselves in godliness.

Ittakes discipline to be a disciple, because spiritual growth isintentional, not automatic.

September 18

2011-09-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Great day of worship at Magna View today. I really love the sweet spirit in our fellowship. We're different than any church I've been a part of. The atmosphere is relaxed, people are free to worship as they feel led of God, and the sound of laughter is heard often. It is a great place to be on Sunday mornings.
Great message from Bill Hall this morning. Bill is an entertaining speaker; he always has great illustrations and always has an object lesson. As anyone who was there this morning could tell, he's passionate about discipleship. Bill lives discipleship. He uses his construction business to move his guys toward God, and to be a witness for the Lord to the community.
Baptized one of our young men this morning with help from his dad. I love having the dads in the baptismal waters. It is such a special time for the family.
Tonight is Life Group night, our small group ministry. This is something new for us and we're still working out some issues. I love the small group ministry and here's why:
1. It's biblical - the early church didn't have special buildings to meet in, so they met in homes for fellowship, Bible study and discipleship. It was the time of greatest growth for the church.
2. It's effective - small groups build relationships and that is at the heart of making disciples. Jesus made disciples by investing in a small group guys, spending time with them and being in their homes and with their families.
3. It moves the church back toward New Testament Christianity - one of my concerns for the church in America is that we have become just another "institution" in society, where people come to get some religious instruction or encouragement. But the church Jesus started was to be a movement that infiltrates the world as salt and light and takes the Gospel to the world. Small groups get the church out of the building and into the neighborhoods.
We're going to keep working at it, and struggling with it because it is what God has called us to do.

PURE IN HEART

2011-08-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

A few thoughts from the morning sermon:
I've always struggled with this Beatitude, bothered by the term "pure in heart." I think of PURE as being untainted or unstained. (Actually I think of the Disney character, "Snow White"; she was innocent and naive, untainted by the evil around here). I knew I didn't fit that category. When I think of my spiritual heart, I think it is dirty and stained up from the sin I've allowed into my life. Even though I am a Christian and I know I am forgiven, I felt like my heart would never be pure enough that I would be able to see God, at least not this side of eternity.
So, as I began to study this passage, I began to think about the people who "saw" God, or had a personal encounter with Him. I thought of Abraham, and God's visit to his tent to tell him that Sarah would become pregnant. Abraham, who lied about his relationship with Sarah, who went to Egypt even though God did not tell him to go. Abraham who tried to help God keep His promise by having a child with Sarah's servant. Was Abraham really "pure in heart."
I also thought about Jacob, who wrestled with God at the Jabbok brook. Jacob, the trickster, who stole the birthright and the blessing from his brother Esau; who tricked his uncle Laban in order to grow his wealth. Was Jacob "pure in heart"?
Moses had a personal encounter with God, and even spoke to God as a man speaks to a friend. But Moses was on the backside of the desert when he encountered God through the burning bush, and he was there because he was wanted for murder in Egypt. Pure in heart?
As I studied the Scriptures, what became clear is that "pure in heart" didn't mean to have a Snow White heart that had never been stained by sin. It means that your heart has been cleansed by God, the stain of sin removed by His grace and forgiveness. The word for pure that Jesus used is where we get our word "catharsis", which refers to a cleansing of the heart or mind. It is also a noun that means to be "unmixed, as having no double allegiance." Pastor Brian Bill gives a great explanation of what it means to be pure in heart: "A person with a passion for purity (a pure heart) is one who has been cleansed in character so that the way he or she looks in public is the way he or she is in private." A person whose heart has been cleansed by God is the same person all the time; he or she doesn't have a public persona and a private persona. To be pure in heart is the opposite of being a hypocrite. I'll expand on this more later.

GUATEMALA LAST DAY

2011-07-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

Ran out of time yesterday, so I didn't get to post. I'll try to fill in the blanks. On Thursday we spent the day in San Antonio working at the student center. It is run by a Guatemalan lady named Anna Louisa with help from a couple from Germany. The student center program is called "Step by Step" and it provides after school educational programs as well as meals for children in the town. Right now, they are cooking on what is the equivalent of a 5 gal. bucket with a fire in under it.

We finished chipping away the paint and plaster from the outside wall so it could be refinished. We also finished pouring the concrete slab for the kitchen we are building. Some of our group went to the town square to play with kids and give out candy and tracts. The man Cecelia had spoken to on Tuesday was there and I had an opportunity to share the Gospel with him. He is interested in Christianity and has been reading the New Testament. He didn't accept Christ today, but we made sure he knew what he needed to do, and we left him a "Steps to Peace with God" tract.

On Friday we split up the groups and some went to the church that Mike and Carla attend - it is an inner city church in Guatemala City. It is also a student center, and they had a birthday party with the kids. I went with a group that went back to San Antonio to get the walls up on the kitchen for the Step by Step student center. We were able to get the walls up and the mission team that is coming in tomorrow will put the roof on and install a new stove. It is a drastic improvement for the center.

We're about to start evening devotions, so I'm going to stop for now.

GUATEMALA DAY THREE

2011-07-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a great blessing. We spent the day in San Miguel, where we were all week last year. We saw the kitchen that we helped build; it is now being used by the school to provide hot meals for the kids. We also saw many of the children that we ministered to last year. They seemed to remember us. We weren't able to go to the "small school" so Jamie was not able to see the little girl she had connected with, but some of the others are in the student program being sponsored by Clubhouse Guatemala so we got to spend the day with them. It was great to get to be with the kids again.

We also installed four stoves in the village. Most homes in the village have open fire stoves that are usually found in out buildings near the home, but they have very little ventilation and the women have to deal with the smoke while cooking. The stoves we installed were made of cinderblock and concrete but also have an exhaust pipe to vent the smoke. The new stoves also use 3/4 less wood than a typical Guatemalan stove, which will be more economical for the families.

At the first home that we installed a stove, when the installation was complete, Mike Parker shared the Gospel with the home owners, a man and woman in their forties, and they both prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. They were both raised Catholic, but were not practicing any religion. Afterward, Mike said this is the first family that he has provided a stove for that prayed to receive Christ. He has installed about 100 stoves over the last year and he always shares the Gospel, but most of the time the people claim to be Christian because they belong to the Catholic church. Mike was on Cloud Nine today. We were thankful to be a part of two more souls for the Kingdom of God.

Tomorrow we return to San Antonio to finish the kitchen for the student center. We'll also go into the city square to minister to the kids and hopefully have a chance to share the Gospel. Please keep us in your prayers.

GUATEMALA DAY TWO

2011-07-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just getting around to posting about day two of our Guatemala Mission Adventure. Was exhausted last night and went to bed early; had a productive but tiring day. We worked all day in San Antonio, on a student center that provides after school program for children. We prepared for and began pouring the floor to the new kitchen we are building for them; mixing cement on the ground by hand and moving it by wheelbarrow. We also began removing paint and plaster from an outside wall, using machetes, hatchets, hammers and various other hand tools. It is a long and tedious process.

Some of the group went to the city square and attracted a crowd of kids. They played with the and loved on them. Cecelia had an opportunity to witness to a man who told her he didn't have a religion but he was reading the New Testament to help him learn English. She gave him a "Steps to Peace with God" tract. We are going back Thursday, please pray that Manuel will be there so that we can talk further with him. J-Bob witnessed to the Teresa who, along with her husband and a Guatemalan lady named Anna Louisa, run the student center in San Antonio. Teresa is from Germany and was Catholic but now says she is not "in church." J-Bob talked with her and gave her a Gospel of John and a tract. Pray that the seeds planted will grow and produce fruit.

The other church groups we are working with have been great. The Youth Group from Bel Air Methodist Church has been impressive. They are eager to work and have done everything that has been asked of them. One young lady, Kendall, has worked circles around most everyone else. She is an athlete (placed 4th in her state in shot-put) and has worked tirelessly at some of the hardest jobs. Cecelia has made a friend from Gillespie Ave. BC in Knoxville. She and Mitchell pick at each other all day, and Cecelia is loving it.

Well the bus has just arrived to take us to San Miguel. I'll try to post more later tonight.

GUATEMALA DAY ONE

2011-07-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

We arrived safely in Guatemala yesterday (Sunday) and was picked up at the airport around 10:30 am Guatemala time. We picked up the other teams that are here. We learned that there is actually 4 teams here this week: the largest group is a youth group from a Methodist church in Maryland. There is also a group of 6 from Gillespie Ave. BC in Knoxville (including Kelly Woods nephew, Austin), and a family of four from Northstar Church in Knoxville, and our group of eight.

After picking up the other groups we all went to Antigua (Central America's oldest continuous city) for our down day. When we finally arrived back at the mission house, our team was exhausted. Most of us were running on 3 hours of sleep or less. We all slept well last night.

After breakfast this morning we headed to the village of San Mateo, a mountainous village about an hour from the mission house. Mike has partnered with a church in the village to do a "Character Counts" ministry for the local kids. We spent the morning leveling the ground in the church's courtyard preparing it for sod and seed. As it is, the dirt courtyard ground was sloped and drained into the building that housed their children's ministry. We leveled the ground (by hand) and tomorrow they will be bringing in sod. It is a real blessing to the church.

In the afternoon, we held a birthday party for the kids who are registered with the ministry center in San Mateo. There are about 55 children involved and we provided a pizza lunch, drinks, and balloon decorations. When the pizza was brought in, someone asked the children how many of them had ever had pizza before, only three out of the 50 or so kids, raised their hands. After the pizza party, the kids had a tienda, or toy store. The kids in the Character Counts program earn points by doing things like, learning memory verses, helping at the ministry center, helping at home, etc. At the tienda they can cash their points in for toys and games.

In the afternoon, some of the group went to the ministry site that we will be working at tomorrow. It is in a city call San Antonio, and is in the downtown area. A man and his wife operate a feeding center and an after school program for kids, but they don't have a kitchen to cook the food. Tomorrow and Thursday we will be building them a kitchen from the ground up. Today we cleared and leveled the area where we will be building. We also had to unload a ton of sand from a truck that was too big to fit through the gate of the place we are working. We unloaded it with shovels at the entrance to the gate, then we had to move the pile to another location so we could get in and out of the gate. It was a full truck load of sand and it had to be unloaded and moved all by shovel. Our groups will sleep well tonight.

Everyone is doing well. Brittany is battling a cough she had before she came down. She feels fine, just irritated with the cough. We'd appreciate your prayers for her. I'll try to post some pictures later on our Facebook page.

MAGNA VIEW CHURCH

2011-07-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Five things I want my Family of Faith to know I'm thankful for:

Magna View Baptist Church...

1. I am thankful you believe the Bible and seek to be obedient to the commands of our Lord.
2. I am thankful you have a heart for missions and are willing to send those who are able to go.
3. I am thankful for your generosity and passion to give cheerfully to the work of the Lord.
4. I am thankful you are willing to serve, to give of your time, talents and resources for the glory of God.
5. I am thankful that you are faithful to God and to His servants.

You are a blessing Magna View Family! I thank God for you each day. I love you as my family of faith!

Pastor George

THE GRACE OF GOD

2011-07-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Bible says that God's grace is sufficient. The context of that verse is very important. The apostle Paul has been plagued by what he calls a "thorn in the flesh". We're not told what his thorn was, other than it is identified as a "messenger of Satan" given to Paul specifically to keep him humble (I'm thinking it was one of those "sandpaper people" that always rubs the wrong way). Paul prayed three times (the number of holiness) for it to be removed, but the thorn remained. God's answer to Paul's prayer was "no, but ... My grace is sufficient for you." And then God explains why: "My strength is made perfect in weakness." In other words, when you are faced with a situation that you can't fix, a problem you can't solve, a weakness you can't overcome, that's when God takes over. He works in you, through you and around you to do what you can't. He shines the light of His love into your darkness.

I love Paul's response, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:9-10)
When we face our most serious challenge, we can rejoice, because God is about to show His power. When we are at our weakest , we can "take pleasure" because God is about to show His strength. When we shrink down, God shows off.

This verse is especially significant as I prepare for our mission trip to Guatemala. Even though I've gone before, there is always that concern about what "may happen". I'm such a control freak, and being in a country where I can't speak the language, and can't navigate the streets takes me WAY out of my comfort zone. There's also the concern over being able to share the Gospel, which is my main reason for going. Will I have an opportunity to share the Gospel? Will I know what to say? Will I be able to communicate clearly? All those things keep running through my mind ... and then God speaks, "My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect (complete) in your weakness (frailty)". Therefore I rejoice in the unknowns, uncertainties, and challenges of the trip, for in my weakness, He will be strong. Thanks be to God for His amazing grace!

SEND NORTH AMERICA

2011-07-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the storm knocked out the internet at the office; my initial response was confusion and then panic because I suddenly realized I was disconnected with the known universe. Well, not really, but it seemed that way. But it gave me an opportunity to read the latest issue of On Mission magazine published by the North American Mission Board (NAMB). Our church gets a copy, but I generally scan it and then put it on the resource table in the welcome area of our church. But something (or Someone) drew me into the articles and I was amazed at what I read.

The magazine outlines NAMB's new emphasis on church planting through a program called Send North America. They've divided North America into five regions: Canada, Northeast, West, Midwest and South. You can read the details at www.onmission.com, but what really got my attention were the numbers. In each section they breakdown the ratio of SBC churches to population, and the numbers were mindblowing to me. Here is a summary:

Canada - 1 church for every 123,971 people, (272 SBC churches in the entire country of 33 million people)
America:
Northeast - 1 Church for every 37,788 people, 1,761 SBC Churches)
West - 1 Church for every 16,788 people, (4,465 SBC Churches)
Midwest - 1 Church for every 12,802 people, (5,363 SBC Churches)
...drumroll...
South - 1 Church for every 2,697 people, (38,671 SBC Churches)

I had always heard that I lived in the "buckle of the Bible Belt", I just never realized how big that buckle was until I saw those numbers. God really got my attention. I'm prayerfully struggling with how to justify living in a place that has so much access to the Light, while most of the rest of the world is walking in darkness because they have so little access to the Light. I shared these numbers with our deacons last night and asked them to begin to pray about being involved in church planting in other parts of our land. I'm anxious to see what the Lord will do.

WEDNESDAY WORDS

2011-06-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You." John 17:1

Jesus, in His earthly ministry never sought glory for Himself, but always sought glory for His Father. He never attempted to draw attention to Himself. In fact, several places throughout Scripture, Jesus commands people to tell no one who He really was. He sometimes hid Himself from people and often sought to get away from the crowds. He did not seek attention for Himself.

