A New ACP

If you are a Southern Baptist minister, you recognize the letters A C P. Every year we must go through the ritual of reporting to our denomination the numerical statistics that capture a snapshot of our churches. The report includes membership, attendance, baptisms, contributions received, money spent on missions and ministers, and a few other things. It's the way we determine that there are 16 million Southern Baptists. In fact, it's the only place you'll find 16 million Southern Baptists.

We call it the Annual Church Profile - the ACP. I said that we "must" do it but that's not really true. Southern Baptists can't be told they must do anything. Sometimes I think that even applies to directives in the Bible. In Arkansas, a little more that 10% of the Southern Baptist churches will not complete the ACP. Not sure if they have something to hide or just don't think it really matters.

At Cross Road we are studying the book of Daniel on Wednesday nights. Tonight's study was in chapter 9 where Daniel prayed a prayer of adoration, confession, and petition in response to what he read in God's word. He was part of the group of Israelites that had been exiled to Babylon (under Persian rule at the time of his prayer). Other Israelites had been scattered to other places. Some had been left back home with nothing to call home.

Daniel was reading pieces of a prophecy from Jeremiah that said the exile was to last 70 years. When Daniel read this he had been in exile about 67 years. The realization that the exile would soon be over led Daniel to consider why they were in exile in the first place. They had turned from God, did not repent, and disobeyed the Lord's commands. So Daniel prayed. He confessed. He pleaded with God to restore the people to their home and make them a nation again.

Here's the pattern of his prayer: adoration, confession, petition - ACP. The prayer is one of the most significant in the Bible and a great pattern for modern Christians to implement. I wonder what might happen if Southern Baptists emphasized more ACP praying than ACP reporting.

I told my church tonight that when next year's ACP is due I will send in a paper about ACP praying. I was just joking. Or was I? Check back in October 2012.

Disclaimers:

-I think the Annual Church Profile has merit.

-A member of CRBC works for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Her responsibilities include ACP.

-Adoration, Confession, Petition pattern taken from New American Commentary.

-Counting baptisms, budgets, and buildings is not just a Southern Baptist phenomenon. Maybe your church could use a little ACP praying, too.

Sunday Nights Indicate Good Days

Since mid-June our church has replaced the Sunday night services with other activities. We have Sunday Night Bible Study in a home. Anyone can host the Bible study. We sometimes sing, always eat.

We also have fellowship nights where we get together in our Activities Building for singing, missions studies, Bible studies, and other things. Seems like the folks enjoy hanging out, especially since we moved into the Activities Building.

We have tried to schedule at least two events each month. Only one person has told me that they miss Sunday night church.

Our decision was based on the participation in our evening services. Almost nothing. With only one or two exceptions, the participation in this new format is better. Most people who attended before still attend. But more people are taking part now who rarely came on Sunday evening before. I understand those who miss the other way but if we want to involve more people and disciple more believers we've done the right thing.

What I really want is to have more than one location for Bible studies on Sunday night. Our membership is spread out geographically. I can envision a location in Ferndale, another in Avilla, and maybe another fairly close to the church. We could have the groups meeting two or three weeks during the month and meet all together in the Activities Building once a month.

Not sure what this will look like down the road. We may even change away from this to something that looks like the old pattern. That really doesn't matter. What matters is getting the most people involved in disciple-making Bible study. These are good days at CRBC because we are willing to do things that can impact our effectiveness.

Helping Others

Been making calls today to folks we think might need a little help putting a Thanksgiving meal on the table this week. Our church family donated enough to provide for ten families. Thought we had ten but a couple of them have said they really don't need the help this year. That's a good thing but now I'm looking for more families.

When I talk with them I ask how we can pray for them through the holiday season. Here are some of the responses.

"My health." This person is dealing with infection from a recent surgery.
"My kids." This grandparent is keeping seven of the grandchildren on a temporary basis.
"That people will come to Christ." This person forsakes the assembling of himself with other believers and gets his "church" on TV. (He's not a shut-in.)

So I'm praying for their requests and for other issues the Spirit has impressed me with about them. I want the helping ministry to reach beyond the physical need and touch them spiritually, too.

If we claim to be doing missions ministry, we better be focused on the spiritual needs. If we just offer a cup of cold water it's not missions nor ministry. If we offer it in Jesus' name it's ministry. If we offer it in Jesus' name with the intent of sharing our faith it's missions.

Lots of folks will be helping others over the next few weeks. I hope you'll be involved. And I hope you'll think bigger than just delivering a bag of groceries. Look for opportunities to meet spiritual needs, too.

Timothy+Barnabas School

Deana and I attended the Timothy+Barnabas School held in Branson, MO this week. The school is the effort of Johnny Hunt and many others who intend (and succeed!) to encourage pastors and their wives. we have wanted to go to one of the conferences for years but never got around to it. Glad we did this year.

We made new friends while there. Tim and Katie Marr serve in Rattan, OK at First Baptist Church. I'm looking forward to cultivating a lifelong relationship with them. Deana and I are almost old enough to be their parents (!) but we connected in a special way. This will be a good friendship.

The pastors were encouraged through Johnny Hunt's teaching on growing your church and maximizing your influence. He has a huge heart for pastors and it really shows. The guys I talked with are so encouraged and we are ready to get back to work. It was a time of refreshing that I needed. And the content will help me be a better pastor.

The wives partied all week. Janet Hunt lavished gifts upon them each time they met and as they walked out the meeting room doors. Between the gifts and the shopping Deana did, I was beginning to wonder if there would be room in the car for me to ride home. Beyond the fun and games, the ladies talked about being a Christian woman, wife, mother, and pastor's wife to the church. I can tell that Deana liked the whole thing. She'll be going again whether I do or not!

If you are a pastor you must attend Timothy+Barnabas. Check out the schedule at timothybarnabas.org and get it on your schedule. You will not regret it. And take your wife.

Hey, the music just got louder!

I'm sitting in a Starbucks sipping a decaf Caffe' Americano, downloading some updates, reading the news online, and doing a few social media updates. Not your typical Friday activities for a preacher, at least a preacher my age.

The music is not very loud right now but about three minutes ago it was really loud. I have a theory why the volume fluctuates in places like this. When the volume was loud the crowd was loud. I believe the crowd got loud first then the music bumped up to cover the crowd. Anytime I'm in a place like this you can hear the other conversations but you can't really understand what they are saying. As the crowd noise gets louder, I think the music gets a little louder to maintain that "cover."

It was blaring a while ago! And that seemed to push the crowd noise up. Then about half the people left, the crowd noise diminished, and the music quietened.

People want to stick out. They get louder so everyone can hear them. They act out so everyone will notice them. They attempt what no one else is attempting so they can say they've done what nobody else has done. They want to beat the record and get mentioned in the media.

Nothing much wrong with sticking out. Just make sure you draw attention to Jesus. While Christians are called to fit into God's plan and his will, we are called out to be a witness for him.

Doing What's Right

I'm hearing the same things out of the Penn State sexual abuse situation that you are. You probably have heard more than I have. But what I hear is not good. Just saw a tweet that Penn State may be preparing for Paterno's exit.

So many issues come out of this mess. One is that we must always do what is right even if it is embarrassing or painful.

So what is right? If you meet the requirements of the law are you right? In some cases you are. If the law says the speed limit is 45 mph and you are driving 45 mph you are right. But if the rules say you must report wrong-doing and you do but you don't do anything else that might prevent or protect, are you still right?

I say, no. "Legal" is one step along the way to "right." Ethical action is often a greater action that simply taking the legally required steps. A legalist would say that a coach must report suspected wrong-doing. An ethicist would say that the coach should do more to prevent the wrong-doing from continuing or repeating and to protect those who may have been injured or harmed in some other way by the act.

A pastor is legally required to report cases of abuse that he might learn about through his ministerial position. If I learn about a case of sexual child abuse I have to report it - I've legally met the requirements when I do. Do I have a moral obligation to help the child? I think so.

It seems from what I know about the Penn State situation is that the legal steps were met but no further steps were taken.

Are we such a legalistic culture that we will accept this? You might not think that such a permissive culture as ours could also be legalistic, but that's a fitting description if we are satisfied with simply meeting the legal requirements.

We'll see if there are any moral absolutes left. Or if we care about them.

Off with the Old, On with the New

I've been watching the crew reroofing the church and parsonage. The church building is getting a new metal roof over old shingles and the parsonage gets new shingles. We've had hail damage and insurance is paying for most of it.

The two jobs are different in two ways. The new metal roof on the church is going over the existing shingles. The workmen are putting the sheets of metal in place and screwing them down through the layer of shingles already there. No problem with that. Seems to be a good way to do it. The old surface is completely covered and the new surface is to be water-tight. I imagine that will last a good long time.

But the parsonage is getting a new layer of shingles where a layer already exists. Not the whole roof, just one section. If the whole roof was being shingled then I imagine they would just put a new layer of shingles over the old. But since only part of the roof is getting a new layer, the old layer in the area being worked has to be removed. Otherwise one section would be thicker than the other. I'm trying to think why that would be a bad thing. Not sure you could see the difference from the ground. But the difference would likely cause a problem sealing out water. The roofing material needs to be level so it can join together to do the job.

