It’s That Time of Year

Fall.  It’s that time of year when the leaves begin to fall, the first frost hits, and the days fluctuate between beautiful sunny times and damp, drizzly days.  There are so many holidays to prepare for in the fall.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas just around the corner, not to mention football games, cheerleading games and events, band competitions, and a host of other fall related activities.  Makes us want to set some boundaries on our time.  What we will do and what will we forgo.

 

Throw in a Chili Supper, Trunk or Treat, Thanksgiving Meal, Christmas Dinner, Revival, Christmas program preparations, and a host of other Church related activities and it’s enough to make us all want to go and hide for a while.  All these things are good in themselves, but obviously we all can’t do them all. What are the priorities?  What should you and I do?  Which things should we be most concerned about?

This is a story I have seen on the internet for years.  I’ve adapted it a little for our church family, but it’s truth always reminds me of life’s priorities.

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2" in diameter.  He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. 

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous - yes.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your faith, your family, your children, your health - Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car.

The sand is everything else. The small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are really important. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your life. Spend time with God, make family and friends a priority, worship with fellow believers.

"Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

Ever had a Bad Day?

I read the following a few years back and have hung onto this to remind myself that we all do have bad days from time to time.

How to Tell When It's Going to be a Rotten Day

You call Suicide Prevention & they put you on hold

You see a "60 Minutes" news team waiting in your office

Your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles

You turn on the news and they're showing emergency routes out of the city

Your twin sister forgot your birthday

Your car horn goes off accidentally & remains stuck as you follow a group of Hell's Angels on the freeway

Your boss tells you not to bother to take off your coat

Hopefully none of these things have happened to you, but bad things do happen to good people.  Sometimes describing them as bad just touches the tip of the iceberg.  And we often ask why?  As Joni Eareckson Tada says, we often ask, “Why me?  Why now?  Why this?”; as if we should be immune to trouble. 

There are reasons we suffer and hurt.  All of our pains cannot be explained, but they will usually fall into one of the following categories:

1.)       The Sin of Adam – Because Adam and Eve sinned, this world was cursed and the penalty for sin was death.  We live in a fallen world of sinful people and death, pain, and suffering came as a result of their failure.

2.)       Our own sin – we do reap what we sow.  Our lifestyles and the decisions we make all have consequences.  God doesn’t shield us from the effects of our decisions.

3.)       Sin of Others – You’ve probably heard it said that no man is an island and that is certainly true.  Our sin affects those around us, from our homes, to our communities, to our nation.  If you don’t believe it, look around at how many children are suffering today because of the sins of their parents.

4.)       Because of Satan – Luke 13:16 says, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?”  It doesn’t give us a lot of details other than to say Satan was the cause of her infirmity.  Job was living a righteous life when Satan challenged God to allow him to afflict Job.

5.)       Sometimes it’s the trying of our Faith that puts us through the storm.  Check out Job, Abraham, Isaac, David, Paul, or just read Hebrews 11.

6.)       And there are always the times that we suffer for God’s Glory.  Remember in John 9:2 when the Disciples asked Jesus why a man was born blind?  In John 9:3 Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”  Sometimes God is working in ways we do not understand to show Himself and His Glory to an unbelieving world.

You don’t know why you’re going through the trial you are right now?  As my dear friend Pastor Tom James says, “When you can’t see His hand, trust His heart”.  I concur.  He will not let you down.

Things I Love #2

I love it when children are excited to see me.  They just accept me and others for who they are.  They want a hug, a handshake, a high-five, or just anything to make contact and I can tell you sometimes they can hurt you!  Not intentionally, of course, but they can deliver a blow!  I had a young boy once give me a hand slap, but he forgot that he had a pencil in his hand and ended up stabbing me in my palm.  Not good…

I am encouraged by their smiles and simple faith in God and you.  I have the great privilege of sharing a children’s sermon each Sunday to a lively group of about thirty children ranging in age from 2-8.  They sit and wait expectantly for me to share something with them and they love it when I ask them questions.  They love to be involved in the sermon.  They are a blessing to me, their parents, and our church.  I must confess that I am not very good at children’s sermons, but you know what, I have never heard one of them tell me how bad my sermon was or if I could have done better.  They just take me as I am and move on.

