LESSONS LEARNED

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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.