Reminders

I woke up yesterday with a nagging dry cough. I set the CPAP machine’s moisture level to “zero” Saturday night to see if I can get by without the humidifier part of it for the trip to Russia. That’s probably why I have the cough – still.

Several years ago I developed the same kind of cough but didn’t think much about it. Then four years ago I came down with pneumonia – unrelated – and in the process of doing chest x-rays, my doctor found some abnormal lymph nodes in my chest. We used words like “Lymphoma” and “cancer” over the next couple of appointments. I had scans and tests and finally had a procedure to remove a node for biopsy. The good news is that I don’t have cancer but I do have another disease called sarcoidosis – my lymph nodes affected are shot.

The nagging cough, as the surgeon explained it, was my nervous system’s way of getting the enlarged lymph node away from the nerves in my throat and lungs. The cough served to shake things up a bit. I don’t think today’s cough is for the same purpose but I am remembering those months in 2006 when I was unsure of my condition.

Although I didn’t know what was wrong, I did have a peaceful demeanor because of my faith in Christ. I knew that no matter what happened I would be OK. Maybe not OK physically in this world, but OK because he loves me. I wanted everything about this experience to glorify Christ. If nothing was wrong – praise the Lord! If I had a disease but was healed – praise the Lord! If I had a disease but was cured – praise the Lord! If I had a disease that would claim my life – praise the Lord! I made up my mind to accept God’s will and praise him no matter what.

That nagging dry cough is only a nuisance. I really praise the Lord for it because I am reminded of his presence in my life. Yellow butterflies also remind me of the Lord’s presence but I’ll save that for another post.

Deadlines

I’m rushing today to complete an assignment for the DMin seminar I took last month. It is to be postmarked TODAY! There’s just something about a deadline that both comforts and disturbs me.

First, I find comfort in a deadline that is far away. I can wait and do it later. I don’t have to designate my time so rigidly. I am safe because I am not yet late turning in my paper.

On the other hand, I am disturbed by deadlines that are quickly approaching. I lose sleep. I don’t do my best work. I take time from my family. I binge eat and bite my nails.

I am 45 years old and have been in school a total of 30 years. You would think by now I would have learned and changed my ways. Instead, I continue down the same path that, honestly, started a long, long time ago. Old habits are hard to break.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Certainly, the verse applies to my desire to sin and my rejecting God’s ways. I am new and no longer desire sin – although I still sin – and I want to follow God’s ways – although I don’t always do it. But I have noticed a change in my life over the years as God’s Spirit has chipped away at the old Bob and brought out the new Me. And I like what I see.

I think the verse also applies to my procrastination regarding deadlines. But God’s Spirit will only change the parts of me that I give him access to. I don’t have a problem with procrastination – that’s just the symptom of a larger problem. I have a problem yielding all my life to God’s Spirit.

Maybe you do, too. Let’s pray that our hearts and minds will be completely open to the Spirit and willing to let him have his way in our lives.

 

Footnote: As I am writing this, I received a Twitter update from author Len Sweet. It said, “Deadlines are like bumper cars. They’re only fun I you hit them dead-on. (from Heather Wilson)”

 

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobloyd

Be my friend on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bobloyd

 

Birds

I don’t usually get concerned about feeding birds when the ground is covered with ice or snow, but today was different. Riley and I have been spreading birdseed on the snow on the deck and the birds have flocked to it. The Cross Road Birdwatchers Society could have had a great time identifying the different species feasting on the seed. Or the Cross Road Bird Hunters Club could have bagger their limit easily!

I saw as many as fifteen birds on the deck at one time. When they saw me peeking through the window they would all fly away. But they would gather again within a few minutes. Because of this, I couldn’t get pictures, though.

We had a woodpecker, a female cardinal, two kinds of blue birds (a big one and a little one), some small brown birds without stripes, some small brown birds with stripes, some small black birds with lots of yellow, a robin, and a camouflage bird. You know how the military jets are painted like the sky on the bottom and like the ground on the top? There were a few birds on the deck that had light grey tummies and dark brown or black backs. I’m guessing they are prey for bigger birds and this is the way God camouflages them.

