It is that time of year when we start decorating for the Christmas season. Even though decorating the house and the Christmas tree are something my family and I enjoy doing, it is not without its moments of stress. It seems like every year I have a problem with the lights that I purchased. This year was no exception. Because we have had so many problems with the light on our Christmas tree last year we purchased a tree that came with the lights. My brother in law has had a lighted Christmas tree for years and never had any trouble with his, so we were optimistic that we would have no trouble as well. Of course I forgot that this was our tree and not his tree. As I worked to get the tree put together and the limbs arranged just right I noticed some of the lights were burned out. The burned out lights were all in one section and it was obvious from looking at the tree that lights were missing. I quickly discovered that one of the strands of lights were not connected and plugged the light into the outlet. There was light! I was happy that I was able to solve the lightless problem.
However, I then discovered another section that was not burning and this problem was not as easy to resolve. In fact as I examined the lights I discovered that there was a short somewhere, but I could not fix the problem. Sometimes the lights would flicker and sometimes they would not. I decided that it was not worth the stress to try and fix the problem. The tree looked okay without this particular strand of lights.
My next project was to string the lights on the house. We had lights left over from last year that when we took them down they were working fine. Yet when we went to put the strands up, one of the strands refused to work. We needed more lights so we purchased some new ones so that we could have adequate lights around house. The other strand, we wound up throwing in the trash.
We are such a throw away society. Years ago when we strung lights, if one light went out, you just replaced the bulb. It was easy to locate the burned out light and it was easy to replace. You just unscrewed the light and screwed in another one. Yet, today if one light burns out it will cause the entire section to burn out as well. It is not easy to find the burned out light and often times impossible. As a result, we just throw them out and purchase lights after Christmas that are on sale. We will be ready for next year and of course then we go through the whole thing again.
It is very frustrating because the thing about lights is that they are supposed to work and give light. Most people think that the Christmas lights make such beautiful decorations, but they actually have a greater purpose. The lights of the Christmas tree symbolize two things. First they represent the light of the world, which is Jesus Christ. Second, the lights represent our responsibility to be a light to the world. We are to shine like a light as we give testimony to the Light of the World.
Unfortunately most of us are like the lights on my Christmas tree. We often do not work. Jesus said that we are the light of the world and that we are to let our light shine before men. However, many of us are not putting forth much light or are not shining at all. I wonder if when Jesus comes to us He becomes frustrated with His lights? Does He look down from heaven above and see lights that should be shining, only to discover that they are not shining?
I am glad that Jesus is not like me. I throw aways lights that do not burn. Jesus patiently works with the light to help it shine forth like it is intended to shine. Jesus comes to each one of us and says "let there be light." Are you shining for Him this Christmas season? Let your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Why not this Christmas season we choose to leave the light on for Him.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A good cup of coffee
This morning I had a great visit with a good friend and enjoyed a great cup of coffee. I enjoy coffee. I have been a coffee drinker for a long time and enjoy all brands of coffee. I believe my favorite coffee is Cafe Britt from Costa Rica. This coffee is grown in the volcanic mountains of Costa Rica, which people say provides the richest coffee. However, the coffee we enjoy so much is not an easy process to make.
The processing of coffee requires a lot of labor and long hours. The majority of people are probably not even aware of the process. Coffee starts out as what is called the cherry. The coffee bean is actually concealed inside a red cherry fruit. No, you can't eat the cherry! Most coffee is hand picked by harvesters who make anywhere from $2 to $10 a basket. An average cherry picker and pick about 6 baskets a day.
Once the cherries are picked, they are placed in a vat for washing. The ripe cherries sink to the bottom and the bad cherries float to the top and are discarded. The purpose of the washing is to remove the outer red shell from the coffee bean. After the initial washing stage there will still be remnants of the shell remaining on the bean, for which an additional stage of washing is required.
After this second washing, the beans must be dried, which enables the remaining pulp to be removed by raking or by machine. The next process is calling hulling where the fine parchment is removed from the bean to reveal what is called the silver skin. The silver skin is then removed from the bean in the polishing phase.