I can learn a lot from our children’s sermon time.  Not from what I attempt to teach, but from the lessons they teach me.  What do I learn from them?

1.    I learn to be patient until they get settled in and are ready to listen.  I wish I were as patience with God.  He’ll show me what I need to know when I’m ready to listen.  They remind me to be patient and wait on God.

2.    I learn to enjoy the simple things of life.  A laugh, a smile, a funny story, or just laughing at myself.  Life is too short to be uptight about a lot of things.  I’m not sure sometimes if they’re laughing at my attempts at humor or me.  But you know, it really doesn’t matter, a merry heart does good like a medicine.

3.    I am learning I need to not dwell on what just happened in my life, but to look forward to the next thing God has for me.  When the children’s sermon is over they are ready for children’s church and all that comes with it.  I tend to want to rehash what happened yesterday and fret over that, rather than letting the past be in the past.

I sometimes wonder what our adults think of my ‘Children’s Sermons’.  Thoughts like, that was dumb, or did they even understand what he was talking about?  I’m pretty sure the children probably couldn’t tell their parents when they get home what my sermon was about and the parents more than likely can’t either, but this what I hope they do remember, that their Pastor loves them and that Jesus loves them even more.  That’s really what it’s all about isn’t it?

Things I Love

People often ask each other what they like, what is important to them, or what they like to do, so I’ll tell you upfront that I enjoy writing.  It’s kind of neat for me to put my thoughts down on paper or should I say into the computer.  Then to display them on my blog (http://whereheisfirst.blogspot.com/) and watch and wait to see who reads them, and if they have any comments, is always a joy.  I am always amazed how God can take some small thought and encourage or challenge someone to grow in their faith in Him.  And I give Him all the credit, if any is due, as I couldn’t write anything if He had not given me the grace to share my thoughts.  With that in mind I want to share the first of several things that I love.

I love people who are excited about life and what God is doing around them.  They may not be the bubbly, overflowing, incessantly speaking folks who are always talking about how good God is and what Jesus is doing in their lives.  They may just be the ones who have that joyous, radiant smile that brightens the whole room when they enter.  They love people because Christ has put His love in their hearts (Romans 5:5).  Their whole countenance suggests that they would like to be your friend.  Every church has them because God knows we need them around us to lift us up when things are not going well.  When I come into our church on Sunday mornings, or for any other service, I usually try to greet a few of them first because I know that if I’m not in the right frame of mind they will help me to get there quick!  Gotta love the Debbie Downers and the Frustrated Freds, but they can sure drain your joy.  I just love the Barnabas Christians, not that I don’t love the others, but those ‘Sons of Consolation’ sure know how to pick up your spirits!

Eleanor H. Porter, in her story of Pollyanna said this, “People radiate what is in their minds and in their hearts.”  When church members have the Lord in their hearts and are filled with His love and joy it just comes out!  And I’ll tell you, it’s hard to be all down and out when their joy is just radiating from their very being.  Being a ‘Pollyanna’ is not a bad thing or something to ridicule.  In fact, we need more Pollyannas in our world today.  Life is too tough to live it without any joy.

So let me conclude.  Most Barnabas Christians (encouragers), don’t realize that they are.  They are just living life and enjoying God and His people so don’t forget to thank them and encourage them because they need to be uplifted too.  And maybe, all of us need to stop and ‘smell the roses’ because as someone said once, “I’m too blessed to be distressed”.  ‘Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise what the Lord has done’, as the old songs says.  Don’t forget to thank those who the Lord has put into our lives to brighten our days and most of all to thank Him who created us all.

