The call

Praise to God

Meeting the youth

 It is hard to believe that I have served as pastor of FBC Jonesboro for one year already. Can we say, “big learning curve?” But that is what I expected. We moved from a foreign country, where the Lord had us serving for the past 14 years. In fact, Canada was all my children remembered, as my oldest was only 5 months old when we moved from Texas. For them, the change was enormous: new country, school, friends, home, and church. Only God could help them get through; and He did. They have had their good days and bad days, but all in all they are doing well.

As a couple, Gina and I have also had to navigate some significant changes in ministry.  But we knew that the Lord was about to stretch us. We were aware of the challenges that the church was facing. We knew of the challenges that the community was facing. We knew that we would need to make some major adjustments to our new surroundings. There have been several things that caught us off guard, but then again, we knew to expect the unexpected!

But I have learned over the years to keep my eyes on the Lord, no matter what my circumstances might be. The most important factor in my life is not what people are doing, but what the Lord is doing. Kingdom work is challenging in the best of times, but the Lord has a way of keeping me steady and focussed on the priorities of His heart. Oh, I stumble and make mistakes along the way, but He is the one who guides my life.

Looking back over this past year, the challenges of such a major change in our lives has been overshadowed by the hand of God in our lives. I have often told people that my greatest strength is that I know I am weak. That one realization keeps my relationship with Christ my number one priority; I need Him in my life. For without Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5). In fact I was challenged one day by a man who pointed out that I was from a small pioneer church in Canada and did not know how to lead a large church in the South. My response was simply this: “your absolutely right.” But then again, I am not the leader of FBC Jonesboro, Christ is. He is the head of the church, and my responsibility is to walk with Him so that He can accomplish His work through me.

I am so excited to see what Christ is doing in our church. Christ is leading us and we are about to experience a wonderful journey of following Him. I’ll mention more in the next few weeks about where we are going, but I just want to thank the members of FBC for all they have done for my family. God has placed some amazing people in this church. It is a privilege to be their pastor.

Our family had the opportunity to go on a trip to Israel this summer. I had dreamed of going there for a long time, but the trip exceeded my expectations. We saw a lot of amazing biblical sites that I had read about all of my life. But one of the best sights on the trip was watching my family experience the journey together. It was like taking my family on a walk through the Bible. Even though I know the children probably can’t fully appreciate such a trip, it will leave a memory to last a lifetime. Click on pictures below for descriptions.

Mediterranean

Sea of Galilee

Watchtower

Caesarea

Camel Jockeys

Mount Carmel

Greek gods

Godly Heritage

Joppa

I have come to believe that the most important assignment I have as a father is to pass on my faith to those coming behind me. I may experience a deep and personal walk with God. I may serve God with all my heart. But if I don’t pass on my faith to my children … I have misunderstood God’s call on my life. God gave me a family and charged me with the responsibility of pouring my faith into their lives.

I also believe that passing on our faith goes far beyond just our immediate family. As a part of the family of God, we have children growing up in our churches that are watching us. If we don’t intentionally pass on our faith, our walk with God and years of service will die with us. I am not talking about just telling our faith, or even living our faith. I want to intentionally pass on my faith. That means bringing the next generation along with me as I serve the Lord. That means taking the time to be with them and talk about what God is doing in their lives. That means making sacrifices in order to help them understand the Christian faith in the world in which they live. That means doing whatever it takes to help them live out their walk with God.

Consider Psalm 78:5-8. “For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”

Do you have a testimony? Do you have a story of God’s love? Then don’t keep it to yourself; make an intentional effort to pass on your faith to the next generation.

I just returned from a trip to the Holy Land with my family and had a tremendous time. It was much more than I ever imagined it would be. But rest assured that this was not a pilgrimage to attain favor with God, a trip to vist religious shrines, or even an attempt to get closer to God. In reality, I don’t even think the land of Israel is any “holier” than Jonesboro, Georgia. Stop and think about it; we enjoy greater peace here in America than the Jews living in the Promised Land. I was amazed to see fields quarantined because they were filled with land mines, young girls in the army with machine guns hanging from their shoulders, and heavily guarded boarders going into Bethlehem because it is under Palestinian control.  So when I say “Holy Land” just think of it as a special place on earth where the Lord Jesus walked while in the days of His flesh. And for that reason alone, it was a very special. To see the actual places that He walked and taught the disciples brought a lot of special feelings to my heart. For I have been reading about those places in the Bible for as long as I can remember. In some strange way, it made the Scriptures come alive in a way I had not imagined. I can’t share all that I experienced in one blog, so I will spread it out over the next few weeks. But for now, click on the pictures below and check out some of the sites we visited.

Mount Carmel

Gethsemane

Garden Tomb

Galilee

Qumran

Jerusalem

Somebody asked me the other day what the most surprising thing has been about coming to be the pastor of a large church. The first thing that came out of my mouth was simply this: “how many people die.” That sounds kind of morbid and probably not the biggest change in coming to FBC Jonesboro. But when there are a lot of members, there are a lot of people going out into eternity on a regular basis.

I am so grateful that I have a living hope; I have absolute confidence that my salvation is secure. In other words, I am already prepared for the day I slip into eternity and see the Lord face to face. From my earthly perspective, I am in no hurry to get there. But from a heavenly perspective, that day will be the greatest day of my life. I cannot mourn for those who are enjoying their eternal reward, but I do mourn for those who are left behind.

