Christmas Message for Local Paper

Merry Christmas….from one small town to another!

Apart from the poetic inklings of popular Christmas carols, we do not know exactly what size a town Bethlehem was the night Jesus was born. We do get the distinct impression that it was not a large place. (This is reinforced by the fact we read very little about Bethlehem outside of Scripture, despite its rich history.) Quite likely, it was a small town.

But when you think about it, when you are the Creator God of a limitless universe….aren’t all towns small? From Beijing to Basile, from New York to Eunice, from Rio to Mamou, they are all tiny spots on the wall map of the cosmos.

But God came there.

From the beginning of time, people have gone to great lengths in an effort to ensure that when they die they will go to heaven. But long ago, Jesus did the unthinkable. He left heaven so He could come and die!

And God comes here.

It is our smallness, coupled with God’s greatness that stands at the heart of the wonder of Christmas. It is incredible to consider that on this Christmas Day, God is aware of your life. Even as you read this newspaper, you are in His heart. Unseen by the masses, you are known by the Master.

The angel informed Mary that her child would be known as Immanuel, that is “God with us”. God could no longer be considered far off, a distant figure from history, an unrelatable force. God had come to the small places and moved in.

This Christmas, through Jesus Christ may you experience God’s nearness, may you celebrate His coming and may you be transformed by His presence.

Because God is still here!

If you like ministry doom and gloom.....

then you will love this story about church attendance in England. According to a report by Christian Research, church attendance will decline by 90% by 2050.

Do you think that is possible? Is this a clarion call for the church to change or evidence the church has changed too much? How does your eschatology fit into this report and how does this report fit into your eschatology?

Personally I find myself living between Romans 1:16 and Matthew 7:13. The unstoppable gospel that is the timeless power of God unto salvation and the truth that more people will walk away from that precious gospel than we care to think about.

The exact narrowness and wideness of those ways will vary from time to time. I don't know what the year 2050 will hold (I have a hard time getting past next Sunday), but I do know the gospel will not expire and the path will never be empty.

And that is really all I need to know about the future.

5 Loaves 2 Fish 5K Update

I am excited to share that we have arranged for 2007 NCAA DI XC National Champ Josh McDougal to be part of our church's 5K.

The race will be held in lovely Eunice, LA on Valentine's Day 2009. All proceeds go to our local Relay for Life (American Cancer Society). Josh will be sharing his story and describing how fits into his life and his running.

For more info go to the race section of our church website.

Merry Christmas Neighbor

Here is a Christmas postcard our church mailed out every residence in our local zipcode (only 6200 addresses). On the day it arrived we had several folks call the church to thank us for the card.

Of course, we could have gone all out and thrown the entire town a Christmas parade! (Great job FBC Osprey! Loved the pictures here.)

Merry Xmas

Merry Xmas!

As Christmas greetings go, none has the ability to make a believer’s blood boil more than this one. But truth be told, it has been a while since I have seen this greeting used. The impression that I get is that was a very badly received experiment that seems to have gone away.

The origins of this experiment are not quite clear. Many have felt that it was yet another attempt to secularize the holiday. Or to put it more plainly, to take Christ out of Christmas. It is important to remember that folks have been very honest when explaining their preference for “Happy Holidays” by saying it speaks to the time of year without affirming the Christian holiday. However, I have never heard an equivalent confession concerning Merry Xmas.

As unpopular as it may be, the X in Xmas has a couple of very significant origins. First it is true that the Greek name of Christ, kristos (meaning Anointed One), was abbreviated to X. You see that in the famous Christian fish symbol which was made by combining the first letters from the Greek words Jesus Christ, God’s Son is Savior. The resulting letters (including X for Christ) spelt the word fish.

The second important faith origin is that the X also represents the cross. Bethlehem doesn’t matter nearly as much without Calvary and its cross. Without the cross, it is an amazing story, but it doesn’t really make a difference in my life today.

This one letter powerfully proclaims not only the person of Christmas but also the purpose of the Christ. Now, I don’t really know the motives of those prefer Merry Xmas, and I don’t plan on making it my greeting of choice….but for reminding me of the cross in this season, I am grateful for it.

May your journey to the manger include a glimpse of the cross this year.

C.S. Lewis' musing about ministry.....

I came across this quote on JD Greers' blog yesterday. It may be my new favorite ministry thought of all time.

C. S. Lewis, called by many to be the most original expounder of Christianity in the 20th, once said something like, "I never really cared a wit about saying anything new or original, just to be as clear as I could on what Christians have always believed. Somehow that sounded original."

Jim Elliot's musings about ministry...

I have recently finished reading Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot. The book is primarily the journals and letters of Elliot's missionary martyr husband, Jim Elliot. Elliot lost his life along with four other missionaries attempting to make contact with an unreached Amazon tribe in 1956.

Out of that context, comes Elliot's best remembered quote

He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain what he cannot
lost.

The fact that was written several years before his death makes it all the more profound. But in reading the Shadow of Almighty I was moved by several other passages in the book.

In addressing his parent's potential grief over both their sons' call to foreign missions Elliot wrote the following words

Grieve not then, if your sons seem to desert you, but rejoice, rather, seeing
the will of God done gladly. Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were as an heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver full of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So, with the strong arms of prayer, draw the bowstring back and the let arrows fly -- all of them, straight at the Enemy's hosts.

On his struggles with sharing the truth of the gospel in new languages, he states

...the statement of truth is regarded as 'too deep', to difficult to express in Quichua, which is such a simple language. Still, it is better to try to make them understand, in order that they may know what they are rejecting, than it is, by pressing the acceptance more than the understanding, to allow them to accept something they do not understand.

At another point he writes in his journal

How well I see now that He is wanting to do something in me! So many missionaries, intent on doing something, forget that His main work is to make something of them, not just to do a work by their stiff and bungling fingers. Teach me, Lord Jesus, to live simply and love purely, like a child, and to know that You are unchanged in Your attitudes and actions toward me. Give me not to be hungering for the 'strange, rare and peculiar' when the common, ordinary, and regular -- rightly taken -- will suffice to feed and satisfy the soul. Bring struggle when I need it; take away ease at Your pleasure.

May God stir you deeply as you head into a strong weekend of ministry.

Followers Who Lead

Several years ago there was an email forward going around that claimed to contain the questions from a turn of the century 8th grade final examination. To the average person (and even the above average person) the exam was frightening in its level of difficulty. The point of the email is to marvel at how expectations have fallen over the years.

1 Thessalonians 5.14-22 serves a similar role.

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, [3] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every
form of evil.

As I ponder those expectations, my response is "what a strong challenge for spiritual leaders." But then I realize that based on vv. 12-13, these are not the expectations for the leaders but for the typical believer. These are things those under leadership should be doing.

The typical believer in our church should be pouring thier lives into others, holding each other accountable and having a stake in the growth of those around them.

Let us be challenged to keep expectations high...for ourselves and for those around us.

Season's Greetings

Season’s Greetings!

As I think about holiday phrases, I don’t know if anyone has ever said “Season’s Greetings” to me in person. I see it on everywhere -- signs, greeting cards, newspaper ads and television announcements. But I don’t remember anyone actually ever saying it.

At some point in the past it was discovered to be a rather safe, nondenominational, multifaith holiday phrase….even if it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.

But did you know that the “original” season’s greetings seemed hardly safe. Notice the following reactions.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him....When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear…

God sent the angel Gabriel...to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph…the virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words…

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby…an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified…

These “season’s greetings” were powerful events. They reveal at least three things, which are still true today.

1. A greeting from God is a big deal.
2. Despite the initial fear, the greetings bring the best news ever.
3. There was an expected response from the hearer of the greeting.

Next time we see (or maybe even hear) “Season’s Greetings”, remember those words are far from harmless. It reminds us that God is up to something!

How is a Pastor to Relate?

Pal? Regular Guy? All Round Go To Person?

