A Real Hero

It is not often that I follow a story in the Atlanta paper. I usually get mad when I read the slanted news and editorials, but the AJC recently ran a two part series that captivated my attention and Michael Carvell did an outstanding job in his story. The story is about a small town football coach and his struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The story is lengthy so my small blog will not permit telling all the details but I will try to summarize as best I can.

Jeremy Williams is the 38 year old coach of Greenville, Georgia High School. The town of Greenville is about 90 miles southwest of Atlanta and has a population of 946. The coach married his high school sweetheart and has two children, an eight year old daughter and a six year old son. His son was born with spina bifida and just last week underwent surgery on both legs. This coach not only faces a tough future with his disease but as any parent knows a real fear for his son who faces years of treatment.

Coach Williams received a last minute scholarship offer from the University of Memphis and started his freshman year as the 5th string safety. By the time the season was to begin he had moved up to second string and right before the opening game the starting safety was injured and he was elevated to the starting position. He never missed starting a game for his entire four year career. I think it is very clear that this man is a fighter and he has instilled that same never give up attitude in his players at Greenville High.

The coach is a devout believer and he stated in the article that he knows that in Christ he will someday be cured. I don't think he is speaking of a miracle cure in this life but a complete healing when he is in the arms of Jesus. He has become so weak that he must ride a golf cart to the field and his voice is so low that an assistant has to repeat plays to the team. The players have the utmost respect and belief in their leader and their play this year illustrates this. The team was 10-0 before the playoffs and recorded five shutouts. The first playoff game was a 26-0 win over Pelham High School. The coach could have wallowed in the prognosis of his disease but instead has chosen to coach his team and lead his family for as long as he can.

I would love to write the ending to this season with a state championship but that is not for us to decide. The players will play the games with all their hearts and win or lose they will be champions following a coach who is a true champion of men. I think of those that we put on pedestals and commemorate as heroes and I can't help but think that this coach of a small town high school in Georgia is a true hero, the truest of heroes. He may receive little renown outside of Georgia, but he is well known by his savior for whom he lives. He is a true hero to his wife and his two small children. He is a true hero to a group of players who have watched their coach in his struggles and they know that he has never given up. I think those players, win or lose will never give up. They play in the second round of the playoffs this week and I hope you will join me in a prayer for strength for the coach and success for his players. I will keep you posted on how they do the rest of the year. I would like to thank the author of the story as most of this information came from his article. You can google coach Jeremy Williams of Greenville, Georgia and get a link to the AJC article.

My President

I have about had enough. I lived through the last presidential campaign where the "anointed one" ran against GW Bush. I lived through co workers continuously slamming my president. I lived through the quasi media elite making fun of my president. I will admit that he is not nearly as eloquent as the "anointed one" but I felt that when he looked you in the eye he was speaking his heart and he was speaking the truth. He was attacked because he did not hide his faith behind some political ideology. He was who he was and that's all that he was. You know, he did make some mistakes and I did not always agree with all he did but I will never forget that when the twin towers fell and we were under attack I had the utmost respect for him and his ability during this crucial time. I will never forget his greatest speech. He spoke from the national cathedral and gave me hope during the darkest days that I had ever experienced as an American. He has conducted himself with dignity since leaving the presidency and I can say that the First Lady, Laura Bush has been a class act both during her time in the White House and since.

I loved the man and I loved what he stood for. I heard daily in my office the slurs, the verbal attacks on the man and his character. I did not always stand up for his as I should have but I think most would agree that if we ever experience (hopefully we will not) another situation such as 9-11 that we will all be wishing that George W. Bush was still around. He truly had a deep faith in God (not so sure about the anointed one) and while he did not push his beliefs on others, you knew where he stood.

I write this today because of an article that my daughter sent me. I have attached this article and I urge you to read it. The article was written by a gay rights activist who truly says what needs to be said. I was truly touched by the authenticity of the writing. One might think that the activist is upset by the lack of progress he is experiencing under the Obama presidency but I think it goes much deeper than this. I urge you to read it in it's entirety and you will see why I was impacted by this statement from a most unlikely source. This story includes an account of a visit that the former President and First Lady made to the families at Ft. Hood.

I close by saying that I hope with all my heart that our President will come to understand the gravity of his decisions and his actions. My fear is that he is controlled by others who may not have the best interests of the American people. Go to the link below and read this amazing article.

http://hillbuzz.org/2009/11/10/thank-you-former-president-george-w-bush-and-former-first-lady-laura-bush/

The Right Time and The Right Place

I had an interesting conversation with a co worker today about the traditions of our churches. The conversation drifted around to the invitation that many churches give at the end of each church service. While I grew up in such a church I do not feel it is a necessity in order for one to come to know Christ. In fact I witnessed the pressure exerted upon people to walk an aisle. I can remember as a young boy the many ladies of the church who would go to individuals they suspected might not be saved and trying to talk them into a decision. I can remember young children who walked an aisle because a friend walked an aisle. I'll probably make someone mad but in many revivals counselors are used to begin to walk an aisle so that others would follow. I will not say that churches should not give an invitation. I think God saves in many different environments but no one method is a necessity for coming to know the Lord. In fact my church does not give an invitation, yet people come to know Christ and are baptized on a regular basis. I feel that there is a time appointed that a person will come to know the Lord. The conversation led to my telling a story of one such time.

I owned a True Value Hardware Store in Northern Arkansas for several years. I decided to have a time of Bible study for those of my staff who could choose to attend. We met on Friday mornings before the business opened. It was attended by myself, two ladies who worked for us, a bi-vocational pastor and a young man who had no upbringing in the church. One of the ladies was a Methodist who was devout in her faith. The other lady was raised in a Jewish home in Chicago. The Jewish Lady (Harriet) is the centerpiece of this story. After we began our study I asked the group if they had any preference for the study and Harriet suggested we start at the beginning (Genesis). I thought to myself that this was a great idea. Perhaps she would not feel threatened by a study that did not center on Christ or the New Testament. I knew that the book of Genesis pointed to Christ on almost every page but I trusted that this would be a good way to start.

We worked through the creation, sin etc. and about the fifth week of our study we came to the story of Noah and the Ark. In this study I described how the Ark was a picture of Christ in that the Ark saved people from the flood and Christ saves people from their life of sin. During the discussion I looked over and Harriet had giant tears streaming down her face. I asked what was bothering her and she replied.."I want that, I want to be saved". Well you can imagine the impact on our group. I instructed Harriet on the how to....simply ask Him and He will come into your heart and you will be saved. It was a great day of rejoicing for Harriet.

All this in the back of a True Value Hardware Store at 7:00 AM on a Friday morning. No music, no invitation, no pleading, no preaching. It was the work of the Holy Spirit in Harriet's heart. It was the right time, the right place....it was Harriet's time. Later on the young man was saved in his home with his wife. All of this came about because the Word was given and this was their time. God used our group to slowly deliver the Word to a heart that had been prepared in advance. Before we get hung up on our traditions let's remember that it is God who Saves. It is the Holy Spirit at work in the heart and we are just the one's who receive the blessing of seeing God at Work.

MOM

I confess to a real battle with Blogger's Block...I have really not felt inspired these past few days. I try to read passages of scripture but nothing seems to budge the block. I think about timely political topics but more block occurs. Today though would have been my mom's 80th birthday. She left us here on earth two years ago on December 3rd. I hate to admit it but it did not come to my mind that today would have been her birthday until lunchtime. I was blessing my food at Subway and had finished my prayer when it hit me that today was my mom's birthday. The reason I remembered was that I overheard a lady in the next booth say that her dad had passed away on this day a few years ago. This quickly brought to my mind that today was a special day. I quickly bowed my head and thanked God for the blessing that my mom was to me and I thanked Him that she was with Him in heaven.

As the day continued I thought of mom many more times. In my day timer I have a copy of her obituary that I read from time to time. As I arrived home this evening my wife told me that my Dad had called and he had been to her grave site to decorate the headstone. My daughter in Texas called and she was serving one of our favorite desserts that mom fixed (banana pudding). She was serving it in some of mom's dishes. I think it is safe to say that none of her children or grandchildren will ever forget what a special lady she was. She lives on in our hearts as every time we are together there will be some mention of her life or something she said.

