birchjones

Entertaining Angels

2011-03-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

A homeless man approached Holt and I at Walmart between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 2010. It was cold. The man's name was Michael and we talked for about 10 minutes. I gave him the measley $5.00 that I had in my pocket (I don't carry cash these days) and shared Christ with him. He told us that he lived in a tent behind Wal-Mart with his wife who needed surgery.

Holt and I got into my car and drove away, leaving the homeless, cold man in the parking lot. Holt asked (like this man was a friend of mine), "Who was that?" Where do you begin? Where do you begin to tell your 7 yr old son that there are people who live in the cold with no hope, no food? How do you tell your 7 yr old son that this world is cruel and there are physical needs that go unmet. That there are 7 yr olds all over this world that will die today of starvation?

Idon't have to tell himall of this right now. Christ is allowing Holt to see these things a little at a time...so it can sink in. So that I can simply answer his questions that he asks with no more explanation.

This chance meeting with Michael in the parking lot made a huge impact on my son. The questions have not stopped...they haven't been all at once, but just as the Holy Spirit burdens his little soul. Holt has been sure to pray for Michael and all of the other homeless every night. He is burdened.

I have a chaplain friend on my team at Marketplace Chaplains who runs a homeless tent and food ministry. I talked with Steve at the beginning of February about the possibility of Holt and I helping some time. Steve's wife, Marcia, sent me the information about the next meal. You should have seen Holt's face when I asked if he wanted to go help serve the homeless with me!

I had previously answered a question about how the homeless keep warm in the winter by telling him about their use of coffee cans and candles (which actually do a pretty decent job of heating up a tent). Holt asked if we could go buy some candles and he asked how many we could get with $40 (his Christmas money). This is compassion. There is a difference in feeling sorry for someone and having compassion. Having compassion spurs one to action. Most times having compassion means giving of your resources, mainly time and/or money. Holt has compassion for the homeless.

As soon as we arrived with our candles, Marcia put Holt to work. He was in charge of the dessert table. After he carefully placed all of the cookies on the trays, Steve began introducing Holt to several homeless "regulars" who frequented the meals. I was shocked to see that Holt was in his element. This normally shy little boy was now a strong youth who befriended men less fortunate than he. It was beautiful watching him interact with them and watching these humble men interact with my son. His smile put smiles on the faces of the downtrodden.

At one point, I told Holt to take a plate and eat. I manned the table. I expected him to sit down right behind me and eat. He took his plate and began walking toward a group of folks eating on the ground and then he took a sharp left and went and sat right beside a guy who was by himself. I heard Holt say "Hi, I'm Holt." as he sat down for a chat.

Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:1-2

Holt the Scout

2011-03-05T11:34:00.001-05:00

Mama did great sewing the patches!

Acee (our next door neighbor) shaped
Holt's car for him. Holt and I painted and stickered it.
Next year we WON'T place 3rd on all three races!

I looked more beat than Holt once we hiked
to the top of Pine Log Mountain.

Snow In The South

2011-03-05T10:55:00.000-05:00

It doesn't snow much in the deep South (as you can tell by the grass laughing at us). My kids (and their parents) have been blessed with three snows in the past two years that were worthy of mention. We built a snowman, threw snowballs and found out that snow actually tastes like dirt (Carolina). Mostly, we did a lot of sledding. I love to hear the sound of squealing children (and Suzanne) as they bound, uncontrollably, towards flat ground.

The world seems to stop, even rewind, to a time when I was a kid...no worries, no responsibility, no sickness, no pain, no stress...just good, ol' fashion fun. Oh yeah, with my best friends in the world-my family.

Jonah

2010-09-17T15:14:00.000-04:00

In June, our family began fostering a newborn baby boy that I will call "Ford" since I cannot put his real name in print. He was born meth positive. No one in our family could turn off any part of our hearts as we fell instantly in love with this tiny bundle. Suzanne and I have wanted more children as evidenced by the last two pregnancies (we already have 3 children). Both of those pregnancies ended in two still-born little boys. We decided to foster, with hopes of adoption, knowing the possible heartache that it might ultimatley bring.

From the first day we brought "Ford" home, Suzanne and I began praying for God's will in his life as well as ours. Two full weeks had passed and I was spending my daily time with Christ in His Word and in prayer. I was praying for the lost. Christ commended me for praying for the lost. I smiled proudly and said, "I was once lost. I know the feeling. It's easy for me to pray for the lost." I then began praying for those who were inprisoned by addiction. Christ commended me for praying for those addicted. I smiled proudly and said, "I was once addicted. I know the feeling. It is easy for me to pray for those addicted." Then Christ said "Birch, you're not praying for this mother of "Ford." She may be lost and is most certainly addicted."

Here is one reason that Christians are not supposed to act on "feeling." I told Christ that I did not "feel" like praying for her. I "felt" like she had made some choices that were unforgivable. She had made some choices to which there were natural consequences. I told Christ that I would pray for her salvation and her recovery in order to be obedient but I wouldn't mean it. My family had fallen in love with this little boy and we so desperately wanted to keep him and provide a safe-haven for him.

Now, I don't want to ever be hypocritical so I changed my attitude somewhat and asked God to begin changing my heart so that I could genuinly pray for her. He did.

What if the people that Christ enlisted to pray for me had refused because I wasn't worth it? What if the people who supported me through my recovery had thrown me away? Christ loved me in my sin. He offered me forgiveness and grace and so did several people along the way (namely my wife and my parents and in-laws). How ironic that I would for a second become a Pharisee, a Jonah, thinking that there could be such a person who doesn't deserve a new lease on life.

God has worked on the heart of Suzanne as well. We are supporting this young mother in her recovery. Christ died for her, loves her and has us praying for her rescue and recovery.

Now I have more understanding of the story of Solomon and the two women claiming to be the mother of a small child. Solomon said to rip the child in two pieces and give half to each. The real mother said "No, give the child to her." Right now I am his "daddy." I ultimately want him to be safe. God will provide that in His perfect will...even if this house ends up not being his home and I end up not being his daddy.

"Daddy, does that mean you're not in God's will right now?"

2010-08-15T21:57:00.001-04:00

Juliana told me in February of 2009 that she felt like God was calling her into full-time foreign missions. This was both exciting and scary for me. I wanted her to be sure because to travel that road without God would be stupid but to travel that road with God with be an adventure. I set an appointment with her to teach her a thing or two about discerning the will of God.

We sat in my basement office on the old church pew going through a book that had helped me many years ago. I told her that now that I was a committed Christ-follower that the most frustrating thing in life had become knowing the will of God. I had come to the point of desiring obedience and the ability to obey (Holy Spirit) more than any time in my life (funny how far I still need to travel). Anyway, I told her since I had graduated from seminary two months back that I had been crying out to God to reveal to me what His will for life was to be. I was chasing MY passion to be the Associate Pastor of Evangelism and Prayer at the church where we were members. I told her that I was waiting and that it was frustrating.

I will never forget Juliana interrupting me, looking up at me and saying "Daddy, if you're waiting on the will of God, does that mean you're not in God's will right now?"

Wow.

I told her that she knew far more about what I was trying to teach her and sent her upstairs. I immediately crawled onto the floor and laid on my face and cried. I apologized to the Lord for not realizing where I was. I was right in the center of God's will. I had come to Bartow County to plant a church(es). We had been here for 8 months and I was antsy to get on with MY role which God had for me. I remember Christ picking my face up and telling me to look at the chair behind my desk. He said " Birch, rest in Me. Sit in that chair. Let Me guide, lead and direct you. You have been to seminary but you still have much to learn. Spend time with your family, continue to spend time with Me, let Me bring people around you that will help Me with the ministry that I will ultimately have you do in Bartow County.

It is now August of 2010, a year and a half later. I have rested. I have taught Sunday School, mentored teachers, filled the pulpit in over twenty churches and been an interim pastor. I have spent time with my family. I have dated my wife and my children. I have realized that my work at 84 Lumber is my life-blood financially and a ministry as well.

I recently read a book given to me by Ms. Sarah Jane from a church where I was interim. The author is Watchman Nee and it is entitled Sit, Walk, Stand. It is a simple commentary Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. God continues to teach me and I want to share some excerpts from this book:

If the life of a Christian is to be pleasing to God it must be properly adjusted to him in all things. Too often we place the emphasis in our own lives upon the application of this principle to some single detail of our behaviour or our work for Him.

Our Position in Christ--Sit
Our Life in the World--Walk
Our Attitude to the Enemy--Stand

God raised up Christ and made us to sit with Him. I was trying to walk before I had truly sat (rested) with Christ. That day in my basement with my daughter, God taught me that I needed to sit just as His principle from the very beginning. In creation, God worked from the first to the sixth day and rested on the seventh. Adam was created on the sixth day. God's seventh day was Adam's first. Adam had no part in the work. Adam began His life on the Sabbath; for God works before He rests, while man must first enter into God's rest,and then Man can work with God's guidance. It was because God's work of creation was truly complete that Adam's life could begin with rest. And here is the Gospel; that God has gone one stage further and has also completed the work of redemption, and that we need nothing whatever to merit it, but can enter by faith directly into the values of His finished work.

God was waiting till I ceased "doing."When I ceased "doing" then God began.

God has moved in so many ways, through the Great Commission Initiative, storying, Celebrate Recovery, The Bartow Baptist Association, David Franklin, pastors, friends and family. God has challenged me to rest in Him, to sit. For those who know me, I think I have done a pretty good job of that over the last year and a half.