Over the years I have noticed many pastoral expectations. Some want their pastor to be their best friend. I remember a pastor from my home church being enthusiastically being introduced as "a guy if you met him in a paint store you wouldn't even know he was a pastor!" Others see their pastor as someone who is on call for whatever need may arise in thier life -- giving them a ride across town, sitting with an elderly family member or putting up storm shutters at the last minute.

These approaches just always seemed a little empty to me. They remind me of the NFL/United Way commercials where football players walk old ladies across the street and read books to a stadium full of children. Nice, but not exactly a calling.

In 1 Thessalonians 2 Paul paints three pictures of a minister's relationship to his flock. Like a nursing mother, they are gentle, taking care of their children. (v. 7) Like a father, they exhort, encourage and charge their children to walk in a manner worthy of God. (vv. 11-12) And like a brother, they share the same journey. (vv. 1, 9, 14)

Now those are things that are worth spending a life on.

One last way Paul relates in chapter 2. He says the church in Thessalonica is his "hope and joy and crown of boasting" They are his glory and joy. (vv. 19-20)

This Sunday take a good look at your congregation....they are your crown of boasting!

Not sure there is much boast there? What they likely need is a nurturing mother, an exhorting father and an understanding brother.

Undampened Spirits -- 1 Thessalonians 2

These were weary days for the ministry team of Paul, Silas and Timothy. They had already suffered much and been severely mistreated in Philippi.

Preaching brought pain. Preaching brought rejection. Preaching brought discouragement. Preaching brought beatings and prison. While Paul had never heard of Pavlov and his puppies, Paul and company were in danger of being negatively conditioned.

One would understand if Paul became slightly less excited about preaching....or at least kept a low profile for a spell.

But as he walked into Thessalonica, Paul remembers they "had boldness in God to declare to you the gospel". As a result the kingdom was expanded and lives were changed.

It is quite possible you are in some weary days yourself. Your ministry efforts have not gone the way you wanted or felt they should. Your words have at times been rejected, ignored and sometimes opposed. To be honest, your passion for your call seems a little damp.

But let me assure, there are some Thessalonians who await your ministry today. May you find boldness in God today. It will not be in vain!

Happy Holidays!

In honor of that great Christmas tradition of complaining about chain store greetings I offer these thoughts from an old news letter article I wrote.


Happy Holidays!

I never knew that such a friendly greeting could be so controversial. I do understand some of the frustration. After all, if someone doesn’t want to celebrate Christmas then they should not worry about it and just get back to work. We are tempted to say celebrate or don’t celebrate, but don’t try to change what Christmas means.

But after further review, it wouldn’t really be such a terrible thing if the chaos of Target, Wal-mart and the mall were separated from this Sacred Season. Maybe these marketers have done for us what we should have done for ourselves long ago.

Instead of taking offense at these Merry Christmas alternatives, I would encourage you to notice that even these alternatives contain unmistakable Christian messages.

Take “happy holidays” for instance. What is really being said here is a recognition that these are Holy Days.

I could not agree more. At Christmas we celebrate that before the beginning of time God selected a specific day for His Son to enter this world, to be born of the virgin Mary. He planned the persons, the time and the place for this great event. To say the least it was a day long circled on heaven’s calendar.

And do not forget that God knows just as much about this day (today) as He did of the day Jesus was born. He knows the persons, the time and the place you are surrounded by right now. And He certainly has a plan for today!

Yes, these certainly are happy holy-days indeed! I hope someone reminds you of that today.

The Essence of Ministry

As Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, opens his letter to the Thessalonian church he addresses the minister's call at its simplest and most profound point.

"You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord....." (1 Thessalonians 1:5b-6a).

For all the plethora of strategies, programs and models the church has ever developed none have improved on this approach. Live in such a way that people will have cause to copy you. Live in such a way that when they copy you, they will be copying Christ!

In other words, spend less time adapting your life to relate to people and spend more time adapting your life to Christ. When as ministers we do that publically, transformation occurs. Evangelism happens. Discipleship unfolds.

It means our public ministry is born in our private faith.

The Thanksgiving Pastor

"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (ESV)

May it be so in your ministry.

A Thanksgiving Message

Giving Thanks Like Jesus


The Pilgrims provide a great model for our Thanksgiving season. But there is one that is even greater. Let us examine how Jesus gave thanks.

Mark 6:35-44
Mark 8:1-9
John 11:38-44
Mark 14:22-25

1. Notice that Jesus gave thanks on the "unfinished side".

He gave thanks before anything had ever happened. Still had only a handful of food, Lazarus was still dead. Yet He gave thanks.

Now you may say, that is because He knew what was about to happen. Think about the things we know.

Hebrews 13:5

Matthew 7:9-12

Romans 8:28

We have plenty of cause to give thanks on the "unfinished side".

2. Jesus gave thanks at all times.

Jesus stood before massive crowds of hungry people a couple of fries short of a Happy Meal....and He gave thanks.

Where is the strangest place you have ever given thanks?

3. Jesus gave thanks in even the most difficult situations.

In the upper room, knowing exactly what stood before Him, Jesus gave thanks for the very symbols of His upcoming anguish. (The scene that follows in the Garden gives a glimpse into what must have been on His mind in those moments.)

Too often, he state that "God is good....the test results came back negative." The truth is God is good no matter what the test results say!

May we learn to be thankful in even the darkest moments.

Paul summarized the Jesus way of thanksgiving in Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Musing about Mueller (and prayer)

George Mueller (Muller) is remembered as one of history's great men of faith. A German who came to England to do mission work among Jews, became a pastor best known for the establishment of five huge orphanages in Bristol.

I have recently finished reading George Muller, Delighted in God by Roger Steer.

The need for orphanages was profound in 19th century Britain as the child in need could not get placed without a sponsor. Street children rarely had sponsors. But Mueller saw an even greater need.

He would establish the orphanages in manner that had no alternative but to bring glory to God and to prove His power. With that in mind, he would never ask a single person for any support other than God Himself. In fact, he would not schedule any reports or speaking engagements when needs were great for concern he would have to give an honest answer about current situations and appear to be soliciting funds.

As long as he had God, he had no concerns.

I remain theologically perplexed by Mueller at times. I do not understand how our prayers move God. I do not know how he could be so certain that everything he prayed for was in the will of God to provide. Certainly, the provision of meals was an easy prayer, but the great expansions of ministry could not have been so obvious.

But there is something wonderful that in the face of great difficulties Mueller had no other strategy than prayer. Just a plan to take his needs before God and leave them there. Trusting God to do what was best. Oh, we need more of that!

A favorite Mueller story comes from a trans Atlantic voyage that was being delayed by fog. Mueller told the captain that he could not be late for his speaking engagements in America so they should pray for the fog to lift. Mueller prayed and the somewhat rattled captain was about to also pray when Mueller stopped him.

"Do not pray. First, you don't believe He will answer; and second, I believe He has and there is no need whatever for you to pray about it."

The fogged lifted moments later.

May we pray like you believe it. May we pray like we have no other resource.

Note -- My mother's first job out of school was working in the Mueller orphanages in Bristol.

Jezebel and Judas On the Trail of the Preacher

Few names carry darker overtones than Jezebel and Judas. One was the epitome of sinister and ruthless evil. The other history's most despicable traitor.

So when Adolph Bedsole in his book The Pastor in Profile turns his attention to the fact that pastors often have to deal with folks who seem to be at least second cousins to this pair, the reader is tempted to sit back and relax while the boom is lowered on these ne'er do wells who so often hinder our ministries.

Reader beware! Bedsole's conclusion is that every pastor needs a Judas and Jezebel on his trail. It is his perspective that these difficult people keep us on our toes, require us to stay sharp, grow our humility, challenge us to stay pure and push us to our knees.

Having pastored Bedsole's church a few decades after his retirement I heard many of the stories of the Judas and Jezebels of his ministry....and even met a few myself.

His advice continues to ring true today --

1. Watch your step.

2. Leave disciple to the church.

3. Learn how to take it.

4. Keep your own soul.

5. Stay off the defensive.

6. Stay after the lost.

Don't be tripped up by difficult people in your ministry. If I may add my own observation, Elijah's and Jesus' ministry would have been smaller not greater without these two.

