Awesome!

Last week, we played host to my parents, my sister (Wendi), her husband (Scott), and my nephew (Justin) for Christmas. We had a great time with them all but I would have to say that the highlight was my 8 year old nephew Justin. Everything was “Awesome!” for him; his Christmas gifts, our trip to Jamestown Settlement on Friday, and me. It got to the point that he would make me laugh every time he said, “Awesome!” I told Wendi that his “Awesome!” was “Awesome.”

Teresa and I really didn’t know what to expect with Justin this time around. It has been almost 2 years since we saw him last. I would have to say that Wendi and Scott are doing an awesome (I had to say it) job raising this little man. The last time they visited, he was 6 and he and I watched cartoons together in the morning because we were the only ones up and I didn’t mind him watching them. This time around, we watched a little bit of cartoons but we got to spend time together having more fun.

I really enjoy running so after we opened our Christmas gift, I suited up for a 6 mile run (we had 55 degree weather in VA on Christmas day). Justin saw we put my running shoes on and wanted to come with me. Wendi told him no because she knew I was going for 6 miles. He frowned but didn’t make a scene. I was coming back around my running route and saw Teresa and my mom doing Teresa’s normal 3.5 mile walk. I saw that little man (AKA Justin) was with them. I met up with them about a mile from the house. Teresa told me that Justin wanted to run with me so I slowed my pace and he ran with me. He kept up with me. When we got back to the house that’s all he talked about; the he ran with Uncle Tom. I would have to say it was “Awesome.”

I told Justin that on Saturday, I was planning to do a shorter run of 3 miles if he wanted to come with me. That’s all he talked about on Friday night. He told me before going upstairs for bed that he was going to sleep so he’ll be ready to run with me in the morning. I slept in a little on Saturday; woke up at 7:30am. Justin was waiting downstairs with his clothes on ready to go. I told him that we will run around 9am to allow the temperature to rise a little. At around 9am, we headed out for our 3 mile run. I told Wendi later that the run was all about Justin. I didn’t care about our pace. Justin did a good job. He ran 2.5 mile before I had to carry him on my back. I carried him about quarter of a mile and he was ready to go. He ran the last quarter and fell out on our loveseat. It was funny. Wendi took him upstairs for a bath. After the bath, he was ready to go again.

Justin shared with Teresa and me on Sunday morning that he didn’t sleep well Saturday. He said he didn’t want to leave. Justin is an awesome kid who I can’t wait to see how God will use him. He’s very sharp. I’m hoping we can get together in July. All in all, the week was “Awesome!”

Memories

The last month, more of my family members have become my Facebook friends. This has given the cousins a chance to get reconnected as adults. I have to admit that I haven’t been putting a lot of focus on the extended family. It’s been at least 5 years since Teresa and I have gone to a July 4th family party in Paducah, KY. My dad is number 6 of 12 children so the Thomasson clan has grown to about 70 plus people. It has been nice writing the cousins and hearing how they are doing about their children.

I have put photos for 2004 Christmas Teresa and I spent with my parents and one of my sisters and it has caused us to write about the memories we had of the Thomasson Christmas gatherings. When Maw (that’s what we called our grandmother) was alive, everyone would come to “Maw’s House” on Christmas day. Dad would load us up and we would drive to KY every year. It was a fun trip because we got to stay in a motel (little things excite children). Maw had a finished basement so everyone was down there eating and talking. There was a fireplace so some us kids would through the paper cups in the fire to watch them burn between playing games. Everyone got a gift and the children who were under 12 years old were given a coloring book and crayons. Wendi, Wanda, and I always loved getting the coloring book and crayons. In fact we were the only ones Maw continued for a few extra years for getting a set because she knew we loved coloring; something I’m still fond of today. I’m trying to keep this tradition alive by giving Wendi’s son a set every year he’s with us on Christmas.

I have so many good memories at Maw’s house during Christmas. She always made a big breakfast with eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits, and milk gravy (oh man she made awesome gravy). She always had a kind word to give and hug and kiss whenever she saw me. My favorite memories have to do with sitting and listening to my crazy aunts and uncles talking about my grandfather and their adventures as children. The stories would make a great novel and movie.

The best part about my memories of Maw and our time together is knowing she is in a better place now. She was a good Christian lady who raised 2 preachers. To my knowledge, most of the family members are church going Christians. Now that’s a testimony.

What a Weekend

Today is one of those Mondays I don’t mind. I’m at work and I feel that now I can relax. This was a crazy busy weekend and next weekend will be as crazy. I’m feeling my body giving way to fatigue which is a sign for me to slow down a notch (which means for me going from 10 to 9).

The weekend started when I left work at lunch to drive 45 miles to Windsor to help decorate for my friends’ wedding. Teresa was already there with the bride, bride’s family and friends, and the groom. We decorated for 4 hours straight and then the rehearsal. The rehearsal was a three ring circus without the clowns and fun. There was a wedding coordinator who was nice and knew her stuff but we has the maid of honor (the pastor called her a Nazi behind her back) trying to taking control. Roger (the pastor) finally had to have people claim down and ask the bride what she wanted. It was interesting. Teresa and I got home by 9 pm and were asleep by 9:30 pm (very tiring day).

Saturday we had the morning to ourselves. It was nice as long as it lasted. We left the house at 1:30 pm so we could get to the church for the photos. The wedding started at 5:30 pm. The bride was beautiful and the broom had stars in his eyes. It was awesome because Teresa and I both love Gil and Jen and they were made for one another. I sang “I Will Be Here” for them and I did alright (I didn’t screw up). I had people tell me they loved the song and the maid of honor (A.K.A. The Nazi) told me she thought it was a CD playing until she noticed I had a microphone in my hand. Apparently she wasn’t paying attention during rehearsal. I give all the honor and glory to God when people told me they liked my singing because He is the One who gave me the voice. It took almost an hour from the finish of the wedding and photos until Gil and Jen came back to the fellowship hall. It was a nice wedding but Teresa and I were tired when we got home at 9 pm.

Sunday morning was a great time with the men of the small group I lead. We had a good discussion on our topic and the men went away filled. The worship service went well. Teresa and I went over to Hampton to return the tux and I had originally planned to start on my sermon (I’m preaching next church); however, I was informed by Teresa we needed to finish our Christmas shopping. We got back to the house by 5 pm. I was too tired to think straight so I just helped with cleaning and clearing space for a Christmas tree. I think I stopped around 8 pm.

I enjoy relaxing when I can and I need to try to do so this week (sometime) so my body won’t have to make me stop. Once a year, I get sick and I have to stop and relax. I’ve been lucky so far because of my regular exercise program. I’ll take it a little slower this week so I will be in good health for this weekend and for Christmas. I have my folks and sister with her family coming for Christmas; it will be a good time.

The Origin of the Christmas Tree



Below is some possible origins on how we have our current day Christmas Trees.

One of the earliest stories relating back to Germany is about Saint Boniface. In 722, he encountered some pagans who were about to sacrifice a child at the base of a huge oak tree. He cut down the tree to prevent the sacrifice and a Fir tree grew up at the base of the oak. He then told everyone that this lovely evergreen, with its branches pointing to heaven, was a holy tree - the tree of the Christ child, and a symbol of His promise of eternal life.

Another story from Germany is about Queen Victoria. She often visited relatives in Germany and while she was there, she fell in love with Prince Albert. After they were married, they moved back to England to raise their family. Prince Albert decorated a tree and ever since that time, the English, because of their love for their Queen, copied her Christmas customs including the Christmas tree and ornaments. This story took place in the 19th century, around 1830.

Another story about the origin of the Christmas tree says that late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope that spring would soon come.

Another legend that has not been proved is that Martin Luther is responsible for the origin of the Christmas tree. This story says that one Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through the snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of the snow glistened trees. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moon light. When he got home, he set up a small fir tree and shared the story with his children. He decorated the Christmas tree with small candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth.