I love people who have a smile on their face and the Joy of the Lord in their hearts, don’t you?

Does Our Church Need Revitalization?

I copied the following from an article by Ron Edmondson.  He pastored in Auburn, KY. a few years ago.  I think his points are well worth the time for all of us to consider.

Here are 7 vital components in church revitalization:

1.  Admitting you need to revitalize – That’s hard isn’t it? Recently a senior member of our church visited another church that has undergone revitalization. She saw the excitement and came back with a new understanding. Her comment to one of our staff members was, “We have to change some things, don’t we? We don’t have a choice!” The church as a whole must come to that level of understanding.

2.  Letting go of right to control - This is what makes or breaks revitalization in many churches. If the “No Change Allowed” sign is hung…or even the “but not that change”…on issues that aren’t even Biblical, then revitalizing the church will be very difficult.

3.  A vision of something better – What’s next for this church? Where are we going? How are we going to get there? There must be a compelling vision, such as loving a community for Christ and clear avenues for people to be involved in reaching that vision.

4.  A history worth revitalizing – This will be the toughest part of this post. There are some toxic churches that seem to have never been healthy. They’ve run off every pastor they’ve called. Many of these churches wouldn’t follow Jesus well either. They are stuck in systems and personal agendas and aren’t going to budge. (I realize that’s a cruel statement, but it’s a sad reality.)

5.  Leadership willing to lead change – This is more than the pastor. In many cases, the pastor is only the figure head of vision and change. Change is hard. It requires trusted leaders within the church willing to step up and lead along side the pastor. I wrote recently the difference in trust and popularity as a leader. Read that post HERE and understand the difference. It’s what makes collective leadership that much more important, especially in the early days of revitalization.

6.  The tenacity to weather storms – It won’t be easy. It’s far easier to start something than to try to grow again after a period of decline. Some pastors, leaders and churches have the patience. Some don’t.

7.  A few committed people – You need some people already established in the church who love the church more than their personal agenda. These might be leaders or might not. Many times newer people attracted during times of change don’t have the roots or credibility to do this. As great as they are…and even with them as a primary focus…the church needs longer term people to embrace a new future. These people have to support the pastor, speak up for the changes and create an atmosphere conducive for growth again.

Well, those are my candid observations. They aren’t based solely on opinion, but they certainly aren’t a product of extensive research either. They are derived from hundreds of conversations with other pastors and personal experience - Ron Edmondson

Hope these speak to you as they did me.

We Need a Royal Birth!

With all the talk of the Royal Birth in the news I couldn’t help but laugh.  All the network coverage, the internet blogging and articles, the twitter world trending about this new addition to the royal family, and the queen making her celebrated visit to see her new great-grandson, it was almost beyond belief for a commoner like me.

I was watching the network news the other night and all the commentators were speculating on such things as:  What will they name the baby, what will the mom’s role be in rearing her child in the royal family, how will Prince William involve himself in the raising of his child?  They were even questioning if he would change any nappies (diapers).  By the way, a dummy is a pacifier in British lingo.  Such relevant questions, I was about to break up laughing!

Now before I offend any of you moms, I want to clarify that having a baby is a big deal.  Any new birth should be celebrated with joy and thanksgiving.  And that brings me to my point.  We need to have some babies at Second Baptist this year!  Now some of you are about to go into panic mode with questions and denials such as:  Not me, I’m too old to have any more kids, or I’m finished with my family, or I don’t want any right now.  Let me explain what I’m talking about.

I’m not talking of literally of having some new flesh and blood babies, though all those are welcome, but of birthing some new Sunday School Classes!

We need to plan on starting two new classes this year and before you can have a baby, we need to get pregnant.  And before that happens, we need some parents.  Translating that into church terminology means we need some Christians willing to step out to teach and lead a new class.  We need some members with a heart to start some new classes in our church.