Louisiana Baptist Convention Report #2

The morning began with a great run down St. Charles Avenue, but that wasn't really part of the Convention.

My observations from the official proceedings included --

1. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley's teaching from Romans 8 continued to be strong. This morning, he did a fantastic job on the section that we usually run past in the passage (v. 36). Trouble will come, but the trouble is weak compared to Christ!

2. The exhibit hall featured significantly above average food...fresh cinnamon rolls, Krispy Kreme donuts and beignets! New Orleans can't help but be New Orleans.

3. Nobody seemed to have a vibrate or silent setting on their phones. Considering that the majority of the persons in the room were preachers who get really aggravated by cell phone interruptions in church, it was amazing how many phones continued to ring throughout the morning.

4. US Senator David Vitter was recognized from the platform and greeted by strong applause. I am still stumped by this.

5. David Crosby, host pastor for the annual meeting delivered the Convention sermon. Preaching powerfully from 1 John 3, Dr. Crosby reminded us that "words alone can not carry the full freight of the gospel". The aftermath of Katrina has demanded a more complete approach to the proclamation of the gospel that includes both word and deed. When people ask him if the city is back to where it used to be, Dr. Crosby's response is that "we don't ever want to be back to where we used to be!"

Regardless of what our story has been the last few years, shouldn't that be our response too. We don't ever want to go back to where we used to be. May God continue to grow His people and His kingdom in Louisiana.

Louisiana Baptist Convention Report #1

Since it was this year's SBC annual meeting that really first introduced me to the world of Southern Baptist bloggers it seems only appropriate that I take a few moments to reflect on the opening session of my home state's annual meeting.

Some simple observations from tonights proceedings held at the First Baptist Church of New Orleans.

1. FBC New Orleans is a beautiful facility. I attended FBCNO a couple of times back in my seminary days at its old facility in the Garden District, but I am impressed by what I have seen of their "new" campus.

2. LBC Exec. Director, David Hankins introduced a new evangelism emphasis to the convention this year. This is certainly not news as nearly every convention I have ever attended introduced a new evangelism strategy (yet lostness grows and grows....but that is a topic for another post). What is different is the theme of this emphasis is "sharing the blessing of peace." Evangelism as a gift of peace. There is something right about this.

3. The Louisiana College choir and ensemble did a fantastic job. Easily the highlight of the evening. I had heard the ensemble at the SBC in Indy and felt they were far superior to most of the other music (which included the Gaithers, though the Gettys were tough to beat.) I would like to schedule The Voices of Louisiana College for our church in the upcoming months.

4. Much was made about meeting in New Orleans this week. Needs were restated, visions were recast, commitments were renewed. For a person who has lived in this city and loved this city it was quite meaningful. But I also know, the people of my church feel very distant from New Orleans and would like to be even more distant if it were possible.

Why do Southern Baptists struggle with big cities this way? In the last state convention I was part of, the convention ceased to schedule annual meetings in Miami. It was not that the convention leadership did not care about the city, it was just that the rest of the state's response to it largest, most urban city was such that there was fear they would not even have a quorum for business.

At least we still meeting in New Orleans. And for this year at least, people have come.

[Note the SBC has worked hard to avoid returning their annual meeting to this significant city. It was suggested that efforts are being made for the 2012 meeting. I pray that comes to fruition. If the city can host the Superbowl and BCS championships, the people of God ought to be able to show as well!]

A Prayer for Pastors

Heavenly Father,

We ask for the very thing you most desire....that people would know you and love you more. That their lives might be fully given to You and lived for You. May we measure our ministries and our churches by this definition alone.

Show us how we can be useful in that process. Give us the words, the spirit and the deeds that will draw people to You.

Amen

The Pastor in Profile

The Pastor in Profile is one of my favorite books in my ministry library. Part of what makes it special to me is that it was written by a former pastor of my former church. When Adolph Bedsole became the pastor of the Immanuel Baptist Church in Panama City, they had never had a pastor stay longer than two years. He stayed for thirty six.

I became pastor twenty five years after he retired. But his fingerprints remained all over the church and throughout the community. In many ways my job was easier because I followed in his gracious footsteps. Quiet conversations with Bro. Bedsole in my office and in his home were some of the treasures of that season of ministry. I was humbled to be asked to have a part in his funeral.

But the book has more than sentimental value. Published in 1962, it remains full of wonderful, practical wisdom that has held up over the passage of time.

Here are some warnings he gives to young preachers in the opening chapter.

1. Be careful not to have an unduly exalted opinion of yourself.
2. Avoid the assumption of disparaging attitude to other preachers.
3. Don't allow yourself to become a tool of glory seeking "oldsters".
4. Do not look for conflict just to make a point.
5. Beware the desire to "clean out the church."
6. Refrain from the temptation of making dogmatic pronouncements.
7. Guard against become a copycat preacher.
8. Don't swayed by every wind of doctrine.

Examining my own heart as I reread this list has convinced me that I must still be a young preacher.

Next week, I will share highlights from one of my favorite chapters from the book -- Jezebel and Judas on the Trail of the Preacher!

Jeremiah 49 -- False Security

In the midst of the judgments on the nations, I was caught by a particular verse.

Rise up, advance against a nation at ease, that dwells securely, declares the
LORD, that has no gates or bars, that dwells alone. Jeremiah
49:31 ESV

It reminded me of my family growing up. We locked the door of our house only if we were going on vacation....for more than five days. Remarkably, we were never robbed. (Likely because once inside our home, a thief would have been more likely to feel sorry for us than to rob us.) But regardless, it was an incredibly vulnerable way to live. Danger was so close, despite the fact we ignored it.

The people of Jeremiah 49:31 feel safe and at ease. No gates, no bars, no worries. But the judgment of God is coming. I can think of few better descriptions of so much of our world today. The world continually whispers in their ears that they are safe and secure. "You are doing just fine, we all are in fact. Don't worry."

Yet a very real judgment awaits.

It reminds me of the old definition of preaching -- to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. May God use me to do both this week.

Jeremiah 49 -- A Question Answered

I must confess, I find the judgement on the nations in the later chapters of Jeremiah a bit difficult to read. I miss the vivid narrative anchors of the story of the earlier chapters. I search in vain for easily relatable characters.

But obviously, the chapters matter. They address the inevitable question of the survivors of God's judgment on Jerusalem.

What about them?

On the surface, Israel and Judah's behavior seems no worse than any of their surrounding neighbors. Yet they alone have faced severe judgment.

Now, the first truth is that the neighbors had not rejected their covenant relationship with God. Because Israel had more, they were held more accountable. But secondly, these chapters reveal that all the other nations will be held accountable as well. Their rebellion, their false worship, their antagonism against God's people would not be forgotten.

These chapters also remind us that God is LORD of all. Not just Israel, not just Judah. But all the nations stand before God. They are lifted by His hand. They will be brought down by His hand.

Yes, He is LORD of all. Thanks for asking.

A Prayer for Worship Leaders

Heavenly Father

I ask for a strong awareness of your presence in our corporate worship this Sunday. May our day be filled with anticipation and bereft of distractions. May we bring into worship the very parts of our lives that most need a touch from You.

Prepare me for the quiet and the powerful, the simple and the dramatic. Do in me whatever is needed that I may assist your people to have a profound and meaningful encounter with You.

Then, may I glory in You. Truly glory in You.

Amen

As promised....the occasional political rant

The election is less than a week away. I look forward to participating in the incredible privilege of voting. I also look forward to this train wreck of a campaign being over! (I am so excited, I spent the evening making one of those calendars with the doors that you open each day.)

At this point in the campaign it is an American tradition to declare with great disgust that this is nastiest presidential race ever. I typically chuckle when I hear that because our nation had some doozies in its formative years that have long been forgotten but would be difficult to match.

But we might actually be onto something this time.

However, this time it is not the candidates that are to blame. Line up the voters, the media and the candidates and amazingly it is the politicians who have the most to be proud of!