God has asked me to walk in the world now. He is planting "Church of the Underground", house churches through me. Simultaneously, He is planting a Celebrate Recovery Group through me that prayerfully will spin the lost into these house churches.

God, You sat me down when I was unable to walk. Now lend me your hand and lead me to walk with You in these days. Amen

My Amazing Oldest When Facing A Storm

2010-08-14T16:29:00.001-04:00

This family has lost children in stillbirth and could eventually lose our foster baby through the "system." Juliana wrote a powerful message concerning this in her blog:

http://junebugdramaqueen.blogspot.com/2010/08/cry-to-jesus.html

My Three Kids

2010-08-14T15:37:00.010-04:00

Yesterday I told each of my kids that on Saturday they would have an hour to spend with me just by themselves (sad that this is a rarity, I know). Since we have had Z (our foster baby boy) for the last 2 months things have been more than a little crazy.

Holt picked going to work with me for a half hour and then he wanted to round out his hour at home playing vids. We left the house about 8:45. Holt and this mutt that lives at 84 have taken a real liking to each other. You should have heard the dog when we pulled into the parking lot...whining and yelping with glee. Holt and Ely (the dog's name) played for awhile outside and then Holt and I went in to get a nutritious breakfast from the snack and drink machines...Strawberry Pop-Tarts and a Dr. Pepper...no wonder he picked 84 Lumber to spend his time with me.

The kids always get a snack and a drink when they come to work with me. I can still remember being four and five years old drinking grape and orange Nehis with my dad in the fellowship hall of FBC Laurel where he worked. Good memories.

Holt and I were sitting at my desk when my manager (Jeff) comes running toward my desk with Ely in fast pursuit. You should have seen Holt's face light up like a Christmas tree (Ely doesn't EVER get to come in to the building). Ely jumped up on Holt almost knocking him to the ground as Holt giggled like a school girl. Jeff told Holt that since it was so hot outside that he thought Holt and Ely would enjoy playing inside until we left. He is good people. Holt decided to forgo playing pinball on my laptop since the dog was inside. Holt gave him treat after treat that he had brought from home (sorry Walter) and they both finally ended up in the chair with Holt petting Ely and Ely licking Holt's hands. They love each other.

We played some vids upon returning home and some Lego game that he had invented. He is quite the architect/engineer.

Carolina decided to go to Chick-Fil-A to eat a biscuit and play on the playground. She looked so pretty and I could tell she felt like a princess. She asked me last week when we could spend some time together again, just the two of us. We sat down outside with our biscuits and a few bird flew up. We tossed them parts of our biscuits, watching them fight and chase each other. As one flew off, Carolina said "If I were a bird, I would be afraid of heights." I responded by saying, "No you wouldn't, you could fly and would never fall." She said, "What if a hunter shot my wing when I was high in the air?" How else could I respond besides, "OK, maybe you're right."

She played on the playground for awhile, jumping off things and trying to gain my approval (of course, she did) and then we left. She made me promise not to forget to tell mama that we fed the birds.
Then we went to Target to look at toys for her birthday and Christmas. She loved just being able to stroll through the aisles pushing buttons and listening to the toys talk/ make noise/ dance/cry etc. About the third aisle that we went down she looked up at me holding onto my hand and said shyly, "I wish I could live here." I remembered my childhood and understood exactly where she was coming from.

On our way home she said, "I didn't pick out any Princess and the Frog stuff to put on my list. I like the princess. She's pretty, but she comes with the frog and...you know...he's a boy." I now have this in print to remind her later on.

As we were pulling into the driveway, she was remembering a stuffed puppy from Target that she really liked and said, "It would've been fun to have had Walter (our Border Collie rescue) when he was a puppy. He and me are the only ones in the family who are 4 years-old. When I was a baby I wasn't a puppy." And then she laughed. She is funny.

Juliana opted to take me to 4-Way restaurant which is a landmark in downtown Cartersville from way back. She had eaten there with her mama, but this was my first trip. Juliana and I always cherish our dates. When my chili cheesburger was placed in front of me, J and I looked at each other with the look of "what is that?" It was a plate of chili with a chili burger plopped right down in the middle of it. Best chili cheesburger I've ever had. Yumsters! We left there and spent the last of our time at the river, remembering old times (like geese chasing mama and her in Conyers, finding her pet turtle, Slowpoke, falling and getting her first skinned knee and ruining her tights and not knowing which one she was more upset about). We laughed like we always do and also took some pictures of the geese and each other. I realized that, unlike the other two, we were not only making new memories...we were reminiscing about old memories. She is grown up. That is OK. She makes a good grown-up.

God, thank you for my three kids, grant me more if you wish, but never let me take the ones I have for granted. I love them.

Colt McCoy

2010-08-04T19:13:00.000-04:00

A friend of a friend sent this letter to me:

Amazing Message
Brad McCoy about Colt

Dear Friends,

I had the opportunity to hear Colt McCoy’s Dad speak this Tuesday morning to the Dallas Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast. The breakfast is an annual breakfast that was started by Tom Landry and other Dallas leaders over 40 years ago and the speakers are usually amazing. Colt McCoy and his Dad, Brad, were supposed to deliver a combined message; however, Colt became sick on Monday and could not join his Dad on Tuesday morning. In the end, it was a blessing because Brad McCoy delivered a message on raising Colt and his two other boys that was truly amazing! The cliff notes are below. I took copious notes because he prefaced his speech by stating, “I am going to talk about the four principles with which we raised our three boys.” They are incredibly applicable to us as parents (regardless of the sex of our children) and they made a significant mark on my heart.

Brad McCoy said that he and his wife raised their children according to the following four principles:

1. “Prepare your child for the path, not the path for your child.” Brad said this is not just for our kids – it is for us as parents. The road is rough, narrow and hard to find. We have a book (the Bible), a map vis-à-vis the Bible and God to help us. We must prepare ourselves and our kids for moments in life when doors open and close. He cited Proverbs 22:6: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” He also cited, almost in jest but also in reality, Proverbs 23:13, “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.” It was a funny contrast, but a real contrast. He then said, “Dads, fight for your kids, prepare them!”

2. “Prepare to be our best.” This was one of the four McCoy family mottos. He cited 1 Corinthians 9:24, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” He stated that every day he would take his kids to school and upon them exited the car, he would say to them, “Do your best and be a leader!” He said that they listened every time and even as they got older (4th, 5th and 6th grades) he would repeat these words even if they said, “Yeah, Yeah, Dad, I know, do your best and be a leader!” He said that as a coach for 27 years, he would always lead his team onto the field and leave his team at every practice with the chant, “Expect to Win, Play to Win.” And he implored us as parents to instill the same attitude in our homes and in our children. He cited Jim Collins book, Good to Great, stating that good is the enemy of Great! We don’t aim high and miss – as we would like to believe. In fact, most times, we aim low and hit the mark! As parents, he implored us not to aim low! Aim high!!!

3. “Be a Leader” He stated that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses – great leaders that we can draw from and that our kids can draw from. He said we are all at the mercy of time and money and asked a rhetorical question: How do you spend your time and money. He then said that how we spend our time and money is a direct reflection on where our true priorities lie. Convicting! He then said as a leader that he has always loved the quote by Ghandi (even though he didn’t ascribe to all of Ghandi’s beliefs): “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with dirty feet.” He said that as he taught this principle to his three boys that Colt McCoy turned this phrase into his own words: “Thoughts become things.” Colt would tell his younger brothers as he mentored them, “ You can’t talk like that or think like that, because thoughts become things that play themselves out in your life.”

4. “Prepare for Open and Closed Doors.” As a Dad, he said it was painful beyond all of his years on this earth to watch his son get hurt in the first series of play in the National Championship at the Rose Bowl. A perfect setting. A setting his son had dreamed of ever since he threw the football with his Dad in the front yard as a kid. As a Dad, he went over to his son’s hotel room after the Championship loss and the demoralizing fate for such a NCAA football star. He went to his son’s room to cheer his son up and was praying to God for the right words. He entered his son’s hotel room to find his son finishing a devotional. A devotional that read as follows: “My positive energy must be better than my negative energy. My certainty must be me stronger than my doubt. The battle is won before I ever start the fight. I choose faith over fear. Leave a legacy of excellence, love, dedication and service. Jeremiah stated, ‘Blessed is the man who’s trust is in the Lord.’ He said as a Dad, he had to find a corner of Colt’s hotel room to sit down and cry over the maturity of his son. His son was prepared for open and closed doors! Wow!!

He then finished his speech by stating that as he consoled his son under the Rose Bowl stadium, after it was readily apparent that Colt would not be able to go back onto the field and play for the Longhorns. And as he was trying to motivate his son, his son motivated the team and his Dad. His son stepped into a new mantle of leadership. Rather than return to the field in pedestrian clothes, Colt insisted on returning to the field to help his team win. He walked back onto the field in his uniform and helped the second string quarterback read the defense and mentored the second string quarterback over the course of the 3rd and 4th quarters. He said that his son had been studying “trust” in a Bible Study all year long leading up to the National Championship game. He said his son had told his mom and dad that he didn’t know why he had been studying that “trust” concept all year, but he fully knew why in the moments leading up to the National Championship loss. He told his parents that he came to the conclusion that God had “prepared me for years leading up to that game, because He wanted me to “trust” Him!” As his son, Colt, was approached by news reporters after the Longhorns had lost the National Championship, the reporters asked Colt how he was feeling and Colt replied: “I always give God the glory. I never question what God does. God is in control of my life and if nothing else, I am standing on the Rock!”

