Pastor Matt's Blogosphere

2010-07-06T07:54:00.003-05:00

Kids Kamp 2010

What a week last week! We had 519 campers (a record for Kids Kamp week), and God saved 30 of them! Many campers heard the gospel for the first time, so pray for them that the seed of the Word of God will be watered in their lives.
Also, God blessed me with the opportunity to be the Evening Evangelist again. I really enjoyed being there, seeing the kids, and preaching the Word of God to them. A huge "Thank You" goes out to all the sponsors, workers, volunteers, etc. who gave so much for this camp. Without them, it would be impossible to do all the things we did. May God bless you!

2010-06-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

ABA Meeting - Thursday Morning

The session was opened with song, Scripture reading, and prayer. Vice President Bro. Darrel Owens gave opening remarks and called for the report of the Baptist Sunday School Committee. The report was read and adopted.
The Business Manager, Bro. Wayne Sewell, gave the report concerning the business aspect of the operations in Texarkana. Various items were noted in these reports such as price adjustments, new equipment, sales in the Bookstore, 2011 VBS information, Spanish literature, etc. A motion and second was made to adopt the report. The motion passed.
Nominations were received for position of Business Manager. Wayne Sewell was nominated and elected.
The Editor-in-Chief, Bro. Larry Clements, gave the report concerning the literature aspect of the Baptist Sunday School Literature. An overview was given of VBS materials, the new Chosen studies, Sunday School material, Baptist Training Course materials, etc. A motion and second was made to adopt the report. The motion passed.
Nominations were received for position of Editor-in-Chief. Larry Clements was nominated and elected.
A motion and second was made to implement a 5% increase in literature prices. The motion passed.
A special prayer was held for the Business Manager, Editor-in-Chief, Baptist Sunday School Committee, and those who work in the Bookstore in Texarkana.
The proposed writers for all literature were given. All nominations were listed and approved by the messenger body. Due to the list of names, that information will be listed later.
Bro. Wayne Sewell addressed a question concerning equipment acquisition.
The election of the Baptist Sunday School Committee was brought forth. The list of those serving on the committee were given. Bro. Allen Hagood nominated Bro. Chad Graves in lieu of his own place. The nomination passed. Bro. Shipp nominated Bro. Ledbetter in lieu of his own place. The nomination passed. No other nominations were made. The 16 brethren that were listed were approved by the messenger body to serve on the Baptist Sunday School Committee for the coming year.
The new Standing Mission Committee gave a report from last night’s meeting. The report was adopted.
The following brethren were nominated for the 2011 Annual message: Billy Daniels, Carroll Kinley, Kirk Parnell, Paul Roberts, Bobby Sparks. Bro. Paul Roberts was elected. Bro. Bobby Sparks will serve as the alternate.
The following brethren were nominated for the 2011 Missions message: Caleb Wood, Gene Ray Ward, Livingstone Lambert, Bill Pennell, Jerry Baker, Stephen Massey, Kyle Lewallen, Mark Thornton, Walt Embry, Jason Palmer, Glenn Knight. Bro. Livingstone Lambert was elected. Bro. Caleb Wood will serve as the alternate.
The following were elected as officers for 2011:
President - James Calhoun
Vice-Presidents - James Crain, Darrel Owens, Joe Morrell
Recording Secretary - Terry Parrish, Lonnie Wiggins
Parliamentarian - David Robinson
Asst. Parliamentarian - David Butimore
Music Directors - Daniel Clark, Bill Crouse, Mike Paulk
The newly elected Baptist Sunday School Committee gave their report from this morning’s meeting. The report was adopted.
Director of Meeting Arrangements - Edgar Sutton
After closing remarks, the 2010 National Messenger meeting of the American Baptist Association was adjourned with a Scripture reading and prayer. (No afternoon session will be held due to all business being addressed by the end of the morning session.)

2010-06-23T22:28:00.001-05:00

ABA Meeting - Wednesday Evening

The evening session was opened in song, Scripture reading, and prayer. After some remarks from President Copeland, the choir sang several songs of praise to the Lord. Bro. Edgar Sutton then brought forth the recommendations for the 2014 meeting place: Jacksonville, Florida; Lexington, Kentucky; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Daytona Beach, Florida. By vote of the messenger body, the 2014 meeting place will be Grand Rapids, Michigan. (The 2011 meeting place is St. Louis, Missouri. The 2012 meeting place is Fresno, California. The 2013 meeting place is Dallas, Texas.)
An announcement was made that all church letters must be received by July 30th in order to be included in the 2010 Yearbook.
A special Missions presentation (approximately 30 minutes) was then given. It was an incredibly moving, encouraging, and challenging presentation. Please pray for these men and their families as they serve the Lord around the world! A special prayer and missions offering was received after the presentation.
Bro. Alvin Dickerson, Missionary to Scotland, brought the evening message.
After the message, a few minor items of business were addressed and then the session was closed in prayer. Exhibits will remain open until 10:30 pm. Tomorrow’s morning session will begin at 9:15 am.

2010-06-23T16:55:00.000-05:00

ABA National Meeting - Wednesday Afternoon

The proposed amendment to the Mission Policy was taken back up and voted upon. The amendment passed.
The Camp Report was given with Bro. Doug Curtis and Bro. John Pino giving reports about each camp. The report was adopted. The Camp Trustees were voted in with no change to the committee.
The Chaplaincy Report was given and adopted by the Messenger body. A call was made for more chaplains from the ABA. At this point, the ABA has 4 chaplains serving in the U.S. Military: 3 in the Army and one in the Navy. There are 4 seminary students enrolled in the Chaplain program of the U.S. Military. When these men finish their training, the ABA will be blessed with 8 chaplains serving in the U.S. Military. The ABA chaplaincy commission was asked by the U.S. Government for its opinion regarding the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. The following paraphrased resolution gives the summation of their response.
Paraphrased Resolution - Whereas on January 27, 2010 the President of the United States asked for the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy along with House approval and soon vote in the Senate, and whereas such a repeal would directly impact chaplains and their religious beliefs; and whereas such implications would directly violate the First Amendment rights of those chaplains and their denominational beliefs; etc.; be it further resolved that the ABA Chaplaincy opposes such a repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; and whereas a copy of this resolution be sent to President Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, other such officials, and churches involved.
America the Beautiful was sung in response with a moment of silence to following. A special prayer was offered by one of the ABA Chaplains.
A motion and second was made for a special page of memoriam be given for Bro. Jearl Smith in honor of his service to the ABA Chaplaincy Commission.
The Chaplaincy Commission of Jearl Smith, Herbert Kitchens, Clyde Duncan, John Saunders, George Garner was given. Bro. Jearl Smith’s position is open because of his death. Bro. Charles Law was nominated for the position of Bro. Jearl Smith. This substitution was approved. The new Chaplaincy Commission of Herbert Kitchens, Clyde Duncan, John Saunders, George Garner, and Charles Law was approved.
The History and Archives Committee report was given and adopted. The History and Archives Committee has produced a special DVD of PDF files for all minutes from 1905-2009. The DVDs are available at the ABA meeting for $10. Afterward, the DVDs will be available through various committeemen and the bookstore in Texarkana but for a slightly higher price. The files are in PDF searchable format by topic and keyword. This is the first such compilation of minutes from the old General Baptist Association and the American Baptist Association.
Bro. Don Britton received a special recognition and award from the History & Archives for his commitment to the research, preservation, and study of Baptist history. Bro. Britton thanked the committee and the Messengers for such an honor.
Donald Britton, Michael Thompson, Larry Butte, Terry Parrish, Robert Ashcraft, Philip Pevehouse, and Larry Crouch currently serve on the History and Archives Committee. The same men were elected to serve on the committee for the 2010-2011 service year.
A motion and second was made to provide a page in the yearbook in honor of Bro. Leroy Polk due to his many years of service before his passing.
Law Enforcement Chaplains, Enrollment & Finance, Memorials, and other reports were given and adopted.
The Memorials committee honored the many brethren who have passed on to their reward in glory with a moment of silence.
The Resolutions Committee presented a resolution of thanks to the city of Charleston, WV, its representatives, local news affiliates, staff of hotels, convention center, and other business, the host pastors, host churches, and various other persons for their warm welcome and gracious help. This resolution was adopted with a standing vote.
Other report such as the National Women’s Auxiliary Report, National Music Director’s Report, Youth Report, and MBSF Report were given and adopted.
The meeting was adjourned until 6:30 pm.

2010-06-23T11:30:00.002-05:00

ABA National Meeting - Wednesday Morning

The meeting began with Scripture, prayer, and various thoughts at 9:15 am. Bro. Stewart was called upon to read the minutes from yesterday’s meeting.
Bro. Ray Brooks, questioned the practice of the Standing Missionary Committee writing a church requesting for any name or request to be withdrawn for Missionary support. The concern is that such a practice may lead to further control or influence by the committee. The issue of concern refers to a divorced man serving as a Missionary supported through the office of Secretary-Treasurer. This issue is not addressed by the Mission Policy of the ABA.
A motion and second was made to approve the report of the Mission Committee meeting yesterday.
Nominations were made for the position of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. Bro. Randy Cloud was nominated. Bro. Cloud was approved.
Nominations were taken for the Standing Missionary Committee (a committee of 25). Due to the amount of names and substitute nominations, no list will be given at this time.
Bro. Randy Cloud gave recognition to those who had served for many years: Bro. Charles Murphy (15 years) and Bro. Billy Sheppard (27 years).
All Missionaries supported through the office of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions in Texarkana were asked to come on stage for a special time of prayer.
Following the prayer, the Mattingly Family sang a special.
The following items were removed from the table to be considered as further items of business.
A motion and second was made for the recommendation of Bro. Kuk to be considered at this time. The motion carried. Bro. Kuk was added to the list of recommended Missionaries.
A motion was made by Bro. Murphy to take off a number of names (5-6) from the table to be considered for recommendation at this time. A second was made, and the motion carried. The Missionaries were added to the list of recommended Missionaries.
A motion and second was made for the recommendation of Bro. Leonel to be considered at this time. The motion carried. Bro. Leonel was added to the list of recommended Missionaries.
A motion and second was made for the recommendation of Bro. Roberts to be considered at this time. The motion carried. Bro. Roberts was added to the list of recommended Missionaries.
A motion and second was made for the recommendation of Bro. Ellery Mejia to be considered at this time. The motion carried. Bro. Mejia was added to the list of recommended Missionaries.
A motion and second was made for the recommendation of Bro. Williams to be considered at this time. The motion carried. Bro. Williams was added to the list of recommended Missionaries.
A motion and second was made for the proposed change to the Mission Policy to be removed from the table. The motion carried. (Discussion ensued but a vote was not taken due to a motion being made to adjourn. There was a second, and the meeting was adjourned until 1:20 pm.)

The exhibits will open at 11:40 am and be open until 1:15 pm. They will be open again this afternoon from 4:30-6:20 pm and tonight from 9:40-10:30 pm.

2010-06-22T23:05:00.001-05:00

ABA National Meeting - Tuesday Afternoon & Evening

Tuesday Afternoon - 1:30 pm

Due to the Mission Committee business being handled so quickly in the morning session, no afternoon session of the Mission Committee was convened. An afternoon workshop, “World Missions Focus,” was held from 3:00-5:00 pm and was directed by Lynn Raburn. Four speakers were given approximately 30 minutes each to address different topics.

Tuesday Night - 6:30 pm

(Exhibits officially opened at 4:15 pm and remained open until 6:20 pm.)

The 2010 National Messenger Assembly of the churches of the American Baptist Association was officially opened. The evening began with a musical prelude followed by Scripture reading and prayer. After the prayer, the messenger body enjoyed the presentation of colors and the National Anthem. A prayer followed this patriotic time. A welcome to the city of Charleston, WV was given by the city representative with a response given by an ABA messenger. The proposed agenda was presented and adopted. Bro. Copeland (Texarkana) gave the President’s Address. Bro. Terry Parrish (Bryant, AR) gave the annual sermon. Following the sermon, the congregation was led in a hymn. Following the hymn any necessary business was addressed.
A motion and second was made to set aside part of the Mission Policy in order to consider Bro. Kuk in a subsequent session. The motion carried. The same motion was made for the following brethren: Bro. Ronaldo (spelling?); Bros. Ellery Mejia, Gomez, Hernandez, Castillo, Rodriguez and one other; Bro. Roberts; and Bro. Williams.
A motion and second to amend the Mission Policy was approved to be tabled until a subsequent session. According to the messenger giving this amendment, this is done to clarify a section of the Mission Policy.
Bro. Edgar Sutton presented the following locations as proposed meeting sites for 2014: Jacksonville, Florida (June 17-19); Lexington, Kentucky (June 17-19); Grand Rapids, Michigan (June 17-19); and Daytona Beach, Florida (June 24-26, 2014). A vote will be taken by the messenger body in the Wednesday evening session to decide at which site the 2014 meeting will be held, Lord willing. A question was raised concerning cities with international airports versus regional airports.
The 2011 meeting will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, Lord willing.
The meeting was closed with a Scripture reading and prayer.

Exhibits and booths remained open until 10:30 pm.

2010-06-22T11:35:00.001-05:00

ABA National Meeting - Tuesday Morning

The Past President’s Breakfast, and the National Women’s Auxiliary Officers Breakfast both began at 7:00 am. The National Music Leaders Workshop began at 7:45 am, the National History and Archives Committee began at 8:00 am, the MBSF Council Workshop began at 8:00 am, and the Baptist Sunday School Committee began at 8:30 am. The ABA Camp Workshop began at 9:00 am.

The Camp Workshop began with Bro. Doug Curtis giving opening remarks and an opening prayer. After prayer, introductions were given. Bro. John Pino, superintendent of Pine Springs Baptist Camp (owned by the churches of the ABA), Laneville, TX, spoke about the needs and projects of that camp. As of now, the attendance at Pine Springs is higher than last year. Bro. Doug Curtis, superintendent of Bogg Springs Baptist Camp (owned by the churches of the ABA), Arkansas, spoke about the needs and projects of that camp. Other regional and local camps represented by their superintendents spoke concerning their needs and future goals. Questions and comments were fielded from those gathered.

The National Youth Meeting began at 9:30 am, and the National Women’s Auxiliary Workshop began at 10:00 am. The Missionary Committee meeting began at 10:00 am in the Coliseum.