The print and television media's bias against McCain and Palin has been transparent and I hope will in time be at least somewhat embarrassing to those involved. On the other hand, many of the anti Obama emails I am receiving hourly almost make me look forward to getting the pharmaceutical emails as a change of pace. (I have been tempted to forward the pharmacy emails to the political emailers and political emailers to the pharmacy folks, but instead I am wearing letters off the DEL key.)

Who knows....maybe next time things will be different.

The Story of God -- Phrustrated Pharaoh

Some more thoughts from our Sunday night sermon series, The Story of God....

To Pharaoh it must have felt like he was trying to push water up hill. The more he attempts to make this unwelcome people go away, the stronger they become.

After trying to work them to death and then offering the worst nationalized health plan in history, Pharaoh is desperate. His final effort is to deputize the entire nation to perform "no mercy" killings on the Israeli newborns. But he could not even convince his own daughter to sign on to his program.

All of these efforts had focused on destroying the male population. Which makes the roll calls of Numbers chapter 1 suddenly more meaningful.

Reuben, 46,500 men. Simeon, 59,300 men. Gad, 44, 650 men. Judah, 74,600 men. Issachar, 54,400 men. Zebulon, 57,400 men. Ephraim, 40,500 men. Manasseh, 32,200 men. Benjamin, 35,400 men. Dan, 62,700 men. Assher, 41,500 men. Naphtali, 53,400 men.

Male only censuses seem to be quite standard for this time in history, but none has ever so specifically celebrated the hand of God. There was no missing generation of men....the despite the wicked heart and evil designs of a phrustrated pharaoh.

An Insolent Assembly -- Jeremiah 44

A group of Judean exiles have sought refuge in Egypt despite the very clear warning from God that they were not to leave Judah. Even if they felt life would be better -- more secure and more comfortable, they were not to leave.

They left.

To make matters worse, they went to Egypt. The defining moment for Israel had been his rescue of the people from Egypt and now they voluntarily return. It is like being rescued by a firefighter from a burning building and then running right back into the same building!

While they are there they begin to worship the gods of Egypt (like this group wasn't lost enough already!).

Against this backdrop, a great assembly of the people is called. Jeremiah is invited. Assemblies of this nature were often used for corporate confession. But shockingly, the people have gathered not to grieve their sin but to reaffirm their rebellion.

Their obstinacy is based on poor history. They reveal to Jeremiah that they never had problems while they worshipped false gods before. It was only when Jeremiah started making noise about stopping that the trouble began. Therefore, they were done with Jeremiah and going back to what worked.

May we never confuse the blessings of God, with the preference of our perspective.

A Prayer for Leaders

Heavenly Father,

As we lead your people, may we do your work. May our priorities come from your priorities. May our passions and frustrations be the same as yours.

May our leadership be strong and full of faith, full of boldness when needed and and saturated with patience when called for. Grant us wisdom and courage.

May we never confuse our will for yours.

Amen

A Prayer for Preachers

Heavenly Father

As we preach this week, may our words come from Your Word, may our thoughts come from Your Holy Spirit and may the results accomplish Your Purpose.

May we settle for nothing less than simply revealing You in the midst of this world.

Amen

Unwanted Seasons...Unseen Reasons

It is my turn to teach again on Sunday night for the Story of God. We turn to the opening chapters of Exodus and begin to consider the most significant event in the Old Testament (based on the number of OT references to this narrative).

What strikes me is that the Israelites are in Egypt because God led them there. But it is also clear they are not supposed to stay there forever. But, in the meantime the Israelites suffer bondage and bitterness under Pharoah. It had to be the most unwanted seasons in Israel's history.

Why the delay in the return to the promise land? Why were the people left vulnerable to bondage and slavery? Was it simply the wickedness of Pharoah's heart?

I guess the question I have is why must the blessed experience such suffering?

Yet, Exodus 2 reveals that God's timing was quite precise, and His awareness was comprehensive. So it seems the suffering was certainly part of God plan. Even for the blessed.

Note --
While they waited --

1) the people dramatically grew in number, preparing them for the conquest

2) the exodus would provide the shared experience which would define the new nation
3) they would have opportunity to learn to trust God for everything they would need
4) they would leave town loaded down with the wealth of Egypt

I wonder what powerful thing God may be doing in the unwanted parts of your life right now.

Jeremiah 41 -- A Misguided Super Patriot

In the eyes of many Ishmael (not that one, the one in Jeremiah) would be considered a super patriot. A freedom fighter. The kind of figure people name their children after and compose ballads about.

In the aftermath of the fall of Jerusalem, with the help of a small dedicated band of brothers, Ishmael murders the Babylonian appointed governor in the city. Thanks to Ishmael, the foreign devil has received what was due him and maybe Judah is a step closer to independence once again. Cue the parade and tickertape.

Yet, God's Word seems oddly silent when it comes to celebrating Ishmael. The story is simply told, quickly followed by the story of Ishmael's own defeat and ultimate flight from Judah.

So why does hero status allude this super patriot?

Included in his violent efforts at Judean restoration was the murder of a group of pilgrims that had come to Jerusalem in a spirit of mourning in order to offer sacrifices where the temple once stood. It is not entirely clear why he did this. May be he did not want word of the murder of the governor to get out. But in the process he killed the very kind of worshipper that God had long been looking for in Jerusalem!

Furthermore, it seems Ishmael may have been motivated by self interest more than any thing else. As a member of the royal family, he had lost more than any one else. And as one of the few surviving members of the royal family, he possibly had the designs for his new royal signet ring in the back pocket.

Ultimately, Ishmael finds himself fighting himself not just fighting against Babylon but against God. The word from Jeremiah had been pretty clear that Babylon was God's instrument.

Passion and commitment do not trump submission and obedience. We must be strong and courageous, but only under the authority of the Commander of the Lord's army

May you do something significant today...but only the right things.

Story of God (Continued)

I shared a while back that we would be starting a new sermon series entitled The Story of God. The series would attempt to provide a narrative overview from end of the Bible to the other, helping our folks see the consistency of God's work and to help them place into context the Biblical stories they already know.

One of the elements to the series that I have been looking forward to is that a couple of our staff members would be taking turns with the teaching. This past Sunday night, our children's minister David Harper spoke on the life of Joseph.

Covering Joseph in one message is no easy task, but David did a great job. For me the strongest section was hwhen e challenged us to find ourselves in the story, but he confessed that he had far more in common with the brothers than he did with Joseph.

The brothers, he pointed out, were

1) most likely to fear the worst in a situation

2) shackled by guilt of their past

but they were

1) forgiven instead of blamed

2) and incredibly they were invited to dine at the master's table, even though the master knew the very worst about them!

Oh, what grace. I couldn't have said it better myself.

On Vacation

Anonymous left a comment earlier today inquiring to my whereabouts. He is right, my family is on vacation. The blogging had gotten a little thin as I was caught by an administratively busy season in our church life and needing to do some extra work in terms of advance sermon preps.

But I shall return next week refreshed and renewed.

In the meantime, keep up with some of our vacation adventures at my wife's blog www.mylouisianaview.blogspot.com. (Not included are any pictures of some wonderful running opportunities, including a 17 miler on a converter railroad line in the crisp weather, surrounded by beautiful fall leaves!)

God bless you this week.

Impressive Image

Here is a fascinating image I came across while I was on vacation. Each line represents a cross reference from one chapter of the Bible to another chapter of the Bible. What a wonderful gift God has given us!




—Image courtesy Chris Harrison, Carnegie Mellon University; Christoph Romhild, North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church/Science

I love you pastor.

As preachers we want to be careful of our words. To mean what we say and to say what we mean. So when someone outside our family and our most intimate acquaintances says "I love you", how do you respond?

For some the words, "I love you" are easy to speak. For others they always seem awkward, even to those closest to them. Early in my ministry I never had given the question much thought. (In large part because the topic had never come up. Which likely speaks to the depth of impact of my earliest days as a pastor, serving only on the weekends while I attended seminary during the week.)