But He always sought the attention of His Father and attention for His Father. In the opening lines of His great intercessory prayer Jesus says to His Father, "Glorify your Son, that Your Son may glorify You." Jesus isn't seeking glory for Himself, but for the Father. Yet, He realizes that the ultimate way that the Father will be glorified, is if the attention of the world is upon Him at the Cross.

The Crucifixion of Christ didn't occur in secrecy under the cover of darkness in a small deserted town. No, it took place during a religious festival, in the light of day, in a city that was overflowing with people from all over the civilized world. Christ was "glorified" or lifted up, that the world could see and take note. But it wasn't about Him, it was about His Father. Jesus endured the public humiliation and torture on the Cross, so that others (including us) could see how much "God so loved the world." In His death on the Cross, Jesus glorifies the Father, and draws our attention to Him that we might know Him and glorify Him in our own lives. To God be the Glory!

MONDAY THANKFULNESS, June 27

2011-06-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:18 (NLT)
1. I am thankful for a God who loved me even before I was born, and who proved His love for me even when I was living in sin. 2. I'm thankful for the Holy Spirit that gives me peace and guides me in the way I should go. 3. I'm thankful for a godly wife who lives in the power of God's grace.4. I'm thankful for daughters who are compassionate and have a heart for ministering to others in crisis. 5. I'm thankful for a loving family of faith who cares for one another and expresses their love for one another through simple acts of grace and kindness. 6. I'm thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ who have the gift of giving and are faithful to exercise it. 7. I'm thankful for faithful servants of the Lord who are dedicated to serving the Lord regardless of their circumstances. You are a blessing by your example.
What are you thankful for? Why not share your thankfulness with others.

VACATION DAY 1

2011-05-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

It day one of our family vacation. We left around 7:45 am heading to Washington, D.C. Holli graduated on Saturday and this is her graduation trip. She chose Washington. We were here a couple of years ago but only got to spend one day in the city, so we didn't see a whole lot. Holli wants to visit the zoo while we are here.
The trip up was un-eventful. We arrived here around 3:30 pm. We drove the van despite finding out this week that we have an oil leak. The other option would have been to drive the Malibu, which would have given us better gas mileage, but the girls would have been packed in the backseat like sardines.
We checked into our motel which is incredible. We're staying at the Hyatt Place Herndon/Dulles Airport-East. I got a great deal from Hotels.com. We went for some supper at a cool place - Generous George's Positive Pizza and Pasta (http://www.generousgeorge.com/). The food was good and the atmosphere was great. Abigail got to make her own pizza. I think we'll probably eat there again before the week is out.
Came back to the hotel and the girls went to the pool for a while. Cecelia and I just kind of crashed. Tomorrow we're going into DC and are planning to check out the big Memorial Day Parade down Constitution Avenue. It's going to be a great week.

MONDAY THANKFULNESS

2011-05-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have so much to be thankful for. Thinking back over the last couple of days:

1. Thankful for my mom who is a woman of great faith. She made sure all of us kids got a foundation in church. She worked hard all of her life - working all day, coming home to cook supper and then clean-up. She rarely got to sit down and relax around the house. I love my mom and she is still such an inspiration to me.
2. Thankful for my wife who is such an amazing mom to my daughters. Cecelia is a unique person and she is a perfect match for me. She knows what is going on ion our daughter's lives all the time. She is very honest and straightforward with them, and she is passionately protective of our girls. I see a huge amount of respect from them for her because they know she loves them and would die for them. At the same time, they know she might just snap and go all "Madea" on them when they do wrong. I love my wife and I'm thankful for her abilities as a mom.
3. Thankful for my daughters. It is such an incredible thing to watch them grow up and see them serving the Lord. I love seeing them use their gifts and talents to honor God. Each one of them is very unique and special. They are truly gifts from God and they bring so much joy into my life.
4. Thankful for the encouragers at church. God has brought some special ladies into our church that are so encouraging. They are always saying kind things and lifting people up.
5. Thankful for my church family. I say this a lot, but God has really brought together a special group of people at Magna View. Each week I am amazed at how God is working through our congregation. As the pastor, I get the "backstage pass" into people's lives that others don't get. It is amazing to see God working in our family of faith.
6. This is probably too far down on the list, but I'm thankful for a God of grace and honesty. I love getting to be myself with God. I don't have to put on a front and pretend like all spiritual when I'm not. God knows my heart and there is no need to pretend with Him. This has also given me the desire to be myself before others as well. All my life I've often been guilty of trying to put on a good front for people, trying to please them and make people think I was better than I really was. I still fall into the trap sometimes, but I feel like I'm getting more comfortable at being myself around others (even church folks).
7. This one will sound weird - trials. A part of me wants everything to go smoothly in my life all the time. I'm guilty of wanting the "easy" path, and I used to get really frustrated and even depressed when things didn't go according to plan, or when I found myself in difficult situations. I still struggle with my attitude, but I've come to realize how much God has grown through the trials and difficulties I have gone through. Yes, I would wish that I didn't have to go through any more of them, and yes, I'll get a little frustrated and discouraged from time to time. But I'm getting a little better at letting God have His way with me through the difficult times and trusting more in Him.

Lot's to be thankful for.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! I was thankful to have my mom with me in worship today. Mom is 85 years and is remarkably sharp. She doesn't move around very well, and she doesn't hear very well anymore, but she always seems to be in good spirits. Mom is a woman of great faith. She was diligent to take us kids to church when I was growing up. She was the nursery director at Sharon Baptist church in Knoxville for a number of year. And she faithfully sang in the choir. Though I didn't always enjoy having to go to church as a kid, I look back on those times with fond memories now.
I'm very thankful for my mom. I pray for her daily, and I seek to draw from her example, that I might be an example of faith to my kids as well. I hope all moms have an enjoyable and special Mother's Day today.

STORMS AND OPPORTUNITY

2011-04-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

   Tornadoes rolled through the South last night causing significant destruction and death. Over 240 confirmed deaths so far, including several in Tennessee. With the storms comes a great opportunity for the people of God to respond in the love of Christ.
   We've been emphasizing giving at Magna View this year. I've shared with our church that I'm praying we become a church that gives more than we keep. I want to share with you a couple of opportunities to give in response to the needs left by the storms:
   A friend and co-worker of Anjanette Large at Walters State, Susie Harrison and her family were victims of a tornado in Greeneville last night and lost everything. The modular home in which they lived was destroyed. Susie's daughter and family lived with them. The family is in need of clothing and personal items.

Women's clothing needed: size X-large (16-18), size 9 shoes

Men's clothing needed: size Large

Toddler boys clothing needed: Size 3T

Baby girl clothes needed: Size 6-9 month

We'll be collecting these items this Sunday morning, May 1.

Also, the Tennessee Baptist Convention has set up a fund for those affected by the tornadoes. Money given will go to help with disaster relief and rebuild of homes. We'll receive a special offering this coming Sunday to help. You can make your check out to Magna View Baptist Church and put "Spring 2011 Tornadoes and Storms Fund".

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38 (NKJV)

SOMETIMES THEY GET IT!

2011-04-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know what stirs a pastor's heart more than almost anything; that thing that causes us to say "Yes, this is why I'm still in ministry." It's when someone in the pew comes to you and says, "I get it, God's moving in my life and I'm going to do something about it." I had that experience today and my heart is overflowing with joy. I was asked to fill out a missions recommendation form so that one of our members could be on mission with God in a medical missions ministry. It's a person who said they are tired of setting in a pew, and they just can't do it anymore. They have to get busy for God!
Praise the Lord. This is the message God has been burning in our church for the past three months. Sunday we had a guest speaker, Dr. Phil Young from the TBC who challenged our church to be a missional church, that is, a church that is a biblical community of Christ followers sent to live out the mission of God. Preaching from John 9, Phil showed that the biblical ministry of Jesus was incarnational, intentional, indigenous, and made a strong impact on the local community. The church is called to do the same. It was a powerful and challenging message.
Sometimes even the best messages elicit very little response, but I knew the message had struck a never when our member came to me after the service and said, "I need to talk to you this week." Sometimes that's not something I like to hear, but in this case, I knew God was behind it. And he was.
I'm thankful for what God is doing in Magna View. We've gone through a lot of changes and transitions over the last several years. It's not been easy, but it's been good. And I know God isn't through changing us. I pray and I believe He is shaping us into a church that has a local and world-wide impact for Him. I believe we're just beginning to see a great work of God.

GOD IS ABLE

2011-04-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had those times when you wonder what in the world you are doing in life. Today is my day off and I've enjoyed the down time. I took my oldest daughter to get two wisdom teeth out this morning and everything went well. Came home and mowed the front yard before realizing it's still winter time. Worked on some laundry and then watched some baseball. I've really gotten away from baseball the last couple of years; I'm a Cubs fan so there's not been much reason to keep up with baseball (Cubs lost their opener today too).

I've also been reading a book by Pastor Stephen Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. I'm enjoying the book, it is very inspiring. It's wonderful how God has blessed Furtick's ministry and the exponential growth of Elevation. Furtick seems to be a pretty ordinary guy with great faith in a great God. The book is titled "Sun Stand Still" and it is based on Joshua's prayer in Josh. 10:12, where he prays for the sun to "stand still" in the sky so he and the Israelites can finish off the enemy. It's an impossibility that God grants him. Furtick attributes the success of his ministry and his church to the power of God that is activated by audacious faith and radical obedience; praying "sun stand still" kind of prayers, and acting in faith.

I love reading these kinds of books - I'm both encouraged and challenged. Encouraged because I love to read about great moves of God that transforms lives and grows His Church. Several of the stories have brought me to tears. But challenged because I have in my heart the desire to be involved in a great move of God. I've sensed it for years, I've prayed for it, and at times I thought I would experience it, and while I have seen the hand of the Lord at work in my life and in our church, it's nothing on the scale of what I feel in my heart.

I turn 46 next week (which maybe the reason I'm a little reflective and moody), and I'm wondering what I have done in my life that has brought glory to God and impacted this world for my King. I struggle with the fact that what I feel that God has put in my heart hasn't become a reality, and I'm wondering if it ever will. I know the answers that I would give to others in my situation - "it's God's job to do the work, your job is to be faithful no matter what; God's in the little things; every small act done in Christ's name brings reward in heaven." I know all the answers, but none of them seem to satisfy.

I'm thankful for all that God has let me be a part of in my life. There's no doubt I have been blessed time and time again; I don't want to come across as ungrateful, but I yearn for more. I long for an ability to lead people to a life-changing encounter with God. I yearn for a genuine revival in my life and the church where lives are changed, souls are saved, relationships are restored, ministries are started and worked, and each week or day we see the mighty hand of God moving on His people. I long to be a part of a great move of God that brings Him glory and brings me the sense of "this is it, this is what I've created you for, this is what I put in your heart."

The Lord is stirring something in me, I don't know where it will lead, but I'm ready for God to do something great, I'm ready for the sun to stand still for the glory of God. I pray He moves soon.

MONDAY THANKFULNESS

2011-03-28T05:41:00.000-07:00

I've found that it is always best to start the week with an attitude of thankfulness. Monday's are often difficult times for ministers - we're typically exhausted from the weekend, we're discouraged because attendance was low, or no one responded to the message (basic "pity-party" stuff), and we have a long list of things to accomplish before next Sunday. Think about Monday's too much and you'll climb back into bed and hide under the covers (which is sometimes the best thing to do).
But I've found that taking a few minutes to count my blessings sets a positive tone for the day and even the week. So here's what I'm thanking the Lord for today:
1. The amazing grace of God that abounds in my life! I'm overwhelmed by the fact that God loves me even though I screw-up most of the time. My past is covered under the blood of Christ and my day is in His hands, therefore I can relax and rejoice in His amazing grace!
2. An incredible family of faith that I am blessed to be a part of. The Lord says that whoever leaves anything for the cause of the Kingdom will receive 100-fold back in return. I don't know that I've left very much behind for the Kingdom, but I've gained an incredible amount through the family of faith that God let's me be a part of. Magna View BC is an awesome group of people to share life with.
3. The challenge to be more proactive in sharing my faith with others and inviting others to join me in this journey of following Christ. Jesus says I WILL be His witness (Acts 1:8), therefore I am challenged to live out that verse today.
4. My wonderful wife and daughters - everyday I am thankful for the incredible relationship I have with the people closest to me. God has blessed our family with a wonderful (and weird) sense of humor. We laugh together more than any family I know of. I'm not only enjoying my family in this life, but I rejoice in knowing that I'll enjoy them forever in Christ.
5. Electronic connections - I know its not the same as "face-to-face" fellowship, but I'm thankful for the ability to connect with people who are significant to me through electronic media. I'm blessed to learn about what God is doing in people's lives all over the world.
6. Challenging readings - Reading the "Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and he is stretching my understanding of the church.
7. The opportunities to impact others for Christ. It's hard for me to fathom that Jesus chooses to partner with me to impact people's lives, but He has put His treasure in this earthen vessel, and I want to use it for His glory!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess 5:16-18 (NKJV)

reFresh Ministry Conference

2011-03-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

I had a great day! I attended the reFresh Pastors Conference in Knoxville with my friend Phil Young, and I was truly "refreshed" by Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and Daniel Henderson, president of Strategic Renewal. It was one of those challenging, convicting, and yet encouraging conferences. Here are some of my favorite quotes and sayings:

Jim Cymbala
Commenting on "Christians" who on't like coming to worship: "If people don't want to be in God's presence on earth, why would He punish them by sending them to heaven?"

"God will help you see people as He sees them."

On communication - "When you love, you get through."

"Our culture is killing us. Culture is stronger than the Bible and the Holy Spirit in most of our churches."

Daniel Henderson
"The devil doesn't have to destroy us, he just has to distract us."

"Leadership can't point the way to prayer, we have to lead the way to prayer."

"We've replaced the leadership of the Holy Spirit with 'having a vision.' Don't do vision by imitation, do it by inspiration."

"The only enduring motive for praying is that He is worthy to be sought."

"If I were the devil, I would concentrate on keeping Christians from praying."

These are just a few snippets from an overall great conference.

Seven Things for Magna View

2011-03-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Seven things I want our church to know this week:

1. So thankful for the Spirit's powerful presence yesterday! Each week it seems like God "ramps-up" our passion a little bit more.
2. Loving God with all of our heart, soul, and strength is a life-long journey. I feel like in some ways I'm just getting started, but it gets better and better each day. Making the effort to "keep your spiritual fervor" is worth it!
3. God is at work all over the place - it was amazing to see again how God is at work in an orphanage in Honduras last Sunday night! God is using His people to give hope and life to over 400 kids who would be living and dying on the streets of Honduras without Orphanage Emmanuel.
4. Next Sunday is so important in our review of our Mission Statement. LOVING OTHERS is the natural outflow of loving God.
5. Small Groups has changed my life. I'm so encouraged every time we do our Family2Family Small Groups. I get to know my family of faith so much better and I see God literally building His church using small groups. Next Sunday night is going to be a blast!
6. I think Magna View is the most "ministry-minded" church I've ever been a part of. Each week I hear about how ministry is taking place within the Body as members minister to one another. Nobody is drawing attention to themselves, but a lot of ministry is taking place each week and it is bringing glory to the Father.
7. God loves His church (you) so much and He has blessings for you if you'll put yourself in a place where you can receive them.

"Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

Monday Thankfulness

2011-03-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

Just a few things I'm thankful for this Monday evening. They're not in any particular order -

1. I'm thankful for a great Sunday at Magna View. The powerful presence of God's Holy Spirit has been obvious in our worship services and I am thankful to be there and experience it.
2. For a wonderful family - I had a great week/weekend with my family. My oldest daughter got her official drivers license, and we learned she made a good grade on her ACT. We spent Saturday in Corbin, KY for my youngest daughter's 12th birthday. Her choice was to go to the Original Kentucky Fried Chicken Sanders Cafe. It was a neat experience. We spent the afternoon walking around an indoor flea market looking for "treasures" we couldn't live without. On Sunday my middle daughter was called upon to lead a worship song in the worship service - she did awesome. I'm so proud to see how God is using her. I have a great group of girls.
3. Small Group was incredible Sunday night. I attended the "seniors" group and I was blown away again at how God is building His Body @ Magna View. We have some great Seniors who have a heart for the Lord and the desire to share their experiences with others. I learn something new about our church family every time we get together in small group. Our time of sharing about what our parents "handed-down" to us was powerful!
4. For the opportunity to teach college students the word of God. I have a great group of students in my Religion 101 Old Testament class at Carson-Newman College. They stayed with me through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy tonight.
5. For getting preached to today at the Nolachucky Baptist Association Pastor's Conference this morning. Don Pierson, prayer specialist from the TBC preached the pure word of God to us pastors today - it was both encouraging and challenging (and a little painful as well).
6. For the opportunity to start my day in prayer and in the presence of my Savior and in the word of God.
7. For Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor executed by the Nazi's at the end of WWII - for the writing he left behind, The Cost of Discipleship - grace is free, but it is not cheap. It cost Jesus His life, but I cheapen it when I fail to live completely committed to Jesus.

Never stop cultivating a heart of thankfulness.

Book Review: If God is Good...

2010-12-31T17:14:00.001-08:00

Randy Alcorn's "If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil" is a thorough, helpful, and inspiring treatise on the problem of evil and suffering in light of the belief in a benevolent and all-powerful God. The book is exceptionally written with both supporting information and enlightening illustrations. Throughout the book, Alcorn makes the case for a belief in the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good God of the Bible, in-spite of, or perhaps even because of, suffering and evil in the world.

Alcorn acknowledges that evil and suffering are real and are real problems when it comes to believing in the God of the Bible. He presents the arguments offered by atheists and agnostics, that the existence of evil and suffering in our world is evidence against the reality of the God of the Bible. If God is all-good and all-powerful, he certainly would not allow such evil and suffering to exist as rape, child-abuse, cancer and natural disasters. Alcorn then masterfully responds to those arguments from Scripture, philosophy and human experiences and insights. He provides substantial support for his position that God not only exists, but he is actively at work in and through the lives of those who suffer.

This book is a remarkable work. Though Alcorn deals with the very difficult subject of pain and suffering, he does so with a unique compassion in his writing. While offering opposing view points from his own, he does not come across as being arrogant or of being condemning of those who hold different opinions. He also deals with some very technical issues, such as predestination verses freewill, but does so in a very understandable way.

"If God is Good" is an exceptional work that will help provide encouragement, comfort and understanding to those going through times of suffering. It will also be a helpful resource for those who are looking for a better understanding of how and why God allows suffering and evil to exist. I personally have a better understanding of how God has been working in my own life through personal suffering and difficulties. I highly recommend this book.

This book was provided by Waterbrook Multnomah for review.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite holidays. I have so much to be thankful for - first and foremost, my salvation in Christ. Without Him I would be hopeless. I'm also thankful for my wife, with whom I recently celebrated 26 years of marriage. I'm thankful for my beautiful daughters who are the joy of my life. I'm thankful for my mom who has been modeling faith for me from the day I was born. And I'm thankful for my family of faith who mean more to me than they will ever know in this life - thank you Magna View.

Thanksgiving Week

2010-11-22T04:37:00.000-08:00

This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Just working Monday and Tuesday this week. Taking Wednesday off to be with Cecelia and the girls. We're going to Dollywood and to look at Christmas lights. We're doing Thanksgiving at home, starting our own family traditions. I'm looking forward to cooking and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with the girls. I have fond memories from my childhood of cracking pecans for Waldorf Salad while watching the parade with my family. And, of course, I'll be watching a lot of football this weekend.

40 Days of Praise

2010-11-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

Our church has been doing 40 Days of Praise leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and it has been wonderful to hear the praises of God's people and see some of the wonderful results of putting a priority on praising the Lord. Each week we have had different people share their testimonies of how God is at work in their lives. The result has been that others are becoming more encouraged to share their testimonies and praises.

For me personally, this has been one of the best Fall seasons I can remember. Typically the time leading up to Thanksgiving is stressful - lots of church activities, lots of sickness in the church, and trying to get all of the family stuff done in preparation of the holiday. This year has been different because I'm more focused on the Lord. I've made praising Him a priority in my life and the result has been a wonderful peace in my heart. There are still a lot of church activities, there is still a lot of people sick, and there is plenty of family stuff to get done, but this year there is no stress, just peace and joy. God is good like that!

This week in our 40 Days of Praise devotionals we are focusing on the names of God in the Old Testament. The Hebrew people often named places or gave God characteristic names after some significant event. These refer to God's acts or His character. Today we praise Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer. In Exodus 15, after crossing the Red Sea, the Hebrews came to a place called Marah where they found water that was bitter. Unable to drink the water, the people whined to Moses who cried out to God, who showed Moses a tree that he could put in the water and it would take away the bitterness. At Marah, God made a covenant that if they obeyed His voice, they would not suffer the diseases that had plagued the Egyptians, for He Himself would heal them. He is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord who heals.

A Blessed Man!

2010-10-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those special days when I realize how blessed I really am. This morning started out with our traditional Sunday ritual, breakfast at McDonald's. We started doing this on Sunday mornings as a way to motivate our kids to get up and ready for church. It has been such a blessing because we have an opportunity to talk and enjoy each other and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning up. We also have a good time cutting up with one another and it just puts us in a good mood as we prepare for worship.

Today was different because I was invited to preach at Bulls Gap Baptist for their Homecoming service. I pastored Bulls Gap from 1994-1998 and we had not been back there for a long time. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces and to remember some wonderful times of ministry. I remembered a lot of things about our time there: ministering to people in crisis, fellowship times, worship times, baptisms, weddings and funerals. The years at BG were years of growth for me, and God brought some wonderful people into my life to help me grow.

After the service we had a wonderful lunch and fellowship time. Then we came home and cleaned-up and got ready for our small group, we call it Family2Family. Normally our girls do childcare, but we didn't have any little ones tonight so the girls got to participate in the Bible study, and it was real blessing to have them in on the discussion. I'm amazed at how they are growing in the Lord. I remember when I was their age and I had virtually no relationship with the Lord. I was saved, but I was not growing in the Lord. My girls are much farther along spiritually than I was at their age. It blesses me to see how God is at work through them.

I'm thankful for our small group. We're usually not a very small group but tonight was different and it gave us a chance to really share our hearts. We discussed the story of David and Goliath, which Bill preached on this morning. There are so many lessons in that story; it was great to hear different perspectives from different people. Each time we meet I learn something new about the people I worship and serve with. God is doing some great things in my life through the small group.

I am a blessed man.

Security in God

2010-09-21T13:35:00.001-07:00

In Sunday School the last several weeks we have been studying a wonderful section of Scripture called the "Psalms of Ascent", Psalms 120-134. This week we are studying Psalms 125 and 126. A big part of the lesson that I've studied so far has been on 125:1-2, "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people, from this time forth and forevermore." The psalmist describes the security that God is to His people. Just as Jerusalem was secured by the surrounding mountains, so God's people are secure in Him. Our security, spiritually and in all other ways, lies in our close relationship with God. But a problem can occur when we begin to trust more in the blessings of God or in the manifestations of God's presence, than in God Himself.

The writer of the lesson puts it this way:

"We often know enough not to ascribe our security to carnal, worldly things. Our greater, slyer temptation is to place our security in the blessings we readily credit to the Lord.

"Even if our security is in something God has given us -- our gifts, talents, loved ones, church family, consitent victory, passion for His Word -- our seemingly secure mountain ultimately will fall into the sea. We can grow secure in the favor God has shown us, but God's favor and His person are not synonymous. If our trust is in the manifestations of God's favor rather than God Himself, we will crumble like dry clay when He calls us to walk a distance of our journey entirely by faith and not by sight.

"To build on our previous psalm of ascent [124], God is with us and for us even when His face and His favor seem hidden. Mountain-like security only comes from trusting God, not what He's done for us or given us, however glorious and eternal those things may be." (Masterwork, p.45)

Amen.

A Believing Pharisee???

2010-09-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended a leadership conference at NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC with a couple of guys from church. It was a pretty intense one-day event. We heard some of the best preachers in the country: Perry Noble (host pastor), Mark Driscoll, Francis Chan, Jud Wilhite, Judah Smith, Steven Furtick, and Andy Stanley. All of these guys and their messages had a different impact on me. Some of them encouraged me, some challenged me, and all of them taught me. And God used them to help me see some things that I hadn't seen before.

For example, Andy Stanley preached on Acts 15, on "Four Gravitational Pulls Every Church Experiences." It was a great message; very practical, inspiring and helpful. But God also opened my eyes to a verse I had not paid much attention too before. The context of Acts 15 is the controversy over whether Gentiles could be saved by faith alone, or if they had to be circumcised and keep the Jewish laws. The first Christians were Jews and they were having a difficult time accepting that God could save people outside of the Jewish faith.

The verse that really jumped out was Acts 15:5. I've read this verse numerous times, but suddenly it captivated my attention: But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." (NKJV) What? Pharisees who "believed"? I just kept reading those words: "the Pharisees who believed; the Pharisees who believed; the Pharisees who believed." Then the Holy Spirit spoke - "A Pharisee who believes, is still a Pharisee." He believes in Jesus, but he is still holding on to his religious traditions and trying to impose them on others.

To the Pharisees' credit, the things they were holding on to were pretty important. In fact, they had been given to them by God - circumcision as a sign of the covenant, and the Law of Moses as the means of keeping the covenant. It was their "old-time religion" and if it was good enough for Abraham and Moses, it was good enough for them, and it would be good enough for the Gentiles as well!

The problem was, the "Old-Time Religion" wasn't good enough (see Acts 15:10), and so God was doing something new. He had established a new covenant through His Son Jesus. A covenant of faith, not religious ritual. The Pharisees knew of Jesus, and according to the Scriptures, even "believed." But they couldn't let go of the past. And they couldn't let go of their old ways of doing things, like imposing their beliefs on others (i.e., "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.") Consequently, they were causing division in the church.

Here's the point God gave me - "A believing Pharisee, is still a Pharisee, and will always try to make people do/see things his way. But the church can't be held hostage to the ways of the Pharisee. Grace must (and will) always prevail." Believe me, there are still Pharisees in the church today, and they will always try to control the work of God and make it fit into their theological framework, and by imposing their personal beliefs on others. But, as Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.” Matt 9:17 (NLT) The "New Wine" of Christ will not be contained by the old religious traditions held on to by men, and eventually He will break free from them.

REMEMBERING

2010-09-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks on America. I remember being at the office that morning, when our secretary came in and mentioned that she had heard something about a plane hitting one of the buildings in New York. I thought it was probably a small plane and it would turn out to be an accident, but I turned on the radio and discovered it was a major event. I listened to the news on the radio for a while, but decided I needed to see what the TV news people were saying, so I headed home to be with Cecelia and our youngest daughter.

I got home in time to see the second plane hit the tower. By then we knew it was a terrorist attack. I remember the feelings as I watched the towers begin to crumble and fall to the ground. I couldn't believe my eyes. Our friend Kim was here and I remember us praying together for the people involved. I sat in front of the TV for the rest of the day as reports of the crashes at the Pentagon and Pennsylvania came in. I remember feeling numb for a while, and then getting angry. There was nothing I could do, but I was angry.

That evening I was teaching a class for Carson-Newman. I didn't have time to cancel it, so we abbreviated it and we had called a special prayer service at our church. Most of the people who gathered felt the same way; we were in shock and we were angry. But we turned our anger over to God as we spent time talking and praying together. I still cannot understand those who are not only willing to take their own life for a cause, but also willing to murder innocent lives as well.

In the news recently a pastor in Florida has been planning to burn 200 copies of the Koran, the Muslim holy book. There has been a huge outcry from government officials, celebrities, religious figures and others. Muslims across the world are outraged and many are demonstrating against the U.S. by burning flags and shouting "Death to America."

I'm not in favor of burning the Koran; though I do not accept it as a holy book, I think it should be respected as well as the religion it represents. But I do believe that this episode has revealed the huge difference between Christianity and Islam. Burn a stack of Bibles and Christians will be angry, we'll be hurt, we'll condemn the act as sacrilege; but we won't threaten to kill you or demonstrate by burning flags and effigies. We won't threaten worldwide repercussions. We will be angry and voice our anger, but we will also pray for those who commit such an act. We'll pray that the Lord would help them see the error of their ways and come to Him to receive forgiveness and eternal life.

Islam has been touted as a religion of peace, yet every time Muslims feel their holy book or prophet has been defamed, they strike out in violence, threatening riots and attacks and calling for the execution of the perpetrators. They will resort to violence to protect their books, their prophet and their god.

I pray for Pastor Terry Jones, that he would do the right thing. I pray for Muslims worldwide that they would come to know the Prince of Peace, Jesus, and begin to follow Him, and come to know real peace.

2010-09-10T19:14:00.001-07:00

Trying something new. Blogging from my phone. I wonder if this will help me keep my blog updated?

San Miguel

2010-07-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

Well, haven't posted in a couple of days. The power was out for a whole day and that knocked the internet out as well. Yesterday, Thursday, was a long day. We've had a great time of ministry this week in the Village of San Miguel. It's located about an hours drive out of Guatemala City.