Isn’t that just like God? He protects us from our enemy, too. Cloaked in garments of righteousness (his, not our own), we are safe. Yes, the devil will go after us but he cannot defeat us. But we must be clothed in his righteousness and keep our eyes on the Lord.

And another God-thing… He takes care of us even better than he takes care of the birds. And he often uses other people as conduits for our blessings just like he used me to feed the birds today.

The New Building

I spent several minutes in our new building this morning. No electricity so it was cold and dark. But I propped a door open and walked around in the shadows. Our volunteers have spent many hours over the last few weekends putting up sheetrock. From the set of doors in the end of the building, you can no longer see everything in the building because the sheetrocked walls block some of the view.

I remember one of the ladies in New Orleans who was so excited when a team from CRBC finished hanging the sheetrock in her post-Katrina home. She couldn’t help herself but blurted it, “Now it looks like a home.” Our building is beginning to look like a fellowship hall with a kitchen, bathrooms, and classrooms. I can’t wait until we quit calling it “the new building” and start calling it the fellowship hall.

In the Bible, God says that each believer is the house of God (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). I wonder how many of us are just the shell of the building we are supposed to be. I wonder if we allowed the Spirit of God to begin the remodeling of our lives but have closed him out so that he cannot complete the work. I wonder if God gets excited when he sees the work in progress. I wonder if he gets discouraged when he sees things in your life that are undone.

Our prayer should be one of confessing the sin of wrestling control of our lives from God. Then we should submit to the Spirit’s work in our lives so that we can be the wonderful temple of God he intends us to be.

Podcasts

I’ve had my iPhone since September but have really just started using the iPod built into it. I registered to attend the Expository Preaching Conference held annually by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (March 8-9 this year). I found the audio files of previous conferences on iTunes so I downloaded several and have been listening to some great preaching.

 

So that got me to thinking…What other preaching can I find on iTunes? I was amazed at how much is out there. I even started recording and posting my own sermons on the church’s website (www.crbclr.org/sermons) although I haven’t looked into what is necessary to post to iTunes. Anyway, I downloaded sermons from Liberty University’s chapel services last week and listened to them today while driving to the hospital and back home. One was a sermon by Mike Huckabee and the other by Charles Lowery. I was inspired by the messages and also happy to find a common thread in them so I posted two statements as my status updates on Facebook (www.facebook.com/bobloyd) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/bobloyd).

 

Mike Huckabee said that life is perishable. You either give it away or you throw it away. You use it or lose it.

 

Charles Lowery said the life is short. It’s a quick trip from diapers to Depends.

 

Take advantage of every day and live it to the fullest giving glory to God in your words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes. Your relationships with Jesus and the people around you are the most important things in life.

God Equips His People with Leaders

Sermon from Haggai 2:20-23 preached on January 31, 2010 at Cross Road Baptist Church by Bob Loyd.

 

http://www.emedialink.com/video/9586/God-Equips-His-People-with-Leadership

A Difference in Roads Taken

We’ve had a pretty good winter storm over the last few days. Freezing rain began to fall Thursday with snow overnight and through the day Friday. Schools, churches, government offices, and businesses shut down. Arkansans don’t handle the ice and snow very well.

We live in Saline county about a mile and a half from the Pulaski county line in two directions. This is sort of a “no man’s land” when it comes to law enforcement, road repair, cutting edge utilities, etc. AT&T put in their U-verse lines to within a mile or so of the house. They stopped at the entrance to the upscale gated community. City water just came in about three years ago. We all are on septic tanks.

So I was surprised when the Saline County Road Department sent a road grader past the house toward the county line. Funny thing is that Pulaski county did nothing or their side of the line. We made it to Benton (Saline county) and back Saturday with no problems. Headed to Little Rock (Pulaski county) Sunday after church and was shocked by the bad condition of the roads. The route to Little Rock is fairly heavily travelled but there is no sign that the Pulaski County Road Department has been out that way.