I think the question really came up the first time while I was being interviewed for what would become my second pastorate. It seemed the former pastor was uncomfortable with this level of relational vocabulary. I think I can understand the pastor's reticence to water down the meaning and depth of our language's most important words. But I also heard the hurt of an unreturned "I love you."

The result is that for years I found myself thinking way too much when someone said to me "I love you pastor."

I have come to understand that a huge element of my call as pastor is to love my congregation. I think this is part of what Jesus was speaking to Peter about on the beach. "If you love me, feed/tend my sheep." I have no desire to be a hireling, employed to simply manage sheep. I want to be a shepherd. A shepherd knows his sheep. A good shepherd loves his sheep.

So, today it gives me great pleasure to humbly reply, "I love you too."

Jeremiah 39 -- The Shoe Drops

Thirty eight chapters of warnings. Vividly told, precisely predicted. Yet in reading chapter 39, there is a shock to the suddenness of the fall of Jerusalem. The siege is described as beginning then within a sentence, two years have passed and there is a breach in the wall. It is over.

The king escapes....but only temporarily. He is taken to Babylon, as are the vast majority of the population of the once great city of Jerusalem. King Zedekiah's children are slaughtered before is very eyes. The nobles of Jerusalem are killed as well. The walls of Jerusalem are torn down.

Aside from the rampant sin and rebellion I have at time sympathised with the kings of Judah during Jeremiah's ministry. The word from God was to surrender to the enemy. They were counseled to seek peace terms before a battle had even been waged. No patriot would do such a thing. No true leader would be party to such capitulation. Nothing could be worse.

Well, God said there was a fate that was worse. And Zedekiah saw it unfold before his very eyes. His family and his friends executed. The city emptied of its people and filled with an occupying force. The walls turned into a heap of rubble.

Hindsight is always much easier than faithsight. Heeding the warning is more difficult than the foreseeing the woe. But be certain of this...God's Word is true. It will be just like He said. These surely must have been Zedekiah's thoughts as he sat in chains reviewing the recent turn of events. Alas hindsight is easier, except for the fact it is useless.

But there were some who had faithsight, including Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. In the previous chapter, he alone had stood to defend Jeremiah to the king. His words even swayed the king to most likely save Jeremiah's life.

The chapter of woe, ends with a footnote. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian was spared the destruction of the city due to his faith in God.

Hindsight may be easier, but faithsight is where I want to live. It is where I want my people to live.

Jeremiah 37 -- The Original EF Hutton

By this point in the book of Jeremiah I think what fascinates me is the love/hate relationship that Jeremiah inspires. The people seem to hate Jeremiah. The priests and prophets mock him at every turn. And kings continue to imprison him.

Yet, the kings in particular repeatedly wear out a path to whereever Jeremiah is staying at the time (often in prison) and to ask if he has a word.

It is odd. You would think a person this despised and derided would simply be ignored. They disagreed with everything he said. They ignored his pleas and his prophecies. They found other people to say the exact opposite of whatever Jeremiah had preached.

Yet they kept coming. "Do you have a word from God?" they would ask. As much as they hated him, they could not help themselves from wanting to listen. The truth does that. It is so rare that people will lean in to hear it.

A temptation for Jeremiah would have been to cater to that crowd. Afterall, he too was hungry for a good word for his own people. Yet twice in this chapter he is asked for a word and twice the word is not good, going so far as to say that even if all that was left of the massive Chaldean army was its wounded they would still take the city and burn it to the ground.

Again Jeremiah finishes the day in prison. The truth will do that too! People want to hear a word from God, but they are not always ready to accept a word from God.

May the power of your message this week be its truth.

A Distracted Church

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Psalm 20:7 A timely variation of this verse could be "some trust in Republicans and some in Democrats...."

It is my fear that nothing distracts the people of God in our country quite like a presidential election. [At this point I might have to grant some of you permission to determine to no longer read this blog.]

This is not to say that people of faith should not prayerfully take their faith into the voting booth and carefully and diligently make sure no chads remain. But the bluster of the campaign pulls us away from our true call and worse causes us to abandon our truest positions of power. When we occupy ourselves with politics it is often at the cost of the gospel.

To make matters worse the chariots and horses before us are not really in that great a shape. Somebody should get a carfax report on these rides. A recent report from Lifeway Research reported that 80% of Southern Baptist pastors intend to vote for a particular candidate and only 1% intend to vote for the other. Now, I may or may not be in that majority but I find it a little puzzling that there would be such a sweeping support for a man whose lifestyle has been made possible by his wife's beer distributorship empire (I think there have been some SBC resolutions concerning alcohol), who criticized leading evangelicals as "agents of intolerance" and whose marital fidelity at least in the past has been questionable (an issue that in other administrations has been very important to us).

Please do not take this as an endorsement of his opponent, because it is not. It is just to point out that our state of distraction causes us to develop enthusiasm in places we never would imagine. But we do so because we must win!

If we don't win, the world will come to end. (Don't believe me, just check your email in box for anything that begins with FW:FW:FW:FW:FW.) Our people are frightened about what will happen if "our guy" loses. But I have checked...Our Guy does not lose!

May we be ready before and after the election to help our folks stay focused on that which has the greatest impact in all circumstances -- Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Invited to Speak

I do not often get invited to speak outside of my own church, but right now I have two invitations before. Neither of them are likely to impress you, but they are invitations still the same.

I count it a large privilege to share God's Word in any setting possible, but I am much more comfortable doing so within the context of an existing relationship. Speaking or preaching to strangers has always been a bit uncomfortable for me (and the same can likely be said for my listeners as well).

I don't know them. They don't know me. And I won't be with them next week to stand with them as they seek to apply His Word to their lives. I feel deeply called to be a pastor. Not so much to be an evangelist.

This morning I will be bringing a devotion to the Baptist Campus Ministries group at our local community college. (The reason I was invited to speak was because our ladies are providing lunch!) These students (and staff) hear from a different preacher every week. I think that most weeks the typical message leans toward an evangelistic presentation. If this is the case, I worry that these students may be developing an immunity to the gospel they have not yet fully heard or understood.

My goal this morning is simply to help them know Jesus a bit better. I will be sharing from Mark 2 and plan to encourage the students to consider that their spiritual needs are actually greater than any other part of their life. I would like them to be caught by the wonder of God's Word to their lives. That will, in time lead to their becoming fully devoted followers of Christ.

But like I said, I don't get out much.

Teaching The Books of Numbers -- Update

Several weeks ago I shared that I was starting a new midweek teaching series on the book of Numbers. We are still in the earlier chapters and have not yet encountered much narrative (ok, none at all so far). But the book has provided a wonderful emphasis on the centrality of God amongst His people.

The sections concerning regulations do not quite preach with the ease of say Philippians or James. For instance chapter 5 spends quite sometime describing what amounts to an "adultery smoothie". If a woman is suspected of unfaithfulness she is to take a drink that has been prescribed by the priest. If she is innocent, nothing will happen. However, if she is guilty.....let's just say it is not good.

What does this mean? For one thing the husband is to bring his concerns and suspicions to God and not deal with them himself. But what I found interesting was that while we think of sexual immorality as a thoroughly modern problem brought on by "Sex in the City" mindset of our day, it turns out that promiscuity is "old school", requiring entire chapters of the Bible even for the veil and head covering set.

There is nothing new under the sun. All the more reason for us to build our lives with God at the center.

Jeremiah 35 -- A Counter Cultural Family

The Rechabites are less than famous. (They only appear on one page of your Bible.) The Rechabites were less than wealthy. (They owned no homes, land or crops.) It is quite likely that the Rechabites were hardly noticed by their neighbors after taking refuge in the city.

But God knew them. He noticed them and was pleased by what He saw.

He sent Jeremiah to find them and as usual He gave Jeremiah an unusual assignment. Find the Rechabites, bring them into the temple and offer them a big bowl of wine. (Jeremiah had to be wondering how many more facets of his call still remained to be discovered….he was now God’s sommelier!)