Bro. Vance Nutt opened the Missionary Committee meeting. Bro. Randy Cloud reported on the Missionary Share Time held last night. There were 87 Missionaries sharing words about their respective works representing 17 countries and 26 states. Bro. Roger Stewart called the meeting to order and had the roll call. Bro. Cloud read the Report of the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions for the fiscal year of 2009-2010. For the fiscal year 2009-2010, $2,456,784.14 was given to help the missionaries preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Approximately 632 churches and individuals send mission offerings monthly to the office of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. (Many, many churches send offerings directly to the sponsoring church instead of sending it through Texarkana.) The Thanksgiving Mission Offering was $283,642.06. For the past year, missionaries reported 15, 950 professions of faith, 3,605 baptisms, and many churches being established in Africa, Philippines, Mexico, Indiana, Georgia, and Wisconsin.
At the messenger meeting, 162 Missionaries will be recommended by sending/sponsoring churches to the messengers for financial support through the office of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. (This does not include many late forms received.) These Missionaries represent 25 states and 24 foreign countries. (This is but a limited number of Missionaries representing the ABA. Many Missionaries are sent out through individual churches, local association, and state associations. At this time, a complete number of Missionaries sent out by ABA churches is unknown.)
With the monthly mission offerings currently averaging $184,000, and if no raises are approved for the missionaries for the 2010-2011 associational year, the mission offerings would need to increase $13,000 per month or 7% to meet the monthly pay out. (This does not include the requests received late.) If a 3% raise is approved for the full-salaried missionaries, the monthly mission offerings would need to increase $21,000 or 10% above the current monthly mission offerings of $184,000. The balance in the Mission Treasury at the end of May 2010 was $658,594.95.
Full salary is $3,346.00 per month for Interstate Missionaries. This does not include housing, gas, health, and other various allowances and support from sponsoring/sending churches.
The report was adopted by the Committee. A question was asked as to whether or not the information could be given for the late forms received, so information could be gathered before the evening meeting. Information was given to the committee.
Minutes from the Pre-Association Standing Missionary Committee in Texarkana in May were read. The newly recommended Missionaries were then covered. Bro. John Claypool and Bro. Danny Fudge are newly recommended Missionaries for Interstate on Designations.. Bro. Jay Ross is a newly recommended Missionary for Foreign on Salary. Bros. Albert Cabando, Javier Moreno, Dan Pettersen, Deepak Shankar, and Jose Zamarripa are newly recommended Missionaries for National on Salary. Bros. Mark Deleverio and Furlong Usher are newly recommended Missionaries for National on Designated Funds. Re-recommended Missionaries were covered.
Bro. Jeremiah Carson and his sponsoring church withdrew his re-recommendation.
Bro. David Law and his sponsoring church withdrew his re-recommendation for Interstate on Designations due to a “drop in missions giving due to him being divorced.” (He was approved at last year’s meeting with discussion. His divorce occurred before he was saved.)
All newly recommended Missionaries were approved. A motion was made and seconded that no raises be granted for those on salary.

All re-recommended Missionaries were approved except for those previously withdrawn and/or the following: Candelario Espinosa (withdrawn); Esteban Uc Kuk (withdrawn).

The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 am.

2010-06-21T23:18:00.002-05:00

2010 ABA Messenger Meeting - Monday Night

The welcome was given to the messengers at 6:30 pm in the reception room for the 85th Annual Messenger Meeting of the American Baptist Association.

The Missionary Share Time began at 7:00 with the invitation given for any Missionary, Missionary Helper, or Church representative to present God’s work in their respective location. Each Missionary was allotted two minutes for their brief presentation. Local, Interstate, Foreign, and National Missionaries, etc. gave updates, announcements, and words of thanks to those present. Many gave reports of great success and churches being organized around the world. Others gave reports of needs for money and delay of churches being organized because of financial needs. The Share Time ended at approximately 9:30 pm.

The Schools Meeting (this is comprised of ABA Seminaries within the United States) began at 7:30 pm. The next ABATS (American Baptist Association of Theological Schools) meeting will be March 10-11, 2010 in Somerset, Kentucky. Currently, there are 23 schools within the ABATS fellowship in the U.S. Foreign schools are not represented in this group. The minutes and financial reports were given and adopted from the last meeting. Various business was discussed. The meeting ended at approximately 9:00 pm.

All meetings were adjourned. Various breakfast meetings will be held tomorrow morning beginning at 7:00 am. Other workshops and committee meetings will begin at 8:00 am.

(If any of the above information is incorrect, please contact me, and I will make the necessary changes.)

2010-04-30T06:55:00.001-05:00

No Phone Friday!

If you need something to take the place of your phone today, take your Bible! God would love to speak to you!

2010-04-26T19:55:00.002-05:00

Just wondering?

Do you ever feel like you are making a difference? Nothing weird or anything. But do you ever wonder if you are accomplishing what God wants you to accomplish? Of course, the good thing is that the results are in God's hands. We are told to be obedient and let Him handle the rest!

2010-04-19T23:10:00.001-05:00

How About Some Change?

Many times when speaking to people about the Bible, etc., they will give an argument that the Bible contradicts itself and cannot be trusted. Of course, as believers, we know the truth, but for many of those we come in contact with, they whole-heartedly believe such an argument to be true. How are we to handle such situations? According to the words of the Apostle Peter, we are to know what we believe and give an answer to anyone that asks. So, let’s look at a few short answers concerning the argument about whether or not God repents (i.e., changes His mind, will, etc.).

Scriptures that seem to teach that God changes His mind:
Genesis 6:6 – And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Exodus 32:14 – And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Scriptures that seem to teach that God does not change His mind:
Malachi 3:6 – For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

(All Scriptures were taken from the KJV.)

First, let me quote from the logic book (“Come, Let Us Reason” by Geisler and Brooks) that I use in my Logic and Argumentation class at Seminary pertaining to this issue. The book gives an argument followed by a refutation of said argument: (Argument) “When men repent, they make a real change, so when the Bible says that God repents, that means He must change too.” (Refutation) “Is it right to assume that God is like men in all respects? It is always possible
that the Bible sometimes uses language that men can relate to even if it isn’t theologically precise (like when it says that God has hands, wings, loins, etc.). If God is immutable (unchanging),
why would we think that this suggestion of change should be understood without metaphor?” (pages 109-110)

Second, the “Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments” by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown states the following:
“God cannot change; but, by language suited to our nature and experience, He is described as about to alter His visible procedure towards mankind – from being merciful and long-suffering, He was about to show Himself a God of judgment; and, as that impious race had filled up the measure of their iniquities, He was about to introduce a terrible display of His justice.”

Finally, consider this quote taken from "Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary":
"This language is what theologians call anthropopathic; that is, the Lord is described as having human emotions.”

One more verse (Numbers 23:19): God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (KJV)

So, what does all this mean for us today? Well, we have security in knowing that our Heavenly Father does not change. He has always been, is, and always will be holy, righteous, loving, and kind! While the world around us changes...He never does! And you can take that to the bank!

2010-04-07T12:33:00.002-05:00

A Little Political Humor?

Thanks to Brian Jones for the following bit of humor: (don't take it too seriously...it's just a joke!)

Sen. Reid goes to a local GM dealer in Washington, D.C. with the intention of buying a brand new vehicle. He looks around and finds one he likes. After going back and forth with the salesman, he settles on a price of $45,000.
Sen. Reid and the salesman go back to the office to complete the paperwork. Sen. Reid works out a 4-year payment plan, and signs on the bottom line. The salesman shakes his hand and says, “Thanks Senator Reid, the car will be ready for pickup in 4 years.”
Sen. Reid says, “What are you talking about? Where are the keys to my new car?” The salesman replies, “No, you don’t understand Senator. You make payments for 4 years… THEN we give you the car. You know, just like your health plan.”
Sen. Reid, with a choking voice, says to the salesman, “But that’s not fair.”
The salesman replies, "Duh!"

While we sometimes are instructed to wait on the Lord, at least we know, whether it be 4 or 40 years, He will do as He says and provide all we need!

2010-03-30T22:22:00.002-05:00

Sunday School

It's been awhile since we've talked about Sunday School, so I would like to revisit this topic. What should be the main objective of Sunday School? Smaller group studies, indoctrination, discipleship, fellowship, etc.? What is the best way to approach this ministry and are there some pitfalls that should be avoided?

2010-03-28T22:39:00.001-05:00

Sunday's Sermon

The Greatness of Jesus Christ: A Greater Name (Hebrews 1:4-14)

2010-03-25T11:55:00.002-05:00

The Great Physician!

Regardless of whether you like or dislike the new health care bill passed by Congress, remember that true healing comes from the Lord. "For I will restore you to health, and I will heal you of your wounds," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17)

2010-03-22T09:53:00.003-05:00

Required Reading For A Pastor's Wife (and possibly for all Christian women)!!!

Every Pastor's wife, Minister's wife, and Christian woman should go to a bookstore (online or in person) and buy "I'm More than the Pastor's Wife: Authentic Living in a Fishbowl World" by Lorna Dobson. I read the entire book yesterday, and really believe that Mrs. Dobson (not married to Dr. James Dobson but to Ed Dobson) has really "hit the nail on the head." While maybe not every single issue or decision is exactly what you would do, there are many principles in this book that can really help the women God has called to be the wife of a Pastor, Minister, Missionary, etc. However, the principles would be good for all Christian women to know for themselves and so that they might even protect the other ladies in their life. So, do it now. Go to the store (online even!), buy the book, read it, and be ready to breathe a sigh of relief!

2010-03-20T23:23:00.001-05:00

Sunday's Sermon

The Greatness of Jesus Christ: A Greater Revelation (Hebrews 1:1-3)

2010-03-17T14:06:00.002-05:00

Your Favorite?

I know this is probably a Preacher "faux pas"...but I'll go ahead anyway! What would you say is your favorite book of the Old Testament, New Testament, or even the whole Bible? Do you have a favorite verse? Or, are you like me many times..."My favorite book of the Bible is the one I'm currently studying!"

2010-03-12T23:05:00.003-06:00

Time Change?

Many churches have service schedules that have been the same for decades which, of course, is fine. My main question is whether or not any of you see an advantage to changing service times. Have you, or some church you know about, been involved in such an endeavor? (This was just a random thought brought about by the looming "Daylight Saving Time though I'm going to lose an hour of sleep" issue.)

2010-03-08T08:04:00.002-06:00

10 Words

Well, I will finish my series on the Ten Commandments (10 words) this coming Sunday, Lord willing. It has been an exciting series...though, not always an easy one! However, preaching through this passage (Exodus 20), has made me think about some things, and I would like some input. I would like to know what you think about our society and its adherence to God's principles found in the 10 Commandments and other parts of the Bible. I really do not want another discussion about whether we are to keep the 10 Commandments or not; I really want to talk about our nation and its adherence to God's principles as set forth in Scripture. Should we preach about such things? Should we expect our nation to change? Should we judge our nation? Should we repent (as Daniel and others did) for our nation? Etc. (I know the answers to some of these questions are quite obvious, but I just wanted to spur your thoughts. Feel free to add more questions and thoughts.)

2010-03-04T11:03:00.002-06:00

Good Times!

As a Pastor, Missionary, Layman, etc., what has been one of your most exciting times in the work to which God has called you? If you do not want to be specific, then give a general discussion concerning some highlights in your work for the Lord.

2010-03-02T15:24:00.002-06:00

Can You Hear Me Now?

In your opinion, is it best for a church to have an annual call for the Pastor or have an indefinite call for the Pastor? (Personally, I have been a member, at one time or another, of churches that have had the yearly call and others that called a Pastor on an indefinite basis.) What advantages would one method offer over the other method? Does one present more stability or instability? Should churches ever change this method or continue with the same method until the next Pastor is called? So, go ahead, give me your thoughts, and let's back it up with Scripture when needed!

2010-02-25T12:25:00.003-06:00

Eight Is Enough?

On the previous post, a comment was made about a plurality of elders. While we see this practice in the New Testament, what wisdom and insight is available to us today concerning this issue? Would there be a reason to have a plurality of elders or could/should a church have a single elder? Are we following the scriptural pattern when most churches have one elder, or are we violating scripture? Once again, since this affects so many of us ministers, let's remember one thing - even if we disagree on this issue, we are still brothers in Christ and on the same team! Now, let the debate begin!

2010-02-23T11:13:00.003-06:00

What's The Problem?

(Disclaimer: The following question/discussion/comment is not meant to deal with any particular church, minister, or individual. It is for any of us to help discuss issues that may or may not be affecting those around us. This topic (and blog) is open to all Pastors, Ministers, and Lay People who read this blog.)

What do you think is the biggest problem that Pastors/Ministers face in their ministry and personally? Is there one problem/issue or are there many? Do you think there are things that are worse than others, and does it depend on your stage of life/ministry?

I received a suggestion that we cover some topics such as this, so let's discuss this with sincerity and honesty.

2010-02-17T14:27:00.002-06:00

Miracle Gro?

I received the following from an email yesterday and thought it was interesting.

(Intro) Dear Church Leader:

There is something very special about a small church. They create opportunities for fellowship, community and intimacy that larger churches often find difficult to provide. Churches large and small are called by the Great Commission to bring people to Christ through their ministry, and the small-church pastors I know take this directive very seriously. But they often struggle with how to “add to their number” as Acts 2:47 says, not just for the sake of becoming larger, but as an effect of truly reaching more and more people for Jesus.

An extensive 2007 study* indicates that 55.7% of all congregations in the United States are under 100 people in regular attendance (including children); 84.1% of churches are under 250. Here is the statistic in the study that I found most interesting: Of the churches with 50-100 in attendance, 32% of those were founded before 1900, and 77.5% of churches from 50 to 100 were founded before 1970. Apparently, if a small church stays small for too long, it’s likely to stay small for decades. Conversely, if a church can break the 100 mark early in its life, it’s more likely to keep growing.

Joe McKeever is a seasoned pastor and pastor to pastors who has worked with hundreds of small churches. Joe is full of grace, is aggressively evangelistic, and is saturated with wisdom. Today he shares “10 Reasons Small Churches Tend to Stay Small” to help churches reach more people and grow them into mature disciples of Christ.

Churches that struggle with growth issues can discover new congregational life and go on to shatter growth barriers. If this is your desire, I encourage you to both read Joe’s article and to share your own thoughts and experiences in the forum at the bottom of the article.

Because the local church really is the hope of the world,

Ron Forseth

(Article) 10 Reasons Small Churches Tend To Stay Small
by Joe McKeever

I know more about getting smaller churches to grow than larger ones. I pastored three of them, and only the first of the three did not grow—I was fresh out of college, untrained, inexperienced, and clueless about what I was doing. The next two grew well, and even though I remained at each only some three years, one almost doubled and the other nearly tripled in attendance and ministries.

By using the word “grow,” I do not mean in numbers for numbers’ sake. I do not subscribe to the fallacy that bigness is good and small churches are failures. What I mean by “grow” is reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, if you are located in a town that is losing population and your church manages to stay the same size, you're probably “growing” (i.e., reaching new people for the Lord). In addition, any church—large or small—that does not place a high value on evangelism and outreach to the unchurched can’t expect to grow…period. But countless articles and books have been written on that subject. Now, after working for years among hundreds of small congregations, I speak here to the subtle growth barriers that tend to go unnoticed or unaddressed in stagnant churches.

I send these observations forth hoping to plant some seed in the imagination of a pastor or other leader who will be used of the Lord to do great things in a small church. The "ten reasons" that follow are not necessarily in the order of importance or prevalence, and there are probably other reasons individual churches might not be growing, simply because no two churches are alike. But this is the way they occurred to me, and the order seems right.

1. Wanting to stay small.

"We like our church just the way it is now." While this attitude usually goes unspoken—it might not even be recognized by its carriers—it's widespread in many churches. The proof of it is seen in how the leaders and congregation reject new ideas and freeze out new people.

The process of rejecting newcomers is a subtle one, never as overt as snubbing them. They will be greeted and chatted with and handed a printed bulletin. But they will still be excluded: "Bob's class is meeting this week over at Tom and Edna's. Come and bring a covered dish." "The youth will have a fellowship tonight at Eddie Joe's. We're serving pizza and you don't want to miss it." Unless you know who Bob, Tom, Edna, and Eddie Joe are and where they live, you're out of luck.

Pastors who want to include newcomers and first-timers should use full names from the pulpit. This allows newcomers to learn who people are. "I'll ask Bob Evans to come to the pulpit and lead us in prayer." "For those who need directions to Eddie Joe Finham's house for the youth fellowship, he's the guy with the crewcut wearing the purple shirt. Raise your hand, Eddie Joe. He has printed directions to give you."

