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.

Anxiety

Last night I laid out the plan of doing a monthly Celebration Event starting in October to our small Monday evening Discovery Group. It’s out there now. Last night I had the same dream over and over again. The dream was me and only 2 people in this Celebration Event; the same two people for 3 months. I know actually what the dream means. I have some anxiety about this step. Last year I came across Philippians 4:6:

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I have freedom in knowing that God is in control (even when I can’t see Him), and He will make known everything I will need to know. The rest I have to take through faith. He has given us the people to help us reach out to the community of Carrollton, and He (God) is the One who draws people to Himself. We can have all the bells and whistles and if God isn’t in it, nothing will happen. And on the other side, we can have canned music, folding chairs, no multi-media slides, and preach the Bible and Christ, and God is in it, it will exploded.

Through the eyes of faith, I will trust the One who saved me and has called me to be His servant. I will trust in His great power and His great knowledge to do what He has called me to be and do.

Lord, take me and use me the way You see fit.

Mud Run 2008

I have to say that I will never look at sand the same way after I ran in the ASYMCA Mud Run. The course was at least 85 to 90% sand. I mean loose sand, not compact sand. The race kick my butt and it was the toughest thing I ever put myself through and I loved it. They waited to put the toughest part toward the last half. They had a 5 foot wall which was easy to jump over (for me) and 3 “mud pit” areas. The last mud pit was one I had to crawl under rope and through mud (it was awesome) and through it my knees got cut up (no big deal) it was a cool adventure.
According to the website’s result tab, my running time was 67 minutes and 29 seconds, and I came in 64th out of 86 men in the age group of 35 – 39 and 973 place out of over 2000 runners. Not too bad for my first 8K mud run. See below for some of the photos of the run. After August 31, I’ll post about the Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon.

Before the race; nice and clean.

Getting my mind focused on the pain to come.

Lining up to start.

The Race starts.

Getting through half of the sand.

Happy to finish.

Battle wounds.

Nice free and cold water.

I feel better in the shade.

Happy the race is over and ready to get the mud and sand off.

Getting the mud and sand off.

Loving FaceBook



I’ve been playing around on FaceBook for almost 2 months now and I’m loving going on this community website more everyday. Teresa is now hooked on it and is on it more than I am.

There have been people in my life that I allowed to go by the way side and I think of them every once and a while. Friends I made in college that went one way and me another. Teens I lead as a Youth Pastor now adults that I lost touch with. And people in my travels in ministry that I think of often but never been able to find an e-mail or phone number for. The people I have based sermon illustrations and stories I tell to my now friends.

FaceBook has given me back the opportunity to reconnect with these people. I love hearing about where my college friends are now and what they are doing. Some are where I thought they end up and others no where near. One has gone from Youth Pastoring to being a Warrant Officer in the Army (still work with youth as a volunteer), and some are teaching in Christian Schools. FaceBook is an awesome tool to reconnect.

19,999 People and Me



After almost 10 years, I starting jogging again back in March 2008 (only 4 months), and have run in two 5K Races and will run in an 8K Mud Run on Saturday, 8/9. I say that to say this, I registered to run in the Virginia Beach Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon. The race is on August 31. I looked through the race’s website about 6 weeks ago, and it said that only 20,000 spaces were available. I thought there is no way 20,000 people will run in a race in VA. After I race 8 miles on Sunday, I told Teresa that I think I can run in this race. I went in the website to register and there were only 200 spaces left. I thought wow, 19,999 people and me will be running over 13 miles on Labor Day weekend. It should be interesting. I’ll post after the race to let you know that I survived the race and my time and placing. In the registration, there is a place where they want to know your guess on your running time. I put 2 hours 30 minutes and 24 seconds. I have no clue but I ran 8 miles in about 1 hour and 22 minutes on Sunday so I’m giving myself another hour to run 5 miles. It will be a neat adventure.

True Satisfaction is Found In Jesus

In Greek mythology, King Tantalus was punished in the underworld by being chained in a lake. Its waters reached to his chin but receded whenever he bent down to satisfy his burning thirst. Over his head were branches laden with choice fruit, but they immediately withdrew whenever he reached upward to satisfy his hunger. A symbol of utter frustration, his name is immortalized in the English word “tantalize.”