That gets me to thinking about the church. Sometimes we just apply something new over something old and it works fine. New instrumentation or arrangements of old songs freshens them up and most of the time we enjoy them more. A modern translation of the Bible can be more accurate to the original - but be careful which translation you choose. A new teacher in a class may spark a little more interest and help the learners to, well, learn.

But sometimes we just need to tear off the old and come back with something new. A long-held belief that people new to the community won't like your church needs to be thrown away and replaced with a fresh perspective and willingness to reach out to them. A dogmatic view of the schedule of services can keep a church from making adjustments that may well be the key to growth. Since doing what you've always done will get you what you've alway gotten, maybe it's time to replace the old ways with something fresh, innovative, effective. And the renovation doesn't have to be across the board. Maybe just one or two things need changed. Or maybe everything but one or two things need changed.

Churches ought to assess their effectiveness on a regular basis. Be honest. When something no longer helps you reach your community, it's time to let it go. Put it out to pasture. Pull the plug. Or at least revise it. Irrelevance might be the biggest sin a church commits. A church that is irrelevant to its community is living in a community that is drowning in the high waters of spiritual complacency. Let's do what we must do to stir those waters and rescue the perishing.

The World's a Scary Place

The world can be a pretty scary place. Maybe you noticed some ghosts and ghouls and goblins running around earlier this week.

The real world can be pretty scary, too. Criminals kicked in our front door last week. Several central Arkansas banks have been robbed in the last few days. National news stories tell of a woman who gave birth to twins then killed the infants.

What's even more scary is the vision Daniel had of future (to him) kingdoms that would devour each other ultimately leading to a future (to us) kingdom led by Antichrist - the most devious and powerful and vicious of any earthly leader. That won't be a good time. But it will end swiftly and decisively at the coronation of Jesus Christ, King of kings. He will defeat Antichrist, establish a thousand years of peace on earth, then send Satan to his everlasting punishment.

It's appointed to man once to die, then to face judgment. When I die I want to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. Is it possible to know that I will? I talked with a man in the VA hospital a few weeks ago about this. He said there is no way to know. A person's only hope is that Jesus chooses to let him in, according to this man. He thinks his eternity is left up to an arbitrary decision. He will die not knowing for sure.

When I pastored a church in north central Arkansas, we took a survey of our community to determine ways we might minister to the people. One of the survey questions asked if they knew for sure they would spend eternity in heaven when they died. The overwhelming response from this heavily Catholic area was, "Oh, I hope so." They didn't know whether they would be in heaven or hell. Their only hope was to do as much good in this life as they could in hopes that the good would outweigh the bad when they faced judgment. A person with this belief will die not knowing for sure.

I know for sure! The Bible says it is possible to know. It's not an arbitrary decision that God makes for us while standing at the pearly gates. It's not a judgment of whether or not good outweighs bad. Instead, Jesus died for my sins so I can be forgiven. If I trust Jesus for my forgiveness and salvation then my name is on the reservation list for heaven. No doubts. No questions. No problems.

You can know for sure, too. But you have to believe the right things about God and salvation. Re-read the previous paragraph to get to the truth. And send me a message if you have questions.

I know. Do you?

I'm not scared. Are you?

Why I Go to Church

During a recent prayer meeting when our church focused on revival, we talked about the lack of commitment to church attendance found among many believers. I've thought about that some more and have come up with this list of reasons why I go to church. Maybe you will connect with some of these...or be convicted by them.

1. My parents made me go. You may think that's a strange reason to go to church. It usually shows up on a list of why people do not go to church. Honestly, I'm not sure if I would be in church today if I had not been in church growing up. Even as a preacher's kid, I tried to find ways to get out of going in my teenage years. I volunteered to work the Sunday morning shifts at work. My mom and dad made me go to church and I think that is one of the most important reasons I go today.
   
   
2. That's my job. I am a pastor so it would be inappropriate to not go. My church expects me to be there and I expect me (and them) to be there.
   
   
3. I like the people there. Christians can really be fun people. They are loving, appreciative, and caring.
   
   
4. It's the main place where I get to study God's word with God's people. With all the technology around today, nothing beats sitting in a room with a few others believers and digging into the word. I don't have all the answers. You don't either. But together we have more right answers than either of us do alone.
   
   
5. Your testimonies encourage me. We need to do more sharing than we do. Your experience of living the Christian life will help me.
   
   
6. It's the house of prayer. Yes, I can pray anywhere and I do, but when I go to church I get to pray with you and for you. I can hold your hand, hug your neck, and feel your burden.
   
   
7. God said to. Remember that verse about not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together?
   
   
8. I get fitted for and dispatched to ministry. Ministry really is an "on-the-job training" kind of thing. But think of the church as the employment office that sends you to a job opportunity. And the resources you need to do the job are found in the church: teams, training, and tools.

What other reasons do you have for going to church?

They Aren't Always Just Picking At You

Do you have people in your life that you think are just always picking at you? Annoying you? Every little thing seems like they intend for your discomfort and irritation. The following funny story was in my email inbox this morning. It comes from a daily distribution from crossings.com and helps put these situations in perspective.

My husband and I took our two-ear-old daughter to the home improvement store.

Madison got tired of walking, so my husband let her ride on his shoulders. As he walked, Madison began pulling his hair. Although he asked her to stop several times, she kept on.

Getting annoyed, he scolded, "Madison! Stop that!"

But, Daddy," she replied, "I'm just trying to get my gum back."

What appears to be childish games may really be someone with a need. How they handle it may get under your skin. I suggest we should try to figure out the reason for the agitation before swatting at it.

Observing Groups

Sitting in my "office" this morning, I listened to a group of six parents talking about their children, their jobs, their "to do" lists for today. Here are some insights I've gathered from people-watching. I'm not an expert or even the most keen observer. These are just some ideas I think would make groups discussions - formal or informal - go a little better.

1. Everyone at the table has something to add to the conversation.
2. You probably aren't the expert on everything.
3. Humor isn't necessary every moment.
4. A sense of humor is always necessary.
5. If you are at the edge of the culture or opinion of your group, don't drag everyone to the edge.
6. Listen to everyone rather than starting a second conversation when you aren't interested in the first.
7. Ask more questions than give answers.
8. You need the group as much as they need you.

That's a good start. Maybe you could add to the list. Feel free to leave a comment.

Power, Courage, and Boldness

The fifth chapter of Daniel tells of a time when God got the attention of a blasphemous people in a dramatic way. I guess this is where the saying, "You can see the handwriting on the wall" came from. King Belshazzar held a party where immorality degraded into blasphemy. God had had enough.

The message on the wall was that the King's days were numbered, he did not measure up to God's expectations, and his kingdom would be smashed into unrecognizable pieces. God's judgment was immediate, complete, and decisive.

That's not a very pleasant message to have to deliver to a king! Daniel had once been in charge of those a Babylonian king would call to interpret dreams and mysteries. That probably ended twenty years earlier when Nebuchadnezzar died. Belshazzar either didn't know Daniel, couldn't remember Daniel, or just dismissed him from relevance.

Those two decades must have been difficult times for Daniel. It's one thing to be an exile in good standing with the king; it's another to be an exile without close ties to the king. But Daniel's courage and boldness before the arrogant and blasphemous Belshazzar indicates that he had remained true to God all those years. And close to him.

An intimate walk with the Lord empowers and encourages us to take a stand. A loosey-goosey walk with the Lord won't result in courage and boldness. (My Bible study group laughed at me when I called it that last night.) God wants to empower and encourage and embolden you. But that happens when you are walking with him. When you stray or just simply lag behind, the power and courage and boldness are absent.

I believe God wants us to be powerful, courageous, and bold witnesses. So you'll have to walk closely with him in order to be what he wants you to be. To get the greatest joy in this life - the greatest sense of fulfillment - be a maturing disciple of Jesus Christ. Here are a few simple things you can do to mature.

1. Read your Bible every day. At least a few verses, a paragraph, a story.
2. Pray each day. God is the only resource for what you need. And he'd like to hear from you. Praise him. Thank him.
3. Be with God's people. Go to church. Get in a Bible study group.
4. Serve others. When you help someone else you are acting a lot like Jesus.
5. Tell someone about your relationship with Christ. If it matters to you it will likely matter to them.

Side note: Historians tell us that the Babylonian Kingdom came to an end on October 12, 539 BC (on our calendars). We studied this chapter on October 12, 2011. Two thousand five hundred fifty years to the day after this happened. I am amazed at how God directs our study of scripture so that "coincidences" like this happen.

What I Learned by Praying for Revival

Cross Road met at my house Sunday night for a revival prayer meeting. We talked a lot and prayed a lot. I appreciate everyone who came. Why people stay away from prayer meetings astounds me, but that is another topic.

As we talked about what revival is and how much we need it, three ideas became the fabric of the conversation.