The people are beautiful. We're working in the middle school in the village. Our main work has been doing vacation Bible School with the kids. The school has class till about 10:30 am and then they let us take over the class rooms and do Bible School. Some of the teachers have even participated. I don't have the final numbers but we've had around 100 decisions for Christ through the VBS.

Along with VBS we've been doing some construction projects at the school. We've been completing a kitchen that the school can use for meals. Right now they use a large propane stove that they keep in a storage room and then pull it out into the courtyard to use it. When we arrived the walls for the kitchen were up and we've added the roof, concrete floor, sidewalk and an outdoor sink for the kids. There is still some work to do, but another team is coming in next week to hopefully finish it up.

We've worked alongside of a Guatemalan construction crew. We've been mixing concrete by hand and hauling it by wheelbarrow and bucket. It's been hard work but very rewarding. We've also painted the school, cleaned the rooms a (including the bathroom which probably should have been condemned), and we built a block wall that will help secure the school in the off hours.

We've met so many wonderful people. The people of Guatemala are kind and generous people. I'll right more later, but we're soon to head out for our last day of ministry. We're doing VBS and a huge block party.

Day One continued

2010-07-19T19:53:00.001-07:00

Just a brief update on today's activities. We went to San Miguel for our first day of missions work. Our teams meshed wonderfully well. There are two guys from Union Baptist in Knoxville, 20 from Mt. Pisgah Baptist in Niota, and our group of 13. We also have interns who are working with the ministry (college students) and interpreters. There is about 40-45 involved, total.

We have morning devotions on our own. Pastor Gerald Perry gave each person a devotional guide to use for our morning quiet time. Some ladies from Mt. Pisgah do the cooking and we had a wonderful breakfast. We left the mission house around 8:30 am on a school bus. I can't describe the traffic and the roads we traveled on to get to the village of San Miguel, but my prayer life improves each time we go somewhere.

When we got to the village of San Miguel, school was still in session. They dismissed not long after we arrived. There are about 250 kids in this school; grades are 4th - 7th grade, but students ages vary. There are some children 11-12 years old that are in second grade. Many of the kids have to work to help the family survive so they only go to school when they can.

For VBS we divided them up by grades and sent them to different stations - some went to Bible Study, some to Crafts, some to music and some to recreation. After about 20 minutes they would rotate. During the Bible study today, the Gospel was presented and 34 kids made decisions for Christ. (PTL!) Tomorrow we will be presenting the Gospel during crafts as well.

Our folks are doing a great job with the kids. Some of them have really bonded with the little ones. During the morning a man came by selling cotton candy. He must have had 100 bags on a stick. Scott Hayes and Mike Percival from Union Baptist bought him out and they were a great hit with the kids after that. All-in-all things went exceptionally well. The interns and interpreters keep things running smoothly and everyone is getting along well.

Hopefully, next time I'll get to write about the afternoon work and the evening devotion and fellowship times, but sleep is calling for now.

Continued

2010-07-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

The mission trip is going great. This morning's post was a little hurried so I wanted to catch up on a few things - but first the good news, we had 34 decisions for Christ during VBS this morning! Praise the Lord His great work. I'll share more about the activities of the day later.

Yesterday we spent most of the day in the city of Antigua. It is the oldest city in Guatemala and at one time was the religious and political capitol for all of Central America. It was the home base for Catholic Missions and was the capitol for Guatemala until the early 1970's. It's a beautiful city nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. At one time there were 38 catholic monasteries in operation in the city and the surrounding area. In the early 1700's sever floods damaged many of the churches. An earthquake in 1972 nearly destroyed the city and the capitol was moved to Guatemala City.

Antigua is a tourist city and we saw people of many nationalities. We spent most of our time in the open market in the city center. We would think of it almost as an upscale flea market. There were hundreds of merchants with beautiful products. You could purchase just about anything. They even had an open air meat market, but we didn't visit it. The people were very friendly and generous. We were warned about picpockets and we had a guide with each group, but we never felt unsafe.

Traveling to and from our destinations is a different story. There are not many "road rules". I've seen a few traffic signs but once you get out of the city, there are almost none. One phenomena that we've learned about is "painted trees". We noticed that many of trees in the countryside that were close to the road had white paint on them. We learned that the paint is reflective paint so that cars can see where the trees were at night.

Another phenomena is cattle along the side of the roads and the medians. Farmers tie their cattle to posts or trees alongside the roads to graze. Since most of the countryside is mountains, there is not a lot of places for cattle to graze.

I wanted to catch you up on some of the cultural stuff in this post. I'll update you more on ministry in later posts. Thanks again for the prayers.

On the Field

2010-07-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

The Internet has been sporadic at best so I haven't been able to post. We arrived Saturday about 8:30 Guatemala time (10:30 Talbott time). When we arrived at the airport we soon discovered that most of our luggage did not come with us. Out of 26 bags, we had only 9. Fortunately most everyone had a change of clothes in their carry-on, so we survived. Luggage finally arrived Sunday; we got the last bag about 9 pm last night.

After breakfast yesterday (Sunday) we went to a mountain overlooking the city of Antigua. There is a giant cross, and that's where we had a worship service. We sang a couple of hymns and Mike gave a devotion from 1 Corinthians on using our spiritual gifts to serve the Lord.

After church we went to Antigua to get acclimated to the culture. We had lunch at McDonald's ( I know, right?). They have a little different food on their menu. They had Apple Pie, but they also had Pineapple Pie and fried Cheesecake. I'm planning to petition the American McDonald's for these wonderful treats!

After lunch we spent a few hours at the local city market improving the Guatemalan economy. The market was like an upscale flea market where you could bargain with the merchants. It was a great experience to interact with the people.

We had a great supper at a local restaurant called Las Palmas. Antigua is a tourist town so many of the resraunts were good for us to eat at.

We returned to the mission house and got our luggage organized. Mike Heffner led in devotion from 1 Corinthians 15. After a time of prayer we organized supplies and got ready for the next days work.

I'm posting this on Monday morning and hopefully I'll have some more to write after a day of VBS and construction in the Village of San Miguel. Thanks for your prayers.

First Stop

2010-07-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our mission team is on the way. We left Magna View this morning about 8 am and are currently in Atlanta awaiting our flight to Miami. From Miami we'll fly to Guatemala, and arrive there around 8:00 pm Guatemala time (10 pm our time).

Several members came out to see us off this morning. We greatly appreciate the prayers and encouragement. We've been praying for the opportunity to touch a lot of lives for Christ, and we anticipate it will be a life-changing event for all of us.

Thank you to everyone who has had a part in this trip. Many people donated supplies and money for our mission. Many more have been praying for our safety and success. Though we will be the "boots-on-the-ground" in Guatemala, all of you are on mission with us through your generosity and prayers. I pray God will bless you for all you have done for the work of His Kingdom.

Mission Trip 2010

2010-07-16T04:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow begins a great adventure. Thirteen people from our church will be leaving for Guatemala. We'll be working with missionaries Mike and Carla Parker and Clubhouse Guatemala ministries (check them out at www.clubhouseguatemala.com). We'll be meeting up with a team from Mt. Pisgah BC in Niota, and a couple of guys from Union BC in Knoxville. We'll be leading VBS for kids, providing school supplies for teachers, working in a feeding center, building chicken coops for families, and most importantly sharing the Good News and loving others in Jesus name.

Our church has faithfully supported this trip with financial donations, supply donations, encouragement and prayer support. One of our team members, Tonya, also received support from the school where she works. Teachers and students donated school supplies, clothes, backpacks and money to go to the teachers and students in Guatemala. One student raised $600 by herself for this project. God has faithfully provided through his people, PTL!

I can't wait to get the trip started. I'm most excited for my youngest daughter Abigail. This is her first "out-of-the-country" mission trip. She has been asking for a couple of years about when she would be able to go on a mission trip. When the Lord began to stir our hearts about going, she was determined to be on the team. She saved her babysitting money and paid for her passport herself. A few weeks after we decided to go, she rededicated her life to Christ. I can't wait to see what the Lord does through this little girl!

As much as possible I'll be blogging about the trip. It will depend mostly on computer and internet access, but I'll do the best I can.

2010-07-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” 1 Timothy 3:1

I’ve been teaching on leadership in the local church and working through Paul’s first letter to his apprentice Timothy. Chapter three really stirred me up. Paul begins saying, “This is a faithful saying.” It’s the equivalent to Jesus saying in the Gospels “Truly, truly or Verily, verily.” When Jesus said those words He was saying, “Hey! Pay attention! This is important!” That is what Paul is doing here as well. Then he says, “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.”

The word “desire” really jumped out at me in this passage. It appears twice in my translation, but it is actually two different words in the Greek. The first word translated “desire” literally means “to stretch oneself” or “to reach out for.” The image is that of a child reaching out for his mom or dad. The second word translated desire means “to set your heart upon.” It has to do with the inward emotions and this word is also translated “covet” or “lust after.” So the Bible says, it is a good thing to "stretch yourself" and "set your heart" on a place of service for the Lord.

In the tradition I have grown up in, those who served the Lord were those who received a specific calling to serve. It’s still part of our tradition – you ask people about doing things in the church and you may get the response – “I haven’t been called to do that.” That is a legit response and we shouldn’t force people into positions they are not qualified for nor passionate about. But it is also a response that is often abused. The next question to ask is, “What have you been called to do?” and the answer may be, “I don’t know?” It seems it’s easier to identify what we’re not called to do than it is to identify what we’re called to do.

What do you want to do in the church? Many Christians don’t want to do anything; they don’t have the desire to serve the Lord. I want to say, “Do you believe Jesus died for you and saved you so you could do nothing for Him? Do you believe God brought you to a church so you could ‘do nothing’?" It’s good to have a desire to serve the Lord; it’s good to stretch yourself and reach for a place of service in the Body of Christ. Our general calling is to serve the Lord in some capacity. That’s the spiritual principle this verse teaches and it applies to all of us.

2010-06-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Recently God has been pushing me to get out of my comfort zone. I'm a really "hands-on" guy. I grew up with the these words being drilled into my head: "If you want something done right, do it yourself." As a result, I want to do everything myself. So God has been working to reprogram my thinking for leadership. Leadership is not doing everything yourself. Leadership is empowering others to do what God has gifted and called them to do.

I've been studying Simple Church, and one of the keys to a successful church is leadership development. In the Scriptures it says that God gives leadership to the church so that the members are equipped to do the ministry (Eph. 4:11-13). God always begins with leadership - people who are called to influence others for Christ.

You may be the leader God wants to develop to do something great for His glory. Most of the great leaders we read about in the Bible didn't think of themselves as great leaders: Moses made all kinds of excuses; some of the first words God said to Joshua were "Be strong and courageous" (He said it three times in one conversation); Gideon was hiding out in the threshing room when God called him; Paul was working to destroy the church. None of these guys seemed like candidates for "Leader of the Year." But when they surrendered themselves completely to God, He used them to move His people to victory and for His glory.

You may not see yourself as a leader, but God sees something in you that is greater than you can ever imagine. Would you be willing to let God have a shot at doing something great through you? The first step is to say "Yes, Lord", and then get ready for a great adventure.

Transitions

2010-06-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

Recently our Leadership Team (staff and Deacons) met for breakfast and to discuss making some changes to our church and ministry. We're reading together the book Simple Church by Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger. The crux of the book is that every church needs a simple process (key word) which enables disciple-making. (Maybe that's not the intended crux, but it's what I've gotten from it.) The simple process evolves around four concepts: clarity - movement - alignment - focus. We're in the very beginning stages, so we're focusing on clarity. The title for Chapter 5 of the book is "Clarity: Starting with a Ministry Blueprint."

During our Saturday meeting we talked about the importance of developing a simple process that can be (and will be) easily communicated to the rest of the Body. Again, we're in the very beginning stages of this process, but it was abundantly clear that clarity in communication can be difficult sometimes, and that not everyone understands everything the same way. Even among our Leadership Team there was discussion about what was meant by certain words or statements. There was some great discussion, and in the end a common agreement that we are moving in the right direction.

In an effort to help communicate clearly, I'll be posting some things here about Simple Church, about our discussions and the process we are going through. You'll be hearing about it in sermons and small group discussions as well. I'm excited about what the Lord is doing.

2010-05-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:17 (NKJV)

Great Bible study last night! We talked about “A Leader’s Passion”. Paul was passionate about truth, about Jesus, and about relationships. He was especially passionate about Jesus. As he was writing to Timothy about what Christ had done in his life and what Christ meant to him, he broke out in the wonderful verse of praise above. He was so moved for his love by Christ, he couldn’t help but praise him, even in a letter.

What are you passionate about? When was the last time you were so overwhelmed by the grace and goodness of God that you broke out into a song of praise to Him. May our hearts be hot for Jesus, the Savior of our souls and the redeemer of our lives!

We welcomed Lilli Roberts to our family of faith last night. Lilli prayed to receive Christ as her Savior a couple of weeks ago at a First Priority event at her school. Her dad, Trevor will baptize her this coming Sunday morning.

I can’t wait for Sunday! Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, worship and praise and a word from the Lord! A few years ago one of our former Youth Pastors preached a sermon on Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). He titled it, “When You Show Up, God Shows Out.” Often all God is waiting on to do something great, is for His people to show up. I wonder how many miracles we’ve missed being a part of just because we didn’t give God a chance to work.

I hope you’ll show up in faith expecting God to do something supernatural this weekend. God is just waiting to show you how great He really is.

See you Sunday!

2010-05-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

I’ve been studying 1 Timothy as I am teaching from it on Wednesday nights. I’m blown away by the passion of the Apostle Paul. He wrote this letter later in life, after he had served the Lord for many years and had given his all for the cause of Christ. Yet he is as “fired-up” about the work of the ministry as he ever was. How was he able to maintain his passion and his fire when some of his fellow workers had given up or fallen away? One simple answer – Paul never forgot what Christ did in his life. His salvation experience was fresh on his heart in the latter years of his life as if it had just happened.

In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul writes, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Notice he says “I AM chief.” Paul was still a work in progress; he never saw himself as being better than a sinner. He knew the Gospel still applied to his life. He was passionate about serving Christ, because Christ was at work in Him!

Many of us today have lost our fire for serving the Lord because we’ve forgotten what the Lord has done for us. We’ve forgotten what it means to be saved. We’ve considered the task at hand greater than the God who saved us.

As we approach the Memorial Day holiday, and as we remember those who paid the ultimate price or our freedoms as Americans, I want to challenge you to also remember the One who gave His life that you would not only go to heaven when you die, but that you would have the power and the passion to serve Him till you die.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

KIDS DAY

2010-05-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Great day of worship yesterday. The kids did a great job leading the worship. Our two young speakers did an amazing job; very evangelistic. We've got a bright future @ MVBC!

