...too small a thing...

Halloween Sometimes Will Not Be Ignored

I think that pretending that Halloween does not exist has become the approach of some Christian people to the annual event on the calender of Halloween. They do not want to celebrate it as a pagan holiday, but they do not want to condemn it either as they may seem so prudish to the world and friends who do. So many churches have events. Very carefully making sure to say we are not celebrating Halloween, this is a Halloween ...Alternative. I say, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck. Pumpkin fest, Trunk or Treat, and Fall Festivals are all OK but never a Halloween party? Who are we fooling?

We live one thousand feet off fairly heavily traveled road so very few, if any, Trick or Treaters have over the years made their way all the way back to our home to seek candy in the early dark of Halloween night. Besides most of the time we are not at home during the Trick or Treat event as we are at an alternative. Are we as a family ignoring or pretending that this day is just like any other. What should you do if you live in the subdivision where there are a zillion kids who you know will be knocking at your door with sacks and high hopes for a piece of candy? Should you ignore them?

In reality Halloween is just like any other day. The difference is how you act, think, and what you do on Halloween that really matters. I saw a good article on Crosswalk this morning by John Mark Reynolds entitled Thank God for Halloween. I found it rather interesting for like this author I celebrated /participated in the dreaded Trick or Treat event every year all the way through my teen years. I was a Christian, but did not know I was doing something wrong, or was I?

Dr Reynolds makes this point, Jesus saved us from evil. He took the sting from death. I will die as He died, but I can live as He lived if I will. Jesus redeemed the world . . . just as the church triumphant redeemed sad old October 31 and made it Halloween.

This day is no different than any other. What people do on this day may be different for some, but if Jesus Christ is first in your life and in your family no problems. Oh, I do think we should be restrictive of our kids to not allow vulgar, profane, hidious costumes and actions, ALL the time. There are no exceptions for Halloween. The world wants to be scared, thrilled, act crazy and this day is one that focuses on the supernatural. It may seem to be the wrong side of the supernatural world, but here is where we really have the chance to shine. Satan has no power. He can do nothing to Christians except lie to us. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. So if the world wants to focus on the silly day of Halloween we have the chance to Thank God for Halloween and show them the Truth on this day just like every other day, but on this day they come to us looking for something supernatural happening. Maybe we should not ignore that?

Sad But Glad

Yesterday we had Brian and Bethany and Vera with us all day, but today they are on the way to Huntsville AL. The dream of the last few years is coming true for Brian as Monday he will be one step closeer to being the operator of a Chic-fil-a franchise. The IM program actually is putting Brian in charge of a Chic-fil-a unit in the Parkway Place Mall in Huntsville. This makes us very proud but sad that they will be three hours away from us.

Kathy and I traveled down to Colony Square on Peachtree a couple of years ago when Brian became a Manager there we were proud. But I do not thnk we will make it to Huntsville on Monday. Of course in the IM program he is an "Interim Manager" and he knows this assignment is only for 30 days. He will be moving again in 30 days. He is on a Journey. But he is not alone. He goes with his beautiful wife Bethany, and precious little Vera who was six months old yesterday. But he also goes with the prayers of His mother and father and a whole family who loves them. May the Lord's Blessing be on them as they travel and start into the world of Chic-fil-a as top management.

Yesterday Brian ran a half marathon. Bethany and Vera went as the cheering section for encouragment and support for him. We got a fashion show the night before of Vera's Chic-fil-a Cow Costume. She was warm and adorable in the black and white cow outfit.

Better Future? What has to Happen?

The talk of the country these days is about how our country is headed down the wrong roads. Spiritually, morally, economically, socially, and even politically we seem to just keep making bad mistakes. Of course this depends on who you are talking to at the time. But when folks are chatting about these subjects the question is usually stated, "What has to happen to change this trend?"

You know,  they said the same thing in Jeremiah's day. It really did. Things got worse and worse with people forsaking God and turning to idols. Our idols are not made of wood and stone today but there are very real things that people worship such as money, power, sex, drugs, pleasure, technology, entertainment and a host of things that come before people and God. Anything that comes between you and God is an idol.

What happened in Jeremiah's day? The kingdom fell. They were conquered by the Babylonians. I do not want to be doom and gloom but this is a reality. One of our favorite passages as Christian people is from Jeremiah.

11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NAS

We like to sort of use this verse to think that our lives are all good and that God stands ready to bless us. If we seek the Lord God has this really neat plan all laid out to "fix us up." Life will be good if we are good and seek the Lord.

