Pure Church: Pretty, Superficial Preachers

Pure Church: Pretty, Superficial Preachers'

How a dead preacher drove me, motivated me, to build in something into my life that was sorely lacking.  If only I would make the time.  What does your reading list look like?  After reading this are challenged or our of gas?  For me it's a bit of both.  I'd love to hear about your yearly reading plan.  Does it look quite a bit better than mine?  Let me know.  There is a link to the story that you really should read.  It never fails to scare me a bit.

Some Goals for this Year

1.  Average 100 in Sunday School by the end of February

2.  Take our church on its first short-term mission trip

3.  See 15 people come to know Jesus for the first time

4.  See those 15 people follow Jesus into the waters of baptism

5.  Upgrade our sound and video capabilities

6.  Finally take care of that handicapped ramp and entrance

7.  Orchestrate the 1st "revival" in my term as pastor

8.  Exceed our operating budget

9.  Take in more for missions that ever before

10. Set up a ministry for men in the same vein as L.I.F.T.

11.  Average 120 in Sunday School by July

12. Have 150 in Vacation Bible School

13.  Any other ideas???

Goals for the New Year

I'm not a mega church pastor.  If I were being absolutely honest I would say, "I don't know if I want to be one."  Lots of young pastors have aspirations to be in a large church.  They see the steps they have to take to get there.  It starts with a smaller church, then a medium, then a larger medium, then a large, then a mega.  Most pastors never get there, but the ones who go this route many times start out knowing that's what they want to do and need to do.  That is not my mindset at Little Mountain.  I came to Little Mountain to plant myself there, and to see my life intertwined with theirs.  I've learned a lot and done a lot badly.  My deepest desire for our church is to see growth.  I don't want this church to be a stepping stone.  I want it to grow, and me with it.  When I say that, I mean both numerically and qualitatively.  I want our people to mature in the faith.  I want our people to reach the lost.  I want the unchurched Christians to be reached (if there's such a thing).  Growth can be good.  It's not good in and of itself, but it can very well mean that people's lives are being changed.  This new year I want to see more life change than ever before.  It has to start with our people.  Our leaders have to lead.  Our people have to come along.  We have to work harder than ever before.  But there's potential there that's untapped, and in the process of being tapped.  I don't know what God intends to do but I do believe this year will see things happen that haven't happened at Little Mountain in a long time.  I believe it will be for the better.  It's not because God told me so.  I simply have faith that He desires to do a work in our midst, and through us.  Whether that happens will not be dependent on His desire.  I believe His desire we can assume is to grow in maturity and in number.  Maybe not to "mega" status, but to meet our God given potential.  If I lose expectations of great things happening I might as well leave the ministry.  I'm already done.  I will be posting specific goals in the near future.  I believe it is important to set measurable, reachable goals.  I am bad at it, but I'm giving it a shot.  Any suggestions?

Commenting on the Blog

There are often people who visit blogs, which are meant to be interactive, without ever interacting.  The primary way of interaction is through e-mails or comments.  Both are easy to do, and take just a few short steps.  If you would like to comment, simply click on the comment button at the bottom of every post.  It will likely say at first "0 Comments."  You of course have the power to change all that.  Click the "0 Comments" and there is a form to fill out with your comment.  I like to read my own blog.  I like more to read comments on my blog.  So get the ball running.  It's really very easy!

Merry Christmas!!!

If for some crazy reason you happen to be surfing the internet the day before or the day of Christmas (I know who would do such a thing?), and you happen upon Rural American Pastor, then allow me to wish you a very Merry Christmas!  Especially if you are an attender at Little Mountain, then Merry Christmas to you and I love you all.  I look forward to seeing you Wednesday night or Sunday!  Have fun with your families and remember the Gospel is the center of Christmas, not just the birth, but also the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior.  Now get off the internet and go spend time with your family!

Off to ER

First trip to ER for baby Ava.  First trip ever actually.  She had breathing problems and couldn't seem to catch her breath overall.  Brooke woke me, and that's the deal there.  I'm tired, but out of here and on my way.  Pray for us please.  Possibly we'll pack up and head back home.  Or be there all morning. 

Josh

Unabashed Cowboys Fan, Presuppositions, and Worldviews

They are not America's team in the way they were under Tom Landry, but the Dallas Cowboys will always be my boys.  They are the greatest franchise in NFL history and I don't care what anyone says.  You really can't even argue with that statement can you?  It's irrational and beyond argumentation because I'm predisposed to believe that no matter the evidence.  

We always have presuppositions.  Those are the beliefs that we start out with prior to the argument so to speak.  They are things that are foundational beliefs that color all our other beliefs.  They all fit together to form what's called a worldview.  Your worldview is like a pair of glasses that you look through to see the world.  What your worldview is determines most everything.  It interprets the data you see.

For example, if I am an atheist, that is a part of my worldview.  It colors the way I interpret data I receive about the world.  I look at the beauty of creation, the magnificence of the universe, and the wonder of loving relationships and say "It's all a cosmic accident."  My worldview forces me to say that.

On the other hand a Christian takes the same data, and interprets it radically differently.  They view all of that and say, "Praise God whose handiwork this all is!"  It is the worldview they (we) hold that forces us to say that.  And what a joyous worldview it is.  We believe that underlying all of reality, the basis on which all of creation exists, is a personal God.  That is, a God that is not only Holy and transcendent, but stoops to our level to be near to us in a powerful way.

What is your worldview?  Think about the ways that it makes you interpret the world around you?  Thank God for His goodness and the ability to perceive it today.  I know the Cowboys thing is a stretch to start out with!  But they're on TV and on my mind.

Merry XMAS Is this a Bad Word?

We often hear about how Christ is removed from Christmas increasingly more in our culture.  This is no doubt true in many ways.  A presidential candidate recently came under intense fire for being so bold as to say "Merry Christmas" in a television spot.  This is true in many spheres of our culture.  Christmas has become secularized, consumerized, and many other interesting -izes.  From time to time we here that one example of Christ being removed from Christmas comes in the form of signs that replace Christ with X rendering it "Have a Merry XMAS."  This is pointed to as a gross removal of the true meaning of the season.  But is it?  No doubt some see it this way and in our day and age it likely has that intent behind it for many.  It is less blatant.  More politically correct perhaps?  But not originally.  We write many things in shorthand.  That's a way of making it easier for us to write out words, less time consuming, page space saving, etc.  Originally, in a place like the Roman Empire where the name Christ began to become a real life hazard for His early followers, a natural shorthand, or code word was used in place of Christ.  Essentially the "X" means Christ.  If I could write in Greek, Christ is spelled XRISTOS.  Much like the fish symbol so popular today that was also used in early Christianity as an acronym for Jesus, the "X" would have had a clear meaning to other Christians that the pagans would not have understood.  "X" is just a letter to them, but to His followers it meant Christ.  If you could write XRISTOS and be fodder for the lions in the Coliseum, or you could write "X" and other Christians know what you mean, but the rest would not, which would you write?  It's not an easy answer is it?  We face nowhere near the level of persecution those in the early church faced.  Were we faced with the same level even as the modern church in China our tunes might be different.  So when you see "Merry XMAS" on a sign somewhere this season, be discerning in your judgments.  It may be a harmless shorthand for Christ, or it may be an attempt at taking Christ out of Christmas.  Let the ones try who would try to remove Him.  They can't succeed.  Pray for them instead, that's what Jesus would do (Hey, there's another popular acronym).  