No one can promise that just because a church wants to grow, it will. However, I can guarantee you that if it doesn't, it won't.

2. A quick turnover of pastors.

A retired pastor who served his last church some 30 years was supplying for a small congregation south of New Orleans. He told me of a discovery he made: "On Sunday afternoon, I had several hours to kill before the evening service. In the church office, I was reading their history and discovered that in their nearly 50 years of existence, they've had 22 pastors." He was aghast. "Think of that. If they had around six months between pastors, that means the average tenure was less than two years." He was quiet a moment, then said, "They didn't have pastors. They just had preachers."

It takes at least a couple of years for a pastor to become the real deal for a church—a pastor in more than name only, one who has earned the right to lead the congregation. With larger churches, the time period is more like six years.

Again, no one will promise you that keeping a pastor a long time guarantees the church will grow. But I can assure you that having a succession of short-term pastors will prevent it from growing as surely as if you had taken a vote from the congregation to reject all expansion.

3. Domination by a few strong members.

The process by which a man (it's almost always a man) becomes a church “boss” is subtle and rarely, if ever, the result of a hostile takeover.

Say the pastor of a small church leaves for another town. The pastorless congregation looks within its membership for leaders to rise up and "take care of things" until a new pastor arrives. So two or three faithful and mature (we assume) members are chosen. They do their job well. If the next pastor leaves after an unusually short tenure for whatever reason, the congregation resorts to the fallback position: They enlist the services of those same two or three mature—and now experienced—leaders.

That's how it happens that one of them—or possibly all of them—begin to make important decisions for the body, and everything works out. When the new pastor arrives, they let him know that for anything he needs to know, he should call on them. The pastor quickly sees that these men have set themselves up as a layer of authority between the hired man (the preacher) and the congregation.

These “bosses” explain that they are protecting the congregation. "We don't like to upset them with matters like this." "These things are better off handled by just a few." Pity the young idealistic pastor who walks into that church unsuspecting that they lie in wait to—ahem—"give direction to his ministry." Or, as one said to me, "We thought you would like to have some help in pastoring this church."

Such self-appointed church bosses tend to frustrate the pastor's initiatives, block his bold ventures, and control his tendencies to want the church to act on (gasp!) something he calls faith! Result: The church stays small. No normal family coming into the community would want to join such a church.

The remedy: The congregation must see that key lay positions in the church rotate, that no one stays chairman of deacons for thirty years or church treasurer for a generation. Members of the congregation should feel free to respectfully ask questions about why decisions are made. Church bosses cannot stand the light of day shown on their activities (“They wouldn’t understand”), even though they convince themselves what they are doing is in the interest of the congregation. Read about Diotrephes in the little epistle of III John. He "loves to have the pre-eminence."

4. Not trusting the leaders.

Interestingly, the opposite phenomenon often occurs with the same result. I've seen this phenomenon occur in small churches (and never in large ones) at the monthly business meetings. In the small-and-determined-to-stay-small church, discussion centers on why 35 cents was spent on call-forwarding and $2.00 on paper for the office. Leaders and pastors alike are always frustrated that the congregation doesn't trust them with $20.00, let alone $200.00.

The determined-to-stay-small church is far more concerned about the dollars and cents in the offering plate than about the lost souls in the community. This church would never step out in faith and do something bold to reach the lost and unchurched, and if they did, unless their mindset changed, they would then harass their leaders into the grave demanding an accounting of every dime spent. Instead, small churches should elect good leaders and—within reason, as mentioned earlier—trust these leaders to do their work.

5. Inferiority complex.

I was a seminary student when called to my second pastorate, a church which had been stuck at 40 in attendance for years. I discovered that small churches often are stymied by inferiority complexes. "We can't do anything because we're small. We don't have lots of money like the big churches in town." So, they set small goals and ask little from their members.

One day, I was visiting in the First Baptist Church of a nearby community. In no way was it what we would call large, but it was three or four times the size of mine. The pastor and I were chatting about some program or other. He said to me, "My people won't attempt anything like that. They’ll say, 'We're not large like the First Baptist Church of New Orleans.'"

That's when it hit me: Feelings of inferiority can be found in any size church. I wouldn't be surprised if the members of FBC-New Orleans were excusing themselves for their inaction by saying, "We're not Bellevue in Memphis or the FBC of Dallas."

The remedy is to put one's eyes on Jesus Christ and ask, "Lord, what do you want us to do?" Peter said, "Lord, what about John here? What do you want him to do?" Our Lord said—and thus set a wonderful pattern for all of us for the rest of time—"What is that to you? You follow me!"

Want your church to reach people and expand and grow? Get your eyes off what others are doing. Many of them, to tell the truth, are declining at a rate so fast it can hardly be measured. You do not want to take your cues from them. Ask the Lord, "What would you have us to do?" Then do it.

6. No plan.

The typical, stagnant small church is small in ways other than numbers. They tend to be small in vision, in programs, in outreach, and in just about everything else. Perhaps worst of all, they have small plans. Or no plans at all.

The church with no plan—that is, no specific direction for what they are trying to do and become—will content itself with plodding along, going through the motions of "all churches everywhere." They have Sunday School and worship services and a few committees. Once in a while, they will schedule a fellowship dinner or a revival. But ask the leadership, "What is your vision for this church?" and you will receive blank stares for an answer.

When Peter and John were threatened by the religious authorities who warned them to stop preaching Jesus, they returned to the congregation to let them know of this development. Immediately, everyone dropped to their knees and began praying. Notice the heart of their prayer, what they requested: "Now Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to...(what? How they finished this is how we know their plan, their chief focus)...to speak your word with great boldness." (Acts 4:29) When the Holy Spirit filled that room, the disciples "were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (v. 31). Clearly, this means they spoke it into the community, the world around them, and not just to one another.

A number of leaders have shared with me why they think so many small churches do not grow: "They need to focus on the two or three things they do best—not try to be everything to everyone." Some churches need to focus on children's ministry, others on youth or young adults, young families, or even the oldsters. Some will focus on teaching, others on ministry in the community, some on jail and prison ministries, and some on music or women's or men's work. This is not to say that the church should shut down everything else to do one or two things. Rather, they will want to keep doing the basics, but throw their energies and resources, their promotions and prayers and plans, into enlarging and honing two or three ministries they feel the Lord has uniquely called them into.

7. Bad health.

Anyone who has spent time in more than a few churches can see that some are just unhealthy. And by that, we do not mean they are small—they are sick. You can be small and healthy; behold the hummingbird.

An unhealthy church is known more by what it does than by a list of characteristics and attributes. A church that runs its preachers off every year or two is unhealthy. A church that is constantly bickering is unhealthy. A church that cannot make a simple decision like choosing the color of the carpet, adopting the next year's budget, or accepting changes in an order of worship may be unhealthy.

So, what is a healthy church? Entire libraries could be filled with books written on the healthy church, and consultants abound ready to assist congregations toward that purpose. But Romans 12 is God's blueprint for a healthy church: Verses 1-2 call for each individual to make a personal commitment to Christ ("present your bodies as a living sacrifice"); verses 3-8 call for each one to find his/her place of service where they can use their spiritual gifts; and verse 9 through the end of the chapter describes the relationships within a healthy, loving fellowship of believers.

Show me a congregation where members are wholeheartedly committed to Jesus Christ, each is using (or learning to use) their God-given spiritual gifts in the Lord's service, and their fellowship is sweet and active—and I'll show you a healthy church.

8. Lousy fellowship.

This overlaps with the last point, but it deserves a spot by itself. For my money, the best thing a church has to offer individuals and families in the community—other than the saving gospel itself—is a place they will be loved and welcomed and made part of an active, healthy family. It's what we mean by "fellowship."

There are ways to tell if the fellowship in your church is unhealthy: Visitors are basically ignored, even resented in some areas. No one follows up with visitors to let them know they are wanted or to give information on the church. There's no attempt to get people to visit your church in the first place. Everything is orderly in the worship service, but it's the same order you've used since forever. The singing is lifeless, and any departure from the norm is verboten. A new hymn or chorus, a different kind of musical instrument, a testimony here, an interview there, a short drama or video—no sir, not in our church. There's no laughter, nothing spontaneous. The invitation time is tacked on, lifeless, and without any response—ever. The prayers are stale and filled with platitudes.

When the Old Testament prophets called on God's people to "break up the fallow ground"—Hosea 10:12 and Jeremiah 4:3—they wanted to see evidence of brokenness, a willingness to change, a desire to bear new fruit. Fallow ground is soil that has laid unproductive for several seasons. The hard crust requires a deep-turning plow to open it up, and even then the soil may require more preparatory work before it is productive.

A church with poor fellowship is not failing to have enough socials and dinners. The church is failing in the most basic of area of discipleship: a failure to love. Jesus said, "By this shall all men know you are my disciples, that you love one another" (John 13:35).

The disciple who is close to Christ loves the brethren. As such, a congregation that is unloving toward one another may be said to be far removed from the Lord and in a backslidden state. It's a simple deduction. "Draw near to the Lord and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

9. A state of neglect permeates the church.

Not always, but often, a dying church shows signs of its weakening condition by the disrepair of its buildings and the neglect of its appearance. The interior walls haven't been painted in years and bear the collective fingerprints of a generation of children. The carpet is threadbare, the piano's keys stick, the pulpit chairs need reupholstering, and the outside sign is so ugly it would be an improvement if someone knocked it down.

Dying churches do not tend to their business. They let problems fester and divisions go unaddressed. Listen closely and you will hear a leader speak those infamous words: "These things have a way of working themselves out." And so they do nothing, and the church trudges on toward the grave. No one gets saved, no one joins, people drift away, the community becomes less and less aware of the existence of that little church, and the remaining members complain that people just don't love the Lord the way they used to.

10. No prayer.

It's tempting to make a little joke here and say, "Such churches do not have a prayer," but they could if they chose to. When King Saul was bemoaning the woes that had descended upon him as a result of his rebellion against God, one of his chief complaints was that God no longer heard his prayer. "He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer..." (I Samuel 28:6) Luke tells us, "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show themthat they should always pray and not give up" (Luke 18:1). Pray or quit. Those seem to be the alternatives.

Want to give your congregation a little test, pastor? Next Sunday, call for your people to meet you at the altar for a time of prayer. Do not beg them or cajole them. Just announce it, then walk there yourself, kneel, and begin praying. See if anyone joins you. Notice who comes and pay close attention to who does not. It won't tell you everything you'd like to know about your church, but it will say a lot.

A friend on Facebook requested prayer for his new ministry. When I asked him about it, he responded privately that in addition to pastoring his church, he was working for the state convention in his region. He said, "Almost all our churches in this part of the state are dying. We have buildings that were constructed for hundreds now running 15 or 20." The plan, he said, is to get systems in place to re-evangelize those regions as the old-line churches die off. I hope they don't wait until those churches actually close their doors; a lifeless church can take a long time to give up the ghost.

The best solution would be for those stagnant, dying congregations to awaken and get serious about becoming vibrant again. This would mean taking the unprecedented step of doing whatever it takes to re-establish their witness and presence in the community. Unfortunately, in almost every case I know personally, this doesn’t happen. The leaders would rather see their church disappear from the earth than to do anything new or different.

That is as sad a sentence as I've written in a long time.

Let us pray. "Father, we do like our routines and ruts. Forgive us for limiting you by asking you to adapt to us instead of the other way around. Lord, in the words of the old hymn and the older Psalm, 'Wilt thou not revive us again that thy people may rejoice in Thee?’ We ask this for Jesus sake. Amen." (Psalm 85:6)

2010-02-16T11:28:00.001-06:00

Here We Go!

Okay, it's been something else around here lately. The plan is to start moving forward with the blogging again, so let me know if there is something you would like to talk about!

2010-01-06T09:59:00.003-06:00

No, That's Not In The Bible

I finished reading a book last week by David Dykes, Pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, TX, called "No, That's Not in the Bible" and would highly recommend it to everyone. It was an enjoyable read that was informative, entertaining, and uplifting. If you're looking for a good book to read, this is definitely it.

2009-11-06T08:46:00.002-06:00

Hate Crime?

Shouldn't yesterdays killings be considered a hate crime act? After all, it was a Muslim shooting non-Muslims. Wouldn't that apply?

Traditional marriage now 31-0 (OneNewsNow.com)

2009-11-04T14:18:00.000-06:00

Traditional marriage now 31-0 (OneNewsNow.com)

What do you think this means nationally?

2009-11-02T09:58:00.000-06:00

Obama signs 'hate-crimes' bill into law
'It's a very sad day for America and for religious liberties'

Posted: October 28, 2009
3:57 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

A "hate crimes" bill opponents claim will be used to crack down on Christian speech, even the reading of the Bible, was signed into law today by President Obama.

The Senate approved the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by a vote of 68-29 on Oct. 22 after Democrats strategically attached it to a "must-pass" $680 billion defense appropriations plan.

Most Republicans, although normally strong supporters of the U.S. military, opposed the bill because it hands out federal money to states and local governments in pursuit of "preventing" hate crimes. The bill creates federal protections and privileges for homosexuals and other alternative lifestyles but denies those protections to other groups of citizens.

Obama signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act at a White House ceremony today. Prior to signing the act into law, Obama spoke briefly of the hate crimes bill.

"After more than a decade, we've passed inclusive hate-crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray or who they are," he said. "I promised Judy Shepard when she saw me in the Oval Office that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband, Dennis, could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy who fought so hard for this legislation. I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help make this day possible."

American Family Association President Tim Wildmon warned that the new law "creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals. This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American."

Wildmon said the legislation creates possible situations where pastors may be arrested if their sermons on sexuality can be linked in even the remotest way to acts of violence.

"It threatens free speech and freedom of religion and is totally unacceptable," he said.

As WND reported, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder admitted a homosexual activist who is attacked following a Christian minister's sermon about homosexuality would be protected by the proposed federal law, but a minister attacked by a homosexual wouldn't be.

The Alliance Defense Fund blasted the "hate-crimes" bill, calling it "another nail in the coffin of the First Amendment."

"All violent crimes are hate crimes, and all crime victims deserve equal justice," ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said in a statement. "This law is a grave threat to the First Amendment because it provides special penalties based on what people think, feel, or believe. ADF will be on the front line to defend those whose free speech or free exercise of religion rights are violated by this unconstitutional law and to ultimately overturn this attack on freedom."

Opponents point to cases in Canada and Sweden, where Christians have faced criminal prosecution for preaching that homosexual behavior is a sin.

"ADF has clearly seen the evidence of where 'hate crimes' legislation leads when it has been tried around the world: It paves the way for the criminalization of speech that is not deemed 'politically correct,'" Stanley explained. "'Hate crimes' laws fly in the face of the underlying purpose of the First Amendment, which was designed specifically to protect unpopular speech."

Stanley said such crimes are already punishable under existing federal, state and local laws.

"Bills of this sort are designed to forward a political agenda and silence critics, not combat actual crime," he said. "The bottom line is that we do not need a law that creates second-class victims in America and that gives the government the opportunity to ignore the First Amendment."

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, testified before Congress against the hate crimes bill in 2007.

"It is fundamentally unjust for the government to treat some crime victims more favorably than others, just because they are homosexual or transsexual," Dacus said. "This bill is an unnecessary federal intrusion into state law enforcement authority, and it is an unwise step toward silencing religious and moral viewpoints."