It is a proven fact that Sunday Schools grow through the start of new classes.  No new classes, no growth, it’s that simple.  Who will be the vessel that God will use to begin a new class.  It could be a class that is birthed from an existing class.  It could be a class that just begins by inviting those in our church who don’t currently attend any class.  It could be what we call a ‘paper class’; that is someone who just takes a list of prospects and begins praying and inviting.  There are all kinds of possibilities, but it takes someone who will allow God to use them to birth a class.  It takes all of us supporting, encouraging, helping, praying, and just doing what God has called us to do.

When a announcement is made of an impending birth our ladies immediately begin to plan a ‘Baby Shower’.  Maybe we need to start planning for the new births now.  We need another forty to fifty year old class.  We need another thirty to forty class.  Maybe God wants a class that I’m not even thinking of right now.  What will it be?  Will you be a parent?

I’m praying for some new babies.  Let’s get ready to celebrate their births!

Staying On The Right Path

I was reading an article on govolsxtra.com this morning, (http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2013/jul/19/sec-coaches-weigh-talent-vs-potential-for/), about athletes in the SEC and the effort of the SEC and their coaches to curtail the ongoing off the field problems that seem to be constantly in the news.  Several coaches were interviewed at the SEC Media Days and gave their assessment of why young student athletes continue to experience behavior problems.  Coach Nick Saban at the University of  Alabama (and I’m not a Saban or Bama fan at all!), had this to say, “We can be the moral compass for our young people but we cannot always drive the ship. We cannot always be there to drive the ship."

From the article: Alabama dismissed four players from school following their arrests stemming from two violent robberies on campus barely a month after the Crimson Tide claimed its second straight national title.  Saban said, "With events of today and the attention on some of the people who have been arrested in sports in the last couple of weeks, it's even going to be more critical to players' future that they make good choices and decisions.  And they have to realize that."

Every school has some sort of program to teach and hold each player accountable to his teammates, coaches, and ultimately the university for which he plays, but obviously, there are still breakdowns in behavior.  What can be done not only for athletes, but also for all our young people in the general population?  Below are a few keys that I have found to steering all of us away from trouble.

(1) Stick with the right people.

Running with the wrong crowd will always cause you grief.  Your friends can make you or break you.  Choose your friends carefully.  You can’t fly like an eagle when you’re surrounded by buzzards!

(2) Avoid the wrong places.

Frequenting places that promote things associated with trouble will lead you into trouble.  Clubs, bars, places where known troublemakers hang out is to avoided at all costs.  Stay clear, it’s not worth it!

(3) Have a clear cut standard of what's acceptable and not.

If you don’t know what’s acceptable you’ll be easily swayed by someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.  Those in positions of authority in your life can help you whether they be parents, coaches, or other adults that care about you.  Settle it in your heart before the temptation comes.

(4) Consider the consequences of your actions.

We may have to directly suffer the repercussions of our own decisions.  Ask yourself the question; is it worth the risk to my reputation and my life going forward?  .    Look before you leap, you make not like where you’re going to land.

(5) Think of how you impact others.

     We have to realize that all our lives are interconnected.  A few bad eggs in the basket will make the rest smell bad.  Commissioner Mike Slive of the SEC called it "a crushing disappointment" when a current or former SEC athlete runs afoul of the law. He said any perception outside the league that coaches or schools don't police or discipline athletes, is inaccurate.

     "In some ways, it's an inverse form of flattery," Slive said. "I mean, we have about 1,800 football players. We can count on one hand the behavioral issues, but they get the headlines and the disappointments."  And I could add that what a few do stains the reputation of their teammates, coaches, and schools.

(6) Pray and ask God to lead you daily. 

Read His instruction manual and seek His wisdom.  He’ll never steer you wrong.  Stay close to people who follow Him and His ways, they will keep you on the right path.

The young son of a missionary friend of mine said this, “Stay on the right path, cause if you don’t stay on the right path, you’ll end up on the wrong path.”  Well spoken.