Most of this process takes place over days and requires constant care to get to the actual bean. After the beans have been through the process, they must be sorted and allowed to age. Most coffee makers agree that beans begin to lose there flavor after 1 year. However, the process is not through, because a coffee bean by itself is not much use. You can put chocolate on a coffee bean and it is pretty good, but that is not the intent of a coffee bean. The beans are at their best when they have been ground together and mixed with other beans so that they can be enjoyed.
I know you are probably asking, "what is the point?" There is a point if you will hang with me a little longer. I am talking about coffee. Who was the first person to ever discover the process for coffee? How did they know that if they would go through this entire process they could enjoy a great cup of coffee? It is kind of like the mushroom. Who determined that one mushroom would be great to eat and the another one would kill you? Probably some guys brother figured that out! But that is another post.
The point is that many of the things we enjoy in life happen over a long process. A cup of coffee does not just happen. There is a process that takes place so that we can enjoy a good cup of coffee. It is much like the spiritual life. We do not just wake up one day and discover that we are dynamic followers of Jesus Christ. Most believers have been shaped through a long process called life. Our experiences help shape who we are today. We have been washed and we have had old habits peeled away from our lives. We have been processed through many different stages of life. Some of the processes have hurt and have been difficult, but they were necessary to refine us. God used these processes to shape us into His image.
One other thing that needs to be mentioned in this process. Just as a coffee bean is of little use by itself, the Christian is of little use by himself. The Christian was intentionally designed to be placed with other Christians to produce a sweet aroma to God. It is only as we have been through the grinder and mixed with other believers that we give off a wonderful aroma that is pleasing to God. I once preached a sermon entitled How to Survive the Daily Grind of Life. Life is a grind, but if you will join with others who are going through the grind as well, you will be a blessing to others who will then enjoy the wonderful aroma that comes from you. I really enjoy coffee! But what I really enjoy is the aroma of believers worshipping, serving and fellowshipping together. Paul said "for we are to God the aroma of Christ." What a great thought! Here's to you my fellow coffee bean!
The processing of coffee requires a lot of labor and long hours. The majority of people are probably not even aware of the process. Coffee starts out as what is called the cherry. The coffee bean is actually concealed inside a red cherry fruit. No, you can't eat the cherry! Most coffee is hand picked by harvesters who make anywhere from $2 to $10 a basket. An average cherry picker and pick about 6 baskets a day.
Once the cherries are picked, they are placed in a vat for washing. The ripe cherries sink to the bottom and the bad cherries float to the top and are discarded. The purpose of the washing is to remove the outer red shell from the coffee bean. After the initial washing stage there will still be remnants of the shell remaining on the bean, for which an additional stage of washing is required.
After this second washing, the beans must be dried, which enables the remaining pulp to be removed by raking or by machine. The next process is calling hulling where the fine parchment is removed from the bean to reveal what is called the silver skin. The silver skin is then removed from the bean in the polishing phase.
Most of this process takes place over days and requires constant care to get to the actual bean. After the beans have been through the process, they must be sorted and allowed to age. Most coffee makers agree that beans begin to lose there flavor after 1 year. However, the process is not through, because a coffee bean by itself is not much use. You can put chocolate on a coffee bean and it is pretty good, but that is not the intent of a coffee bean. The beans are at their best when they have been ground together and mixed with other beans so that they can be enjoyed.
I know you are probably asking, "what is the point?" There is a point if you will hang with me a little longer. I am talking about coffee. Who was the first person to ever discover the process for coffee? How did they know that if they would go through this entire process they could enjoy a great cup of coffee? It is kind of like the mushroom. Who determined that one mushroom would be great to eat and the another one would kill you? Probably some guys brother figured that out! But that is another post.
The point is that many of the things we enjoy in life happen over a long process. A cup of coffee does not just happen. There is a process that takes place so that we can enjoy a good cup of coffee. It is much like the spiritual life. We do not just wake up one day and discover that we are dynamic followers of Jesus Christ. Most believers have been shaped through a long process called life. Our experiences help shape who we are today. We have been washed and we have had old habits peeled away from our lives. We have been processed through many different stages of life. Some of the processes have hurt and have been difficult, but they were necessary to refine us. God used these processes to shape us into His image.
