Life of a Pastor Blog

For me it is the official Christmas Season.  There are a few things about Christmas that I look forward to.  I am somewhat of a Bah-Humbug because Christmas has become too commercial.  I usually do not get excited about Christmas other than for a few things.  A few of my favorite things for Christmas is giving gifts to my family, Christmas Eve service and peppermint bark.  Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark.

Yesterday, Josh and I went to Staples Office Supply and on a Christmas display there was the Peppermint Bark.  I love Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark.  It is beautiful chocolaty goodness, with a layer of white chocolate with peppermint crunch.  I love chocolate and I love peppermint.  It is purely divine when you mix the two.  The problem with Ghirardelli’s Peppermint Bark is that it is only available at Christmas time.  So once it is out in stores, it is the official opening of Christmas.

This morning, while I was slaving at the office, Sonya, Josh and Hannah stopped by with a surprise.  Two bags of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark.  It was a beautiful sight to see them surprise me with this.  I didn’t even mention it last night, but Josh told Sonya where they had my favorite Christmas Candy and they came by and surprised me.  What a family!

Sunday’s sermon, “Flawed By Our Past” has been posted on our church website.  Click here

I woke up early this morning to get to the hospital for someone’s surgery.  I arrived at 6:00am to find out that the surgery was moved to 7:30am.  Instead of hanging around I decided to stop by Krispy Kreme for a donut. 

As I was waiting in line, the Krispy Kreme hostess presented me with a free glazed donut.  Imagine that free!  Because I rarely get anything free, I began to rationalize why she would do this for me.  The only reason I could find is that I am too skinny and she thought I might need to fatten up:)  The truth is she offered a free donut to the skinnier guy behind me too. 

All joking aside, the free donut was given because of kindness.  There is not much in this world that is free, but you know it is going to be a good day when you get a free Krispy Kreme donut at 6:15am. 

Thanks Krispy Kreme for making my day!

Since Hannah was a newborn, I have sang a special song to her.  Now it may not mean much to you but it is a song that I made up just for her.  Now let me give you a forewarning: I am not a songwriter, nor will the content move you.  But after all it is Hannah’s song. 

It goes:

Hannah Elizabeth, is so sweet
From her head down to her smelly feet
She’s so fine, she’s all mine
And I love her so much
Hannah Lou, Hannah Lou
From her head down to her shoe
Hannah Lou, Hannah Lou
Oh, how I love you!

I would sing this song to her every time that I would rock her to sleep.  Now 2 years later, I play my guitar and sing it to her.  I never thought she paid attention to the song much.  The other day, however, Hannah started singing the song on her own.  We were working around the house and she starts singing our song.  Talk about making my heart melt.

In our relationship with God, He has a song that He sings over us.  It is a song of rejoicing, a song of love.  Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”  God rejoices over us with singing.  He sings songs of love over you and I.  What’s more, one of the Hebrew phrases for rejoice in this verse, literally means, He dances over you.  God loves you and I so much that He dances over us with singing.

When we discover His love for us, we will have a song in our hearts too.  God sings over us and we should sing back to Him.

This morning we continued our series, FLAWED: How God Uses Imperfect People.  We talked and about something dear to my heart, God using those with a flawed past.  We looked at the story of the woman at the well and her checkered past.  5 husbands and now living with one who wasn’t her husband.  She had a history and was shackled to her past sin.

We talked about breaking the shackles of our past.  If we are shackled to our past, we will not allow God to use us.  He wants to deliver us and set us free for the future He has for us.  This morning, God was good as several young people responded at the altar and many of all ages acknowledged that they would like to be free from the condemnation of the past.

Check back Tuesday for the sermon audio.

On another note: it has been great to see the increasing number of youth coming to church on Sundays.  Many have never ventured into the sanctuary but now they are beginning to come.  We pray God will touch each one and that they would have an encounter with Him.

Hebrews 10:32-39 (ESV), “

32But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings,
33sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated.
34For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
35Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
36For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
37For, ”Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
38 but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 
39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”

I found this on Ben Arment’s blog:

Yesterday, I had the privilege to attend a church coaching session with Pastor Rod Loy of First Assembly in North Little Rock.  Under his leadership North Little Rock has seen amazing things.  They are incredible givers to missions, active in church planting world-wide as well as making an impact on Little Rock, Arkansas.

He shared principles with the pastors that could work in any size church.  I am thankful for opportunities to learn from guys who are doing great things for the kingdom of God.  I value insight that successful pastors have.

Some of the great quotes from the coaching sessions:

“We are rewarded according to our labor, not our results.”