People need Jesus. We all agreed that a personal relationship is absolutely necessary to gain eternal life and that the current life would be greatly enhanced by it. Our church is small in number. The other churches within five miles of ours are small, too. But there are as many people living in this area as in the small town I grew up in. A few hundred people attend church regularly among all our churches; the community is home to a few thousand people. Most of the people living around us are either lost or, if saved, have decided that participating in a local church is not important. The New Testament will not support that position. Daily Christianity is experienced through the context of the local church. Certainly, the people living around us who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord need him.

The church must do all it can to reach them. That is the specific command given by the Lord Jesus in the Great Commission. For a reason know only to God, he chose the church as the vehicle by which the gospel will be taken to the nations. We are to be his witnesses to everybody everywhere. We need to focus on that task and, quite honestly, quit doing stuff that makes no impact on lostness. And we have to step outside our boundaries of tradition and preference. They (those not participating in our churches) are telling us they don't like it. Without changing the message, we must change our methods. The message is always relevant; the methods must be continually assessed for relevance.

Too many people who come into our building now and then are just playing church. They get their ticket punched. They check "church" off their "to do" list. They come in and out - at whatever frequency - without experiencing the change that ought to be indicative of a real walk with Jesus. I'm talking about people who may only come a few times a year to those who may come a few times a week. Being in the building is not the same as being part of the church. People who are part of the church participate in the mission. They encourage one another on to Christ-likeness. They support the ministry. They do all this inside and outside the building; during and away from scheduled service times. We all need to regularly check our motive for coming to church and repent when we realize we've just been playing the game.

CRBC (and your church, too) will experience revival when we humble ourselves before God, pray earnestly to him, seek his face and his ways, and turn from our sins. Then we'll be able to impact our world with the eternal message of God's loving gift of salvation.

God's Chisel by the Skit Guys

God has a great design for your life.

Human Pride Meets Sovereign God

What if God acted today like he did in ancient times?

King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered all enemies. He reigned successfully. He had everything. But he rejected the truth that God is the one true God. He held to his pagan beliefs. And he thought highly of himself.

The King was not unlike many people today. Successful careers lead to bountiful stores of stuff. Contentment and self-indulgence are commonplace. The goal then and now seems to be to get as much as you can with little regard for those around you. Don't get me wrong, Nebuchadnezzar provided adequately for those in his kingdom but only if they benefited him or were no threat to him. That sounds familiar, too.

Some call it a dog eat dog world. It's survival of the fittest. It's a rat race to keep up with the Joneses. The end goal is to come out on top.

Nebuchadnezzar built the "hanging gardens" of Babylon for his wife. She was from the mountains of Media and living in the plains of Babylon...well, she must have been a little homesick. The ancient Greeks considered the "hanging gardens" to be one of the seven wonders of the world. The King was possibly standing there looking out over his kingdom when gaudy pride flowed out. Immediately, he was banished from the royal compound to live with the animals. The Bible's description of all this tells us that he became more like the animals than a human being (Daniel 4).

Not until he lifted his eyes toward heaven and praised God was he restored.

God still acts in ways to replace pride with humility. He was sovereign over all earthly powers and still is. No business, government, family, or individual can continue in pride before the Lord. When and how he will deal with such arrogance is up to him but we can know he will deal with it.

The answer today is the same as it was 2,500 years ago. Lift up your eyes to the God of heaven and praise him. God gave Nebuchadnezzar a greater kingdom after his restoration than before. God wants to bless you and he will when you acknowledge who he is and surrender your life to him.

True colors

Tonight is the opening of "Courageous," the next movie from the church in Albany, GA that made "Fireproof" and "Facing the Giants." Christians will crowd restaurants and theaters. I hope we show our true colors.

In fact, we will. We will be polite or we will be jerks. Either way, the true color will come out. I guess what I'm hoping is that what we claim on the outside is really what's on the inside. Our actions must validate our claims.

Not too many years ago I acted pretty ugly to a waitress. Then I realized I was wearing a Christian t-shirt with our church's logo on it. I felt ashamed. I should have felt ashamed even without the visual prompting of a t-shirt.

Christians should act like Christians even if we wouldn't get caught acting otherwise. Our normal behavior and first response should honor God. When the heat is turned up or nobody's watching, we should display godly character.

I'm getting better at it but still have a way to go. But God is working on my. He uses lots of tools to make me what I ought to be. Like embarrassment and shame and guilt. He also uses good friends and his Word.

My true colors will show. I want my true colors to be true to God.

Middle of the Night

I'm not a heavy sleeper. In fact, I toss and turn a lot. Last night was particularly restless. At one point I was wide awake so I prayed some, thought about today's schedule, thought about my boys.

A passage of scripture came to mind. Not the actual words but the passage reference. For the life of me I couldn't think what the passage says. The same verses in a different chapter in the same book - that I could remember. But I couldn't convince myself that this more familiar passage was what I was really thinking. Should of grabbed my iPhone (it was on the nightstand) and looked up the passage on my Bible app. But I didn't.

This morning I read the passage. I was surprised that I remembered it. I can't tell you how many sermons and songs have gone unwritten because I woke up with only a vague memory of the thought that came in the middle of the night. But I clearly remembered this passage this morning.

Ephesian 3:8-13. That's not a full paragraph in the version I like to read from but it was close. Most importantly, the message in the text was something I really needed to hear.

Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. (Ephesians 3:8-13 NIV)

God speaks to us in many ways and at all times of the day and night. He impressed upon my mind these verses. I suppose he had a reason. That reason was probably to encourage me - that's just what it did. And to teach me to always listen for his voice, even in the middle of the night.

The One True God

Ever felt alone? With seven billion people living on the planet, facing problems alone seems like an impossibility. But you and I both know that having seven of those seven billion really caring about us and being there for us in our most difficult times would be refreshing. I want to be someone more people can count on.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could count on each other. When the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the government officials (a group to which they belonged) to fall down and worship the statue he built, they were the only three who did not. They were the Hebrew Holdouts who would not bow to a pagan god. I wonder if they would have been so bold one-on-one. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of others fell to the ground as soon as the band began to play its version of "Just As I Am." Was there an urge to get prostrate before the idol? Maybe but when Meshach checked to his left and saw Shadrach looking back at him, and when he looked right and saw Abednego looking back at him, they all knew they could do what they had to do. They wouldn't bow.

The king gave them a second chance but their resolve was strong. He became more angry and had them bound and thrown into a blazing furnace. That was the end of the defiance, he must have thought.

It wasn't. In a little while the king looked into the furnace and saw four men - not three - in the fire. They weren't burning. They weren't in agony. They weren't tied up. And the three Hebrew Holdouts weren't alone. Nebuchadnezzar's description of the fourth man indicates that a deity was in the furnace. The king knew the fourth man was a god. The Hebrew Holdouts knew the fourth man was God - the one true God.

Nebuchadnezzar didn't understand that. He was willing to give credit to God but only included him among his pantheon. To him, God was just one of many gods. Yes, God could do this thing or that thing better than any other god, but he was still just a god.

But God is not a god, he is the one true God.

That means he is there for you when life heats up and the pressure becomes unbearable. He loves you and cares for you just as he did the Hebrew Holdouts so stand up for him.

And stand with one another. God stands with us and also stands through us. I hope you can look to your right and left and see Christians standing with you. And I hope when Christians look to their right or left they see you along with and representing the one true God.

Monday

Every Monday morning, without fail, I look at my Facebook and Twitter pages and see all the whining about it being Monday morning. Kids don't want to go back to school. Adults don't want to go back to work. The weekend was too short, some say. The work load is too heavy, others complain.

I really don't hear many preachers talking about the hangover from a rough Sunday. That's a standard preacher joke propagated by famous preachers, I guess. The guys I know keep on plugging knowing another Sunday is just around the corner and Wednesday night is even closer. My thoughts of quitting never wait until Monday anyway. About 12:15 on Sunday afternoon is my whining time if I'm going to have one.

My high school friend Jim Freeman posted several months ago that Mondays make up one-seventh of the week. You'll spend 15% of your life on Mondays so why waste it with a bad attitude? Great point, Jim.

Not sure why some people have great attitudes and others don't. Proclaiming to be a Christian must not be the difference because some of my brothers and sisters in Christ are as bad or worse than those who do not profess Christ. You'd think Jesus would make a difference. He probably does; our attitudes aren't his fault.

I think Jesus could change a bad attitude, brighten a ho-hum day, and put you on a better path for a Monday. Or any other day. So today I'm looking up. Will you join me?

Argenta Prayer Walk

For several months I have been part of a group of Arkansas pastors gathering to discuss church planting. Tim Wicker (Arkansas Baptist State Convention) called us together with the hope of letting us connect with one another. That has happened and I'm grateful for it. Church planting has been a burden for many years; I just haven't known how to get involved.

At first, our talks were brainstorming sessions but soon became vision meetings and prayer meetings. One way CRBC and other churches are connecting is in the Argenta area of North Little Rock. Several years ago the community developed plans to reclaim and restore the area. It is now a vibrant place where culture, business, and life blend. We believe a Baptist church would be welcomed, useful, and successful there. But it probably won't look like my church.