None of us leave very much behind of any significance. Mom did leave a legacy behind. We all remember her for different things. Her sense of humor, her love for family, etc. What I best remember was her encouragement. Mom was an encourager. She made us think that we could do anything that we set our minds to. We were capable of doing anything and she gave us all courage and a desire to do more with our lives. Mom was also my spiritual mentor. She and I spent many long hours discussing things of our faith. She was a reader and a writer....I think I inherited this from her. I often thought that I did not receive any gifts from my ancestors. My grandfather was a master carpenter. Some of our family are gifted musicians..I can't carry a tune in a bucket and every time I get my tools out my wife hits her knees in prayer. But mom did give me a love of books, of reading and of writing. I thank her for this. It is a gift that I treasure.

I am thankful that one day I will join mom in Heaven. Mom gave me the greatest gift I could ever desire...that of knowing the One who holds me in His hands. She showed me the way to my Savior. For this I say thanks mom and I also say that though you are gone my heart still beats for you and I love you now even more than before. I'll see you on the other side.

How to make tough decisions

The most difficult thing in the world can be making a good decision. We all struggle with this regardless of our age, place in life, etc. We have all made bad decisions and we suffered the consequences of these bad choices. I can personally identify here in that I left a good job and started my own business and while I grew through the process I can look back and know that I made several bad decisions. Andy Stanley just completed a four part series titled "Your Move". This series dealt with some steps to making good decisions. As usual it was full of insight and how I wish I had heard this series when I was twenty instead of nearly sixty. I will try my best to keep this summary as short as possible, but my desire is that you could learn from this study. You can download this series at www.northpoint.org.

Andy spent four Sundays asking four questions to help us in making good decisions. I will list the four questions with a few comments:

1. Question #1: Am I really being honest with myself? Ask yourself this question when making a decision. Am I being honest about my desire for a particular thing. An example would be a newly wedded couple who are trying to decide on a new car. They have a desire to purchase a Hummer. Yep, 4 to 6 mpg but on the other hand, plenty of room, can be driven in all sorts of weather (big issue in ATL) and besides it is an impressive automobile. It will draw lots of attention.....I am sure these all sound like great features, but this couple makes about $60,000 between the two of them and the payments over five years are only $595/month with a fleece (lease). In Andy's words "we are on a happiness quest, not on a quest for what is best." Andy pointed out that the heart is deceitful above all things" Jeremiah 17:9.
2. Question #2: What Story Do I Want To Tell? When we make a decision we will later be telling this story to others about the results of a decision. My own story includes a bad business decision that impacted my life forever. What story do we want to be able to tell? Andy's illustration was from the book of Genesis where Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife and he withstood the temptation though he was thrown into prison as a result. Later though he could retell this story and explain that because he did the right thing he was in prison but the Lord restored him in a higher position through which he restored his family and saved Egypt from starvation, etc. So when you make a decision think about the story you will tell as a result.
3. Question #3: Is there a tension I need to pay attention too? When you are making a decision do you feel a tension in your heart? Is something telling you to hold on and reconsider the decision? This is a tension you should pay attention to. Christians will tell you that something didn't fit or add up and this was a red flag. Andy used the story of David in the cave with Saul with a chance to murder the king (who was trying to murder David) but something did not feel right and he decided not to harm the King. He later was made King by God. Charles Stanley (Andy's Dad) has a quote on his office wall that says " God will take full responsibility for my life and outcomes if I am wholly dedicated to Him." So don't make a decision if you have any second thoughts or tension in your life.
4. Question #4: What would be most honoring to God?" When making a decision ask yourself what choice would most honor God? Andy's scripture references are 1 Cor 6:19-20..."Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, you are not your own, you were bought with a price, honor God with your body." Matthew 5:14-16, "Let your light shine so that glory is brought to God." Andy used examples of people downsizing in order to be able to give more to God's work of helping those in need. He also used as an example...keeping a difficult marriage together because it honors God. There are countless examples of God glorifying decisions that we make. A challenge Andy gave us was to use this criteria in every decision we make over the next few days.

In closing these are four questions to ask yourself when making decisions: to recap they are

• Am I really being honest with myself?
• What story do I want to tell?
• Is there a tension I need to pay attention too?
• What would be most honoring to God?

My hope is that we would all use these questions to help us in making the right decision....one that we can live with.

He Gave Everything He Had, that we might have everything He has

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

No other aspect of our faith is more important than this one message. This is a message to every person, in every city and in every country in our world. This verse does not speak of anything we do, but about all that He did. His atoning sacrifice was the once, forever, for all sacrifice that took away the sins of the world....past....present and future. One time, forever for all. It is a message that knows no limits, no borders, no particular peoples. From the richest to the poorest, the smallest to the largest, the lonely to the lovely. It is for all people everywhere.

It is much easier to preach a message that makes people feel good. Perhaps a message about financial prosperity. A message about physical healing or a message of social giving to those less fortunate. These subjects all make people feel good. In fact when we give to those less fortunate it makes us feel good....but what about the sin, what about the sacrifice, what about the Savior (who takes away the sins of the world)? As Oswald Chambers says "Paul did not say...Woe is unto me, if I do not preach what Christ has done for me, but woe is unto me, if I do not preach the Gospel." The gospel is simple...a simple message about the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. The one who is carrying this message to people everywhere, must immerse themselves in this message...He was the atoning sacrifice for our sins....not just ours, but the sins of the whole world.

Today's post is from a verse featured in Oswald Chambers epic book "My Utmost For His Highest" I take the liberty to feature this verse and to phrase my own thoughts in regard to this verse. I would highly recommend that each person read Brother Oswald's book. It has had a significant impact on my life and I feel led to share this treasure with you.

My prayer for this day: Father, may I never forget the one who gave everything He had so that I might have everything He has. When all my important things have rusted or rotted, I still have the One who never perishes, who never passes away. May we give Him praise, honor and glory this day for His atoning sacrifice that takes away the sins of the World.

Where are we to go?

In reading My Utmost For His Highest on this day, the great commission is the subject. The familiar verses found in Matthew 28:19 says "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The key word here is GO! The question is where am I to GO? I love what Oswald Chambers said in his book. "Where we are placed is a matter of indifference; God engineers the goings, none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself....and that is how to keep going till we're gone."

One might read the great commission and feel that they must go to another land, another place in order to carry out the command of Christ. As Brother Oswald says.."Where we are placed is a matter of indifference; God engineers the goings." First Corinthians verse seventeen says; "Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him." In other words we should not be anxious to change our location or our vocation in order to carry out our calling to take the gospel to the world. I believe we are to stay right where we are unless strongly compelled by God to follow Him to another area or to a new vocation or ministry. Knowing that God is calling is the subject for another day but suffice it to say in the words of Henry Blackaby (Experiencing God).."that if you want to know the will of God for your life....then do what you know is the will of God." In other words do those things that we know God (from His Word) has called us to do. If we do this the direction, the location and the vocation will be revealed to us in due time.

Just before Christ proclaimed the Great Commission to His disciples they had joined Him in the mountains of Galilee and there they worshipped Him. In other words they spent some time with God before He called them to go (Matthew 28:16). It is no different for us. We must spend quality time with God before we are to go forth and proclaim His Word. In order to have a fresh message that is accepted by those around us we must spend time each day with God. In doing so we learn to know where God is leading us and what He would have us to do.

Now back to the GO of today's writing. We are to go to work, go to school, go shopping and go out among those people in our circle of influence. We are to live Christ amongst these people. Sometimes it will take an extended time with people before they are ready to hear our message. Having gone through various evangelistic programs including Evangelism Explosion, etc. I have found that to be to anxious (wanting to reach people on our timetable) does not always work. One first has to earn the respect of those he wants to reach out to. This is relationship building and it will in fact take some time. A second criteria is to be alert to where God is at work. I have found that many spiritual conversations with non believers takes place when the person asks a simple question about our faith or maybe something he or she heard that is in the Bible. Conversations also begin from something that occurs in our society. Patience and being alert to God at work are keys to knowing the right time to present our gospel.

So the GO is all about being prepared to do God's work in our world. Being prepared begins by spending time each day with God....in His Word. Step two is knowing that right now you are where you need to be and we need to not worry about where we need to go. When God is ready to move us to a new location or vocation, He will orchestrate this. Step three is to simply live a Godly life in front of others and to raise our spiritual antennae and be aware of where God is at work and join Him in His work. The going is not always easy but if we are not going we are standing still. As Brother Oswald says "keep going till we are gone."