He said the adoption of hate crimes legislation has led to widespread suppression of speech deemed politically incorrect. The Pacific Justice Institute noted that in California, hate crimes laws are commonly invoked as a basis for further laws pushing acceptance of homosexuality in public schools and the workplace. The group also warned that use of "hate speech" terminology is also now being employed by minority religious groups in America to encourage suppression of free speech, as a prominent Hindu group called on Congress and major Internet service providers to shut down websites critical of Hinduism, including websites of Christian mission organizations.

The Pacific Justice Institute pledged to come to defend anyone who is prosecuted under the new hate crimes law because of their religious expression.

Liberty Counsel litigation counsel Matt Krause told WND, "It's a very sad day for America and for religious liberties in general."

He said the law will not deter crime or help the law-enforcement system.

"The only thing it will do is silence and scare Christians and religious organizations," Krause said. "It will penalize thoughts and actions, and it will not stop crime. It should be called the 'thought-crimes' bill."

He continued, "We encourage pastors and church leaders to keep doing what they're doing and preach the gospel. If they run into any barriers, they can contact us because we are ready and willing to defend them in any way we need to."

The White House announced it will host a reception this evening to commemorate the enactment of the hate crimes legislation. Obama's remarks will be aired live on the White House website.

2009-10-22T23:41:00.002-05:00

5 Ways You're Different From Joel Osteen (and other megachurch pastors)

1. They see themselves more as teachers and directional leaders than as pastors.
2. Their gift is leadership.
3. They have secular work experience.
4. They admit little conflict, high satisfaction.
5. They don't think about quitting.

(Taken from Leadership Journal - Fall 2009 issue)

2009-10-20T08:43:00.001-05:00

By His Stripes

2009-10-19T08:42:00.000-05:00

Speak Up!

This tuesday the senate will vote on the national defense bill which includes language about hate crimes legislation which will make it illegal to speak against homosexuality, pedophilia, beastiality, transgenderism, etc. It has already passed the ho...use and must not go any further. Capital switchboard is 202-224-3121. Let your voice be heard!!!

(Received from Dale Shaver)

2009-10-14T08:24:00.002-05:00

Right...

So a child gets in trouble for bringing a cub scout utensil to school (possible detention for 45 days, etc.), but it's okay for us as a nation to kill babies?!? Looks like we have our priorities a bit backwards...don't you think?!?

2009-10-06T08:28:00.001-05:00

MBA of Texas Pre-Association Meeting

I will represent the Mt. Zion Association today at the Pre-Assocation Meeting held at Rocky Springs Baptist Church in Dialville. Pray that we can seek God's will for the associated Great Commission Work in Texas.

2009-09-28T08:24:00.002-05:00

Faith Promise Conference

Starting Wednesday night, EBC will hold its 4th annual Faith Promise Conference with Bro. Alvin Dickerson, Missionary to Scotland, as the featured speaker. Please pray for him and the conference. Service times are as follows: Wed-Sat at 7:00 pm. Saturday night will be our International Dinner. Sunday at 9:45 with a commitment service at 10:45 am.

2009-09-21T08:34:00.001-05:00

125th Anniversary

Ebenezer Baptist Church will hold special services celebrating its 125th Anniversary this Sunday at 10:45 am. All friends, family members, and former members are invited.

2009-09-16T08:53:00.001-05:00

Just Wondering

Which is worse: Being addicted to smoking or being addicted to caffeine?

2009-09-15T08:48:00.002-05:00

A Pastor Is...

According to I Timothy, a Pastor is to be the husband of one wife, but according to the latest statistics from Barna, many Protestant denominations must not really use those guidelines for pastoral eligibility requirements. Barna reports that the number of "female pastors" has increased greatly from a decade ago which is a concern to me. I'm not sure how you can get around the "husband of one wife" ordeal (and we're not going to argue divorce issues this time please) unless you just totally disregard that section of Scripture. And no, Paul was not a sexist that wanted to keep women down. He just followed God's plan for men and women. Men have certain responsibilities and women have certain responsibilities. What is so wrong with that? Why do we feel the need to make everyone the same. We're not the same! Men and women are different! Individuals are different! Sometimes, I'm different! Anyway, I wonder what will be the result of such a massive move toward women pastors?

2009-09-14T09:32:00.003-05:00

Revive Us Again?

I am enjoying the Revival Services at Cedar Creek MBC in the Palestine/Elkhart area this week. The people are truly thirsty for God's Word and have been wonderful to my family and me. However, it has started me to think about how churches and individuals respond to revival services. (The following has nothing whatsoever to do with Cedar Creek MBC. It just so happens that I started thinking about how people respond to revivals because I'm preaching a revival!)

When is the last time you really were affected by a revival? I mean, affected for months or years, not just days? When is the last time you really experienced a revival? Was it even during revival services? Do we sometimes hold revival services, but then nothing seems to happen? Are we just in a mode of, "We must have a revival every year" just to soothe our conscience? Do we have to have a revival every year? Should we maybe be revived every Sunday? Or should we stay in a state of revival from the Lord?

2009-09-11T11:43:00.003-05:00

Fun Friday Video Of The Day

Umm...well, I really don't even know what the point is behind this video, but I thought the technical capabilities of the person (or persons) who developed the video was awesome. So, just sit back, relax, and don't even try to figure it out.

2009-09-10T22:50:00.002-05:00

Mt. Sinai

According to the studies, research, and Biblical information from which I am drawing my conclusion, it seems that Mt. Sinai is incorrectly located on most Bible maps (probably including the one in the back of your Bible). The current Mt. Sinai location is not feasible according to the geography, terrain, Biblical description, etc. However, most people are still taught that Mt. Sinai is in the Sinai peninsula. Yet, it is more likely that Mt. Sinai is actually located in the Arabian peninsula (ancient Midian). This would answer several questions and fit with Scripture much tighter than a Sinai peninsula location. Now, to keep this blog short, I will not give any further info, but if you would like to have more facts, just email me. And as always...what do you think?

2009-09-09T10:38:00.002-05:00

A Death Prayer?

I do not condone President Obama's ungodly stance on certain issues, yet I read that we are to pray for him. We are to pray for him, but not for the death of him! This video is one of many addressing this issue. While it is on YouTube, it is from the Associated Press (AP) channel. (I have been aware of this pastor for awhile because he has made other very controversial statements in the past.)

2009-09-04T13:13:00.001-05:00

Teamwork 101

2009-09-02T01:26:00.001-05:00

Best-Selling Bible To Undergo Revision

By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski, Ap Religion Writer Tue Sep 1, 5:55 pm ET

The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011.

"We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand," said Keith Danby, global president and CEO of Biblica, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian ministry that holds the NIV copyright.

But past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences in different editions have been plagued by controversies about gender language that have pitted theological conservatives against each other.

The changes did not make all men "people" or remove male references to God, but instead involved dropping gender-specific terms when translators judged that the original text didn't intend it. So in some verses, references to "sons of God" became "children of God," for example.

Supporters say gender-inclusive changes are more accurate and make the Bible more accessible, but critics contend they twist meaning or smack of political correctness.

Acknowledging past missteps, the NIV's overseers are promising that this time, the revision process will be more transparent and that they will actively promote what they describe as a long-held practice of inviting input from scholars and readers.

The NIV was first published in 1978 and more than 300 million NIV Bibles are in print worldwide; its publishers and distributors say the translation accounts for 30 percent of Bibles sold in North America.

The Committee on Bible Translation, an independent group of conservative scholars and translators formed in 1965 to create and revise the NIV, will oversee the new revision.

An effort earlier this decade to create a separate version of the NIV that used more gender-inclusive language in an attempt to reach a younger audience fell flat with groups that felt it crossed the line.

That edition, Today's New International Version, will cease publication once the new-look NIV is released, said Moe Girkins, president of Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Zondervan, its North American publisher.

"Whatever its strengths, the TNIV has become an emblem of division in the evangelical Christian world," Girkins said.

It was the TNIV that ushered in changes from "sons of God" to "children of God," or "brothers" to "brothers and sisters." In Genesis I, God created "human beings" in his own image instead of "man."

Many prominent pastors and scholars endorsed the changes. But critics said masculine terms in the original should not be tampered with. Some warned that changing singular gender references to plural ones alters what the Bible says about God's relationships with individuals.

The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution saying the edition "has gone beyond acceptable translation standards."

"We fell short of the trust that has been placed in us," said Danby, of Biblica. "We failed to make a clear case for the revisions."

Danby said that freezing the NIV in its 1984 state was also a mistake, however. He emphasized that in the revision, about 90 percent of the NIV will be unchanged.

Douglas Moo, a professor at Wheaton College and chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation, said the group is committed to "a complete review of every gender related change."

"I am not sure how it's going to come out," Moo said. "We have a genuine, authentic review process ... Everything is on the table."

One of the most vocal critics of gender-inclusive translations, Randy Stinson of the Louisville, Ky.-based Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, said the group supports updating the NIV. He credited organizers for their openness.

"We're still probably going to differ on the way they handle some of the gender language," Stinson said. "But we're open and anxious to see what they come up with and we're really going to be reserving judgment."

Most changes will have nothing to do with gender inclusivity, Moo said. And the TNIV provides a glimpse of likely changes: In the '84 NIV, Mary is "with child," but in the TNIV she is "pregnant." In the NIV version of Psalm 146:9, "The Lord watches over the alien." The TNIV used "foreigner" instead of "alien."

On the Net: Yahoo News! or at www.NIVBible2011.com

2009-09-01T02:49:00.003-05:00

125 Years

Ebenezer BC is celebrating 125 years of God's blessings. Ebenezer was organized in September 1884 and has seen hard times and good times. However, through all things, God has blessed and been faithful. Join with us this month as we celebrate this special anniversary and pray for God's blessing upon us. Pray for us, as well, to remain faithful to Him in all things. And happy birthday Ebenezer!

2009-08-31T11:38:00.001-05:00

The Government Can by Tim Hawkins

2009-08-30T00:31:00.001-05:00

Kosova Missionary

We are excited to have Dave Helmick and family with us for worship services this weekend. Dave is a missionary serving the Lord in Kosova. Continue to pray for him and his family.

Evangelical Lutherans abandon Bible teaching on homosexuality (OneNewsNow.com)

2009-08-24T08:37:00.001-05:00

Evangelical Lutherans abandon Bible teaching on homosexuality (OneNewsNow.com)

Shared via AddThis

2009-08-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

What Old People Do For Fun

2009-08-20T13:05:00.002-05:00

What God Can't Do

Logically speaking, there are some things God can't do. Would you care to name one?

2009-08-18T08:42:00.000-05:00

Man carrying assault weapon attends Obama protest

By AMANDA LEE MYERS and TERRY TANG, Associated Press Writers Amanda Lee Myers And Terry Tang, Associated Press Writers Mon Aug 17, 6:22 pm ET

PHOENIX – About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday — the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.

Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

The man with the rifle declined to be identified but told The Arizona Republic that he was carrying the assault weapon because he could. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms," he said.

Phoenix police Detective J. Oliver, who monitored the man at the downtown protest, said police also wanted to make sure no one decided to harm him.

"Just by his presence and people seeing the rifle and people knowing the president was in town, it sparked a lot of emotions," Oliver said. "We were keeping peace on both ends."

Last week, during Obama's health care town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., a man carrying a sign reading "It is time to water the tree of liberty" stood outside with a pistol strapped to his leg.

"It's a political statement," he told The Boston Globe. "If you don't use your rights, then you lose your rights."

Police asked the man to move away from school property, but he was not arrested.

Fred Solop, a Northern Arizona University political scientist, said the incidents in New Hampshire and Arizona could signal the beginning of a disturbing trend.

"When you start to bring guns to political rallies, it does layer on another level of concern and significance," Solop said. "It actually becomes quite scary for many people. It creates a chilling effect in the ability of our society to carry on honest communication."

He said he's never heard of someone bringing an assault weapon near a presidential event. "The larger the gun, the more menacing the situation," he said.

Phoenix was Obama's last stop on a four-day tour of western states, including Montana and Colorado.

Authorities in Montana said they received no reports of anyone carrying firearms during Obama's health care town hall near Bozeman on Friday. About 1,000 people both for and against Obama converged at a protest area near the Gallatin Field Airport hangar where the event took place. One person accused of disorderly conduct was detained and released, according to the Gallatin Airport Authority.

Heather Benjamin of Denver's Mesa County sheriff's department, the lead agency during Obama's visit there, said no one was arrested.

Arizona is an "open-carry" state, which means anyone legally allowed to have a firearm can carry it in public as long as it's visible. Only someone carrying a concealed weapon is required to have a permit.

Paul Helmke, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said people should not be allowed to bring guns to events where Obama is.

"To me, this is craziness," he said. "When you bring a loaded gun, particularly a loaded assault rifle, to any political event, but particularly to one where the president is appearing, you're just making the situation dangerous for everyone."

He said people who bring guns to presidential events are distracting the Secret Service and law enforcement from protecting the president. "The more guns we see at more events like this, there's more potential for something tragic happening," he said.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said armed demonstrators in open-carry states such as Arizona and New Hampshire have little impact on security plans for the president.

"In both cases, the subject was not entering our site or otherwise attempting to," Donovan said. "They were in a designated public viewing area. The main thing to know is that they would not have been allowed inside with a weapon."

Representatives of the National Rifle Association did not return calls for comment.

Yahoo News

2009-08-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

Whew!

Well, it has been one of those stretches where there is not enough time to accomplish everything. But God has been good, and all those "things" that had to be finished were finished. Another blessing is that we have Satellite Internet (WildBlue) at the church now. So, instead of fighting over who is going to be on the internet, we have a network and can share the bandwidth...well, I guess I'll share with Kyle!

2009-08-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

A New School Year

I will be going to TBI's orientation today and then have a faculty luncheon/meeting followed by more faculty meetings. Tomorrow starts school with a Visitors Day with Bro. Mike Roberts, Marshall, TX as the guest speaker. Classes officially begin Thursday. I'm excited about another year of teaching Logic, Greek, Bible Geography, and Bible Related History. This will make my sixth year of teaching at the seminary. I'm part of the old crowd now...I guess. Either way, I really enjoy teaching there and hope I can keep teaching for many more years.

2009-08-07T02:03:00.002-05:00

Some Interesting Thoughts

Thought 1:
Have you ever wondered how Abraham recognized the Lord when he appeared to him in the oak grove in chapter 18 of Genesis? (Remember, Abraham was sitting in the shade of his tent and noticed 3 men standing nearby.) Well, I noticed something this morning that may or may not be new to you, but I thought it was interesting.

Before Genesis 17, it seems that the Lord had only appeared to Abraham one time while He had spoke to Abraham several times. He appeared to Abraham in Genesis 12:7 while Abraham was still young (probably later 80s). However, approximately 10 years pass before the Lord appears to Abraham again (at least from what we have recorded in the Bible). In Genesis 17:1 it states that the Lord appeared to Abraham and made the Abrahamic Covenant with him. (This is also the time where God changed Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah.) Now here comes the interesting part. In Genesis 17:21 the Lord tells Abraham that Isaac would be born to him "about this time next year." Now remember, the Lord has appeared to Abraham when He says these words "about this time next year." Now in chapter 18, you see Abraham sitting at the entrance of his tent in the shade and sees 3 men. Why would he run and fall on his knees before these men? How did he know that it was the Lord? (Now don't get all theological on me...okay?) Well, if you look at Genesis 18:10, you will see where one of the visitors says, "I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son." Then if you look at Genesis 18:14, you will see where the Lord says, "I will return about this time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Okay, now if you put this all together, the time frame between chapter 17 and chapter 18 is short. In fact, it may only be a matter of days between the two chapters. We often think of a great span of time between these two events, but that can't be. In chapter 17, the Lord tells Abraham that would Isaac would be born "about this time next year," and then in chapter 18, the Lord tells Abraham, "I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." So, the two chapters are very close in time. Thus it would have only been days between the two appearances of the Lord to Abraham and would explain how he could recognize the Lord so quickly.