Brad McCoy said that his cell phone began lighting up with texts after the game with friends, ministers and family members wildly acclaiming the statement that Colt had made to the reporters. He said that he received letters from non-believers, Jewish ministers, Muslim ministers and atheists in the days following the game – all pointing to the AMAZING statement that Colt had made after the game. He said that as he entered Colt’s hotel room that night, he asked his son, “What did you say after game?” [He had not been able to hear it in the mayhem of the stadium.] Brad McCoy, Colt’s Dad, asked two to three times, “Son, what did you say after the game?” Colt said, “Dad, I don’t know. I really don’t remember what I said. All I remember is that the reporter asked me a question and I prayed that God would supply me with the right answer.” Wow!!

Brad McCoy then ended his speech by telling a story about a young football player that he was coaching back in his hometown. He said the young football player approached Brad McCoy after he returned from Pasadena and said, “Coach, I heard what your son said after the game, but I have one question: What is the rock?” He said it’s funny son. We sing about it in church. He then began singing accapella: “My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found. Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne. On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand."

Gifts

2010-07-10T11:37:00.001-04:00

Suzanne is my gift. She presented me with the best gift that I have ever received at my Master's graduation. She had this painting done by an artist in Nashville, Laura. I have to say that when I saw it, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Suzanne had given Laura some idea of what she wanted and Laura put her creative brush to the canvas.

My life was spent on the wide road and thank God I ended up on the narrow road. Laura explains the painting and my life this way . . .

I played with the concept of the wide and the narrow road and how they aren't necessarily different roads...but one in the same. We become more and more refined, and on the narrow road we begin to grow and have life. Thus...the tree. It's new life. It's life abundant. It's life to the full.

Though we have a beautiful life, we have roots that go down into our old life and even wrap around on the wide road. These roots are what bring us wisdom, though. At the very bottom it gets scaly...because that's the death to self part. We have had to die to self on the wide road and the further we travel down the narrow road the more we grow.

The red could be symbolic of grace and the blood of Jesus. It goes into our roots to heal us and grow us...and it manifests itself as grace in our leaves that we show to the world and share as our fruit.

Suzanne added Romans 8:28-30:

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

and then she concluded with:

As Romans 8:28-30 shows, even though Christ saved you from the wide road, you were always going to end on the narrow one. And when you were plainly in the mire of the first one, look at the blood of Jesus that had trailed all the way to where you were stuck. His grace was there, just waiting. This painting represents your personal road. It started out wide and became narrow. It's an interpretation of your walk.

Even now, a year and a half later, I still get choked up when I look at this painting hanging in my office. I am so thankful for the grace of Christ and the grace of my human picture of Christ, Suzanne, for she offered me the same grace as Christ. I love them.

The Great Commission

2010-02-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

The greatest video of my life thus far. God has blessed it. Please watch and pray! Be encouraged! Carve out 74 minutes of your life andbe changed.

http://vimeo.com/9602983

Shooting Deer with a Lens in the Off-Season

2010-01-28T00:05:00.000-05:00

My eyes began to get full. I turned off the paved road into the field and counted and counted and counted until my ears heard my lips finally voice "eighty-one."

Shattered Dreams

2010-01-27T23:39:00.001-05:00

This is the face of a seven-year-old boy who worked non-stop for 6 1/2 hours to build his dream Lego Star Wars Republic Attack Ship that he received for Christmas. He asked to stay up until it was completed and I granted him the time requested. He finished it shortly after midnight. It has over 1000 pieces and he built it all by himself!

A few nights later, I heard a sickening crash of over 1000 Lego pieces. About 3 seconds later, Holt emerged in the door frame looking like his world had just been shattered. It had.

Lottie Moon

2010-01-05T19:45:00.001-05:00

So some have questioned of late . . . does Pastor Birch have a sense of humor? Click the link below for your answer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCrhpLGTkOI

My Personal Christmas Eve Service

2009-12-26T20:58:00.003-05:00

So on Christmas Eve my family went to our home church. The program was really geared toward worshipping Christ. I worshipped, most of the time feeling like Christ and I were the only ones in the room. One of the cool things that our church does at the service is the Family Lord's Supper where the Patriarch gives of Christ's body and blood to his family (talk about worship). This year was special because Holt took from Christ (for the first time) in rembrance of Him.

Because we lost another son, Josiah Birch, this year, I anticipated some sadness. I did well. However, I didn't at all expect that Away in the Manger would emote such heaviness. I was really worshipping my Christ-child when the following verse spoke to me in a very personal way . . .

Be near me, Lord Jesus,

I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever

And love me I pray

Bless all the dear children

In Thy tender care

And take us to heaven

To live with Thee there

I held my little fella in my hand the day that he was born. The intense tightening of my chest began again as I recalled the extreme pain of holding another dead child with my wife in tow. But, strangely, as I sang and listened to these lyrics . . . maybe for the first time . . . I realized that Anna Kay, John Crawford and Josiah Birch are in the DIRECT care of my Rescue. Never to endure a heavy burden in an earthly life.

For the first time in my life, for the first time since their deaths . . . I sang to my Lord with passionate meaning as I chokedback tears:

Be near me, Lord Jesus,

I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever

And love me I pray

Bless all MY dear children

In Thy tender care

And take us to heaven

To live with Thee there

My Lady

2009-12-24T22:58:00.002-05:00

For some reason, I was just reminded that the only time in my life that I was absolutely smitten by the sight of a girl . . . nearly twenty-one years ago . . . Knoxville Cherokees hockey game . . .

I was 18 years old. I remember thinking . . . "WOW! Outa my league ... but I gotta try."

I got her. How about THAT! (looking off in the distance with a silly smile because I am still smitten)

QUOTES

2009-12-16T23:22:00.000-05:00

"Our level of knowledge far exceeds our level of obedience." Birch Jones

"There are only two types of church members sitting on our pews . . . those who talk about the lost and those who talk to the lost." William Faye

"'No Lord" is an oxymoron." Dave Hume

"I don't want to prophesy that I know God. I want to know God so that I can prophesy God rightly." Birch Jones

"Don't give your heart to Jesus. Give your all." Al Mohler

"Jesus started the church the way He wanted it. He wants it back the way He started it."

"There is no heavier burden than great potential." Charlie Brown

"I can't hear what you are saying because I see how you are living." Warner Smith

"God has made us a witness, not a judge." John Ewart

" I find rest in productivity." John MacCarthur

"Fasting is a desire to eat more at God's table than at your table." Chuck Lawless

"What if all you have tomorrow is what you give God thanks for today?" Dave Hume

"A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Worthy to be chased." Solomon

"It is better to set ten men to work than to do the work of ten men." -D. L. Moody

Holt's Faith

2009-11-18T15:44:00.011-05:00

Holt has been asking questions about death and what happens after people die lately.

A few nights ago Holt again inquired about death and what happens to the deceased etc. We had a loooongg talk. He sat for an hour with me on the couch as I told him the gospel. I asked him if he knew why Jesus died and rose again. He said "nope."

I held him as he cried real tears as he contemplated his sin that killed Jesus. I held him as he thanked God for punishing His only son so that Holt would not have to burn in hell for eternity.

Holt was not as happy about the good news of Christ's rescue of him as I thought he should be. He was still stuck in the mire of his own sin and the price that Someone else had to pay for it. He admitted his sin to God and told Christ that he wanted to live for Him forever. This prayer was the beginning of his salvation. Perseverance will prove it.

God help me to disciple him. I beg You to hold on to him with your Spirit. Thank You for loving him first so that he can now love you. Thank you for your choosing of Holt Reid Jones. He is not deserving (none of us are) but I am thankful.

Guns

2009-11-18T15:20:00.004-05:00

Answer to those who want to adulterate the Second Amendment.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Training for God

2009-11-16T16:20:00.003-05:00

Story Listening Training in December $79
International Mission Board 1st week of training in January $200
Georgia Baptist Convention Church Planting Training in February $300

Seeing people become disciples of Christ-PRICELESS

My Three Stooges

2009-11-08T20:21:00.000-05:00

Mighty Mustangs

2009-11-07T22:11:00.003-05:00

Coaching these kids was fun and rewarding. A good coach fosters a kid's spirit for sports. A bad coach kills a kid's spirit. I hope I was a good coach for all 13 Mustangs!

Sharing the Gospel with Munir

2009-11-06T16:00:00.004-05:00

Praise God that I was able to clearly present the gospel to Munir today with limited interruption (see post from November 3rd for background info.). He has a very post-modern worldview, believing that there are several ways to heaven. Even though he seemed very well learned in other religions, he did not know why the Bible says that Christ had been crucified (for the fogiveness of the sins of those who believe).

I walked through the Share Jesus Without Fear verses which included John 14:6 which clearly says that Jesus is the only way to God and the forgivenss of sin. I told him that he could not include Christianity (Jesus) as one of these ways to heaven. I told him that he must decide. Either Christ was a liar and knew that He was not Messiah or He was crazy and thought He was the Messiah but really wasn't or He is Messiah. I told Munir that he must either believe soley in Christianity or dismiss it as false. He MUST decide.

I left him my typical NT (with my name and # inside) that I give to all whom I witness and he asked me for the whole Bible. I went to my car and gave him a copy.