The Basis For Your Beliefs

Many an hour has been spent arguing the origin of man, the days of man and the eternity of man. You and I have heard every opinion imaginable as to the answers to these questions. The questions are simply how did I get here, how are my days directed and what happens to me when I leave this world? The question begs....what is the basis of my beliefs? I will not bore you with all the theories and belief systems but they vary from an accidental creation to evolution to a creator. I again ask the question, "what is the basis for your belief system?" When I ask this question to those who have beliefs that differ from my own, I never seem to get a substantive answer. The answer is usually "this is what I believe and I really don't know why but this is what I believe."

I can say without hesitation that my basis is the Bible. I have found no other document or explanation that can answer the key questions posed above. If you the reader can answer the questions via a viable alternative I would be happy to hear your answer. The question that begs to be answered is why do I believe the Bible holds the answers to life's most important questions. The following are the reasons I believe the Bible is God's Word to man as to the how, when and why of this life we live:

• The Bible as any other belief system must be accepted by faith. I cannot produce a stack of documents to prove my belief. I accept the Bible by faith. Any other theory must also be accepted by faith.
• The Bible has survived centuries. Attempts have been made to destroy the Bible. It is illegal to own and read a Bible in many areas of the world, yet it is present in these areas. It has been fought for, died for and is owned by people throughout the world.
• The Bible is full of prophesies written thousands of years ago. These prophesies have been fulfilled on numerous occasions and are taking place before our eyes even today.
• I simply cannot accept alternatives to the answers to those questions that have been asked by mankind over the ages.
• The Bible is alive...it is supernatural...it speaks to me every time I open the pages and delve into the riches that are present in the books. My heart and soul are touched by the words written therein.
• The Bible is full of wisdom, understanding, help for the hurting, hope for the hopeless.
• The Bible is a guidebook to life. If one would simply sit down and read the Proverbs, it can change lives. It is full of wisdom pertaining to relationships, money management, decision making and other timely topics.

The question I pose to many critics is this: If you are so against the Bible and it's teachings and if you do not believe it to be truth then I would challenge you to read it! Before you are super critical of the Bible I ask you to read it. In most cases those who are adamantly against the Bible and the belief system of the Bible have never read it. They have heard from others that it is simply a fable and this belief is accepted by the critics. I challenge you to very slowly read it and absorb the words and allow it to speak to you. I would also advise you to start at the beginning as you would with any other book. Allow your mind to be open and let the words speak to you. This is a reasonable request that I would expect any critic to undertake before speaking against a subject.

I close with an excerpt from, The Hiding Place, a book written by Corrie TenBoom. Corrie's family hid Jews from the Germans during World War II. She and her entire family were captured and sentenced to concentration camps. In this living hell she and her sister lived among women from throughout Europe. Corrie was able to smuggle in a small New Testament and she kept it in a sack tied around her neck. She describes the little Bible and the impact on their lives. "Sometimes I would slip the Bible from its little sack with hands that shook, so mysterious had it become to me. It was new; it had just been written. I marveled sometimes that the ink was dry. I had believed the Bible always, but reading it now had nothing to do with belief. It was simply a description of the way things were....of hell and heaven, of how men act and how God acts. I had read a thousand times the story of Jesus' arrest...how soldiers had slapped Him, laughed at Him, flogged Him. Now such happenings had faces and voices."

There are countless similar stories told of the Bible and the impact it has had on the lives of people of all nationalities, ages, races, etc. It is alive. It is real and it is my basis of belief. This writing will probably not change many minds, but again I urge you to read it before you criticize it and write if off as just another book. Think about the history of the Bible and the fact that it lives on and is read by people all over this world. It holds the keys to eternity and is a guidebook to living out our lives here on earth.

Dan Brown...what is he all about

I finally read the Davinci Code and Dan Brown's newest book the Lost Symbol. It seems I do not always read a hot authors books in a timely manner. I also read the author's books out of order as I read the Lost Symbol first and then the Davinci Code. I am not sure why I read these bestsellers at a later date..except of course the Lost Symbol (new bestseller)? This seems to be my pattern in that as an example I never watched Seinfeld during the shows airing. I watched every episode years later and I am a bit of an expert on Seinfeld episodes. I guess it comes down to when I find the time I delve deeply into the subject.

Now to author Brown and his epic works. I hungrily read the Lost Symbol and was impressed by the Author's ability to spin a tale. He keeps your interest up though he spends a lot of time on historical information. I found myself wanting to have my laptop close by to google his writings to verify if information is true. The one thing I noted was the education into some interesting topics such as the Masons, Free Masonry, etc. In the Davinci Code I found myself wondering about the true situation with Opus Dei and the Catholic Church. Again I complement the author for his research and his ability to hold my attention. One of my biggest gripes with some authors such as John Gresham is his inability to finish a novel and keep you in suspense. His endings are terrible and he has been told this on numerous occasions though he argues that his books keep selling so he thinks the endings are quite okay.

The one factor that I found coming through loud and clear to me was that I feel Author Brown has a hidden agenda. I felt throughout the reading that He was putting forth his own beliefs in regard to the origin of man and the eventual eternity of man. I sensed in the Lost Symbol that he was promulgating his belief in universalism. He felt that all religions lead to the same path...connection with God. As a Christ follower I could not of course accept his beliefs. I by faith accept that there is only one way to God and that is through His son Jesus. In the Davinci Code he puts forth the idea that Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and that through this union a child was born. I know that this sort of idea would stir the masses and create controversy and of course book sales. But I feel that Brown may truly believe this theory and he weaves this idea along with other radical ideas in the book. The mystery, the intrigue as I said are there and keeps the reader captivated.

My only fear is that if people are not well grounded in their faith that they could jump to these radical ideas and accept them wholeheartedly. To accept his ideas is to reject the true Word of God found in the Bible. It all comes down to faith and acceptance of God's Word the Bible. This is the case in any belief system. One can argue his beliefs for hours on end but when it comes down to it...it is faith that guides our walk through this life. As I have shared with friends who are not believers, I cannot prove my beliefs. I can share what the basis is for my beliefs and whatever one believes it comes down to a question....what is your basis? What is the basis for your belief system. Think about this. If you believe that many paths lead to God...I ask what is your basis for this belief? I can unequivocally say that my basis is the Bible. I believe it, I live by it and my eternity is based upon it. I ask what is your basis for your beliefs. I wonder what Author Brown has as a basis for his beliefs? We will probably never know. I do believe that the Bible is a supernatural work of God Himself. He framed it, fashioned it and it lives on supernaturally in our world. When it is read by a true seeker, it is supernaturally opened to the reader. It has meaning in the heart of the seeker and it speaks to the seeker. It is the basis for many changed lives. It gives hope for the helpless, healing for the hurting and life to the believer. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.

The Best Church in America!

Blessings to you and yours tonight. It has been a very good day. I wanted to share with you why today has been such a blessing...it started right. What do I mean? We began our day by attending what may be...no it is...the best church in America. Now that is a heady claim and how can one know that his or her church is the best church in America? Well you really can't make that claim but it is wonderful that you love your church so much that you make that claim.

I attend Brown's Bridge Community Church (BBCC) in Cumming, Georgia. It is a sister church to Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. The founding and current pastor is Andy Stanley (son of Charles). I believe Andy is the most gifted communicator and leader of any church in America, perhaps the world. You could of course make this claim of many men, but for me he is the Man! Of course Andy is very humble and has no ego. He is all about growing the kingdom and growing those people he has influence over. A few reasons I think I attend the best church in America:

• The church is full of people like me. We all are marred, yet redeemed.
• The church has one purpose...to bring people into a relationship with Jesus Christ
• The Worship is unbelievable
• The messages are timely and non-threatening
• Anyone is welcome and no one feels out of place
• There is no dress code...come as you are
• People are baptized regularly (this means people come to Christ regularly)
• It is not about numbers or affiliations with any denomination
• The numbers that do attend represent families coming together willingly and eagerly to share life together.
• Small groups are the foundation of this church. You can't be a member unless you are in a small group.
• My small group members are my closest friends. We literally are sharing life together...the good, the bad and the ugly.
• I can be myself at BBCC. There is no agenda
• I have never seen an invitation to accept Christ given, but people get saved weekly?? The people are going out to their workplaces, schools etc. and sharing Christ.
• There are no business meetings...therefore no one is getting mad and leaving.
• Buildings are not important. We have nice buildings but they are used to the max

There are of course many other reasons why I think BBCC is the best church in America but I think it comes down to this. I feel this fellowship mirrors the early church in Acts. The people shared everything. They met in homes. They shared food together and they shared their hurts, fears, needs and their lives. This could be why the membership is growing rapidly and new churches and new converts are being added daily.