Now on the theological side, I'm sure once the Lord appeared to you, you would never forget it. But it is interesting to see how chapters 17 and 18 are so close together in time.

Thought 2:
In the following verses we see an interesting lesson from the life of Lot.

Genesis 19:17-21 (right before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) -
Vs. 17 - When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, "Run for your lives! And don't look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!"
Vs. 18 - "Oh no, my lord!" Lot begged.
Vs. 19 - "You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die."
Vs. 20 - "See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don't you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved."
Vs. 21 - "All right," the angel said, "I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village (Zoar)"

Now, it is interesting that Lot was told to escape to the mountains, but he had a better plan. He knew things would work out better for him if he was just able to go live in Zoar. But what really happened?

Genesis 19:30 (after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) -
Vs. 30 - Afterward Lot left Zoar because he was afraid of the people there, and he went to live in a cave in the mountains with his two daughters.

Wow. What a surprise. Lot ended up realizing that God's plan was the best one after all. If only Lot had followed God's plan from the very beginning!!! But how often are we like Lot? How often do we tell God that we have a better plan only to later end up exactly where we should have been all along? Maybe we should just listen to God from the "get-go" and do exactly as He says. It might save us some trouble and embarrassment too!

2009-08-04T19:02:00.002-05:00

Circumcision vs. Tithing?

I may have caught myself in a logical "hole." I have used the argument that tithing was instituted before the Law was given to the Israelites, thus tithing is still in effect today. However, if that is the case, then would not circumcision still be a requirement because it was instituted before the Law was given as well. Yes, tithing was freely done by Abraham towards Melchizidek (a representative of God) while the circumcision was specifically commanded by God to Abraham. But does that change the dilemma? Also, in the New Testament, we see where circumcision was not to be put "around the necks" of the Gentiles. So which is it? Do we use the Old Testament to prove tithing, or do we look for New Testament passages?

And by the way, at this point, I'm still a pro-tither. But maybe I need to rethink some of my arguments.

2009-08-03T11:40:00.002-05:00

New Witnessing Tool?

Apparently believing that religious competition in the Middle East is not exciting enough already, the television station Kanal T in Istanbul, Turkey, is preparing a reality game show for September release in which 10 certified atheists try to resist conversion by a priest, a rabbi, a Muslim imam and a Buddhist monk. The exact rules have not been disclosed, but the "winning" convert will receive an expense-paid trip to the holy land of the most persuasive religion (the Vatican, Jerusalem, Mecca or Tibet). According to a July Reuters report, Turkey's Islamic Religious Affairs Directorate, not surprisingly, had vowed never to co-operate. [Reuters, 7-3-09]

Taken from News of the Weird.

2009-07-30T09:20:00.000-05:00

Humble Beginnings

2009-07-27T01:29:00.003-05:00

To Watch Or Not To Watch (Rated G)

As Christians, at what point should we separate ourselves from the world by not watching/supporting movies? Do we watch G-rated movies but not R-rated movies? Do we support companies that only produce family friendly films or do we take it one movie at a time? Should we watch any movies at the theater (or maybe even home) since much of the entertainment world is wicked? Is there a line we should not cross, or do we really care?

This week's top 5 movies:
1. G-Force
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
3. The Ugly Truth
4. Orphan
5. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009-07-24T14:38:00.003-05:00

A Sign

2009-07-23T10:04:00.002-05:00

True Or False

Is truth "truth" because of the one stating it, or is truth "truth" because it is true?

If we say truth is "truth" because it is true, then can we say that a book completely full of truth but published by a group with whom we may or may not agree should be shunned? I'm not necessarily condoning any publishing group or book - I'm just wondering how we should handle such a situation.

2009-07-21T12:08:00.002-05:00

The Great Church Music Divide

This article by Bro. Ray McAlister, president of Emmaus Baptist College, Brandon, FL appeared in the March 2006 issue of the Baptist Anchor.

Nothing has divided Christians today more than Bible versions and church music. So, for whatever it is worth, I thought I would give my opinion on church music.

Let me be careful to point out that I am talking about music used in a church service, in corporate worship. Singing and music in church to me is different than singing and music outside of church. I enjoy some music that there is absolutely nothing wrong with, but it would be completely out of place in church. One of my favorite songs and melodies is "Unchained Melody." To me it is enchantingly beautiful but it has no place in a worship service.

Every church has a personality of its own. What makes up a church personality? Among many other things, socio-economic level, general educational level, general age level, preaching style, church mission, friendliness, concern, and of course, music style. That is the reason a person might enjoy attending one church and not enjoy attending another, although both may be sound Baptist churches. Different is not necessarily wrong it is just different. One church might enjoy preachers who "stomp and snort" and another church might enjoy preachers who are "calm and quiet." That does not make one right and the other wrong. It is a matter of personal preference.

There are many, many styles of music sung in our churches today. There are anthems, sacred classical and the old standard hymns. There is a little different style of songs found in such hymnals as "Favorite Songs and Hymns" and "Heavenly Highways Hymns." In my first pastorate in Arkansas, the churches in that area looked forward to getting the latest "Stamps-Baxter" song books and enjoyed singing from them. Then there is Southern Gospel, Country Gospel and Bluegrass.

I once heard a pastor say, "I hate Southern Gospel music!" He did not mean he hated the words sung in Southern Gospel music, what he did not like is the vehicle used to deliver the words.

Then there is a whole spectrum of music that has been labeled "contemporary." There are what have been called 24/7 songs -- you sing seven words twenty-four times. Then there are choruses, like we have sung for years. Some songs are old hymns sung to a different style of music, some are Scriptures set to music and some are new songs. I enjoy some contemporary music and some I do not enjoy. Whether I enjoy it or not does not make it right or wrong. What makes something wrong is not my preference, but God's Word.

There are two scriptures in the New Testament that deal specifically with church music.

"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:19).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16).

Both verses have some things in common. First, they both mention the same kind of songs -- psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. A psalm (which includes the whole book of Psalms) is a religious song sung to the accompaniment of musical instruments. A hymn is a song of praise or glorification. And, a spiritual song is just what it says, a song that is spiritual in nature. All three are very closely related and it is difficult to separate them into their own categories.

The second thing these verses have in common are the words, "in your hearts." Any song sung in a worship service of a church, either congregational, choir or special, should come from the heart. According to these Scriptures, every song should be one the singer feels deeply about. From my own personal experience, most congregational songs are simply mouthing words and do not come from the heart.

The third thing they have in common are the words, "to the Lord." Church music should not be sung to impress people with the singer's talent. It should be sung as if the person were standing in the bodily presence of the Lord, looking Him in the face and singing the song only for Him. That is worship and anything less is simply making a noise. If these three scriptural principles were observed in our church music it would transform our services!

Colossians 3:16 says we are to teach and admonish each other with songs. If that is true, then the words of a song are important, must be true and must be understood. The words of a song can be used of the Holy Spirit to reveal truth, to correct and to encourage.

Church music must teach truth. A song I heard once said, "If working and praying have any reward, if anyone makes it, Lord, surely I will." That is blasphemous! Closer to home, how about, "On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise." If Jesus is coming in a cloud, as the Scriptures teach, then it will not be a cloudless morning. How about, "There's a brand new angel in the choir and I want to hear her sing." There is no such thing as a "new" angel and people do not become angels when they go to heaven. Or, "I've got to make it to heaven somehow." You don't get to heaven "somehow." I do not feel it is any better to sing error than it is to preach it.

The music must not overpower the words. It is not about the music, it is about the message. Paul said, "Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:19). If I can't understand the words I cannot be taught or admonished as Colossians 3:16 teaches.

I often wondered why some music had to be played so loud and I finally found the answer. Marilyn vos Savant, who is purported to have the world's highest IQ (228), writes a column in the Sunday news magazine, Parade. That question was asked her in the March 5, 2006 issue and her answer was, "They're trying to generate excitement, and a high level of decibels accomplishes that goal. Subjected to such intense sound, listeners' bodies produce adrenaline, noradrenaline and more. These substances make the heart pound and give an impression of increased muscle strength. Not surprisingly, some people become psychologically addicted to this hormone rush, which is implicated in thrill-seeking behavior. What a way to get -- and keep --fans." That is not the kind of excitement that needs to be generated in church.

Church music must be culturally appropriate. To make a point, let me tell an incident that Missionary Joe Morell in Lithuania related to me. It went something like this: A good Southern Gospel quartet went from the United States and sang some Cathedrals Quartet songs for a Lithuanian church. The performance would have brought the house down in many American churches. However, the Lithuanians were unresponsive. After it was over some of the Lithuanian men took Brother Morell aside and expressed the feeling that the music was the most carnal they had ever heard. What was the difference? Culture!

There are cultural differences between countries and there are cultural differences all across America. The music that is enjoyed in a small rural church in the South probably will not be enjoyed by a large suburban church in the North. Why? Because they live in different cultures. Which is right and which is wrong? Well, the one is right that enjoys the kind of music I enjoy!

As much as I hate to admit it, there are even cultural differences in different age groups. A younger colleague of mine came into my office one day almost in tears. He said, "You must come hear this song. It really touched my heart." So, I went to his office and he played the song for me. The best I remember the song was about the crucifixion. I am sorry but it did not move me. What brought him to tears left me flat. Why? Because the difference in our ages put us in two different cultures that enjoy two different styles of Christian music.

I have heard some say that a church cannot grow if it does not use a certain style of music. The facts prove otherwise. There are growing churches across America that use almost every kind of church music. However, we must face the fact that a church is not likely to attract people who do not enjoy the personality of the church.

One of the great mistakes many a new pastor has made was to try to suddenly change the personality of a church, in music and other ways. What usually happens is that the church is torn up in the process. If the personality of a church needs to be changed, it must be done with a lot of teaching, love and patience.

My conclusion is, if a song meets the Scriptural criteria, that is:

1. it is a psalm, hymn or spiritual song,

2. it is sung from the heart,

3. it is sung to the Lord,

4. it is true,

5. the words can be clearly understood,

then it is a good song, regardless of the style of music in which it is delivered. That does not mean I will enjoy it, that it will speak to my heart or that I would want to belong to a church that only used that style of music. Let’s be careful not to equate our own personal preferences with Scripture.

2009-07-20T09:39:00.000-05:00

How To Give The Cat A Pill

1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label or call vet to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply bandages to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw Tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap.
13. Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for SPCA to collect cat and ring local pet shop to see if they have a dog.

How to give the dog a pill

1. Wrap it in bacon.
2. Throw it in the air.

-- copied; original source unknown

2009-07-15T01:24:00.002-05:00

Do-Over!

(Open to all - would especially like other preacher's comments) If there is one thing you could change in your life/ministry, what would it be? This change could be in the past or present, but please tell me what (if it's not too personal) and why.

2009-07-14T01:44:00.002-05:00

CrossTrainers

That is the theme of The Journey at Pine Springs this week. Galatians 2:20 is our theme verse with a goal of seeing young adults allow Christ to live through them. Continue to pray for all the workers, teachers, staff, sponsors, and campers. May God bless this week of camp!

2009-07-10T12:38:00.001-05:00

Just A Thought...

My dad sent me the following in an email. Just one of those questions that you kind of think about...You know what I mean?

We can read about the resurrected body of a saved person (buried natural, raised spiritual---sown in dishonor, raised in glory, etc) but is there anywhere in the Bible that talks of the body of the resurrected unsaved person? I cannot prove but I suspect it is buried natural and raised natural, sown in dishonor and raised in dishonor. This may be the only way that they can feel the torments of hell. Can't prove any of the last part, but just a thought.

2009-07-08T09:36:00.002-05:00

Husband Of One Wife

This article, written by President Ray McAllister, Emmaus Baptist College, Brandon, FL, appeared in the January 2005 issue of the Baptist Anchor.

In one week three people asked my opinion on a pastor being divorced and remarried. In my forty-seven years of ministry I don't remember doing an in-depth study on the subject, I just had my opinion.   

The Scripture verses alluded to in such questions are 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6, which deal with pastors, and 1 Timothy 3:12, which deals with deacons. These are found in the qualifications that Paul laid down to Timothy and Titus concerning pastors and deacons.  

Let's lay some foundation. The terms "elder," "bishop" and "pastor" are all speaking of the same office, which today we call "pastor." In the New Testament "elder" is the actual name of the office, "bishop," meaning "superintendent" and "pastor," meaning "shepherd," are descriptive titles of the office. The qualifications found in 1 Timothy and Titus are for elders (pastors) and deacons. Any other office or position does not fall under these qualifications. May I also point out that not all preachers are pastors.  The first word in the list of these qualifications for pastors is "blameless." In my opinion all the qualifications that follow are describing how a man is to be blameless.   

To begin my study I looked at the Greek construction of "husband of one wife" found in all three verses and found them to be very similar. The same words are used. The Greek word used for husband is andra. Since that did not give me a conclusive answer to the meaning of "husband of one wife" I checked a dozen or so commentaries to see what others have thought about these passages. I found that through the years preachers have held (and still do) to four basic positions. They are:  

1. A pastor must be a married man.  

2. A pastor could be married only once, regardless. 

3. A pastor could not be divorced and remarried. 

4. A pastor could not be married to two women at the same time. 

  Since the commentators did not agree on the meaning, the Scriptures mentioned might mean any of the above.   

Now it is time to do some serious study and see if we can arrive at some conclusion. Whatever conclusion we arrive at, I know we will still not all agree.  

First, the term "husband of one wife" could mean that a pastor must be a married man. Although I was not able to confirm it from over half a dozen commentaries or dictionaries, I have always heard that members of the Sanhedrin had to be married men. Also, "The Jews teach, a priest should be neither unmarried nor childless, lest he be unmerciful [Bengel]. So in the synagogue, 'no one shall offer up prayer in public, unless he be married' [in Colob, ch. 65; Vitringa, Synagogue and Temple]." ¹ If the members of the Sanhedrin had to be married, and priests had to be married and you couldn't publically pray in a synagogue without being married, it would not seem unreasonable that a qualification for being a pastor would be to be married.  

Second, the passages in question might also mean that a pastor could only be married once, regardless of the circumstances. "The most strict interpretation and the one common among the earliest commentators (second and third centuries) . . . extends the prohibition to any second marriage, even by widowers. Their argument is that in the first century second marriages were generally viewed as evidence of self-indulgence. . . . According to this strict view Paul considered a widower's second marriage, though by no means improper, to be evidence of a lack of the kind of self-control required of an overseer, in much the same way that a similar lack disqualified a widow from eligibility for the list of widows." ² 1 Timothy 5:9 seems to support this position since Paul said "having been the wife of one man" was a qualification for a widow to be put on the list to receive help from the church.  