One other thing that needs to be mentioned in this process. Just as a coffee bean is of little use by itself, the Christian is of little use by himself. The Christian was intentionally designed to be placed with other Christians to produce a sweet aroma to God. It is only as we have been through the grinder and mixed with other believers that we give off a wonderful aroma that is pleasing to God. I once preached a sermon entitled How to Survive the Daily Grind of Life. Life is a grind, but if you will join with others who are going through the grind as well, you will be a blessing to others who will then enjoy the wonderful aroma that comes from you. I really enjoy coffee! But what I really enjoy is the aroma of believers worshipping, serving and fellowshipping together. Paul said "for we are to God the aroma of Christ." What a great thought! Here's to you my fellow coffee bean!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Serving others
It has been a few weeks since I have written anything on my blog as I have been extremely busy doing some other type of writing. I hope in a few weeks to be able to share with you what I have been writing, but there are still some things that need to be done first.
This morning I would like to share about serving others. Often times in the craziness of life we are so busy that we do not stop long enough to see if there might be someone that needs our help. Two weeks ago one of the widows in our church had a sewer line break and flood her basement. It was not a pretty sight. We got word of the need and on a Saturday morning a group of us men, about 7 of us, showed up to look at the damage and as we dug up the line we discovered it was beyond our ability to repair. However, one of our men called his plumber friend and the next day he met him there at 7:30 and they were able to repair the line so that it would not continue flooding into the basement. This good brother also paid the cost to the plumber. What a great blessing his ministry was to this sweet lady.
However, our work was not done. We knew that we had to clean her basement out and do some other repairs as well. Our association of churches has a disaster relief trailer and coordinator that lives about a mile from this dear woman. We made arrangements with him to meet on the next Saturday and clean out the basement and disinfect the basement as well. On that Saturday, 16 of us showed up to clear everything out of the basement, scrub some floors, and everything else that needed to be done. Not only did we clean the basement, but we cleaned her garage and helped her in the house as well. Others of us, fixed some plumbing problems in the house as well as a washer that needed some work. We were able to be the body of Christ to our sister in Christ.
She allowed us to be a blessing to her and in return we were blessed as well. Serving others is one of the best ways we can demonstrate the love of Christ to others. Scripture states that God demonstrated his love for us. This passage tells me that love is an action verb. Love is something we do, not something we sit around and talk about. We demonstrated our love for her by our actions toward her. We did so, not as an individual, but as a body of believers. We were the church in action.
However, the story does not end here. While we were ministering to our sister in Christ we met another lady who needed some help as well. Her needs were entirely different. She needed someone to love on her and care for her. She is struggling financially and the difficulty is beginning to overwhelm her and her young son. We helped her, prayed with her, ministered to her and told her about Jesus. On Sunday morning she and her young son worshipped with us. What a blessing it was to see her sitting there on Sunday Morning.
I do not want you to get the wrong impression about Lynwood Baptist Church. This event was not a one time event for us, but it is a part of our DNA. We are a body who strives to serve others. We involve ourselves in the lives of other people. Though we are small in numbers we have a big heart for people. I am fortunate to be pastor of this body of believers.
God has great things in store for Lynwood. He is moving in the lives of people and we are excited about what the future holds. If you are reading this blog and are not a member of Lynwood, you might want to check us out. We are here to encourage you and minister to you with the love of Christ. We don't have all the answers and we do not claim to know everything, but we love God and we love people. If that sounds like you, then come serve alongside us as we strive to make a difference in the place where God has planted us. Hope to see you soon so we can worship and serve our Lord together. Like I always tell the members, we are blessed to be a blessing. Go out and bless someone today. Talk to you later.
This morning I would like to share about serving others. Often times in the craziness of life we are so busy that we do not stop long enough to see if there might be someone that needs our help. Two weeks ago one of the widows in our church had a sewer line break and flood her basement. It was not a pretty sight. We got word of the need and on a Saturday morning a group of us men, about 7 of us, showed up to look at the damage and as we dug up the line we discovered it was beyond our ability to repair. However, one of our men called his plumber friend and the next day he met him there at 7:30 and they were able to repair the line so that it would not continue flooding into the basement. This good brother also paid the cost to the plumber. What a great blessing his ministry was to this sweet lady.