Continue to pray that he read God's word and that the Holy Spirit will pierce His heart with the Truth.

I am the Priest in The Good Samaritan

2009-11-03T14:19:00.007-05:00

Last Wednesday before prayer meeting in Kingston Georgia, I went to the local convenient store to buy some jerky (I had not had dinner). There was an Indian man behind the counter. I introduced myself and told him that I was about to attend a prayer meeting. I asked him how we could pray for him. He replied

"Me? You are going to pray for me?"

He was shocked that I wanted to pray for him. I was shocked by his answer.

He said "Only one thing" as he held up one finger . . . "that all of my sins in my life be forgiven."

I told him that we would pray over his request and I asked him f I could come back some time to tell him how he could know the God who forgives sin. He said that I could and I walked out. I got in my car and remembered that I did not even get his name so I went back in the store and asked him.

He said, "they call me Mike."

I said "O.K. Mike." and left again.

As I was backing out of my parking place, he tapped on my window, scaring me half to death. I rolled down my window and he said

"The people here call me Mike but your God, if He is real, will know me as Munir." And then for further clarification, he spelled it for me "M...U...N...I...R."

We smiled a goodbye and I went to prayer meeting where we prayed for Munir. I knew that we couldn't pray his sins away for him but we prayed that his heart would be open to the gospel when I went back.

Call me the priest in The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Even though this man was screaming for me to tell him the Good News, even though he so desperately wanted to know that such a prayer could be answered, I had to go lead prayer meeting, leaving a dying man laying in the ditch. I would have been late. Shame on me. God forgive me. Confession does nothing without repentance, so I finally went back today and visited with Munir again.

I asked him what day and time would be good to talk with him since he was at work. It was noon so the store was hopping with people. We set a time and place for Friday but before I left, he asked me who my God was. I told him that my God is the God of Jesus Christ. He nodded and said "I see you Friday."

I pray that Friday I get to see my friend Munir begin his new life with Christ. He is married and has two children. Please pray for his rescue and the rescue of his family. I would love nothing more then to witness my new brother in Christ telling his family about his newfound Jesus!

Marketplace Chaplains USA

2009-10-31T11:47:00.003-04:00

I recently began working as a chaplain for Marketplace Chaplains USA. I have been an "unofficial"chaplain of 84 Lumber Company since my conversion to Christ Jesus. I have had the honor of seeing many lives changed because of Christ's witness through me. I am in my element at Pilgrim's Pride, American Fast Lube and Gainesville Mechanical. I pray that I will see many more lives changed in this expanded territory that God has allowed!

The Athiest Bible--If there is a God, where will you spend eternity?

2009-10-26T16:19:00.001-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKrTK_WUiCo&feature=related

Even Kids Respond from The Preaching of God's Word

2009-10-19T16:03:00.006-04:00

I preached at Kingston Baptist Church yesterday. I wasn't expecting these gifts from my children:

1.)Juliana let me know that God spoke to her and told her to begin a Bible Study at our home for some of her friends.

2.) Holt's prayer last night: "Help me to be a preacher like my daddy when I grow up and do Bible Studies . . . preach your Word. And help me to keep my wife and children safe like my daddy. Amen."

3.) Carolina asked me last at bedtime: "Daddy, Where IS Jesus?"

I would have called these occurrences coincidence in the past but now I know better. These were God-cidences. Thanks God.

God isn't just Judge. He loves us too.

2009-10-16T15:51:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juEACGmrXC8

Satan's Plan

2009-10-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

Where do you fit into Satan's Plan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXxfduCpC38

Would I die for Jesus?

2009-09-21T18:00:00.002-04:00

Would I die for Jesus? This is a question that all mature Christians ask of themselves at one time or another. If I were in Turkey with my family and someone with a pistol pointed at my skull asked me if I was a Christian. What would I say? Maybe the more important question is this: Am I LIVING for Jesus? God forgive us all.

Christ Holds Us in the Palm of His Hand

2009-09-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

God Time with Juliana

2009-09-19T09:27:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I received the blessing and great privilege to visit with the Lord with my daughter. She had come to me a few nights back and asked if she could get up with me and have her quiet time with me.

On Friday morning, we rode out to the river just below the dam (my favorite spot in the County). We stood on the river's edge and talked with the Creator of the Universe. We kept our eyes open, looking around at all the beauty that God has provided through nature--the living water, the swaying trees, the wood ducks, the geese, a crane, a slight breeze and finally, as Juliana was praying, my eyes were fixed on her.

Tears welled in my eyes as big as raindrops before they fell from my cheeks as I watched my used-to-be little girl praising her Saviour at my side. I find it so easy to pour my heart out to God there and as I found out, so does Juliana. Thank you God for a moment that I will always cherish.

O, The Mystery

2009-08-28T13:43:00.001-04:00

Check out this new beautiful praise song! It is amazing that He loved me first!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30194313&id=1168383253&comments=&alert=#/video/video.php?v=142655043271&ref=nf

3 Al Qaida Charged in Martyr's (Chris Leggett) Death

2009-08-05T20:24:00.002-04:00

Pray that these three will receive Christ and help turn Islam on its head!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jkD7-gIDZ4uRn2e2aS0a8K3fVmZAD99S700O7

Christians Killed by Muslims

2009-08-04T14:09:00.003-04:00

Please pray for the Truth to infiltrate the Muslim Community--not so Christians may not die but so Muslims may live (in Christ). Click on the following link:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536238,00.html?test=latestnews

I was gonna burn in hell . . .

2009-08-03T22:11:00.003-04:00

"I was gonna burn in hell and you were gonna let me." This is the quote I used over and over, after I committed my life to Christ, to church-going, closed-mouthed, professing Christians that rubbed shoulders with me while I was living like and running with the devil. I might not have listened or believed if someone had told me the Truth--about Jesus--but at least I would have thought that they cared about me enough to go out of their way and risk their friendship with me here on earth for a possibility of friendship with me for eternity (if I committed my life to Christ). Listen to athiest Penn (from Penn and Teller) say the same exact thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JHS8adO3hM
Do we really love our neighbor as ourself? How many people know what you believe about Christ whom you have not shared? What is that saying to them? Do they think you love them? We know that they will die and burn in hell and we are gonna let them. SHAMEFUL. God forgive us. Thanks for sharing this with me Van!

Jesus is the ONLY WAY

2009-08-02T12:00:00.008-04:00

Islam could very well be THE World Religion without raising a sword. We must begin witnessing to Muslims even though it might mean losing our heads. We must begin multiplying as God expects. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children ofthe youth. happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they speak with the enemies in the gate (Psalm 127:4-5). We must raise our arrows. The Apostle Paul preached, largely, by using fear. I am not Post-Modern. I am not tolerant. Tolerant people are not tolerant of intolerant people. Therefore there is no such thing as tolerance! Jesus said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."Jesus was not tolerant. No one can say that they follow the teachings of Jesus and be coherent unless they believe that He is the Messiah because He said He is the Messiah. He is either a liar (because he said He was Messiah), a lunatic (because he said He was Messiah) or the Messiah (because He IS Messiah). He cannot be your Saviour . . . He will not be your Saviour... unless He is your Lord. You cannot divorce the two. He will not be your Lord without saving you and He will not save you without being your Lord. Christian means a "follower of Christ." Are you following Him? If you say you follow His teachings...have you ever read the entire Bible? You might be surprised. "If you love me, keep My commandments"(Jesus Christ). I challenge you to read the Gospel of John. Please watch the following video. It may just be the most important seven minutes of the rest of your life. Please click the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

The Lamb and My Boy

2009-07-12T18:23:00.003-04:00

About five years ago my sister sent me a book that I could read to my kids. The Lamb, written by John Cross. clearly and simply tells the gospel of Jesus Christ. I read this book to Juliana when she was five and she began to understand the ultimate sacrifice that Christ paid for those who would give their life for Him.
Last week, I sat down with my six year old boy, Holt, and read a couple of chapters a night until we finished the book. In the first few chapters, Cross discusses that God made everything and he then moves to the attributes of God and then on to when Satan rebelled and was cast out of heaven. Holt listened intently and asked, "if God made everything, then why did he make Satan?" Even with my Masters in Divinity degree . . . uh oh . . . "let's move on Holt," I told him. Holt has always been one to give great analogies. He said "well, it was probably like Star Wars. Darth Vadar used to be on the good side with Luke and Yoda and then he went over to the Dark Side." I agreed and said "yes Holt, Satan switched sides and became an enemy of God."
We moved on and when we got the part about sin, Holt got up and began walking out of the living room letting me know he would be back in a minute. I asked him where he was going, bewildered, because we were right in the middle of the chapter. He emphatically and frustratedly said "I'll be right back." He appeared about two minutes later with his little fists balled up by his side. He stood before me . . . I was on the floor . . . and said "Daddy, you know how sometimes you take money out of your pockets and put it on the kitchen counter beside your wallet? Well, I stole some of it a couple of times and I don't know exactly how much I took but I thought this would be a fair amount" as he opened up his liitle fists and sheepishly handed over some coins. I was shocked! Not that he had stolen . . . well, actually I was shocked (he is such a good boy, as far as good boys go). I was shocked that he was getting it! He was beginning to see his sin problem. He realized that he was a sinner. He was beginning to see his need for rescue! He had been eaten up with guilt and now he was confessing and asking for forgiveness--undeserved grace and undeserved mercy! I took him in my arms and hugged him tight and and told him that I forgave him and that God is a Father too who forgives us when we sin if we will confess. He admitted that he thought he would feel worse if he told me but that he actually felt much better. God is like that isn"t He?