The third and most commonly held view today is that a pastor could not be a man who had been married, divorced and remarried. The thought is, if a man is divorced and remarried he has "two living wives" and is not the husband of one wife." The divorced and remarried man does not have two wives. As L.D. Foreman used to say in class, "If a divorced and remarried man has two living wives, he should be arrested for bigamy." In John chapter four, Jesus said to the woman at the well, "Go, call thy husband, and come hither." The woman answered, "I have no husband," to which Jesus replied, "Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly." Jesus did not say, "You have five husbands" but "You have had five husbands." He did not say she had five living husbands, He said she did not have any husbands. He said she spoke the truth when she said she was not married even though she had been married five times.  

The Law of Moses stated in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 that if a man divorced a woman she was free to remarry. However, if her second husband divorced her or died, she was forbidden to again become the wife of her first husband. If she had "two living husbands" she should have been able to return to her first husband since he was still her husband. The plain teaching is, she was no longer married to her first husband when she was divorced and remarried.   

While we are here, let's put to rest the phrase, "living in adultery," as it applies to a divorced and remarried person. "Living in adultery" is not a biblical phrase. Jesus taught that if a man divorces his wife and marries another, he commits adultery. If his divorced wife marries she and her new husband commit adultery (Matthew 5:32, 19:5). Adultery is not something you "live in," it is something you "commit." When a divorced person commits himself to a new mate in marriage and seals it with the sexual act (even though it may be adultery) the bonds with the first mate seem to be dissolved and there seems to be no relationship whatever with the first marriage.   

If our scriptures in question teach that "husband of one wife" applies to a divorced and remarried man, it is not because he has "two living wives." It would have to be because of the influence his divorce would have on his testimony.   

The fourth position is that "husband of one wife" teaches against polygamy or bigamy. Whatever position you take on these verses you must conclude it teaches against polygamy and bigamy. You cannot be the husband of one wife and have two wives. However, this does not seem to be the primary meaning since the Gentiles in the first century did not practice polygamy.   

Now, for what it is worth, I will now give you my sincere opinion. (It is not the position of Florida Baptist College, it is my opinion.) I think I will reject all of the four above positions and agree with Kenneth S. Wuest when he says, "The words, when used of the marriage relation come to mean, 'a man of one woman.' The nouns are without the definite article, which construction emphasizes character or nature. The entire context is one in which the character of the bishop is being discussed. Thus, one can translate, 'a one-wife sort of a husband,' or 'a one-woman sort of a man.' . . . Since character is emphasized by the Greek construction, the bishop should be a man who loves only one woman as his wife. It should be his nature to thus isolate and centralize his love." ³ 

I feel that this qualification has to do with the character of the man more than whether he must be married, be married only once or has been divorced. A pastor must be a man whose affections are centered exclusively on his wife. If he has a "wandering eye," he is not the sort of person who needs to be in the pastorate. I once knew a pastor who was married only once but flirted with all the nice looking ladies. I don't think he met this qualification. My opinion is, this qualification is all about character.  

Let me leave you with a few jewels I ran across. Wuest also said, "In some matters 'the common sense of most' is a safer guide than the irresponsible conjectures of a conscientious student." I think it was Ravi Zacharias I heard say, "The more words it takes to defend your position the more likely you are of being wrong." James A. Harris said, "The difference between a conviction and an opinion is that you can discuss your convictions without getting mad."

 ____________ ________  

1Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. 1997. A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. On spine: Critical and explanatory commentary. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, Wash. 2Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. 1983-c1985. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures. Victor Books: Wheaton, Ill. 3Wuest, K. S. 1997, c1984. Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader . Eerdmans: Grand Rapids

 The following appeared in the March 2005 issue:

I have known for a long time that people do not hear what I say, they hear what they think I say.

However, I was not aware that people read what they think I wrote. After my January article on "The Husband of One Wife," it has come back to me that I wrote things I did not know I had written.

For example, I have heard that I wrote that a pastor could have all the wives he wanted as long as he has them one at a time. I did not say that because I do not believe that.

As a little background, I concluded in the article that I believed that the teaching in Timothy and Titus had to do with the character of the man and not with the fact that he may have been married twice. In other words, he is not a womanizer. He is interested in his wife and only in his wife. For example, some of our past U.S. presidents were married only once but they were not "one woman men." They would not qualify for the office of pastor or deacon even though they had been married only once.

In my opinion, if a pastor or deacon divorces his wife in order to marry another woman, his character is such that he does not qualify for the office and his ordination should be rescinded. It is not a matter of "one wife at a time," it is a matter of his wife being the only woman in his life. I remember one of my instructors, Leo Causey, saying something like, "If you are married to the witch of Endor, you made a commitment to stay with her all of your life."

SBC at odds over sale of Mark Driscoll literature (OneNewsNow.com)

2009-07-07T09:07:00.001-05:00

SBC at odds over sale of Mark Driscoll literature (OneNewsNow.com)

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2009-07-02T16:12:00.002-05:00

Freedom Fest '09

Everyone is invited to our annual Freedom Fest on Sunday at 10:00 am. The featured singing group is The Redeemed Vocal Band from Rodgers Baptist Church in Garland, TX. After the singing and preaching services, there will be hamburger/hot dog cookout and fellowship. So, please make plans to celebrate our nation's freedom and the freedom we have in Christ with us this coming weekend!

2009-06-30T20:04:00.002-05:00

No Faith

Okay, I have to admit it. I have lost faith. I didn't ever think I could lose my faith, but it has been repeatedly attacked in the last few months until I no longer can put my trust in the system. Yes, that's right, I no longer have faith in the U.S. government. I no longer believe it is representing me. I no longer believe it is protecting our religious freedoms. I no longer believe it is following the Law of the Land (called the Constitution!). I no longer believe the majority of politicians are honest. I no longer believe it is protecting life (legalizing murder we call abortion!). I no longer believe it is being run by capable people for the most part (left or right). I no longer believe it is honest (hypocrisy abounds in the politicians and the laws they pass!). I no longer believe the wrongs can be reversed. That is, without the help of God. I do believe that God has allowed this government to remain in power. I do believe that I should submit to the laws of the land as long as they do not violate the commands of God. (I will comment concerning the legal system and Constitution later.) I do believe I should pray for our government and leaders. I do believe that I should hope for God's providential hand turning us from our ways as soon as we repent and seek Him. I do believe in the American people. So, maybe I haven't lost my faith. Maybe, I'm just frustrated at the evil and wicked ways of our government. Maybe, I'm frustrated at the apathy of the general public. Maybe, I'm frustrated because we are allowing sin to rule the day instead of righteousness.

But regardless, I will not lose faith in my King! I will look forward to His return as the Most Righteous rules the earth! I will have faith in Him!

2009-06-26T09:18:00.004-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Thursday Afternoon

The afternoon session began at 1:30 pm with a motion and second to add the Doctrinal Statement to the Articles of Agreement. The motion failed.

Nominations were then taken for the annual sermon to be presented at the 2010 Messenger Meeting to be held in Charleston, WV. The following men were nominated: Barry Carter, Philip Wysocki, David Proctor, Gary Copeland, Terry Parrish, and Gary Woodard. Bro. Terry Parrish was elected as the speaker with Barry Carter as the alternate.

Nominations were taken for the missionary sermon to be presented at the 2010 Messenger Meeting to be held in Charleston, WV. The following men were nominated: Alvin Dickerson, Randy Cloud (he asked for his name to be withdrawn and it was), Jeremy Valladares, Rusty Seer, Ernie Lawson, Mike Raines, Bro. G. (spelling the name is impossible from me - he is from Lithuania though), Marcus Nyenehtue, and Eddie Williams. Bro. Alvin Dickerson was elected as the speaker with Eddie Williams as the alternate.

Nominations were taken for the following offices:

President - Roger Copeland (elected).
Vice-Presidents (three to be elected) - Darrel Owens, Jim Crain, James Calhoun, Gerald Cummings (he asked for his nomination to be withdrawn and it was). Bros. Owens, Crain, & Calhoun were elected.
Recording Secretary (two to be elected) - Lonnie Wiggins, Terry Parrish, Mike Yoho. Bros. Wiggins and Parrish were elected.
Parliamentarian - David Robinson, David Butimore. Bro. Robinson was elected.
Asst. Parliamentarian - David Butimore (elected).
Music Directors (three to be elected) - Steve Albritton, Bill Crouse, Mike Paulk (all elected).
Director of Meeting Arrangements - Edgar Sutton (elected).

A motion and second was made for the salaries of the Recording Secretary, Director of Meeting Arrangements, and the Assistand Director of Meeting Arrangements to stay the same. The motion passed.

The ABA Credit Union Report was given and approved.

A motion and second was made to remove the Doctrinal Statement Amendment from the table. The motion failed.

A motion and second was made to removed the ABA Credit Union Report from the book. The motion passed.

Due to the meeting being through early, a motion was required for final adjournment. A motion and second was made to that effect. All in favor were asked to stand and thanks was given in prayer for the success, unity, and love demonstrated in the meeting.

The 2009 ABA National Messenger Meeting dismissed at 2:45 pm on Thursday, June 25, 2009.

2009-06-26T09:03:00.002-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Thursday Morning

The meeting was opened at 9:30 am with song, Scripture, and prayer. The Enrollment and Finance Committee gave their report. There were 1094 churches reported as of June 25, 2009. (More churches may be added up until July 15, 2009.) There were 956 messengers in attendance with an estimated 1,544 visitors in attendance. An estimated total of 2,500 people were in attendance at the 2009 Messenger Meeting. Missions giving totaled over $10,000,000 for 2008-2009 year (Many churches did not report a missions total, so this number will be much higher.) A motion and second was made to adopt the report. The motion passed.

The minutes of the Sunday School Committee were read and approved. The Business Manager report was given. A motion and second was made to approve the report. The motion passed. Pictures were shown of a new press installed in Texarkana. The Editor's report was given. A motion and second was made to approve the report. The motion passed. Information was given concerning the 2010 VBS, the "Chosen" home Bible study materials, the "Jerusalem Priority," and other new materials coming soon. Research is also being done on the feasibility of a college and career (or young adult) curriculum.

A motion and second was made to increase the price of literature by 5%. The motion passed.

A motion and second was made to give the writers a 10% raise. The motion passed.

A motion and second was made to give the Business Manager and Editor-In-Chief a 3% raise. The motion passed.

A motion and second was made to establish an equipment acquisition fund by charging an additional 5 cents on every item sold. The motion passed.

A motion and second was made to give the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions a 3% raise. The motion failed.

The writers for next year were presented and approved. The Sunday School Committee was presented and approved.

Miscellaneous reports were given. The meeting adjourned at 11:30.

The exhibit hall and booths were open from 11:30 am-1:20 pm.

2009-06-24T23:56:00.004-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Wednesday Morning

The morning session began with a musical prelude followed by Scripture reading and prayer. It was announced that Bro. Livingstone Lambert, Missionary to Tanzania, would not be able to be present and deliver the Missionary Sermon. Alternate, Bro. Carrion, will speak in his place.

Bro. Darrel Owens opened the Missions Meeting and Bro. Randy Cloud gave the Sec-Treas. of Missions report. A motion was made and seconded to adopt the report. It passed.

A plaque was given to Mrs. Wayne Harper in memory of her husband who served on the Missionary Committee until the time of his death. A standing ovation was given to show the messenger's appreciation for his service.

A motion and second was made to show appreciation to Bro. Cloud, Sis. Cloud, and Sis. Bull by standing ovation. The motion passed.

A short Missions video was shown.

The minutes from Tuesday's Missions Committee Meeting were read and adopted.

A separate vote was called for on Bro. John Steich. It was reported that the mission he is at practices open communion. There was much discussion concerning this issue and a vote was taken. The vote to take him off the list failed.

A separate vote was called for on Renato Rambaoa. It is reported that of the $700 monthly payout some of that money is being used to support ministry expenses. There was much discussion concerning this and the motion to reduce his salary to $500 per month passed. He will stay on the list.

There was no further discussion and the Missions Report was approved.

Nominations were taken for the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. Bro. Randy Cloud was the only person nominated. He was approved.

The Standing Missionary Committee was elected.

Charles Murphy was replaced by Larry Albritton.
Billy Shepard was replaced by Robert Myers.
Wayne Harper was replaced by Eddie Addison.
Charles Moore was replaced by Kirk Pirnell.

The Committee now consists of the following individuals.
Larry Albritton, Paul Vance, Robert Myers, Roger Stewart, Jerry Baker, Curtis Brown, Edwin Button, Danny Carter, Jim Crain, Billy Daniels, Victor Guzman, Eddie Addison, Jim Jones, Don Justice, Charles Kennedy, Buel Lewallen, Kirk Pirnell, George Moore, Vance Nutt, John Sanders, John Schmid, Bryan Sellers, H. H. Strickland, Jewel Vance, Robert Williams.

A motion was made and seconded to remove the following individuals from the table (These were individual motions were made individually but will be listed together for sake of space.): Stacy Irwin, Marco Mejia, Bro. Corbales (spelling?), David Law. All motions passed.

Stacy Irwin was approved for full salary.
Marco Mejia was approved for full salary.
Bro. Corbales (sp?) was approved for $1,200 per month.
David Law was approved for designated funds.

Bro. Owens informed the messengers it was time for adjournment. Any other mission business would be brought forth in the afternoon session (1:30 pm).

The exhibits were opened from 11:30am-1:15 pm.

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Wednesday Afternoon

The afternoon session began with discussion on Bro. Moreno.

A motion and second was brought forth to prohibit any missionary that has been divorced and remarried from receiving any support from the office of Secretary-Treasurer in Texarkana. MUCH discussion ensued and a motion to postpone the previous motion was made. A second was heard and MUCH discussion pertaining to the motion of postponing the previous motion was heard. After some time, a call for a vote was made. The motion for postponement passed 310-245. (This means that the original motion is dead and will not be reconsidered in this meeting.)

A special in song was given.

A motion and second was made to make additions to the statistical report for missionaries (churches started, churches disbanded, missions started, missions disbanded, etc.).

The Camp Trustees report was given and approved. Camp Trustees were elected. Bro. Pevehouse replaced Mike Raines. The Camp Trustees are as follows: Gene Smith, Bro. Pevehouse, Marion Reed, Rick Whicker, Mark Harris.

A resolution concerning Camp ownership was removed from the table. A motion was made and seconded to transfer ownership to Arkansas (Bogg Springs) and to Texas (Pine Springs). Discussion ensued with a vote being taken. The motion was defeated.

The following items are listed but not given full detail due to them being items of usual business.
Report and Election of Chaplaincy Commission.
Report and Election of History and Archives Committee.
Law Enforcement Chaplains Report.
MBSF Report.
Music Director's Report.
Ladies' Auxiliary Report.
Other Miscellaneous Business.

The meeting was adjourned to be reconvened at 6:30 pm.

The exhibits were opened from 4:15-6:20 pm.

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Wednesday Evening

The meeting reconvened at 6:30 pm with a music prelude followed by devotional and prayer. A special time of music (30 minutes) was given by the Messenger Choir. A motion was made and seconded to accept nominations for the 2013 meeting place with a vote being taken until there was a clear majority. Rogers, Arkansas, Springfield, Illinois, and Dallas, Texas were the places pre-selected as meeting venues. Two complete votes were taken before Dallas, Texas was chosen by a vote of 676 to 458.

The Mission Committee Presentation gave wonderful words of encouragement to all and ended with the 191 Missionaries and their families supported through the office of Secretary-Treasurer standing at the front of the building. (The line of Missionaries and their families stretched from one end of the building to the other.)