But I’m not writing to bash the road departments but to comment on the choice of roads and destinations from a spiritual perspective. And this is not about the spiritual condition of Benton versus Little Rock, although someone else may want to pick up on that.

Our choices make a huge impact on our lives. Take the wrong turn or travel the wrong road and you face danger and difficulty. Head in the right direction and you stand a much better chance of arriving at your destination safely. In fact, with the Lord you are guaranteed to arrive at your eternal destination safely. Even the stops along the way are better travelling with the Lord along the Lord’s highway.

So take care when deciding which turn to make or which road to take. It makes all the difference in the world.

State Conference on Evangelism & Church Growth

Sonny Tucker is the leader of the Evangelism and Church Growth Team at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. He and his team provided a first class conference for Arkansas pastors and church leaders this week at First Baptist Church in Sherwood. The preaching, teaching, and music were all very good. I always come home feeling a mixture of excitement, encouragement, conviction, and disappointment. Let me explain what I mean.

Some of the best speakers across the Southern Baptist Convention descend upon central Arkansas for these two days. As I listen to the talk about sharing the gospel and growing a church, I can’t help but get excited! Any pastor would want to do that; we all want to see our churches effectively reaching out and winning people to Christ.

One message after another brought encouraging words intended to inspire and equip us to get going. Some messages focus on the theological reasons for sharing our faith. Others provide practical ways to put the ideas into practice. I walked away from the conference knowing that I can lead my church to fulfill the Great Commission.

Other messages are directed at me and my sin and my lack of commitment or involvement. Those sermons are hard to hear but someone who wants to please the Lord, win others to Christ, and lead a church to do the same must get serious about his own commitment. My prayer, my study, and my practice can all stand a lift. I know that God’s love can transform me into the vessel that is useful to him.

Disappointment always seems to be part of the emotional package I take home from these conferences. I am disappointed that I have not done a better job leading my church to reach out and grow. I’m disappointed that I stand back from opportunities to share Christ. I’m disappointed because my church doesn’t compare favorably with some others in our state.

The first three emotions are fine and appropriate. The last one has no place in effective living and ministry. Disappointment will drag me down, distract my attention, and defeat my purposes before I ever get started. So I’m letting that one go. Rather than being disappointed by what I heard, I will be motivated by the messages and statistics that indicate a shortcoming in my life and my church. With motivation now at the helm, God can use the excitement, encouragement, and conviction to help me mature as a pastor, preacher, leader, and Christian.

Sunday nights

I need some help. Our Sunday night crowd is very small. We have a few regulars and a few that are hit and miss. Since I’ve been at this church we’ve tried a few things to boost attendance but nothing has worked so far.

 

Here’s a short rundown of what’s going on.

 

Children: attendance is anywhere from 1 to 9. Mostly 1 to 4. Using a music/bible study combo format.

Youth: attendance was 6 at best but now is 0 or 1. Contemporary music & bible study.

Adults: choir rehearsal and adult bible study options. Total attendance average is 12.

Another 2-4 some in for the worship service at 6:00.

 

I’m open to any and all suggestions. I’ve been thinking about having no Sunday evening activities, having home groups, having worship service only, or just leaving it alone. But it seems to be broken so I don’t like the last idea. I am pretty traditional so I really can’t imagine not doing something in the church building. I’m getting over that, though.

 

Question: If we do home groups, do I, as the pastor, settle into one group or float through all of them?

 

So, I need help. Comment with your suggestions or at least pray for me. This is the most frustrating challenge I’ve faced in ministry.

Moments

Have you ever had one of those moments when reality sank in? For a young couple the reality of becoming parents hits them perhaps when the ultrasound shows signs of life within the mother. For the football team the dream fades when the clock is winding down in the fourth quarter and the opponent has the ball. Each of us has moments in our lives when something happens – an event that marks the moment – and we realize its significance.

 

I received an email today from the registrar’s office at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. It is a notice regarding upcoming registration dates for the Spring trimester. I will enroll in the final workshop in the Doctor of Ministry program this trimester. Now, I realize I’m still a long way from the finish line. After the workshop comes the daunting task of researching, creating and implementing a project that will impact the ministry of Cross Road Baptist Church. That can take a couple of years or more. But this workshop will likely be the last “for credit” classroom setting. I started school forty years ago. This is one of those moments.