Today I will be at a funeral for a young man who suddenly passed away in a tragic accident. In fact the minister who was about to perform his wedding, will be performing his funeral. It will be a tough day for the family and friends. But it is a reminder to us all that each day is a gift from God. We know that. But also remember that when those days on earth come to an end, eternity is an even better gift. I guarantee you that nobody who has entered into the presence of God in eternity ever has thoughts of coming back to this sin scarred earth. Thank God for time on earth; thank God for time in eternity. And I have to ask the question of all who might read this blog, “Do you have a living hope of eternal life?”

Well the Lord has found a new way to build my prayer life. Yes, my daughter now has her learner’s license and insists on driving every time we get into the car. How did this happen? Since when did I give her permission to grow up? I am used to seeing her on the back of a horse, in fact, that is one of the ways that I love to spend time with her. We can just mount up on the horses and go for a little ride; a great father daughter “special” time. But this driving a car thing, that is a totally different scenario. It is just not right!

Christa is Growing Up

Easter Sunday

But the more I think about it, growing up is what it is all about. It IS right that she is taking the normal steps of growing into a responsible young lady. In fact, I would be disappointed if she didn’t want to drive. I remember going down to get my license on the day of my birthday; I could hardly wait! I want her to experience everything in life abundantly, just like Jesus promised. Now that I take time to look at my family, all the kids are growing up so fast. Gina and I are so proud of them all, and want the very best for them.

Similarly, I pray that their spiritual growth would be just as constant. But isn’t that true for all of us? If we are feeding on God’s Word and spending time with Him in prayer, we ought to be growing. We should experience new adventures with Christ all the time. It is a little scary, but well worth it. This is abundant life: daily growing in my walk with Jesus Christ.

I had a very busy week, but I am back at my POST!

I am a strong believer in volunteerism. As I see it, volunteers seem to be some of the most happy people I know! Crazy, but true. People who choose to serve without financial compensation seem to reap rewards that go far beyond monitary value. Take for example our church mission team that just returned from the Dominican Republic. 32 volunteers spent their own money, took time off work, and served for a week. The conditions were less than favorable: hot, humid, dirty, long days, etc. They returned exhausted, some even a little under the weather, and came home to a pile of work that was waiting for them. And yet, they would all go back again! I hear statements like, “what a great trip” or “the Lord was so good.”

There is something about giving yourself away that allows you to find yourself. Sounds like something biblical doesn’t it. “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt 16:25). That statement has proven to be true for everyone who has served the Lord.  There is no reward like knowing you are pleasing to the Lord. So jump in and get involved in the work of the Lord. You just may find the key to abundant life.

Gina teach children songs

Baptism in the Crocodile River

My daughter serving the Lord

The pictures above are taken from a mission trip to Africa. Talk about good family time, you may want to consider a family mission trip. But don’t just think about something on the other side of the world that costs thousands of dollars. You can serve the Lord right where you are. Ask the Lord where you might invest your life.

 

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer, and I was remembering when Gina and I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. for its celebration. We even had a special invite to the White House for breakfast and a prayer service with President Bush and other national leaders. My Dad was the keynote speaker on that occasion, and that was our ticket in! It was a great to see people from all over the country coming to cry out to God on behalf of the land. You don’t have to agree on political issues to pray together. And what a great time of prayer it was.

National Day of Prayer

Our Personal Escort Out …

Washington D.C.

But we are living in a new day. President Obama chose to dismiss this tradition of prayer at the White House. And as troubling as that might seem, remember that the church is God’s House of Prayer, not the White House. I wonder about the people who are criticizing the President for not allowing a prayer service in the White House. Did the critics actually go to God’s house to pray yesterday?  Oh we want to see our leaders turn to God, but the key to revival is for believers to cry out to Him on behalf of the land. The scripture says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron 7:14).

We had a great prayer service in the house of God last night. I pray that we would continue to call upon God everyday, and not just one day a year. I love to see the church full of  people who have gathered for the sole purpose of crying out to God in prayer. He is the hope of our nation.

I am really excited about the National Day of Prayer Service we are hosting on Thursday, May 7 @ 7:00pm in our main worship center. We have invited many of our community leaders and have had a great response. Among those who have already told us they will be present: the mayor; 4 town council members; the county commissioner; 6 judges, the district attorney, representatives from the police, sheriff, and fire departments, and a state senator. We want to lift them up in prayer, as well as many other leaders in the community and church. This will be a great evening of worship, as we lift our nation before the Lord in prayer. You do not want to miss this gathering.

I have only just begun to blog, but my blog page has already gone through many changes. I think we have a new format that is going to work out great for what I want to accomplish. So keep coming back and see how the information grows over the next few weeks. I think this will be a lot of fun, as I try and connect with people that the Lord has brought into my life.

By the way pray for Michelle, my communications director at the church, as she is trying to educate me on blogging. Let’s just say I am a work in progress. If you like what you see, thank her!

I had the opportunity to go with Gina to a marriage retreat last weekend at Winshape. What a great time. I think every couple needs a regular “tune-up” on their marriage. Not that it is in bad shape, but that we make a conscious investment in that which is important. Just the focussed time away with your spouse is good for a marriage. When everyone on the retreat says, “I would do it again,” that is a testimony in itself. And I am not just talking about the wives …

Upon arriving home and going to church, our children’s choir put on their Spring Musical. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was blown away. We have some talent in the children’s ministry! Both the acting and singing was outstanding. And as I watched the children, I had a picture of our future. It is bright!

As I look back over the weekend, with the marriage retreat and the children’s musical, I am encouraged to see healthy families that are growing in the Lord. To see marriages that are Christ centered, to see children who are excited about their faith, and to see a church wanting to follow the Lord. I am excited to see where the Lord will lead us in the year ahead.