They Said It

Take a look at a couple of new articles in the sidebar; They Said It, Things From People Much Smarter Than Me.  In the spirit of Christmas, these will be informative.  Can I tell you something?  The people that write the articles that are on the sidebar over there -> are brilliant.  In fact they're so brilliant that when I read them, I want to quit.  Quit what?  Everything.  That's how brilliant they are.  Let's just say God blessed them.  So read what they say.  It's not Scripture, but it is ALWAYS good.

A Deeper Look at Christmas Traditions

Every Wednesday night our church participates in what we call "A Deeper Look."  It's an opportunity for us to examine a topic, a Scriptural passage, a verse, or a congregational question in more depth than we'd have the opportunity to do on an average Sunday worship service.  Tonight we'll be taking a look at the history behind many of our every year Christmas traditions.  Unfortunately there are dozens of traditions we won't have time to cover, but there are a few important ones that we will.  We'll look at the December 25th traditional date for the observation of Christmas.  Why do we celebrate it then?  Come find out.  What about Christmas trees?  Anything in the Bible about Christmas trees?  Well, no, but they're fun, and we'll see where they come from.  Along with the trees we'll examine the lights and decorations and why we do that.  In addition, we'll finish off with the jolly man in the red suit.  Yes, Santa, the kind-hearted saint that flew into Bethlehem on December 25th, just in time to catch the birth of Jesus.  Not sure about that one?  That's b/c obviously that's not where Santa originated.  Want to know the truth?  Come find out.  It's gonna be informative, fun, and enlightening, and you will DEFINITELY learn something you didn't know before.  Join us at 7:00 for A Deeper Look at Christmas Tradition

Late Goodnight Thoughts

I'm trying to slowly work my way through John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life."  I'm struck by the zeal he has for the glory of God displayed in the cross.  We are zealous for many things.  I regularly taunt my SC Gamecock friends about Clemson's total domination in the rivalry.  Why?  I'm zealous about Clemson football.  I regularly hail the latest movie I saw to my friends, convincing them why they too would enjoy the movie and should go see it.  Why?  I am zealous about good entertainment.  I have many heated political debates (at least I used to) extolling the virtues of conservative politics.  Why?  I am zealous about the conservative views of government.  How often to I boast in the glory of God revealed in the cross of Jesus Christ?  With so much small talk (not a totally bad thing), so much conversation about things that do not ultimately matter a bit, where in those conversations is the cross?  We like men who are powerful.  We respect the man who claims to have pulled himself up by his bootstraps to climb the ladder of success.  This is not what the cross is about.  The cross is the triumph of power in weakness.  The power of what is not powerful.  The glory of what is despised.  The victory of defeat.  It's the paradox that rules our lives.  That in the act of executing Jesus as a common criminal, the spotless sacrifice that would take away our stains was humbled and then glorified.  So will we be too one day.  I do not tremble enough at the piddling little thoughts that occupy my time.  I don't fear enough the trivialities that fill my consciousness.  If I was overcome by the glory of the cross then how could I remain fixated on the least important facets of life.  Die to self.  Take up your cross and follow me.  The call is come and die so you might live.  More paradox.  Die to live.  Live to die.  That Christ may be magnified in my life.  The cross is not easy.  It is not pretty when you really think about it.  It's simply the most necessary act that's ever been performed on our behalf.  Goodnight.  Sleep well.  Dream about the cross.  Dream of how it will affect you when you wake up.  Let it grip you.  Goodnight.

Children and the Joy and Pain of Self-Denial

There are few things in this world that teach a person more about self-denial than having children.  I certainly would not say it is the only thing that teaches this.  There are some that are physically unable to have children.  God knows this and will teach you in other ways.  But for those who are able, and have taken the plunge, there is no better way to illustrate what it means to deny yourself on behalf of another.  A baby enters the world physically helpless.  Totally dependent on another, namely the parents.  A man and wife that decide to have children will soon learn that their lives are no longer their own.  Yes a child is an independent person with their own body and soul.  But in the years the child is under your care, they belong to you.  Under God, you've been given stewardship of your children and every parent knows that from pregnancy on, nothing remains the same.  I can glibly say that the joy outweighs the pain of your self-denial.  But like every form of self-denial it's not so automatic.  There are dark days.  Days where you're unsure whether you're fit for the job, certain someone else would do much better than you.  Yet you persevere, another fine lesson of parenthood.  You wake up at any and all hours of the night, and if you desire to care for your child you have no choice but to forsake sleep.  And it is relentless, the fatigue.  You change your patterns of living.  You can no longer go where you want, do what you want, and have no one to answer to except you and your similarly mobile spouse.  But a child throws a wrench into all that.  Now every plan revolves around the baby.  When will she sleep?  When will she eat?  Is it not too cold for us, but too cold for them?  Is packing and taking all the things the baby will need worth the effort just to run to the mall?  Or even church?  Many will say no.  It is not worth the effort.  "I very much like my freedom, and am not ready for a little baby to change all of that."  Others will say it is more than worth it.  The joy of raising a tiny human far outweighs the pain of self-denial.  But which is correct?  I do not wish to say someone waiting to have children is morally deficient or wrong.  But I question the motives.  Is it really for the sake of the child or for the sake of personal freedom?  I believe it leans towards the latter, personal freedom.  Self-denial hurts.  Giving up you freedom hurts.  Yet without self-denial we cannot know what it means to be Christ's disciple.  That is again not to say this can't happen without children.  It is to say children are the most effective way to learn this lesson.  It is a natural byproduct of attempting to be a good steward of parenthood.  No one trying to be a good parent can fail to be taught this lesson.  It "comes with the territory" as they say (who is "they?").  I would encourage a married couple to go the path of most resistance.  Learn the lessons of self-sacrifice.  Take them as you learn them as a parent and transfer that to your relationships with other people.  The lessons work for most any relationship.  If you've read this far and have children, congratulations, I'd like to say keep pushing forward, learn from your mistakes, and be careful to be good stewards of the gifts of children.  If you are married, can have children, yet choose not to, I say examine your motives.  Are they selfish reasons or sacrificial loving reasons?  There is an obvious difference.  You will know if you're honest with yourself.  Now reexamine your reasons, and ask if not having kids is God glorifying now?  If not, then when will it be?  When is the right time?  There will always be a part of your flesh begging not to have kids.  Begging you to fill yourself with yourself.  And so there will always be excuses.  Sometimes they will be good ones.  Sometimes they won't.  Do you wish to deny yourself more than you ever imagined you could?  Then married friends and acquaintances, try for children.  The joy will overcome the pain.  The laughter will overcome the tears most often.  It will never be easy.  Nothing worth doing usually is.  But it is infinitely worthy.  

