Pet Peaves and Powerful Pleas

Have you ever listened to how the media words things? Sunday, I was listening to Fox News as they were talking about the tragic death of the man attacked by a shark in California. I know the family is grieving, and I would never make light of that fact. But immediately after the reporter finished his story, they began to talk about the number of “unprovoked shark attacks.” Why do you need to say “unprovoked”? How many shark attacks happen because somebody jumps in the ocean, swims up to a shark and punches him in the nose? Do you go down there and yell underwater, “Your momma wears combat boots?” I mean really. Who provokes a shark attack? Oh, I know there are those idiots who love the adventure of chumming the water and swimming among the sharks. Perhaps the experts call that provoking the sharks; I call it serving up an appetizer.

I had the privilege yesterday of speaking to the Muscle Shoals Association Pastor’s Conference. They are a great bunch of guys over there. Thanks, Mark, for the invitation. I met an active duty chaplain who served a tour of duty on the ground in Iraq and now is on his second tour stateside. He seemed like a great man whose heart was broken over the horrible tragedies he has witnessed since the war begun: broken bodies, broken families, broken lives. On top of it all, his son has just completed his tour in Afghanistan as a Green Beret. Not too long ago, this young man was in a humvee that hit a roadside bomb that obliterated the front end of the vehicle and sent him and his team flying through the air. By the grace of God, none of them were injured seriously. But this father’s heart was evident as he asked for prayer for his son and all the others involved in this war – not only that they would come home safely but that they could make the adjustment back to civilian life. “Dear God, may it be just as he prayed.”

Am I Making a Difference?

No, I am not having a pity party. No, I am not looking for compliments. I think sometimes we all need to do a little introspection to see if we are really making a difference in this world because isn't that what we are supposed to be doing? I read the Sermon on the Mount that way. We are the salt of the earth -- flavoring, preserving, changing the world. We are the light of the world -- illuminating the darkness of sin and pointing to salvation. The apostle Paul says that we are ambassadors of reconciliation -- bringing the lost world to Christ. We are supposed to make a difference in people's lives. We are to be change agents. Am I making a difference? Have I helped to "change" anything? As I look back over my almost 30 years of preaching and 23 years as a pastor, I have seen lots of things change. I've seen people saved. I've had the privilege of baptizing the very young and the very old. I've seen churches grow dramatically and not so dramatically. I've seen churches go through difficult times and experience the fires of revival. I've sat by bedsides of dying saints and offered comfort to families of people who didn't know where their loved one would spend eternity. I've walked with people through marital crises and family struggles. I've visited people in jail, in prison, in mental wards. I've cried for joy and wept in sorrow with my church family. There aren't many aspects of ministry that I have not experienced over the years, but I have come to this conclusion. I have not changed a single person. I do not have that ability. If my ministry has affected any change, it is because of the power of Christ working in me and through me. It is because the Chief of Change has used me as an instrument in His hand to make a difference. My prayer is that I will always be yielded to Him that He might make a difference in a world that desperately needs change.

Revival -- What a Lift!

We just finished four nights of revival services at Southside, and it was a great time. Dr. Edwin Jenkins and Ryan Leffel from FBC Athens served as our evangelist and music minister. It was great preaching and great music, especially last night. There was an air of expectancy last night as the Celebration Choir from First Baptist came to sing. Dr. Jenkins preached a powerful message on spiritual birth, and at the invitation, one of our young men walked with his friend to the altar where his friend accepted the greatest birthday gift of all time -- eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I honestly cannot tell you what thrilled me more: to see the young man profess faith in Jesus or to see the young man encourage and walk with him down the aisle of the church. That one decision made it all worthwile, but the truth is, the success of the revival is still up in the air.

How do you measure the results of a revival? Some would say by the number of people attending. Others would say it is about the decisions. Perhaps even a few would say that you measure its success by the love offering taken. So how did we fare? Our attendance was not good. We should have done a better job coming out ourselves but also of inviting people. Our love offering was good, but not great. Having been on the receiving end of love offerings, maybe I expect too much. But we did okay. As for decisions, there were several recommitments made for which I am grateful. Most importantly, the young man accepted Christ because of the urging of his friend. But in reality, the success of our revival will not be known for some time as we see if God has truly changed/awakened our spiritual passions at Southside. Are we ready for the fire of God to fall on our lives and on our church? I hope so.