Research into customs of various cultures shows that greenery was often brought into homes at the time of the winter solstice. It symbolized life in the midst of death in many cultures. The Romans were known to deck their homes with evergreens during of Kalends of January 15. Living trees were also brought into homes during the old Germany feast of Yule, which originally was a two month feast beginning in November. The Yule tree was planted in a tub and brought into the home. But there is no evidence that the Christmas tree is a direct descendent of the Yule tree. Evidence does point to the Paradise tree however. This story goes back to the 11th century religious plays. One of the most popular was the Paradise Play. The play depicted the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, their sin, and their banishment from Paradise. The only prop on the stage was the Paradise tree, a fir tree adorned with apples. The play would end with the promise of the coming Savior and His Incarnation. The people had grown so accustomed to the Paradise tree, that they began putting their own Paradise tree up in their homes on December 24.

Sermon Notes



I'm preaching on December 21st so I'm wanting to doing something regarding Christmas. I'm in the beginning of doing my research (love doing research) on the origin of Christmas. I've come across a website that has seom good stuff. I'll put parts of the information in the coming days. The first portion is regarding Christmas' Origin and how if it relates to Christ.

The True Origin of Christmas

BY DAVID C. PACK

Nearly all aspects of Christmas observance have their roots in Roman custom and religion. Consider the following admission from a large American newspaper (The Buffalo News, Nov. 22, 1984): “The earliest reference to Christmas being marked on Dec. 25 comes from the second century after Jesus’ birth. It is considered likely the first Christmas celebrations were in reaction to the Roman Saturnalia, a harvest festival that marked the winter solstice—the return of the sun—and honored Saturn, the god of sowing. Saturnalia was a rowdy time, much opposed by the more austere leaders among the still-minority Christian sect. Christmas developed, one scholar says, as a means of replacing worship of the sun with worship of the Son. By 529 A.D., after Christianity had become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian made Christmas a civic holiday. The celebration of Christmas reached its peak—some would say its worst moments—in the medieval period when it became a time for conspicuous consumption and unequaled revelry.”

Consider these quotes from the Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911 edition, under “Christmas”: “Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church…the first evidence of the feast is from Egypt.” Further, “Pagan customs centering around the January calends gravitated to Christmas.” Under “Natal Day,” Origen, an early Catholic writer, admitted, “…In the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day in which they were born into this world” (emphasis mine).

The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 edition, adds, “Christmas…was not observed in the first centuries of the Christian church, since the Christian usage in general was to celebrate the death of remarkable persons rather than their birth…a feast was established in memory of this event [Christ’s birth] in the fourth century. In the fifth century the Western Church ordered the feast to be celebrated forever on the day of the Mithraic rites of the birth of the sun and at the close of the Saturnalia, as no certain knowledge of the day of Christ’s birth existed.”

There is no mistaking the origin of the modern Christmas celebration. Many additional sources could be cited and we will return to this later. Let’s begin to tie some other facts together.

It was 300 years after Christ before the Roman church kept Christmas, and not until the fifth century that it was mandated to be kept throughout the empire as an official festival honoring “Christ.”

Tom’s Psalm



God has been so good to Teresa and me. He is always faithful. Yesterday, Teresa received her pay stub (has direct deposit) and it showed where QVC paid for her unused vacation time. Teresa had 225 hours (28 days and 12.5 hours) of unused time so they cut her a check for it. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. This morning while driving to work, I started thinking about all the things God has done for us over the 12 years of marriage and over my 38 years of being on this world. My God is an awesome God.

I’ve been reading through the Book of Psalms, and I thought about how I would word a psalm of praise to my God. Here it is:

Oh my Father; you are great and awesome!
There is no other God but you.
Before You called me to Yourself, I was lost and clueless.
You have made me an heir to Your throne of my God!
I am not worthy to be called your son, but in your awesomeness You have made me worthy.
Thank you can not describe how I feel.

You take care of me even when I can’t see you in the storm.
You design storms to mold me into who I need to be in order to be used by You.

Who am I that You take notice of me?
I know it’s not anything I have done or who I am,
But it is because of what You have done and who You are that I am blessed beyond measure.

Thank you my God, my Father, my Lord, my Savior, my Friend.

Question

I love being bi-vocational because I feel that God is using me here at Dollar Tree. A co-worker sent me a cool question about sometime about a Futurama episode and the theme of it. Below is the theme from the website “Wikipedia” and it’s write up regarding “Hell Is Other Roberts” and my answer.

Wikipedia:

“This episode is one of very few that focuses on the religious aspects of the Futurama universe. In most episodes, it is indicated that the Planet Express crew, along with most beings in the year 3000, are "remarkably unreligious". It introduces two of the three religious figures of Futurama, The Robot Devil and Reverend Lionel Preacherbot, both of whom make appearances in future episodes. Preacherbot, who speaks in a manner typical of inner-city African-American pastor stereotypes, converts Bender to the religion Robotology. This leads to a series of events that are similar in many ways to the experiences of real world religious converts. Mark Pinsky states that the episode has a "double-edged portrayal of religion" as it portrays both an improvement in Bender's character but also some of the "less pleasant characteristics of the newly pious". The Robot Devil is introduced after Bender's fall back into sin. While explaining to Bender his claim on his soul, he uses logic similar to that used by many Southern Baptists. By the end of the episode Bender has returned to his old ways and states that he will no longer try to be either too good or too bad, a parody and contradiction of the Book of Revelation statement that one should not be lukewarm in their faith.”

My reply to my co-worker:

Wow, my first thought is that Rich has too much time on his hands and he thinks to hard ; - ). Just kidding. I will try to explain (in a nutshell) what I think the Robot Devil tells Bender. I’ll have Bible passages accompanying my answer because I don’t want you to think I’m giving the SBC bylines, but I’m giving you what scripture says. First of all, I can’t remember what he told Bender in the episode (I just remember him when Fry got new hands to play an instrument to win Leela’s heart) but by reading the “Theme” section, below is my answer.

“While explaining to Bender his claim on his soul, he uses logic similar to that used by many Southern Baptists.” – According to Romans 5:12 (“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (NASV)”) when Adam sinned against God, mankind stopped being the children of God and became “children of wraith.” Because of this sin, God kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden and because of this sin a great separation occurred.

Even though we (mankind) no longer are God’s children, He made a way for us to reconnect with Him. This way is (as you) Jesus Christ. John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.(NASV)”) shows us if a person accepts Jesus to be Lord of his life he has eternal salvation. I know you know that Futurama is a cartoon and robots don’t have souls but the whole idea of Bender finding “Religion” and then going back to how he was before and the Devil still has ownership of his soul alludes to the idea that salvation isn’t forever and that you can loss it. I can give you a ton of scripture passages that affirm that salvation is forever and that you can not loss it; John 3:16 is just one.

Christianity is a relationship with Jesus Christ and not a “religion.” The key word for religion is “DO”; what must I “DO” to earn salvation, enlightenment, and/or heaven. The key word for Christianity is “DONE”; what Jesus has “DONE” on the cross satisfies the payment for eternal life and there is nothing we can do to earn it other than accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

I can go on and one but I hope I answered your question. I’m always available if you and/or Rich want to talk further. I love doing coffee and talking if you want to after work sometime soon; Rich, you, and me.

Sunday’s Report

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to preach at Living Proof Baptist Church in Williamsburg, VA. Teresa and I had a good time with this church. I wanted share what God did through us. The main goal I set for this adventure was one, bring honor to God and two, encourage the members of this church.

Let me share a little history about this church before I share our adventure story. LPBC was started in 2001. The church has been meeting in a former Christian school for the last 2 years (I believe they own the property). The founding pastor needed a rest from ministry due the health issues of his wife. They moved to be with his sending church in FL in October. LPBC has been without a pastor for a month, but have been developing a search for a new pastor. The founding pastor left this body very healthy and well equipped to reach their community. The leadership loves the Lord and is very capable men.