Seeing the kids yesterday fueled my fire for VBS. We're just two weeks away from our biggest outreach event all year. Saddle Ridge Ranch is going to be a blast! We're going to be "Rounding Up Questions and Driving Home Answers!"

We need all hands on deck for a great VBS:

We need prayer warriors to be praying now for children to come, hearts to be open and lives to be changed!.
We need floaters to be available to help out where needed. We won't know all of our needs till the week begins, so we need people just to show up with a "how can I help" heart!
We need ENCOURAGERS who will love on our workers and our kids. Encouragers are kind of like the oil in a car engine, they keep things running smooth.

Our goal for VBS is to help kids connect to Christ and then help them and their families to get connected to the community of faith. Don't let the enemy keep you from being involved in God's great work!

Big thanks to the Wilmoths and the Ellis's for a great Spring picnic last night. We had about 120 people out at Cedar Pond Farms and it was a blast. We have some very serious Cornhole players - we may have to start a league (BTW, there is an American Cornhole Association - www.playcornhole.org) Thanks for coming out. One of the best things I heard last night was, "I got to know some new people tonight." That's one of the main reasons we do these things - build relationships in the Body of Christ. Thanks again to everyone who came out.

Tested Hearts

2010-05-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the hearts. Prov 17:3 (NKJV)

The writer of Proverbs draws a parallel between an activity of the Lord and a process used for refining or purifying precious metals. In his day, a silversmith (or goldsmith) would use a metal pot over a hot fire to purify the precious metal. He would heat the melted metal until the dross or impurities would rise to the top where he would sweep them off. He would then increase the temperature and repeat the process until all of the impurities were removed from the metal and he could see the perfect reflection of his face in the melted metal. The process separated that which was of no value from that which was of greatest worth.

As the fire tested the purity of the metal with increased intensity, so the Lord tests the purity of our hearts. He does so by allowing the circumstances of our lives to be “heated-up.” We may find ourselves faced with a temptation or a crisis; we may be facing a difficult decision or a troubled relationship. In each instance we have the opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to remove the dross or impurities in our hearts in order that the image of the Savior may be seen more clearly. God’s goal is always to help us become like His Son Jesus, therefore everything He allows into our lives is for our good (Romans 8:28-29).

I was about three-fourths of the way through writing this devotion when there was a power surge and the computer shut-down. My initial reaction was … well … in the flesh. But then I realized God was just illustrating for me what I was hoping to convey to you – that He is at work in all the circumstances of our lives to bring out and remove those “fleshly” impurities so that we can be more like Him. It was a small “test”, as many of them are, but a test none-the-less. As the old song says, “He’s still working on me…”

GO VOLS!!!!

2010-03-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

Just watched the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team defeat Ohio State to move into the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in team history. It's been an amazing season. I was also glad to hear the commentators making some positive comments about the team (these were CBS commentators, not ESPN). One of the men talked about the team being very talented; he's the first one I've heard say that outside of our own commentators and sports casters.

The other commentator talked about how the team had come together after going through some difficulties earlier in the season. On Jan.1 four of the players were arrested on drug and weapons charges. Three of the players were suspended for several weeks and one, who some said was the best player on the team, was kicked-off. Nobody gave them much of a chance after that, but they proved them wrong. The team really did pull together and it seemed like each game a different person stepped up to contribute to a win. They really began to play as a team rather rely on one or two players to make all the plays. Now they've gone farther than any TN team in history.

There's a great life lesson here - when going through difficult times, pull together, play like a team and you will survive and advance in life. I've seen too many families where, when things got tough, family members bailed out instead of pulling together. The family ends up broken and miserable. I've seen it happen in churches as well. Instead of pulling together and working together as the Body of Christ, members turn on one another and then bail out. It leaves the church broken, hurting and struggling.

Fortunately Jesus never abandons His Body. He is faithful and will see His family through. Praise be to the Lord!

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's one of my favorite days of the year because it honors one of Christianity's greatest missionaries. Some people believe Patrick was Irish, but actually he was Welsh. He was captured by Irish raiders as a young boy and taken as a slave to Ireland. After he escaped a few years later, he felt the call of God to go back to the people who had held him captive to share the Good News of Christ with them. This passage from the book of Hosea was significant for Patrick, Those who are not my people I will call my people, and those not beloved I will call my beloved, and in the very place it was said to them, You are not My people, they will be called Sons of God. Patrick spent his adult life evangelizing and discipling the people of Ireland.

If you would like to learn more about Patrick and his life and ministry, here is a brief but good article from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: http://ow.ly/1nouy . Thomas Cahill's "How the Irish Saved Civilization" is also a great resource about the evangelistic work of Patrick and his fellow missionaries.

Survivor

2010-02-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the new Survivor program. It's probably not the most spiritual thing for a pastor to do, but it is an amazing study of human behavior. On one hand, each player is playing for himself/herself, trying to win the million dollar prize. On the other hand, no one can make it through the game alone. They have to work together and that requires a certain level of trust. But how do trust someone when you know that in the end, they want to be the last player standing?

I think the show is a microcosm of the world at large. At some level, everyone lives for themselves. We are born with a mechanism for self preservation. But we also realize that we cannot make it through this life without the aid of others. From the beginning we had to depend on others (parent's to feed us and clothe us, teachers to educate us, etc). Without the help of others, we would not have made it past day one. Yet as we grow, we become more self-sufficient and independent. Some people reach a point of believing they don't need anyone else, and they may isolate themselves or withdraw from others.

I was reminded of that this week. I was asked to speak at a funeral for a person who had withdrawn from the community at large. He had never married. His parent's were deceased and his siblings had nothing to do with him. He spent the last days of his life in a nursing home with only 1-2 friends who occasionally visited him. In the end, only 10 people attended his funeral. He had no church family or circle of family and friends to mourn his passing or celebrate his life. He did things his way, but in the end, did he win the game of life? I don't know his spiritual condition. From what I could gather he didn't show any evidence of a relationship with God. But even from a secular standpoint, I don't think I could say he succeeded at the game of life. You can't win by living only for yourself.

2010-02-10T14:43:00.001-08:00

I discovered today that my blog is being posted on a local business man's website. I was a little embarrassed that I hadn't posted since Thanksgiving. I'll try to do better. You can check out the website at www.jeffersoncountytoday.org.

No church services at Magna View tonight. This has been an unusual winter for snow here in East Tennessee. I love it; I like the cold weather and of course the snow. I heard Mike Huckaby's "The Huckaby Report" yesterday, and he said that when Washington, DC digs out from the blizzard, Pres. Obama plans to develop a cabinet level bureaucracy to deal with issues related to Global Warming. I love it.

I'm not too keen on the global warming theory. God is in control of the climate, just like everything else!

With Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalms 100:4-5 (NKJV)

Praise the Lord for His blessings. He is good and His mercy is eternal! Praise the Lord for the blessings we received over the weekend. We collected 150 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, more than we have ever collected before. Those boxes will go into all the world and be used of God to bless children whom He loves. Thank you for your generosity.

There was a sweet Spirit in our worship service yesterday. The singing was wonderful. A special thanks to the East TN Dance Academy and our own Hannah Jackson for their presentation yesterday morning. And we welcome the Rice family into our family of faith: Ryan, Karen, Amaris and Elise.

There was plenty of delicious food at our Thanksgiving meal last night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much turkey in my life. We had to pull out some extra tables and chairs for our crowd as well. Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving thoughts with your church family.

As you can see, my “cup runneth over” this morning. I’m thankful for a great God, a wonderful family of faith, and a hopeful future (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Remember that our schedule has changed this week because of the holiday. There is a community Thanksgiving service tomorrow night at Pleasant View Baptist Church on Lakeshore Rd in Talbott. This is a great opportunity to worship with brothers and sisters from other churches and denominations.

There are no activities at the church this coming Wednesday, and the church office will be closed Thursday and Friday.

Please remember to bring 5 lb bags of flour for Christmas in Jefferson County. So far we have collected about 35 bags toward our goal of 100. The deadline is Dec. 6th.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

‘May the LORD bless you and protect you.25 May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.26 May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’ Num 6:24-26 (NLT)

APPLES OF GOLD

2009-11-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
Prov 25:11 (NKJV)

Last Friday I attended the inauguration service for Dr. J. Randall O’Brien, the twenty-second president of Carson-Newman College. U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander was the keynote speaker for the service. He shared some of his experiences with famed author Alex Haley. Haley had taught him something very important, as he was always saying, “Find the good and praise it.” It was Haley’s philosophy of life. What a great way to live.

There is a lot of good at Magna View Baptist Church that we can praise. It was wonderful to be home and in the pulpit yesterday. There was a sweet spirit in our worship service. And our hayride/cook-out last night was a blessing; our thanks to Richard and Barbara Byrd for the hay wagon, and everyone who helped set up and clean up. Last night was fun.

Saturday night was fun as well… a little damp, but fun. Our hand counter registered 1700 people coming through our Trunk or Treat. So many people who came through thanked us for providing a safe place for their kids to come and celebrate the Halloween holiday.

In the vein of “finding the good and praising it” let me challenge you to do the same. Each day this week, find something good in another person and praise them for it. Words are valuable; like the above Scripture says, good words are like “apples of gold in settings of silver.” Share some gold apples with someone else this week.

Beautiful Death

2009-10-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

For, alive though I am, I am always given over to death for the sake of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may shine forth in my dying flesh. 2 Cor 4:11 (MontgomeryNT)

I love this time of year. I’m a cool weather guy (probably because of all the natural insulation I have). I get energized by the nip in the air and I go crazy when the leaves start changing their colors. Seriously, you can ask my kids. All the way home from South Carolina I was pointing out the windows going, “Look at that tree…look at the red one… isn’t that beautiful?” I’m like a kid on Christmas morning this time of year. I wish it could last longer than a couple of months, but I know it is only temporary.

I also know that when the leaves change colors it is a sign that they are in the process of dying. The tree is shutting down to “rest” through the winter, the chlorophyll that gives leaves their green color in Summer is drying up and the brilliant reds and yellows that “shine forth” in the Fall are the indicators that the life of the leaf is fading.

Isn’t it interesting that the leaf is most brilliant and beautiful when it is in the process of dying? I love Paul’s words in the above verse: “Although I am alive, I’m ready to die for the sake of (or the cause) of Christ Jesus, the His life my shine forth even in my dying flesh.” (my paraphrase). Paul knew he was living on borrowed time, his days were numbered. But he wasn’t about to give up and shrivel up and die, he was going to go out shining forth the life of Christ. Paul reflected the life of Christ most beautifully when he was in the process of dying for the cause of Christ.

I woke up this past Sunday morning at around 2:45 am and couldn’t get back to sleep. This doesn’t happen often, but I’ve learned that when it does happen, God usually has something important to say to me. He knows I hear more clearly when I don’t have the distractions of the day. I went to the living room and sat in my “prayer chair” and said, “Ok Lord, what do you want me to hear?” Very clearly He said, “You’re dying.” Not the most comforting words to hear at 3 am, but there was no fear in my heart. Of course, a thousand thoughts jumped into my head: “When?… Soon?... You mean, right now?... How?” Then the Spirit began to bring to mind verses that I had read time and again… “Teach us to number our days…” (Ps 90:12), “What is your life? It is but a vapor…” (James 4:14), “Redeeming the time…”(Eph. 5:16).

God was reminding me that life in this world is temporary. Like the colorful leaves, life is but for a season. I’m in the process of dying – have been since the day I was born – and so are you. We can do one of two things with this truth: we can give up, shrivel up and wait for it to happen. Or, like the leaves that are most beautiful when they are dying, we can live for the cause of Christ so that “the life also of Jesus may shine forth in (our) dying flesh.” What will you do with the rest of your life?

Faithfulness

2009-10-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:10 (NKJV)

In one of his works, professor Michael Green offers the following illustration on faithfulness:

“Do you apply the same standards of faithfulness to your Christian activities that you expect from other areas of your life?

If your car starts once every three tries, is it reliable?
If your paperboy skips delivery every Monday and Thursday, is he reliable?
If you don’t go to work once or twice a month, are you a loyal employee?
If your refrigerator stops working for a day or two every now and then, do you say, ‘Oh, well, it works most of the time’?
If your water heater provides an icy-cold shower every now and then, is it dependable?
If you miss a couple of loan payments every year, does the bank say, ‘Ten out of twelve isn’t bad’?
If you fail to worship God one or two Sundays a month, would you expect to be called a faithful Christian?

“We expect faithfulness and reliability from things and other people. Does God not expect the same from us? The problem is that in our religious activities we see ourselves as volunteers rather than as duty bound (I Cor. 9). For a volunteer, almost anything seems acceptable. For a bondservant… faithfulness is expected (Matt. 25:21).”

Magna View Ministries…

Aerobics is back Tuesdays and Thursday @ 7 pm

The Ushers will meet Sunday after the morning worship service. We will be training our ushers for security duty. If you have signed up to be an usher, or are interested in serving as an usher, please plan to stay for about 15 minutes after the service Sunday morning.

Homecoming 2009 – Sunday, October 11th. Rev. C.H. Christopher will be our guest preacher for the homecoming service. We will have a covered-dish meal after the service, and then we will have a dedication service for our new addition. Our children will be doing a “ribbon cutting” for the service. There will be no evening service.

Church vs. Gang

2009-09-30T11:50:00.001-07:00

“So then you are no longer as those who have no part or place in the kingdom of God, but you are numbered among the saints, and of the family of God.” Eph 2:19 (BBE)

I’ve been reading an excellent book that was loaned to me by one of our church members; “Forgotten God” by Francis Chan. I want to share a brief passage from the book about the Church:

“A while back a former gang member came to our church. He was heavily tattooed and rough around the edges, but he was curious to see what church was like. He had a relationship with Jesus and seemed to get fairly involved with the church.

“After a few months, I found out the guy was no longer coming to the church. When asked why he didn’t come anymore, he gave the following explanation: ‘I had the wrong idea of what church was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was going to be like joining a gang. You see, in gangs we weren’t just nice to each other once a week – we were family.’ … It saddened me to think that a gang could paint a better picture of commitment, loyalty and family than the local church body.”

Chan goes on to say, “Without the Spirit of God in our midst, working in us, guiding us, and living and loving through us, we will never be the kind of people who make up this kind of community.” (p.152)

I think Francis Chan has hit the nail on the head. People are looking for community; they are looking for family. They can and will find it in the world, if they don’t find it in the church.

Monday Morose

2009-08-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

Not sure why Monday's are tough. It seems like every problem is magnified. Enough said.

