Giving Thanks in All Things

Just recently I was invited to attend a breakfast with the Gideon's and learn about a new outreach they are implementing.  First off I love food, especially breakfast.  Second, I love the work that Gideon's do in sharing the Word of God with all people.  What they failed to tell me was the location.  I don't like to leave the ground.  I don't like roller coasters, but sometimes it is necessary to please a little 6 year old girl and my lovely and talented wife.  However, on this occasion, they served breakfast at the Wells Fargo Building in downtown Raleigh, NC.  A beautiful structure, but the meeting and eating place was located on the 28th floor.  Twenty-eight floors.  Did you understand that?

 
The Cardinal Club, though very nice, is located unnecessarily off the main level.  The expression on my face should have been captured on camera when the receptionist announced that the Cardinal Club is located on the 28th floor.  Do what?  Where are the steps?  But I strode to the elevators and solemnly pushed the button marked 28.  Thankfully it did not stop at any other floor, but it did take a little while before the doors opened.  After I stepped out, I exhaled while maintaining my focus on the beautiful and luxurious carpet.  I was then escorted to the corner room with 4 panoramic windows overlooking the scenic downtown area.  I tried to maintain a focal point away from the windows towards a power point presentation, but my hosts and colleagues were all seated in front of the windows.  This is where prayer and God’s grace washed over me and held me through the next 90 minutes.

 
It was then that I shifted my focus to the presentation of God at work in our teenagers through the Gideon’s plan of sharing “The Life Book” with teens across America.  It was amazing that we are about to witness a prolific movement of God using willing vessels to share His story of love and redemption.  Even though I was out of my comfort zone, it was great to hear about God’s work and how I could be a part of this movement.

Faith Sharing

I want to encourage you to walk across the street and meet someone new.  Make a friend.  Expose yourself.  Make yourself vulnerable.  Humble yourself.  Place others ahead of you.  Meet their needs ahead of your own.  Why would I suggest a thing?  In hopes of sharing the message of a living faith, that is Jesus Christ.  Earn their respect and trust, while modeling for them a changed life in Christ Jesus.  In a world that is focused on self and ego, do the opposite.  Love them.  Bring to the table: encouragement, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness.  I believe that this is what Christ did when He chose to eat a meal with them.  When He chose to carry on conversations that religious leaders chose to not engage.  Christ met a basic human need: acceptance.  He did not leave them in their sin, but lovingly pointed them to the Gospel in hopes of redemption.  Forgiveness of sin.

It seems today that we are facing two options: resign them to hell or love them to hell.  Yet, we have a third option, the one that Christ gave us.  Love them enough to teach the truth.  I say we, the church, ought to take up the mantle that Christ gave us and love them enough to teach the truth.  It may not be popular.  It may not be acceptable to society standards.  It may go against the political correctness model, but it is the way that Christ lived.

So the next time you encounter one of the many forgotten by society or church, speak kind words.  Offer a cup of cold water.  Offer a set of clothes.  Offer a warm meal.  Offer your friendship.  You may just be surprised that a smile will often be treated with a smile.  All the while gaining trust to share the greatest message: Christ loved you enough to die on a cross.  I believe that is a message worth sharing, no matter how difficult to gain an audience.

Go Fish!

In his book In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado tells about something that happened to him while he was in high school. Every year, he and his family used to go fishing during spring break. But one year, his brother and his mom couldn’t go, so his dad let him invite a friend.

They looked forward to this vacation with great anticipation. They pictured the sun shining down on them as they sat in the boat in the middle of the lake. The yank of the rod and the spin of the reel as they wrestled the bass into the boat. The smell of fish frying in a skillet over an open fire. They could hardly wait. Finally spring break arrived, they loaded the camper and set out for the lake.

They arrived at night, set up the camper and went to bed anxious to get up the next morning and go fishing. But that night, a northeaster blew through. The wind was so strong they could barely open the door of the camper the next morning. The sky was gray. The lake was choppy. There was no way they could fish in that weather.