Living Proof is 50 miles from our house (in Portsmouth) and according to TomTom the trip took us 56 minutes. We arrived at 10:40 and were greeted by a sweet young lady holding a 3 month old baby who did nothing but smile (very cute). The young lady showed us to the sanctuary (a gym) and we talked with her until their Sunday School glasses let out. She handed us over to Delon; the media guy and the one I’ve traded e-mails with. After getting the Power Point and video ready, I talked with members who came up to us. This church was very warm and friendly (even before they knew who I was and better yet even after they met me).

I preached on “What is Truth?” using John 14:6 ("I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”). I preached for 45 minutes, and had two men come down and prayer at the foot of the stage. I was told later that one of the church’s small groups has been studying this very subject and that the leader was impressed how I dealt with the subject so thoroughly in a short about of time.

Teresa and I were taken out for lunch by Mr. and Mrs. Curtis at Second Street Bistro (if you are ever in Williamsburg check this place out). We had good food and great fellowship. Mr. Curtis is retired from TWA Airlines and moved here from Las Vegas (after living there for over 25 years) and enjoys history. We had a good time talking history and other things. We had a great time and I feel God was honored and the church body was encouraged.

I let the church’s leadership know if they needed me again, I’d love to return. I shared this with Don Cockes (SBCV Church Enrichment Missionary). Please keep Living Proof Baptist Church in your prayers. They are looking for an Interim Pastor for now but would like a pastor in place within a year.

The Great Unknowns of Life



With what is happening with the U.S. economy, I’m sure most people are afraid of the uncertainty of the situation. I’m sure if you think about it, you know someone who has been affected by it; maybe you. Your 401K portfolio maybe isn’t as rich as it was just 6 months ago. My 401K plan is worth $5,000 less than last quarter. When Teresa told me that, my reaction was, “Oh, OK.” Our family has been affected by this economic situation because Teresa was laid-off from her job. She has a great severance package which includes 6 months pay (not everyone got that who was laid-off). God is providing for us. If you have been paying attention to the news the last week and the 3 auto companies asking for money from Congress, you know that the possibility of more people will be affected by the issues with the economy. My dad is retired from one of these companies so he is watching this closely. The outcome can affect him and mom’s financially well being. Even with this going on, I can safely say, God is good and He is in control.

The reason I can say this is because of who my foundation is resting on. According to Matthew 7:24-26, when the storms of life come (and these storms come) I’m secure because my life is established on The True Rock (Jesus Christ). This foundation is the strongest a person can have. Another promise we have is that we are not alone when the uncertainty comes out way. The last part of the Great Commission is “I am with you always, even to the end of the [church] age (Matthew 28:20b)." We are never alone when we walk through this life. As a child of the Most High, we are taken care of. My sister’s, Wanda, favorite poem is “Foot Prints in the Sand.” In short, the poem lets us know that when live is good, Jesus is walking beside us and when life gets rough, Jesus carries us through the hardship and heartache that life can throw our way.

Life can be hard. In fact, Jesus never said that life will be easy; even for the Christian. The greatest part of being a child of God is that we don’t go through the hardships alone. The children of this world deal with the hardships of life alone. We may not be able to see around the corner of life, but we know the One who can see all things. He sees what we cannot see, and He knows that outcome. In this uncertain time in America, trust in the unchangeableness of God and rest on His promises. He will never fail you.

Being Focused



I really enjoy exercising. I’m sure some people hate to exercise and if they do exercise, it’s not fun for them; I really enjoy exercising. Some people tend to focus on their bodies and rhythm while working out. I have to admit, I have to focus on my body parts when I’m doing weight training, but I don’t focus on me when I’m cycling, running, and/or swimming.

When I’m doing the stationary bike, I’m reading. I’m usually reading a book on church, a Biblical subject, or a book on God so I’m focused on learning something so I can use to honor God. When I run, I’m focused on the environment and seeing the awesomeness of creation; again, focusing on God. When I swim, I think about breathing right but most of the time my mind wonders as I do lap after lap after lap. My mind tends to wonder on the tasks I’m doing or dream of doing to honor God.

Focusing on God really makes me truly focused on the right things. Thinking about fun and other things that will make me happy is not bad as long as it’s not always about me. We are put here to bring God honor and glory. Try not focusing on you and try keeping the focus on God. He deserves out focus.

Not Characters, But People Like Us

There is a phrase I learned from one of my college professors, “Let’s put flesh and blood on these people.” The “these people” are the people in the Bible. Over the centuries, these people in the Bible have gone from being flesh and blood people to “characters.” Most of the time, when a preacher refers to a person the Bible, they are referred to them as Bible or Biblical characters. We’ve done a disservice to Christianity by doing this because newer Christians view them as being bigger than life like comic book superheroes. The reality is that these people were just people who God used. The awesome part of the Bible is that God has been everything in it; the good, the bad, and ugly about the people He used.

I teach that we have the whole truth about the people in the Bible so we can see how people just like us were used. David is called the man after God’s own heart even thought he was an adulterer and murderer. Gilead was caught hiding in a cave when God wanted to use him in Judges to free Israel. The disciples were nothing more than a motley crew of misfits when Jesus chose them. For the most part, we remember these people at the end of their lives and forget how they were at the beginning of their journey when God/Jesus Christ chose to use them.

Today in the men’s Bible group, this truth was lost to one our men. He’s a newer believer who is having a bad time. I could tell how he was talking that his views of the people in the Bible were as I wrote in the first paragraph. How could he struggle with all he is struggling with if he is a child of God; the falling in sin. I shared with him what Paul wrote in one of his letters; “I do what I shouldn’t do, and don’t do what I should be doing (paraphrasing).” The great St. Paul struggled with his walk just us normal folk do? I shared with this young man that we will never “arrive” (or be perfect) this side of heaven. The Holy Spirit helps us grow stronger in our walk as we feed our spirit but there will be times where we will fail. That’s the awesomeness of God; His grace.

Remember before you beat yourself up over being human and failing, the people in the Bible were human just like us. There not characters; there people just like you and me.

Awesomeness of God



I enjoy reading through the books of Psalms and Proverbs. I would say that I read through them at least once a year. I always seem to see something new when I read them. That should be no brainer since the Bible is a living source of knowledge from God the Father. The other day I posted about how some songs can get me to engage with God at the drop of a hat, and I mentioned one (“Praise You With The Dance”).

This morning as I was reading in Psalms, I came across Psalm 30 and a lot of the language of this passage made me start singing “Praise You With The Dance.” I wonder if Mark Hall used this Psalm as a starting point for this song.

Even though Teresa has been laid-off her job, I will praise and worship my God. He has seen me through a lot more than this and I trust Him completely. Teresa trusts Him to be faithful and has no worries. We have an awesome and loving God who is much more than words can describe. When I think about the majesty of God, my mind channels Wayne’s World and I yell “I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy!” But the must awesome part of this is that God through His love and sacrifice (in the form of Jesus Christ) has made me worthy. It’s just awesome!

Below is the Psalm that sparked these thoughts; Psalm 30.

1 I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
3 O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.
5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.
6 Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I will never be moved."
7 O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;
You hid Your face, I was dismayed.
8 To You, O LORD, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:
9"What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?
10 "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me;
O LORD, be my helper."
11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

God's Man



I just talked with a young man who God has given me the honor to mentor over the last 7 years. In order for you to understand the excitement I have in writing about our conversation, I want to give a little background.