Church Discussion

2009-08-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight we set aside our evening service to discuss some changes to our churches Constitution and Bylaws. Some of the changes were mere formalities, but one in particular generated quite a bit of discussion. Our Constitution and Bylaws Team presented a change to the section on voting rights for members. I thought the discussion on this issue was wonderful. I feel like people expressed their feelings freely, and though we disagreed on the issue, we disagreed "agreeably." I think everyone left as friends, which hasn't always been the case in our church.

Regardless of the outcome of this issue, I think the discussion, and the way we've discussed the issues is healthy for our church. I think it is evidence of spiritual growth and development in our church. We'll probably never reach a point where every member sees "eye-to-eye" on every issue, but as long as we continue to love and encourage one another in spite of our different point of views, I think we will be pleasing to the Lord.

Again

2009-08-30T12:23:00.001-07:00

Well, here we go again.

I've been preaching through the letter of 1 Thessalonians, (and may make it through chapter 1 tonight). I'm learning a lot about the church through this study as well as a number of books I've been reading. I've been in church all my life and have been in pastoral ministry for 17 years. I've taken for granted that the way we do things, is the way they should always be done. But God's been challenging my thinking of late; revisiting the structure of the NT church and our interpretation of it. It's kind of the process I went through in my theological journey - examining my long-held beliefs to make them my own. Don't know what the result will be, but the journey has begun.

The Big IF

2009-06-21T03:54:00.000-07:00

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Mark 8:34 (NLT)

Someone once said that the biggest word in the English language is the the word "if". The word "if" implies possibilities, it implies chance and it implies choice. In the context of the above verse, there is the possibility of following Christ; the offer is made. There is the chance that a person will follow Christ; but in order for that to happen, a choice must be made.

It is incredible to me, that in spite of His great love for me, despite what He has done to show that love by dying on the cross for my sins, Jesus still gives me the choice of whether I will follow Him or not. He still leaves it up to me to choose my way or His way. I decide who and what I will live my life for, and my ultimate choice is made by the small daily choices I make.

It is not a one time choice to follow Christ, but a daily choice. John of the Cross, a 16th Century Spanish spiritualist, put it this way:

"Determine in your heart that you want to reach the highest place in God... And once you have set your heart on this upward path, you will have to choose it every day, and many times during each day. For indeed your desire to rise to higher places in spirit will face many obstacles." (Living Flame of Love:Stanza I, quoted in You Set My Spirit Free)

Who do you choose to live for? Your choice will be reflected in the choices you make each day.

Ramblings About Living

2009-06-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Mark 8:34-36 (NKJV)

God has been speaking to me a lot through this verse. "Whoever desires to come after me..." This verse really questions my purpose in living. Do I really desire to "come after" Jesus? Is He the pursuit of my life? What am I living for?

The truth be told, we live for a lot of different things, even those who proclaim to be Christians. I find myself living for a lot of different things - success in work, the praise of others, the love of my children, material gain, the blessings of God, etc. And I'm disappointed when I don't get those "things." And often I take it out on Jesus ("why, Lord...?")

More often than not, I'm seeking the Lord's blessings rather than the Lord Himself. I'm learning there is a difference.

God, through His prophet Jeremiah said, "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jer 29:13 (NKJV) Am I searching with "all my heart"? I'm not sure I have the answer for that question, that I really want to have... yet.

Another Thing

2009-05-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

Blogging just doesn't seem to be for me. I've intended to keep my posts fresh and my page update, but it always seems like about three weeks between postings. Part of me wants to give it up, but there's that little voice that says God could use this in some way. So, I'll keep trying.

I'm thankful for the things God has been teaching me the past few months. One of the things God has been using to grow me is His church at Magna View. Each week it seems I learn something new about God, about the way God works, or about His people. I'm excited to see the hand of the Lord on His church. I look forward each day to see what God is going to do next in and through His Body.

Another tool that God has been using the book, Visioneering, by Andy Stanley. It has been around a while, but continuing my tradition of being at least a couple of years behind the times, I'm just now reading it. Stanley does a study of the book of Nehemiah, and brought out many subtle principles and truths from the book that I had never noticed before. It's been very helpful.

A third tool tool that God has used is a conference that I attended at Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, NC last week. It was called "Simply Missional" and Eric Geiger, co-author of Simple Church (with Thom Rainer), was the keynote speaker. Several things "stuck to me" and I'm in the "process"(key word) of figuring out what God wants to do with them in my life. More on this later. I did go and buy the book Simple Church and look forward to getting into it.

DO YOU SMELL THE RAIN?

2009-04-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

One of the great scenes from "Facing the Giants" is the conversation between the coach and the pastor that prayerwalks the school. The pastor tells the coach about two farmers who prayed for rain, but only one prepared his field in anticipation of rain. The question was, "Who really had faith his prayer would be answered?" And the answer was "The one who prepared his field."

We've been praying for God to do something supernatural at our church this coming Sunday, and I've been preparing myself for it. I believe God wants to pour out His Spirit on His people in a supernatural way. I've been trying to imagine what that would look like at Magna View and it excites me because I'm beginning to see some of the things happening. I'm beginning to smell the rain coming.

I'm excited to see some of the ministry that is taking place in our body. I hear of people contacting shut-ins and those in need. We are ministering in Jesus' name, not just to those we've known for a long time, but some we hardly know at all. God is doing some good things through His church and I praise Him for it.

Looking forward, I see a great harvest for Magna View, but we have a lot of work still to be done. Our best days are yet to come, but we're on our way. Praise the Lord.

REVIVAL AROUND THE WORLD

2009-03-24T05:29:00.001-07:00

God is doing remarkable things around the world. I came across an article written by Tony Cauchi that lists some of the great things God is doing. Below are some excerpts from that article:

The worldwide church has seen greater advance and growth than at any other time since the days of the apostles. For example, one hundred years ago Africa was less than 5 percent Christian but now it is approaching 50 percent. Similarly, China had only about 5 million believers when communism took control of the country but now estimates range from between 50 to 150 million believers. Reliable researchers estimate that between 25,000 and 35,000 are coming to Christ every day in China.

The same story can be told of South America. I recently attended a church of over 250,000 members in Bogotá, Columbia, a nation formerly known only for its violence and drug trafficking. Across the oceans Korea is host to six of the fifteen largest churches in the world, one in Seoul numbering a staggering 773,000 members! Around thirty percent of the population in Seoul profess to follow Christ...Campus Crusade for Christ estimates we’ll see a billion new converts in the next 10 years. Such is the exponential growth of the universal Christian community.

The Western Christians’ response has been “Lord, what you have done in other nations, do here, amongst us.” The cry for ‘revival’ is everywhere. ‘Revival’ refers to the revitalisation of the existing church and the supernatural conversion of multitudes to Christ. There are Global Prayer Days, National Prayer Days with auditoriums filled with thousands of intercessors for times of prayer. There is a growing global movement to get pastors from across entire cities mobilised in unity and ‘agreement prayer.’

Public Prayer Walks are now organised in almost every major nation of the world. There are hundreds of thousands of believers who are adopting prayer retreats, prayer vigils, for set periods of time, some with fasting. These mass movements of corporate prayer meet, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late into the night, on purposely purchased mountains, in arenas, halls and houses all over the world.

Missiologist David Barrett estimated in 1997 that 170 million Christians were committed to praying every day for revival and evangelization, with 20 million claiming that this was their primary calling as Christians. Ten million prayer groups make revival prayer one of their primary agenda, he claims, and hundreds of prayer networks are committed to mobilizing such prayer within denominations, within cities, and within whole nations.

Of course, none of this is new. It has happened before. But it has not happened to us in our generation. There have been scores of ‘revivals’ throughout history when God looked down from heaven at an ailing church and depraved world and decided that things had to change. He changed people and nations through love and power, sometimes dramatically but always beneficially. He usually came in particular seasons in response to certain principles. These are questions we have to ask, “Can we have revival today? Will these principles work for us? Is it possible for us to prepare for a visitation of God in our nation?

Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing… (Joel 2:14)

You can read the full article at http://www.revival-library.org/

I believe God wants to revive His Church in America. I believe we can experience the kind of life-changing, heaven-sent revival that has impacted our nation in the past. Will you join me in praying and preparing for a mighty work of God? In the movie Facing the Giants, the local pastor that had been praying for years for revival is speaking to the football coach, and he tells the illustration of two farmers - both farmers prayed for rain, but only one prepared his fields. And he asked the question, which one really believed it would rain? The one who prepared for the rain, is the one that had faith. Let's not just pray for revival, but let's pray in faith and prepare for God to send the rain of revival on our land.

GOD CAN DO IT AGAIN

2009-03-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

One of the great revival stories from America's history is what is called the Great Prayer Revival of 1857-58. America was in a deplorable state morally and spiritually. God laid a burden for revival on the heart of a man by the name of Jeremiah Lanphier of New York. Jeremiah started a prayer meeting for business men from 12-1 pm at the Old Dutch Church on Fulton St. in New York. He advertised with local business men and encouraged other pastors to join in. The first week, six people came and prayed for revival. The next week 20 people came, and the next 100. And soon the floodgates opened. Within six months an estimated 10,000 out of a population of 800,000 in New York, were meeting to pray for revival every Monday from 12-1. Almost simultaneously, noon prayer meetings sprouted up across the country. Businesses would close and encourage the employees to attend prayer meetings at local churches to pray for revival.

Revival came to America. At its peak, it is estimated that 10,000 people per week were joining local churches, and 50,000 people were being saved per week. More than one million people gave their lives to Christ during this 2-year revival of the work of God. One student of revival estimated that if "a revival of like magnitude were to come to the United States today, it would result in the salvation of roughly 18 million people." (The Cure of All Ills; quoted in Becoming and Agent of Revival.)

Those numbers are remarkable, but reflect on where it all started: one man called for prayer. I'm sure Jeremiah Lanphier wasn't the only person praying for a mighty move of God, but he is the one who stepped out on faith and called on others to join in the chorus of prayer. One man made a difference, and one can again. And God can bring revival to America once more. Will you be a part of the chorus of prayer?

THE SPIRIT OF REVIVAL

2009-03-06T17:57:00.001-08:00

Today was my day off and I planned to get caught up on some yard work that had piled up since my times of illness. I had planned to burn some leaves, but the wind was blowing a little too much so I spent the afternoon just raking them into a big pile to hopefully burn tomorrow. At times the wind was pretty stiff and swirling. When the wind was blowing in the same direction I was raking, things were good, but I occassionally found myself raking into the wind. Well, that's an activity of futility. I started to grumble a little, but decided I would set my mind on better things. I started thinking about revival and some of the Scriptures I had read this morning. I've been reading and re-reading Joel, and toward the end of Chapter 2, after the the people return to the Lord, God says,

"After this, I will pour my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour my Spirit on servants, on both men and women." Joel 2:28-29 (GW)

God says He will pour out His Spirit. As I was thinking about this I also remembered what Jesus taught in John 3 about the Spirit being like the wind. You can't control either one, but you can see the effects of them. I realized God was teaching me something very important. As long as I go in the direction the Spirit is moving, things are good. But when I move in the direction against the moving of the Spirit, it is like raking into the wind. It's frustrating, tiring, and accomplishes very little.

Revival is about going with the flow of the Spirit of God. God is always at work, always moving in my life and in the Church. My responsibility as a follower of Christ, is to realize which way the Spirit is moving and move with Him. When we are in the Spirit, we will be revived.

THE RESULTS OF REVIVAL

2009-03-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

“Then I will repay you for the years that the mature locusts, the adult locusts, the grasshoppers, and the young locusts ate your crops. (They are the large army that I sent against you.) You will have plenty to eat, and you will be full. You will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has performed miracles for you. My people will never be ashamed again." Joel 2:25-26 (GW)

Revival is about restoration. It is first about a restoration of a right relationship with God. Joel 2:12-13 talks about returning to God with all of our heart. God awaits our return to Him. A right relationship can be restored when we come back to God with our whole heart.

But Joel also speaks about another kind of restoration. In chapter 1 and the first part of chapter 2, God speaks of the judgment that will come upon his disobedient people. An army of locusts or like locusts destroys everything. But if/when God’s people return to Him and a right relationship is restored, God’s blessings are restored as well. All that had been lost will be restored, God’s people will be blessed and God will be praised.

The result of revival is restoration. Is this a big deal? The enemy has taken so much from God’s people – he robs us of our joy, our peace, our relationships, our security, our spiritual motivation, and so much more. Revival, a right relationship with God, restores all that was lost. If you're missing some of the above things, pray for revival; give God the opportunity to do what He wants to do.

When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chron 7:13-14 (NKJV)

THE NEED OF REVIVAL

2009-03-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

God continues to speak and move me to seeking Him for revival. Today, the Spirit's presence was unusually powerful as I prayed in the sanctuary of our church. It's hard to describe His presence. Though He is always present, today was one of those days when His presence overwhelmed me. In Scripture it talks about Jesus "praying in the Spirit." I don't know if that is what I've been experiencing, but especially in my time of prayer I sense Him taking over my thoughts and leading me to pray His words. It is an incredible experience.

I continue to study and learn about revival. One of the things I came across is a list produced by Richard Owen Roberts, of signs that revival is needed. The full list contains 25 items; I've listed only 12 here (the numbers correspond to the orinal list). The full list can be found in Promise Keepers Becoming an Agent of Revival.

1. When prayer ceases to be a vital part of a professing Christian's life.
2. When the quest for biblical truth ceases and one grows content with knowledge of eternal things already aquired.
4. When earnest thoughts about eternal things ceases to be regular and gripping.
5. When services of the church lose their delights.
7. When sports, recreation and entertainment are a large and necessary part of your lifestyle.
8. When sins of the body and of the mind can be indulged without an uproar in your conscience.
10. When the acquisition of money and goods becomes a dominant part of your thinking.
11. When you can mouth religious songs and words without heart.
13. When you can watch degrading movies and television and read morally debilitating literature.
15. When the slightest excuse seems sufficient to keep you from spiritual duty and opportunity.
17. When you pardon your own sin and sloth by saying the Lord understands and remembers that we are dust.
25. When your tears are dried up and the hard, cold spiritual facts of your existence cannot unleash them.

I confess that more than a few of these items hit home. I need revival, and that is my prayer - Lord, send revival and let it begin in me!

PRAYER AND REVIVAL

2009-03-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

I had a sweet time of prayer this morning at the church. I've been praying for direction and a clearer understanding of what God wants to do in and through Magna View. I asked the Lord what He wanted me to pray for His church, and He responded clearly: "Pray for revival."I began to seek Him for a Scripture to cling to and he lead me to this one in Joel:

“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him— a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? (2:12-14)

I spent the rest of the day praying and pouring over books about revival. I sense God really wants to pour out His Spirit on His church in a miraculous way. In the book, Becoming An Agent of Revival, the Promise Keepers ministry defines revival as "...the extraordinary work of God among His people causing extraordinary results in and through the church." Revival is an act of God that transforms the individual Christian, the church, and then society in a miraculous and marvelous way.