And this is what the world is like. The world tantalizes us, but it can never satisfy the longings of the human soul. It will always come up short. In the same way, seeking to know God, or attempting to satisfy the human soul apart from Christ is utterly futile.

But, there is serious satisfaction when we trust Jesus. When we believe the good news of who He is, we find satisfaction and a blessing that never runs dry. We have good news. He is with us, right here, at this very moment. Jesus is alive and is available to us where we are, where we work, and whatever we are doing. He is here to satisfy our souls forever.

We need to simply trust and believe.

GO!

DISCLAIMOR: This is longer than I normally post.



When I think about the “Great Commission” in Matthew 28: 19, I wonder if this verse has been used some many times for missions and witnessing that it’s lost any power to encourage Christ-followers to do this task. This is a great task to do, and overwhelming at times. Who is to be doing the going, and why is it that Christ-followers aren’t doing more of it?

Let’s look at the verse:

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The King James Version has “YE” or “YOU” after Go. The King James Version council would add words to the manuscript that they thought made passages flow better. When they did this, they put the words in italic to show this. Later versions assumed people knew who was to go so they did not add this word to this verse. So basically, as Christ-followers we are the ones who Jesus told to go.

So we are the ones who are commissioned to go and tell the good news of Christ’s gift of eternal life. Why is it that not everyone is sharing this news? I have some theories of why this is.

1. People are under the assumption that this task is for the “Pastors” or “Professional Clergy” to do.
If this was the case, Christ would have only talked with the 11 remaining disciples separate from the crowd. He told everyone that was with Him to “Go.” There were around 500 people present at this meeting.

2. People that don’t have the Spiritual gift of evangelism assume they don’t have to do this task since it’s not their thing.
Even though you may not have the Spiritual gift of evangelism, this commission is for you to do as well.

3. Some people feel that they can’t talk with strangers. They say, “I’m shy.”
The greatness of this commission is that we aren’t doing it. It’s the Holy Spirit through us who is doing it. Acts 1:8;

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

As humans, we are merely the work gloves. In themselves, gloves just lay around. It’s not until you put your hand in them that they are able to accomplish a task like raking the leaves or hammering a nail. The Spirit is accomplishing the task of telling the good news of Salvation. God doesn’t need us, but He wants to use us.

4. People say, “I’m not a good talking.” Or, “I wouldn’t know what to say.”
God will give us the words to use when we need them. Jesus told us that we will be put in situations that we may not know what to say. In these times, He said not to worry because the Spirit will give you the words to say. Mark 13:11;

“When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.”

You have trusted your eternal soul to Christ for salvation. Trust that He will do what He says helping you speak to others about him.

Matthew 28:19, tells us to go and tell the world about what He has done for us. Step out on faith and tell some one today.

I’m Not In Control

One of the must freeing truths I’ve learned in the whole church planting thing is that God is the One who does, and I’m called to just follow His lead. He has planned and accomplished all the works or tasks He has called me to do for Him. It’s freeing but nerve racking at the same time. I’m a take charge sort of guy and I struggle with “letting go and letting God.”

I had a reminder of this yesterday. I’m praying and talking with God and trying to look a head of what He has shown me already. I was getting frustrated and wondering what can I do to get a head of the planning. There are so many “I’s” needing dotted and “T’s” needing crossed. As I was praying and wondering about the church plant, I read through my notes for last night’s Discovery Group study of John 6:15-21 and the John account of Jesus walking on the water. Something in my notes hit me between the eyes. The disciples spent hours rowing against the storm’s waves trying to save themselves. They were tired and scared and then they saw Jesus. When they invited Him in the boat, the storm stopped and they found that they were on land. It is Jesus who claims the storms of our lives. It is He who puts things in order. I had to stop and tell God that I’m sorry and will relay solely on Him to do His plan. Connection Point Church isn’t my plan, it’s God’s plan to reach His sheep.

Once I let go, I was called by our Missions Director about some of the things we’ve been talking about. He told me that God gave us a band to play music for us. I got excited and knew who did it. God is doing His thing and getting things ready. He will give us a meeting place in a town where meeting places are limited. He will give us the equipment we’ll need when we will need it. And He will give us the money when we will need it. God is always in control even when we can’t see it.

