2013 – What Does It Hold?

What’s coming in 2013? With the tragedy and turmoil that we saw in 2012, I just have to ask what 2013 will look like. Let me share a story that helps me to look to the future.

Back in 1999 Payne Stewart was a professional golfer who lost his life in a plane crash.  I won’t go into all the details concerning it, but 4 others lost their lives along with him.  One of those who died was Robert Fraley.  Robert was one of Payne’s agents and had played quarterback for Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama.  Robert, along with Payne, and maybe some of the others, were Christians. 

When reading about Robert and his life, I discovered that he was a health and fitness advocate.  Nothing unusual there, but then I read a comment that he had made at some time in his past.  It was this, “I plan my life each day as if I am going to live for another fifty years, but I live each day as if it is my last”.

Those words have echoed in my heart from time to time over the years, and I have never forgotten them.  It forces me to ask myself a question and I ask you to ask it of yourself as we enter 2013.  The question is this, “If this was my last year on earth what would I do”?

Here are some things I think we all could benefit from as individuals and as a church in 2013.

 1. Love people as Christ loves them.

     John 3:16 says He loves the world, shouldn’t we?

     He loves people as they are that they become what He wants them to be.

     We are called to be His Ambassadors.

2. Forgive others as Jesus forgives them.

    If He could forgive from the Cross, who are we to hold onto grudges and 

    offenses?

3. Help all I can as I may not get another opportunity.

    We only get one shot at life, don’t waste it.

4. Look for every window we’re given to tell someone about Jesus.

    Our words may be the difference between someone spending an eternity in 

    Hell or Heaven.

May this be my heart, your heart, and the collective heart of our Churches in 2013, its Christ’s heart, let’s be His people.

The True Meaning of Christmas.

Sometimes with all the hustle and bustle we forget what Christmas is really all about.  This is a story that I came across a few years ago that reminds me of what the true meaning of Christmas is.  I hope you enjoy it.

Author - Dr. Scott Brooksby.

When I was a child of about twelve years old, we had a Christmas that I have never forgotten. We grew up in humble means to say the least, but we generally always had one or two gifts under the tree even if they were only socks and underwear.

During this particular Christmas, by good fortune we had many gifts. For the first time in a long time, we received a lot of the things we actually wanted. I was one of seven children, so this was a very big deal. We were all so excited and could hardly wait until Christmas morning.
However, on that Christmas Eve, after careful reflection and much heated discussion, my father decided that it was much too much, and that in this frenzy that we had lost the true meaning of Christmas.
With much trepidation, we were instructed to hand over all but one of our unopened gifts. There was some crying, some anger, some shock and disbelief. What happened next truly astounded us. My father loaded all those gifts into his truck and we all piled in. We went from house to house in our community and handed out our things. Some of the families we knew, some we didn't. All were as poor as we were. Some had no gifts except for ours. As that truck rounded corner after corner, slowly, very slowly, the anger left. The shock and disbelief vanished and were replaced with a different sort of emotion. We all started to feel an overwhelming sense of joy in this service. The mark that this experience left on our lives has changed the way we look at Christmas forever.
Never before had I grasped what Christmas was truly about. It is about unselfish giving. Not of toys or gifts, but giving of ourselves. It was of Christ who would gave the ultimate gift of eternal life.
That experience taught us that at the celebration of his birth, our "giving" should reflect his ultimate sacrifice. He gave the whole of his life in our service and for our sake showing us His love. Hence the best gift we can give to others at Christmas is our time, sharing our talents, and genuine love, as acts of kindness.

My First Logan-Todd Associational Meeting

I had the privilege of attending my first Associational Meeting a couple of weeks ago at Walnut Grove Baptist.  It was a blessing in spirit and in body (Baptists always know how to feed a fellowship)!  I heard some great reports, wonderful testimonies of God’s working in our state and around the world, not to mention a great sermon from our Executive Director of the KBC, Dr. Paul Chitwood.

One of the written reports was a summary of the ACPs, (Annual Church Profile Letters) from the churches.  My eye quickly went to the Second Baptist line and started comparing numbers.  Here is what I saw.  SBC was second in baptisms (19), first in total additions (32), third in Sunday School Attendance (203), first in worship attendance (330), second in VBS attendance (275), third in total monies given ($571,375), and fourth in missions giving ($76,771).

Now before you begin to scold me for comparing our church to others, I am well aware that we are not in competition with our sister churches.  We are all on the same team, serving the same Lord, and have the same goal.  That is, to win others to Christ.  “We are Second, Where He is First”!  It’s not about us, but all about Him, but numbers do give us a good picture of the health of a church.  Check the Book of Acts on God’s reporting of numbers in His church and you’ll see that numbers are very important to Jesus because each number represents a person.