More analogies began to fly out of my little man like "Jesus is like Aslan (from Narnia) isn't he?" and on and on as his little mind began to wrap around the theological doctrines of God and grace and sin and love and . . .

Chris Leggett Funeral

2009-06-30T21:36:00.006-04:00

Let me first say, I just had the privilege of praying with and putting my children to bed. Chris's children do not have that privilege tonight. "What if all you have tomorrow is what you give God thanks for today?"
David Souther (one of Chris's best friends) gave a tribute to Chris. David referenced Ephesians 3:13-21 and 2 Timothy 4:6. He also recognized Jackie as being a faithful servant for Christ. He listed several qualities that prepared Chris for missionary work.
1. Eternal Perspective--he was always asking the question "What will survive the fire?" This is in reference to walking through the fire when we reach judgement. The only things that will make it through the fire will be what we have accomplished for Christ.
2. Frugal-- Chris could get the most out of a dollar and a car etc. (This was needed in a country where resources were difficult to come by.)
3. Strong Business Background- Chris used this to manage funds and train/teach people in Africa.
4. Friend to All--David mentioned Chris's mom who wasn't a stranger to anyone. Chris was a friend to the friendless.
5. Endured Extreme Conditions (you can imagine)
6. Doer of the Word
7. The Influence of his Family and friends--David said that Chris had often talked about those who had taught him in Sunday School, taught him and Jr. High and H.S.

David Clark sang In Christ Alone with a couple of other guys that I did not know. They sung this very upbeat and celebratory. It brought glory! I worshipped!

Dr. Allan Lockerman gave the message entitled A Good Man as Far as Men Go. He said we all ask why when such a good father, husband, son, brother and Christ follower gets called home. He looked at Jackie and said, "The question is not why (and he referenced Romans 8:27,28). We will never know why until we get to heaven. The question is 'why not?' Why not Chris?
Jackie and Chris asked the question 'why not us?'when they answered the call to go to Africa. So why not Chris? Dr. Lockerman said that Chris's death seems abnormal. He explained that people have been dying for Christ for 2000 years. "This is not abnormal." What is abnormal is our air conditioned, nominal , Sunday only Christians." He went on to say that as good of a man as Chris was that he deserved hell and that the blood of Christ and Chris's relationship with Christ was what assures us that he is in heaven. Dr. Lockerman gave the full, clear, simple gospel and asked people to pray to recieve Christ. He finished by saying "just one life soon will pass, only what's done for Christ will last."

Someone had written and recorded a song in Chris' s memory entiltled "He gave his life because You gave Your Son. I need to get my hands on that!

It was a celebration but I was heartbroken watching Jackie and their four children walking behind the casket at the end of the funeral. What a loss for us, what a gain for Chris.

I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether in life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20-21.

Missionary Martyr

2009-06-29T09:50:00.007-04:00

Chris Leggett was killed last week in West Africa admittedly by Al Qaida for allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. I went to high school with Chris. You can read some of the articles below.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=217599325703&h=iG30_&u=3TJQ7&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=95353935035&h=jXtjF&u=PErwg&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=99135150492&h=j26ki&u=P_M8d&ref=mf

I have been convicted all week, well feeling guilty really, for not doing enough to spread the gospel to the world. In my Bible reading this week, I kept coming across this idea of abandoning those who reject the gospel. I have so many people on my prayer list to whom I have personally shared the Good News. I still pray for them because they have yet to enter into relationship with Jesus Christ. Should I abandon my prayers for their salvation and move to others who have not heard?
In 1 John 5:16, John writes that "if anyone sees his brother committing a sin that does not bring death he should ask, and God will give life to him--to those who commit sin that doesn't bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that." While it is true that John is writing to Christians in this letter and even in this verse, he is explaining that the sin that leads to spiritual death is the sin of unbelief. John seems to be saying that those who have heard and rejected should not even be prayed for. In Acts 19:9, Luke writes that Paul was tryingto persuade people to Christ "but when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them . . ." and in Acts 18:6 Luke writes that Paul preached to the Jews "but when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his clothes and told them, 'Your blood is on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.' So he left there . . ."
So my question is this . . . has everyone in the Bible Belt heard the gospel? I contend that the majority of the persons in the Bible Belt have not heard the simple gospel. I am not talking about the easy gospel that many of our conservative churches have been teaching for the last 60 years.
This easy gospel that I write of is this: "If you want to go to heaven and don't want to go to hell then say this prayer . . ." Jesus never spoke the words "go to heaven" when he shared the gospel. Our society is so Mecentric (the universe revolve around me) that we have even made salvation about us. Salvation occurs so that we may give glory to God the Father and God the Son. We are a means, not the end. I do not accept salvation to go to heaven. Yes, it is a perk that I will not burn in hell and will get to enjoy Christ forever in paradise, but God's purpose for our salvation is to spread the good news on earth of God's saving us from what we deserve-hell. We are Ministers of Reconciliation and Ambassadors for Christ. We are now part of the Army of God, telling what we have seen and heard of this Christ who loved us so much that He died in our place and now wants to work and live through us-guiding us to live, act, and speak for Him. John 17:3 says that eternal life is knowing God and His Son. This is the simple gospel: we deserve to burn in hell for eternity because we are born an enemy of God. God has a perfect home where only perfect people are welcome. Our sin convicts us and God (the Judge) will sentence us to hell. In order to become a friend of God we need Someone to rescue us. God loved us so much that He sent His perfect God-Man-Son to live and die on earth. God allowed all of our sin to be piled onto Christ where he literally became sin in our place. He was punished unto death for our sin, reconciling us to God. Jesus defeated sin and death in His resurection from the grave and ascended to heaven where he waits to be united with His bride (the church). In the mean time, if we believe and commit our lives to this Christ and accept His gift of rescue, agreeing with God that we are sinners and asking for forgiveness from the Only One who can give it then we can have a relationship with the God of the heavens and the earth. Committing means that we have to be obedient. That obedience begins with falling in love with God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We must attempt to reconcile our neighbors to God to allow them rescue from their eternal hellish destiny.
My rationalization with not going overseas as a missionary is that I have a wife and three children. I am a father to them. I am biblically responsible for their safety. Surely God would not call me to a dangerous, foreign land and allow me to endanger my family???? I learned last night that there is a difference between the words "rational" and "rationalizing." I rationalized in college that I that there were no absolutes (that what is wrong for one person might not be wrong for another). I realize now that that is not rational. See the differnce? My point is that I don't want to be 80 years old and look back and think that I am rationalizing not going to the world with the gospel because of danger. I don't want to look back and see that my thoughts were not rational. Chris Leggett was killed doing God's work--doing God's will. How could he be more secure and safe than in God's will? How could his children be more safe than in God's will? I am just not talking about physical safety--none of us are ever promised that--in or out of God's will. I am talking about spiritual security. Are Chris Legget's children more secure in their faith because of their daddy's faith in action? I guess the real question for me is whether or not God is calling me to foreign missions when the U.S. is the third most lost nation in the world.
Right now, I know that God has called me to NW Georgia to plant churches filled with new Christians. I have quite a target audience that have not heard the simple gospel. Lord, please guard my heart with Your Word and keep me before You and Your will. I want more than anything to be used by You and for You!

I am thankful for Chris Leggett for reminding me to persevere in the Way. He knows now that "blessed is death, since it, through the divine power, disrobes us of this workday garment, to clothe us with the wedding garment of incorruption. Blessed are those who 'sleep' in Jesus." (Charles Spurgeon)

Church Planting--details, details details

2009-05-17T14:51:00.003-04:00

I went to the Georgia Baptist Convention Church Planting Training on Wednesday. O.K., so there is a tremendous amount of stuff I don't know! There is way more administrative stuff then I would have thought. Tax exemption, insurance etc. will really roadblock ministry because of the time that will have to be devoted. So maybe all of the home churches will not be fully autonomous. Maybe it will be better if we just have satellites with each home church having their own pastor. I know I need to get on the stick on figuring out the ins and outs of storying. I am antsy to begin soon. The Convention has Basic Training in July but we may begin meeting before then if I can get some of this admin. out of the way. God, please help me continue narrowing Your focus.

Church Plant in Bartow

2009-04-26T20:17:00.007-04:00

The Lord brought my family to Bartow County in 2007. We now think it was to plant a church. It is now almost two years later and the Lord, quite possibly, is preparing me to take the plunge. Here is portion of the vision:

The population in Bartow is increasing by about 36% every ten years. Our churches are increasing by about 26% every ten years. We are losing ground. If we continue to do church (buildings and full-paid staff) then it would take 159 years and $1,032,000,000- yes that is right- 1 billion 32 million dollars to reach Bartow County for Christ! This information is from Dr. Jim Slack from the IMB.

My strategy for taking the gospel to every person in Bartow County begins and ends with church planting. If God plants a church through me and it births two more churches in the second year and each plant continues to birth two churches every year--then after 7 years , Bartow County would have an additional 324 churches (think Amway). I propose that these churches be led bivocationally and that they are home churches or storefront churches that would not exceed 50-80 persons. This cap would allow the church to grow without ownership of buildings and full-time staff. 324 churches at 50 persons would mean an additional 16,200 Christians after just seven years if God so moved. This will take a bite out of the population growth and excitement would begin as the goal begins to be realized.