Reviewing a Book



I read in Mark Batterson’s blog that his publisher is looking for people to read his new book “Wild Goose Chase” and write a review. They will send a book for you and another book to give away. I e-mailed the publisher to see if I can be one of the reviewers. If “Wild Goose Chase” is anything like “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy” it will be a very good read. Mark Batterson is a good blogger and a church planter like me. In fact, He was in Springfield, MO the same years I was there. He went to Central Bible College (Assembly of God) and I went to Baptist Bible College. It will be a cool opportunity if I’m chosen.

The book comes out in August and you should check it out. Better yet, buy “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy.” “In A Pit With A Lion . . .” is a challenging book for those who want to follow God in everyway.

His Pain, Your Gain




On the back of the t-shirt I wear jogging has a hand with a nail through it with the caption, “His Pain, Your Gain.” The blood was needed to wash way my sins, but I think that the worst of it for Jesus was the 3 hours he was on the cross in darkness. I’m sure the pain of the nails and the fresh lash marks were painful but I feel the worst of it was the sorrow of the separation Jesus had to go through; the hours that God the Father turned His back on His own Son. God had to look away because God is so pure, He can not look on sin and Jesus became sin for us.

The pain and agony the lost will feel for all eternity after the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus felt on the cross for 3 hours. The pain that I will never have to feel, He felt for me. Thank you my Lord and My Savior for taking my place.

People



Yesterday, I made it to Carrollton really early for the Discovery Group. I took my time and picked up our mail from the local mail store and was going to sit in my truck and read through my notes. My stomach started to tell me I was empty so I drove across the street and got something to eat. I was sitting there enjoying my food and started to look around me. There were 2 middle aged couples and a mother with 3 little children eating. I started thinking about the need that Carrollton has for Jesus. I asked God to allow me and Connection Point Church to be used to reach out to this community with His love.

The topic of last night’s group was the Feeding of the 5,000 in John 6. Other than being a miracle by Jesus, we can take away from it that God can take something small and seemingly unimportant and do something great. I shared with the group that we may be small now, but if we are willing to truly give ourselves over to God’s plans for Carrollton He will create something that only exists in our dreams. God cares for people. He gave His Son to die for people. Starting a new church where there are some already is because God wants to reach people using a different approach than the churches are doing now.

While eating, I asked God to help me never think or pray for Carrollton with dry eyes again. I want to see Carrollton the way God does; to see people who need Him.

Being Faithful to the Bible



I’ve been thinking about the responsibility I have to preach the Bible and not just speak about good topics. Being faithful to the Word of God is high on the list that I will be called on when I stand before my Father on Judgment Day. It is so easy to just speak about the topics of the Bible and not preach on what is in the Bible. It’s called on those of us who are called to be pastors to edify the “Saints of God” and encourage them to do His will. In order to do this, the principles of the Bible must be taught.

Preaching what is in the Bible does get ugly sometimes; especially when biblical truths go against today’s culture. People get upset if you hold them accountable for their actions saying not to judge them but we are told to hold each other accountable. People get set up when we preach against living together before marriage, sex before marriage, being drunk, and the like because it goes against what the world says is all right. The Apostles told the Jewish council that they should obey God and not men when they tried to stop them from preaching Jesus. It’s time for us preachers to just preach the Bible and not try to explain it. The Bible can explain itself because the Holy Spirit will show the truth to God’s children.

There is a proverb I like, “Throw a rock in pact of dogs and the one that yelps the loudest is the one who got it by the rock.” The people that get upset and/or complain are the ones the Holy Spirit is convicting them of what was preached. I rather have people upset with me when I preach truth, than God upset with me for telling bedtime stories.

Let’s be faithful in preaching the Bible.

My Favorite T-shirt



I’m not a big fan of Christian t-shirts just because most of them are hokey and/or not very Biblical. Another reason is that they tend to be very expensive for t-shirts. There is one t-shirt I had way back in college that I wore a lot. It was called “The Lord’s Gym.” The graphic (see photo to the right) is a muscular Jesus with a cross his back looking like he is doing a push up. The caption is “His Pain, Your Gain.” I just like this t-shirt.