More They Said Its

A couple of posts on some of the recent violent happenings. What exactly has happened in our world? Check them out over on the sidebar at "They Said It, Things From People Much Smarter Than Me." I've left the "Golden Compass" posts still over there. You should also read them and be aware.

I Will Not Waste My Life This Year; Or my single New Year's resolution...

We will be embarking on about a 7 week journey starting December 30th here at Little Mountain. It's going to be called "I Will Not Waste My Life This Year; Or my single New Year's Resolution." Most years we make a list of resolutions half of which we don't intend to keep and the other half we fail to keep. This year the challenge will be just one resolution. One resolution with many sub points. It could alternately be called "How to Waste Your Life This Year," b/c the opposite of the things we will look at will result in one more wasted year tacked onto the 80 year average of wasted years. How many years have you wasted? Maybe you haven't wasted the whole year, but on the whole the year was more wasted than not. Then you think starting around December 20th, this next year will be different and here are all the reasons why...."I won't smoke, I won't overeat, I will go to church faithfully, I will give, and I will be more romantic with my wife/husband." Good luck with all that. As for me? Just this one. If I can fulfill this one then much else will fall into place.

Catchiest Song Ever?

Ever see the ipod nano commercial where the ipods lie against a white background and hands keep removing the top ipod to reveal another different colored one underneath with a video playing on the lcd screen? OK good. Remember the song? 1,2,3,4...I know this blog is altogether pointless but I can't stop listening to this song on my ipod. It just keeps sounding in my head, and the song is actually good. This is the song that you sing falling asleep that keeps you awake. This is the song playing in your head when you wake up. This is the song you sing in the shower. This is the song that you sing over the top of other songs. The beat is like a continual heartbeat. Steady, head bobbing. 1,2,5,6,9 and 10, money can't buy you back the love that you had! What a great line? Or is it? I don't know. All I know is that Apple sells with style, and this song is a perfect example.

Christmas Songs and Staring Out the Window On Christmas Eve

When I was a kid (we still do this every year), we'd go to my grandparents on Christmas Eve.  It was a HUGE gathering of family from Mema and Papa, Mom and Dad, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Brother, Sister, and the Greats (aunt and uncle).  We'd always eat supper first which made the kids CRAZY b/c we were ready to get to the presents, and they'd always have to clean up after supper before the presents.  That is all a story in itself, but this post is about the ride home.  The ride home from my grandparents was one of the most magical moments in the history of my childhood.  It was usually very late by a child's standards, 11 or 11:30 at night, and it was always cold and dark.  As we rode we listened to Christmas music on the radio and me, my brother, and my sister (both younger) would look out the window the whole ride home watching for Santa and his sleigh.  Some nights we saw nothing, and others we were quite sure we caught a glimpse of the jolly fat man in the red suit.  The build up on the way home was intense.  See my parents would sneak off at some point in the day on Christmas Eve and set up the house like Santa had been there already.  It was somehow so believable then.  We felt like the luckiest kids on earth b/c we knew he'd come to our house as one of the first.  As we pulled in, my parents would get the camera and GIGANTIC camcorder out, asking all the while, "You think he's already come?"  We'd excitedly get out of the car and for some reason nervously make our way to the door.  Then the moment would hit.  We opened the front door, turned the lights on, and there it'd all be, laid out across the den waiting on us.  But even though I don't always remember each year what we walked in to, I'll never forget the 25 minute ride home that always seemed like an eternity.  Do you have Christmas memories like that?  

Understanding the Golden Compass

The new movie, "The Golden Compass" is already the most controversial film among Christians in a very long time. The author of the books the movie is based on (last name Pullman), is an avowed atheist with a blatant agenda to tear down religious belief, or belief in God period. It is a blatant attack wearing the clothing of a children's story. He went to war on faith, and millions of men, women, and children will unknowingly walk into the movie theater and walk out never realizing what they've just seen is an attempt to get generations of people to believe there is no God. I won't go into anymore depth, but I'd encourage you STRONGLY to click on the links to 2 articles about the movie in the right sidebar (They Said it: Things from People Much Smarter than Me). Let me know what you think.

"I hate myself and want to die"

Whoa, not me. Not literally anyway. It's the title of a song written and released by the 90's rock band Nirvana. Their lead singer reportedly would answer "How are you doing" questions with this line. Kurt Cobain went on to commit suicide in 1994 by shooting himself in the head with a shotgun. It's a tragic end to a strangely troubled life. Whether in a sarcastic tone or not, anyone who would answer "How are you?" with "I hate myself and want to die" is a troubled man. Plagued with strange demons (not necessarily literally).

Yet in a strange way it is not altogether uncommon to experience self-hatred. The enemy uses that to his advantage, including those who follow Jesus. Ask yourself a question. Have you ever had feelings of self-hatred when you sin? Even as a child of God? Feelings of such strong guilt that you feel like you're beyond the love of the Father? So much so that when you look in the mirror you're so disgusted with what you see that you're not sure you want to see yourself again. (Ol' Faithful Internet Monk explains this phenomenon well here. Read it and prepare to have your mind read to you).

The enemy would say to you "Run and hide from God. You're so very dirty and God wants nothing to do with you." Not unlike Silar from the TV show Heroes in last nights episode. He induces so much guilt on the part of the Mya character (actually quite a bore of a storyline), that he has her believe she wanted to kill her brother's wife and that he hates her for doing so (an act she had NO control over at the time).

The Gospel says to us rather than "Run and hide, you're far too dirty for God," "Run TO God, you've already been forgiven in Jesus Christ. Nothing you can do will cause God to love you more or less." We struggle mightily with this. It's easier to allow self-hate to cloud and consume you than it is to rest in God's forgiveness of you in Jesus. When we betray God, which happens on a regular basis, our flesh lets us know and believe that we now sit in infinite guilt. It's hard to explain the difference between guilt and conviction in a saint of God. Conviction is the Holy Spirit's way of getting us to repent. When we once repent and turn, any guilt is induced by the enemy and not by God.