Rick and his wife were in the Navy (he still is) when they came to Point Harbor Community Church in 2000. Both were not saved and just married with a child on the way so they wanted to check out the church. Shortly after, they got saved. Rick jumped in with the sports ministry and helped me with the men’s ministry. He was young and eager to learn. While I walked with him and encouraged him to read his Bible, I saw that God wanted to use him more. Rick started helping the youth pastor the last year before he was transferred. Satan tried to discourage him through some of the members of the church but I lifted him up and encouraged him.

God moved Rick to Spain to do security for a Navy base there for 2 years. His wife and now 3 kids could not come because the youngest son had health issues. I knew Satan would target Rick being so far away from home and his family. I prayed for him and sent him care packages (music CDs, cookies, youth ministry books, etc.). He told me that he started working with the youth whose parents were stationed at the base. God was blessing the ministry. A year in his time in Spain, I sensed something wrong and saw on his MySpace page he listed his status as single (instead of married). I questioned him about it and he was planning on ending his marriage because of non-Biblical reasons. I held him accountable (with love) and told him he was wrong and needed to get back with his wife. It was tough but he did it and now they are strong in their marriage and both serving the Lord in Jacksonville, FL. Rick is now a small arms instructor at a nearby base.

Now back the conversation we had; Rick as been asked to be a youth pastor of a small church near Jacksonville. He can do his Navy job and minister with the teens. He and his wife are excited about this possibility. I’m excited to see God doing His thing with this now 32 year old man who I’ve had the honor of knowing and seeing grow. Keep Rick and Kristine in your prayers (and their 3 children). May God use Rick greatly in this new direction.

Not just a number

With the news telling us that our country is hurting economically, we never think it will affect us. Today I got a call from my wife with the news that she has been laid-off. She has been looking for a new job for 4 months now and working under very stressful conditions but this news was still a surprise. Even though the package the company gave her is a very good (6months pay, medical benefits, and help finding a new job) this can be scary if it wasn’t the fact we have God and the assurance that He will take care of us. We trust that He will open doors for Teresa to have a new job.

Worship



The other day, I was home alone and working on answering a questionnaire a church’s pulpit committee sent me and I put in a Casting Crowns CD. I really enjoy listening to this group and since I read Mark Hall’s (lead singer) book “Lifestories: Finding God's "Voice of Truth" Through Everyday Life” I enjoy them a little more knowing the stories behind their songs. While the music played in the background, I read and answered the questions on my laptop (love WiFi), and then the song “Praise You With The Dance” came on. I started singing along and before I knew it the Holy Spirit manifested Himself. [I believe that since God is omni-present He is with us at all times, but it’s not until we engage Him we can sense His presence.] I went from just singing along to engaging God in worship. I had to just stop what I was doing and worship the God of universe. It was an awesome experience. I sat back in my chair with tears rolling down my cheeks and raised my arms in adoration to my Savior. Some songs can engage me at the drop of a hat and “Praise You With The Dance” is one of them. See below for the words of this song.

Praise You With The Dance

I will sing to the Lord
And I will lift my voice
For You have heard my cry

I will sing to the Lord
And I will lift my hands
For You have brought me out of the pit
For You have brought me out of the pit

And I'll sing glory, hallelujah
I lift Your name on high
And I'll sing holy, 'cause You're worthy
I'll praise You with the dance

Picking Up My Towel



This past Sunday, the men’s Bible group started our last section of the study we’ve been doing. The section is titled Picking up Your Towel. We discussed Matthew 20:27-29, and how we should put other people before ourselves. I’m looking forward to our further discussion on this topic this Sunday.

I concluded our group last Sunday by challenging the men to put people before them during their daily lives; to allow someone to get in front of them on the road or putting their wives’ or children’s needs before their own. Well this came back on me this morning.

I came down stairs to get coffee from our café. In my work place, we have a café with free (yes, I said free) coffee. When the coffee runs out, whoever is there should make the next pot. We have two 40 cup coffee pots so it takes awhile for the coffee to brew. The person in front of me has just started both pots so I stood there waiting. While I was waiting, two more people came up. In our office, there is an unwritten rule that whoever is in front should go first, but some of the higher ups skip from time to time. At first I was eying these two people wondering if they would try to skip and then Matthew 20:27 popped in my head.

The passage reminded me that I should put these people ahead of me. The coffee will still be there in 30 seconds. When the coffee finished brewing, I waved my hand out offering for the person to my right to go ahead of me. She look confused and then I said, “Ladies, first.” She looked at me and asked, “You’re willing to wait?” and then she got her cup of coffee. She never did say thank you, but that’s not why I made the offer. To the next person, I did the same thing and this lady said, “Thank you” and got her cup. I know it’s a little thing to let people go ahead of me for coffee, but it’s a start.

Jesus is God almighty, and He chose to leave His throne and come down in the form of a man. He didn’t come to be served, but to be a servant. The God of the universe washed 12 pairs of dirty feet (imagine what was on those feet). Jesus put other people’s needs before His own desires. He took this example all the way to the cross. Jesus took our place on the cross so we can have life everlasting. Putting others before ourselves is the least we can do in comparison to Jesus’ example. Allowing a person to get a cup of coffee before you or getting to a place 10 second later because you allowed a person to get in front of you on the road is little compared to what Christ did. Even if people don’t say thank you or give a thank you wave. Have you said “Thank you” to Jesus for putting our needs before His? Think about.

Election Day

Today is Election Day and I voted for the people I feel can help our country the best. I waited for an hour to cast my vote. While standing the line holding my umbrella, I thought about my first election in 1988. I thought about the days leading to my 18th birthday. How I knew there were two things I wanted to do on my birthday; register for the draft and register to vote. After finishing school, I went to the post office and registered for the draft and then I went to the local library and filled out the voter registration form. In the family I grew up in, honoring our country is high up there second only to having a relationship with Jesus Christ and church attendance.

I can remember how proud my dad was when I showed him my temporary voter’s card and told him I registered for the draft. If it wasn’t for the fact God had called me into ministry at an early age and me heading off for Bible college right out of high school, I would have followed in my father’s and grandfather’s feet and join the military. We have a great country and many freedoms that other people long for.

As Christians in the U.S., we have the freedom to proclaim Christ anywhere we wish. We get tax write offs for obeying God and giving back a portion of our income to the church. I think we either don’t think or don’t care about how our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are treated in other countries because we have it so good here in the U.S. The freedoms we have are because of the sacrifice of our forefathers and the men and women in our armed forces.

While driving into work after voting, I thanked God for the blessings He has given me and to our country. I prayed for His will be done with the outcome of today’s vote. Remember, God is the One who puts the leaders in their place of authority so God will put who He has planned in the oval office; good, bad, or indifferent. If you haven’t voted yet and are registered, go vote.

Halloween Everyday

Friday was Halloween and this is the day people like to dress up and be someone or something different. I read somewhere that Halloween is the only day of the year people can be someone they want to be. Children dress up in who or what they dream to be (i.e. policeman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.). For some, Halloween is everyday because they always wear a mask.

In ancient Greece, the actors in the theaters held a pole that carried an enormous papier-mâché mask. These masks were always a caricature – an overdone, generalized, or idealized portrayal. We use the word hypocrite for those people who are not real. This word literally means one who wears a mask. People want to be accepted so they feel they can’t show who they really are to others. To be accepted, some people wear:

The “happy” mask
The “I’m very together” mask
The “I don’t care” mask
The “I’m the expert” mask
The “I have the answers” mask or
The “I am cool” mask

The world doesn’t have the monopoly on thinking they need to wear a mask to be accepted. We have church members who are living hell on earth and when asked by someone how they are doing, their reply is, “Fine, I’m just fine.” The word fine is Feelings Internalized Not Expressed. Church should be the one place, hurting people should know they can be who they truly are and know they will be accepted. The men in the men’s group I lead know that when I ask how they are, the word “fine” will not be accepted. The first 15 minutes of our time is laid aside so in depth discussions can take place in a safe environment.