But they refused the wine. Instead of seizing the opportunity to enjoy some of life’s “finer” things, they quietly declined the offer. You see their father had vowed that his family would drink no wine, build no houses, and sow no seeds. Instead they would live in tents and enjoy many days in the land. It seems this man did not want the bonuses of the land to get in the way of the blessings of the LORD.

Their faithfulness to their father’s vow served as an indictment to the rest of the people of Jerusalem. But it also serves as a reminder to Jeremiah (and the people) that it is possible to live faithfully before God. It can be done. It has been done! God gives a special blessing to this family.

What do see these days? A culture living in defiance of God. A church that is much less than it should be. Believers who disappoint.

Yes, all of that is out there.

But there are Rechabites out there too. Simple families and individuals who have quietly committed to not let the bonuses of life distract them from the blessings of the LORD.

May you see them. May you grow them. May you bless them.

Balancing Spontaneity and Strategery?

It is that time of the year when our church council begins to work on the calendar for next year. This past Sunday evening we gathered to give the calendar a first run through. Before we began I asked the Council to give thought to some of the most significant/meaningful events of the past year.

The list was interesting. Several items mentioned were annual events such as our women’s conference and Vacation Bible School. Other items were new things we planned at this time last year like our community 5K run. But some of our best moments came together as the year unfolded, including a visit from our governor, Bobby Jindal who gave his testimony in our church.

So as we plan for next year we will work on some of our standard events, we will give thought to some new ideas. But we will also leave room to be flexible to the Lord’s leading.

One idea that we are looking forward doing again this year is promoting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering with live phone interviews during our morning worship service with missionaries on the field. We patch the phone call through our sound system and use google earth on the screens to travel to the place the missionaries live and work.

Last year, we were able to have a couple of these missionaries with us in person later in the year. This year we are planning a bit further ahead and several groups in the church are putting together care packages for the missionaries to help deepen our connections with our missionaries. It is our goal to introduce our church to some of the new missionaries that have joined the board since Lottie!

What are you planning these days? Do you have a part of your church life that you would like to emphasize? How will you keep annual events fresh?

Mark 9:43-48 Illustrated

Today, Tom White is learning to run for the third time in his life.

The October 2008 issue of Runner's World tells his remarkable story. White, a medical doctor by trade arranged to have his left leg cut off. While over 3,500 limb amputations are performed every week in the United States, this one was different. You see it was not medically necessary. It is unlikely there was a doctor in the land who would have recommended it and I really doubt that insurance covered it.

A couple of decades ago White was a competitive runner, achieving a measurable amount of success at the collegiate level. But everything changed when he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident which nearly severed his leg. Remarkable for the time of the time accident, his leg was saved.

Several years later, he met and married a runner. He cheered for her as she competed, but he ached to run again himself. Eventually he taught himself how to run all over again.

However, the long term damage from his accident made running more and more difficult over the years. Even to the point that walking was becomiming painful at times. So much so that White became convinced that he would be better off without the leg. His desire to run again was so strong that he "he decided to pay a man to cut off his leg with a power saw." (The man was a noted surgeon, but you still get the point.) Today with the use of a high tech prostheses White is back on the road, running again.

Tom White would rather be a runner that have both his legs.

I am impressed by Tom's commitment....and to be honest, a little concerned about mine.

And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell,to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and

the fire is not quenched.'

Mark 9:43-48 ESV

Quick Ike Update

We are watching local Houston coverage (Direct TV channel 361) and things look pretty rough. I don't know Houston well, but occasionally I visit MD Anderson hospital and I did run the Houston Marathon this past January, so I recognize some landmarks.

Personally, we seem to have weathered our distant edge of the storm quite well. Ike seemed a little noisier at home than Gustav did at church. (Storms in the night always seem worse than daylight ones.) But a quick look around this morning shows much less damage than Gustav. Gratefully, I do not hear the cacophony of generators that filled the air in the days that followed our last storm.

Thanks again for your concerns and prayers.

A Favorite Resource

For several years one of my favorite resources was the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Set. (http://www.amazon.com/Zondervan-Illustrated-Bible-Backgrounds-Commentary/dp/0310217407) While I rarely used it as a primary reference work, I often used as a supplement to "meatier" commentaries.

But alas, the set did not belong to me. It belonged to the church library at my former church. However, in recent months the church I currently serve has begun a new church library. And it should come as a surprise to no one that one the first items I recommended was this four volume NT commentary set.

I had the pleasure of renewing acquaintances this week as I prepared a message from Ephesians 6 concerning God's Expectation that we be battle ready believers. In the ZIBBCS (the initials just shortened that right up didn't they) I learned about the Ephesia Grammata, six words commonly used by Ephesians as a verbal talisman when they sought extra strength and power. This could possibly color Paul emphasis on "being strong in the Lord" not in some pagan power.

What are some of your favorite resources that you consistently find meaningful?

Here we go again....

For the third consecutive weekend, we prepare for Sunday worship with storms close to the forefront of our minds. (If you are tired of reading about the storms, imagine how we feel living it.)

Two weeks ago we spent Sunday afternoon making final preps for Gustav. Last week we had just gotten our power back and were concerned about this storm named Ike that was headed our way. This weekend, it turns out Ike is not going to come directly to us. But we will be close enough to feel the inconveniences. I will be amazed if the storm passes and we do not lose power, possibly for a few days again.

Once again our little town is a major evacuation route, this time the traffic is heading east instead of north. We still have a major National Guard deployment in town and last night we noticed dozens of power trucks filling up an empty parking lot, presumably ready to leap into action after the storm. It was just in the last couple of days that our stores had finally restocked their perishable items. You can't help but wonder if we will go another week with empty shelves.

But like I said, this storm does not seem to have our name on it. But as those of you who live in the hurricane zone well know, there is a mental fog that eventually invades the mind in these days. So much to do. So little to do. Focus seems out of the question. (It is possible that is not true for vast numbers of people, but it seems true for me.) I am grateful for a couple of good days of study earlier in the week.

The up side is that our family will spend some extra time together, since there is not much else to do. And that's not bad at all.

Jeremiah 30 -- Hope for the Embattled Preacher

"Write these things down." That is God's Word to Jeremiah. This is interesting because to this point, all of the oracles Jeremiah has been given have been spoken words.

Even a cursory reading of the text demonstrates that these spoken words have not been well received and understandably Jeremiah has at times been wearied by the process of preaching to unresponsive people.

The funny thing is, a preacher rarely gets the response he believes the message deserves. In his hours of preparation and study the preacher has often been powerfully taken by the Word of LORD that has been revealed to him. It is not unusual to emerge from the study with the conviction that this week's message may be the most important or most timely message you have ever preached. You can not wait to break these words for your people. (If this is not happening in your life, I pray it will this week.)

But then we preach...and await the floodgates of response.

And at times nothing visible ever happens. Even when there is a trickle of response we are deeply grieved and puzzled that there was not more. Jeremiah knew the feeling well. In fact, he didn't seem to know any other feeling. (The stadium crusade with countless streams of people coming down the aisle would have been unfathomable for him.)

But God told Jeremiah, "write these words down."

It was a powerful reminder to Jeremiah (and to us) that we don't always just preach for today. God was telling Jeremiah that even though the people were not ready to listen then, a time was coming when his words would be heard, needed and deeply cherished. His preaching was not in vain. The Word would not return void.

We do not have any way to know how God's Word is used in the lives of those we preach to. We do not know how God will use those words years down the road. We do not just preach for today.

Jeremiah would likely never see that day himself. But it is likely that several million people read his words this week alone. And people responded.

So as you preach this week, remember we do not just preach for today. But also keep in mind as you prepare this week....you are not just preaching for today!

Preaching the Story of God

Ever since visiting my IMB missionary brother Andrew in Bolivia several years ago, I have been fascinated by “chronological Bible storying”. CBS is a strategy for communicating the gospel, using story primarily for those who are low in literacy and or have very little experience with the message of the Bible. The missionary/church planter will tell the story of God’s Word week by week culminating in an invitation to not just hear about this God, but to know Him through His Son Jesus.