So when you sin, child of God, don't run away from God. Don't hide your face in shame. Take the conviction as an opportunity for repentance and restoration. Take the guilt then, and throw it away. Claim the precious promise of God that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." You may have to tell yourself that again and again. But please don't answer God's conviction with "I hate myself and want to die." Answer it by repenting and then resting in forgiveness.

To KJV or not to KJV

There is a quarrel that looks more like a battlefield among some Christians and even entire regions of Christians against others over what particular translation of the Bible is the correct one. Which one is the inspired one? Which one is most accurate, or according to some completely word for word accurate? Nevermind that I don't have the space to address this issue properly in a blog, is this something to divide over?

The divinity of Jesus? The inspiration, infallibility, innerrent nature of the Bible? The Trinity? The nature of salvation by Jesus alone? All things we must divide over if there is ever debate questioning it. There is a place to take your stand and fight your battles. If you're going to fight a battle, choose it wisely, and stay close to those key doctrinal statements of faith.

The questions surrounding Bible translations are legitimate, important questions that we must ask. They should be tactfully addressed. They are worthy things to study. This is not the battleground to fight over. I've read literature from many camps over the course of years. I will confess that I rarely take seriously any side that comes out and says they have and know the ONLY legitimate translation of God's word, and that all others are corrupt and sometimes they will go as far as to say they are of the devil.

How do you even debate that? If someone thinks your copy of the Scriptures was inspired by the Dark Lord, then you've started out a few points behind in that person's book. I've taken my position over the course of time and much study and prayer. Many translations have much to offer. Many are wholly inadequate. Many are somewhere in between. I can learn from an ESV, NIV, NASB, KJV, just fine. Some are easier to understand than others. None do claim within the Bible itself that their translation is the final say so from God.

In the coming year I will likely preach a series on the Bible where we will address these particular questions. If you are an attender or member at Little Mountain then keep your ears peeled for more soon.

They Said It (update)

Check the links under "They Said it (Things from people much smarter than me). One link is from my former pastor during Seminary. He's only about 34 but he's a brilliant communicator. The other is by one of my favorite Southern Baptist Convention employees, Ed Stetzer. Both offer links to conference stuff about Calvinism in the SBC. This has been a growing conflict that's caused much hurt and many rifts in churches needlessly. Which JC do you follow? John Calvin or Jesus Christ? It makes a lot of difference. Let us pray that we will not engage in foolish controversies or quarrel about words. Check the links out. What do you think?

Ends and Beginnings

I haven't posted in about a 5 or 6 days now and the reason is that much has happened in between then and now. Our church has lost 2 faithful and priceless men in exactly a weeks time. Both left the tent of their earthly bodies and went to be with Christ. They're waiting even now for the resurrection. Both happened suddenly and surprisingly although neither was totally unexpected. As I left the hospital about 3 am Monday morning I had the thought in my head that a church is just a generation away from extinction (or something like that). As we lose those pillars of our local church we lose a wealth of experience, wisdom, and faithfulness. But if we open our eyes we'll find that we've not lost it, but now have an opportunity to use it. The way to honor the memory of the faithful ones who've gone before us is to move forward ourselves. To reach out and exert our energy in reproducing a younger generation of disciples to carry the work forward. It's always been this way. When one moves on, another can step in and carry the torch.

I examined myself and our church to see if we were doing everything we could to make disciples in the generations below those great older members. The question, "Are we multi-generationally friendly" if that makes sense, is an important and difficult question. How do we move on without forgetting what happened before us? How do we honor those still among us while evolving our methods to reach the next generations? That's an age old question that I'd love to know the answer to.

All I know is that in one week we saw 2 ends and 3 beginnings. While we mourn the loss of the 2 dear men whom everyone loved, we had an opportunity to see the spiritual journey of 3 young believers get a kick start on Sunday night as they passed through the waters of baptism. It was a joy to see them follow Christ in obedience to His command. Now the real work begins. The work of taking new converts to Jesus and showing them how their spiritual conversion looks in their everyday life. That's really discipleship. Showing and teaching people to look more like the master each day in all the thousands of regular things we do.

I will miss these 2 men that went on before me. I knew both only about 9 months, but they left a mark. Will the generation that follows have the chance to leave a similar mark? To care about the work of the ministry going on at Little Mountain enough to sacrifice to take part in it? I despair sometimes because I know I can't make that happen. Yet at the same time, God faithfully lets me know it was never my joy to "make" anything happen. He'll be faithful to take care of that. I'm responsible to faithfully do what I can do. Pray for our church. Pray that God would raise up a mighty army of faithful men and women to transform and change not only ourselves but our community and world.

Website Update

Just a quick note to let you know the church website has been updated with a new article you may find mildly amusing. It's entitled, "Jesus, James Bond, and Christmas." Intrigued? Even if you're not, stop by the site and check it out. In other news, lmbchurch.net has received over 600 hits in the past 30 days. Not bad for a Rural American Church.

Marriage. Have I Not Paid Attention?

There is a series of articles on a blog I regularly read about the myth of the ideal marriage more or less. His contention is that evangelicals promote an idealized form of marriage that looks very little like real life marriages. That these "real" marriages have problems. Real and not simply petty disagreements. Real marriages don't look like a '50's television sitcom (NOTE: He did not actually say that, but it's a reasonable statement based on the gist of the articles).

The frustrating thing for this man is that there is no teaching about marriage at the real, nitty gritty, not always a picnic level. There is plenty about submission and male headship and the Ephesians 5 marriage, but in practice we're too stained with indwelling sin still to look just like that. He says much more than all this, but this is enough to make my point.

Where is he going for his "evangelical marriage teaching." I've heard few, including several mega-church pastors that one would think would be the 1st to stylize marriage, actually do so. Most I've ever heard were open about the facts. Marriages aren't perfect. They're sometimes messy. We sometimes fight. We don't always make up right away, and sadly sometimes not at all. Every pastor I've been exposed to handled this with remarkable honesty. They were all frank about the less the perfect marriages they are a part of. There was no straw man telling me that if "You will lead, your wife will submit, then marriage will always work just right."

So the question I have in all this is; Has he constructed a straw evangelical preacher man to knock down. The straw preacher who isn't transparent. The straw preacher who preaches about victory NOW in Jesus in you marriage. The straw preacher who says "Leadership, Submission, and a Good Bible" will be all you need to keep you from wandering through your marriage. I think the straw preacher man is less common in reality these days. Maybe he still preaches in many pulpits, and maybe I just haven't paid attention.

Sidenote: There is much more to this article than I had time to include. But if half the body is a straw man, what's the other half?

When I Don't Feel Like Going to God...

Is the time of greatest urgency...
Is the time of greatest danger...
Is the time I need Him most...
Is the time I want Him least...
Is the time I don't want discipline...
Is the time I feel I deserve it...
Is the time I am most desperate...
Is the time He is so willing...
Is the time He is still waiting...
Is the time His blood was shed for...
Is the time I am still His child...
Is the time I became alive for...
Is the time that I should go to Him.