Church should be a safe-haven for people to leave the masks off and be who they are. It’s scary but the body of Christ should be the one group you can be yourself.

Halloween Fun

Every year at Dollar Tree Stores, Inc we have an opportunity to dress up on Halloween. This year our department wanted to dress in a theme. The theme is Renaissance or Medieval. It's always fun to see who dresses up and who doesn't. I didn't want to spend the money so I put on an old pair of jeans, t-shirt, a baseball hat, and a pair of work boots and telling people I'm dressed as "Emanuel Labor." Below are some pictures of my co-workers.

Trevor Kerr (Sr. Logistic Analyst) as a king

Scott Gardner (Director of Inbound Transportation) as a Wizard

Sarah Albertini-Bond (Logistic Analyst)as Maid Marian.

Robin West (Logistic Analyst) as Lady in Waiting

Kris Wilson (Outbound Transportation Manager) as I have no idea.

Dean Jones (VP of Transportation) as Lord of the Manor

David Shay (Director of Outsbound Transportation) as a evil sorcerer.

Allan Zarse (Logistic Analyst) as a Monk or Priest

CHKD

Teresa and I have no children. We aren’t trying to have them nor are we trying not to have them. God hasn’t blessed us with them and we both feel that children are a blessing from God. God has given me a soft heart when it comes to children. When I hear news about a child being hurt or killed, I get mad and sad. Sometimes I feel the same way about adults but not very often.

Yesterday at around 4:40 PM Roger called me and asked me to go to Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. A church member’s child was rushed there at 10:30 am in an ambulance and they wanted someone to come. He had another appointment at 5:30 pm that he couldn’t cancel. By this time, I had been home maybe 15 minutes and had put my house clothes on. I got the needed information and hung up the phone and got dressed.

We live maybe 5 minutes from the hospital so I got there and told the ER people that I was the family’s pastor and a security guard walked me to the room. The parents have been in this little room since 10:30 am (it was a little after 5 pm when I got there). They looked tired and worried. Little Trinity was just a crying because of the pain. She’s only 13 months old so this was how she showed her pain. The doctor in the room was awesome and was very caring. I was impressed. After the doctor left, I talked with the family and prayed with them. I stayed for about an hour and half. I left only after the grandfather arrived and the room was too small for 6 people so I left. I wanted to stay with the family until they had a room but I knew it was time to leave. I prayed with the family one more time and made sure they had my cell phone number in case they needed me again.

Please pray for little Trinity and her parents Jonathon and Crystal.

Scary Religion

I was looking through SciFi.com and reading about the new Sci-Fi shows that are on the TV air these days and came across an article about the movie “The Haunting of Molly Hartley.” I have no plans to watch this movie but what the director (Mickey Liddell) says about how he came up with some of the stuff in the movie made me sad for him. He says, “I think religion is really scary. So I have a lot of religion in there [the movie]. Overzealous people about religion scare me a lot, on one side or the other, you know? So that's a theme that goes throughout the whole film. I grew up in Oklahoma, and it was always kind of scary growing up, and I remember I belonged to a Baptist church. In the Baptist Church you get baptized when you're, I don't know, 13 or 14 or something like that. And there's this big baptism that's up on a big wall. It's very theatrical. The lights are on it and everything, and the preacher takes you in there. You wear robes, and you go underneath, and the whole congregation watches you. And I always thought that was the scariest thing. Even when I was doing it, I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but it was what everyone else did. And I just thought it was really theatrical and really scary."

The sad part about this interview is not that he put a lot of what he believes (religion is scary) in his movie, but that the church he grew up in didn’t properly explain the whole idea of baptism. Baptism has nothing to do with salvation, but it’s about a picture of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. A person is baptized after they receive Christ as Savior. Baptism is a way for a newly saved person to show the world they are different; they are a new creature in Christ. Since the church Mickey Liddell grew up in baptized children without clearly explaining things, Mickey thinks all churches do this. My fear is that Mickey has a false sense of security so it’s doesn’t sounds (through this interview) that he has more than just religion.

Religion is itself can be scary because it’s empty. Being a Baptist and/or Christian has nothing to do with religion. Christianity is a relationship with God and Jesus Christ period.

Run Away!

For me the best parts of the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” are when the characters are attacked and the king yells, “Run Away! Run Away!” in stead of retreat. To me it’s hilarious.

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, basically tells Timothy to “Run Away!” from youthful lusts. I’ve heard of men fall to sexual sin in the ministry and how easy it can be. I remember as a 24 year old single Youth Pastor in Richmond, VA asking the two older ladies who were the moms of the youth group to help me keep an eye on the girls. I’m like most guys; clueless when I’m hit on my women. These ladies had my back when it came to telling me which girls started looking at me with those eyes. When I knew who they were, I made it a point to be friendly but not too friendly so not to lead them on. I remember this one young lady who was moving away so she gave me a figurine to remember her by. It was weird the way she hugged me good-bye. I have never allowed myself to be left a lone with a female to make sure there is no doubt to anyone’s mind by my conduct.

This leads me to a devotion I read by Jack Zavada about watching our purity as men. He said, “If you've ever looked at my bio page, you know I look more like Andy Rooney than George Clooney, yet several times during my career, married women at work let me know they were available. I wasn't misreading their signals and I didn't do anything to encourage them. I was shocked every time it happened.” For some reason, women think that men in the ministry are different than their husbands or boyfriends. I guess they think we don’t have mad breathe or something. This is the reason why it’s good to have blockers in place. Blockers are people who will let you know when females are acting differently toward you. When you are told who they are, you should “Run Away! Run Away!” Never be left a lone with someone you know may have feelings for you either than your wife. It’s just common sense.

I actually had my own little situation with a co-worker who was eyeing me. This was back in 1998. I was easily 40 pounds heavier (fat), and I thought I kept seeing this woman looking at me; not just looking, but looking (if you know what I mean). This was at a secular workplace. I shared my thoughts with 3 women I was working with; these ladies all knew I was in church work and they were old enough to be my mom. They started looking out for me. One day, I was making a copy and this woman walked by. I thought I imagined this, but she looked me up and down like a piece of meat. Just so happened one of the ladies was near by and she confirmed it wasn’t my imagination and this woman wanted me. I found out later that this woman would go after married men and bed them for fun. I avoided this woman like the plague.

If you ever think a woman (other than you wife) is acting like they want more than friendship or they told you so, put them straight and “Run Away!” Talk with an accountability partner or your pastor about it. You may want to share this with your wife so she will know what’s going on.

Vision

I’ve been thinking a lot about the vision of the church. At least what I feel the vision is for God’s people. The only time most church members hear about vision is when their pastor is trying to get money for a building project. The pastor uses Proverbs 29:18 (Where there is no vision, the people perish) to get people to give money. Pastors use this verse out of text to get money. I feel pastors need to address the vision of the church as Jesus showed while He was on Earth.

To me, the vision of the church (and Christians) is to reach the community that surrounds them with the love and light of Jesus Christ. The body of Christ should show the same type of compassion Jesus did. The early church grew by leaps and bounds because of the love they had for one another and for the lost around them. I just finished reading the book “Love, the Ultimate Apologetic: The Heart of Christian Witness.” This book basically puts in easy to understand how we, as Christians, can reach our community and loved ones for Christ by showing real love to them. The vision of the church should be outward focused.

Being outward focused takes time, energy, and money. The body of Christ, should be so outward focused that our community changes. Most of the time, our community influences the church instead of the church influencing the community. I feel the reason why we have so many churches either plateauing or declining is because the church stops being outward focused and starts being inward focused.

Inward focused churches have programs that please the members. It’s all about the members’ comfort and happiness. The longer a church is inward focused the harder it is to change the focus to the actual vision of the church; which should be an outward focus body.

