Tag Archive - God

Gone to Another Place

January 18, 2008 in Family, Mission with 2 Comments

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While you are reading this I am traveling toward W. Africa on a mission trip with six (6) other people from our church. This is a vision trip to see how our people might be able to minister to an unreached people group named the Maninka (Monica).

Please pray for us right now. Please pray for our team as you think of us over the next ten (10) days.

Prayer Request:

God to receive Glory, That we would honor Him in our actions and speech, Safety, Health, Families left behind, finding a person of peace, the missionaries we meet will be refreshed, and that we will have eyes to see what God is doing in that area of the world.

We will return Jan. 27th. So, I will not be on-line until I return. I hope to type about the trip when I get back.

Go Packers.

Irresistible

August 14, 2007 in Influence with 4 Comments

Irresistible is a very unique word. Webster’s dictionary defines the word as “that can not be successfully resisted or opposed; resistless… .”

We sometimes use this word in relation to food or candy.

“The steak was irresistible.”

“I couldn’t resist that Reese’s peanut butter cup.”

The word is used sometimes in reference to people.

“Charlie/Charlene has an irresistible personality.”

“I find Mark/Marlene irresistible.”

Yet, I meet people who feel that God’s matchless, supreme, unending, and sacrificial love is resistible.

Interesting isn’t it.

Garden Update

May 22, 2007 in Influence, Mission with 12 Comments

A few months back I wrote about a “community garden” I was planting as an outreach to my neighborhood community. Well, I thought I would update you as to the progress. We are beginning to see some growth on the plants and in my life as well.

This has taught me a some patience and the need to let go of some control. I cannot make these things grow, I help set the environment (soil and weed control) and then let the sun, rain and the Lord do the rest. I hate the waiting part. I have even tried to speed things up by planting early (frost killed everything), and extra fertilizer. It still only grows at the rate the Lord has set forth. My kids have had a pretty good time helping with the “community garden”. We have been learning to watch for the weeds daily and pick rocks and sticks from the little garden so the roots can be unobstructed in growth. We have begun to talk about and pray for who we are going to give the “first fruits” of the planter to in honor of the Lord’s goodness.

I’m hoping that bugs and other forms of “pestilence” don’t destroy the plants! Who knows there may be a scarecrow in the near future.

Friday Prayer

April 6, 2007 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

Thank you Father for the sacrifice of your son, Jesus. Without his death I would have no hope for tomorrow, let alone today. I ask you to give me the ability to live for you each day in a way that will bring you glory. Today, I will remember your son’s death and the sacrifice you made in sending your One and Only to earth.  

A Great View

April 2, 2007 in Family, Influence with 0 Comments

Yesterday, there were approximately 20 people in our membership class, Connecting with Membership. The class is required for membership purposes and it is offered the first Sunday of each month in the World Missions Room just off the World Cup Cafe. There are always some great folks there finding out about the mission and motivation of the church.  If you haven’t been through this class make sure you stop by and see what is happening.

The small group I am a part of hosted a “neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.” It was located in the Adelaide Park subdivision across from the church. This neighborhood is very new to Smyrna, only two years old. There are around 10 -15 families from the church who live in the subdivision right now and there are under 100 homes. I think the developers are going to top it out around 120-130 homes, so there could be an even greater impact by our church in that community as more members move into the neighborhood. One our small group members has been trying to start a neighborhood small group there in his neighborhood, so he decide to offer the egg hunt as a way to get to know his neighbors.

He and his family planned and invited people from the neighborhood who are also members of the church to help organize and rally people from the neighborhood to be involved in the hosting, planning, and promo process. Our small group helped purchase eggs and do whatever was needed to help. At 3 pm there were probably 75-100 kids who lined up to go through 2 cul-de-sacs where 800 eggs had been hidden. 

The hunt hours was scheduled 3-5 pm. In actuality the hunt lasted for about 8 minutes. But what happened in the next 1 hour and 45 minutes was worth all the preparation, as families gathered in the streets and neighbors spent time meeting neighbors. The hunt was over the connecting was just beginning. Following the hunt, there were bar-b-ques, kids playing, folks “investing” in their neighbors. It was an incredible time watching FBCSmyrna folks get involved in connecting with their neighbors.

I know that there will be people who eventually find their way over to FBCSmyrna because of the efforts of some sold out, dedicated people who want to reach their neighbors for the sake of the gospel. I am so glad to be in a church that is willing to do whatever it takes to reach “as many as possible.”   

Topics

March 7, 2007 in Family with 2 Comments

Beginning next Monday I plan to start blogging on different topics through out the week on a regular basis. I have been trying to figure out how I could bring some consistency to the blog but also keep the postings fresh. So, with that introductory word here is what I am going to work toward:

Monday – A Different Perspective (what happened on Sunday)

Wednesday- Stories of Changed Lives (the influence that Christ is having through the ministries of fbcsmyrna)

Friday – Personal Reflection (what God has been teaching me, saying, and doing in my life & family)

The rest of the days will be whatever hits me as worthy of blogging about. I’m giving you topics I plan on covering not necessarily the titles. If all goes wall, this will help me to be more focused and hopefully help you enjoy what you are reading.