30 Year Olds in College Clothes

The last post was sort of metaphorical, scriptural, type musings based on God's word. This one is sort of more personal, embarrassing, and close to home. I'm now officially 30 years old. Yes, November 17th makes me a man no longer in his 20's. It's also official that I am now able to be branded as someone stuck in another decade. I wear flip-flops and I'm not a hippie. I wear t-shirts and blue jeans and I'm not a rock star. I still have a shadow where once grew a goatee, and a rather magnificent one at that. I don't feel 30. I don't look 30, but there is no getting around the fact that I am 30. 30 years old and still dressed up in the trappings of a college student. I find it hard to let go. I am now the guy wearing member's only jackets in the 90's. I'm the guy listening to 80's hair bands in the grunge age. In short I'm the guy I made fun of when I was half-way cool. I'm also a married father of two girls. I'm cornier than ever. I would rather spend the evening on the couch than out on the town. Some things change while others remain the same. 30 isn't anything more than a number, but it's a symbol as well. A symbol that it's time to move on. To face the realities of life, and quit trying to just "be me." That was a rather embarrassing stage of life. The refusal to grow up b/c it didn't "fit" my personality. I've got a lot more to learn as a father, husband, pastor, son, etc. But thankfully to God I've learned so much already. 30 more years is right around the corner God willing. At 30 being stuck at 20 is inexcusable. At 60 being stuck at 50 is forgivable. I'll wake up there tomorrow. In the blink of an eye. Then I'll be wearing black socks with shorts and penny loafers. I'll wear white socks with dress pants. My lasik will have worn off. And I hope I'll be exactly where God wants me to be.

Wolves Wearing Sheep Clothes

Every church has them. They always have from the very beginning. They come in unnoticed at first. Possibly b/c we're not watching out for them. Possibly b/c we're not aware they're out there wanting to come in. If we'd just pay a little attention we'd notice they smell different, they act different, and they eat differently. We might have noticed a sheep or two missing. Gone from the flock without a trace. We act ambivalent, like it's just a curious oddity. Then we hear the murmuring. 1st it's dull chatter, then louder and more specific. "We think one of our sheep is not a sheep. We think there is a wolf among us." How did we let that happen? How does any church let that happen? A wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf. Did we not know how wolves act? Did we not understand their kind of hunger? They only want to eat sheep. At that point it's really pretty late in the game. The wolf has taken some of our own, eaten them and spit the bones back out. We scramble to find a way to get rid of the wolf, but we've been caught unawares. We never recognized the threat that had gotten in through the defenses. Truthfully we had very weak defenses. The sheep didn't listen to the Master's words. Or if they did, they chose not to obey. And so it was only inevitable that one day a wolf, or maybe a pack of wolves, would wreak havoc in our fold. If we'd only heeded the warning. If we'd only listened for the traits of the wolf so we'd recognize it when we saw it. Maybe it never would have happened. Now we pick up the pieces, knowing that at least the end for the wolf will be worse than the harm he has done. It won't be the same, but by the Shepherd's grace, perhaps it will be better. If we'll only heed the voice of the Shepherd.

Ava Grace Photos Updated

I've updated the photo page from Ava Grace's birthday. Check out the pics of the new tied for first place most beautiful little girl in the world here.

They Said It

What was formerly known as Joshua's Shared Items (very boring and dull) has been given a face lift. Actually just a name change. If you look to the sidebar over on the right of this blog you'll find something called, "They Said It...Things from people much smarter than me." These will be articles and tidbits of information from people who say things in ways that are much better than I could ever say them. YOU SHOULD CLICK ON THESE EVERYTIME YOU SEE IT UPDATED. Some of these men will be brilliant. Others will simply nail something down in an unusual way that would cause me to say "Well said, Hear, Hear!" You'll be smarter if you'll read these. Trust me on this one.

The Overlooked Holiday

The build up is intense. It's massive actually. If an alien from another planet happened to land anywhere in the United States from October 1st to the beginning of November they would think that Halloween is the most celebrated and anticipated Holiday in America. What would they think of our trick or treating, outlandish costumes and obsession with candy? What would happen if they landed here a few days after Halloween? What would they find? Christmas. Decorations, songs, sales, etc. In every store following October 31st, you'll find the Christmas scene being rolled out. Then, tucked nicely in between Halloween and Christmas, there would be a little blip on the radar somewhere around the last full week of November. Would they notice it? We call it Thanksgiving. Many know it as "the day before we do all of our Christmas shopping day." Yes, Thanksgiving is one of the most overlooked if not the most overlooked holiday we have. Why is that? I believe it has something to do with our consumerism. At Halloween you get lots of candy. At Christmas you get mounds of toys. But at Thanksgiving you just think about all the candy and toys without actually getting any. It's hard for stores to make money off of a Holiday where people are simply mindful and thankful for what they have. It's much easier when we're all doling things out. I think it's tragic that the day we've set aside to specifically thank God for all He's done is squeezed between Vampire masks and Santa Claus so that it's just a Holiday we get past in order to move closer to Christmas. I for one, would love to see an emphasis reemerge on Thanksgiving. Time where we set aside consumerism and getting and giving and are simply thankful to God Almighty for what He's doing and has done in our lives. And in our country. And in our world. And also, for what He's doing through Jesus Christ. It may make retailers angry. It may slow down our economy a blip. But it may just gladden the heart of God. Of course one day out of 365 1/4 days is not very much, but it's a start.

Home from the Hospital

We left the hospital today at about 1 and are settling in with Ava Grace in her new setting. She's handled it like a champ. She's actually handled much like her father, by sleeping for hours at a time. I feel like someone's drugged me with some powerful sleeping potion. Brooke is doing so great I can't believe it. You would never know she went through labor a few days ago. It's absolutely astounding. I guess with Kate being such a difficult delivery I assumed they were all like that. In any case we're excited to get back to life outside the hospital and adjusting to two little girls will be a real change, but a welcome one. Thanks to anyone reading this for your prayers and support. We appreciate each one lifted up to the Lord. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

The Comment Post

If you're not able to visit us at the hospital we certainly understand, but that shouldn't exclude you from the visitor book! Leave a comment here on this post. We'll check it, and that will be just as good as a visit. Simply click on the comment link at the bottom of each post and tell us your name and any message you may have. We love each of you.

Link to More Pics

Here's the link to some more photos at Picasa Web. This link should take you directly to the photo album. Check them out here.

The Pipes are at Full Force

She cried at 1st but once in "mommy's" arms she got rather calm.

Welcome to the World!