My strategy would allow for each of these churches to be autonomous. This would mean that the Lord would have to call 324 bivocational pastors to lead these home churches. Would they all have to graduate from seminary? No. I will disciple, pray with and pray for these called men of God. We will meet on Monday evenings and discuss the text that will be preached the next Sunday (all of these plants will preach the same text each Sunday to ensure the Word is rightly preached). This idea came from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. The sermons will be somewhat different because of style and differing illustrations, etc. Do I think seminary education is important? Yes. Do I think it necessary? No. I agree with the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Al Mohler, who believes that the church needs to be discipling and educating the called men of God, not seminaries.

I do not believe that we should throw away traditional church as this avenue will still reach many. However, I do think we need to begin to attempt to immitate the Church Planting Movements that are happening all over the world through home churches. Please see my entry from March 19, 2009 entitled Church Planting Movements--America Left Behind.

By His Wounds

2009-04-10T22:14:00.003-04:00

This Holy Week has meant more to me than any other. Why? Hopefully, because I am falling deeper and deeper in love with my Saviour. I am reading Leviticus in my daily Bible reading right now. In Leviticus 9, Moses and Aaron (serving as High Priests) sacrificed a calf and a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. This would be equivalent to me burning my car (as a sacrifice) this morning before work just to be able to come into the presence of God for worship. Just another reminder of Christ's self sacrifice accomplished for me--He is my sacrifice, He is my High Priest and He is my King. 2000 years ago, Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey--in those days a donkey carried 1.) Kings coming in peace 2.) High Priests on their way to sacrifice animals so that the community could worship and 3.) Spotless Lambs to be offered as a sacrifice for sin. My Jesus rode that donkey as all three on Palm Sunday 2000 years ago. On this Good Friday (2000 years ago), He died . . . He experienced the guilt of sin for the very first time when He bore the sins of the whole world. He took my sin and it died with Him. By His wounds we were healed. 1 Peter 2:24. Watch this video and worship King, High Priest, Sacrifice--Jesus Christ--Son of God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KA7wmABbI

Church Planting Movements--America Left Behind

2009-03-19T18:34:00.005-04:00

CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENTS-- a book review
Author David Garrison
There are some necessary components that must be present for the occurrence of a church planting movement. The Holy Spirit is the intangible. In order for North America to experience a church planting movement, North America will have to experience a fear in the face of its own stability.
First, the Holy Spirit is the one Who grows churches. He began the church as is seen in Acts 2. He also grew the church as is seen throughout Acts and in all of Paul’s epistles. The lack of the Holy Spirit’s presence is not always the deciding factor in whether or not a church planting movement is to be. "Sometimes we find that God is all too willing but that the uncooperative partner is us . . . at the end of the day, Church Planting Movements require the cooperation of three partners: God, ourselves and our community (Garrison, 272)." In North America today, I believe that the Holy Spirit is willing but the church and the community are shutting the door. The road to heaven is markedly narrower then we have been taught in the Southern Baptist Convention. The lackadaisical church member who is hoping to sneak into heaven on his own interpretation of John 3:16 probably is not going to make it. Americans have not had to deal with adversity on our own soil or even a threat of it since the 1940’s. September 11, 2001 proved that a hint of need drives us to fear and fear is the beginning of wisdom and Wisdom is Jesus Christ. We have been wandering in the desert for nearly seventy years just like the children of Israel. There is so little difference between a Christian and 70% of America that calls themselves Christian that there is no room for the Holy Spirit to work. There is no pocket in any corner for the Holy Spirit to begin a movement.
The United States does not see the need for prayer. We have every worldly need. America has gone the way of a kind of Mormonism. We think that we are good enough to not need Jesus Christ. We are self sufficient and all-knowing so why would we need Him?
We need persecution. We need suffering. We need fear. I am not just talking about persecution amongst Christians for being Christian. I mean the United States of America needs to have foreign enemies on our soil. We need a Great Depression. We need a seven-year drought. We need famine and disease. Should we pray to that end? My parents prayed "whatever it takes for Birch to come to You, O Lord. Take his job, take his home, take his family, take his limbs. . . anything but his life before he knows You." I am at this point. I am at the pinnacle of loving me friends and neighbors so much that I pray catastrophe upon us so we can see our need for a Saviour.
The World Church Planting Movements have experienced several common elements. These elements include, but are not limited to, this climate of uncertainty or societal unrest, persecution, which produces an uncanny boldness in those who commit to Christ. The world has experienced complete families coming to Christ as well as divine signs and wonders similar to the New Testament days.
These movements around the world do not produce large, Americanized, traditional buildings. These churches made up of twenty to thirty people are a self-sufficient church family that is self-teaching and self-theologizing. They cling to God’s Word. They evangelize at the point of re-birth because they cannot help it. They join God in what He is doing. They are lizard churches who are intentional about hunting the hell bound. There are members in every church that are a direct product of the Church Planting Movement who appreciates the way God has chosen to expand the gospel. These people are the ones who continue planting . These are the dominoes.
The American church does not realize that the average adult who comes to Christ in America today knows far more about apologetics and theology then they do. The typical longtime church member that has grown up in the church has never had to think out their theology or defend it. Let me give an example of what I am writing about. A young couple gets saved and is wholly committed to walking for and with Jesus for the rest of their days because of the price that He has paid for them. They are ready to pay a price and live an adventuresome life with Christ at the helm, leading them down the perfect path. They are ready to win the world to Christ. They are ready to tell the world who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Then they go to church and find that they are all alone.
The Western Church tames the new zealous Christian with one verse. "These men must be first tested (1 Timothy 4:1)." We also say leaders must not be new to the faith. Where is our faith. Who is our faith in? Is our faith in the person or in the Holy Spirit? What are we teaching? That maturity is shutting your mouth and sitting on your hands? Let the new believer tell God’s story through him. The best way for an immature Christian to become mature is to walk on his own depending on the Holy Spirit. We must walk through fire before we are tested and we must be tested before we know whether or not we will trust Him! Go back and read 1 Timothy 4:1 again. The Scripture is exactly right, they must be tested. Test by letting them do not be just by letting them hear!
America the beautiful, the home of the brave . . . We are not brave. We are not bold. We have not been tested. The church has not prayed for boldness. We just assume that boldness is a gift. We have put extra-biblical requirements on what a church is just like the Jewish temple leaders of the New Testament. We have not learned anything form the story of Cornelius and the food requirements. We have not learned anything form Stephen’s speech before he was stoned to death. Stephen was trying to tell the Jewish Leaders that God does not live in the temple. Why do we continue to drown in American tradition like it has been lifted off the pages of the New Testament?
Garrison is right when he says that we need to let new believers evangelize and we need to assume that every one who evangelizes is a church planter. We do need to manifest a missionary faith in new believers because it is biblical. We do need to release them from under our thumb and unto the Bridegroom. We do need to model, assist and leave. But first we need to pray. We need to pray that all North American Christians will pray. We need to pray that God will implant a vision of strategy within our churches to realize that we have not arrived. We are no where close. Holy Spirit come. God help us!

Diversify Your Portfolio Luke 16:1-9

2009-03-18T21:01:00.012-04:00

We are told to diversify our portfolios to better ensure that our bank accounts will be full for our retirement. In a day when the economy is uncertain, many of us are concerned about our present and our future financial situations. With the Dow crashing every other week, it seems impossible to know where to put our money to ensure a comfortable future. Jesus tells us in the Parable of the Unjust Steward that Christians are to be just as shrewd as non-Christians when it comes to money. Christians should be shrewdly gaining money as a means to gaining real wealth for ourselves and others--HEAVEN.

A Review of The Shack

2009-03-11T23:37:00.003-04:00

The Shack
I have been asked by soooooo many people what I think of The Shack. I have told countless people that I would have to wait until I graduated so I would have the time to sit and read the book by Paul Young. I have graduated and I have read it. This post is for those of you have read the book. I am not going to re-tell details or the plot for lack of time/space. I read this book because I have heard so many of my Christian friends passionately tell me that this book has transformed their life. Any Christian fiction is dangerous because we do not know the true authorial intent. What did the author intend? Nonfiction is usually pretty clear. Fiction leaves the intent of the story up to interpretation of the reader. DANGEROUS.

The reason I read this book was not because the intent of the author was clear but because so many people were gaining so many different transforming "truths" from this fictional book. Read these quotes that appear on the official Shack website from readers:

After reading the Shack, I’ll never again see God as the "Abe Lincoln Memorial" I used to invision. A beautiful, big, loving black woman is much more to my liking! Just thinking about a hug from her makes me happy.

The God Journey site , Lifestreams , and other sites that help shift the thought patterns of an abusive god , to the knowledge of a very Loving and concerned God … Big shift …Thanks

A guy that I do not even know told me about it while making a line at a grocery store. He was just amazed about it that it made me curious. I got the book and could not put it down. I am not a Christian, but a Believer in Christ. He is my savior, my ALL in ALL.

I found that each on of my friends and family that read the book came away with it meaning some thing different. Thank You Lord….. Thank you so much for the book.

Other than the Bible, it’s the most important piece of work that I’ve ever read. I’m trying to get everyone else to read it too because it’s so liberating, so full of gentleness, life and love. Exactly as my heart knows Papa is

This book is currently on the top 20 at Amazon. That is why I must write to this. Many people are going to be "affected" by this book.