I'm not sure I've ever been a part of a genuine revival. I've seen God transform individuals and stir up His church to greater ministry, but nothing on the scale of what I believe God wants to do. I'm excited about the possibilities, but I also temper myself so that I don't try to force revival (which can't be done). As I read today, "We must understand that revival originates in God's heart and rests in His sovereignty... we are warned against thinking that it was something that we accomplished." (Agent of Revival) Though I long to be a part of a great move of God, revival is up to Him. But I can prepare for revival. "Although our action does not bring revival, if we do not do those things He has commanded, we will never see revival." (Agent of Revival)

What can I do to prepare for revival? What God laid on my heart today, is to pray for revival. I've committed to doing that daily and encouraging others to as well. This is but the first step, but it is the most important one. As Dr. J. Edwin Orr says, "Whenever God is about to do something new with His people, He always sets them to praying." I invite all to join me.

LESSONS LEARNED

2009-02-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

The last few months have been very challenging health-wise. In November I spent 8 days in Baptist Hospital in Nashville having my gall bladder removed (the old-fashioned way). Last Friday I was back in the hospital with pneumonia. I would have gotten out Sunday but my doctor said he knew I would be at church Sunday night, if he let me out, so he kept me till Monday. (I didn't tell him we were in Winter Bible Study and had church Mon-Wed as well).

I've always been healthy and so this has been a trying time for me. Our worship leader Bill is always asking me, "What's the Lord saying to you through this?" I admit, at first I wasn't really listening. Throughout the last few months I've sensed God's wonderful peace and I knew that He was with me, but I didn't really pay attention to what God was teaching me.

Upon further review... I feel like there are some things I have learned from God, things I knew but God re-emphasized:

First, God works all things together for good to those who love Him (Rom 8:28). It doesn't say only good things happen to those who love God; but God works all things (good and bad) for the good for those who love Him. I don't have to understand why things like health problems happen; I can trust God to bring good out them, and He has.

Second, God can accomplish a lot without me in the way. I'm a bit of a "hands-on" person (think control-freak). And sometimes my "hands-on" approach slows God down. Without going into detail, some really great things happened when I was "laid-up."

Finally, God gave me a new perspective on ministering to people in crisis. For the first time, I was on the receiving end. We have some wonderful people with a heart for ministry in our church and they certainly responded to my situation. I'm thankful for the ministry I received from the Body of Christ.

God is a good God, and He knows what He is doing, even when I don't.

GROUND BREAKING

2009-02-08T19:23:00.000-08:00

It was a great day at Magna View. We had a ground breaking service after our morning worship service. Our contractor had put a bulldozer on the front lawn and we brought the kids out and put them on the dozer. As you can see, it is great photo.

The ground breaking was for our new parking lot that will be along the front of our church. It will provide about 30 more spaces for us. And, if all goes well at Wednesday's business meeting, we'll also be adding five additional children's classes to our education building. We're excited about the progess. I read from Nehemiah 2 (below) and we're claiming v.20 as our theme verse:

17 Then I said to them, "You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach." 18 And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?" 20 So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."

Bill led us in singing "Holy Ground." It was awesome.

MEMORIES

2009-02-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

We finally got mom home from the hospital today. She had been in since last Friday with acute bronchitis. While they were treating, her blood pressure and heart rate got out of whack and it took a while to get it back down. Thankfully she is doing good, and my sisters take good care of her. Makes me think about getting older and what life is going to be like if I live to be her age.

Tonight I did the funeral of one of our shut-ins, James Thompson. James was a great guy. When I first came to Magna View, he lived just a few doors down from us. His wife Bertha was very sick and James took wonderful care of her until she passed away. One of our memories of James and his family occurred during a family celebration we were invited to. I don't recall what the occasion was, but there was cake and finger foods. James always had a little dog (Andre I think) and my middle daughter Lydia had gotten a plate of food and set next to a coffee table to eat. She got distracted by something and while she was looking away the dog stole her sandwich from her plate. It kind of freaked her out. James became known as the owner of the "sandwich stealing dog." It's funny the things we remember; it always seems to be the funny or weird things in life that makes the most memories.

JAMES STUDY

2009-02-04T19:17:00.000-08:00

I've been learning a lot from the study of the book of James. I'm amazed at how much James has to say about relationships. In tonight's study(3:13-18), I learned how wisdom is tied to relationships. I always thought of wisdom as being related to intelligence or "smarts". But as I thought about, I know a lot of people with "smarts" who aren't very good at relationships. When it comes to interacting with people, they seem to lack "common sense."

The wisdom from above, on the other hand, is about treating people with respect. Jesus treated others wisely. He didn't always agree with those He encountered, and sometimes He could seem harsh (calling pharisees hypocrites); but He was always fair in His communications with others. He was always honest. Too much of my communication with people is still about impression management or agenda manipulation. I'm learning more about honest and transparent communication, but I have a long way to go. I'm thankful God is "long-suffering"!

AGAIN

2009-01-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

My life seems to be one long series of beginning again I'm determined to do this blogging thing, so I'm beginning again.

I'm thankful that God lets us begin again. I've started over many times in my relationship with Him. Not really a "starting-over"; He let's me pick-up where I left off so to speak. I don't have to earn my way back into His good graces, I just have to honestly admit I've screwed up and ask for His forgiveness. I usually add a few promises to do better in the future, but He knows whether that will be true or not. His grace is truly amazing.

I also take comfort in knowing that the people who have messed up the worst are the ones God often uses the most: David and Bathsheba, Peter denied Christ, Paul consenting to Stephen's stoning, etc. God used/uses some pretty rough characters to do His work. I think He does it that way because it gives evidence of His great power, and His amazing grace.

I don't know if anyone actually reads these posts, but if you've come across it and you happen to be struggling in your relationship to God because you feel like you've screwed-up greater than God could ever forgive - trust me, your wrong. Where sin (screw-ups) abound, grace MUCH MORE abounds! Hallelujah!

APPRECIATION

2008-10-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today was Pastor Appreciation Day at Magna View. I was blown away at the generosity of our church. They presented us with a two-night stay in Asheville, NC and tickets to Biltmore too. Three families in the church are also taking care of our girls so Cecelia and I can have this time away alone. I couldn't believe it. Biltmore is one of my favorite places on earth. I love the history of it, and this is a perfect time of year to be going, right about the time the leaves will be changing. I can't wait to get there.

I can't believe the generosity of our church. Earlier this year they presented us with a car for our 10th anniversary as pastor. The car has been an answered prayer. I honestly didn't expect anything this year, but this church is just amazingly generous.

It has been a difficult year for our church and for our family. Many church members stood beside us and sometimes in front of us through some very difficult times. They have surrounded us with the love of God and have walked through the fires with us. Though it has been tough, it has also been an amazing experience. We have grown so much. Though it has been pastor appreciation day, it has really been a day that this pastor appreciates the church.

I don't know if any of the members actually read this blog, but I am so thankful to be a part of Magna View Baptist Church. There are some incredible people of God in this body. I pray that God will bless each one according to the richness of His grace and love. I look forward to serving God here and to what God is going to do in and through His church.

TOUGH TIMES

2008-10-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

These are pretty scary times we are living, at least economically. Prices keep going up while stock markets fall. I cringe every time I look at my retirement account. I also cringe every time I have to fill a vehicle up. Even with government involvement (or because of it), the recovery is going to be slow. I've read some commentators saying it will take years for us to get back to where we were just two years ago.

In such a crazy, volatile world it's good to know that somethings never change. For one, God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever more. He is still in control and can and will work in spite of the circumstances of our economy. Another thing that hasn't changed is God's mandate for His church - make disciples. In Matthew 28, when Jesus gave the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples, He didn't place any qualifiers or disclaimers on it: He didn't say, go if it's safe, go if it's affordable, or go if it's convenient. He just said go, and as we go, He will go with us. Whether it is around the block or around the world - go and He will go with us.

Tough times require tough people. The church has always flourished in tough times, because the people of God have risen to the occasion and kept doing what God called us to do. The economic crisis has and will continue to affect the church, but God is our Provider, not Wall Street or Washington. He will make a way for the Church, His Body to accomplish His call even in the tough times.

BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF CHRIST

2008-10-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

I was privileged to attend a pastor's meeting at Carson Newman today and had the opportunity to hear the new president, Dr. Randall O'Brien share his heart and his vision for CN. It was powerful. Dr. O'Brien has a passion for the Lord and to do His will. He shared that his purpose in coming to CN was build the college on the foundation of the lordship of Jesus Christ. You could feel his passion as he spoke of an experience that he had in Mossy Creek when he came here for the interview with the presidential search team.

I haven't too often come across people in the educational field who have such a passion for Christ. With Dr. O'Brien, it seems to permeate everything he says and does. This the third time I have heard him speak, and he has been the same every time. I'm excited about what God is going to do at CN in the coming months and years.

"LOSING" A FRIEND?

2008-10-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Not really. This passed Thursday, a friend of mine passed away. Though he was quite a bit older than me, we had a wonderful relationship. When I came as pastor of Magna View I started visiting Malcolm and his wife Ruby. They were elderly and no longer able to attend church, but I spent many hours visiting with them in their home. Malcolm loved to talk and tell stories. He talked about his time in the military, his days as a coal miner, the trips he and Ruby had taken, fishing, and Tennessee football. He and Ruby had been season ticket holders for a number of years and Malcolm loved Tennessee football. I knew Malcolm's time on earth was short when I visited a couple of weeks ago and asked him what he thought of the TN-UCLA game and he said he had been too tired to watch it.
We often describe someone's death as a "loss," and I guess in some way it is. But for me it is more of a "passing" than a "losing." Someone once told me "you can't lose something if you know where it is." I know where Malcolm is - he's in the presence of his Lord. He isn't lost, he's just passed on to a knew reality of life. I'll see him again someday. That is the hope (assurance) I have in Christ.

SHAKIN' IT UP

2008-08-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

The political season is in full swing, and one candidate is really shaking things up. John McCain's selection of Alaska's Gov. Sarah Palin has got both parties a-buzz'n. My first reaction was "WHO?" I think a lot of people had that reaction. So, I did as many did, I started searching for information and what I found was encouraging: pro-life, evangelical Christian, NRA member, outdoor sports(wo)man, and un-afraid to stand up against her own party leaders. Hard to find all those qualities in any politician these days. However the election turns out, it's going to be an interesting two months. McCain's choice has certainly re-energized my interest in the politics of our country.

ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE

2008-08-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

I learned a long time ago that the world is filled with negative folks. What I've discovered in the last few years is that so is the church. That's amazing to me, given the grace that has been extended to us by the Lord, and the hope we have in Him. You would think that Christians would be the most positive people in the world. Because of the goodness of the Lord we should be able to find the silver lining in every dark cloud.
I think of Paul and Silas in jail at Philippi. How easy it would have been for them to grumble and complain about the conditions they were in. But instead, at midnight they were praising the Lord and singing to Him. Their circumstances were less than ideal, but they chose to "accentuate the positive" and focus on the Lord rather than on their problems.
I confess, I'm sometimes influenced by those "Negative Nellie's" in the church that always want to complain about what's wrong, while ignoring the good things the Lord is doing. They always seem to find something to criticize, and I find myself being discouraged and frustrated and tempted to do the same things. God has used a couple of things to help me overcome the negatives:
1. My uncle Dan, a retired pastor who is approaching 90 years old but still has an amazingly positive outlook on life. He sends out a daily PTL (Praise the Lord) email and God uses Him to remind me that praise brings about a positive attitude.
2. Psalm 34:1, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." God really highlighted this verse a few weeks ago and it has helped me immensely. I discovered that when the praise of the Lord was "continually in my mouth" there was no room for negative talk or criticism of others. You can't praise the Lord and criticize others at the same time; it's impossible.
So when I find myself faced with those negative people and tempted to stoop to their level, I just start praising the Lord. I try to turn their complaints into opportunities to praise. It's amazing how God changes my attitude - praise always leads to positive attitudes!

THOUGHTS ON GOOD FRIENDS

2008-08-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged, again. It's really not my thing, but I'm working on it. I'm hoping to use it as more of a discipline to help me organize and express my thoughts better.

Lately I've been thinking about some wonderful people God has brought into my life. I've been blessed to have some really good friends who have stood by me and encouraged me. I have one friend that I really connect with. We think a lot alike, and he has such a heart for God. He inspires me more than he realizes. Another friend is a prayer partner who has such a calm spirit and balanced outlook on life. He helps me keep my balance.

Recently God heightened a friendship with someone I had known for a while. God used a phone call to get us together and we shared our hearts about ministry. He took it upon himself to fast and pray for me because of some things that have been happening in my life. God has used this man to sustain me.

I'm so humbled and thankful for the people God has brought into my life at just the right time. God always knows what and who we need. Of course, He is my best Friend, and He meets every need in my life according to His goodness and grace. What an amazing God!

VISITING FRIENDS

2008-06-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Cecelia the girls and I are in Murfreesboro visiting friends. We're staying with Cecelia's best friend Patty and her family. Last night we had supper With Derrick, Joy and Tybee, our former worship leader who moved to Nashville in May. We met at the Red Lobster and had a great time. Tybee is growing, and is just beautiful. Derrick and Joy are doing well. I didn't realize how much I've missed them until we saw them again.

Patty's brother Barry took me golfing today. We played the Old Fort Course in Murfreesboro. We had a great time. Don't know what the score was - we were too afraid to add it up. The course was nice, but had a lot of water and sand. I spent a lot of time at "the beach."

We'll head back tomorrow (Saturday). It's been good to get away for a couple of days; just to unplug and relax. I heard a preacher say one time, "Unless you come apart for rest, you'll come apart." (Not sure if that's it exactly, but it's close.) God is good.

BLESSINGS

2008-06-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today was such a blessing. I'm always in awe when the Lord shows up, and He did today. The Sunday School lesson was a study of John 11, titled "Does God Care." Of course the answer is yes, but we dealt with the questions, "If God cares, then why do we get sick?" and "Why do loved ones die (too soon)?" The lesson was on Lazerus. We had great discussion.

There was a sweet but powerful Spirit in the worship service. I was blessed by the special music by the three Hickey Girls (Kailey, Caroline and Carla). They set the tone for the message. God really took over the message -He made His presence known in a powerful. It was a message He had been burning in my heart all week.

And then tonight was so much fun. Kenna Turner-West really ministered to people tonight, through song, through testimony and through the sweet spirit of her personality. God spoke through her to so many people.