What a Week

Have you ever had someone pray the Prayer of Jabez for you? Thanks, Charlie. For some people, the prayer of Jabez is supposed to be some magic formula for success, wealth, riches, fame, etc. But when you pray that prayer for me, you are asking God to give me more ministry opportunities than before. Thanks again, Charlie. Now I know I sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I don't mean to be. Ministry is my calling. It is my passion. Now Sonya will tell you, there are times when I get frustrated, but usually that's when it all comes at one time. This week has been one of those weeks. That's why I haven't been able to blog lately. But that's okay because I've been doing what God has called me to do. I hope people understand that I am only human, so sometimes I make mistakes and I can only do so much. The great thing about this is that you get to be a part of people's lives. You get to know them in ways that you never would otherwise. The hard part is that sometimes people fall through the cracks. So any time you want to pray for me, go ahead and pray Jabez' prayer, but add to it -- "Lord, give him the strength, time, ability, and wisdom to handle it." He always does, doesn't He?

The End is Coming! The End is Coming!

What does a Little League baseball game on Sunday, a pregnant “man,” and Oprah Winfrey have in common? They are signs of the times. First, the baseball game. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I love a good baseball game. I enjoy the opportunities I have to watch our church boys and girls play. But this one was going on at 8:15 a.m. on Sunday morning. I’m sure it was because of a tournament or a rainout or a combination of the two. But it is a sign of the times. When our girls were growing up, they played T-ball and fast pitch softball. Both the coaches and our girls knew, however, that nothing about the game would ever interfere with church. I’m sure that there were times when because of that stance they were overlooked for all-stars, and that is okay. We taught our girls that we lived this way not because I am the pastor but because we are Christians, and the day is more important than any game. Nowadays, Sundays and Wednesdays are only two more days to schedule programs, practices, and games. And do you want to know why? Because Christian parents and pastors have compromised and made excuses so that little by little it has become acceptable. We don’t want our children’s self-esteem to be affected because we won’t let them play when everyone else is playing. And so, once again, God takes second place in our lives.
Then there is the story all over the news about the pregnant “man.” Just in case you haven’t heard this, it isn’t a man really. It is a woman who decided that she wanted to be a man so she took hormone shots, grew a beard, and started living like a man, even taking on a “significant other.” Finding that her girlfriend couldn’t become pregnant, the she-man, having kept her female reproductive organs, has decided to carry the child. And so the news media has paraded this little darling around with pictures of her half-naked, pregnant body and bearded face. And so, once again, man has left his natural desire for woman, and literally shakes her fist in God’s face.
And finally, Oprah Winfrey has declared that Jesus Christ is only one of many ways to “heaven” and is teaching 2 million people a week that they need to open their minds and embrace the same philosophy that the serpent passed off on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: you can be like God because you are god. (http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA) Once again, people have flocked to the teachers that tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth. The truth is that we are not God and never will be. There is only one way of salvation and that is through Jesus Christ. The only consolation in all of this is that the Bible tells us that it will be this way just before Christ Jesus returns in power and glory, and so I join with both Paul and John saying, “Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly!”

Note to Self: Pay the Gym Bill

Does that sound as crazy to you as it does to me? Why on Earth would anyone pay good money to do something they hate? Don't get me wrong. I don't mind hard work. I'll take a group of folks tomorrow to Edwin Hodges Ministry where we will spend five or six hours loading and unloading boxes filled with literature to be sent around the world. I've sat eight hours in a hospital waiting room (now that's hard work) ministering to families in crisis. I don't mind the working -- it's the working out that bothers me. I spend 45 minutes on an "elliptical" machine burning 500 calories and sweating like a pig, use the "equipment" to tone my muscles and still weigh 200 pounds. Yes, I weigh 200 pounds. Sonya says it's solid muscle, but that's another story. You work and you work and you work, and as you get older, you work harder just to stay where you are. Why? I'll tell you why. Because when I'm 97 years old, I want to be able to take care of my wonderful wife. I want to still be able to body slam my darling daughters (inside joke). I want to continue to annoy my super sons-in-law by having to put up with the constant comparisons to their fabulous father-in-law (just kidding, sort of). I want to bounce my grandkids on my knee -- if I ever have any. And, most importantly, I want to continue to stand behind the pulpit and preach the gospel with the same energy and enthusiasm as I do today at 46. Now tell me. Could there possibly be any better reason than that to pay the gym bill?