I would never want you to think that I am saying your church is not great. That is not my purpose here. My purpose is to say that I am blessed to be at this place for such a time as this. God has led me here, God keeps me here and I pray that I never take for granted the privilege of being a part of this great church, among great people led by the finest staff of any church anywhere. We can do so much more but we are doing much in this shattered world. To God be the glory...great things He has done.

Small Groups

This week in our small group we studied Philippians, Chapter 1. The topic seemed to be the suffering of Paul and how he handled adversity, jail, etc. It was a special time for our group. We delved into the wonder of community and sharing one another's burdens. We seemed to agree that doing life presents many challenges for each of us. We also agreed that God had brought this small group of believers together to share our hurts and challenges and that we should lean on one another. This is the way that God intended for us to face the trials we face. Man should not bear his suffering alone. This is indeed what friends and especially fellow believers should do in time of need.

One of the points made was that we are all in one of three categories. We are either in a storm, just leaving a storm or about to enter a storm. This same evening we all discovered that things were really going quite well for all of us. But we all understood that this can change at any moment.

As a grandparent I have learned that my heart truly aches for my little granddaughters. They are age 3 months to 6 years. All have blond hair and they are truly a joy. All was going well today with everyone in my family until I got a call this morning that Mary our 3 month old in Dallas had become ill. The visit to the Dr this afternoon confirmed that she has swine flu. Her temp is over 101 and as any parent knows this is a trying time as they really can't tell you how they feel, but her mom said you could see it in her little swollen eyes. I spread the word to my small group and other close friends and a wave of prayer rose up for her immediately. One close friend even emailed a prayer that was shared with other members of my small group. I ask all who might read this blog to pray a little prayer for sweet Mary...right now.

I close with a word of thanks to God for watching over little Mary. I know He has her in His hands at this very moment. Perhaps we are overly anxious for this little one...after all it is only the flu, but when a little one...so fragile is ill it breaks our hearts. I also say a word of thanks to my brothers and sisters in Christ that care enough for us to stop what they are doing and pray for our little Mary. This is why my small group is so precious to me and I thank God that He brought us together.

Wonder what President Obama thinks?

It is cool Saturday afternoon here in Georgia and in the south football is always in the air. But today a rally is being held in the nations capital. The rally is a gathering of over 1,000,000 Americans who have come together to protest change. The desired change is actually a takeover of our country. The takeover is being orchestrated by a group hiding in the shadows. The representative of this group is our President, Barrack Obama. One sixth, almost twenty percent of our economy is the first target. This target is a takeover of our health care system. I am not going to get into any details....you have already heard the arguments. A second segment of our economy under attack is energy. The President hopes to pass the cap and trade (tax) bill. This will without a doubt increase costs for all forms of energy. We are kidding ourselves if we think green energy is the answer to our energy dependence problems. Once again I will not delve into the details..you have already heard the arguments.

The reason for my writing today is my interest in what the President thinks about this huge outcry against his plan for a perfect world. The dreams he dreams are for an America that mirrors Europe and other countries with government controlled health care and fashionable windmills on every hilltop. He dreams of electric cars, bio diesel fueled autos, etc. He has dreamed of a country where all have equal incomes (socialism) and a myriad of other cockamamie ideas birthed in his liberal dreamland. Americans are rebelling against his perfect plan and his lifetime dreams. They are spoiling his plan and in his opinion they are a group of malcontents who lack social graces and education.

It appears his plan will be to ram through his ideas despite the outcry and he must be willing to settle for a one term presidency. Of course one might consider the fact that he is in a hurry to get his ideas implemented with the hope that by the time the next election comes around the simple minded detractors will have given up and he will be reelected. After watching the rally in D.C. today I don't think America will have a short memory. In fact I believe we will see the rebellion in full bloom when the midterm elections take place in 2010. I believe this President is an intelligent man but his agenda is flawed and he can't see the forest for the trees. Americans do have the will to stand up for what is right. We have not yet slipped into apathy to the point that we will stand by and watch our country come apart at the seams.

I close by referring to my last post where I wondered what God might be thinking about our squabble over health care? God knows the end at the beginning and He has a plan for us. Though our President may not realize it, God is in control. I think God does allow his people to make decisions....even bad decisions. He allowed us to select this President (though many of us did not vote for him) and we are reaping what we sowed. But in the end God does have a plan, He is in control and His will be done. I think it is high time that our President spend some quality time alone. He needs to think about what his people (our country) thinks about his plans. He needs to realize that he works for us and that he best listen very carefully to what we are saying. He needs to stop listening to his large group of advisers and start listening to his boss. It also wouldn't hurt him to spend some time alone with God and listen to what His plan is. I pray that he would open his eyes, open his ears and open his heart. He needs to do what is right.

Wonder what God thinks?

As I sit on my porch this evening, I am enjoying a beautiful (cool) August, North Georgia evening. My thoughts have drifted to a question. I wonder what God thinks about our national debate on health care? I cannot speak for God nor know His thoughts. But I wonder if He perhaps is amused by the passion we have on both sides of this issue? God knows the number of our days and He has a plan for each of us. I believe that His children are in His hands and that He is faithful in His promises to each of us that He will never leave us or forsake us.

I personally can see agree with opinions from both sides of the issue and I can also agree that it is a complex problem we face. I think back to my childhood and I wonder if my parents had health insurance? When I was a young boy I can remember the family doctor making house calls. Most of the time his remedy was a shot of penicillin. I don't remember him asking for our insurance card or even discussing payment. He was a model servant working tirelessly to meet the needs of his patients. There was no discussion of whether the insurance company would approve our treatments, etc. It is amazing where we have gone in the health care world. I also feel that we as a community and we as a church have failed in our care and concern for those in need. We as a society have become dependent upon our government to solve all of our problems.

The issues are complex, but I as a simple citizen can see obvious things that are wrong in our society. I'll try to list a few of these things below:

• We need tort reform. Those in the health care community are very concerned about not being served with a lawsuit for malpractice. To the point of doing unnecessary tests to protect their practice.
• We need to be able to purchase health insurance across state lines. It is ridiculous that we do not have the freedom to do this.
• I read where about eleven million folks that earn $75,000 + per year choose not to purchase health insurance.
• I also read that about eleven million illegal aliens are part of the uninsured folks in our country...many of these show up in emergency rooms for care (we pay for this already)
• Many self employed people pay up to $20,000 per year for insurance, that features a deductible of $5,000 or more...this is ridiculous.
• I cannot change jobs today for fear of losing my health insurance or facing a waiting period on the new job before I am eligible.
• If I have a prexisting condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure or the worst case cancer, even in remission...I will probably be denied coverage.
• Today, I must get permission from my insurance company for some tests/treatments. Many of these will be denied.
• My doctor or hospital will not be paid anywhere near the charges for treatment.....again the insurance company denies the payment.
• Medicare is broke along with medicaid and social security (government furnished and managed)
• I am spending a fortune on taxes for the above
• My company and I spend a fortune for health insurance and the price increases every year.
• I wonder how many doctors today recognize a calling to their profession or are they seeking only a high income? I can't fault the income part due to the cost of education but feel they should be a group of folks who truly care first and foremost for the patient.
• I notice my doctor rushes through check ups in order to minimize the time spent on each patient (insurance company driven)?
• Finally, I once owned a small business and felt an obligation to provide insurance for my employees. The cost to my business was over $800 per month, per family. This was in 1999-2000. There was no way we could do this and stay in business. The current proposed plan would fine my business if I did not.

In my heart I realize that something must be done. In my heart the last thing I want is for the government to manage any part of health insurance and health care. I think both sides of this debate are sincere in their opinions and feel they have all the answers. I feel that neither side has all if any of the answers. The shouting in the town hall meetings does not provide an answer. I truly enjoy a group of people from all sides of the issue who sit down and honestly discuss the problems and the possible answers. Until we have more clarity I feel we should all move very slowly. There are unintended consequences to all actions and to move with haste will surely produce waste if not catastrophe.

Again I go to the question....what does God think about all of this? I think He may be amused at our uproar over this issue. Again I cannot speak for God but He must wonder about our dependence on answers from our government to this complex issue. Life is truly a short season and He numbers our days and He has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us. Our hope is in Him alone. In the meantime we will all sit and watch the debate....but it is comforting to know that He is in control.