God always knows what we need when we need it. Thank you Lord!

BREAKOUT

2008-05-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a book titled "Breakout Churches" by Thom Rainer, now the president of Lifeway Christian Resources. He and a team of analysts studied different churches that went through times of crises and then times of exponential growth with the same pastor. I've just started reading it, but so far it is pretty remarkable how God works in and through periods of difficulty.

One church in Nashville (The Temple Church) had grown to over 1,000 in attendance before going through a time of crisis where attendance dropped to about 650. The primary issue was over building new facilities in order to be able to reach more people. Many in the church had grown comfortable and uninterested in reaching new people, especially those different from them. When the pastor pressed forward, 300 of the long-time leaders left the church in a short-time. The church had to scale back some ministries for a while because of financial difficulties, but after a period of about 2 years, the church began to grow again. Today the church has over 2,000 in attendance and the number of ministries has nearly doubled. The turn around was not easy, and it came at a high price, but the end result as been remarkable.

What the book is reminding me is that God is faithful and He will build His church as it pleases Him. With humans, things may look hopeless sometimes, but with God, all things are possible! (see Mark 9:23, 10:27)

D.C. and Back

2008-05-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

Last week, May 7-9, myself and Scott, a young minister in our church, traveled to Washington D.C. to attend a Pastor's Briefing sponsored by the Family Research Council, a Christian, pro-family organization. It was an awesome time. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency about two blocks from the Capitol, where the conference was being held. We heard some wonderful messages about the importance of standing for Christian values in the public and political arena. The highlight for me was the Wednesday night tour of the Capitol building where we heard Rick Greene and David Barton of Wallbuilders ministry, talk about the religious heritage of our nation. It was amazing to hear how pastors had a great impact in preparing the nation for the impending fight for freedom and intricately involved the formation of our founding documents.

On Thursday we prayer walked around Capitol Hill and the Mall. We also spent some time in the Library of Congress, which is an amazing building. We also walked to the World War II Memorial, which wasn't there the last time I was in DC in 1997. It was a bit of a walk from the Capitol Hill area, but well worth it. I've always been interested in WWII, and being at the monument and reading the quotes from the leaders of that era was a very moving experience. I'm looking forward to going back and taking the family.

I read a Proverb a day (31 chapters in Proverbs and 30 or 31 days in a month), and I came across 14:34, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." We became a great nation because of our commitment to biblical values and principles. We are losing our greatness because we are losing our commitment to those same things. But I believe we're seeing the beginnings of a grassroots return to our biblical foundations. Organizations like Family Research Council are providing the leadership and the resources to turn our nation around. Pray for them as they are on the front line of culture war. And pray for all Christians to get involved in the voting process and vote our values. I pray that our generation is used of God to bring about a national spiritual renewal.

What To Do in "All Things"

2008-05-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28 (NLT)

What are we to do when God is working those “all things” for our good? Praise the Lord!

“One of the best ways to get out of a pit is to praise your way out. When you’re praising God, you’re trusting God. If you’re worrying, you’re are not trusting,and if you’re trusting, you’re not worrying…If you’re going through a battle and you’ve prayed about it, you should be rejoicing. Every time you think about the situation, praise Him.” (Kate McVeigh)

The Big Day

2008-04-08T18:59:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been a great day. I turned 43 today and I've been so blessed. I took a vacation day from work. so I got to spend a little extra time in the word and prayer this morning. I then headed for the golf course. I haven't played since last fall and it was good to get out on the course again. I don't take golf that seriously so it is very relaxing for me. (Plus I was under 100, and I got paid to play).

On the way home Cecelia informed me that she and the girls were taking me to my favorite ribs restaurant, Tony Roma's, which recently opened in Pigeon Forge. I haven't had Roma's Ribs since our last trip to Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago. I made up for lost time! It was great.

We then walked around Pigeon Forge and Patriot Park. It was beautiful evening. We fed the ducks in the river/creek, and just relaxed at the park. This has been one of the best birthdays I've ever had - nothing exciting, just relaxing and being with Cecelia and the girls. I loved it!

God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and family. Some recent events have really drawn us closer together. I'm thankful for a godly wife who seeks God's face and believes His word. She has been a source of spiritual encouragement for me. And she is raising godly daughters. They're not perfect, but they know how to honor God with their lives and talents. A couple of weeks ago, the four of them (Cecelia, Holli, Lydia and Abigail) sung in church. My heart nearly burst with joy as they used their gifts and talents to honor God. I'm so thankful for a family that has a heart to serve and honor God.

Well, this is more than I anticipated writing, but it's been a great day.

Maundy Thursday

2008-03-20T18:47:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the Baptist church that I did, I never heard about Maundy Thursday. Not until I was in college did I become aware that Christians all over the world commemorate the last meal Jesus had with His disciples. Maundy is from the Latin word for mandate or commandment. It is a reference to what Jesus said to His disciples during the meal - "But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. " (John 13:34)

Jesus, the master teacher that He was, gave an old commandment new life. In the OT book of Leviticus the Lord said, "Forget about the wrong things people do to you, and do not try to get even. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord." (19:18, NCV) Though this was part of the law code of the Jewish people, love is a hard thing to legislate. What it became in practice was "Love those neighbors who are like yourself." In other words, love those who are like you, who see things like you do, who you can love as much as you love yourself. It was not what God intended.

Jesus updates the commandment to "You must love each other as I have loved you." How did Jesus love? By giving Himself for those who didn't love Him; by laying down life for sinners, so that they could become saints. Real love always seeks to lift up the object of its affection. Jesus gives further instruction by saying, "If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples." (John 13:35, NLT) As we love others like Jesus loved us, others know we belong to Him. Do you think that pleases Jesus? I think so too.

Small Things

2008-03-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Bible says, "do not despise the day of small things." Most days are filled with "small things;" nothing spectacular, just little blessings along the way. But if we pay attention to the little blessings along the way, we see that they add up to a full day of good things. Today was one of those days. This morning was a good time of worship for me. Nothing spectacular happened, but I sensed the presence of the Lord. We spent the afternoon together as a family and I was blessed to spend some time with Cecelia and the girls. We've been so busy with church and school that we have rarely all been together the last few weeks. And tonight I got to set back and worship the Lord while the choir did "Written in Red." What a powerful musical, and they nailed it. The song, "Who Will Call Him King of Kings" gave me the "Holy Spirit goosebumps." He is my King and I could just bask in His love tonight. A day of small things, but what a wonderful day. Thank you Lord!

Like the Father

2008-03-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends. If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about that? Don’t even unbelievers do that? But you must always act like your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-48 (NCV)

Has anyone ever said, "You're just like your father," or "You're just like your mother." I remember when people would say those things to me, and I immediately shut them down. I loved my dad, and he was a pretty good guy, but I didn't want to grow up to be like him. My dad was old fashioned, close minded, closed lipped, and could be a pretty harsh man. He wasn't always nice to my mom. He sometimes caused me a lot of anger and frustration. I wanted to be different. But people saw in me some characteristics of my dad that I didn't see, or didn't want to see. But I finally came to the realization that I had begun imitating what I had grown up seeing. Recognition is the first step to change. I've been fortunate to be able to change some of the behaviors I had adopted from my dad. I'm thankful to have a loving family that has helped me see what I'm doing and what I could be.

When I became a Christian I didn't realize all that it meant. I got saved primarily so I could go to heaven when I died. I knew it meant that I needed to be a good person, but at the time, I didn't realize that being a follower of Christ meant becoming like Him. Being a Christian means becoming like the Father, because that's the example of Jesus. Jesus set a pretty high standard. especially in the area of relationships.

My earthly father taught me (by example) to avoid the people that didn't like me, (out of sight, out of mind). He taught me to be nice to those who were nice to me, and be friends with those who were friendly to me. For most of my life, that's how I lived... like the world. Then I started taking the Bible seriously, and reading the passages like the one above that revealed a different standard of relationships. I realized I could no longer give others the "cold-shoulder" and be like Jesus. I could no longer look the other way when I encountered people who didn't like me, and be like my Father. I'm still a work in progress, but I understand what it takes to please the Father, and that's all that matters.

New Beginnings?

2008-02-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

One of the things I've learned in my time off is that the number 8 is the number of new beginnings. I learned this from a TV preacher that I normally wouldn't watch, but something kept me tuned in. I had heard this idea from a couple of different places, but this guy went through the Bible, highlighting number "8" passages. A couple caught my attention - there were eight people in Noah's Ark, symbolizing a new beginning. David was the eighth son of Jesse, symbolizing a new dynasty. Hebrew children were circumcised on the eighth day of their lives - symbolizing a new cycle of life.
In subsequent research (I had to learn more about "8"), I learned of a Jewish festival called "Shemini Atzeret", the "eighth day assembly." It came after the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkoth. Leviticus 23:33-44 declares that the Feast of Tabernacles is to be celebrated for seven full days. Seven is the number of completion and the final day celebrates the completion of the harvest. The eighth day begins a new growth cycle, therefore a holy convocation is called for, a time of worship which, in Jewish tradition, would include a prayer for rain for the new growing season. The eight day was a new beginning.
Christ was raised on the "eight day" of the week - the ultimate evidence of a new beginning.
What is God saying through all of this? Is 2008 the year of new beginnings as the TV preacher said? Still seeking, praying and waiting for clarity ... thankful that God is always a God of new beginnings.

Terminal Illness

2008-02-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago as I was preparing a sermon, God brought to mind the fact that I have a "terminal illness." Those words usually bring to mind something like cancer, ALS, Aides, or some other disease for which there is no cure yet. I have none of those. My terminal illness (as is yours), is being human. The truth is we're all dying. Unless the Lord returns, we're not getting out of this life alive. It may be soon, or it may be many years in the future, but eventually our terminal illness catches up with us.
I took my 82 year old mom to the doctor last week, and we were talking about family history. She reminded me that my grandfather, her dad, died when he was 45, an age I am rapidly approaching. Later, I was processing this information and kind of wondering where I was going to fall in the "life/death timeline" (83 like mom, 45 like grandfather, or maybe 96 like grandmother), and again the Lord spoke: how much time I have isn't nearly as imp0rtant as what I do with the time I have.
More thinking... am I doing with my life what I am suppose to be doing? Am I doing all that I could be doing for the Lord? I'm taking the next few days off to spend some time seeking the Lord and His will. I have a terminal illness and I want to make sure I'm using all the time I have left to glorify God by bearing much fruit for Him!

The Adventure of the Christ-Life

2008-02-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

Life has become a great adventure with the Lord of late. Though nothing cataclysmic has happened, there just seems to be a sense of adventure about the future. It is great to be in a place where you can completely trust the Lord for the future. I don't have to know what is going to happen next, I just trust the Lord and hang on. There is a wonderful sense of freedom in knowing that I'm not in charge of my life - God is. I can relax and rest in His arms.

For those who know me, this is quiet a change. I use to be a control-freak. I had to know what was going to happen next, and I hated surprises. I still don't like surprises too much, but I've begun to look forward to the adventure of each day. I know God is always at work, and I can partner with Him by allowing Him to lead me and use me for His glory. Is there anything greater? I haven't found it yet.

Thoughts on the TBC and church in general

2007-11-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

The TBC (Tennessee Baptist Convention) is underway in Kingsport, TN. I attended the afternoon session of the pastor's conference on Monday and was blessed by the messages of Johnny Hunt, Dennis Swanburg, and Jerry Vines. Tuesday was the first day of the convention and I attended the morning session. The reports were encouraging, giving is up (even excess), talks of change and moving forward. A few motions and changes to committee reports were offered. All in all the business session seemed to move well. What concerned me most was the mass exodus of messengers after the business session and before the time of worship and the president's message. I realize some probably had important things to attend to, but I believe many were only there to cast their vote in the business session, and when that was over there was no reason for them to stay. I think that's very unfortunate. It reminds me of those people in our churches who never come to participate in the Wednesday prayer service with their fellow church members, but come for the monthly business meeting to make their voice be heard.
It is no wonder we are divided as a Convention. First of all, even at an annual convention, the worship of our Lord should have priority over our business sessions. If we spent more time in worship together, we'd probably need less time for the business sessions. Secondly, if we can't worship together, how can we possibly work together for the glory of God. We're divided in our work because we are divided in our worship. Worship must always come before work. God is always more concerned about who we are than what we do. When we again make worshiping together a priority in our Convention, we'll see our divisions being dissolved and God working through our Convention to reach the lost and unchurched people of our state. And what is true in our convention is true in our individual churches as well. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

True is True

2007-11-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

A part of the morning sermon was about the narrowness of truth. If something is true, then the opposite is false. Truth, by it's very nature is narrow.
Amazingly, though, rather than learn and accept the truth, some people prefer to create their own reality and promote it as truth. They make statements based on limited information and personal feelings rather than on facts. A good example is found in Matthew 12 where Jesus healed a man who was controlled by demons and was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him and the Bible says that the people were amazed. They recognized the uniqueness of Jesus; the miracle was used to confirm His true identity.
But the Pharisees, who would not accept the truth of who Jesus was, created their own reality and said that Jesus cast out demons and healed because His power came from Beelzebub, the prince of demons. For the Pharisees, it suited their agenda to ignore the truth and the evidence of the truth, and create their own reality, and make Jesus out to be something He was not, and ignore who He really was. Unfortunately, this kind of "truth twisting" happens often in today's world. Some people are being destroyed because others are twisting the truth.
The good news, though, is that in the end, truth will be made known. God, who already knows everything, will reveal what has been hidden by the truth twisters, just like the Pharisees were revealed for who they really were. True is always true, and one day all truth will be made known.

A Do-Nothing Day

2007-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, it is obvious I am not much of a blogger. Time is at such a premium in my life right now that it is hard to add anything to the plate. But, today was a day of rest. It's the first full day I've had off since returning from Mississippi three weeks ago, and I've taken full advantage of it by doing virtually nothing.
It seems weird doing nothing after over 21 days of "go-go-go". I feel guilty. All day I've thought of the numerous things that I could be doing - both church and ministry related and around the house, but I've resisted the urge to do anything, not because I'm lazy, but because of sabbath. I need a do-nothing-day, just to rest and recharge. I use the sabbath day to rest physically and recharge my spiritual batteries by reading and praying. It has been a good day, and I know I'll be a better person and minister for taking it.
The Lord set the example by resting on the seventh day after creating the world. He then commanded us to follow His example in the Ten Commandments. The Lord, our Creator, knew we needed a day of rest to maintain our balance in life. We have a day of sabbath because the Lord loves us and wants the best for us. We would do well to follow His example and obey His Word (sorry, the preacher in me just comes out).