This is really not the context of the passage. This verse is part of a letter that Jeremiah wrote to the folks who were carried away from their homeland and were in exile. They had been torn apart from everything they loved and cherished and placed into a different culture in a far away land. To get a sense of this context let's look at the verses right after our "pet" verse of 29:11

12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13 

This is not the answer that we want about "What has to happen?"

Think about it. For things to change there will have to be a major upheaval of society. Does this mean war and the world we know being ripped apart? This was the message of Jeremiah prior to the coming of the Babylonians. Not what we want to happen?

My point this morning is simple. We like to quote Jeremiah 29:11 thinking God has great plans for us and that everything will be wonderful in life. But we do not really look at the context of what had already happened to the people Jeremiah was writing this verse to.

Yes, people need to turn to the Lord, this is the answer. But will they? If the past shows us a pattern we best be ready for trouble. When you hear this verse with the Lord promising "I know the plans for you" realize that it may not be as pretty a picture as you think. The plans for Israel were to turn back to the Lord but the path to get there was not an easy one. So what has to happen? -----It starts with YOU.

Putting Together A Tricky Puzzle

You know a few times I have shown a puzzle on the blog that we as a family have put together. This is fun and we start by laying out all the straight edges and painstakingly fit them together. Then we start getting athe same colors together and fit them in looking at the cover of the box a lot to know what it is we are trying to do. What would it be link if the pieces of the puzzle were changing on you? What if some disappeared and some new ones were from time to time added? It would make it pretty tough.

Putting together a Mission Trip can be like a puzzle with pieces that change. This morning I swapped emails with Teresa Flora the IMB missionary in Lesotho to discuss plans for a March 2012. It is so hard to figure out your situation 6 months from now. Here are some of the changing pieces...

• Air Fare- Buy it now or wait?
• Ground Transportation- Rent a bus, a car, or hire a transportation company?
• Food?
• People who are going or not going or maybe going?
• Money- gifts to this ministry (or lack of) to even make this work possible.
• Family, health, logistics for every individual person on the trip.

We know we want to teach, have medical clinic, and have a couple of people possibly start construction on a building. But even that is changing as the commitment from the people is necessary to make it all happen.

There is no box to look at. Only Jesus. Only the Savior. who says (like He did to Isaiah)

   Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 NAS

That is really all I need to hear to keep me going. I need your prayers. Mission Team Inc needs your support to keep us going. If you look at the photos on this page and think that that must be really something to go to Africa and work in villages there then maybe you should be a part of it. You can. This may be your chance to Go. This puzzle is a trip to Lesotho Africa March 2 -11, 2012. The Cost is $2600.00. We will be doing BTCP Teaching of pastors, Medical Clinic in several villages, Some Construction lay out and concrete work and a whole lot of loving on people. If you can do any of the above you might be a candidate to go. If you are supportive of this idea you are certainly a candidate to pray for us who will go. And if you are praying maybe The Lord will enable you or bless you to help support this trip with financial support.

A tricky puzzell with changing pieces. But the finished product always seems to come together. By God's grace and divine intervention He blesses to make it all happen. The question really is ....Are you one of the pieces?

 

Face Book Quotes

Writing a good blog is a funny thing. Sometimes it can take an hour or two. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes. I have lots of ideas at times and at other time .....I got nothing. Time is a factor also. Depending on the day of the week my schedule can vary alot so some days I am very pressed for time. But you are here to faithfuly read this blog so no dissapointmest allowed. I swiped some Face Book Quotes I found worth repeating.

Brett Davis- God is not dead. He did, in fact, die 2,000 years ago on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, but it didn't stick. #christianity101

Erin Nesbitt- God pushes us to our limits because he has more faith in us than we have in ourselves #godsizedreams

Nicole Freeman - Joy of the Lord is my strength.

Just about 4 or 5 mintes to read several tnings that made me smile. Several prayer request to make me stop and give thanks and ask for help for someone who needs it. The Face Book Quotes are there by the scores. There are a lot of people who say bad stuff and even use bad language. I have a choice on reading or even allowing them to connect. I like that. I am glad you came this way this morning have a blessed day.

One more for the road. Terri Farmer had put this one up. I know this is true for me sometimes.

So Much to Learn BHBCBI

The Lord continues to teach me so much. For the last 9 weeks I have been teaching two classes a week in the Burnt Hickory Bible Institute. Old Testament Survey on Tuesday night and Bible Study Methods on Wednesday night. These classes are 3 hours in length. There is a fair amount of preperation that I must do in order to teach these classes. Much more on the Old Tesatament as I have not taught this course before. I am teaching the Bible Study Methods class for the 3rd time.