Last week, I was thinking that since I’m running in races now I want to let my light shine. I found this t-shirt as a tank top on a website. It’s still the number one favorite t-shirt out there. The company has shipped it so I will have it in plenty of time for the 8K Mud Run on August 8th. It will be cool to wear this. Lord willing I will have people asking me about it.

Playing In The Mud

My personally is one that pushes the limits. I question just about everything, and I will try new things if they don’t go against the Bible. I do the same thing with my body. Fives year back I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane for the fun of it and will do it again sometime in the near future.

Now that I’m back into good physical shape, I’m doing the same thing with my running in 5K runs. My desire is to do a triathlon sometime next year. A few weeks ago I saw a photo of a friend running in a “Mud Run” in his Facebook profile. I asked him about it and he said it’s basically an 8K run through mud. I thought, “That would be cool to do.” I spoke with a guy at the gym I go to yesterday about races he has been in and he mentioned ASYMCA Mud Run in August. Yes, I’m registered for it. The course will be a challenge as I run, walk, trot, crawl, climb over and under mud, sand dunes, obstacles, hills, trails, walls and sand. I think for now this will be a great challenge to put myself. The run is at the home of 5 S.E.A.L. teams (NAB Little Creek in Norfolk, VA) so it will be cool to run where S.E.A.L. team members train. I’m sure they will be running in the race. The official website for this run has some cool photo. If interested in looking in the website or joining in the craziness, here’s the website: http://www.asymcamudrun.com.

Fellowship Over Starbucks



Today after work, I was able to meet with Jamie for coffee. Jamie is one of the new church planters who have moved to the area. We had a great time of talking and getting to know one another. Jamie used to work for Starbucks so he had bags of it in the house so he gave me a pound of coffee beans (way cool). It was neat to hear his background and how God opened the doors for him to move here.

Through our conversation, I learned that Jamie is a graphic artist. He has offered to do anything we need for graphic designs. It's neat to have this new contact. Next week, we (Teresa and I) will meet Jamie and his family will have lunch after church. I look forward to seeing how God will use Jamie at ODU.

Teens In Action



The meeting with Darrel went very well. As we talked about the church plant and other things, I saw in the areas I am weak he is strong. It looks like God is opening the door for us to work together. It will be great to have him and his family on the team.

One of my ideas was to see about using the teenagers Darrel has on the PCS Brazilian Mission team to help with the soon coming monthly celebration events. I was thinking about having some teens play the music and help with the children. Darrel thought this was a great idea and in fact, there are 4 young men who can do the music. It will be cool to have on the team a group of young people who can help once a month as we lay the foundation of Connection Point Church. It will be free trained help and they will get more experience they can use on the mission field next Easter week.

We’re still praying for a location to meet. The church we are praying will open there door to us will be talked with next week. God willing the doors will open. Today I’m calling the owner of a now closed used car dealership to see if he will be willing to allow us to use the property. God willing this will open up. Thanks for the prayers.

Prayer Request Answered: New Partners



I had an e-mail from a long friend of mind who I've been praying and asking God to have him and his family join us with the church plant. I've asked in passing if he and his family could pray about helping us. I've prayed in silence (saying nothing to anyone else) for new helpers. God answered this request. I meet with said friend tomorrow to talk over how we can work together. I look forward to see how God will use this new partnership. I'll keep you posted.

Pool Outreach




At the YMCA where I work out the outdoor pool has a play area for kids to play. It has all the stuff that attracts and entertains the kids so the parents can relax by the pool. The YMCA near where I live just added one of these outdoor play areas and an outdoor pool. You see families there relaxing and the kids having fun. I know of several of our church members who hang out there to enjoy some time out of the house and family fun for no money (admission is part of the monthly fees).

I was thinking today that this is an awesome opportunity to use this as an outreach to families. Since you’re there anyway, talk with the other people around you. You use what God gives you to bond with others; the children. I hang out at a local bar and grill and coffeehouse and talk with people, but if there was a YMCA near where we are reaching out to the community and if I had a child I would use it to talk with people.

Everywhere we go can be an opportunity to witness and reach out to our community. Think about where you hang out and pray for opportunities to witness.

Got a Logo

After looking around for a graphic designer that does good work, I was given a name by a fellow Church Planter last week. I'm glad to say that Josh is not only good at his craft but not expensive. He designed our logo and an awesome looking hand out about the church (postcard) size. Take a look.