Stay tuned.

Here Goes Something…

February 9, 2007 in Mission with 14 Comments

Well, I shared this with the staff a couple of weeks ago and I guess now is as good a time as any to share it with you. No, I am not about to reveal some long hidden alternative lifestyle. Ease up!

I am feeling led to start a “community garden”. I know it sounds crazy; at least it does to me. I have always been good at killing plants, chopping down trees and whacking out bushes, but me trying to actually grow something that is edible is another story altogether.

I have been asking God to give me a creative way to reach out to my neighbors and the marginalized in a unique way where I could show His love to others. No strings attached, I just want to give and care because He gave and He cared. I began feeling, thinking, and praying about this dumb idea that would not go away. I tried for a few weeks not to blame God for these crazy thoughts that kept running through my mind about a “raised bed vegetable garden”. Where was this idea coming from and how did it get in my head? Had we been watching too much HGTV or “Outdoor Landscapes”? The more I thought and prayed, the more the Lord confirmed to me that I needed to seriously move on this thing.

I told Amy what I was thinking and she didn’t fall over laughing, so I inched out a little more. I told Rodney K. and he had actually built a planter and raised “crops” last year. So, I ventured out and told the staff in a meeting a couple of weeks back, and here I am going public today. This is going to get interesting and funny. I will keep you posted.

Listening

February 8, 2007 in Influence with 6 Comments

Over the last several weeks I have been listening to different teachers from around the U.S. who speak and preach in churches. I usually listen while I am exercising, which happens to be walking. Some of these people you will recognize and others may be new to you. I agree with some of what they say and I also disagree with some of what the say, but I learn much in the process and then must formulate what I believe.  I am indebted to some of these guys. Throughout the years their influence on my teaching and life have made me who I am. Here is a sample of who I have been listening to over the last several weeks.

John Piper
RC Sproul
Mark Driscoll
Matt Chandler
Erwin McManus
Rob Bell

The Great Divorce

February 6, 2007 in Uncategorized with 4 Comments

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A book was mentioned in one of Pat Hood’s sermons a couple of weeks ago that piqued my interest so I went and bought the book, The Great Divorce, by C. S. Lewis.  I have not read a lot of what could be called the “classics” of literature. I struggle when I read fanatasy books because I get lost in the story and lose the line in the story. It is probably an undisicplined mind on my part. I nevertheless pushed through reading the book. It was very interesting and has caused me to think about several things in my life. There is a statement I want to post and let you ponder from the book, se what you think about it.

“I do not think that all who choose wrong roads perish; but their rescue consists in being put back on the right road. A sum can be put right; but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on. Evil can be undone, but it cannot ‘develop’ into good.” – C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, pg. VIII

 I am interested to hear what you think.

Amy is Away

January 26, 2007 in Uncategorized with 4 Comments

Amy has been gone for the past few days on a staff retreat with the school. She needs the time away to refresh and refocus with the team of people she works with each day. It is also a good time for her to be away from the kids and me. She needs to be able to have fun and laugh without having us around. With all that being said, I sure do miss her not being with us. I feel like I am really missing a part of me when she is not here.

I went last night with Pat to talk with a lady who is dying and her family. She has cancer and the doctors have given her around three to six weeks to live. Pat and I first met with her about six months ago at her home to talk about life, family and he relationship with Christ. She is a follower of Christ and confident in her walk. Her husband is Jewish and is really interested in Jesus and church. He is not ready to submit his life to Christ though. This lady has a six year old boy and a fifteen year old daughter. We received a call to come to her home and talk with the family since she is in the last weeks of her life. She wanted to make sure that Pat or I would handle her funeral and she wanted us to talk with her daughter. The young lady wanted to talk about submitting her life to Christ. Her mom’s faith and the impending death had caused her to want what her mom has, a secure peace. Pat spent an hour explaining how man had a broken relationship with God and how Jesus sacrificed his life to repair the breach and bring Glory to the God through His death.

While Pat talked with the young lady I spent the next hour playing “Transformers” and “Power Rangers” with the six year old boy. At one point between transforming the toy warrior and the flying Superman the little boy looked at me and said, “My mom is going to die.” The very next sentence, just as innocent, “I once had a dog to die.” At that moment I thought I would lose it. This little boy would be without his mom in a few weeks. He didn’t yet realize that his mom was about to go through a wonderful transformation. He knew she would be with Jesus, but as with every six year old, he didn’t fully comprehend what that means. Then I thought, as a adult I don’t fully understand this truth.

The fifteen year old daughter prayed to follow Christ last evening. The father thought it all interesting, but did not want to go any further. We all cried and prayed together. It was very emotional for me. The lady finished our time together by saying she would miss her family dearly, especially her children, but she was ready to go home. She said “I am so tired of fighting, I want to go home.” With that statement we prayed and we left. I went through multiple Kleenex’s and had a stopped up head from crying, but felt a real blessing from the Lord for being allowed to see one receive eternal life as one was about to depart into eternal life.
As I left I thought about the father/husband being alone in a few weeks with two kids and an empty house with no wife. I told Pat I was going home to a home with three kids and no wife. Amy is away, and I want her home today. God, I pray that you will seize this mans heart and life.
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