However, our work was not done. We knew that we had to clean her basement out and do some other repairs as well. Our association of churches has a disaster relief trailer and coordinator that lives about a mile from this dear woman. We made arrangements with him to meet on the next Saturday and clean out the basement and disinfect the basement as well. On that Saturday, 16 of us showed up to clear everything out of the basement, scrub some floors, and everything else that needed to be done. Not only did we clean the basement, but we cleaned her garage and helped her in the house as well. Others of us, fixed some plumbing problems in the house as well as a washer that needed some work. We were able to be the body of Christ to our sister in Christ.
She allowed us to be a blessing to her and in return we were blessed as well. Serving others is one of the best ways we can demonstrate the love of Christ to others. Scripture states that God demonstrated his love for us. This passage tells me that love is an action verb. Love is something we do, not something we sit around and talk about. We demonstrated our love for her by our actions toward her. We did so, not as an individual, but as a body of believers. We were the church in action.
However, the story does not end here. While we were ministering to our sister in Christ we met another lady who needed some help as well. Her needs were entirely different. She needed someone to love on her and care for her. She is struggling financially and the difficulty is beginning to overwhelm her and her young son. We helped her, prayed with her, ministered to her and told her about Jesus. On Sunday morning she and her young son worshipped with us. What a blessing it was to see her sitting there on Sunday Morning.
I do not want you to get the wrong impression about Lynwood Baptist Church. This event was not a one time event for us, but it is a part of our DNA. We are a body who strives to serve others. We involve ourselves in the lives of other people. Though we are small in numbers we have a big heart for people. I am fortunate to be pastor of this body of believers.
God has great things in store for Lynwood. He is moving in the lives of people and we are excited about what the future holds. If you are reading this blog and are not a member of Lynwood, you might want to check us out. We are here to encourage you and minister to you with the love of Christ. We don't have all the answers and we do not claim to know everything, but we love God and we love people. If that sounds like you, then come serve alongside us as we strive to make a difference in the place where God has planted us. Hope to see you soon so we can worship and serve our Lord together. Like I always tell the members, we are blessed to be a blessing. Go out and bless someone today. Talk to you later.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
prayer meetings
As I write this post I am at the Illinois Baptist State Association annual convention. I also attended the pastor's conference before the convention started. Don't you know there was a lot of hot air in that meeting! It has been a while since I have been in such meetings and it was good to meet some of my fellow pastors and to hear their stories.
The theme of this year's pastor's conference was "prepare the way of the Lord." The idea is that if we want to see revival in our lives, churches and country we must prepare the way of the Lord. We talked about prayer, we talked about God's judgment and God's mercy.
One of the speakers talked about prayer and made the statement that we pray good, but we don't pray good enough. These words struck me as I thought about prayer in my own life and even in the life of many churches. He furthermore stated "If God answered all the prayers we pray in our prayer meetings will it cause our community to stand up and take notice. Will it cause our nation to take notice? Will it cause the nations to take notice?"
His point was that most of what we pray for is selfish and in reality do not have much impact on eternity. We need to learn to pray differently and with increased passion. One of the templates laid out for us to change our philosophy of prayer is to model our prayer after what Jesus prayed in John 17:1-5. The basic idea of this prayer is that Jesus had a task that His Father had for him to do. Jesus prayed "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." We too have been given a task. God has called us to do something for him, but too often our prayers do not reflect this task.
Our speaker suggested our motives for praying had to change if we were going to experience the outpouring of God's spirit in our lives and churches. He was not against praying for healing or help with a particular problem, but we need to make sure that it is in accordance with the task that God gave us to do.
He suggested that our prayers become "so that" prayers. Here is what a "so that" prayer would look like. Your prayer would look something like this: "Lord please bring healing to my body, so that I can complete the work you gave me to do." Or perhaps you would pray, "Lord please help me with this struggle (insert your struggle here) so that I can complete the work you gave me to do." In my case I would pray "Lord please sell my house, so that I can complete the work you gave me to do."