About Conflict

“You can’t let others actions determine your reaction.”

“If you lose your temper, you lose”

“When you’ve got them down, let them up.”

Missions

“Bite-size the offerings.  Break it down to a sum that everyone can give.  A small bite for all, a big bite for those who can.”

Thanks Pastor Rod for spending the day with us.

I am heading to Little Rock this morning at 6:00am.  I am driving with a couple of pastors to go to a training conference sponsored by the district.  I am looking forward to meeting some new pastors in our new district.  One of the biggest adjustments has been the fact that I do not know anyone.  We were in South Texas for most of our ministry and in the same section for 10 years.  We became good friends with a lot of people.  Now we are starting over.  But with new ministry is new opportunities to get to know people.  I value the friendships I have already formed.

Thank you veterans for sacrificing for our country and its freedoms.  Without you we would not be the nation we are today.  We salute you and the willingness to serve in peace time and in war.  Thanks for leaving your families to go alone to foreign fields for months on end.  We appreciate your willingness to be in harm’s way to ensure that we remain a free nation, with freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom to vote.  You are not overlooked for your efforts in the war on terror and the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.  You are not forgotten for the past wars and protecting our home country.  Thanks to all who have served in years past and who currently serve.  Our prayers are with you.  God bless America!

Recently, I installed a mirror on the back of our bedroom door.  Hannah has become fascinated with it.  Now, I do not know if Hannah is vain, but she does like to look at herself anytime she can.  She watches herself eat in the reflection of the glass at Braum’s.  She climbs up in her her chair at home just to look in the little mirror on the wall. She watches herself dance in the reflection of the glass on the back door.  Now, that we have the mirror she goes into our room to look at herself.

Last night, we were playing and she pulled me back to our bedroom, closed the door and started playing in front of the mirror.  She would laugh and watch to see how she looked laughing.  She would make faces.  She would jump up and down, walk backward while looking at herself to see how she looked.  Hannah loves the mirror.  She watches herself.

In our spiritual life, God has placed mirrors for us to look at to see how we look.  When I look in the mirror I see a short and stubby guy, but what does God see?  God does not look at the outward appearance but He looks on the heart.  What do I look like when I look at the mirror? 

The mirror is His Word.  His Word is lamp unto our feet, a light for our path.  The book of Hebrews says that the Word of God is the discerner of the thoughts and the intents of our heart.  When we look into the mirror of His Word what do we look like?  Do we look more like the world or like Jesus?

The intention of our Christian life is to look more like Jesus.  The longer we know Christ the more we should look like Him until we are perfected in Heaven.  II Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Are we being transformed?  Is our pride weakening instead of strengthening?  Are our motivations pure and our hearts true?  We should be looking more like Jesus when we look in the mirror.

God has granted me 17 years with the most amazing woman on earth.  Today Sonya and I celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary.  Through the good times and bad we have relied on our love for each other and seen things through.

Sonya has been a tremendous help to me in our family and ministry.  She is an extremely gifted woman who displays God’s love and grace.  I am thankful that God allowed us to spend these 17 years together and I look forward to the next 60 years together.

I love you, Smoopsy Poo!

I recently received a copy of The Greatest Words Ever Spoken, by Steven K. Scott and what a resource.  First, I must say that this is a must have book for every preacher of the gospel.  It is similar to the lay out of the Bible Promise books or Nave’s Topical Bible.  Scott breaks down the teachings and sayings of Jesus and puts them into topics.  The author did an outstanding job piecing these words together and developing an easy to find system for what you are looking for.

I cannot think of anything greater than the words of Jesus.  For any student of the Word, the Greatest Words Ever Spoken, is a resource that will help you dig more in depth into the teachings of Jesus.  The book breaks down over 1900 statements of Jesus  and puts them into 200 categories.  The reader can pick a topic and spend days studying more in depth.

I would highly recommend The Greatest Words Ever Spoken  to every pastor.  It is an awesome tool, especially for those who preach sermon series.  Also this is a necessary book for every Sunday School teacher or dedicated student of the Word.

 This an interesting type of book to say the least.  Most books are the written thoughts of the author.  Me, Myself and I Am, however, is different. This short hardback is a collection of questions for you to search inside and see what you are made of.  My first impression of this book is the author drawing the reader into writing an autobiography.

The questions are piercing.  They search the heart and it’s inadequacies, while yet piecing through the history of the reader’s life.  At times the reader feels stumped trying to recollect portion’s of one’s life, but in the end, you have a better understanding of what you are made of.  Me, Myself and I Am is a creative way to dig to the core of one’s life and let the I Am do a work. 