With that in mind, let me give you some thoughts we need to dwell on as we go forward this year.

1.  God is blessing, so we must be doing some things right.

     Let’s keep witnessing, working, praying, and inviting others to know Christ who died
     for them. God always blesses that and I love His blessings!

2.  Seeing God’s church grow should encourage us to stay faithful.

     God does reward our work (1 Corinthians 15:58)!

3.  Knowing the potential for even greater fruit for Him should create in us a desire to be even 

     more dedicated to His kingdom work.

We are having our Fall Revival Nov. 4-7.  Be here, bring someone, pray that we might all be moved to do even greater things for Jesus (Ephesians 3:20).

Will we be an Average Church?

I used some numbers and a quote from Dr. Frank Page (former president of the SBC) in a sermon a couple of weeks ago.  This is the jest of it.
Average is defined as typical; common; ordinary.  One pastor defined it this way: “a step above the worst and a step below the best”. The average SBC church (62%) has 1-99 in Sunday School and another 21% 100-199. It takes 49 Southern Baptists to reach and baptize 1 person each year.  The average age of the worshippers is 49 and 23% of Southern Baptists are retired.  Frank Page states that if these trends continue by 2030 50% of our churches will have closed their doors.
That begs the question, “How do we avoid this”?  I don’t want us to look at it from a defensive posture, guarding against this outcome, but from an offensive  mindset.  Can I tell you that if we do what the Lord has called us to do that will not occur (Matthew 16:18).  So we ask not what we need to do to guard against this prediction, but what we need to focus on to continue to grow and be relevant.
One, we need to love the Lord with all our hearts and being (Matthew 22:37).  If we love Him we need to be faithful to Him in our church attendance.  Not just from the standpoint of our personal walk with God, but the community is watching to see if we are faithful.  Obedience is another sure sign of our love for God.  If we don’t love Him enough to obey Him and keep His word, then do we really love Him at all (John 14:21, 1 John 5:2-3)?  Are we willing to tell others that we love Him and that He loves us?
Secondly we need to love others.  I don’t think a church that loves others will ever find itself irrelevant in today’s world.  How can SBC love others in our world today?  I think it’s more than having community outreaches, giving to needy causes, and mission efforts; even though those are important.  I think the grassroots of it is, “are we willing to sacrifice and serve others in our church and community”?  It’s being willing to serve in the nursery one week a month so that young mom and dad can worship the Lord unhindered by a little one clinging and crying throughout the whole service.  We need a Nursery Coordinator to schedule folks so that we have every Sunday covered.  We need some able bodied souls who will work (yes, I said work) in Children’s church to not only accommodate young parents, but to teach those little ones God’s love and design for them.  Do we love others enough to do that (Mark 10:13-14)?  Can we sacrifice that others can come to know Him?
What will Second Baptist be in twenty years if the Lord tarries?  What we do today will determine what we are then.  Let’s love our Lord with all our heart and others as ourselves and watch what He does.
It’s a joy to be your Pastor!

It's a New Year!

We typically think of January as the start of a new year and in many ways it is. But if you think about it September is really a month of new beginnings in a lot of ways.  It’s the new school year, maybe a new school, or school for the very first time, a new church year, new ministries begin.  It’s an opportunity for growth, to meet new friends, to start afresh.

With our new church year come many opportunities for a fresh start and to change our world for Christ.  We have graduation day on September 2 for those moving into a new class.  We have those assuming new positions to serve as an officer, teacher, or on a committee.  I hope too that we have some classes who are looking to birth new classes in the near future.

With that in mind we are going to be having a Sunday School Revival November 3-7.  One of the major things we will be looking at is the grading of our classes.  I have asked our teachers to determine what age group they want their class to be, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, etc.  Grading is so important to put adults in a class together that are in a common position in life, with common interests, challenges, and needs.  We send our children to school to get an education by grades and then we forget this principle when it comes to churches.  You wouldn’t put a six year old in a class with teenagers nor would you put a teenager in a class of eight year olds, so why do we have someone in their forties with two teenage children in a class with newlyweds?  We will be asking, not forcing, everyone to put themselves in the proper class for their age group and stage of life.  This will also help us to see where we need new classes and where to put guests as they attend our church.