At 12:52 p.m. today, Ava Grace Phillips was born into the world. For the women, she was 7 pounds 12 ounces, and I have no idea how long she is. Brooke did so well, and is feeling great. I will post some photos of the baby soon. We appreciate all prayers and support. Hope to see and hear from you soon.

Josh and Brooke

Rise and Shine

Tomorrow morning at 5:00 Brooke and I will wake up, take showers, and head to the hospital to meet our new baby. I believe I will have access to the internet from the hospital so I will post some pictures, and post a few blog entries, so check back often to see pictures of the new tied for the cutest girl in the world. If you're in driving distance stop by and see us. We are pumped!

Fight or Flight?

God created us with an interesting trait that's built in to who we are. He gave us adrenaline and programmed us with instinct so that in any given situation if our body senses trouble, it naturally reacts in a certain way. The instincts come alive when the adrenaline starts pumping and we're being prepared for 1 of 2 things. Either we will stay and fight or we will flee to get away. It's a part of our survival. This happens to us when we're in the woods and we see a bear, when we're in a dark alley and we see a shadow, or when we're in the early stages of an argument. It's the last one I want to hit on for a minute. Because there is a 3rd choice that humans have when the adrenaline starts pumping and we know we're in for a fight. We can take the opportunity presented to us as a chance to love the other person the way that Jesus loved them. "Wait a second, that's not in my nature?" Exactly. It's not in your nature. When we're cornered we want to fight or to slip off and escape. Rarely will we desire to stay and love our criticizer. But for the Christian fight or flight can't be our only 2 options. Too much to say and not enough time. Stop back in later.

Oh, the irony of it all...

Evangelical Christians in the United States are currently in the middle of a self-inflicted embarrassment over the financial dealings of 6 prominent "televangelists." There's a lot I could say about this situation, but here's a link to someone who said it all in a far more interesting sort of way. Read Dan Edelen's post Too Much. Be warned; this is ugly and could make you uncomfortable. Don't say I didn't tell you so!

Deal w/Don't Avoid

I read a very interesting quote today that got my mind racing in regards to personal criticism. It said, "To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." Isn't that the only way to avoid being criticized? Pastors are especially susceptible to criticism because of their visibility and responsibility. It will always be a heavy burden being a pastor by the very nature of the calling. But if you're called by God, you cannot avoid criticism. The truth is, you shouldn't even try. That sounds surprising, but there's a liberating thought that always comforts me; "You can't please everyone all the time." A real pastor isn't even in the business of pleasing. A real pastor is in the shepherding business. We get to experience with our people all the joys and happiness, and we rejoice in those times with our people. We pray for those times. We seek them out. But maybe more often we're involved not in the joys and happiness, but in the darkness and heartache of our people. In those times we hurt with our people. We cry with them. We pray for them. We never seek them out, but we do our best to be there when they happen. Unfortunately sometimes we can't. People think criticism of the pastor rolls off his back. That he's somehow immune from the feelings normal people have. It's a lie. It's totally untrue. We hurt as bad as the next person, and take it just as personally. It's just that God calls all Christians, including pastors to deal with criticism in a godly way. If it can't be avoided it can be dealt with like Jesus would deal with it. You know He received His fair share of criticism too. I count it joy to receive anything that my Savior received. SO even though it hurts, pastors and Christians, press on. I preached on the Golden Rule last Sunday. One major point I made is that we treat others in 2 ways. 1) The way our loving God treats us. 2) The way we'd want others to treat us. That should happen regardless of how we feel, and regardless of how others treat us. It's easier said than done, but I've got to eat the same thing I feed others. If you're criticized frequently or even rarely, 1st ask yourself if the criticism is fair. If it is put pride aside and repent. If it's not then deal with the criticizer in a Christ like way. Jesus loved even those who put Him to death. He calls us to do the same. God my prayer now and always is, "Let me treat others with Your love at all times, and so reflect glory on your precious name."

5 Full Days and Counting

Ava Grace Phillips is preparing to make her grand entrance into the world in about 5 days, prayerfully sooner. My perhaps delusional dream is that when we go to the doctor today he'll tell us, "Wow you look ready right now. Let's get you admitted to the hospital." That's not too much to ask since my wife's been having contractions for a week now. My gut says, "You'll just have to wait it out." God's always trying to test my patience. Patience is truly one of the hardest virtues to learn. I usually find myself expressing to God my already well developed sense of it. Like I told the church on Sunday, "Who am I fooling? Sometimes myself, but never God." He knows I need to continue to mature in this area. Who doesn't? Children are the surest way to test your patience level. I'll post soon on Children and Sanctification. This is one of the most practical lessons I've learned in a long time. I hope it will help you when you're fooling yourself about it.

Sunday Reflections

This past Sunday was yet again a wonderful day for us at Little Mountain. I earnestly believe that God is moving in the hearts of our people, and it's clear that people are being convicted. I pray for a revival among our people, and only God can make that happen. We're drawing near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, and with it our "New Kind of Human" series. We took a look at the Golden Rule from Matthew 7:12. What did we learn from it?

1. The Golden Rule is our Response to our Gracious and Generous Father - B/c the Father gives good gifts to His children, we ought to respond in like manner to those we come in contact with.
2. The Golden Rule is an Action Rule - It's a call for us to act. Many religions tell you how not to treat others, but Jesus makes it clear that His command is that we act in love towards others. We can't ignore their needs. We treat them well no matter how we feel about them or how they act towards us.
3. The Golden Rule is an Application of the OT - The OT has much to tell us about how we ought to treat others. Jesus gives us the summarized Cliff's Notes version of all of that. In other words if you want to follow the OT ethical teachings about how we treat others, then follow the Golden Rule.

It's not easy or automatic by any means. In fact following the GR is impossible by purely human strength. We can't simply will ourselves to do it. It must be our work in conjunction with the Holy Spirit's empowering in our hearts. Pray that God would empower you to respond to His love by acting in love towards others.

Tech Obsessed

I can't stop. I'll admit it. Every time I get some free alone time I'm obsessed with messing around with technology that is relatively new to me. This blog, my family blog, our church website and now Google Analytics, Picasso web galleries, and web hosting for podcasting. These are all amazing tools to help connect with people via a medium that wasn't available for most of the last several thousand years. This stuff is keeping up at night. Instead of sleeping I'm researching whether .mac is a worthy investment to get 10 gigs of web space for podcasts and sermon audio, or whether another option is better. It's 1:25 am and I'm writing about my obsession. I should have been in bed an hour and a half ago. Somebody please stop me.