And that's a good thing. The people in my community are unique and our church must be uniquely fitted to reach them. Likewise, a church in Argenta must be able to reach its community. What my church and the Argenta church will have in common is that both are places where people can meet Jesus, experience Christian community, and express Christian faithfulness. I want to be part of that!

CRBC will be in Argenta Saturday morning (9/24) to prayer walk. We want to sense God at work there. We want to sense the spiritual needs there. And we want to ask God for great things. Join us if you can. Pray for us if you can't join us.

Three Standing

The familiar story of three Hebrew teenagers defying the king's decree was the topic of our Bible study last night in Daniel 3. Although I've heard it over and over, I still learn principles that will help me live out my faith in Jesus Christ.

A running theme throughout the book of Daniel is the sovereignty of God. He is absolutely in charge. Nothing happens that he does not either cause or allow. Even choices we freely make fall within his sovereignty. If you think about that very much it could drive you crazy trying to figure it out. But it's true and the Hebrew boys believed.

King Nebuchadnezzar built an imposing statue and ordered all the government officials to bow down and worship it. It was a false god. No Hebrew serious about God would do it. Shadrach, Mechach, and Abednego didn't. Imagine a sea of people crowded around the ninety-foot high statue. When the first note of music begins they all fall to the ground. Except three Hebrew Holdouts.

If you have weeds in your yard like I do you may be able to picture the scene. Just a few days after I cut the grass the weeds begin to pop up. Weeds grow so much quicker and easier than grass. Sticking up from the neatly manicured lawn are sprigs at least a foot higher than the grass. You can't see them from the porch but you can't miss them as you walk through the yard.

The Hebrew Holdouts couldn't hide what they had done. They were busted. Nebuchadnezzar gave them another chance. I think he was shocked that three young men would go against his orders. "Don't you realize who I am and the power I have?' must have run through his mind. "Don't you remember how I added your God to my list of gods just a few days ago? Reciprocate?" was surely in his thoughts.

But they held their ground even when the king reminded them of the penalty for disobedience: the fiery furnace.

The Hebrew Holdouts believed God was able to save them although they realized he might not do it.

If God is not able and therefore does not act for you, then he is not really God.

If God is able and does act for you, then he is the God everybody loves.

If God is able but does not act for you, then he is still God. Sovereignty means that although he is able he may not choose to rescue you.

How does that make you feel? Don't give up on him. Not only is he sovereign, he is also all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving.

Here's what that means. God is able to do all things. God knows all things; past, present, and future. God loves you with an amazing love beyond imagination. God is free to act as he wishes and he wishes the best for you.

You may think God has abandoned you or mistreated you. In fact, that can never be the case. Instead, he is acting not based on who you are or what you need but based on who he is and what he knows is best.

If that doesn't describe the god you worship, I'd like to introduce you to him.

Faithful

My grandparents are the greatest. You can debate if you want to, but you'd be wrong! Mom and Dado are the best.

They were married a good long time. I guess I don't really know how long. Until the day he died, that's how long. What's so hard about that, you ask? Lots of couples do it. Well, fewer and fewer actually. Easy divorce has replaced the forever commitment of marriage.

I know. I'm divorced. It wasn't the easy kind. Actually, divorce isn't easy. Doing something that leads to divorce apparently is the easy part. Filing papers is apparently the easy part.

Mom and Dado probably had disagreements, arguments, or problems. But they valued marriage faithfulness so they stayed married and provided a wonderful family atmosphere for four daughters, four sons-in-law, ten grandchildren...

Dado was very sick for a decade before he died. He eventually had Alzheimer's the last several years. This week, a public religious figure condoned divorce when a spouse has this disease. Part of what makes my grandparents the greatest is that they stayed married. Credit Mom with that. Thank God for Mom for that.

Reaching the Unchurched and De-churched

One of the members of CRBC sent me a message yesterday. She had talked with a person who had once attended our church but has not in quite a while. Not sure how long she's been away. I've been here five years and haven't seen her. We have no guest or membership records of her. I've learned that this person has been in three churches over the past five years.

All of that to say that we can apply some simple concepts to reach those who are not in church. This will work for the person who is lost and for someone who has become frustrated or uninterested in church.

First, pray for them. A person who is not actively involved in a church family cannot have a close walk with the Lord. The person may not be a Christian so praying is a great idea. At best the person is a Christian who is living away from the Lord. Prayer is the answer for this problem, too.

Second, we have to invest our time in their lives. Stay in touch with them. Be a friend. Share life with them. This may be the hardest step because it takes more commitment. But if you are serious about reaching them you will make the investment.

Third, invite them to everything. Let them know what's going on at the church. You must be consistent - don't invite them only to a worship service; invite them to Bible study, class parties, special events. And you must be persistent. Invite, invite, invite. You'll have to invite them several times before they'll give real consideration to attend. So if you just invite them a few times you aren't really doing much.

Remember that the goal is not just to get them into your church. Really that's not even the first thing we want. If we bypass the importance of reaching people for Christ (and his church, not MY church) we lose sight of the significant while trying to build our kingdom instead of his. Stay kingdom-focused and you'll reach more people for the kingdom.

The Praise of Men

If you accomplish much at all somebody will praise you. You may sing a pretty song or make a good deal on a new car. You may cause a fumble or hit a home run. You may write an encouraging note or call at just the right time.

Some of us yearn for the praise of men and others of us feel very uncomfortable when it comes. How do you think a Christian ought to respond when they receive praise from others?

The Bible tells us about a young man named Daniel who God had given the ability to interpret dreams. He put his skill to use one day after King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. Daniel was able to tell the king what the dream was and what it meant. While the interpretation was not the best case scenario for the king, is wasn't the worst either. So the relieved king heaped praise upon Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar actually worshiped the young man.

As you read the last few verses of the second chapter of the book of Daniel you won't find anything that describes Daniel's response. But earlier in the chapter and in chapter 1 Daniel shows a characteristic that ought to be common among all Christians. He credits God with any ability to do great things. Reading through the book we clearly see his character so we can rightly predict what actions he would take in this situation.

Our character drives our actions. And our actions expose our character. Although the author did not include specifics about Daniel's reaction to Nebuchadnezzar's response, I believe something must have happened between 2:46 and 2:47. In the first verse the king is heaping praise on Daniel. In the next verse the king is giving praise to God. I'm not sure what Daniel may have said or done but I think something happened. Maybe Daniel reminded the king that only God could have given the interpretation to the dream. Maybe Daniel didn't say anything but just raised an eyebrow when he eyes met the king's.

Something caused Nebuchadnezzar to shift from praising Daniel to praising God. Does your character seek to draw praise or to redirect it toward God? Like Daniel, we can do nothing outside God's power and anointing. If I accomplish anything, it is only because God did it through me.

If I am a Christian I should want God to get the praise and I will make sure everyone around me knows it.

Catching a Glimpse

Where do you look when you want or need to see what God has in store for you? I've been in places where I just couldn't imagine anything good coming my way. Then I've had times when I absolutely expected something phenomenal to happen. I've been wrong and I've been right.

I've been wrong when I tried to apply the template of my desires onto the situation. I wanted the new job. I wanted to go there. I wanted something for my family. When the focus is on me, I am usually wrong.

I've been right when I eagerly awaited God's will to unfold. Along the way I've had to understand that some undesirable situation could come my way but that in God's grand plan this would be OK. I can learn from those times. And I appreciate the mountaintop experiences even better.

So you can look into God's Word for a peek at the future. I'm not talking about a prophetic word but a view of God that will set you on his course.

You can also look at your current setting. God is working in the lives of people around you. Maybe you should join him. That opportunity to serve someone else may be the immediate future God has planned for you. And doors may open to plans that will take you farther down the road.

We get a glimpse of the future by seeking God and joining in his work.

Faith

Faith is confidence in God that he will do what only he can do. It is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).

Faith got Peter out of the boat and walking on water. Faith led Abraham up the mountain to sacrifice his son. Faith caused Moses to raise his arms while standing at the Red Sea with an army chasing him.

Daniel ran to King Nebuchadnezzar with the interpretation of the dream because he had confidence God had given him the right answer. If he was wrong, Nebuchadnezzar would have him executed. But Daniel didn't consider that he may have been wrong. Daniel knew God better than that!

So did Peter and Abraham and Moses.

Bob? Not so sure. Sometimes I'm more like Gideon who received God's answer but needed confirmation, twice.

I wonder how often Jesus says to me, "Bob, why do you have such little faith? Don't you trust me? Don't you know me?"

My response should be, "Forgive me. I want to trust you more. I want to know you more. Draw me closer to you, Lord."

And he will. He will for you, too.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

Corporate Prayer

CRBC adults are studying the book of Daniel on Wednesday nights. Last night we were in chapter 2 where it tells of King Nebuchadnezzar's alarming dream, the Babylonian astrologers' inability to interpret it, and Daniel's successful attempt. We didn't cover it all but only a portion that emphasizes Daniel's reaction when confronted with the death sentence because the astrologers couldn't interpret the dream. Daniel prayed. Not only did Daniel pray but he called his friends together to pray.