OBITS

I have always had a fascination with Obituaries posted in newspapers. Not sure why but since I was a young man I have read them with interest. Of course some of it is to make sure my name is not listed but also I try to keep up with those I know personally. Hopefully their names will not appear anytime soon. I confess that I go online everyday to my hometown newspaper...the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas. On many days I recognize one of my old friends or friends of friends or friends of my family. On a few days I have read of the passing of my own family members. It is also interesting that since moving to Georgia some five years ago I know few if any persons that make the obits page. I guess it comes down to living in a place for several decades before you actually know folks who make the page.

Now to what has intrigued me lately in obits from papers locally as well as my hometown newspaper. It is that with the passing of many folks there is no service planned. Most are cremated and they say there will be a service held at a later date. I really wonder if they ever have a service to commemorate the passing of a loved one. I also wonder if it is the economy that has caused this frequent choice of how to handle a deceased loved one? No casket, so service, no plot....just an urn placed on the fireplace or the ashes thrown to the four winds. In any case it makes one stop and think about what we should do when the death of one close to us occurs?

Many of the elderly (I don't count myself as one yet) go to extreme means to plan their funerals. They pick the hymns, what they will wear, who will preach the funeral, the pallbearers, the flowers, etc.... they call this a prudent practice, in that your bereaved loved ones will not have to make all these hard decisions. Having gone through this with my mom I can somewhat agree. I know my dad wants one song played at his funeral "It's party time" I can't quite bring myself to request this song and in fact I am not sure who sings this song.

On a more serious note, I have participated as a speaker at both of my grandmothers funerals as well as the funeral for my mom. It is interesting that I was never asked to speak at the funeral of my grandfathers? I have spoken at the funeral of a dear friend of mine. I am in the camp that feels we should hold a service for the deceased. I am not really sure about the cremation thing....I know that the spirit is not present with the body and that the body is simply an empty shell but I don't find anywhere in my reading of scripture that defines what we are to do. I do know that in the day of Christ that bodies were placed in a tomb and that they were wrapped in burial cloths and fragrances. I am not sure that there is anything at all wrong with cremation as it somewhat gives closure to the loved one we mourn. I know that when my mom died I thought many times about her in a cold grave and it truly bothered me though I know it shouldn't have as I know she was in heaven and the body was truly a shell. Still it bothers you to think about it.

I have noticed here in the south that visitations are huge and that funerals can have as many as four or five pastors to deliver one to the final resting place ( I don't really think of the grave as a resting place). I have also noted that decoration day is huge here in the south. Back home in Arkansas it is a little less elaborate but is still celebrated. There is a lot of grave visiting by my relatives in Arkansas and I too have visited my mom's grave on more than one occasion. I am not sure of the benefit other than to one's own soul.

I'll close here with my thoughts on funerals....many pastors think that this should be a time to present the gospel and scare the "hell" out of people. I believe that it should be a celebration of a life. It should be held to bring comfort to a family and help them remember the good times. It should include joyous music and even some laughter. At the same time it should recall the good things the person who has passed accomplished. It should note the Christian attributes in the persons life as well as the story of how they found God and there is nothing at all wrong with urging those in attendance to find this same peace. It is a sad occasion when the one who passed never knew God and it is difficult to celebrate at this service. It is important that all men come to know the Saviour as we all must face this day at some point. I do feel saddened when I read that no services are planned as I feel the folks involved have nothing to celebrate. I do know the maker of life, the preserver of life, the redeemer of life and while I in no way hasten my death I think I can face it realizing that it is a part of living.

North Point Online

North Point Online hey guys....go to link and view the new upcoming event for our church. We will begin a church on line beginning August 16th. The online church will be from our Buckhead campus and be an actual live worship service beginning at 6:00 PM every Sunday. It will include worship etc...it will be great for anyone including small groups etc.....we invite you to give it a try.

I missed it.....

Almost two weeks in Florida and finally back home and back to my normal routine. I realized this morning while attending church that I had not been in a worship service for two weeks. Little did I know how much I missed it. It is so easy to drift away from our daily walk with God. We get busy with vacations, work and even family activities. As I sat in church this morning I was overwhelmed with emotions as I eased back into communication with my God. He was there with me while I was gone though it seemed I was a million miles away from Him.

I have heard it said by many people that they do not have to attend church to worship God. This may very well be true for some but I am one who needs to be amongst other believers in a place of worship. It is so true for me that if I attend worship my week just seems to go much better. This morning at my church....Browns Bridge Community Church...we had a first. We were linked by satellite to our other churches. Northpoint Community Church, Buckhead Church and Browns Bridge. We saw and heard our sister churches in live worship...they heard us. I am amazed by the technology involved but more amazed by our kindred spirits linked by an eye in the sky. Our worship today led by Corrie Moon was simply a time of blessing. Corrie led us in Laura Story's song.."Indescribable" along with "Breathe on Me". I was back home again and I was drawn closer to the Lord. Emotion was swelling up in my heart...my eyes were filled with tears...it was good to be home.

Andy Stanley as always just simply brought it to us today. He communicated the mission of our church and why we do what we do. On August 16th at 6:00 PM we launch a new ministry...a church online. Our church will begin an online, live worship service from our church in Buckhead. It will include the worship music and the sermon each week. I reflect on the fact that my God has blessed me with the privilege of being a member of this ministry. I could be anywhere but God chose me to be here for such a time as this. Thank you Lord for this blessing. You should be able to connect on the 16th by going to NorthpointTV.org. If this does not work go to Northpoint Church.org and you should be led to the service.

I thank God today that I am back home. I also realized that it had been many weeks since we gathered with our small group and I truly miss this time. The summer has been loaded with activities to the point that we could not meet for our weekly time of fellowship and prayer. This also creates within me a void. By coming together with my brothers and sisters in Christ and sharing our trials and our victories we are drawn closer to the Lord. I do not believe that God ever intended for man to be alone. He has a place for each of us to join with others in worship of Him. I want to say a word to those in my small group....you are loved and you are missed. We must work hard to come together as often as possible as when we are together God is there amongst us. Don't know about you but I am ready for summer to end so that we can get back to our normal routines.

I

The guide to the almost perfect marriage

Finally we are back home in Georgia after 10 days in Florida. Vacations are wonderful but I now need a vacation after the vacation. During my time away I was able to read a new book by two of my favorite people. They are Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey. These two good old boys from Alabama have had a nationally syndicated radio show for years. I first discovered them when I lived in Alabama. They came along after a really challenging time in my life and I was trying to recover from a difficult financial crisis. My wife and I were making a new start at age 50+ and these guys gave me a lot of laughter during these trying times.

They just finished their new book "Rick and Bubba's guide to the almost perfect marriage". Let me first say that I think it is difficult for masters of one media (radio) to sit down and write a quality book. I cannot begin to tell you how many great speakers (pastors) have written books that were far below the quality of their speaking. I think the biggest challenge is that people have enjoyed their humor on radio and to transfer this to a book is not an easy task. In fact with this book you also receive a CD with about twelve episodes from their radio show. The CD is hilarious and worth the price of the book.

Now back to the book. It is laced with humor but at the same time takes a very serious look at marriage and relationships. I think one of the things I gained from the book is that to have a happy marriage you must have a sense of humor and not take yourself too seriously. Also this book focuses on the need for a Christ centered marriage in order to survive the trials one will face in any marriage. These guys are not trained marriage counselors but the simplistic look at our marriages has many valuable lessons we all need to learn. I have been married for forty years and still find that a book such as this will help in my own marriage.

Near the end of the book Rick shares the recent story of the loss of he and Sherry (his wife) of their two year old son in a tragic drowning accident. I heard the story on the radio show as well on national TV (Fox News) and it broke my heart. Rick shares how he and Sherry are overcoming this tragedy and the fact that they did not allow this tragedy to destroy their marriage as often is the case when a couple loses a child. This story is very inspiring to any couple and made me think about how precious my children and grandchildren are. At the same time it is wonderful when one can suffer through a crisis with their mate by their side.

It is easy to recognize that Rick and Bubba are not professional writers...in fact on their radio program they many times destroy the English language but the reader will recognize that these guys understand the value of their marriage and families. They unashamedly put God first in all things, their spouse second, their children third and themselves fourth. The book will make you laugh, make you cry and is an enjoyable read. It is a bestseller on Amazon.com and worth the time you take to read it.

Hopefully now that I am back home again I can get back to serious blogging. Hope you and your family have a wonderful rest of the summer.

The Hole In Our Gospel

I am enjoying a time in South Florida. I was able to complete the reading of the book, A Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, The President of World Vision. I am not going to go into a lot of the details found in the book, but I am going to recommend that everyone read this book. I would say that this book has caused me to pause and reflect on my standing as a Christian. I know after reading this book that I am not doing what I am called to do. In fact I would say that a majority of professing Christians have forgotten a major part of the Gospel.