Apologetics and Emptiness

I used to be, and to a certain extent still am, fascinated by reading apologetics materials. Debates and papers, books and magazine articles that attempt to fend off criticism of God, the Bible, the Church, Christianity, etc., all hold an important place in my mind. Years ago when confronted with skeptics it thrilled my heart and opened up new worlds for me when I discovered books like Mere Christianity and The Evidence that Demands a Verdict. These books and those like them helped me to understand that thinking people can reasonably believe in the story of Jesus and everything that goes along with it. But I soon discovered that endless research and vigorously devouring any and all apologetic writings still left me feeling hungry. What I mean is, these things point you to the real thing but can't take the place of it. Apologetics doesn't comfort in times of sadness. Debate can never produce real life change. It's filler but not filling. It has its place. We don't need to be unthinking or shun reason. It's just that God hasn't chosen to reveal Himself through the world's wisdom. Paul said as much if you don't believe me. I'm no anti-intellectual but apologetics can be like Chinese food, you can eat a lot and be hungry a few hours later. It's not "the Bible and nothing else," but if you only have time for one or the other, opt for the Bible. Feast on it and snack on the rest. Not the other way around.

Tell Me About Jesus

Don't tell me your opinions.
Don't even give me words that belong to you.
Really I don't want to know what you think.
Tell me the words of life.
Tell me the story of Jesus.
Tell it over and over again.
That's what the Bible is about.
Every Testament, every book, every page, every word.
Each and all together point to Him.
When I need comfort read them to me.
When I need strength quote them to me.
Nothing else can take the place of the precious word of God.
Just tell me about Jesus.

The Hardest Goodbye

Since becoming a pastor back in February I've had an opportunity to be a part of several funerals for elderly men and women. Without question no funeral is easy. I've had the privilege of burying some people who walked with God for many years. People whose funeral was written long before they passed away. The kind where everyone says, "They wrote their own funeral through the way they lived their life." I've also been a part of saying goodbye to some who only by the profession of their mouth was it at all possible to say they knew Jesus. Those are a bit more difficult. All, however have lived a long life. Today, though I didn't take part in the funeral, I attended the hardest goodbye I've seen in my short ministry. As I watched the ministers talk I wondered how I'd be able to make it through were I in their shoes. As I watched the video presentation of the young girl's life flash on the screen I had to look away. It was too hard to see. As I looked at her I saw my daughter and my throat welled up and I was thankful no one tried to talk to me during it. I wouldn't have been able to answer. I was there too late to even be in the sanctuary so I watched on a television and couldn't see the reaction to the family. I can only imagine the visceral emotions that welled up inside of them, and if they didn't let it out they're stronger than I am. There's no good reason to have to say goodbye to your 14 year old child. I don't care that I'm a pastor. I don't care that I'm an adult. I'm a human and a father and I don't want to ever have to do what that family did today. Yet the words of the pastor were the words of God, and that's the ONLY hope we have. That Christ is raised and so we will be too some sweet day. That the tomb our bodies rest in will be broken into by life, where before they dwelled in death. That the same God who said hello to us when we passed away will reunite us with new and perfect bodies. Bodies that will live forever with our savior, Jesus Christ. With those words, Paul said "Comfort each other." And it is a comfort. It's a comfort during the hardest goodbye anyone will ever say. I don't want to say it, but if I do I want someone to tell me about Jesus. About the resurrection. About the Hope of Glory. Nothing else will do. Nothing else is comfort. One day I'd love to meet the girl that was taken on this past Friday. Because of Jesus I'll get that chance. I'm more thankful her mom and dad will get that chance someday.

Sunday Reflections

This will be a regular post for me on Sunday evenings as I reflect on one of the busiest days of the week for any pastor. It seems lately that the Holy Spirit has brought conviction in the hearts of the people in our church. God's Word today provoked conviction, praise, thanksgiving, and likely hidden things I never saw. The message this morning was from Matthew 7:7-11 (Ask, Seek, Knock). The point was our persistence and God's generosity as a father. I'd like to take a deeper look at how when we refuse to be persistent, it indicates a lack of faith, and says to God, "I don't know if you've got it, so I'll take over." We mistakenly believe that it's somehow more spiritual to pray for something once, and then leave it at that. According to Jesus that's a wrong view of prayer. "Keep on asking and you'll receive; Keep on seeking and you will find; Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." What are you holding onto because you refuse to continually bring it to our generous father in prayer? Holding onto it isn't doing God any favors, and you'd do well to remember that.

Remember to check us out on the web at www.lmbchurch.net

Sin, Guilt, and Deliverance

There are times in every believers life when we sin a particularly "sinful sin." These are the types of sins that make it difficult for us to even go to God with confession and repentance. We think to ourselves, "That sin is too bad for even God to deal with." When we think thoughts like that and act on them by listening to ourselves we are exactly where the enemy would like us to be. The whispers in your ear that accuse you of guilt are not the whispers of God. The ones telling you "That's too bad to go to God over" are not the thoughts of God. The New Covenant we are part of in Jesus Christ tells us that our standing before God is now and always based solely on the blood of Jesus. That it is Christ's sacrificial death for us that allows us to stand before God as sinners and be looked on as saints. Anytime we fall prey to the lie that we can't go to God with one sin or another we've let the enemy gain a foothold and said the New Covenant isn't enough for us. That there's something we need to add. We have nothing to add. God knows that. Do you? When you feel especially guilty, that is exactly the right time to go before God and repent and confess. You have nothing else to give. Before you confess and repent you feel conviction from the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, you feel guilt and that guilt is not from God. It's from the enemy. Listen to conviction. Shun post-confession guilt.

The God Who Answers

We're studying the Sermon on the Mount and we come this Sunday to the "Ask, Seek, Knock" passage. We serve a God who still answers our prayers. As strange as it seems to ask for something from a God who knows all your needs, He still desires that we present our requests to Him. Check out this link from a very interesting blog I regularly read; http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/what-do-you-do-when-god-answers-your-prayer

Any thoughts from the link?

The Questions we Ask...

The past few days I've had an opportunity to be on the inside of the most tragic situation of my short stint in the ministry. On Friday at lunch a 14 year old girl, so full of life, was taken from this world in an instant. Meanwhile her 16 year old sister is in a touch and go situation, on a ventilator, with her brain being monitored for swelling. I've heard many times that "You're not supposed to bury your children." It is unnatural and this situation breaks my heart. I've spent some time with the family and watched as the grief overtook them at various times. In these times we're tempted to ask God why? There's some precedent for that in God's word. For asking why. What's the answer?

• 1st - We have to understand that God weeps for the death of His children. He didn't cause this. He didn't want this to happen. Yet He allowed it.
  
• 2nd - God didn't need this girl in heaven. You hear that from time to time, and it's meant to be a comfort but it portrays God in a negative light.
• 3rd - Death is a result of sin. Not sin of the individual but the fact that this world is fallen. Death is still the end of every human being.
• 4th - The hope of glory is that one day, when Christ returns, all those who've died in Christ will be raised from the dead with incorruptible bodies that will never die again.
  