Two prayers are mentioned in Daniel 2:17-23. The first is mentioned but the words are not recorded. The second is recorded word-for-word and is a response to God's answer to the first prayer. The second prayer was praise and thanksgiving. The first prayer was earnest petition. Both kinds of prayer are necessary. I wonder what I would find if I monitored my prayers. Would I find a balance between the praise/thanksgiving prayers and the petition prayers. I'm afraid I'd find that I pray more about my needs, wants, and petitions than I praise and thank him. Maybe you are like me. Why don't we be more intentional about praise and thanksgiving so we can balance out our prayers?

The first prayer is a corporate prayer - Daniel called his friends together to pray for an answer to Nebuchadnezzar's request. Corporate prayer is important because it shows our belief that God is in control of all things, our commitment to the church as community, and our obedience to scripture (James 5:14, for example, is not a suggestion!). But some people avoid or neglect corporate prayer. Why is that?

One reason Christians have for not making their requests known to the church is pride. Have you ever heard someone say, "I just couldn't let others know I am dealing this or that problem" or "What would people think if they knew this was going on"? Pride is too often the deterrent to making your requests and needs known to the church.

Another reason for avoiding corporate prayer is that people think too highly of themselves. "I can handle this problem myself. I don't need to bother the church with this." What a misunderstanding of prayer, self, and community! We were not created to face our problems alone. We do not live in a vacuum. And we certainly cannot handle it ourselves. Arrogance keeps people from availing the power of corporate prayer.

A third reason that came out of our Bible study last night is that some people neglect corporate prayer because of a low view of prayer. By this, I mean that they don't really believe prayer works. They may say they do but their actions speak so loudly we can't hear their words! "There's no use praying, this situation is too far gone." I wonder what the Prodigal's father would say to that? "There's no use praying, his health is declining so fast." I wonder what Mary and Martha would say about that? "There's no use praying, it never works anyway." I wonder what the persistent widow would say about that? Sometimes a person doesn't share a prayer concern with the church because they really don't believe prayer works.

Corporate prayer is one way the Holy Spirit builds unity in the church. Neglecting corporate prayer is one way we hinder unity - "I don't need you."

Corporate prayer is one way we show our love for one another. Neglecting corporate prayer shows little concern for one another - "I don't love you."

Corporate prayer indicates our trust and dependence upon God. Neglecting corporate prayer shows a selfish, self-sufficient attitude - "I don't need God."

Christianity begins with a decision to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It continues as expressed in the corporate setting of a community of believers - the church. We are to pray for one another, on behalf of one another, and with one another.

Contrast of Two Ways of Life

The Bible study in Daniel last night showed me an important distinction between a person who worships a false god and and a person who worships the one true living God. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that scared him to death. He demanded to know the interpretation but his usual crowd of astrologers, magicians, and such couldn't help him. Even when threatened with their lives, they were silent. All they could say was that only the gods knew the dream and they were so far away.

The king not only wanted the interpretation, but to ensure that the interpreters were really sharing the message from the gods, he demanded that they also tell him the dream. King Neb wouldn't tell them the dream! They needed details so they could go to their charts and formulas and come up with a sterile, clinical, irrelevant interpretation. The king had probably already experienced such shenanigans and wanted something with substance.

Three words come to my mind when I think about the life of a person who worships a false god. Hopeless. Unsure. Impossible. But when you worship the one true living God you have hope and assurance because all things are possible with God.

Which way describes your life? Most people would say that they worship the one true living God. But what would your way of life say if asked on a Thursday afternoon? Do you live a hopeless, unsure, impossible life? Or do you live with hope and assurance because all things are possible with God?

Almost in the Recycle Bin

I was looking back through previous posts from a blog I kept for the church a few years ago. I thought I might just delete the blog but after reading a few posts changed my mind. Some of them are about events in the life of the church. Others about an experience. Some were just devotional thoughts. Like this one entitled "Sufficient Grace."

"Courageous" Opens September 30

You've got to see "Courageous" on opening weekend, September 30-October 2. Cross Road will be going and you can be part of the group. Send an email if you are interested.

Here's the music video from Casting Crowns.

Making Good Use of Opportunity

Brendan Ryan hustled to beat out an infield ball to short. Then he advanced to second when nobody covered the bag. Then when the opposing team dropped their guard (again), Ryan sprinted to third. He was safe with no throw.

Infielders probably drop their guard fairly often and base runners rarely take advantage of it. Satisfied with a single when much more is available.

Christians are a lot like that: satisfied with just a little effort but missing opportunities and the blessings that come along with them. Brendan Ryan gives us an example of what can happen when we look for opportunities and take advantage of them.

Respectfully Disagree

Our church is studying the book of Daniel from the Old Testament on Wednesday nights. Last night we studied the passage describing the way the four Hebrew teenage boys kept from eating the luxurious Babylonian meals in order to keep their faith commitments to God. The text is overflowing with lessons for today's Christian. One of the lessons teaches us how to act in situations where we disagree with a person in authority over us. And we all sometimes struggle with this! Can I get a witness?

When Daniel realized that the King had ordered them to eat food that would likely be unclean according to God's standards and that probably had been used in a worship sacrifice to a pagan god, he and his friends knew what they had to do. So he approached Ashpenaz, the man the King had put in charge of them, and asked to be served a different diet. He risked making the King mad. He risked losing opportunities for advancement. But doing the right thing was worth the risk.

Has there been a time when you knew what you ought to do but you just didn't want to take the risk to stand up for what the Bible says? Today in America the debates go on about homosexual marriage and abortion. The Bible has a clear message about these issues and Christians are supposed to stand for what the Bible stands for, right? Have you taken a stand? Or has the risk of doing so kept you quietly in your seat? Other debates need an infusion of Christian thinking, too. Our relationships at home, school, and work often include disagreement.

We can learn from Daniel and his friends something about how to voice our disagreement by looking at three words. One is RESOLVE. They were determined to adhere to God's word. We must know God's word, seek his will, and commit to following him in any and every situation. That decision must come now, before we are actually faced head-on with the debate or opportunity. If we have no resolve we will most likely make the wrong decision when pressed.

Another word is BOLD. Our deep commitment to God's word must motivate us to act. We must make a stand and speak the truth. Boldness will not be as difficult as you might think. Remember, the truth in God's word is THE truth and it is right. If you believe that - really believe it - then you won't be able to shy away from action.

The last word is RESPECT. Daniel approached Ashpenaz in a way that showed respect for the one in authority. He made no loud demands. He didn't write a rude article on his blog. He was respectful as he expressed his disagreement. Respect is missing in much of the debate going on in America. Respect is missing in many homes and workplaces. Respect won't always get you what you want but it is always the right attitude to have toward others. Think of the change in American culture if respect characterized the disagreements.

Sweeping change takes place one person at a time. I will be one who will remember and apply this lesson. Will you?

RESOLVE - Cling with determination to your commitments of faith.
BOLD - Act boldly upon your commitments of faith.
RESPECT - Treat others with respect even in disagreement.

Redemption

The day started out pretty stormy. The skies were full of choppy clouds - like the waves on a turbulent lake. I was explaining to Riley what makes the clouds look like that and why they sometimes look more like a blanket covering the sky. He asked why God made them that way. That started an interesting discussion.

We decided that since God created everything he must have created the weather processes that result in storms, although we shouldn't say that God send a tornado or hurricane or bolt of lightning to destroy something. Sometimes, but not always. Sometimes the storms are just simply the result of the process he created. When Adam and Eve sinned, all of creation was cursed. The result is a stormy life in many ways. This mornings stormy skies are the result of the Fall. Eden had no skies like those prior to sin.

We also decided that above the clouds the sun is always shining. Riley laughed and joked, "Do you think the sun is even there?" That is a picture of the reality in our lives - God is always there even when life's circumstances cloud our perception. Sometimes we rise above the clouds and experience the warmth of his presence much like we burst through the clouds while climbing to cruising altitude in an airplane. You may know what it's like to look through the small window next to seat 14A as the pilot takes the plane upward. You can only see the clouds as they block the view of the tips of the wings. You have no idea where you are or where you are headed or what awaits you. Then after a few seconds the clouds are beneath you and the sky above is perfectly clear. And the sun is shining.

We also decided that the Bible is correct when it says that all creation will one day be redeemed. Redemption for the sinner is being made right with God as he restores our relationship to what it is intended to be. The redeeming of creation will clear the storm clouds out of the skies. A new heaven and a new earth await us!

Reaching Talitsa Celebration

CRBC is praying for Talitsa, Russia. We hope to plant a church in this city of 30,000 that has almost no evangelical presence and no Baptist church.

I didn't think a church like Cross Road Baptist Church could be involved in partnering with Russian believers to reach their cities for Christ because we are small. During a trip to lead a pastors conference in the Sverdlovskaya Oblast in 2008 I realized we could and should do it. The church joined me in this calling and we have taken two trips to Talitsa since then. We have prayer-walked throughout the city. We have met believers from nearby towns and try to encourage them as they live out their Christianity in a tough situation. We have sent and taken material for the Russian believers and the America missionaries to use. We believe God wants people in Talitsa to know salvation in Jesus Christ and we are willing to get involved in that mission.