By the end of the book, the reader has a good understanding of their strengths, gifts and weaknesses.  They will also realize their weaknesses, hurts and shortcomings, all of which they can release to God and find freedom in these areas.

I enjoyed looking through these questions and searching my heart and life.  There is a disclaimer though, I have always enjoyed these types of exercises.  If you are not one to like to write or answer questions, this book is not for you.  If you enjoy evaluating your life and thinking through your history and answering questions, you will love Me, Myself and I Am.

I read a great article by J. Lee Grady, editor of Charisma.  He gave ten ways to pray for Obama.  Read the following and incorporate this into your daily prayer time:

“Whether you are happy about this week’s election results or not, all Christians must unite in prayer for our new president. Please don’t forsake this responsibility.

It’s over. We’ve reached the end of the longest, angriest and most nerve-wracking presidential campaign in American history. Finally the “I approved this message” ads have ceased. The endless robot phone calls have stopped ringing. The debates, and the annoying post-debate comments from “experts,” are history—until the next election cycle.

More than half the nation is celebrating today while others are mourning. We are a divided nation, split into unhappy fragments by abortion, gay marriage, global warming, a failed economy and an unpopular war. Those who voted for Barack Obama have claimed a historic victory; some on McCain’s side are already looking for scapegoats. Politics is politics.

But when I got up this morning, I turned all my attention to the fact that Jesus Christ is still on the throne. His government is what is most important. Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, the Bible says “the nations are like a drop from a bucket” to God (Is. 40:15, NASB). That includes the United States. We may boast about being “the greatest nation on earth,” but He who sits in heaven has a different perspective. Let’s take a big sigh of relief now and remember that God is sovereign.

I’ll admit this election did not turn out as I had hoped. I supported McCain primarily because I am pro-life and I prefer his small-government mindset. But now that the election is over, I’m not going to harbor bitterness toward Obama supporters or go into attack mode. Obama has been elected president of this country, and that means I have a biblical responsibility to support him in prayer—even if I challenge his policies.

Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:

1. Pray for Obama’s protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.

2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father. 

3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.

4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.

5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.

6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.

7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.

8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.

9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.

10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.

J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.

Although Obama was not my choice for president, he will become our commander in chief.  The Bible tells us that we are to pray for our leaders and those who rule over us.  The Bible even goes so far as to say that they are ministers for our nation.  Now, I do not share the same morals or ideals that Obama has, but I do respect him as the leader of our nation.  Instead of the Christian people being a thorn in his side, we must rise up and intercede for our leaders and our nation.

Facing Obama is the worst financial crisis in a generation.  Our nation is still at war.  Terrorism is still a threat.  The morals in our nation are declining and prayer can change these things.  We must pray for God to give wisdom to Obama.  That he would be led by the Holy Spirit in all of his decisions.

The Bible declares that the heart of the king is in the Lord’s hand and He can move it where He wills.  We must pray that God’s hand will move Obama where He wills.

I remember the 90’s were active with the Christian’s bashing Clinton over and over again.  It made us look bad.  We should pray for Obama and his family, as well as every other government leader.  America voted for change last night.  The truth is we can do nothing to change that fact.  So church, rise up pray.  Realize that the government is not the answer, Jesus Christ is.  Live for Christ, pray for our leaders, tell others about Jesus and we will see great things.

The suspense is killing me.  Waiting on election results is no fun.  I don’t know if anyone else is anxious to see who our next president is, but I am.  I have been keeping up with the voting at the One News Now website.  www.onenewsnow.com.  As of right now the electoral vote is Obama 163 to McCain 81.

Wednesday night we will begin a 7 part series on How To Study The Bible.  We will be looking at how to dig into God’s word and enrich our personal devotion time.  If you are interested in going deeper in your knowledge of God’s Word make sure you are here on Wednesday Nights.

Sunday morning we begin our FLAWED series: How God Uses Imperfect People.  Don’t miss it!

All across the south, church attendance drops off, for the men, on opening weekend.  Someone sent me this cartoon that I think fits the situation.

Today is the day for change, one way or the other.  This is the most historic election in my lifetime and I am anxious to see how it turns out.  We have the privilege to vote, so make sure you vote.

The theme of both campaigns has focused on change.  America needs change.  Our government needs change.  Our society needs change.  The change our nation needs most, however, is to turn their hearts toward Christ.  Changed men can change a nation.  Changed leaders can lead change.  Let us pray for our leaders to turn their hearts to Christ and to seek Him for His wisdom of how to lead our nation.  God Bless America!