A healthy church with a Biblical vision is an outward focused church that reaches out to the community with the love and light of Christ. This church equips the members to share the gospel to loved ones, neighbors, and co-workers. This church has a pastor who leads the people to be more like Christ and less like the world. In my option, this is the true vision of the church of Jesus Christ.

Total Recall

I enjoy listening to audio books when I’m driving. I’m a member of an audio book club so I get 4 books at a time; it’s awesome. I just finished listening to a W.E.B. Griffin book called “The Hunters.” This is actually the third book by the author with the same characters and underlining plot. As soon as I heard the beginning of the book, I had total recall of the last two books. It was neat to pick up right where the last one ended. It was like meeting old friends.

I was thinking about how just hearing the names of the characters gave me total recall and I thought that’s how God is with us. There some Christians who are so scared to share their faith because they maybe asked something they have no idea how to answer. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity [KJV has fear], but of power and love and discipline.” Jesus told his disciples not to worry about what to say when (and He said when) they would stand before councils because the Holy Spirit would give them the words.

We are called in the Great Commission to simply “GO” and tell people what we know. The passage doesn’t say we are the one who make people become believers in Christ. We are simply told to make “DISCIPLES.” A disciple is someone who follows a leader or a student of someone. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His followers that the Holy Spirit will give us power to do what He has called us to do. It’s not us doing anything; it’s God doing it through us. We are just the work gloves.

The Bible tells us to not only read but mediate (or absorb) the truths in it. As we read and mediate on the Word of God daily, the Holy Spirit will give us total recall when we need it. When people are hurting, the verses that deal with pain will come to mind. When people are lonely, you will know what to say. It’s freeing to know that we don’t do anything. God does it all. We are just his vessels.

Heritage

I’ve grown up with my mom tell me and my sister that we have Indian in the family line. I’ve always thought this is cool. Most people look at me strange when I share this truth because I’m fair skinned, red haired, and blue eyed. My mom sent me and my sisters a letter from her brother answering some questions about the Harrell family homestead in North Caroline. His answers to her questions were eye opening about my family heritage. I’ve pasted some of his letter below. To me, it’s pretty cool.

“Hertford [part of NC where the Harrell homestead is located] was settled in the late 1600s (whites and Indians)...perhaps around 1672 or a little later, and was a part of Perquimans County which was founded in 1668. Both of which were still under English rule.

In fact, Perquimans County began (at that time) at the Virginia border reaching south to, or below, the Albermarle Sound. Records during that time were very sketchy. That why I had such a hard time with my paper...which I wish I'd kept. It also had many gaps in it which I couldn't find the necessary information.

Perquimans County earliest inhabitants were the Yeopim Indians who were a part of the Alqonquiants Indian tribe family. The Indians gave Perquimans its name, meaning "land of beautiful women."

Do you recall the creek, which ran into the river, then into the Albermarle Sound...the creek and a part of the river surrounded granddaddy's property...which was named the Yeopim Creek/River?

However, being a mixture of Indians and whites early on, is perhaps why you and I have 1/8 Indian blood. Also, the Harrell family didn't want our father to marry our mother because her grandmother was full blooded Indian...did you know that?”

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is the month set aside to thank men who pastor churches. I’ve always thought it weird that people had to create an official month to say thank you to men who minister to them. I try to say thank you to Roger and Floyd (both pastors of Common Ground Community Church). Since starting the Monday Bible Study and work at developing weekly devotions, I appreciate all the work pastors need to do each week. Pastors have to work long hours and get little money; it’s a ministry or a calling and not a career.

Today, Common Ground wanted to say thank you to our pastors. I went to the back of our church build just after the service. Floyd called me back to the sanctuary. I had no idea why, but apparently I was to be appreciated along with our pastors. I have no clue why (I’m one of 7 Elders but not a pastor). We were given a gift card to Outback Steakhouse. I’m honored for this but I felt weird (to be honest). I’ve always tried to be in the background while doing ministry work even when I teach and preach. You may think, “How can you be in the background if you are teaching and/or preaching?” I feel that it’s God who should be the focus of teaching and/or preaching. It’s all about God.

If you haven’t said thank you to your pastor, do so the next time you see them.

The Touchiest Topic

I believe that Christian men have a God given responsibility to be the Spiritual leader of the family. Because God set it up for men to be the leaders of the family, we set the tone for the Spiritual well being of our wives and children. The best way to set this tone is to talk with our wives about our walk with Christ and talk about their walk with Christ.

I found the below article that may help get you started setting the tone for your family. It’s time for the men of God to be the leaders He has made us to be.

The Touchiest Topic

How to make it easier to talk about spiritual things with your spouse
By Tim Sutherland

All couples run into "touchy subjects"—topics that stir up frustration and lead to awkward silences. Sex and money top the list in many marriages. But chances are good that you and your spouse struggle with a third area: how to talk about spiritual things.

Talking in-depth about spiritual issues can create significant anxiety. "Will I sound immature if I talk about my relationship with God? If I'm honest about what's going on in my life, will my spouse think I'm not spiritual enough?" Ever since sin came between the first married couple and God, fear, self-consciousness and embarrassment have made spiritual intimacy a difficult proposition. The vulnerability it takes to talk about matters of faith leads many people to keep the conversation short or avoid it altogether.

A second obstacle is the way each spouse was brought up. Maybe when your mate was growing up, her family talked about Christianity as easily as they did the weather. But at your house, family members rarely spoke of spiritual things beyond saying "good sermon today" on the way home from church. And, of course, many people never even attended church until they became adults. Some people grew up with spiritual expressiveness being as natural as breathing, while to others, it's still a foreign concept.
Add to that a third difference: the natural tendencies of different personality types. In Experiencing God Together, David Stoop writes, "When we approach the subject of spiritual intimacy, our personality differences obviously predispose us to certain approaches to God … and to our basic understanding of how religion relates to life."

For instance, some people have a strong bent toward duty and responsibility. Their spirituality is shaped by their desire to serve and make the right choices. Others are more mystical, emphasizing the importance of experiences and leadings from God. A third personality type is more people-oriented. These folks think of their spirituality in terms of how it relates to the people they care about. Still others are problem-solvers. They are most interested in "how-to's" and identifying the best course of action from a spiritual perspective. A fifth group is more intellectual about faith issues. They emphasize learning facts and grasping spiritual concepts.

Different personalities use different languages of spirituality. If a mystical type marries a problem-solver, they can easily end up talking past each other.

Who's More Interested?

Often, the sticking point comes down to an uneven level of interest. Typically, one partner feels a much stronger need to talk about God to feel close spiritually, while the other is content simply to share activities like worshiping together or spending time with friends from church. Sometimes this difference is a reflection of overall communication patterns: The more-interested partner is more expressive about all areas of life. Other times the more-interested person is experiencing a spiritual "growth spurt" while the less-interested partner is on a plateau.
But whatever the reason, this interest differential can lead to hide-and-seek patterns. One spouse actively pursues spiritually oriented conversations by bringing up first one subject and then another. If the other spouse "hides" by failing to show an interest, the more-interested mate can end up feeling a lot of resentment.
Less-interested mates see things differently. They feel pressured, making them want to hit the "eject" button whenever a spiritual topic arises. Those less interested can also feel they are being judged as less committed in their Christianity simply because they don't talk about it as much. These patterns make a tough topic even tougher. So what can you do?

The "More-Interested" Spouse

If efforts to deepen your spiritual communication have failed, it's time to take a different tack.

1. Learn your partner's language. By becoming more attuned to your spouse's spiritual personality, described earlier, you can learn to use the language that will communicate most effectively.

2. Appeal to your mate's spiritual strengths. If your spouse's spiritual focus is on people and relationships, ask for input and opinions from a relational perspective. If he or she has a more mystical bent, you might ask something like "How can I figure out what God wants me to do in this situation?" When we ask questions that are tuned in to our partners' spiritual wavelength, they may feel they have a lot more to offer.