What is amazing to me is how much I learn every class. As I prepare and teach it all just sinks deeper and deeper into my brain and I marvel at how perfect the Word of God is to instruct us and give us what we need to live by. 

I have been in Life groups (Sunday School) and many training courses but this material is in depth and focuses so much on the Word of God that I feel The Lord has opened so much more to me. I am so thankful for my students 8 of them (Mack Collins is missining) on Tuesday night and 5 of them on Wednesday night. The BTCP curriculum is remarkable in its simplictiy but detailied enough to make you read the text and focus on the meanings.

We are considering offering the Introductory Course Bible Study Methods during the Holiday season in a seminar type format. It will be a total of 40 hours of class time. This would mean all day sessions sometime with the schedule to be developed. This might be ideal for College Students who are out for a few weeks or people who have some time to take off from work. If you might have interest in this contact me.

This course will change fundamentally how you look at Scripture giving you tools and the ablity to deal with difficult and controversial passages of scripture. The cost of the first course is $100.00. This includes an administration sign up fee of $25.00 to registar as part of the Burnt Hickory Bible Institute, a course fee of $55.00 and a manual which is $20.00. Give me a call if you are interested. 404 403 9311

Where Would You Go?

So often around the coffee pot we talk about things we would like to do and places we would like to go. Some people have developed what they call a "bucket list" taken from the movie with the same name. I do not have a bucket list this morning but I do have a thought. .....Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world at any time in the history of mankind?

Now this is an interesting thought. A one shot deal here. You can go to anyplace at anytime, but only once and you would only be there for a few minutes and you cannot change things or interact just see what ever is happening.

I have lived a bunch of years and had some great things happen in my life. Now I have also been a lot of places in my life due to mission travels so I have to think about this alot. Here is a list of some of the things that stick in my mind from travels and life expericnces I have had in the past that are worth considering in my little game this morning

• Cobb Hospital to see my boys born one more time.
• Or Edgewood Baptist where I saw Brittany the first time.
• How about the altar at Roswell Street where Kathy and I said our vows.
• Elvis home / grave at Graceland in Memphis TN (the house was not that big)
• The White-house in Washington DC (I did not get in the oval office)
• Alaska (just anywhere outside there is a place that is beautiful)
• Sub Sahara Africa in Lingere (a really remote place but such a differet culture)
• Musawas Nicaragua (takes several hours to walk in by trails through the rain forest)
• The top of Hogback Mountain (North GA we used to ride up there on Motorcycles)
• The Hermitage (the museum in St Petersburg Russia)(most beautiful art work I have ever seen)
• Khatyn (This place in Belarus is very special read about this place  at  this link)
• The volcano at Mambacho Nicaragua or the one at Masaya.
• The tomb of Lenin in Moscow

Lots of places, and lots of people (some of them dead) but a whole bunch to choose from. Now these are just the places i have been. My game this morning is anywhere at anytime so we could start a differnt list. How about some of these ideas.

• Hannibal crossing the Alps
• Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941.
• Top of Mount Everest (waiting on Edmund Hillary)
• Hanging with Moses as he chatted with Pharaoh
• How about walking with Peter.....On the Water.

Well, this is a silly game but fun. But sometimes we can end up places we do not want to be. Sometimes we cannot help but think of mistakes we have made and would love to go back and fix things. Some things we just cannot do.

In my mind I find myself again and again at the cross of Jesus. I too often see my Savior dying for my sin. I am ashamed to look. I am moved to tears. I go there by reading the passages of the scripture that God has given to describe the horrible scene. I go there by reading the Psalms. Isaiah takes me there too. I do not think that is a place I would really want to be if this was my only choice. You see I have been there too many times already.

But, I guess if I could be anywhere at anytime, I would want to be just outside Jersalem at a tomb, just about daybreak. It would be the first day of the week and a stone would move. What Joy! What Bliss! It is hard to really even imagine what would be in my heart as I would experiance the greatest moment of all time.  I would see the Man....the God Man ...walk out of the grave. WOW ....And WOW again. That is where I would want to be.

 

The reality is .....I know that it happened.

 

 

I Think I Know Why Jeremiah Was Crying

5 Thus says the LORD, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 "For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant.

7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.

8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes ; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick ; Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:5-9

Powerful verses that the prophet penned about 2700 years ago.