Zoya Reshetnikova lives in Troitsky, a city near Talitsa. Zoya is an English teacher in one of the schools. She also serves as our translator when we make our trips. Two other churches in Arkansas are partnering in cities near Talitsa and Zoya translates for them, too. We have all grown to love the Russian believers we have met and welcomed with excitement the news that Zoya wanted to come to America.

She and her son Oleg Reshetnikov are here this week and are visiting the three churches that come to her area. Our opportunity to welcome Zoya and Oleg to America came Sunday night as CRBC held a "Reaching Talitsa Celebration." They both have testimonies of salvation that will move you to tears of joy. We asked them to share their testimonies and as they did I could sense the Lord working in our people. Honestly, testimonies from most people I know are kind of sterile. Satan has such a hold on Russia that Christianity isn't "easy" like it has become in America. When a Russian shares the life-change that has taken place in his life, you know it is real. You know God is powerful. That's what came across Sunday night and I hope it stirs us to think about what Jesus has done for us in order to provide forgiveness and salvation.

Rusty and Lori Hart served as missionaries in Russia when CRBC started this partnership. They have since returned to live in Arkansas and joined us for the celebration. Rusty shared how our prayers and friendships and mission trips will make a difference. And that encourages me. Rusty also sang a song, "You Raise Me Up," in both English and Russian. I heard him sing that two or three times on the trip in 2008. It's my favorite! As he sang Sunday night I remembered sitting in the living room of the home of unbelievers in Krasnotourisnk. They heard that Americans were in town and wanted to meet with us. We had a traditional Russian meal then spent hours talking. Some of them were musicians so they and Rusty took turns singing. As Rusty sang this song and a few others I could sense that seeds of the Gospel were being planted. I was in both Little Rock and Krasnotourinsk Sunday night.

Our church worshiped. Those who have been to Russia on our mission trips shared of their experiences. At least 7 people said they definitely will be going to Russia. A few more began to think that maybe God was calling them to go, too. Gospel work is difficult in this part of Russia. It can be discouraging, especially to those who live there and experience the darkness everyday. We believe God will break through the darkness. We believe we should continue praying, supporting, encouraging, and going. That's one of the two BIG things that came out of our celebration.

The other has to do with fellowship. CRBC does a good job of fellowship - supporting one another, coming to the side of those in our church family who are hurting, sharing life with one another. If I ranked on a "Fellowship-o-Meter" all the events, programs, or happenings over the five years I have served as pastor I will say that this gets the highest score and takes the top spot. We had a larger Sunday night crowd than we have had in a long, long time. Our people stayed long after the testimonies were over. We had several pockets of people laughing and sharing. I stood in the kitchen looking out across the serving counter and thanked God that I was able to experience this. Being about God's business does this to people. I was reminded of some experiences in another church in the mid-'90s. I am encouraged with Christian people and with the God we serve.

First Baptist in DeQueen and First Baptist in Stuttgart are having similar celebrations this week as Zoya and Oleg meet with them. I know without a doubt that they will experience what we did.

I am praying for Talitsa - for the people to hear the Gospel, for believers to come together in fellowship, for Jesus Christ to be made known. Will you join me?

Lessons in Daniel

I started a Bible study in the book of Daniel tonight for our midweek service. I've preached or taught from Daniel before but have never done a verse-by-verse study. The main reason is that, although I'm confident in my position regarding eschatology, I don't have answers I think are sufficient to questions that are bound to come up as we get to the latter chapters. Even so, we dove in tonight!

Some of the most well-known Bible stories come from this book of the Bible. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survive in the fiery furnace. Daniel spends the night safely in the lions' den. Belshazzar sees the hand writing on the wall. We'll look at these stories and learn about God's sovereignty and his love and care for those who follow him. That will be encouraging to all of us who attend the study sessions.

Even the opening verses illustrate a couple of key points. The four Hebrew teenagers taken into exile to Babylon were given Babylonian names - replacing their Hebrew names. Hebrew mothers and fathers gave names to their children that express the hope of a godly characteristic being displayed in the children's lives. In Nebuchadnezzar's efforts to "Babylonize" the boys, he gave them names that spoke of a pagan god. In spite of their new names they continued to display character of Yahweh.

Our names may not carry the same kind of meaning as Hebrew names did, but Christians should live in ways that display the character of God. Do you try to be righteous? Do you love everyone without placing conditions upon them? Do you forgive when someone wrongs you? Do you face difficulties with peace and confidence in God? Do you turn to the Lord for help in all situations?

The other key point illustrates the sovereignty of God. While we often think that the powerful Babylonian army under the leadership of Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem and did as they pleased, the truth is that God delivered the Hebrew people to them. Read the second verse of the book. Judah, the southern kingdom, had disregarded God's desire for the treatment of humanity. They exploited people. They abused them. They cheated them. The Hebrew nation was also guilty of a disregard of worship. God was a genie in a bottle. Worship was a joke. Holiness wasn't even on the radar. So God gave the leaders over to Nebuchadnezzar. They would now be treated as they had treated others. And God gave the articles used in temple worship to the Babylonians so that even if they wanted to the Hebrews could no longer worship.

God is in control. Even when it seems like life is spiraling dangerously. Even when it seems like you have it all together yourself. God is in control. How do you sense the presence and power of God in your life? Don't dismiss him. Don't struggle against him. Why? You won't win. You may have temporary success - like the leaders in Jerusalem had. In the end God will intervene and do as he wishes. He loves you and wants the best for you so you can (and should) trust him to do as he wishes. It's always better to let him have his way along the way rather than fighting it off as long as you can.

I'm excited to get deeper into this study. Dive in yourself or join us at CRBC on Wednesdays at 7:00.

Time of My Life

This has been an exciting week for me. I am a Cincinnati Reds fan and have been since the early '70s. That's when I was in elementary school and just starting to love baseball. No longer in grade school but still loving baseball.

The genesis of my love for baseball coincides with the glory days of the Big Red Machine. Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, Pete Rose, George Foster, Cesar Geronimo, and Ken Griffey are names I'll never forget. Back then we only had one game a week on television. NBC aired the MLB Game of the Week and I hardly ever missed one. Since the Reds were doing pretty good, they would be on a lot. That's why they are my favorite team. Just like kids in the '80s and '90s took to the Cubs and Braves - they were on cable TV so they saw them a lot.

Even though Arkansas is traditionally a St. Louis Cardinals territory and our local AA minor league team was affiliated with them at the time, the Reds became "My Team" and have been for almost forty years. Oddly enough, the only Reds game I've ever seen in person was in St. Louis.

So the excitement comes from being in Cincinnati this week for two games. Yesterday, we saw the Mets and Reds play a wild game that saw the Reds on the short end of a 10-9 score. Both teams had innings in which they scored four runs. Both teams scored in the 9th inning. For a baseball fan that was a great game. Not so much if you are a Reds fan. I'm both so I walked away feeling pretty good.

Tonight's game is against the 2010 World Series Champions - the San Francisco Giants. We will be at Great American Ball Park by 11:30 for a stadium tour. Then we'll spend a few hours in the Reds Hall of Fame Museum. After that we get to go back into the stadium for batting practice and hopefully get a few autographs. Then the game starts at 7:10 with fireworks after the game. Maybe we'll get back to our hotel by midnight!

World Changers

The North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention started a program several years ago that plugs youth into missions ministry. The program is called World Changers. It's been around awhile but I've only been involved for the last five summers. And my involvement is as part of the support team for the church groups that come to Little Rock to work.

The work they do consists of light home remodeling like roofing and painting. Churches bring groups from all across the US to the different cities involved in the program. This year there are 210 World Changers in Little Rock. The group we are supporting consists of ten youth and adults from Dodge City, Kansas and Katy and College Station, Texas. They are painting the exterior of a house in an impoverished part of our city - free of charge to the home owners. The city of Little Rock and NAMB pick up the tab.

CRBC is responsible for feeding our 10 World Changers each day this week. We'll take them pizza, hot dogs, fried chicken, and PBJ sandwiches. We load them down with Gatorade and Powerade. And we express our appreciation to them for serving the Lord in our city. The Sunday Morning Bible Study classes each take a day (or two classes will team up) to provide and deliver the meals.

We are impacting eternity in at least three ways. First, we are helping the work crew make a difference in the home owner's life. The home owners are not necessarily Christians so the opportunity to share the gospel with them is high. And if they are Christians, well we can all use encouragement! What a great way to encourage someone - come alongside them and ministry to them in a tangible way.

Second, CRBC impacts eternity by serving the work crew. The youth and adults are Christians who see the need to put their abilities in the hands of God. God is using us to provide for them this week. Hopefully, they will see godly people gladly involved in ministry toward them.

Third, we feel the impact of being involved in eternally significant ministry. Every church has people who want to get involved but just don't know how. Some of our folks are paying for the meals. Some of us are delivering the meals. Some of us are praying for the entire World Changers project in Little Rock. Whenever someone applies himself to the task of serving others God will touch their own lives.