3. Break the hide-and-seek pattern. Gently end conversations about spiritual matters when you notice your mate is withdrawing or becoming uncomfortable. It's better to try again later than to cause frustration by pressing to keep alive a conversation that's not going anywhere.

4. Catch your partner doing something right.
When you do get spiritual input from your mate, jot him or her a note: "Thanks for your perspective." Expressing your appreciation can go a long way toward easing your spouse's discomfort. When less-interested partners know they'll get credit for the efforts they make to join in spiritual conversations, they are more likely to open up the next time.

The "Less-Interested" Spouse

Even if you don't feel an urgency about deepening the spiritual communication with your spouse, chances are good that he or she does. To meet your spouse half-way, consider some of these steps.

1. Recognize the importance of your role. When it comes to spiritual intimacy, there is something your spouse values deeply that only you can give. Though talking about spiritual matters doesn't come easily to you, God has called you to be your mate's spiritual helper. That's an important role that belongs only to you.

2. Share your fears and uneasiness. Write a letter to your spouse to assure him or her that you know talking about spiritual things is important. Include the reasons you find it difficult to discuss your spiritual life. Don't assume your mate knows these things. Even the letter will count as a spiritual connection to your partner.

3. Recognize that questions are better than answers. Take some pressure off yourself by remembering that active listening and asking good questions both make for good conversations. The role of "spiritual sounding board" is a valuable one, and it's easier than trying to come up with a lot of interesting things to say.

4. Cultivate spiritual expressiveness. You can even do this alone by putting your spiritual life into written words. As you write down your thoughts about God and his work in your life, consider which ones you could share later with your spouse.

Copyright © 1997 by the author or Christianity Today International/Marriage Partnership magazine.

It’s My World, And You Just Live In It

When Teresa and I were driving back from the White Board Sessions Conference in May, I came up with a comment based on how people were driving on I 95. The comment is, “It’s your world and we just live in it.” In our day and age, people are living their lives with that attitude. It’s the idea of everyone else is second and they are first regardless in what environment. I see it at the gym I workout in, in the stores I shop, and of course on the roads. And the sad thing, I’ve seen it in the church.

I do struggle with having this same attitude when it comes to driving and even while I’m at the gym. It’s all about not be a doormat. I’m a guy and as a guy, I’m not going to just stood aside. It goes against my nature. It’s one of the side-affects of the disease we all have; the disease called SIN.

God tells us in His word, that we are to live in a way that everyone else comes first and we come last. It goes against our nature but that’s the marching orders from God. Jesus Christ who is Lord of all and the Head of the church lived this principle out. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and should have been the One being served while He was on Earth but He came to serve others. He took the servant attitude all the way to the cross. The same attitude should be in His people.

Hanging with the Guys

The last few months, the men of our Sunday morning Bible study have grown close. We’ve talked about doing something outside of church but haven’t planned anything as of yet. Saturday, we are changing that. We’re getting together and having pizza and going to watch “Righteous Kill.” All the guys agreed to show up and wanted to invite all the men of our church to come with us. I sent out an invite and look forward to see who will come.

I’m sure some people may think it weird a “church group” is going to see a rated R movie. The movie is R due to it being realistic and it stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro (enough said). This is just a chance to hang out with other men and just be ourselves. Seeing people for an hour or two a week doesn’t really show you who they are. Beside, people tend to be on their behavior at church.

My hope is that this will be the first of many such outings. It will be fun to hang out with the guys. The more you hang out, the better you grow to know each other. It’ll be cool.

My Prayer

The Old Testament leader of Israel named Joshua is said to be a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Joshua. Just as Joshua led Israel to the Promised Land, Jesus is leading us to the promised land of salvation. I came across the below verse in my reading and it hit me between my eyes:

Joshua 1:16 “They answered Joshua, saying, ‘All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.’”

This is my prayer to Jesus Christ. From the young age He made Himself truly real to me, I’ve prayed this prayer. “All that you have commanded me, I will do and wherever you send me, I will go.” Teresa and I are seeking God’s face with our lives as we serve Him. We both made a commitment to follow His lead. Teresa has promised to walk with me where God leads me and I’m keeping (or trying to keep) my eyes on my Leader to follow Him. Wherever He looks or points, we will go. Just as God gave the Promised Land to Israel, He will accomplish His tasks He has assigned to us.

As I'm putting together next Monday's Discovery Group study of John 8:12, I came across the below. I liked it so I thought I'd share it. You may have already read these before.

Q: How many lawyers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: How many can you afford?

Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the bulb has got to really WANT to change.

Q: How many real men does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None; real men are not afraid of the dark.

Q: How many Floridians does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Don’t know for sure; they are still counting.

Q: How many Charismatics does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Ten; one to change the bulb and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Q: How many TV evangelists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One; but for the light to continue, send in your donation today.

Q: How many members of a church does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Ten; one to actually change the light bulb and nine to say how much they liked the old one.

Two Is Stronger Than One



In the men’s group I lead, we are discussing for the next 2 weeks the importance of men hanging out and talking. Not just talking about sports scores, but in depth discussions. Our group has really grown strong in the last few months and I praise God for what He is doing. It’s not about numbers (even through we’ve gone from averaging 4 to averaging 7 since June). The most awesome part about the growth the last few months is the spiritual growth of the men. I’ve had wives come up to me and tell me that they are seeing a difference in their husbands; now that’s God doing His thing in the men’s hearts and lives. It’s awesome to be used to point men in the right direction.

I saw a program on the History Channel (I love this channel) on Saturday about suspension bridges and how in order to support the bridge multiple cables are used. The builders put individual cables together with a steel shell and add pressure which creates, in essence, one big cable to hold up one side of a bridge. I shared this thought with the men yesterday how God does the same to us (His church). You have one cable and it’s strong, but when you put multiple cables together and hold them together with a strong bonding agent its super strong. Our outside steel shell is God and He adds the pressure (i.e. trials) to bond us and makes us strong together.

John Donne says no man is an island, and we (men’s group) discussed this idea yesterday. We are created to need other people and need to be part of a group or community. There is no such animal as a lone ranger Christian who is healthy spiritually. Without community or fellowship with other believers, you become stagnant. As the Bible puts it, two cords of rope are stronger than one cord. This is the same as the suspension bridge cable theory. Make sure you are connected with a community and grow in Christ. That’s why I’m passionate about small groups. You can call them Sunday School, Bible Studies, Cell Groups, Connection Groups, or even Discovery Groups. Whatever you call them, these are a great way to encourage and equip people to grow in Christ and create a super strong cable to support the bridge that leads people to Christ.

“Not Guilty.”

I'm studying the first 11 verses of John 8 for Monday's Discovery Group. I wanted to share some of the things the Spirit has shown me. Because of the love of Jesus and the grace He gives, the woman caught in adultery was forgiven.

Jesus continues to pass on a message to us, but it is not written in the sand.
It is written on the cross. It is not written with His hand, but with his blood.

Jesus continues to leave a message for us: “Not Guilty.”

So many of us live with negative labels. Sometimes they are not our own fault.
But so many times they are of our own doing. And as a result, we think that our story is one of failure and shame. But you know, it doesn’t have to be. Because our story can be a story of grace. For it is grace that fixes broken lives. It is grace that heals broken hearts and restores estranged sinners.

For Jesus points us to what we are intended to be.

We don’t have to live in our past.
We don’t have live with the label.
We don’t have to live a life that is powerless in the face of temptation and sin.
We are chosen for something more.

It is grace that does not count our sin against us.
It seems to me that it would be easier for God to say, “Let them get what they deserve.” But that is not the kind of God that He is. He is a God that exhibits grace so that we might experience forgiveness, His grace. So we should never forget.