Mr. Stearns has given us some shocking statistics in this book that woke me up to the dire situation the children and families of our world are in. The most shocking fact is that 25,000 children in our world die everyday due to hunger, unsanitary water and lack of medical care. An ear infection can be a death sentence. Mothers cannot produce enough milk to sustain their newborn infants. So what are we to do? We cannot solve all of the worlds problems and after all Christ told us that there would always be poor people among us. Also most of those suffering are not in our country. I have heard many people say we must take care of our own before we worry about the rest of the world. I do not think that God called us to worry about only those in our neighborhoods or our own country. We have been blessed in the United States and I feel that God expects us to use the resources He has given us to help those in need, no matter where they are located.

What are we to do? How can we solve the problems of the hungry thousands of miles away? There are excellent organizations including World Vision, the Southern Baptist Convention and countless others that can take our funds and maximize the value of these gifts to help the most people. If we help just one or a few we can change countless lives. One person directed by God in the midst of Africa can change lives all around him. It is up to us to give this one person a chance. You might say I am only one person. I am too small to make a difference. A quoted African Saying is "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito."

Another hindrance for many would be that they do not trust some of the organizations that offer aid to those in need. Some of these might include World Vision or the United Nations, etc. The sad thing is that our churches have for the most part dropped the ball in having a burden for the least of these. Again it is not in our backyard so we turn a blind eye. This is not to condemn the efforts of all churches but you would have to agree that many of the mega churches have massive budgets but contribute a small percentage to missions. Should be spend huge amounts on buildings or feed the poor? I would say that I would be slow to condemn any organization or individual who helps the hurting and the dying regardless of their affiliation as the church has failed miserably. It was amazing to me that the amount of money required to eliminate hunger, disease and premature death in our world is a small amount in comparison to the dollars spent on other ministries by churches. I also think about the stimulus money being spent by our country on the most foolish things in the world, such as tunnels for turtles to cross the road in Florida when we have 25,000 children dying everyday in the world.

I can remember the debate surrounding the Aids epidemic. It was not our problem because the people contracting the virus were participating in behaviour that contributed to their illness and death. What about the children born with Aids? Is it their fault? Are we to turn a blind eye to this crisis? If we knew that a home full of children were dying in a fire and we could help them, would we? Of course and we would not have a second thought. Yet we turn our backs on people everyday only because they are not in our neighborhood or our community. We have an obligation from God to feed and care for the poor. I feel He will hold us accountable for ignoring them.

We are not all called to travel to distant lands to lend a hand to the hurting. But we are called to do all we can to support those who can. As you can tell this book has inspired me to open my heart to listen to God and what He would have me to do. I think each of us must ask the question "What would God have me to do?" I personally spend enough money on frivolous things to care for several children who are dying today. I could save lives tomorrow with just a stroke of a pen.

This book was put into my path so that it would cause me to reflect on my calling from God. It is a book that really stirred up within me a burden for those who suffer today. I know that I must spend some time digesting the book and what it is I must do. In some ways I wish I had never picked it up as it made me uncomfortable but it also made me realize that I have neglected a major part of the gospel. Our gospel is about more that getting fire insurance. It is about our obligation to reach the world for Christ. If a child or an adult are suffering we must first alleviate the suffering. The love of God will shine brightly to those we minister to. I invite you to step up to the plate. Read this book and open your heart to the love God has for the least of these and join Him in caring for them.

She'll Grow On You.....

Ellie, my granddaughter from Texas has come to visit with us for a few weeks. I am amazed at the energy of a three-year old. She has had us on the go since arriving last Friday. How children can change your lifestyle. I have little down time and I am learning all about the attention span of a little girl. But oh how wonderful our grandchildren truly are. I am blessed with five granddaughters. Ellie is from Texas and has sisters Mary Caroline now one month old and Anna who is two. In Oklahoma my granddaughters Reagan and Avery age five and four reside.

I reflect on the joy these little girls bring me every time they call me on the phone and say "Hi Papa" and they are not bashful at all. They will tell me how much the love me and they know just how to melt my heart. While I basically give up all quiet time except for the early mornings...I learn so much about them while chasing them around the park or the mall. This past Sunday Ellie and I went to the park and she moved nonstop for two hours with me in close pursuit. At the end of the day on our way home I heard Ellie in the backseat say "Thank you Papa for taking me to the park" I said you are welcome Ellie to which she replied "I love you Papa". Talk about touching your heart. Tears formed in my eyes and I silently thanked God for the precious little girls He blessed Sharon and I with. I also am thankful for their parents and that God chooses to give little ones to young folks. We love for them to stay with us but I am not sure how long we could keep up with them.

As I close this post I say simply "Thank You Ellie, Anna, Mary, Reagan and Avery for loving this old Papa and for always telling me so. Thank you for the hugs and thank you for the honesty from your little hearts.

Shorts in Church

One might think I am running out of ideas but this one came to me as I was entering church today at Brown's Bridge Community Church. I am nearly sixty years of age and my estimation is that I have attended church services on at least 75% of Sundays since my birth. That is about 2,200 church services in various denominations in the U.S. On many of these occasions I wore a tie or a suit. Gradually the ties went away and then we went to khaki slacks and polos, then no socks and then the khakis were replaced by jeans and finally today for the first time I wore shorts with boat shoes (no socks of course) and a nice golf shirt. My grandfather one of the greatest Baptist deacons of all time probably did a flip in his grave and I can even hear my mom talking about wearing your best to services.

It was interesting but no one seemed to notice at my church. It helps in that our pastor, Andy Stanley came out on stage with jeans, a polo not tucked in and that some of the members of the band have rings in ears, noses etc and that the common trend at the church seems to be not to put a lot of emphasis on dressing up. I truly think this is all a relief to many folks. They do not have to meet a certain dress code or standard. If they don't have the latest fashion trends they can still come to our church and feel comfortable. I do have a few hangups though about what one wears to church as follows:

*You really should wear clothes that have been laundered and pressed
*You really should comb your hair and perhaps shower and shave before attending
*I am not ready for flip-flops ( I guess I am still a little conservative)
*Ladies..I don't think swim suit cover ups are appropriate
*I do have a little problem with ladies wearing strapless gowns with tattoos on their shoulders
*Also I think bare midriffs and short skirts don't quite fit at church
*Guys I think you need to leave the logo tees at home as well as old SEC champions tees, etc.

It's kind of interesting that a few months ago I commented to my wife that a lot of the guys looked like they barely were out of bed when they grabbed the nearest pair of wrinkled shorts and t-shirts, threw on the flip-flops and headed off to church. As mentioned above I do have a bit of a problem with this but I find that I am perhaps more understanding in this age of dress down. I admit that I like the idea of casual wear to church.

I realize that the subject today may be a bit controversial as some churches today still require a stringent dress code especially for pastors, deacons and leaders but also for those who might want to be in these positions but I really wonder what God might be thinking about all this? I'll ask a few questions to sum up:

*Does God look more on the outward appearance or what's in the man's heart?
*Did the early Christians dress up for services or gatherings in their house churches?
*Were there fashion trends in the early church?
*How about more recently, let's say the 1800's, did men wear coat's and ties or a clean pair of overalls?
*Does the Bible spend a lot of time on fashion? I recall a passage about not wearing anything that might distract from worship, but that is about it.
*Is it possible to worship God and be touched by God while wearing a pair of shorts?
*Does it really matter to seekers if we are all dressed up at Church? Do they feel more comfortable if we are not overdressed? Do they feel that they don't have to fit a certain dress standard and does this make it easier for them to attend services?

It is hard for me to believe that what we wear can be a point of contention in many of our churches today but it is. I do know that I probably would not want to be a part of any fellowship that would think less of a person because they do not meet the criteria established by this body. I am thankful that my own church has figured out that this is not high on God's list of priorities for the church. I truly feel that He is more interested in what the person's heart is all about and what he does with the gifts and talents that God has given him.

Does all this mean that we throw away all tradition such as music, Bible teaching etc. Absolutely not. But when our emphasis on man designed criteria takes the place of the true reason for worship then we do have a problem in the church. Another question I will pose is why for the most part is church attendance and membership declining? Perhaps it is the inflexibility of the church in general today. Not meeting people where they are and how they are and the famous words of the dying church "we never did it that way before".