 

Check back in a couple of years to find out if I was able to finish the project and get the degree.

Early hours

I’m a procrastinator. If you read my blog regularly you already know that. I confess it often. I guess that means I’m not getting over it.

I’m up at this early hour because of procrastination. I’ve known about this deadline for about two months. You get the picture? Put if off. Put if off. Lose sleep getting it done!

I do OK with that but it sure is stressful. And I’m sleepy.

What if a person waited and waited to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord? You might wait too long and forever miss your opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. The flipside is that you would also miss you opportunity to escape hell. Those are two good reasons to stop putting off trusting Jesus for your salvation.

Do it today. Stop procrastinating!

Syncretism

A UPS delivery truck just backed up to the window of the coffee shop where I’m sitting this morning. On the side of the truck are these words: “Worldwide Services Synchronizing the world of commerce.” That’s a good goal and from what little I know about the company, they are getting it done.

 

The word “synchronizing” caught my attention. Just yesterday I saw a bumper sticker about syncretism. I remember the first time I saw it; it really irritated me. Still does.

 

The bumper sticker is the word “co-exist” and the letters are made up of symbols from different religions. The Christian cross makes the “T” and the Muslim crescent makes the “C” and so on. The idea is that all religions are of equal value and can be merged or harmonized because all religions are true and lead to the same goal – just different paths. I have no problem with religious freedom – the idea that anyone can believe and practice any religion they want. I have a problem with someone thinking all religions are the same.

 

If a person claiming to be a Christian believes all religions are the same, how can he really be a Christian? The claim of Christianity is that Jesus is the only way. Our Lord said it exactly that clearly in John 14:6. Reject that and you cannot be Christian. This tenet is called the exclusivity of the gospel: there is only one way to eternal life and right-standing with God.

 

Although Christianity has the tone of exclusiveness, it also has a universal aspect. First, don’t think that I am saying all people will somehow be saved. I am not saying that because I don’t believe it and it is not true. The universal aspect of Christianity is that “whosoever will may come.” Salvation is available to anyone and everyone. The condition of salvation is faith in the one and only Son of God – Jesus Christ.

 

There is no reason to synchronize our beliefs with any other belief system. But there is reason to aggressively share the gospel with everyone we meet. Unless they turn exclusively to Jesus Christ the will perish eternally.

 

It’s OK for UPS to synchronize the world of commerce. In fact, that’s a good thing. But synchronizing religions leads nobody to heaven.

Busy Days

Too much on my calendar these last few days is undone. Must have been too much on there to start with. But what should not be there? Family Christmas gatherings, church services and meetings, weddings, shopping, seminar assignments, and general “life” activities dotted the days. Father and son writers Thom and Art Rainer authored “Simple Life” in which they describe a life free from clutter. The point is to prioritize and then stick to the priorities.

 

Compounding my problem is procrastination. So the congestion becomes a log jam! At times throughout the years I’ve handled procrastination but at other times it has handled me. I’ve learned that the culprit is perfectionism: if I can’t do the task perfectly I will wait until later when I may be better equipped or have more time. When I have been on top of procrastination it has been because I pursued excellence rather than perfection. Excellence is a better goal because it is attainable. Excellence is doing my best. Honestly, sometimes my best will not achieve perfection but my best is always excellent.

 

So for me the key to navigating busy days is to focus on priorities and strive for excellence. Hope that thought helps you, too.

Hard Work or Chasing Fantasies.

As I read through Proverbs, I came to this verse today. It made me think of the lottery.

 

“He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.” Proverbs 28:19 NIV

 

A very wealthy man who is a member of a very large church in Little Rock casually showed me the scratch-off card he had purchased earlier that day.

 

A very poor man casually mentioned losing a few dollars in the lottery.

 

Either way, there is a danger in gambling. The multi-million dollar jackpots are the fantasies of many people. Some can afford to lose the money needed to play. Others cannot. But that’s not the point.