With a so that prayer, the focus has changed from our own selfish desires, to lining up our desires with the Lord's desire for us. It changes our perspective and our focus is back where it needs to be in the first place. If we are honest, we often forget what God has for us to do when we are going through a difficult time or struggle in our own lives. We should pray so that God will be glorified when He answers our prayers.
I wanted to share these thoughts with you, so that you could think differently about your own prayers. It is not so that I can dazzle you with my brilliance, but so that God may recieve the honor. It truly is my heart's desire that someone will be ministered to through these words, but also through this blog. I hardly ever have anything profound to say, but if just one person is encouraged I believe that I have accomplished one thing that God has asked me to do and that is to be an encourager. I pray that you have been encouraged so that you can complete the work God has for you to do.
The theme of this year's pastor's conference was "prepare the way of the Lord." The idea is that if we want to see revival in our lives, churches and country we must prepare the way of the Lord. We talked about prayer, we talked about God's judgment and God's mercy.
One of the speakers talked about prayer and made the statement that we pray good, but we don't pray good enough. These words struck me as I thought about prayer in my own life and even in the life of many churches. He furthermore stated "If God answered all the prayers we pray in our prayer meetings will it cause our community to stand up and take notice. Will it cause our nation to take notice? Will it cause the nations to take notice?"
His point was that most of what we pray for is selfish and in reality do not have much impact on eternity. We need to learn to pray differently and with increased passion. One of the templates laid out for us to change our philosophy of prayer is to model our prayer after what Jesus prayed in John 17:1-5. The basic idea of this prayer is that Jesus had a task that His Father had for him to do. Jesus prayed "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." We too have been given a task. God has called us to do something for him, but too often our prayers do not reflect this task.
Our speaker suggested our motives for praying had to change if we were going to experience the outpouring of God's spirit in our lives and churches. He was not against praying for healing or help with a particular problem, but we need to make sure that it is in accordance with the task that God gave us to do.
He suggested that our prayers become "so that" prayers. Here is what a "so that" prayer would look like. Your prayer would look something like this: "Lord please bring healing to my body, so that I can complete the work you gave me to do." Or perhaps you would pray, "Lord please help me with this struggle (insert your struggle here) so that I can complete the work you gave me to do." In my case I would pray "Lord please sell my house, so that I can complete the work you gave me to do."
With a so that prayer, the focus has changed from our own selfish desires, to lining up our desires with the Lord's desire for us. It changes our perspective and our focus is back where it needs to be in the first place. If we are honest, we often forget what God has for us to do when we are going through a difficult time or struggle in our own lives. We should pray so that God will be glorified when He answers our prayers.
I wanted to share these thoughts with you, so that you could think differently about your own prayers. It is not so that I can dazzle you with my brilliance, but so that God may recieve the honor. It truly is my heart's desire that someone will be ministered to through these words, but also through this blog. I hardly ever have anything profound to say, but if just one person is encouraged I believe that I have accomplished one thing that God has asked me to do and that is to be an encourager. I pray that you have been encouraged so that you can complete the work God has for you to do.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The power of prayer
Never underestimate the power of prayer. There are times that we pray for something and it never seems that God hears our prayers. I want to submit the following story that was sent to us by my sister in law in Texas. It was an encouragement to us to keep on praying and do not lose hope.
Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure. "I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Jonhson. She handed in her resignation October 6. Johnson worked as the Bryan Planned Parenthood Director for two years.
According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it's business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion. "It seemed like maybe that's not what a lot of people were believing any more because that's not where the money was. The money wasn't in family planning, the money wasn't in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that," said Johnson.
Johnson said she was told to bring in more women who wanted abortions, something the Episcopalian church goer recently became convicted about. "I feel so pure in heart (since leaving). I don't have this guilt, I don't have this burden on me anymore that's how I know this conversion was a spiritual conversion."
Johnson now supports the Coalition For Life, the pro-life group with a building down the street from Planned Parenthood. Coalition volunteers can regularly be seen praying on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. Johnson has been meeting with the coalition's executive director, Shawn Carney, and has prayed with volunteers outside Planned Parenthood.