I'm glad to be involved with CRBC and World Changers. And we aren't the only church in Little Rock that's involved. Hundreds of volunteers are on the ground this week involved in ministry. To God be the glory!

Reflecting on Camp

I spent the week at camp with nine kids from our church (and one other adult). We had a great time and many of our students came home with some sense of how to live the way Jesus wants us to. And maybe they also have the desire to do it! CRBC had not been to a summer camp like this in so many years that the idea of "camp" wasn't on the radar for any of the students or their families. I'm hoping to change that so that camp is something they always do, look forward to doing, and plan to do.

Last year was the first time to go to camp in almost 15 years. We took five students last year, nine this year. Maybe we are on our way to that new mindset.

As I reflect on the week at camp, I think about the overall message we heard: Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. He is the way to salvation. He is the guide/pattern for the way we live. All the students we took to camp are Christians so the emphasis on salvation helped them in the area of assurance, which is extremely important. Once they are secure in their salvation, they can begin to live the Christian life that leads to ministry and blessing and fulfillment. The camp's theme helped our kids in both areas.

The new camp director is implementing a few changes. These changes are good and I'm sure I'll get use to them. This is not a complaint but a confession that I don't do well with changes unless I'm the one making the changes! Since I'm not the one in charge, I need to get on board with the ones who are. I can do that. I think.

Overall, the location is good, the travel is good, the cost is good, the programming is good, the emphasis is good. I'm looking forward to next year. The theme is "Superheroes." Wonder which one I should be.

Heading to Siloam

We are headed to Siloam Springs for camp next week. I'm pretty excited about that. We took 5 kids last year; we are taking 9 this year. I've been working to create an atmosphere at CRBC where camp is something we always do and always look forward to. I hope to get kids and parents thinking that camp is "normal." It's been a while since CRBC went to a camp like this. Actually, until last year, none of our students had ever been to a camp like Siloam. But we are making progress implementing a new culture.

Siloam is a place where Christian students learn about genuine worship. Worship is not a time or place or activity. Worship is a movement of the heart expressing praise and thanksgiving to God. Worship is not something to avoid by slipping out to the bathroom or doodling in the bulletin. Worship is giving total attention to God. Siloam fosters worship.

Siloam is a place for discipleship. Students have a lot of things pulling for their attention. They can follow cultural trends in music, TV, movies, etc. and wind up far away from God. Or they can focus on God's Word and mature toward Christ-likeness. The messages and Bible studies at Siloam lead in that direction.

Siloam is a place for fun. You just gotta be there!

Siloam is a place where people answer God's call in their lives. Some are coming to Jesus for salvation. Some are coming to give their lives to vocational ministry. Some are coming back to Jesus after following the world. Siloam is a place where people are drawn to Jesus.

Other camps can do the same things, I just like Siloam! So we leave Tuesday morning for a few days of camp. Hopefully, we'll all come back changed.

Adult VBS

I'm not sure how many churches still have Vacation Bible School for adults. CRBC does and it's always a good Bible study. Our normal process is to have the five lessons on the five Wednesday nights leading up to the week of children's VBS. It works pretty good and our folks show up for it.

We use the LifeWay material for all ages. The theme this year is "Big Apple Adventure" set in New York City. So we've been riding through the city that never sleeps learning how to apply biblical principles to our lives. Tonight is the last night - or adventure. The youth will have a VBS weekend later this week and we kick off children's VBS on Sunday.

I love VBS! Everyone - any age - can get involved and learn special lessons that make a difference everyday.

Josh Hamilton - I Am Second

Josh Hamilton - I Am Second

The 10 Most Important Days in the History of the Church

We had an awesome Bible study in our home last night. Our church is not meeting on Sunday nights this summer because, quite frankly, very few have been coming lately. But I still want to get the church together for something: a ministry day, a fellowship, Bible study, something. So we invited everyone over last night. I am pleased with the number who came although I would like more to take advantage of these things. We filled the living room. Maybe one day we can fill several living rooms around the community with life-changing, soul-challenging Bible study on Sunday nights.

The Bible study was from Acts 2. Really Acts 1 and the first few verses of chapter two. We focused on the activity/preparation of the 120 during the time between Jesus' ascension and the Day of Pentecost. The Bible tells us that Jesus died, resurrected three days later, and ascended 40 days after that. Pentecost always occurs 50 days after Passover so that means there were 10 days between the ascension and Pentecost. I intend to research scriptures and church history to support this theory: those were the 10 most important days in the history of the church.

Why? Without preparation and a good start, a prolonged life and good finish are nearly impossible. I see five things that happened during that week and a half that set the tone for the church to begin on the path of carrying out God's mission on earth - AND sustain it. I fully believe and understand that the church does nothing significant without the Holy Spirit. God actually does the work but since he chose to use the church I am looking at the church's preparation as led by the Holy Spirit. (That sounds both redundant and convoluted but I don't want anyone to pick apart my thoughts based on a technicality. If the theology is bad, attack that but don't throw out a good idea because you think I'm leaving out the Spirit.)

Obedience. In Acts 1:4 Jesus told the disciples not to leave Jerusalem. They were to wait for the gift promised by the Father. The gift was the Holy Spirit. Ten days later the disciples (120 of them) were still in Jerusalem waiting for the gift. Today's church must be obedient to everything God says. Go, stay, do, don't. Whatever God says. If my church or yours wants to experience unbelievable, supernatural stuff, we must be obedient.

Prayer. A constant prayer meeting took place during these ten days according to Acts 1:14. Have you ever wondered what they were praying about? Previously in the book the disciples had asked about the timing of when Jesus would establish his kingdom. Jesus dismissed the question and told them to focus on being witnesses in the world when the power of the Spirit came upon them. Surely they were praying about that promise and the task associated with it. And since they were just humans like me and you, they were probably also praying about the coming of the kingdom. I am convinced that when the church prays earnestly about allowing the Spirit to flow through us so that the world hears the gospel, and when we pray that the kingdom come, we will then, and only then, make a huge impact on the lostness of the world.

Focus. Acts 1:15 starts out "in those days." At some point between the ascension and Pentecost, Peter suggested that they choose a replacement for Judas, the betrayer. They felt the need to maintain The Twelve as if that were necessary in order to continue on the mission Jesus had given them. Jesus' mission never changes. He came to seek and to save the lost. He is not willing that any should perish. His mission is our mission. Peter realized that and kept the group focused by filling the vacancy. In verses 21-22, Peter said that this was necessary in order to testify to the resurrection. The church can easily lose focus and take off after one thing and another. Some of those things may be good things but distract from the mission. If we will stay focused on the mission we will see extraordinary events in the life of our church just as the 120 believers experienced a few days later.

Unity. As the second chapter of Acts unfolds we learn that the disciples we all together. The KJV says "in one accord." They were together physically, but they were also together spiritually. A splintered group could not be as effective as a unified group. Divisions, arguments, and cliques would quench the Spirit. It works like that in today's church, too. Maybe you have been in a fractured faith family. The pastor may lead in a direction the church feels is not appropriate. The church may not follow its faithful leadership. One family can feel shafted when the Nominating Committee report is presented. The long-time members may feel like they are being shoved aside. Newcomers could feel like they don't really belong. Ephesians 4:3 says that we are to keep the unity. We don't build unity. The Spirit gives unity. We either keep it or destroy it. If we'll keep the unity in our churches we will see a great movement of the Spirit like most of us have never known.

Action. The amazing scene described in the first verses of Acts 2 finds its apex in the acts of the disciples (of course, the Holy Spirit working through them). The ten days are past. The preparation is done. It is time for action. And the disciples did exactly what Jesus wanted. They spoke up. The moved out. They made a splash. They impacted eternity. Inaction would not do. Sitting back while others acted would not do. I believe 120 followers of Christ were filled with the Spirit that morning and every one of them went into action proclaiming the gospel. Today's churches must follow this example: everyone in action on mission to impact eternity.

Obedience. Prayer. Focus. Unity. Action. I am sure these are necessary components for revival in our church and an explosion of influence in the world. I'm still working on whether or not these ten days are the most important in the history of the church. But I think so.

What to Do after 40 Years

So I'm gonna develop a sermon on this idea: What to Do after 40 Years.

CRBC celebrates our 40th Anniversary tomorrow. The actual date is June 13, I think. Seems like we have underachieved much of the time. Perhaps this milestone is a good time to move forward.

I was talking with one of our members today and she brought this up. Forty years. Kinda ho-hum. Wishes we could/would do/be better.

That's been on my mind, too. Linking the experience the Hebrew children had under the leadership of Joshua to the experience our church could have as we move past 40 seems like a natural application. This in no way downplays past leadership - Moses was the leader of the Hebrews during the 40 years prior to taking the Promised Land. He was a great leader who prepared them for their next era. This does not minimize what God has done through the church - he provided for, protected, and led the Hebrews to get them to right location for moving forward. But staying in Egypt or in the wilderness was not an option.