 

The point is about our stewardship of what God has given us. In God’s economy, gain comes through hard work. Whether it’s a casino, a lottery, or a racetrack, none of these are hard work although many people put in a lot of effort playing. In reality, gambling is chasing fantasies.

 

At the end of the day we must ask ourselves if all that we have done honors God because at the end of our lives God will ask us the same question.

Christmas Break

Riley’s home this week. That means ‘round-the-clock Disney Channel! I can’t wait. I like some of the shows but not the reruns of the reruns of the reruns. But Riley can watch them over and over again.

I’m glad I have a job that allows me to be home with him. He’s old enough to entertain himself most of the time so I still get to study, make contacts, and prepare the publications. And he’s a real trooper (pastor in the making?) when it comes to hospital visits.

Now that it’s the week of Christmas, the schedule slows down in some ways and speeds up in others. The only remaining service is the Candlelight Service on Wednesday. I’ll work on it a little each day ‘til then. We’ll have Christmas with family Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday so I’ll need to be ready for Sunday a little earlier than usual.

And I have three assignments to complete for a D.Min. seminar coming up in January.

I guess there’s really not much time to slow down this week! But one thing I must do…celebrate Jesus. Try to do that every week rather than just once a year and it won’t be so hard to do it when life is hectic.

All I Want for Christmas...

Remember the uncle who was always the hardest to buy for? Apparently, that’s me. I’ve never had lots of money but I have been able to get all I need and most of what I want. That leaves little for a Christmas list to pass around to family and friends.

What I WANT are those things I can’t afford to buy myself. Like a GMC pickup. Or a new acoustic/electric guitar. Or all new A/V equipment for the church. Or the latest/greatest Canon digital camera outfit. Or a NASCAR Experience. I could go on for a while!

But you can’t put those things on a Christmas wish list to pass around. Being as serious as I can be, I’ll be happy with anything. Or nothing.

All I really want for Christmas is to spend time with Deana, Jim Bob, Caleb, and Riley. (Girlfriends included, but not for Riley!)

I want people to appreciate the holiday for what it is: the celebration of our Savior’s birth. I know it’s not Jesus’ real birthday (I guess it could be, though) but we can celebrate anyway.

I want the presents to take backseat to the presence of those who are present.

I want to remember Christmas at Mom and Dado’s (my grandparents) and try to create memories like that for my descendants.

I want to attend the family gatherings.

I want to worship with my church family on or near Christmas day.

That what I want for Christmas but if you can’t swing any of this just pick out something from the list above.

Say what you mean

I just came back to the office after spending a couple of hours in town Christmas shopping. An advertisement played on the radio that said, “Never paint your home again with [product name].” I don’t think that’s what they meant. The copy should have read, “With [product name] you’ll never have to paint your home again.”

Big difference!

Riley and I like to play “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader.” One of us is the contestant and the other is the host. We make up questions and dollar amounts. We always win a million dollars! This morning he said, “Dad, will you take me to school?” “Sure,” I said. A little later he said, “Can we play ‘Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader’ on the way to school?” I said, “Yes, we can play ‘Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader on the Way to School.” He started to get mad but then laughed because he’s used to me being picky about the language.

During the first session of my second seminary class, as we were introducing ourselves to one another, the professor asked me where I lived. I told him I lived in Russellville (the class was meeting in Little Rock). “Where’s that?” he asked. “About half way between Little Rock and Fort Smith,” I said. “Oh,” he said, “where’s that?” “Well,” I responded, “ Russellville is about 80 miles up I-40.” “Oh,” he said, “where’s that?”

I learned a valuable lesson that day: “Tighten up your language!” as the professor would say.

So my iPhone buzzed and I looked at the text that just came in from Twitter. A scholarly guy was saying that the “inn” in Luke 2 was really a “guest room” and that Jesus was born in the common room of the house because the guest room was full. The common room would have been a place where valuable or fragile animals would be kept overnight, thus the manger.