• 5th - In the meantime we're not guaranteed a single breath. While we have breath in our lungs, we must take advantage of every opportunity.
• 6th - No answer makes the suffering easier to bear. A loss like this is a blow straight to the heart. This is the time not for pat answers, but for sympathetic service. How can we respond with loving service.
• 7th - Do you have the hope these girls have and had? The hope of glory, Jesus Christ. This loss will not be in vain.
  

Pray for the Mitchell family. The need the strength and comfort of your prayers. Pray for the daughter left behind. That God would see fit to heal her, and give her a complete recovery. Love them in this time. Ask the questions even if the answers aren't satisfying.

Why Dig Your Hands in the Community?

Dear Pastor Josh and Brooke,
My name is _______ and I am 2.5 years old. I came to your Fall Festival last weekend with my mommy and daddy and I had lots of fun. The hayride was my favorite. I love to sing 'Old McDonald Had a Farm'. It was the best festival I have ever been to. Thank you Little Mountain Baptist Church!

Love,


____________

Need I say any more?

And it's........Back down again.

I hate the internet. I hate depending on someone else to keep our website up and running. Check us out on the web at www.theserverkeepsgoingdown.com (NOT A REAL WEBSITE) You'll find lots of interesting but useless reasons why our real website doesn't work right now. RANT. Raving About Neat Trivialities. That's it. Trivial. If you're an internet genius. Please contact me? Please? I can't pay you. You'd be doing me a favor. How bout it?

A Deeper Look

Every Wednesday night we have an adult topical Bible Study called "A Deeper Look." The subject is most often a deeper look at a branch of one of my Sunday messages or my attempt at answering a question that's been submitted to me by a church member. I will try to post a brief synopsis online each Wednesday night that goes along with the message. Tonight:

• From John 21:15-22 (primarily dealing with 20-22)
• Peter questions what will happen to John and Jesus tells him basically not to worry about what happens to John, but instead to follow Him.
• We have a tendency to compare our lives to others. To measure our lives by other people's standards.
• The only standard that matters is God's.
• The only measure that matters is God's.
• We're called to be faithful and obedient to what God has gifted us for, not what He's gifted someone else for.
• SO, be faithful and obedient with what you got, where you're at!
  

FINALLY UP

I've spent more hours than I had to spend on our church website. I can't explain how frustrating technical difficulties are to novices like me. I registered a domain name last week and began something called url forwarding. It worked like a charm for almost 3 days, and then out of nowhere stopped working. I did everything I could think of except punch the computer. Finally last night about 12 am I found the problem on my domain name account, took a shot at fixing it, and voila, it WORKED. Now our church website actually works. It's a very cool thing to have a website that has a custom name. It's like the difference between babysitting someone else's child and having your own. Anyway, check out the church website, it's linked to here at www.lmbchurch.net.

Sunday Reflections

This past Sunday was an exciting Sunday for our church for many reasons. I don't know about you but I don't buy the line that "Numbers don't matter." Numbers mean everything. At LMB Church our goal is not letting one slip through the cracks. That's a lofty goal, but numbers have everything to do with that. Each person that sets foot in our building is a person made in the image of God and confronted with the Gospel message. Well, we had 93 in Sunday School, a relatively large number for us, and that was missing many regulars. That means there were well over a hundred in the service. So a good 135 or more people had a chance to hear Jesus preached. Guess what happened that afternoon? 3 of our youth received Christ at a youth rally. That means we'll have 3 or 4 people under the age of 17 pass through the waters of baptism.. Do those numbers matter? Not if you're simply gauging statistics. But when it represents the salvation of 3 or 4 people remade in Jesus' image it matters the world. The number of those who don't come matter more. Don't be sucked into the "hyper-spiritual" "numbers don't matter" people.

Fall Festivals and Dunking Booths

What goes better with a Church Fall Festival than the pastor in a dunking booth. I know there's always joy in watching the pastor humiliated by children, but really; What's it got to do with reaching the Lost? Just kidding people. It will be my joy to be the gimmick that kids can laugh at, and lose respect for me over.
Tomorrow from 3-5 is our fall festival and hundreds of fliers have been passed out by some very dedicated folks. If I did this kind of thing I'd call them by name. This is truly one of the more joyous things I get a chance to see as a pastor. To see people in the congregation responding by taking initiative in planning and implement something to reach our hands into the community. I've already received several calls asking "How much the rides and games cost?" It's such a joy to be able to say it cost nothing for you. Our people paid the cost that your children might now we love them. This kind of thing energizes me with excitement. I hope it does you also! Want to know more? Check us out on the web at www.lmbchurch.net. Click on the link to the Fall Festival.

Not Just a Doctor of Souls...

It's strange being a pastor. I guess it would be anywhere, but especially so in a smaller church where you have the opportunity to get to know the people on a much more intimate level. You hear about places in peoples' lives that nobody else really gets to hear. All the darkest parts of man seem to have a way of coming out. You see the best and worst. When I said "Yes" to the church I'm pastoring now, I had some knowledge that I was called to be a "Doctor of Souls." That's expected and really even the hardest parts are not surprising. BUT, I had no idea I'd be getting a Med school education at the same time. I've learned more about the inner workings and broken pieces of humans, along with more than I really ever cared to know about surgical procedures since I've come here. In fact I've learned I can communicate intelligently with doctors about a good many things now. People expect me to know about what's wrong with their body. Is it always pleasant? No. Does it and should it come with the territory? I believe yes. SO thank you God for letting me be a doctor!

A New Kind of Human

We're currently in a series from the Sermon on the Mount. This is technically the most famous sermon in the history of the world. I've been fascinated with the way it's woven together so beautifully. It's like the DNA of a new creation. Hence, the series title. Jesus is teaching us what it means to be recreated in His image, an image that's been marred by the fall, and stained by our sin. It's a prescription for a radically different way of life, meant to be heard by all, and descriptive of what an abundant life looks like. Jesus is showing us that transformation occurs from the inside out. It begins with a new heart, and progressively over the course of your life you move from "glory to glory." If you follow it through to the end, and allow the Spirit to have His way, you WILL be changed.

Can I Get a Witness?...

Please! If a blog falls in the forest and no one is there to see it fall, did it really fall? So, nobody I know has access to this blog. I could post all day long for me and go back and read it. But why would I blog for myself. I'm tempted to propose that the entire church have high speed internet capabilities. But then I wouldn't be the rural American pastor anymore would I?

Ordination

There's something special about a deacon ordination service in a small rural church. Everyone is so close, and it's so much a family affair. You see men in tears and their wives as well as I get an opportunity to challenge someone from the Word to serve Jesus. We ordained a very special man today, and even though he's somewhere in his 60's, this is the first time he's ever served as a deacon anywhere. I was honored to be a part of it. I hope that he will always remember this day, and I'm fairly sure I will.