I got what Young was intending even very early on in his book. He is intending to break some molds that we have formed in the Christian American Church. He is attempting to redefine institutional traditional religion. That in and of itself is not bad, and this issue needs to be addressed. Young is wanting to get God out of the box that most of us have put him in over the years. The problem, as I see it, is that Young went overboard to make a point. I get what he is doing, but he has taken God completely out of THE box. He has taken God out of His own box that He framed Himself in . . . in His own Word.

Young presents an unorthodox Trinitarian theology that personifies God as a woman. Do I really believe that Young thinks that God is a woman? No. However, might other people begin to frame God as a woman and the Holy Spirit as a woman? Absolutely. What is the danger in portraying Abba Father as a woman? Boy, I wish I had the time to explain this. Let me just say that that there is a hierarchy to the Godhead. There is a hierarchy to this earth that God created. Man was created and woman was created as a helpmate. Does that mean God loves man more than woman? No. It does mean that God has given different roles to different people and He has clearly given the role of spiritual leader to the man to imitate and immolate God as the spiritual leader of this world. Have men done a good job of leading our families, nations and the world spiritually? NO, but that does not change the hierarchy that God set up in the beginning. I think that one of the reasons that Young portrayed God as a woman is because he wanted to portray God as a loving God. He wanted readers to feel this loving attribute of God more than any other attribute of God. As a matter of fact, there are really no other attributes of God portrayed in this book. Young has, in a sense, created his own God . . . a God with love and not a God of justice or righteousness. God is a God of love but He is also a God of justice and wrath. Danger Will Robinson. God is 100% good and we are not the definers of good. Another reason that I believe that young portrayed God as a woman is because he wants us to realize that God loves us in such a way that He could choose to show Himself to us in different forms so we in our limited humanness could see Him. Let me explain. Did Moses see God in the burning bush?

What do I find that is good about this book? I love the forgiveness that takes place and I love the relationship (John 17:3) that takes place between Mack and the Triune God. However, the majority of people in this world are not believers and therefore cannot have a relationship with the Godhead until they realize their sin, God’s wrath and punishment for sin (Hell), and redemption through the perfect God-Man (Jesus) who was obedient, even obedient to death, death on a cross. It is through His resurrection that I can be forgiven for my faults.

I also find that Young has pushed the envelope for a reason. The theme of this book is that God loves us. Young does not wish for the critic to call him a liberal. I believe that he wishes that the readers will see how incredibly blessed we are that the God of heaven and earth does love us. This book is meant to expand our minds about the transcendence of God and the fact that transcendent God has chosen to have a relationship with sinful man. He is the Unknown allowing Himself to be Known. Young achieves this.

However, there are so many things that are false in this writing that I cannot leave them alone. On page 145, Jesus says that "Papa is as much submitted to me as I to him." Not true in my Bible. Jesus must submit to God. He can do nothing without the Father (The entire gospel of John). Jesus does not even know when he will be returning—but God does.

On page 145, Jesus says that "in fact, we are submitted to you in the same way." Untrue in my Bible. The Godhead does not submit to humanity.

On the bottom of page 99, Papa says that "Jesus is fully human. Although he is also fully God, he has never drawn upon his nature as God to do anything." What about creating the world? Jesus did that. Could a mere human create the world (Colossians 1:16)? What about living in perfection on earth?

Page 120—"I do not need to punish people for sin." Wrong. God cannot let sin go unpunished. He is holy and pure and righteous. Who does Young think sends people to Hell? We all deserve eternal damnation. This statement really blew my mind. Young is on board with so many of his themes—forgiveness, God’s love and the fact that God’s ways are His ways and we may never understand (Job). But sometimes Young acts like he has never read the Bible. I don’t get it. This book has a lot of truth and some big theological mistakes. Dangerous.

Page 110—Jesus says "I am the best way to papa or Sarayu." In John 14:6, Jesus says that there is no other way to the Father except through Him. Surely, Young does not mean that there are other ways/religions that lead to the Father and that Jesus just happens to be the "best" way.

Page 134—Young writes that not believing in Eden is not a fatal mistake. This is a slippery slope at best. If one does not believe all of God’s word than how can he believe any of it?

Page 145—Jesus says that the earth belongs to Him. Actually, the earth was given to Satan and Jesus will take it back on the day of His return.

Page 182—can someone explain this please? Jesus says, "I have no desire to make them Christians." Christian is defined as a Christ follower. What is Young talking about? Jesus desires to make those who the Father has chosen, Christians (John 17:24)! Maybe Young meant that he had no desire to make them religious???

Page 182—Young jumps on institutionalized church by saying that many have come to me who "are not a part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions." How can one be a Christ follower and not submit and love His church? The Book of Acts is very clear that we are to meet together in corporate worship. This is where Young misses the point. He has been hurt by "institutionalized church" at some point. He is now a bigger part of the problem instead of the solution. Let me explain. Say I told my buddy that I like him as my friend and that I would love to spend time with him but that I refuse to spend time with him if his wife is around. Don’t you think my buddy would be offended? Well, he should be. I am defaming his wife. I am telling him that he has chosen badly. I am knocking his mate. The church, the corporate body of believers who meet to worship along side each other on Sunday mornings is the bride of Christ. If you do not love His church then you cannot love Him! Are churches broken? Yes! There are people in them. Would Christ have us abandon His bride or attempt to fix her?

Young does admit proudly, on his website, that he is "not connected, or a part, or a member of, or involved inside any sort of organization or movements anywhere." We are called, as Christians, to be a part of the Kingdom movement (Matthew 28:19,20, Acts 1:8). Look, I think that Young does a great job of making his points on forgiveness, God’s love, and the fact that we must trust God even when He does not change circumstances that hurt us. This is what Young was trying to convey and I commend him for doing just that.

He says on his website that he is not a universalist and so I take him at his word, thinking that he must have accidentally used the word "best" on page 110. Listen, I think this is a good piece of fiction that relates many true attributes of God. However, people who have never read the Bible (many of which sit on our church pews) are raving about this book and sharing it with their friends like it is the gospel. I am more upset with these people then I am with Paul Young. When is the last time you gave a Bible to a friend? When is the last time you shared the Good News? God is accurately portrayed in all of His ways/attributes in the Bible and it is not fiction (even the part about Eden). Have you even ever read it?

This is Addiction

2009-03-09T19:54:00.002-04:00

Every person that is born into this world is a son of Satan. Satan cannot fulfill the desires of our heart. This means that there is a hole in the life of every human that needs to be filled by Christ. This vision is for those people who have yet to experience Christ and therefore do not know of His love. This vision is also for the people who have experienced the love of Christ in salvation but do not know yet the power of Christ to overcome the bondage of sin.
Life is spent trying to fill this hole with anything and everything imaginable. Sin temporarily attempts to fill the hole but it is never enough to sustain fullness. The hole is constantly emptying and more things are chased and even caught to try to cram into this emptiness.
Every human being on planet earth is born into depression (even though he does not realize it) because nothing fills the void. Failure to fill the chasm becomes a broken record in the life of the victim. Alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription painkillers, pornography, romance novels, gambling, television, power in business, food for comfort, an adulterous affair and worldly wealth are examples of what humans chase to fill the crater in their chest. These things they aggressively seek until the devil hooks them with the one desire of their heart that becomes a place of solace. "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8). Ironically, whenever the stresses of this world become too much, the canyon that caused them so much pain and sorrow is now the first place they run because it is filled with the newfound love that has hooked them.
This newfound love becomes and obsession. The once-depressed individual is now fooled into a false joy that only lasts while the individual is swimming in the water of their addiction that is filling the abyss. Then, the newly elated individual begins to only be happy in the very crater that they once hated. They do not ever want to leave the place that gives them the most pleasure—the empty hole that has now been filled with sin. They are wallowing in it and they love it. It becomes their god and they begin to worship it with all of their resources. They begin to give more of their time to it. They begin to give more of their money to it. They begin to give more of their energy to it. They begin to give more of their heart to it. The obsession takes hold.
The individual cannot remember the days when this hole was the only thing in life that was empty. Now that this hole is filled with the devil’s toys, the rest of life begins to become empty. The cliff has now become the very place that the individual runs to in anticipation of escaping life. Over the cliff and into the abyss surrounded by comforting demons and lies.
Soon, there is not enough time to spend in fantasyland. Soon there is not enough money to allow them to stay for as long as they want. Family begins to get in the way. Work begins to get in the way (unless this is the addiction). They no longer desire to spend time with their spouse, the other parts of life that were O.K. before, now start to become an obstacle to time spent in the chasm. The alcoholic can’t go to Cracker Barrel and eat because they do not serve his addiction. The internet pornography addict does not want his wife and kids to be home because this keeps him from the only thing in life that brings him happiness. The young mother becomes angry with her children for interrupting her favorite television shows because they are the only things that numbs her from her stressful duties. The middle-aged woman locks herself in her bathroom to savor the Hershey bars that she keeps hidden under the sink. The gambler can’t go to Disney World with his family on a Saturday or Sunday because there is no media outlet to tell him who is winning the game that he has money on.
At some point, hopefully the addict begins to despise what he has become. He begins to hate the very thing that filled the void in his life. He simply says to himself that he will never go back to the chasm filled with sin anymore. That very day, he finds himself there again. He makes the promise again the next day but realizes that his thoughts are consumed with when he can escape from life and go and run through the flower-filled fields that he calls ecstasy. But now, when he is there in the chasm he realizes that it is a pit and he is trapped. He cannot get out of it. It holds him. He is enslaved. He is in bondage. He made a choice to chase it but now he cannot make a choice to escape it. Now his whole life is a hole. Relationships that he once enjoyed are being torn apart. The character that was once upstanding has turned upside down and is now being exposed for the whole world to see. Natural consequences from spending everything for the addiction now begins to rain destruction on him and he begins to see how his bad choices now affect everyone around him. This is addiction. This is life without Christ in the void.