On Friday both Johnson and the Coalition For Life were issued temporary restraining orders filed by Planned Parenthood. Rochelle Tafolla, a Planned Parenthood spokesperson issued the following statement: "We regret being forced to turn to the courts to protect the safety and confidentiality of our clients and staff, however, in this instance it is absolutely necessary."
The temporary restraining order contends that Planned Parenthood would be irreparably harmed by the disclosure of certain information, but does not bar Johnson or Coalition For Life volunteers from the premises. As of Sunday evening, neither Johnson nor Carney had seen the complaint filed against them that prompted the restraining order. A hearing about the order has been set for November 10.
Here is the video link to this story http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/68441827.html
We should never stop praying, even when it seems that our prayers are not being answered. We never know what God is doing behind the scenes. We need to pray now that the information this young lady has on the inner workings of Planned Parenthood can become public. I hope you were as encouraged by this story as I was. Keep praying! Don't give up! And never lose hope! Prayer is indeed powerful!
Planned Parenthood has been a part of Abby Johnson's life for the past eight years; that is until last month, when Abby resigned. Johnson said she realized she wanted to leave, after watching an ultrasound of an abortion procedure. "I just thought I can't do this anymore, and it was just like a flash that hit me and I thought that's it," said Jonhson. She handed in her resignation October 6. Johnson worked as the Bryan Planned Parenthood Director for two years.
According to Johnson, the non-profit was struggling under the weight of a tough economy, and changing it's business model from one that pushed prevention, to one that focused on abortion. "It seemed like maybe that's not what a lot of people were believing any more because that's not where the money was. The money wasn't in family planning, the money wasn't in prevention, the money was in abortion and so I had a problem with that," said Johnson.
Johnson said she was told to bring in more women who wanted abortions, something the Episcopalian church goer recently became convicted about. "I feel so pure in heart (since leaving). I don't have this guilt, I don't have this burden on me anymore that's how I know this conversion was a spiritual conversion."
Johnson now supports the Coalition For Life, the pro-life group with a building down the street from Planned Parenthood. Coalition volunteers can regularly be seen praying on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. Johnson has been meeting with the coalition's executive director, Shawn Carney, and has prayed with volunteers outside Planned Parenthood.
On Friday both Johnson and the Coalition For Life were issued temporary restraining orders filed by Planned Parenthood. Rochelle Tafolla, a Planned Parenthood spokesperson issued the following statement: "We regret being forced to turn to the courts to protect the safety and confidentiality of our clients and staff, however, in this instance it is absolutely necessary."
The temporary restraining order contends that Planned Parenthood would be irreparably harmed by the disclosure of certain information, but does not bar Johnson or Coalition For Life volunteers from the premises. As of Sunday evening, neither Johnson nor Carney had seen the complaint filed against them that prompted the restraining order. A hearing about the order has been set for November 10.
Here is the video link to this story http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/68441827.html
We should never stop praying, even when it seems that our prayers are not being answered. We never know what God is doing behind the scenes. We need to pray now that the information this young lady has on the inner workings of Planned Parenthood can become public. I hope you were as encouraged by this story as I was. Keep praying! Don't give up! And never lose hope! Prayer is indeed powerful!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Church attendance
As a pastor I am always concerned about church attendance. It worries me when attendance is low or sporadic. You know what I mean, one Sunday you will have a 100 and the next Sunday you will have 70 and it keeps bouncing back and forth. In a smaller church it is much more prevalent, because if two or three families are out, you know who they are. In a larger church, especially a mega church, you never miss several hundred because they alternate every Sunday as to who is out and who is in.
I admit that I want to see the church packed every Sunday morning and even Sunday evening. I want to see people praising God and excited about their relationship with Him. Yet it is not for the sake of numbers, but because you never know what you might miss if you don't show up. Let me give you an example.
Several years ago my family and I were serving as missionaries in Guatemala. We worked with the inner city poor and we did our worship services in the afternoons at 4:00. This time was the best time to reach the people in the places where we served. One particular Sunday, we were tired and did not want to go to the service. The people never showed up on time. In Latin America, if you start something at 4:00 they do not show up until 4:30. It was rainy season. We knew they would be late. We were tired and we said to ourselves "no one will mind if we don't show up today. After all we might not even be able to get down the mountain." Yet we knew that we did not have the proper attitude. So we loaded up all our equipment, put the kids in our four wheel drive and went to the village. As predicted, no one was there at 4:00. In fact by 4:30 very few had arrived. Finally, when we started at about 4:45 we had about 20 people there to worship and listen to what the missionary had to say.