One thing I don't mean to do is to belittle those who choose to worship via traditional means. If one wants to attend services where everyone wears a suit and tie and sings traditional hymns and reads only from one version of the Bible this is fine. These folks should not however looked down on those who choose a different path. The gospel is the same..always has been and always will be...In the meantime I just received a pair of madras shorts for Fathers Day and I've got to get a shirt that will match for next Sunday's services.

Left To Tell

It is a beautiful evening here in North Georgia. It is amazing for the July 4th weekend. This of course is a time when we celebrate our Independence. Over the course of this week I completed reading a book about a country that struggled with freedom. It is a true story of a young girls journey through the civil war in Rwanda. The story takes place during the 1990's. The author of the book is Immaculee Ilibagazi. The full title of the book is Left To Tell Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust. She was assisted with the book by Steve Erwin. It was a great story of an evil time in the life of the country of Rwanda.

The young girl is an amazing young Catholic girl and her family. She was a brilliant student with parents who expected her to achieve both scholastically but also as a beautiful young girl. I don't want to tell the entire story but her native country was thrown into a violent civil war between the Tutsi and the Hutu's. During the struggle her mom, dad and all except one brother were violently massacred by the Hutu's. Many of the killers were neighbors and people her family had helped. Over one million were killed in this slaughter. The goal of the Hutu's was to eradicate the Tutsi race.

This young girl survived by hiding in a bathroom at a pastor's home. She along with six other women hid in the 4' x 6' bathroom for over ninety days. Barely with enough room to move, bodies upon bodies they survived. She lived to tell the story and of her close relationship with God through this ordeal. One interesting highlight is that she taught herself English while in the bathroom with no tutor. She went on to work for the U.N. but the most important point is that she found a way to go to the prison and forgive the one's who killed her parents and brothers.

My point in reviewing this book today is to express my confusion as to why no country came forward to prevent this holocaust? After WW11 it had been said by many that we should never allow what occurred in Germany to happen again. Yet we stood by and offered no help to stop this conflict. In fact France was the only country to move in initially though it was very late in the conflict. Eventually the U.N. sent peacekeepers long after the killing had transpired. Why would we allow this genocide to occur? I would very much like to hear from our leaders at the time as to why this was allowed?

Many feel we have enough problems of our own and do not need to become involved in another country's business. I disagree. We should never allow the wholesale slaughter of innocent people who are killed simply because of their race or nationality. It is our duty as the greatest country in the world (I hope we still are) to come to the aid of those who cannot protect themselves. Another thought I had while reading the book was why did these people not have weapons to protect themselves? The Tutsi defended themselves with rocks and sticks while the Hutu's were armed with Machetes and Guns. Perhaps it was not fashionable to own weapons or maybe they had no fear from attack. Whatever the case I feel it is imperative that we never lose the right to bear arms in our country.

I plan to do more research on this war and why we did not become involved. In the meantime this book will break your heart but it will also encourage you as to how great our God truly is and how He intervened in this young girls life. I am happy to tell you that she is now married to an American, has two children and works for the U.N. in NYC. She lived to share a gruesome tale of mass slaughter but also to tell of the victory she claimed through it all. If you get a chance check out this book on Amazon. Hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful fourth of July and take a moment and thank God for our freedom and say a prayer for the people of Rwanda.

Putting us to the test

I think that God does challenge us from time to time. In a recent blog I wrote an expose on the Love Chapter in 1 Corinthians. Day by day I discussed the attributes of love. The first two discussed were "Love is patient and love is kind." I focused on these for several days and felt that I had progressed in these areas of my life. This brings us to the past two days.....

First my desktop computer at work crashed and burned. All of my spreadsheets, emails, etc. were lost (for now) we are trying to recover them from the hard drive. So I brought my laptop from home so that I could do my work from the office. This presented a major challenge as the IT guys spent the better part of a day reconfiguring my laptop so that it would match up with our system at work. I patiently waited on these wizards to do their thing and finally it was up and running. I am still patient. Then today my desktop with a new hard drive is online again. But my entire contact list is lost so I am slowly rebuilding it. I had to go back through all of my favorites list and locate them on the web and resave them etc. So things are going ok.

Now to the test of my patience and kindness. I arrive back home with my laptop and find that my wireless service does not work. In reconfiguring my laptop at work I lost everything at home. So it is time to call the dreaded help line of my wireless provider. Of course I am put on hold for over 15 minutes and finally hang up in frustration. I call back and ask for a connection to a live person. About this time I am reminded by the Lord that Love is patient and love is kind. I finally connect with a person and of course he is not a clear speaking American person. I have no idea where he is located but he speaks with an accent that makes it difficult to understand. I patiently explain my problem and he tells me that I must go to my modem and connect a yellow cable to my laptop in order for him to diagnose and solve my problem. Sounds easy but my modem is upstairs under a bed and I explain this to him in a nice soft voice. He says it is the only way to solve my problem so I take my laptop, my phone, my pen and pad and head upstairs. I move the bed, locate the modem and I find no yellow cable. I have a blue cable and he tells me that something is wrong but we will give it a try. I connect the cable and it actually works.

I am going to a new paragraph now just to break the monotony of this post. Everything works as it is supposed to and the technician begins to lead me through the steps to solve the problem. He is very difficult to understand and I have to tell him nicely on several occasions that I cannot understand what he is saying. In spite of this we work through the problem and slowly, step-by-step we reconfigure my system and at last it works and I am now back on line. My normal reaction to this would have been to lose my cool and let the tech know what I think about his company, being on hold forever, etc...but God through His Word had whispered in my ear to be patient and kind.

I think that God does use circumstances to test our patience and see if we really heed His Word. I am so thankful for this little test and that I was able to go through this and realize that He is at work in my life. The great thing is that I feel that due to my patience and kindness that the problem was solved much quicker and with less stress and I made sure that this tech person knew how much I appreciated his knowledge and his help. The lesson in all of this is to realize that many of the issues we have to deal with in our lives are simply tests of our faith and our application of God's Word. So the next time you have a stressful situation think about the fact that God may have put you in this situation to test your faith.

The Church....What has it become?

Our world of many churches has become sort of like a shopping mall with every style, type, color etc. available to those who are searching for just the right fit. I wonder as I ponder the question above, what has the church become? I will not go deeply into what the church is, but it is not a building. It is the people who come together in faith and a belief in the One True God and His Son Jesus Christ. We come together to worship Him and to bring Him Glory. Of course we are there for each other to help one another through the struggles of this life. But our purpose is to worship and glorify our Saviour.

But the question begs...What has the church become? It is miles from where the early church began. In reading through the Book of Acts some descriptions of the early church are spoken of.

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching(Acts 2:42)so they were a learning people. Are our churches today dedicated to teaching the Word? If so then people should be growing in their relationship with Christ.

They devoted themselves to fellowship (Acts 2:42)so they were a loving people. I feel they strongly valued the fellowship with other believers. A church must provide an environment for fellowship among believers. A great pastor and wonderful music etc. are just not enough. We must have fellowship with other believers in order to grow in Christ. It is such a blessing to have fellow believers to share our hurts and burdens with. It is a joy to share our victories together. It is just wonderful to be surrounded with like minded people that will let you be you. It is essential that you have a group that you can tell anything to and know that it is kept in confidence and that they are praying and pulling for you.

They broke bread together (Acts 2:42) so they shared life together. What one thing draws people together more than sharing a meal together? I think it allows us to share in the food that God blesses us with but also to share in a time of getting to really know one another. What is it about good food and good friends that not only fills our stomachs but also fills our hearts with love one for another. This was a common and frequent practice of the early church.

They prayed together (Acts 2:42) so they were a praying people. What is more important than praying together? It is a time of sharing our hurts, our needs, our burdens but most importantly it is a time for praising God together. I can think of nothing that Jesus was more devoted to than prayer. Why should we be different. I know in my own small group we are slowly learning to pray together but I feel it is delayed until the end of our meetings when we are all tired. I would suggest that this be how we begin our fellowship and I would bet that the fellowship, the study etc. would be much richer as a result.

They were together and had everything in common (Acts 2:44) so they were a united people. They were together much like a band of brothers. A close knit group that were very dedicated to one another. They had a deep love one for another. They left knowing that the others had their back so to speak or that they were in the hearts of the others always. They had everything in common. I think this speaks to their unified love of Jesus and each other. They loved being together and coming together.

They gave to anyone as he had need (Acts 2:45) so they were a giving people or a gracious people. They recognized needs and met them. They did not depend on the government to care for those in need. The grace that brought them to Christ was present as they were gracious in their gifts to the hurting, the helpless, the poor, the widows and the orphans. This is one area that I feel woefully short in my own life and I feel the church is the same.