Ironically, I think what attracts me to chronological Bible storying is the fact that I am literate (though this was a topic of debate in the halls of higher learning at one point) and I am very familiar with God’s Word. The truth is, I envy the experience of discovery and excitement that must unfold each week as new truth is unveiled about who God is as people hear it for the first time.

What would creation mean to me if I heard about it as though it were some just released secret? How would I relate to the trials, triumphs and failures of the people of Israel? What would I think of the incarnation of God as Christ…and his death? And then His resurrection! Would I even believe that a guy like Saul could become a man like Paul?

This past Sunday evening I began a new sermon series entitled “The Story of God” which will attempt to use the principles of CBS to help my literate and somewhat Biblically aware congregation be caught once again (or for the first time) by the wonder of God’s story. Working with my fellow staff members, we selected thirty eight key Biblical narratives that we will be sharing between now and the spring.

Here is the list I am using.



How would your list look? What would you include that we did not? What would you drop from the list?

Ministry on Cardboard

I found this at http://www.twelvewitnesses.com/.

Powerful.

The Return to Normalcy

It is Friday morning. Power finally came on at church yesterday afternoon and this morning we are back to work. We are working toward having the building and ourselves ready for a regular
Sunday this Sunday.

I will be back to preaching on God's Expectations. We have a baptism scheduled for Sunday morning and our first choir rehearsals for our Christmas musical begin this week.

I look forward to returning this blog to "musing about ministry" instead of "muttering about meteorology". Thank you for your interest, concern and prayers for Eunice, LA.

God bless you as you prepare to lead and feed your congregation this Sunday.

Life After Gustav -- Wednesday Night

Power is slowly returning to our town. Our house got power back yesterday afternoon, but as we went to bed yesterday it was reported that 91% of our town was still without power. We sort of felt guilty for having power when so many others did not.

Meanwhile, our church still has no power. This afternoon the staff met at church and using a small generator for lights and gas to cook, we cooked up everything in our church freezer then delivered it to folks still without power.

But this lack of power, this 19th century life, is not all bad. In the aftermath of several storms I have witnessed a very unique bloom of community. Having been cooped up for several days and now without electricity people emerge from their homes. Neighbors seeking breeze begin to shoot that same breeze with one another. They check on each other and seek to help in any way possible. Damaged roofs are tarped even when the homeowner has evacuated and is not home. Generators are shared. Yesterday a neighbor whom until this week I have only waved to from my driveway to his, walked across the street to invite my family to take showers at his house since he had functioning hot water. It is really a wonderful thing to watch.

Then the power comes back on and we return to our cocoons.

We have begun to hear some sad stories in the wake of the storm. We have had several fatalities from tornadoes following the storm. One of these, a twenty one year young lady, is related to several folks in our church. Another church member worked with a man who was killed cutting down a tree in advance of the storm.

Tomorrow we will continue to address storm issues and also begin to think past the storm.

Cleaning up after Gustav

We are back home now. Gustav was a messy guest. We still are without power but that is to be expected. Just got cell phone service back.

We were very safe at church. Felt secure enough to sit by the windows and watch the winds. On the way home we did see some fairly large trees down. But the ones we saw fell away from homes. We almost got lost a couple of blocks from church because things were so unrecognizable!

But we are safe. A church came by with a generator and small room ac. We are very grateful today.

Now we get busy cleaning up home and church. Thank you for your prayers.

(As soon as we get power I will post some pictures.)

Not much more waiting now -- Gustav

Via handheld.

No more Jim Cantore. I mean for us...I assume he is still fine. We lost power about an hour ago. From texting other people it seems that half of folks have power, half don't.

Wind is really starting to pick up. I am glad that for now this is a daytime event...though we are just getting started.

Still feeling quite safe, but knowing it is going to get interesting before we are finished.

Waiting for Gustav in SW Louisiana -- Monday Midday

Our little storm posse stands at 9 people here at the church.

Outside the rain is getting heavier and the we expect to really see some weather deterioration in the next hour. The really rough stuff comes later. Forecasters seem to be telling us that we are going to get hit harder by the backside of the storm as it comes through.

Inside, we have a pretty good little spread of snack foods. Seems like the thing to do. Folks have also brought little "busy work" projects to keep occupied. I think we are going to start focusing on lunch and anything else that we can do while we still have power.

The wind howls every once in a while and the lights flicker.

Still waiting. But not complaining.

Top 10 Things to Do Riding Out a Hurricane at Church.

It is going to be a long day here at the church. So here are some the things our family will be doing to pass the time.

1. Play capture the flag in the youth department.

2. Put the cry room to good use.

3. Take a bath in the baptistery.

4. Mark yourself present for the next quarter of Sunday School.

5. Finally teach yourself to play the drums.

6. Read the entire Mitford series in the church library.

7. Don’t worry what ye shall wear tomorrow – fresh choir robe as needed.

8. Find all the storm related hymns in the hymnal.

9. Snack on all the circle cookies and apple juice in the preschool.

10. Watch Jim Cantore on the sanctuary screens.

Waiting for Gustav in SW Louisiana -- Monday Morning

It is early, but we have arrived at church. We announced that the church would be open if anyone wanted to ride out the storm here instead of on their own. I do not know if anyone will show up.

The most recent forecast is that later today our town will experience 80 mph sustained winds. Right now it would still be considered breezy, but it is picking up. I think there are predictions of high rainfall amounts, but maybe not as much as would TS Fay left in Florida.

I drove down the main drag this morning on my way to church and it is pretty quiet out there. Many businesses were boarded up. People here seemed to wait longer to board up than they did when we lived in Florida. For a while we were amazed nobody was boarding up. I did not get our house boarded up, since I figure this far inland people didn't do that. Then all of a sudden out came the plywood. Oh well. We expect to learn a bunch from this experience.

If nobody else is coming to church, I think we would rather be at home. But I don't want to "close the door to ark" too soon or wait too late to get back home. We'll play that by ear.

Waiting for Gustav in SW Louisiana -- Sunday afternoon

A couple of notes from Gustav land....

At this point, the weather is slightly breezy but certainly not forboding. That is do to change as the day unfolds tomorrow.

I had a difficult time getting home today as I needed to cross the two lane north/side highway that runs through our town. The traffic was epic, it occassionally included convoys of ambulances which I assume were transporting folks from hospitals and nursing homes.

It was reported that the local grocery story announced it was giving away all refigerated items this morning. All you can eat....till your power goes out as well!

Church this morning was interesting. Our attendance was likely about 40-50% of our normal crowd. This wasn't a surprise based on what I had been reading from people's facebook status bars. Many folks are quite concerned about the storm.

What was a surprise was that the folks that came were really quite at peace and far less distracted than I expected. In fact, I went ahead and preached more of a message than I had planned when I came to church.

Our family has spent the afternoon getting ourselves ready to head to church in the morning to join the folks riding out the storm there. The eye of the storm is still projected to go right over our community, but will have lost some intensity by the time it arrives.

Till then we hope to keep power, internet and cell phones up and running as long as possible. A/C wouldn't hurt either.

Waiting for Gustav in SW Louisiana -- Sunday

I woke up this morning with the news the storm is still heading directly to our community. We are 40-50 miles inland, so that will help some.

We are planning to have church this morning, but I am not sure how many will come. Church will be very brief. Likely a few words, a psalm and a prayer. Today is not a day for exposition! Folks need to be reminded of the goodness and the nearness of God, then they need to get back to their preparations.

We have planned to open the church for anyone in our church family that wanted to ride out the storm together. However, things could change. I stopped by the police station on the way to church this morning and several officers standing outside said that it was possible our entire town could be under mandatory evacuation.

We pray for wisdom. We pray calm. We pray for safety.

I wouldn't mind if you joined us in that prayer!

Waiting for Gustav in SW Louisiana

Here is SW Louisiana we are watching, waiting….and talking. For thirty of my thirty eight years I lived in the hurricane zone of the Florida and Louisiana coasts. In this part of the country we have four seasons just like everyone else, except we drop winter and add hurricane season. (Instead of making snowmen, we become experts in weathermen.)