Grace is free to us, but it is not cheap. And it is a grace that we are called on to imitate. For it is grace that looks beyond what someone has done and sees what they can be. As Christians, this is the kind of grace we not only experience, but we are to exhibit as well, so that we may be as Christ…people of grace.

The official photos of the VA Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon have been released. Below are the ones I'm in. All photos were taken after 13 miles. These photos were taken on the last .1 mile of the race.

A running pose for the camera.

I was making sure I was breathing right to finish strong.

Photo just before I saw the finish line.

After running 13.1 and 2 hours 41 minutes, I had enough engery to sprint to the finish line.

Missing Teresa

Teresa left on Monday morning and went to KY to spend a week with her family. She tries to do this once a year. Must of the time, I go with her but I couldn’t this time. It’s only been 2 days and I miss her greatly. I can’t sleep without her in bed with me. It takes 2 days of sleeping alone for me to fall asleep before midnight when Teresa is away. I couldn’t sleep until midnight (and got up at 5 am for work) on Monday so I was so tired last night I passed out around 10:30. After 12 years of marriage, I love the fact I still miss her when she isn’t around. She will be home this weekend, and I’m looking forward to it.

Achieved Another Goal



Yesterday I was able to achieve another goal I set for myself. I started running 6 months ago and have run in 2 5K races and an 8K Mud Run. I saw the VA Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon advertised in an issue of Runner’s World and Teresa told me that she thought I could finish it. I started really training for it in mid-July and registered in early August. It was my first national race and will not be my last.

There were around 20,000 people running and there was energy at the starting line. I felt it but didn’t care because I’m not a morning person. Teresa and I got up at 5 am and Teresa dropped me off at the start at 6am. The race started at 7am and I started running at 7:30am. I was in corral 19 of 24. Every 45 seconds to a minute a corral started to avoid too many people running at one time. This was a different type of race because just about every mile there were bands playing music. It was kind of neat.

My goal was to complete the 13.1 mile race without stopping or walking. I went down to a trot a couple of times but never stopped. I saw people walking after less than a mile and that surprised me but they may have different goals than I. I averaged a little over a 12 minute mile and completed the race at 2 hours 41 minutes. I wanted to finished strong and was able to sprint to the finish line. Words cannot describe my feeling at the time other than jazzed and that really doesn’t give it justice.

Getting Started

Today at the gym, I was warming up to do my bench-press by doing pushups. I do two sets of 25 pushups to warm up the chest muscles to avoid pulling anything. I was knocking out the first set of 25 and I realized that doing these was nothing. Last year I made my mind up to get back to shape so I started by doing 100 pushups everyday. I did 4 sets of 25 and when I started it was hard. After a period of time, they got easier but I had forgotten that fact until today. My body is used to doing these exercises now and they are easy to me.

This made me think about when I first told people about Jesus; how hard it was. It took me pushing through the fear and trusting God to give me the words. After many years of telling people of Jesus, it is easier. Getting started was the hard part but as I did it the talking became easier.

No matter what you are looking to do, the first stop is always the most difficult and scary. Be it getting into shape or doing what you are supposed to do. Getting start will be hard but rewarding in the long run. So let’s get started.

Sin is Sin

I'm still putting the final touches on next Monday's study of John 7:1-24. I want to point people to what Jesus is saying in these verses. In verses 19-24, Jesus was calling out the leaders of Israel. He reveals that the Jewish leaders were completely inconsistent and hypocritical. After all, they had allowed circumcision as a necessity to be done on the Sabbath, but they would not allow healing.
So, according to this logic, it was right to make one part of the body right before God, but not the entire body.Their logic was falling apart. Justice is to be based on substance, not appearance. They needed to get their values straight. The values of the Jewish leaders had been shallow and only on the outward appearance. They had completely missed the spirit of the law, and thus, God’s point of view.

We aren't too far removed from this same mindset in some of our churches. We live in a world that believes that “truth is what you make it.” We live in a culture that really lives that. When describing things that are ugly and sinful, we reword them to make them acceptable.

For example, if a man comes home from work and is mean and grouchy with his family, we call it “executive tension.” If a person is rich and snobby, it is reworded as classy and elegant. If a person is committing adultery, we dare to call it a “love affair.” The trouble is that sin is sin. It is not a weakness, shortcoming or a mistake; it’s SIN.

You know, if we change the label on the bottle of poison, it doesn’t mean that the power of the poison has been taken away. It is still poison.

This is the way Jesus saw it and that's how we as His people should see it.

Obedience

In preparing for next Monday's Discovery Group study of John 7:1-24, I came acorss this story that feel is worth sharing.

"Many years ago, a pastor met a hard-bitten old Marine General, one of those tough, self-sufficient characters who was use to giving orders. After he had retired he became a Christian and grew with astonishing speed. Everyone who knew him saw the change. They respected him as much as they always had, but they saw a compassion, an understanding, a patience develop in him that was never there before. He was able to get along with people with whom he had formerly been bitterly at odds. When the pastor asked a Christian leader that knew him why this was true, he replied, “When the general hears something from the Scripture, he obeys it immediately.” This is why he grew so fast."

With every act of obedience, the truth of what Jesus says becomes more and more persuasive. We know it is true, because God proves Himself true every time. Obey God the next time you read the Bible and the Spirit touches your heart.

Reverence

As I am working to get Connection Point Church started, I have people who aren’t in our core group calling me “Pastor Thomasson” or “Reverend.” That feels weird to me to be called “Reverend” even by people I’m leading. It’s even weirder being called that by people I don’t know. The times I’m called “Reverend” by non-core group people I’m trying to buy something for the church or set something up for the church. I’ve never been big in titles when it comes to church work because we are all equal in the eyes of God. The only title I offer is Mr. or Mrs. to those people who are older than I (I was raise to respect my elders). I tell people to just call me Tom; just Tom.

The last church I worked as a youth pastor, I had one of the teens asked what I wanted to be called. I told them to call me by my name, Tom. They said, “Pastor Tom?” I told them, “No, just Tom.”

I hate the title “Reverend” and try to avoid it at all cost. When I fill our anything and am asked to choose a title, I put Mr. At conferences, if there is a preprint name tag it will have “Rev.” on it. I bare it in those circumstances. I know that my distain for the title “Reverend” goes back to my pastor and mentor of many years telling me as a young 16 yr old preacher-boy that, “The only person that we should reverence is Jesus Christ and that no man should be revered or called reverend.” Below is the definition for the word “Reverence” and I’ll let you make your own mind up. But as for me, I’m just Tom.

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin reverentia, from reverent-, reverens respectful, reverent
Date: 14th century
1: honor or respect felt or shown : deference; especially : profound adoring awed respect
2: a gesture of respect (as a bow)
3: the state of being revered
4: one held in reverence —used as a title for a clergyman

Determination

Some animals have the curious habit of steering a straight course, no matter what obstacles may be in the way. A black bear swimming in the water, for instance, will not turn to the right or left for any reason-boats, floating logs, reeds, or whatever.

Large tropical snakes will slither right over a boat or canoe rather than go around it in the water. Some land turtles are so determined to proceed in a straight line that they will push headfirst all day against a telephone pole rather than go around it.

We may laugh at these animals for their stubbornness or stupidity; but they are only following an instinct buried deep inside them.

This instinct also lies deep within many human beings. Sometimes it results in tragic or foolish mistakes. But when guided and focused by the Holy Spirit, this instinct to steer a straight course matter what the obstacle becomes a marvelous thing.

Jesus left the remaining eleven disciples with a tremendous task: “Go into the world and make disciples of all nations.” What were these men and a handful of followers against the entire world? Yet their single-minded determination to follow Jesus, inspired by the Spirit, turned the world upside down.

If we are Jesus’ disciples, we too carry within us the seeds of that determination. We can either dismiss it as foolish stubbornness or bring it to God’s Spirit for focus and direction. Around us is a world that is waiting for a handful of people to turn it upside down again.