Sometimes you just have to write the next chapter in the story. We love the first 40 years. We've had great successes. We've had wonderful memories. We've learned from some difficult situations. If you were reading a book you would enjoy the previous chapter then turn the page to the next one.

And the next chapter relates to and builds upon the previous. It's not a complete disconnect. So we will build upon and move beyond our foundations with innovation and freshness. Forty years from now, I hope CRBC will celebrate their past and purposefully move into the future.

I'll post sermon audio when I preach the sermon.

Sandy Sue

I slept last night without a sound familiar over the last four years. Our dog Sandy was hit sometime early yesterday morning and died. No note on the door. They didn't move her out of the road.We got her in January 2007 when she was about 5 months old. I'm not sure there has been a night since then when she did not bark loudly at some point. Sometimes it was a nuisance, sometimes outright annoying. And last night it was missing.

Funny how little things like that stick out in my mind.

An emergency vehicle went be the house a little while ago. Sandy always alerted us about 30 seconds before we heard the siren. She would howl as if in pain when she picked up the faint sound. When I heard the siren today I thought of her.

My office door is about a 60-second walk from the front door of the house. Sandy usually made that trek (both ways) with me several times a day. She would lay in a shady spot in the summer or a sunny spot in the winter waiting for me to come out and walk to the other spot. Most of the time she walked just in front of me but close enough to make me alter my pace. Sometimes she would even be laying on the top step outside the office door - that almost always startled me.

So I'll walk over to the church later this afternoon by myself. I'll sleep tonight without waking up to her barking at something. I'll sit on the deck Monday without her head in my lap.

I'll forget and wonder why she's not howling when the sirens sound. I'll forget and ask Riley if he fed her some morning. I'll forget and start singing one of my little songs about her.

Her lore will likely expand - just like that of John John (the kitty cat). We enjoy having pets, we just don't have them very long.

Patience

I'm kinda patient when it comes to waiting in traffic or helping Riley learn something about baseball. But there's an obvious problem now. I think I'm on the same page with God concerning planting a church in Talitsa, Russia. Surely God wants the people there to know him. Surely it's OK to have believers group together in community. Surely God wants a church in Talitsa.

Just not right now. For whatever reason, it's just not time yet. That frustrates me and exposes my lack of patience which exposes a point of spiritual immaturity.

So what do you do when moving forward is not on God's agenda today? Henry Blackaby suggests that we just keep on doing the last thing we are sure he led us to do. In this case, that would be to pray for Talitsa. I'd rather hop on a plane and spend a week talking with a new pastor, meeting Russian believers, and getting the ball rolling. But God is not providing opportunities for those things right now.

So we pray. We are praying for the Southern Baptist missionaries working in the region. We are praying for a person of peace who will help build bridges into the city. We are praying for one or more believers to come forward expressing a desire to have a church. And I'm praying God will help me be faithful to this task while waiting on the next one.

The Last Two Days & The Cooperative Program

The last two days have been rough ones around Arkansas. Two nights of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms make this calm morning with birds chirping a welcome event. As I sit alone in our dining room working on the Bible study for tonight's service, I hear the birds and I hear a clock ticking. It's a battery operated clock so it kept ticking while the power was out. I can also hear the hum of the refrigerator. That was silent for about 24 hours. We are blessed that the power outage wasn't longer and that the food in the fridge stayed cool enough that we don't have to throw everything out.

I can also hear the occasional vehicle drive by. Couldn't hear that with the hard rain and strong winds. I guess you could say things are back to normal now.

But not for the dozens of people across our state who have endured loss the last two days. Some lost family members. Some lost property. Some lost home. Some lost security. For them, today is not back to normal.

Can I go on as normal knowing that people around me cannot? I can't just ignore them, can I? No.

I have several opportunities to be involved. First, I can pray. Only God can really meet the needs these people are experiencing. So I am praying that God intervene in a God-sized way. I know he most often uses people as the conduits for this miracle, so I need to be available to help in ways I can. And I need to be generous with financial support.

A local TV station is promoting a drive for contributions to Red Cross. Other agencies are seeking donations.

Did you know that each time you give to a church that contributes to the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention you are giving to disaster relief? (You should ask your church to contribute to CP!) Arkansas Baptists are deployed across the affected areas clearing debris and cooking meals for the displaced and the workers. The other organizations may do a good job and are both effective and efficient with the money given to them, I don't really know. But I do know that Cooperative Program dollars assigned to disaster relief are making a difference. And I contribute every week.

Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief trainings take place around the state pretty often. Check this site for the training schedule or here for more information and pray about getting involved with both your checkbook and your hands.

5 Questions

I've just completed a series of sermons about the 5 most important questions you will ever answer. The audio for these sermons is available on our church's website.

http://www.crbclr.org/sermons

I hope you'll find these helpful as you navigate the sometimes-rough-waters of life.

Who Will You Worship?
Who Will You Believe?
Who Will You Marry?
Who Will You Forgive?
Who Will You Tell?

Testing Faith

I visited with an elderly woman today. She is dealing with a fractured vertebrae and cancer. She asked that I pray that her faith would be stronger.

As I talked with her I came to believe that her faith is pretty well grounded in Christ. She's a Christian. She loves the Lord. What bothers her is that she's uncertain about what she is going through. That uncertain translates into a lack of faith in her opinion.

Faith is a funny thing. You may think you have it but you really don't know until it is tested. There mere fact that faith is tested often shows the limits of our faith. Faithfulness is a lifelong journey. I express faith when I call on Jesus for salvation. That is a faith by which I am saved. Then there is the faith by which I live. Not necessarily a different faith but a different application of faith.

The faith by which I live strengthens (or fades) as I experience things that test my faith. For example, if I am laid off from my job and am unsure about how I will provide for my family, my faith grows when I confidently trust God to provide for us. Or my faith fades when I leave God out of the solution. If this test of my faith produces stronger faith, then I am prepared for greater tests in the future. The next time I'm laid off I probably won't struggle as much as the first time because my faith is strong enough to handle it - assuming my faith has not faded in the meantime.

But what if I am diagnosed with a serious disease? Is my faith strong enough for that? Maybe or maybe not. Once again, my faith is tested. The test is an opportunity for my faith to grow. Jesus asked the disciples why they had such little faith. It wasn't that they had no faith, just that their faith was smaller than the circumstance. When circumstances are bigger than our faith we can make two choices: we can focus on God and our faith grows or we can focus on the circumstance and our faith fades.

Faith passes the test when we can say in the face of uncertainties, "God will take care of this, too."

The woman I talked with today is facing that test of faith. I think she's passing the test. But I also think she is expressing the human uncertainty. That's normal when we face something new. For her, faith trumps uncertainty. She will have stronger faith because of this.

I don't know what you are facing today but I do know your faith will be tested. If not today, it will be soon. Everyone is in one of three places. You are facing a test. You just faced a test. Or you will soon be facing a test. Will you say, when facing the test, "God will take care of this, too"?

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb 11:1).

"You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:3).

I hope you faith (and mine) grows.

Making a Difference?

I'm working this morning in a coffee shop while waiting on a lunch meeting about church planting. Two things about that statement - first, this is the loudest coffee shop I've ever been in! At the next table are two women who have just returned from working out. Their conversation makes me blush. Just a few more feet away are two men talking business. Money and more money are their goals. As I listen to the various conversations, I don't really expect people to be talking about yesterday's sermon (if they heard one) but I would expect Christians to at least reflect what they hear in biblical preaching and teaching.

Maybe it's a stretch to think the people sitting near me attended church yesterday or are Christians. The truth is that most people in Little Rock do not attend church even half the Sundays each month. Many people never attend church. Fewer and fewer weddings and funerals are held in churches. Christian ministers speak at fewer of these occasions anymore. Bottom line: we are making little impact on the masses.

That brings me to my next thought - church planting. We'll never reach the masses if we never reach the individual. How many people living near our church know much about us? How many of them know about heaven and hell? How many of them are prepared for eternity? The location of the church and the sign out front are mass appeals - and ineffective appeals. We reach the people one at a time when we establish relationships with them. Church planting is about building relationships with people who are not in church and probably not Christians. Those relationships lead to Bible studies which lead to conversions which lead to Christian communities called churches.

I have been struggling with a call to be involved in church planting for the last 15 years. I'm not really sure what that call is - I just know I need to be involved. That's why I am leading CRBC to pray for the city of Talitsa in Russia. That's why I will lead CRBC to join with other churches to plant a church in central Arkansas. That's why I'm having lunch with a church planting strategist today.

But I'm not convinced that leading my church to plant churches is what this call is about. My call to faithful Christianity and to pastor includes church planting. But is this call a call to be a church planter? Am I supposed to be the guy at the new work rather than the guy at the established church? I can give you a dozen reasons why I shouldn't be the guy. I keep thinking of the one reason I should be: God may be calling me to make a difference, to impact eternity by leading a church plant.

Last night's Bible study was about Jesus calling Andrew, Peter, James and John. One of the points in the text is that these men responded to the call immediately and completely. No hesitation. No fear of risking security. If God is calling me to this, I want to be as responsive as his first disciples.

Pray for me about that.