Now that I am 56 years old I am straight on all my thinking right? I do not have bad thoughts or thoughts that would dishonor the Lord, right? Well if you are my age you know the answer. If you are not you are probably still thinking "as I mature a little more, I will get away from any thoughts that are angry, jealous, covetous, lustful, and bitter, right?"  Well Jeremiah tells it like it really is in verse 9. I really do not understand myself sometimes. I know that I trust the Lord, and seek to serve the Lord with passion, but the flesh is still there and pulls at me sometimes. I think this was the same for Jeremiah and it broke his heart.

When I trust flesh I am failing, When I seek the face of my savior I am growing and gaining. How many times will I have to learn this lesson. Why do I think what I think sometimes? Why do I not give my self totally to the Lord? Why am I selfish? Why am I apathetic? Why am I full of things that I know do not honor the Lord?

This almost sounds like someone in torment and I want to set you at ease that I am not a tortured or a mentally unstable man. No the truth is I am a blessed man and I know it.  But nevertheless there is always a tendancy to be filled with the flesh instead of the Spirit of God. Too often we seek our own pleausre, our own benefit, our own plans and our own blessing. We try to bless ourselves. We seek the arm of flesh to sustain our way, our walk and yes even our worship. We depend on people instead of God.Think about this the next time you have this conversation....."How was the preaching yesterday?" "Oh it was great he blessed me." or should your answer to that question be... "Oh it was great He blessed me." Did you have to  read it twice to figure out the difference? If you still do not know you might want to call me.

The closer I seem to try to get to the Lord the more I see this kind of stuff this in my own heart. The wickedness of man is replete with trust of self, and dependance on other people and void of true faith.

Trust in the Lord is the theme that is like an oasis in the middle of the the prophets passage above. The truth is that we must be planted like that tree Jeremiah referrers to, that makes me think of Psalm 1. The roots must be deep to gain that firm anchor. But what are the roots anchored in? Very simply the Word of God.

When I write the Word of God let me be clear.....I mean Jesus first.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  John 1:1-5 NAS

If we anchor our lives in Jesus Christ the Word of God and then study the written Word of God of the Bible we can begin to understand these things. We will understand our own sinfulness and It can cause us to weep. But praise be to God for his indescribable gift of mercy, grace and forgiveness.

Music on the Lawn

A good crowd at the outdoor concert at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church. Lots of kids lots of music .... Good Times!!!

A Great Chance to Relax - But a Moment of Panic

If you are a reader of this blog you know that riding motorcycles is a passion. You also would likely know that I take great joy in serving as a chaplain for law enforcement. Doing both of these things at the same time is just plain good times.

Yesterday the 1st annual "Fallen Officer Run" started in Buford GA, where 42 people rode in fairly cold temperature to the Cartersville Harley Davidson Dealership on GA 411 where there were about 60 more riders waiting. They joined up and were escorted by the Cobb County Motorcycle Unit (they have excorted every president since Ronald Regan) to the Atlanta Harley Davidson on Thorton Road. It is a pretty awsome thing to ride a big bike. It is pretty awsome thing to ride with a 100 other big bikes led by 18 Police motorcycles, several GA State Patrol Units, and cruise through every intersection without stopping as the people pull over and watch the bikes rumble by.

The moment of panic.....

I went early to Cartersville to see if Major Paula Sparks needed help with the registration of people. She had things well under control, but I was able to help do a couple of minor things to help out and was glad to do so. I was one of the first to sign up and went to the table with a couple of other people. We had to sign a waiver to ride, fill in our drivers liscence information, and pay. I did two of the three. I had my wallet out and got the number signed the form and got all the goodies.  Then about 2 hours later as the ride was in progress it suddenly hit me I had not paid the $25.00 entrance fee. Now, I had the T shirt, the ribbon allowing me to be in this parade, and the wrist band that allowed me to get lunch. But I still had my money in my pocket. Major Sparks did not ask for it and I (honest yall) just forgot.

Now I kind of panicked for this reason: Did she intentionally not charge me? Was she just checking to see if I would pay? If I could have paid at that moment I would have done so, but I had to ride on on credit till I got to the end. When I approched Major Sparks she did not realize I had not paid, but I did.

Once I paid the fee I felt a whole lot better. The BBQ was great, the ride was cool, the company of many bikers, and police officers was a great chance to relax. And there was a good deal of money raised for the families of the 6 officers who have died in the line of duty this year in Georgia. I was glad I was able to pay my entrance fee.

This is why we rode yesterday to honor these fallen heros.  This is from the website Officcer Down

Remember these families in prayer.