"No problem," they said. They could spend the day in the camper. They had brought Monopoly and Reader’s Digest. They knew a few jokes. It wasn’t what they came to do, but they would make the best of it and fish the next day. So they passed the day indoors. The hours passed slowly but they did pass. Night finally came and they crawled into their sleeping bags dreaming of fishing.

The next morning it wasn’t the wind that made the door hard to open, it was the ice! They tried to be cheerful. "No problem," they said. "We can play Monopoly...again. We can reread the stories in Reader’s Digest. And surely we know another joke or two." But they weren’t nearly as cheerful about it all.

And as the day went on, they began to get more and more irritable and edgy. It was a long day and a long night. The next morning, when they awoke to the sound of sleet hitting the roof, they didn’t even pretend to be cheerful. They were flat-out grumpy. They sat in misery the whole day, their fishing equipment still unpacked.

The next day was even colder and they finally headed home. But Max says that he learned an important lesson that week. Not about fishing, but about people. He writes, "When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight. When energy intended to be used outside is used inside, the result is explosive. Instead of casting nets, we cast stones...Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved."

 So for us, lets learn from this simple lesson and go fish!

A Grand Visit

Recently I was able to make a trek to Worthington, KY to visit my padre.  My visits seem to come every other year, but would prefer every year, alas scheduling is always difficult.  This visit did not disappoint.  The usual: dad speaking to me on the subjects of tomato raising, lawn care, music, pastoring, preaching, Bible study, and Bible trivia.  We did manage to watch one movie, but mostly we talked…well he talked, I listened.  Still it was a great visit that brought laughter and smiles.  A treat for me was to preach at church on Sunday morning at Wurtland Missionary Baptist Church.  Dad and Hazel are faithful members there, and it’s good to see them still actively serving in the church.

Even though Hazel was not her usual vibrant self, due to back pain, she was still a gracious hostess.  It’s always good to visit the ones you love.  Most thankful for the times we share through visits, phone calls, or emails.  Time spent wisely is always a good thing.  Since dad's health is declining, this visit was even more meaningful. 

 

Dad playing piano before church started.  Love to hear him play.

Catching Up

Perhaps I have a small case of writers cramp, since I have not posted anything new for some time now.  So here I sit at the computer waiting for some type of inspiration to jolt into my brain.  Still sitting and waiting.  Well here it goes....

At church, we are exploring our identity as church on mission.  Since we are to be a place of obedience to God through His Scriptures, we ought to be on mission.  Making disciples.  Impacting lives.  Making a difference.  Now don't get me wrong, we are doing some things, but we should be making a greater impact in our neighborhood, state, nation, and world.

Hence we are examining our relationship in accordance with God's Word as to how to make this happen.  The two main Scripture verses are Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. and Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Through these verses we understand that we are to be on mission.  Sharing the love of God with others with the express hope that they would turn to Jesus and believe.  For this month our focus is on missions: local, state, national, and international.  We are offering ways for families to be on mission in a creative way that will also make an impact.  Join us in being a church on mission.

Oh Dear, it's a deer!

After spending some great quality time with family over the Christmas break, we made our usual trek from Statesville to Fuquay Varina.  We were engaged in normal conversation when a rather large buck decided to play a game of tag.  We were about 5 miles east of Siler City on Highway 64 when this huge animal jumped right in front of our car.  We hit him, I hit the brakes, Lisa screamed, Mary's eye grew large...all within three seconds.  Fortunately, the air bags didn't deploy, and no one was hurt or slightly injured.  Except maybe for the car...only $3750 worth of damages, but thank you Allstate for taking care of that.

As you can see, the Buick decal is missing.  I watched it fly over the car the moment after impact, and no doubt it's firmly detailed on the side of the buck.  So if you know of someone in Chatham county, let the know to look out for the buck with the Buick emblem.

I'm most thankful for God's protective care that night.  It could have been much, much worse.  For whatever reason, we endured that episode and are much more cognizant of deer roaming around the roads and highways.

As for the buck, he didn't get knocked down. He merely lost his balance, but quickly regained it and continued to jaunt across the highway into the woods.  Oh well, maybe next time I come across a buck, I will be armed with a gun while seated in a tree stand.  Until then, be careful and watch out for those amazing creatures.