Here are just a few other things on the horizon.  One, we are going to start a New Members Class during the Sunday School hour beginning September 16 and lasting four weeks.  We will be inviting and urging all those who have joined our church in the past year to attend.  We will be asking those contemplating membership to attend.  And for anyone interested in just learning more about out church we would love to see you.  Two, we are going to start a ‘Men of Russellville’ Breakfast every Tuesday morning at the Colonial Inn beginning September 11 at 6:45 am.  We will have a buffet breakfast for $5.99 and then we will have a thirty minute Bible Study.  We will be finished by no later than 7:45.  This is not going to be a Second Baptist outreach, but a ministry for all the men of our community.  What better way to start each Tuesday than for men to gather to fellowship and study His Word.

God wants to do some great things at Second Baptist and in our community this year.  It’s a new year, our question is will we let Him?

What’s Really Important?

What’s really important to you and I?  Our possessions?  We certainly don’t want to lose them.  Our health?  We’ve got to have that too if you want to have any quality of life.  How about our family and friends?  It sure would be a lonely world without friends and family and I’m not talking about our cell phone circles either.  So where does our relationship with our Creator fit into our lives?  Did He create us to wind us up like a top and see how we spin, or did He fashion each one of us in His own mind before we ever became a living creature with a plan and purpose for our existence?  So many live their lives discouraged and disillusioned with no hope of things ever changing.  What’s the answer?  Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” 

This is why Bible Study is so important.  God’s Word has the answers!  God gave us His Word to study and prepare ourselves and our children, for the spiritual battles and conflicts that we face each day.  We need the knowledge, strength, and purpose for our lives that we find when we study His Word.  We need the grace and mercy that Jesus provides to sustain us in our daily duties.  We need His help to love and forgive one another, and to be loved and forgiven. 

August 19, we are going to have a ‘Back to School Day’ for Sunday School.  Our kids and families will be finished with vacations and summer activities.  Many have drifted away from Bible Study due to all the summer outings that we love and enjoy.  It’s time to ‘round up’ everyone and get all of us back to School!  Sunday School that is!  Make the calls, send the cards, take time to visit, text, email, skype, facetime, make contact in whatever way you chose!  Let them know they are important to God’s Kingdom and make sure you are there yourself!

We have adopted a new motto for our church that you have probably already seen.  It’s this, “We are Second, where He is First!”  Is He first in our lives, our families, our church?  God has a plan for this world and you’re a part of it!  His plan is revealed in His Word.  You’re important to Him, so don’t miss out on what He has for you!  He is First!

When It Doesn’t Make Sense

Most of the things I write are to encourage, challenge, or just to uplift the name of Jesus, but sometimes you just want to share what’s on your heart.  This has been a sad time for many of my dear friends in East Tennessee and I’m sure I don’t know the half of it.  Let me explain.

On the evening of the fourth we saw a post from some of our Facebook friends in Morristown that there had been a tragedy at Cherokee Lake right outside of Morristown.  As the news began to hit the internet we learned that two little boys, ages 10 and 11, had been electrocuted while swimming around their houseboat at German Creek Boat Dock (see the story http://www.citizentribune.com/?p=15872).   Noah Winstead was dead at the scene and Nate Lynam died Thursday evening from his injuries.  As I read the accounts my heart went out to the families, their church, and the community as they were faced with one of those unexplainable heartrending tragedies that hit us sometimes. 

A picture of the boys together at school with arms around each other and smiles that could light up a Christmas tree began to be posted on Facebook Walls Friday morning.  I sent an email to my dear Pastor friend Dr. Dean Haun to let him know I was praying for the families, him, and the church as one of the moms was on staff at First Baptist and both families were members there.  Both boys were baptized there too.  I asked him to not worry about responding since I knew what the church was going through, but he sent this back to me, “Thanks buddy, it’s been tough….”.

‘It’s been tough…’.  What words of depth and heartache.  The families asked that this statement be published in response to the outpouring of love by the Community.  “The family of Nate Lynam is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, prayers and support from family, friends and the community. It is the family’s wish that the tragedy that claimed his life, not be what defines it. Nate was a loving son, a loyal brother and a kind and respectful young man.

“If there is anything newsworthy in this tragedy it is this: Nate and his friend Noah loved Jesus and trusted in Him. The families find great comfort in knowing that they will be reunited one day in Heaven.”

When it doesn’t make sense we do have a hope, a bedrock hope, and faith that Jesus does know our heartache and pain, and that He is working a far more eternal weight of glory for those who trust in Him.

His Word says, in 2 Corinthians 4:18 “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Pray for the families, their church, Brother Dean and the staff at First Baptist as they minister to them.

Until He comes we walk by faith……