This particular passage closes in verse 46 with these words:"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." I ask the question....is this the church of today? Many churches today use every method or trick in the book to add numbers and I think they have missed the mark. The early church described in a few verses in the Book of Acts the way to grow as believers and add to the church.

Let me close today with what prompted this post. Last night in our small group meeting a question was asked as to whether we could share communion together in our group? Would we need an ordained pastor, etc. I feel that without a doubt this early small group shared communion and I doubt they had any ordained pastors. I think they had such a love for the Saviour that they remembered Him at every gathering with grateful and loving hearts. So yes I think it is OK to share the sacrament together and we are remiss if we do not do it often.

The King is Dead

Michael Jackson is dead. I have been around this planet for nearly sixty years and I cannot recall many events that have captivated the media the way this death has done. He has been called the King of Pop but I am having a bit of problem understanding the coverage this event has garnered. I as many sang along with his tunes on many occasions. I even danced to a few in my day. But this event has foreshadowed all the news on the airways. In Iran the country is being turned upside down, but Michael has gotten the news. The house of representatives passed the Cap and Tax bill yet it got little press.

I would guess that Mark Sanford and the democratic congress are most thankful for the distraction of this event. I am simply amazed that our country is so captivated by the passing of a fifty year old former star. I am not belittling the passing of Michael but it has received enough press already. We all are sorry for the turns his life had made but this is not the end of the world. I found it interesting that the only news source where I could get info on the Cap and Tax was on CSPAN. Even Fox News could not focus on the real news of the day. Here it is Saturday afternoon and the coverage continues.

The real story here to me is the wasted life that this man lived. He constantly tried to change his physical appearance...why? He holds his child over a balcony dangling him in the air....why? His problems with the charges of sexual abuse of young boys....why?? Absolutely blowing a fortune on who knows what...why? He was obviously a troubled man searching for answers that he never found. The confusing thing to me is why the obsession by people and the media in our world. He was a singer, a dancer, a performer. That was it. His impact on the entertainment world was monumental. People love his music, his performances, etc....but how can his death captivate our world 24/7 for several days? The king of my day- Elvis also caused shock waves with his death but nothing of this proportion.

The sad thing is that both of these men were floundering in their success...searching for truth they never found. They both discovered that fame and money did not have the answers. They both sought relief from drugs and they both were surrounded by an entourage to help them spend their money and feed their addictions. I guess the one question I ask is how we would have handled things had we been in their position?

It all comes down to what this life is all about. Our lives are not about ourselves. Life is for living to the fullest and for serving God and others to the fullest. When we have the proper perspective we will find that nothing except our relationship with God and others is of importance. God blesses us with many gifts and talents that were given to us for the purpose of bringing Him glory and impacting the lives of others.

It seems the past few days I have been drawn back to the importance of knowing your purpose and fulfilling this purpose. It is not about me and it is our responsibility to live life as God has predestined for each of us. We were created for a purpose and a mission that God planned before we were even born. Ephesians 2:10 says it all " For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." At the end of the day and the end of our lives this is the question we should all ask....Did I do the good works that God prepared in advance for me to do?

The life of Michael Jackson has come to an end. The question I have is did he fulfill the purpose that was ordained for him? I do not know the answer to this but I fear that his was a life cut short and that he spent his years frustrated and searching for meaning that he never found.

This same week I attended a funeral for a man none of you knew personally. He lived to the ripe old age of 88 years. He knew God intimately and did all he could to fulfill his purpose. He touched many lives and he faced his death with a longing for the other side. He now sits at the feet of Jesus and I am sure Jesus told him "well done my good and faithful servant." He never received the accolades of the masses but to those of us who knew him, he did all that he was called to do. A much better end to it all than the life of the King.

Life Is a Short Season..How's your bucket list coming?

As I sit on the porch tonight I reflect on what is happening in our world. This week Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and countless others have left this world. A true Gentleman, Mr. Bill Carter also passed this week. You don't know him, but he was a former president of the company I work for and was serving on our Board. He exemplified Christ in his daily life and will be missed by us all for his wisdom, his attitude and his love of family. These folks are much like us....all struggled with the challenges of living. All came to know that life is short and our days are numbered.

I don't know where all these folks were spiritually but I do know that all of come to the same end. Life is but a vapor...here today and gone tommorow. I think of wasted days by all of us. Why waste the time we have here on earth? We should really live each day as if it were our last and we should count our blessings each day. I wonder what Michael would do if he had it all to do over again. How about Ed and Farrah? Would they live life differently? I would love to have the opportunity to hear from them if it were possible. Would their priorities be different? Would they cherish the little things?

I have come to realize that most of the things we spend our time doing here on earth will have little consequence in eternity. We should devote ourselves to those things that will live on. The answer is that men's souls are the only thing that will live on so we should be devoted to others. Our family should be high on our list. We have all heard of the movie The Bucket List. It is about doing all those things we want to do before we die. I am not sure if my bucket list is well defined today but it should be. However I wonder what would be on most peoples list? I would love to hear from any who might follow this blog about what is on your list. I am sure for many it would be a trip to some exotic location or some feat such as skydiving..etc.

My own list is somewhat completed such as the birth of my five grandaughters, the marriages of my children, growing old with the same woman but there are many that are not completed. I think my purpose as ordained by my Heavenly Father should be fulfilled. Am I working toward that end? Also I feel that my list should be to touch as many lives as I possibly can in this life...I am woefully short in this endeavor.

It is a good day to evaluate where I am in this life and where I want to go. One might argue that at my age I will run out of time but I think of some folks who accomplished more after age sixty than they did before age sixty. You can go down the list and find example after example. It is not too late to start fulfilling your purpose or your destiny. It is a matter of fixing on the future and not the past. Where are you today? What does your list look like. Share your thoughts with me and others. It is a good exercize that we all should go through from time to time.

Count Your Many Blessings...name them one-by-one

I am back home after 5 days at Hilton Head. I enjoyed 4 days of golf in 100+ degree weather. Also 4 days of great seafood, etc. I stayed in a room at the beach and lived a charmed life for a few days. It is interesting though when I think about what I missed during my time away. I missed my home, my bed, my front porch rocker, my pool, my schedule but most of all my family. My family members are all in other places tonight. They are in Dallas, Oklahoma City, Arkansas and I have a son-in-law serving at a camp for children with severe disabilities in Missouri. As I sit in my chair I am thinking about how thankful I am for all that God has blessed me with.

I am nearly sixty years of age with relatively good health. I have never missed a meal in my life except for medical situations. I have never slept outdoors except by choice. I have been married to a wonderful lady for nearly forty years. I have two grown children who have given us five wonderful little girls. I have a great job that supplies our needs. I have much to be thankful for. On the other hand I had made a nice income for years then chased a dream and lost most all of my possessions. Yet God taught me many valuable lessons through this ordeal. Most of all He taught be about grace and being gracious to others. I have been restored financially and the second half of my life has been better than the first half.

I say all this to say that we should regularly count our blessings. In the book by Andy Andrews "The Noticer" there is a story of a man who was destitute and ready to end his life. A friend intervened and asked him what he did first thing in the morning when he arose. The man stated that he immediately started thinking about the things he had to do that day, etc. The friend asked him to try something new. He suggested that when the man was fully awake to jot down on a piece of paper the ten things he was thankful for that day and to do this every day when he began his day. This would then change his perspective.

I remember a song from growing up in church. The song said something to the effect of "count your many blessings, name them one-by-one". I feel that we get so busy in our lives that we don't stop and reflect on the blessings that God has given us. It is when we realize the bountiful blessings of God's grace that we can then be gracious to those around us. I mentioned earlier the time in my life when I lost all that i had. It was during that time that God began to open my eyes to His grace and His faithfulness. I had consulting work really sent from Heaven. I quickly found a job in Alabama. My wife and I were off to a new life in Alabama. We met a couple who graciously without asking built us a new home (our first new home) and financed the deal at a rate we could afford. I had never seen such graciousness expressed by others. Soon after we were promoted by our company and moved to Georgia. All this at fifty-four years of age. Our income has been restored but more importantly our faith has been transformed.

So I find myself counting my many blessings and naming them one-by-one on many days as I reflect on God and His Grace. Too seldom I find that I pass this on to others. The one thing I do know is that we all will be tested and challenged when life happens, but we should never forget the One who has us in His hands and in His heart. Take a minute today to count your many blessings.