God Speaks Through His Word

2009-03-09T19:15:00.002-04:00

I am reading through God's Word this year with a friend of mine. We all need accountability! We are using the book For The Love of God by D.A. Carson. Anyway, today the Lord continued hammering me about who He is and how much He loves me. The first chapter I read this morning was Job 38. God is speaking to Job after Job and his friends have guessed and guessed at why God would have allowed such attrocities to happen in Job's life . . . (God had allowed Satan to take everything from Job including his children and possessions). God answers Job's questions with His own questions. He asks Job during a terrible frightening storm "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now gird up your loins like a man. And I will ask you, and you instruct Me?" Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding." God goes on to question Job in the rest of the chapter. God's Word is timeless. God is also questioning me for questioning Him! Who do I think I am? Who am I to question God in His ways? He has purposes beyond my miniscule life, purposes that I cannot know outside of my earthly bubble. I have strayed back to a time before my salvation . . . a time when I thought the world revolved around me. How could I revert to this? I know that God spins this world around Christ. He wants me to be Christocentric. God wants more out of us than mere understanding. He wants my life to revolve around Christ and His purposes. I revert to being Birch-centric. How doesthis story end? I could not help but skip forward to Chapter 42 as Job answers "I have heard and my eyes see You, therefore I retract and I repent in dust and ashes."
If this was all there was to God's Word then we would be left with a very different God than I know. Yes, the God of Job is the God of Jesus Christ, but there are so many other attributes of Yahweh. The second chapter that I was to read this morning was Luke 23. My God is One of balance. He is sovereign and thank You God that You are loving and merciful! Luke 23 is the trial of Jesus and His crucifixion. Pilate tells the chief priests "I have found no guilt in this man."
But they creid out all together, saying "Away with this man, and release for us Barabbus!" God forgive me!!!! I am the chief priests! I am Barabbus! I crucified my Lord (chief priests) and I was the guilty man (Barabbus) that was freed because of my Saviours death, burial and glorious resurrection!
In case you are wondering, this is the love portion of God. He gave His Son for a rotten, stinking onion like me who continues to question His love for me even today. Oh, forgive me Father. Holy Spirit please take prayers to the Father that I don't even know to pray so that my trust, faith and love for Abba Father will be strengthened. Continue to burden me with the empty souls who do not yet know of this love. Burden me to action. Weigh me down with their souls.

Angry With a Loving God

2009-03-08T15:01:00.003-04:00

Back in September of 2008, my wife and I lost a baby boy to a stillbirth. His name is John Crawford. I cannot begin to tell you of the anger that poured from my heart as I watched my wife hurt so deeply at the loss of her son. I was extra angry because this is our second child that has not lived to full term. In August of 1998, Anna Kay was born into heaven and not into this world.
We have been blessed with three beautiful children in between these two ugly bookends of premature death. However, the pain of holding your tiny baby who was never allowed to take a breath, play kickball, laugh at their fruitcake daddy, whisper "I love you mommy", give their pop and nana a leg hug, or play Narnia with their brother and sisters. This is real pain. Pain that transcends emotion and weighs heavy in your gut . . . physical pain.
I have a seminary degree. I know a little something about theology. That is what originally made me angry about this "infant demise." God is sovereign. He is sovereign over all. People will say, "you never know, God might have been saving you from a handicapped child or a rebellious teenager or from this or from that." My answer to that is that my God knows everything and if he was saving us from a handicapped child then He could have allowed us NOT to get pregnant in the first place! Besides would we not have loved a handicapped child just as much? The bottom line is this . . . God allowed this to happen. That made me mad. Not only was I making funeral arraingements for my son but I had to watch my wife go through labor and delivery of our child whom she would never nurse and never sing to sleep. This is my wife. The one that I am instructed to love as Christ loved the church. The one whom I am to protect. A few years back I had given my life to Christ and that meant relinquishing my control to Him. I felt like I relinquioshed control to Someone who was not caring for my wife. I could do nothing to stop the train wreck of death that we held in that hospital room. God could have stopped this from happening and He chose not to. Did I mention that I was angry?
The delivery was on a Wednesday and I was to preach the following Sunday. How could I? Preach the Good News of Jesus Christ when I felt like He had abandoned me? I had told God when He calledme to preach His Word that I would always preach as if the present sermon would be my last. I would always preach as if the present sermon might be the last sermon that a listener might ever hear. That meant that I must be prepared. My heart must be prepared. I must be confessed. I must be passionate and believable. I had a choice. God had drawn a line in the sand. "Get right with me and preach or don't get right with me and don't preach." So I had it out with God, telling Him a thing or two. I finally got to the good stuff. I told God that I knew that the writer of Hebrews wrote that we have a High Priest (Jesus) who sympathizes with us in everything but I yelled at God that Jesus wasn't married and that HE NEVER LOST A SON!!!!!

The silence was deafening after God answered me. "No Birch, Christ never lost a son, but I did. I not only lost a Son, but I gave my Son. I gave my Son for you and for Suzanne. I do love you."

God drew a line in the sand because he wanted to draw me back to Him. He did not want me to go another second without knowing His infinite love for my wife and I. I cried out to God for forgiveness and let Him know that even though I did not understand that I would still trust. I do still trust the God of Jesus Christ. I preached that Sunday full of the Holy Spirit who came to my aid in my time of sorrow.

Suzanne and I went through some medical testing to see if we could/should try again for another child. The doctors found nothing and God granted us another pregnancy just two months later. That pregnancy ended this week. We did not bring Josiah Birch home from the hospital. We got to hold his tiny body in our hands again questionning God. Why could/would He allow us to get pregant again if this would be the outcome? Anger began to creep back in to my heart as I watched my wife hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. A few hours after Josiah's birth, I sat in a surgery waiting room, alone. The doctors thought that Suzanne may be internally bleeding and so they rushed her into surgery. I sat all alone scared that I might lose my wife and the mother to my three children. God drew a line in the sand. "You are not alone. Do you trust me?" I knew this voice. It was the voice of my loving God who sent His only Son for me. He loves me and He loves my wife. I answered "yes" to His question. Do I trust Him? Yes! This life is filled with heartache and pain that was caused by human sin from the very beginning in the Garden of Eden. Pain and suffering are natural consequences of our rebellion against God. I have a hope in living with my Saviour forever. I have a hope of living a perfect Garden of Eden called heaven because of this Saviour who die and rose for me. Boy, will I ever feel silly as I enter heaven to be greeted by Jesus who will introduce me to Anna Kay, John Crawford and Josiah Birch. We did not get to live with them here on earth for a short time but we will worship our King forever and ever and ever beside each other. Thank you Jesus for the hope that we have in You. Even in this, may You be glorified.

Noah's Ark

2009-02-15T17:11:00.006-05:00

Have trouble believing the story of Noah's Ark? Click on these pictures of an ark built to exact biblical scale.

http://www.v-twinforum.com/forums/off-topic-discussion/136373-man-builds-noah-s-ark-biblical-scale.html

Worship Rightly

2009-02-15T07:55:00.003-05:00

One of the two men that taught me how to worship rightly is Dr. Greg Brewton (Southern Seminary and my previous Worship Pastor). His blog allows me the opportunity to continue learning from his worship wisdom. Check it out at http://www.biblicalworship.com/ .

Church Planting

2009-02-14T10:20:00.006-05:00

Read the book of Acts in God's Word some time. It is filled with churches planting churches. Why are we not planting more churches in North America? The Lord has impressed upon my heart to be directly involved with church planting. I will post more on this later but for now click on this link and see if you might join me in planting churches for Christ Jesus. http://www.achristianmanifesto.com/wisdomofthepages/?p=391

Annointing Obama Inauguration

2009-02-06T13:11:00.001-05:00

Please pray for your President. It is biblical!

http://www.faithandaction.org/2009/01/07/obama-anointing-prayer-for-walkway

Experiencing God Weekend

2009-02-04T19:53:00.006-05:00

This past weekend was like no other! I was a team leader at an Experiencing God Weekend at Cedar Creek Baptist Church in Adairsville, GA. I have never heard so many good things said about someone who is still alive--Pastor Larry is a phenomenal pastor who truly exemplifies Christ to his laity. Pastor John Lemmings was a dynamite teacher setting the tone for the weekend with his challenging messages. Al and Dottie coordinated the weekend flawlessly. The Holy Spirit showed up and showed out all weekend. I am excited to see what the Christ is going to do through the Christ followers at Cedar Creek in the days to come. I am excited about teaching at future Experiencing God Weekends!

A New Beginning

2009-01-24T18:19:00.001-05:00

Life out of seminary has been very freeing. I have been able to play with my kids, catch up on honey-do's, catch up on sleep (it is possible) and begin organizing the rest of my life! I have about 30 extra hours a week to spread around between ministry, family and whatever.