I was preaching in Spanish, which was a challenge in itself. When it was time for the invitation, I was ready to get out of there. I knew that I had done a terrible job. Probably no one understood me and we were all tired and disappointed. However, right about the time I was ready to give up a little blond haired boy came forward crying saying he wanted to receive Jesus as his Savior. That little boy was my son Jameson. He did not even understand Spanish, but the Holy Spirit had so embraced his heart that he could not hold back what God wanted him to do. We prayed and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior that day.
God taught me a valuable lesson that day. If I had skipped out on my attendance that day, I would have missed what God was doing in my son's life. If we all would have this same expectation when we attend church, we would never want to miss. I know what you are saying "but God doesn't move like that." Or "I have never seen God stir a heart like that." And of course I would say, it might be the day you choose to miss that God wanted to move in someone's life, maybe your child's or even your own.
I believe that God shows up every Sunday as we worship and serve Him. Sometimes it is dramatic, other times it is less dramatic. My friend Manny always prayed "God show up today." Then he would add "God show off as well." I look forward to seeing God show off every Sunday. Do you?
Is church attendance important? It is essential, because God longs to reveal Himself to His people as we corporately worship and honor Him. It is my prayer and my desire that you never skip out on worship because it might just be you that God wants to reveal Himself to. Think about it. It will change your perspective. I hope to see YOU in church and watch GOD show off!!
I admit that I want to see the church packed every Sunday morning and even Sunday evening. I want to see people praising God and excited about their relationship with Him. Yet it is not for the sake of numbers, but because you never know what you might miss if you don't show up. Let me give you an example.
Several years ago my family and I were serving as missionaries in Guatemala. We worked with the inner city poor and we did our worship services in the afternoons at 4:00. This time was the best time to reach the people in the places where we served. One particular Sunday, we were tired and did not want to go to the service. The people never showed up on time. In Latin America, if you start something at 4:00 they do not show up until 4:30. It was rainy season. We knew they would be late. We were tired and we said to ourselves "no one will mind if we don't show up today. After all we might not even be able to get down the mountain." Yet we knew that we did not have the proper attitude. So we loaded up all our equipment, put the kids in our four wheel drive and went to the village. As predicted, no one was there at 4:00. In fact by 4:30 very few had arrived. Finally, when we started at about 4:45 we had about 20 people there to worship and listen to what the missionary had to say.
I was preaching in Spanish, which was a challenge in itself. When it was time for the invitation, I was ready to get out of there. I knew that I had done a terrible job. Probably no one understood me and we were all tired and disappointed. However, right about the time I was ready to give up a little blond haired boy came forward crying saying he wanted to receive Jesus as his Savior. That little boy was my son Jameson. He did not even understand Spanish, but the Holy Spirit had so embraced his heart that he could not hold back what God wanted him to do. We prayed and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior that day.
God taught me a valuable lesson that day. If I had skipped out on my attendance that day, I would have missed what God was doing in my son's life. If we all would have this same expectation when we attend church, we would never want to miss. I know what you are saying "but God doesn't move like that." Or "I have never seen God stir a heart like that." And of course I would say, it might be the day you choose to miss that God wanted to move in someone's life, maybe your child's or even your own.
I believe that God shows up every Sunday as we worship and serve Him. Sometimes it is dramatic, other times it is less dramatic. My friend Manny always prayed "God show up today." Then he would add "God show off as well." I look forward to seeing God show off every Sunday. Do you?
Is church attendance important? It is essential, because God longs to reveal Himself to His people as we corporately worship and honor Him. It is my prayer and my desire that you never skip out on worship because it might just be you that God wants to reveal Himself to. Think about it. It will change your perspective. I hope to see YOU in church and watch GOD show off!!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Nice to be appreciated
Last month was clergy appreciation month. Many churches took time out to show appreciation to their pastor and staff by honoring them with a special day. This celebration was not limited to one denomination, but was promoted by many different denominations.