There is a very unique energy that accompanies the approach of a storm. Everywhere you walk you hear the conversations and the storm related laughter. Then, prompted by some invisible signal the community takes the crisis seriously. You have never been to Wal-Mart till you have been to Wal-Mart during the run up to a storm!

At this time, the plot for the storm seems to be heading right for us or just a tick to our west. We are about 50 miles inland, but it looks like it could be an interesting week. Three years ago our church suddenly became an emergency shelter following Katrina. We housed several hundred people in our fellowship hall for weeks. It was beyond what appeared to be the limits of our facility and our people. But it was not beyond the limits of what God could do through a willing people. When I came as pastor a little over a year ago, the experience remained a defining moment for many people in our church.

At this time other resources are supposed to be available in our community and we do not plan to have the same role. But we watch and wait. Ready for whatever God would have for us to do.

Jeremiah 26 -- The Prophet Preached On

God is not loose with His words, He always speaks with purpose. By this point Jeremiah seems to have noticed this. So when another word comes to him, accompanied with the admonition “do not hold back a word,” he should have known something was up.

The message was typical. A charge against the people and the looming threat of judgment. (When you walked in during the middle of a Jeremiah sermon, you never had to ask the person next to you to catch you up to speed. Ever.) Equally predictable was the people’s response. Except this time the resentment seemed extra strong. As soon as he was done speaking his audience cried out “you shall die!”

Needless to say there was not a long line at media table after that service. No doubt as he was preaching, Jeremiah could feel the seeming brick walk of animosity being built by his hearers. To be honest, I don’t preach well enough to receive death threats, but I have preached some obvious duds. It is not uncommon during those messages to consider jettisoning sections of the message for the benefit of all involved. I wonder if Jeremiah did not face a similar temptation as he watched the anger and resentment growing.

But the LORD had warned him, “do not hold back a word.” So he preached on in the face of adversity. What should not have amazed Jeremiah (or us) is that they crowd waited till he had “finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him” before they rioted! It was the politest mob in history.

When God gives us a word we must not cower in the face menacing audiences. God is committed to His word being heard. And the reason is simple…“it may be that they will listen, and every one turn from his evil way.” With that as a possibility, the prophet preached on. (The extra nudge from God didn’t hurt either.)

Tim

Note -- Do all of these posts on the judgment words of Jeremiah reflect a blogger angry with his church? Not at all. Jeremiah simply is where I am spending time these days. The biggest impact the prophet has had on me is the priority and power of the Word. The best way I can care the church I love is speak most clearly and apologetically the word I understand that God has given me. I pray that Jeremiah is making me a stronger preacher.

Celebrating and Consoling...A Monday in Ministry

This morning I had the privilege to join a family to witness an adoption. It was a great experience. Just a few hours later I was consoling a different mother as she processed great pain that was unfolding in her family. It was a difficult conversation.

One family I know well. The other I only met today. One event was scheduled for weeks, the other squeezed into the gaps of a busy day. One oozed with joy and hugs, the other was full of pain and guilt. They represent the diversity of the experiences unfolding in congregations and communities each and every week. But for all their differences, both called for a pastor at a significant moment of their lives. I happened to be that pastor.

Yet, it was not really me they wanted. It was the presence of Christ that I, as a minister, in a small way represent.

On days like today I am overwhelmed by the places that I am invited in. I seem to live way over my head. The key for survival for the minister comes from the simple words of that first Baptist minister....

"I must decrease and He must increase."

Truly on days like today, we have nothing else to offer.

Tim

Go Ryan Hall!

Don't forget Ryan Hall (affectionately nicknamed the "American Kenyan" because he grew up at similar altitude as the great Kenyan runners and is now getting similar results) runs the Olympic Marathon Saturday night at 7:30 PM (Eastern time). Ryan has a real chance to medal in this race.

No matter what happens, I expect God will be glorified through this young man who wants nothing more than to honor God with the gifts and the platform he has been given.

Tim

Helping Deacons Deke

No two churches are like and every church has different strengths and weaknesses. But one place I believe the vast majority churches could improve is in the role of the deacons.

The transition in deacon ministry models that most churches have undergone in the last several decades has been a step in the right direction. But the transition is incomplete. And this has caused deep frustration and confusion that negatively impacts entire churches.

Based on Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 3, I would describe the deacon as “men of Godly character working to improve the kingdom effectiveness of the local church, primarily through serving others”. This perspective moves the deacons away from the old model of being a board of directors or the executive council on all things church. In every church I have pastured I have emphasized that it matters far more who a deacon is, than what a deacon does.

But what am only now beginning to really understand is that biblical deacons were deep men of character….but they also did stuff. Our men today are willing to lay aside the old role of directors, but they hunger for something meaningful to do for the kingdom and they become restless serving without a purpose.

Programs have been developed to fill this gap. (The SBC Deacon Family Ministry Plan comes to mind.) But these plans often only address one area of need in a church and often only fit the gifts of a small portion of our men. I believe each deacon should find his own sphere “to improve the kingdom effectiveness of the church through serving others”.

When I asked my deacons this week, how I could help them fulfill their role as deacons, they simply said “tell us what needs to be done.” I am committed for their sake and for the church to do just that. Because it turns out, it is just as important what a deacon does as who a deacon is.

Still breathing, still learning.

Tim

Jeremiah 23 -- The Evil of Empty Words

Every 168 hours the pastor is called to speak a “word from the Lord” to his people. (For most of us with Sunday night and midweek services, it is much more frequent than that.) The question that we should ask is how does God think we are doing with that responsibility?

Through the years He has not always been pleased by the work of the professional proclaimers. For instance, the prophets of Jeremiah’s day have incurred the wrath of God. For one thing, their lives are inconsistent with their alleged calling (v. 11, 13-14). This stirs up the anger of God. As does the fact they speak their own words, not God’s. Even Jeremiah is sternly warned in this passage to only speak God’s words and nothing else. What is most sobering is that in the absence of the good and Godly Word “no one turns from his evil.” The silence is deafening, despite the noise of all the man made messages.

The prophets speak what their hearers want to hear. They steal each other’s words. Why do they offer straw when they could have wheat? Are not His words like fire and a hammer that breaks rocks? God seems to be incredulous that anyone would settle for these words.

Yet these proclaimers could have had a true word – if they had stood in the council of the LORD “to see and hear His word.” If they had stood in the council of the LORD they would have proclaimed His word….and God’s people would have been restored (vv. 18, 22).

Oh, the damage our man made messages have caused. Today is Thursday….and Sunday is coming. May we spend ample time in the council of the LORD!

Jeremiah 21 -- A Tale of Two Promises

In Jeremiah 21, King Zedekiah sends a delegation to Jeremiah in hopes that God will relent and save the city of Jerusalem. After all, God is such a good God. It is Zedekiah’s desire to rest on God’s record instead of his own. God’s response is not what Zedekiah was hoping for. In verse 10, God says “for I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good.”

Funny, I have never heard anyone claim Jeremiah 21:10 as their life verse.

Now, lots of folks claim Jeremiah 29:11 for their life verse. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

I am not sure we are supposed to choose either one. Since the verses are spoken to unique people in a specific settings it is somewhat dangerous to make one of these a blanket claim for our lives. However, if we are to apply one of these verses to our lives, it must be acknowledged that we don’t get to pick the one we want like, placing an order from a great celestial menu. This is God’s message to Zedekiah in chapter 21.

So what is the difference between a Jeremiah 21:10 life and a Jeremiah 29:11 life? My youth minister said the difference is “location, location, location!” You don’t want to live in the city that God has set His face against. Location is the most telling aspect of these two verses. In 21:10 the people are people inside their beloved city. Yet the hard word comes to them. And the blessing comes to those in exile far from home. Nobody would have guessed that combination.

So where would you rather live? In the midst of the “promised land” or inside the blessings of God? Yes, it is all about location, location, location.