At 8:20 pm, Bro. Carrion, Mexico, brought the annual Missionary sermon. Following the sermon, announcements were made. $10,933.75 was received in the special Missionary offering received Wednesday evening. Scripture and prayer were given and the meeting adjourned at 9:15 pm.

The exhibits opened from 9:15-10:30 pm.

2009-06-24T07:30:00.002-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Tuesday Evening

The evening's activities began with a musical prelude followed by a Scripture reading and prayer. After prayer, the Springfield, Missouri Veterans presented the colors. The assembly sang the National Anthem and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Bro. John Saunders, Colorado, led in a prayer for our nation and churches.

The messenger assembly was then welcomed by the Host Pastors and representatives from Springfield. A gracious response was given and the 2009 ABA National Messenger Assembly was officially convened. Bro. Edgar Sutton presented the proposed agenda which was adopted. President Roger Copeland was introduced followed by County Avenue BC choir specials. Bro. Copeland's presidential address was entitled "Revive Us Again" (Psalm 85:6). (The full address will not be posted until a later date. It can also be found in the 2009 Yearbook.)

Revive Us Again - Psalm 85:6

I. Recognition of the Past - vss. 1-3
A. Remember the favor of God - vs. 1
B. Remember the forgiveness God supplies - vss. 2-3

II. Request for the Present - vss. 4-6a
A. One source of revival - vs. 4
B. One prayer to pray - vs. 6a

III. Restoration for the People of God - vss. 6b-8
A. A rejoicing people - vs. 6b
B. A people at peace with the Lord and His people - vs. 8

A motion was made and seconded for the message to be printed in the yearbook. Motion passed.

The speaker for the annual sermon, Bro. Robert Myer, Maryland, was introduced by his son. Special music was presented by Gail Holt. Bro. Myer's sermon was on "The Amazing Providence of God."

The Amazing Providence of God - Romans 8:28

I. Biblical Examples of God's Providence
A. Joseph
B. Esther
C. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego

II. Some Examples of God's Providence in the Present Age

III. What Can We Expect in the Future Concerning God's Providence

A motion was made and seconded for the annual sermon to be placed in the yearbook. Motion passed.

President Copeland then called for the following committees: Enrollment & Finance, Resolutions, Memorials, Tellers.

A motion was made to set aside Article 1, Section 2 of the Missions Policy concerning the following brethren: Stacey Irwin, Javier Moreno, David Law, Bro. Corales (sp?), Marco Mejia. All motions were seconded and passed. (These motions were in effect tabled until Wednesday morning's session when they will be taken off the table.)

A resolution concerning Bogg Springs and Pine Springs being given to Arkansas and Texas churches respectively was presented and approved. This motion being tabled will be brought forth at a later date.

An amendment to Article 7, Section 2 (or 7?) and Article 9, Section 1 failed to pass.

An amendment to Article 3, Section 1 passed and was tabled until a later date.

An amendment to the Doctrinal Statement (two new statements) was passed and laid on the table until a later date.

An amendment to the Missions Policy brought forth by Bro. Brooks failed (a 2/3 vote was needed and was not achieved).

The meeting was then adjourned (9:15 pm) until Wednesday morning at 9:15 am.

Following this session, the booths and exhibits were opened.

2009-06-24T01:35:00.003-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Tuesday Afternoon Part 2

Following the afternoon session a special workshop, World Missions Focus, was held in the John Q. Hammons room of the University Plaza Hotel. The workshop was sponsored by Faith Baptist Church-North Little Rock as a part of Lynn & Brenda Raburn's World Missions Ministries. The meeting was co-hosted by East Somerset BC, Faith BC-Cabot, and Flatwoods MBC.

Bro. Dean Grigsby welcomed those in attendance and introduced the workshop and speakers. Bro. Rusty Teer, Thailand, spoke on "The Myth of The Hungry Heart." Bro. Daren Clements, Asia, spoke on "The Myth Of The Closed Door." Bro. Joel Cobbs spoke on "The Myth Of The Finished Task." Bro. Alvin Dickerson, Scotland, and Bro. David Helmick, Kosova, led in prayers for world evangelism. Bro. Randy Cloud, ABA, concluded and led in an invitation time of prayer. Music was provided by Precious Seed and Shawn Crane.

2009-06-23T14:29:00.002-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Tuesday Afternoon

The National on Salary (cont.) had the following discussion concerning: Bro. Solomon Travilla (cont.), Bro. Emmanuel Tejada, Bro. Solomon Travilla, Bro. Renato Rombaoa, Bro. Marcus Nyenehtue, Bro. Espinosa. Some discussion pertained to basic questions, others towards doctrinal issues, while some pertained to salary. The National on Salary were approved. The National on Designations were approved with the exception of Javier Moreno who was removed because of a change in location. He will be brought forth to be added again at tonight's meeting. The Missionary Helpers were approved.

During the afternoon session, questions arose concerning the authority of the Sub-Committee and certain other motions. Bro. David Smith also made a motion to add some statistical requests to the missionary form. This motion was called out of order by Bro. David Robinson, Parliamentarian, because the motion would have to be made at tomorrow's meeting.

A motion and a second was made to adjourn. Motion passed.

2009-06-23T13:45:00.003-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Tuesday Morning

The Missionary Committee meeting opened at 10:00 am with a welcome, specials in song, and a devotional by Bro. Billy Shepard of Texas. Following the opening remarks and ceremony, Bro. Randy Cloud brought the annual report of the Secretary-Treasurer of Missions for the fiscal year of 2008-2009. (The following is but a synopsis of the entire report. The entire report will be posted at a later date.)

For the fiscal year 2008-2009, $2,499,210.41 was given to help the missionaries preach the gospel of Jesus Christ (through the office of Secretary-Treasurer in Texarkana). Approximately 640 churches and individuals send mission offerings monthly to the office of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. The 2008 Special Thanksgiving Mission Offering totaled $263,337.48. The Thanksgiving Offering was received from 29 states and 3 foreign countries.
For the past year, the missionaries have reported 22,605 professions of faith, 5.062 baptisms, 57,053 visits made, 55,945 personal presentations of the gospel, 17,661 sermons preached, and 16,321 lessons taught. Self-supporting churches have been established in Africa, India, Germany, Philippines, Mexico, Costa Rica, Texas, and Colorado. Missionary Joel Cobbs reports 24 churches organized in Africa. Missionary James Taylor reports the organization of one church in Africa. Bro. Sankya reports 3 churches organized in India. One church has been organized in Germany with many organized in the Philippines, etc.
185 missionaries will be recommended for support through the office of Secretary-Treasurer of Missions. These missionaries are serving the Lord in 26 states and 31 foreign countries. If all of the Interstate, Foreign, and National Missionaries are approved as recommended without any raises, the monthly payout will increase approximately $9,500.00. With any raise, the payout will, of course, increase. The balance in the mission treasury at the end of May 2009, was $683,383.19.

A motion was made and seconded for the report to be approved. The motion passed. A motion was made and seconded for no pay raise to be given to the missionaries this year due to economic issues. The motion passed. The minutes of the sub-committee meeting held in May was read and adopted.

The moderator, Bro. Charles Murphy of Texas, called for a vote on the newly recommended missionaries for interstate on salary. A note was made that Daniel Tijerina's sponsoring church withdrew his name. The vote was taken and the missionaries approved (Bro. Larry Frye and Bro. Danny Young). A vote was then called for on newly recommended interstate on designations. Bro. David Law's name was withheld from the voting due to a change in location. His name can be brought up at the Tuesday evening meeting for addition to the list. The vote was taken and the missionaries approved (Bro. Alan Schoeff, Bro. Kelly Stringer, Bro. Caleb J. Wood). A vote was then called for newly recommended foreign on designations. The vote was taken and the missionaries approved (Bro. David Bostick, Bro. Wally Mann). A vote was then called for newly recommended national on salary. The vote was taken and the missionaries approved (Bro. Romeo Dizon, Bro. Orlando Lastimosa, Bro. Fernando Pangilinan, Bro. Boyet Ricafrente). A vote was then called for newly recommended national on designated funds. The vote was taken and the missionaries approved (Bro. Aaron Teck). A vote was then called for newly recommended missionary helpers. The vote was taken and the missionary helpers approved (Bro. John Claypool, Bro. Roy Walls).

The following contains the re-recommended missionaries (which will not be listed individually except for cases of a separate vote being called). The Interstate on Salary missionaries were approved with the exception of Tom Patterson. His name was removed because he is now pastoring a church. The Interstate on Designations were approved. The Foreign on Salary were approved. The Foreign on Designations were approved. The National on Salary section had the following discussion concerning: Bro. Solomon Travilla. The meeting adjourned at 11:30 and was to reconvene at 1:30 pm.

2009-06-23T00:06:00.002-05:00

ABA Messenger Meeting 2009, Springfield Missouri - Monday

The activities started at 6:30 pm at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. At 7:00 pm, the Missionary Share Time started and lasted to almost 9:30 pm. Each Missionary was given two minutes to share the work with which they are involved. The American Baptist Association of Theological Schools (ABATS) also met on Monday evening. The meeting began at 7:30 pm with most of the schools represented. The minutes from the January meeting held at Heritage Baptist Institute were read. A further informational report was given by Bro. Carl Fitzgerald, President of Heritage Baptist Institute, stating the goals of the January meeting and workshops. Each school representative was given an opportunity to give an update concerning the state of their respective school.

More information will be posted following the sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

2009-06-15T23:33:00.003-05:00

The Country House

It is interesting to note the number of small, community (rural) churches in East Texas. There seems to be one "on every corner." You could even go so far as to say, it's the buckle of the Bible belt. Yet, with so many churches, there are so many not saved, serving the Lord, or spiritually growing. An interesting question arises then (which may actually be a separate issue from the thought above): What has been, is, and will be the impact of small, country churches in East Texas? (And yes, it is very opened-ended...so just go with it!)

2009-06-12T11:49:00.004-05:00

Iron Out The Details

I know Halloween is a few months away, but you can never start too early looking for a good costume. Maybe I won't get all steamed up if I wear this costume. At least there shouldn't be any wrinkles to my Halloween plans!

2009-06-09T15:31:00.004-05:00

Extra-Biblical Resources?

There has been, for quite some time, a debate on whether or not churches should use printed literature prepared by outside organizations. In other words, should a church use Sunday School books or only the Bible. Should they allow a person to use outside sources for reference and help or only rely upon the Holy Spirit. Is there a middle ground? Are there exceptions? Is it of any consequence to your church?

2009-06-08T10:35:00.002-05:00

Boomerang Express VBS

Why is this posted on a mind-numbing Monday? Because it's mind-numbing that it's time for VBS again! I thought we just finished the one from last year! Oh well. It's here, so let's get after it. Please pray for all the teachers, workers, etc. as they teach children how "It all comes back to Jesus!"

Boomerang Express VBS
June 8-12
6:30-9:00 PM
Ages 3 yrs-5th grade

2009-06-02T12:04:00.003-05:00

A Conflict Of Beliefs?

While reading about the murder of abortion doctor, George Tiller, I noticed that he was killed at a church which started me pondering some thoughts. How can a man who claimed membership at a Reformation Lutheran Church perform such ungodly and hideous acts such as abortion? Was his religion just that...a religion? Did that church teach that life did not begin until birth? Was it a "don't ask, don't tell" type situation? Obviously, anyone can claim Christianity and still live a life of sin, but usually it is not an "open" sin. Of course, he probably did not see abortion as a sin, so there was no conflict of interest...I mean beliefs.

2009-05-28T17:50:00.002-05:00

Gay Clergy

It is sad that the Episcopalian denomination had to kick out 61 gay clergy members. I don't mean it's sad that they did it; I mean it's sad that they had to do it. How can any "clergy member" say that the Bible does not speak/teach against homosexuality? Someone has not done their homework! Of course, homosexuality is not the only sin that would be worthy of discipline, but it seems to be the one in the spotlight right now. So, how can some "churches" and "clergy members" hold such an anti-Biblical, unscriptural view and allow "gay clergy"? Well, maybe it's because we have some wolves in sheep's clothing. But then again, what do I know. I just take the Bible for what it says.

2009-05-25T22:21:00.003-05:00

Saving Old Yeller

Man saves dog by sucking snake venom from his nose (AP)
Cheyenne, Wyo. - A man said he saved his dog's life after sucking venom from a rattlesnake bite out of the animal's nose. Bobby Jenkins said he began feeling ill after getting his dog, Tank, to a veterinarian. He went to the hospital and received a dose of antivenin. In all, Jenkins needed four vials of antivenin at a cost of $3,500 per vial. Meanwhile, Jenkins said his dog's head swelled up to three times its normal size. Tank had been bitten after running under some equipment on the family ranch. The dog also received antivenin and both Jenkins and his dog have recovered.

2009-05-22T12:26:00.001-05:00

Delilah - The Samson Version

2009-05-21T11:23:00.001-05:00

Muslim Demographics

You must watch this video and be aware of what is happening.

2009-05-21T10:47:00.001-05:00

Memorial Day Weekend

Remember to thank the Lord for the many brave men and women who sacrificed so much so that we might have the freedom and liberty we enjoy today, and may God bless America!

2009-05-15T08:19:00.001-05:00

Refrigerated Beach At Dubai?

(from www.funnynewsmos.com)

Versace, the renowned fashion house, is to create the world’s first refrigerated beach so that hotel guests can walk comfortably across the sand on scorching days.

The beach will be next to the the new Palazzo Versace hotel which is being built in Dubai where summer temperatures average 40C and can reach 50C.

The beach will have a network of pipes beneath the sand containing a coolant that will absorb heat from the surface.

The swimming pool will be refrigerated and there are also proposals to install giant blowers to waft a gentle breeze over the beach.

Soheil Abedian, founder and president of Palazzo Versace, said he believed it is possible to design a refrigerated beach and make it sustainable. “We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on,” he said. “This is the kind of luxury that top people want.”

Hyder Consulting, a British construction consultancy, is overseeing the engineering on the project. The hotel will be marketed strongly in the UK where Dubai is a popular tourist destination, attracting about 800,000 Britons a year.

Abedian’s firm began its association with Versace a decade ago with the idea of creating the first chain of luxury fashion-branded lifestyle resorts.

The first Palazzo Versace is already operating on Australia’s Gold Coast – where Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, the actors, have stayed – and the Dubai hotel will be the second when it opens late next year or early 2010. The 10-storey hotel will have 213 rooms, several with their own internal swimming pools, plus 169 apartments. Fifteen more such hotels are planned.

Competition to serve the world’s rich is getting intense, especially in Dubai. The city already boasts the world’s first seven-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab, while Armani, a competitor with Versace, is building a similarly branded Dubai hotel.

The refrigerated beach is designed to give Versace the edge in this battle of luxury lifestyles. The system will be controlled by thermostats linked to computers.

Source: Times Online

2009-05-14T08:34:00.002-05:00

Mustard Seed & Leaven

¹⁸Then said he, "Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? ¹⁹It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it." ²⁰And again he said, "Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." (Luke 13:18-21)

In doing much study concerning the parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven in Luke 13 (can be also found in Matthew 13 - different time period), I have come to the conclusion that the commentators are split 50/50 over the meaning of the parables. Some commentators argue that the parables are to be seen in a positive light, i.e., the parables illustrate the growth of the Kingdom of God. Other commentators, however, argue that the symbols given in the parables (birds, leaven) are to be seen in a negative light and illustrate the permeation of apostate churches, evil, etc. in the Kingdom of God. One commentator varied from both of these ideas and stated that the birds represented the Gentiles who would be brought in to the Kingdom of God, but as one of our deacons stated, "Aren't they grafted in?" For as long as I can remember, I have heard preachers (and now commentators) debate over the meaning of this passage. I do not have a 100% perspective on what it means though I tend to side with the "negative" viewpoint. If any of you scholars, or Bible-studiers, have an answer to this, let me know!