Lynwood Baptist Church went above and beyond the call of duty. I have been in churches that have honored me as their pastor before and I have been in some churches that did not know such a day or month existed. However, I have never been a part of a fellowship of believers that demonstrated their appreciation for their pastor more than Lynwood.
Every day of the month someone did something special for myself and my family. We received cards and letters. We received cups and certificates. But most of all we received love and friendship. We were made to feel that we were a part of something special by a body of believers that we love to call our family.
However, Lynwood does not need a special month to demonstrate how much they appreciate their pastor, they do it everyday in a variety of ways. But here is the best news of all, they love to demonstrate this same type of appreciation for all people. On a typical Sunday morning or evening it is not unusual to see people hanging out after the worship service talking and fellowshipping with one another. They like to spend time with one another. We do not need to plan a formal fellowship for them to spend time with one another, they are just naturally drawn to one another.
There is laughter and there are tears as they minister to one another. Sometimes that ministry requires a listening ear or a warm embrace. Other times the ministry entails words of encouragement and affirmation as well as a challenge to do better. The thing about Lynwood is that we take seriously our Lord's call to love one another.
I am blessed to be the pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church. If you are a member of this fellowship then I want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. If you are not a member and live nearby I want to encourage you to check us out. We are a simple laid back church trying to live out our faith in a complicated and confused world. We do not admit to having all the answers and do not pretend to do so. We are not perfect and to be honest there will be times that we will make a mistake. We are real people, with real struggles, and not afraid to be real with people.
We also know that God is real and that He is more than capable of dealing with whatever problem or difficulty we may have. Because God is real we try our best to live out His command to the best of our ability. Our desire is to Love God, Love people and serve the world. If you would love to be a part of a fellowship such as Lynwood, I invite you to come and be a part of the fellowship of excitement. God is doing amazing things in our midst.
Though I appreciate the kindness and love that has been shown to my family, it means much more to me to see this fellowship of believers demonstrating the same type of love and kindness to others. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. I hope to see you some day at Lynwood Baptist Church so you can bless us and we can bless you.
Lynwood Baptist Church went above and beyond the call of duty. I have been in churches that have honored me as their pastor before and I have been in some churches that did not know such a day or month existed. However, I have never been a part of a fellowship of believers that demonstrated their appreciation for their pastor more than Lynwood.
Every day of the month someone did something special for myself and my family. We received cards and letters. We received cups and certificates. But most of all we received love and friendship. We were made to feel that we were a part of something special by a body of believers that we love to call our family.
However, Lynwood does not need a special month to demonstrate how much they appreciate their pastor, they do it everyday in a variety of ways. But here is the best news of all, they love to demonstrate this same type of appreciation for all people. On a typical Sunday morning or evening it is not unusual to see people hanging out after the worship service talking and fellowshipping with one another. They like to spend time with one another. We do not need to plan a formal fellowship for them to spend time with one another, they are just naturally drawn to one another.
There is laughter and there are tears as they minister to one another. Sometimes that ministry requires a listening ear or a warm embrace. Other times the ministry entails words of encouragement and affirmation as well as a challenge to do better. The thing about Lynwood is that we take seriously our Lord's call to love one another.
I am blessed to be the pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church. If you are a member of this fellowship then I want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. If you are not a member and live nearby I want to encourage you to check us out. We are a simple laid back church trying to live out our faith in a complicated and confused world. We do not admit to having all the answers and do not pretend to do so. We are not perfect and to be honest there will be times that we will make a mistake. We are real people, with real struggles, and not afraid to be real with people.
We also know that God is real and that He is more than capable of dealing with whatever problem or difficulty we may have. Because God is real we try our best to live out His command to the best of our ability. Our desire is to Love God, Love people and serve the world. If you would love to be a part of a fellowship such as Lynwood, I invite you to come and be a part of the fellowship of excitement. God is doing amazing things in our midst.
Though I appreciate the kindness and love that has been shown to my family, it means much more to me to see this fellowship of believers demonstrating the same type of love and kindness to others. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. I hope to see you some day at Lynwood Baptist Church so you can bless us and we can bless you.
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