FIFS : Galatians 2:20

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“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”

Dead man walking. Under new management. Grand reopening. The day an individual turns their life over to Christ, a change takes place. The old self is crucified and put to death. We give up our old selfish ways and desires and embrace the perfect plans and desires of Christ. There is a daily dying. Each day we must trust, and by faith, put away the natural desires that run contrary to the holiness of God. Christ not only saves us, but He gives strength daily that we might live a life worthy of His name.

Coming Soon to a Church Near You

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One of my favorite times of the church year is fast approaching: Vacation Bible School. I know that it is only January, but June will be here before you know it. I enjoy everything about VBS. As a pastor, I enjoy the opportunity to work closely with teachers and other volunteers preparing for the arrivals of our students. I enjoy having kids running up and down the hallways not knowing how to act in church. After all, is it not our goal to get unchurched kids to come to church? Believe it or not, I enjoy being there when the first student arrives and watching the last one get into the car at night. As a pastor I enjoy interacting with the students. I enjoy talking with them, laughing with them, and hopefully praying with them.

I enjoy teaching and preparing others for ministry. It is a passion of mine.  I have had the opportunity over the past several years to share my love for VBS with others at the church, association, and state levels. I have agreed to be a part of the VBS team for the Savannah River Baptist Association this year and help train others across our association. I am looking forward to what the Lord is going to do with Vacation Bible School this year. The potential is great. Begin praying right now as to where the Lord would have you to serve. More to come.

Relief Offering for Haiti

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Most everyone knows of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated the tiny island nation of Haiti last Tuesday. It is difficult  and saddening to watch countries like Haiti and others who have been stricken with similar disasters struggle through the aftermath. Weak governments, lack of national wealth, poor military, and inadequate infrastructure make the recovery from the these disasters all the more difficult. It is encouraging to me to see the outpouring of support  that is pouring into Haiti. This help has come form such agencies as the Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, Doctors Without Borders, SBC Disaster Relief, and World Vision.

Sad but true, nothing brings the human spirit and heart together like tragedy. The world has seen this time and time again. From Hurricane Katrina to the Southeast Asia Tsunami of 2005, tragedy stirs the hearts of people. As we watch the recovery efforts unfold in Haiti, our hearts are burdened and hurting. We want to do something tangible.

At Port Royal Baptist Church, we will be doing our part. This coming Sunday we will take a Relief Offering for Haiti, giving our people an opportunity to help those who are hurting and displaced. Along with our monetary gifts, the people of Haiti need our prayers, both now and in the future. Haiti is a dark place spiritually. I truly believe the hands-on work of clean-up and rebuilding will serve as the hands and feet of Jesus before the people of Haiti. Perhaps through the simple acts of love more avenues for the gospel will open up.

FIFS : Jonah 1:1-3

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1. Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3. But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

I would like to know what was going through Jonah’s mind when he arrived at the port that day  where  a ship  was preparing to leave. Perhaps he said, “This must be my lucky day.” Maybe he said, “I timed this just right.” He might even have said, “This ship is God’s will.” Jonah was a man on the run from God and Satan was holding the door wide open. We all have periods in our lives as Jonah did . Periods of direction and call, followed by an overwhelming fear that causes us to doubt our ability to come through for God. “Open doors” are tricky things. Jonah had  what he thought was an open door, but was clearly not of God. The life of Jonah teaches us this. If the believer desires to run from God, there will always be a ship leaving for Tarshish.

Positions, People, and Passion

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If you have been in church for any length of time than you know there are necessary positions that allow the church to function as it should. Once these positions (which generally include teaching faculty, committee members, and other support staff) have been identified, people are then sought out to fill these created positions throughout the church body. This process, or one similar to it, takes place in a great majority of our Baptist churches today. The longer I am in Christian ministry, the more I see this “one-size-fits-all” approach to ministry has the potential to come up short. Here is what I mean. In the above structure, the focus is on the position and finding the person to fill that position.

It has been my observation that one thing is often overlooked here. On the fringe of this kind of structure, there may be a person or persons with a passion that we as a church have not identified as a valid and needed area of ministry. We don’t have a “position” for that. As we survey and look around the local body of Christ, there are many who have been gifted to be able minister in ways that are outside the box of traditional means. In today’s world, it is going to take ministering outside of what we already know in order to reach people.

I see coming in the future a more intentional process in the way we plug people into ministry. we must first identify where their passion is and then create an avenue for them to flesh out what they love to do. I believe the church would be better served by wrapping passion around positions instead of wrapping people around positions.

Book Review Blogger – Where is God?

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 “Where is God?” Arguably the most often asked question of the day in our world of terrorist attacks, divorce, child abuse, economic hardships, layoffs, sickness, and depression. In his latest book, Dr. Townsend tackles this age-old question. This is the first book of Townsend’s that I have read and am an instant fan. It is a true winner. Through personal experience, years of Christian counseling, and a healthy does of biblical principle, he enables the reader to understand what brings us to the point of questioning God’s presence in our lives.

 I was challenged and encouraged by this book. I was challenged to remember that although I can’t see God working up front, I can trust He is working behind the scenes. Townsend cements his writing in three over-arching themes that he further develops throughout the book: God is for us and working on our behalf, our experiences matter to God, and Bible is our only source for understanding difficulty.  What I liked most was that Townsend did not hide or sugarcoat the reality that life can be difficult and cruel. Instead, he challenges the reader to look first to God in their search for understanding.

 If you are struggling yourself or helping another work through a difficult time, this book is well worth the time. Solid and insightful.

A New Decade

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A new decade is upon us. It is difficult to believe that 2010 is already here. The past ten years have been difficult ones for our nation and world. These years have been marked by horrific terrorist attacks here and abroad, a war in two different countries, the decline of our economic system that has led to government intervention in corporate business, recession, and record unemployment. We have also see over the past ten years an increase the erosion of tolerance for the Christian faith, both from the inside and out. The past decade has brought increased physical persecution of believers around the world and a loss of jobs, homes, and property for simply naming the name of Christ. We have also seen mainline Christian denominations change their views of scripture to be more inclusive. This is the beginning of the slippery slope that can only lead to further questioning of the validity of our faith.

As we move into a new decade, we have challenges before us as 2010 begins. Our national government has the challenge before them to keep the American people safe. This is no small task. They are also challenged to bring stability and confidence back to our economic system. They are challenged to decrease unemployment and restore the world’s confidence and respect in the United States. They are also challenged to narrow the ever-widening gap between wealth and poverty. The New Testament church has a challenge before us as well. We are challenged to continue to sharing a life-changing gospel in the face of persecution, hate, indifference, and intolerance. We are challenged to do our part as the hands and feet of Christ to the poor, blind, homeless, sick, outcast, and hurting of this world. The ones Christ called the “least of these”. We are challenged to show God’s love, strengthen believers, and make a difference in a world where a difference is desperately needed.

I pray that in this new year you will be blessed beyond imagination and be drawn closer to the heart of God . I will be sharing my prayers for 2010 a little later. Let us remember the words of Christ as we being a new year, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt 6:33) 

 

Worth Repeating

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“Faith today is treated as something that only should make us different, not that actually does or can make us different. In reality we vainly struggle against the evils of the world, waiting to die and go to heaven. Somehow we’ve gotten the idea that the essence of faith is entirely a mental and inward thing.”

Dallas Willard