2009-05-13T08:29:00.007-05:00

Required Reading

I am currently reading several good books. Some are better than others, but basically I would recommend them all.

The 5,000 Year Leap: A Miracle That Changed The World (Author: Cleon Skousen) - A good read for greater understanding of our political system. If you have questions about our government and where it went wrong, then read this book for some basic understanding.

What In The World Is Going On? 10 Prophetic Clues You Cannot Afford To Ignore (Author: Dr. David Jeremiah) - Another good read concerning prophecy on a basic level. I like Dr. David Jeremiah but was hoping for a much more in-depth book. However, I still recommend it because it does give a good overall understanding of prophecy concerning today.

Shadowmarch: Volume I (Author: Tad Williams) - I have just started reading this sci-fi/fantasy book. It looks like it will be another good read, however, I really am waiting on Patrick Rothfuss' sequel to The Name Of The Wind: Kingkiller Chronicle, Day 1.

10 Choices: A Proven Plan To Change Your Life Forever (Author: Dr. James MacDonald) - Still reading this, but so far, good reading concerning our basic choices in our life.

Church Discipline (Master of Theology Thesis by Bro. Ralph Simmons) - Good doctrinal teaching concerning scriptural discipline and even gives examples of church discipline from our area (several are included from the history of Ebenezer Baptist Church!).

Magazines of Interest:
Biblical Archaeology Review
World
National Geographic
Sports Illustrated

2009-05-12T11:56:00.003-05:00

American "Idol" Goes Christian?

Now, first, let me say that basically I don't watch American Idol except at the very beginning where they show people that sing about as well as I do. However, after the "funny" auditions are over, I tend not to pay attention to the show. But according to the newswires, two of the three finalists this year are Christian. Not only that, but the two Christians are worship leaders at their respective churches.
From reading different articles, it seems Christians are somewhat divided on the issue of a Christian being on American Idol. Are we to shun the show because of content and the name which includes the word "Idol," or should we embrace the Christians who win this show and see it as another avenue for us to reach those in the mainstream? Or, is there another way of viewing this whole topic?

2009-05-11T09:10:00.002-05:00

Quit Trying To Make Everybody Happy!!!

It seems as if the Pope has no backbone and finds himself needing to please everyone. While I'm not a fan of the Papacy, they could at least have the backbone to tell the Palestinians that they have no historical, religious, or any other claim to a state. But then again, that wouldn't be popular, would it?

Pope in Israel calls for Palestinian homeland

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer Victor L. Simpson, Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM – Pope Benedict XVI called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian homeland immediately after he arrived in Israel Monday, a stance that could put him at odds with his hosts on a trip aimed at improving ties between the Vatican and Jews.

The pope also took on the delicate issue of the Holocaust, pledging to "honor the memory" of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide at the start of his five-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Benedict touched down in Israel on the second leg of a weeklong pilgrimage to the Holy Land, after spending three days in neighboring Jordan. He is using the tour to reach out to both Muslims and Jews.

In his first public comments upon arriving, Benedict urged Israelis and Palestinians to "explore every possible avenue" to resolve their differences.

"The hopes of countless men, women and children for a more secure and stable future depend on the outcome of negotiations for peace," he told a welcoming ceremony at Israel's international airport. "In union with people of goodwill everywhere, I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties, so that both peoples may live in peace in a homeland of their own within secure and internationally recognized borders."

While Benedict has spoken in favor of a Palestinian homeland in the past, the timing and location of his comments were noteworthy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in the audience, has pointedly refused to endorse the two-state solution since his election. But he is expected to come under pressure to do so when he travels to Washington next week. Netanyahu did not speak at the ceremony, then flew to Egypt for talks on regional issues with President Hosni Mubarak.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor played down the pope's comments, saying he was voicing a long-standing position shared by the U.S. and European countries.

"At any rate, discussing this is not the purpose of the visit," he said.

Parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin conspicuously skipped the airport ceremony, though his office said he would join the pope at Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

The pope has tried to improve interfaith relations throughout his four-year papacy, and as a cardinal, had a long record of promoting dialogue with other faiths. But Benedict has had to tread carefully on his Middle East visit because of past gaffes.

Benedict angered many in the Muslim world three years ago when he quoted a medieval text that characterized some of Islam's Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith." He later expressed regret that his comments offended Muslims.

Before leaving Jordan, he said he had a "deep respect" for Islam.

The Vatican has also been widely accused over the years of not doing enough to stop the Holocaust — a charge it rejects. And the German-born pope himself has faced questions for his involvement in the Hitler Youth corps during the war. Benedict says he was coerced.

The pope outraged Jews earlier this year when he revoked the excommunication of a British bishop who denies the Holocaust. Ties were further strained when a senior Vatican official said during Israel's recent military campaign in Gaza that the territory resembled a "big concentration camp."

Later Monday, Benedict was scheduled to lay a wreath at Yad Vashem.

"It is right and fitting that, during my stay in Israel, I will have the opportunity to honor the memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of the shoah," he said, using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust. He said he would "pray that humanity will never again witness a crime of such magnitude."

Israel and the Vatican are also at odds over the legacy of World War II pontiff Pius XII, a candidate for sainthood. At Yad Vashem, Benedict will not visit the main part of the museum, where a photo caption says Pius did not protest the Nazi genocide of Jews and maintained a largely "neutral position."

Dignitaries and religious leaders greeted the pontiff at a red-carpet ceremony at the Tel Aviv airport. Yellow and white Vatican flags fluttered alongside blue and white Israeli banners as an honor guard played in the background.

The pope smiled as he walked along the carpet, flanked by Israeli President Shimon Peres on one side and Netanyahu on the other. Other political leaders, along with black-robed Christian clergymen and Muslim religious leaders, stood in line to shake his hand.

"Your visit here brings a blessed understanding between religions and spreads peace near and far. Historic Israel and the renewed Israel together welcome your arrival as paving the great road to peace," Peres said.

Later, the pope flew by helicopter to Jerusalem for another red-carpet ceremony. Mayor Nir Barkat handed Benedict an ancient map of the world, with Jerusalem in the center and dozens of children from three schools — Christian, Jewish and Muslim — welcomed him. The children waved Israeli and Vatican flags and red carnations, and many wore T-shirts that read, "I'm with the pope in Jerusalem."

"He loves us and wants peace," said David Sahagian, a 10-year-old from a Christian school in east Jerusalem. "I want there to be peace in Jerusalem and I want him to give us his blessing."

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians were angry that the pope planned to meet with the family of an Israeli soldier held by militants in Gaza for nearly three years but would not meet with relatives of any of the 11,000 Palestinian prisoners imprisoned in Israel.

Israeli police shut down a media center for the pope's visit that the Palestinian Authority had set up at an east Jerusalem hotel. Israeli authorities object to any attempt by the Palestinians to use east Jerusalem for official business because that would suggest Palestinian sovereignty there. Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians claim it as capital of a future state.

2009-05-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

A Mom's Overture

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2009-05-07T09:45:00.003-05:00

National Day Of (Private) Prayer

It is a sad state when a "Christian" president does not desire to publicly pray on the National Day of Prayer. Of course, I guess it makes sense because we are not a "Christian" nation, and there is to be "separation of state and church." (Previous statements dripping with sarcasm) What a difference it would make if the leadership of this nation openly called for us to repent and stand with God. But all is not lost, for at least one leader is taking a stand.

Since our President has declared that we no longer consider ourselves a Christian nation, Congressman Randy Forbes will introduce "America's Spiritual Heritage Resolution" (H. Res. 397) at a press conference tomorrow on Capitol Hill to reaffirm America's rich Judeo-Christian heritage.

II Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2009-05-06T09:44:00.002-05:00

God Will Not Bless America

If things keep going this way, there is no way He will bless America!

(from the AP newswires)

WASHINGTON -- After an emotional debate, the D.C. Council gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other states.
The vote is considered the first step toward eventually allowing gay marriages to be performed in Washington. Congress, which has final say over the city's laws, will get 30 days to review the bill assuming Democratic Mayor Adrian Fenty, a supporter, signs it. If Congress takes no action, the bill will become law automatically. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have not signaled where they stand.
"The march towards equality is coming to this country, and you can either be a part of it or stand in the way," said David Catania, one of two openly gay D.C. Council members.
Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa already allow gay marriage and lawmakers in several other states are considering whether to do the same. New York recognizes gay marriages performed in other states.
The D.C. Council vote was 12-to-1, with former Mayor Marion Barry casting the lone opposing vote. He called it an "agonizing and difficult decision" that he made after prayer and consulting with the religious community.
Catania called the issue one of fundamental fairness and said it's about acknowledging that his family is just as valid as anybody else's.
The congressional review could be the new Congress' first opportunity to signal its appetite for re-examining the Defense of Marriage Act, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states to do the same.
Advocates from both sides were part of an overflow crowd that filled city hall, and more than 100 opponents from churches in the Washington region held a rally across the street on Freedom Plaza. Among them was the Rev. Derek McCoy from the Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md.
"Once you redefine marriage, you redefine family," he said.
Gay marriage supporters gathered outside the council hearing room included Ed Grandis, a lawyer who lives in Dupont Circle with his husband, J.D. Campos. The pair married in California last year during the time same-sex marriage was legal there, and they hope to have their marriage recognized in D.C.
"We don't have any interest in making their religious institution recognize our marriage or our relationship," Grandis said. Instead, Grandis said, it's about the government recognizing the couple's civil rights.
The district already recognizes domestic partnerships, but gay marriage supporters say that's not enough.
"It's an equality issue," said Sara Mindel, who has been with her partner for nine years and has a 10-month-old son. "In my mind, marriage, although it's a wonderful religious ceremony, ultimately gives you so many important states rights and legal rights."

2009-05-05T10:21:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day

This coming Sunday we will celebrate Mother's Day and honor the many godly women of our congregation. What a blessing it is to see God work through so many women and provide a stable foundation for the lives of children (of all ages!). And yes, all of us could share stories of how our mother provided, sacrificed, and loved us, but I would like to do something different this year. To you, who is the greatest mother of the Bible? (You do not have to answer Mary just because she is the mother of Jesus.) What mother of the Bible has given you hope, laughter, understanding, etc.? Leave a comment (and then share stories about your mother!).

2009-05-04T16:14:00.002-05:00

Dr Pepper Artifact May Reveal Soft Drink's Secret Recipe

Monday , May 04, 2009 (AP)

DALLAS — Poking through antiques stores while traveling through the Texas Panhandle, Bill Waters stumbled across a tattered old ledger book filled with formulas.

He bought it for $200, suspecting he could resell it for five times that. Turns out, his inkling about the book's value was more spot on than he knew. The Tulsa, Okla., man eventually discovered the book came from the Waco, Texas, drugstore where Dr Pepper was invented and includes a recipe titled "D Peppers Pepsin Bitters."

"I began feeling like I had a national treasure," said Waters, 59.

Dr Pepper's manufacturer says the recipe is not the secret formula for the modern day soft drink, but the 8 1/2-by-15 1/2 inch book is expected to sell between $50,000 to $75,000 when it goes up for auction at Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries on May 13.

"It probably has specks of the original concoction on its pages," Waters said.

Waters discovered the book, its yellowed pages stained brown on the edges, underneath a wooden medicine bottle crate in a Shamrock antiques store last summer. A couple months after buying it, he took a closer look as he prepared to sell it on eBay.

He noticed there were several sheets with letterheads hinting at its past, like a page from a prescription pad from a Waco store titled "W.B. Morrison & Co. Old Corner Drug Store." An Internet search revealed Dr Pepper, first served in 1885, was invented at the Old Corner Drug Store in Waco by a pharmacist named Charles Alderton. Wade Morrison was a store owner.

Faded letters on the book's fraying brown cover say "Castles Formulas." John Castles was a partner of Morrison's for a time and was a druggist at that location as early as 1880, said Mary Beth Webster, collections manager at the Dr Pepper Museum and Free Enterprise Institute in Waco.

As he gathered more information, Waters took a slower turn through the book's more than 360 pages, which are filled with formulas for everything from piano polish to a hair restorer to a cough syrup. He eventually spotted the "D Peppers Pepsin Bitters" formula.

"It took three or four days before I actually realized what I had there," Waters said.

The recipe written in cursive in the ledger book is hard to make out, but ingredients seem to include mandrake root, sweet flag root and syrup.

It isn't a recipe for a soft drink, says Greg Artkop, a spokesman for the Plano-based Dr Pepper Snapple Group. He said it's likely instead a recipe for a bitter digestive that bears the Dr Pepper name.

He said the recipe certainly bears no resemblance to any Dr Pepper recipes the company knows of. The drink's 23-flavor blend is a closely guarded secret, only known by three Dr Pepper employees, he said.

Michael Riley, chief cataloger and historian for Heritage Auction Galleries, said they think it's an early recipe for Dr Pepper.

"We just feel like it's the earliest version of it," he said.

He hasn't, however, tested that theory by trying to mix up a batch. Neither has Waters; he's thought about it but would need to find someone to decipher all the handwriting.

Jack McKinney, executive director of the Waco museum, surmised that Alderton might have been giving customers something for their stomachs and added some Dr Pepper syrup to make it taste better.

"I don't guess there's any definitive answer. It's got to be the only one of its kind," Riley said.

McKinney said the ledger book was bound to be popular with Dr Pepper collectors because it's from the time the drink was invented.

Riley said the book was probably started around 1880 and used through the 1890s. It's not known who wrote the Dr Pepper recipe in the book, but they don't think it was the handwriting of Alderton or Morrison. Some of the formulas have Alderton's name after them.

At first, Alderton's drink inspired by the smells in the drugstore was called "a Waco." "People would come in and say, 'Shoot me a Waco,'" Riley said.

Soon renamed Dr Pepper, the drink caught on and other stores in town began selling it. Eventually, Alderton got out of the Dr Pepper business and Morrison and a man named Robert Lazenby started a bottling company in 1891.

Flipping through the pages of the ledger book takes one back to a time when drugstores were neighborhood hubs, selling everything from health remedies to beauty products mixed up by the stores' chemists. And among the formulas being mixed up in drugstores were treats for the soda fountain. A two-page spread in Waters' book has recipes for "Soda Water Syrups," including pineapple, lemon and strawberry.

"There were very few national brands," Riley said. "Their lifeblood was all their formulas."

2009-05-02T22:47:00.002-05:00

Kevin Clinton Motorcycle Accident

Everyone please pray for Kyle's father, Kevin Clinton. He was involved in an accident and broke both his legs. They have set his legs and will perform surgery tomorrow morning. They are going to (or have already) insert steel rods into his legs. He will be off his feet for 2 weeks. He will have 3-4 months of recovery.

2009-04-30T08:47:00.003-05:00

Security Of The Believer

What is your favorite verse proving that once a person is saved they cannot lose their salvation? Alternatively, is their a verse that sometimes gives you problems in this area? (My logic class is debating this topic in chapel today and tomorrow. Thought you might like to have some input.)