I grew up in a preacher’s home. I’ve been in ministry since 1982. I’ve complete a master’s degree and am working on a doctorate. Why have I never heard this? I’m now digging into the original text of the New Testament and researching NT background for answers. So far, I think the scholarly guy is right. Kinda messes up all the Christmas pageants and cantatas I’ve participated in through the years.

I need to rewrite a sermon that I’m planning to preach.

Opinions about Abortion

I was just reading On Mission magazine during lunch. One of the statistical displays is about views on abortion. The column was a list of issues when an abortion might be considered and gave a percentage of respondents who said abortion should be legal in each case and a percentage of respondents who said abortion should be illegal in each case.

A fascinating trend emerged for me as I reviewed the information (Source: Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll, March 2006 and Time/CNN Poll, January 2003). A certain amount of people think abortion should be legal in any/all circumstances and a certain amount of people think abortion should be illegal in any/all circumstances.

Seventy-two percent say abortion should be legal if the mother’s life is endangered; fifteen percent say abortion should be illegal in that case.

Ten percent say abortion should be legal in the last three months of pregnancy; eighty-four percent say abortion should be illegal in that case.

Whatever opinion you hold, one thing is sure; as the song sung by Gold City says, “Only God knows just what he could have been.”

The debate is not likely to end in a court room or legislative hall. However, God – who has the ultimate say in morality and ethics – has the definitive opinion. Our task is to read his Word, pray for discernment, and have courage to believe and live the truth.

The Father's Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.  They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael.  They would often sit together and admire the great works of art..

When the  Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, ‘Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.  He often talked about you, and your love for art.’ The young man held out this package. ‘I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.’

The father opened the package.  It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.  He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture . ‘Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.’

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. ‘We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?’

There was silence….

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, ‘We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.’

But the auctioneer persisted. ‘Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?’

Another voice angrily. ‘We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!’

But still the auctioneer continued. ‘The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?’

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. ‘I’ll give $10 for the painting…’ Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

‘We have $10, who will bid $20?’

‘Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.’

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.

The auctioneer pounded the gavel.  ‘Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!’

A man sitting on the second row shouted, ‘Now let’s get on with the collection!’

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. ‘I’m sorry, the auction is over.’

‘What about the paintings?’

‘I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.   I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!’

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: ‘The son, the son, who’ll take the son?’

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Copied from Mark Lowry’s Blog

People Need the Lord

I love that song because it simply states a truth and issues a challenge.

I know people who are at the end of broken dreams today. They need the Lord. One family lost a wife/mother just a couple of weeks ago. Another family lost a son/grandson over the weekend. The headlines tell us of a famous sports figure whose home life may be severely wounded. A friend’s brother made it through surgery yesterday but died today. People need the Lord.

It’s one thing to say that people need the Lord but it’s another thing to do something about it. The world population is over 6 billion people – all of whom need the Lord. I’m not sure how many have embraced Jesus Christ as the only hope for eternal life, but I would guess that 1 billion would be a generous estimate. People need the Lord.

So what am I going to do about it? I am part of a church that has partnered with missionaries in Russia to reach a city called Talitsa. I am praying for opportunities to go there and for the believers in the city – there are just a few. Our partnership with American missionaries and Russian believers will result in a church in the city that will reach further into the city and lead more to Christ.

Sharing my faith with others is not easy; I get nervous like most people do when given an opportunity to share one on one. But I am praying for greater courage. I am getting better at talking with people in stores and restaurants. The tools for sharing are abundant. In the role of pastor, I am leading my church to also get involved in sharing their faith with others. We need to establish a regular time each week/month for doing this in our community.

I believe in the Southern Baptist’s Cooperative Program and support it fully. Over 10,000 missionaries are on the field world-wide because of CP. People who need the Lord are hearing the gospel. Through CP and the special missions offerings taken through our church, I am part of a global strategy to impact eternity.

Finally, I am teaching my family to tell others about Jesus. That is perhaps my greatest responsibility outside of sharing the gospel myself. My hope is that my family will be involved in missions and evangelism in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. My prayer is that we will not be afraid, reluctant, or hesitant about speaking up for Jesus.

Because people need the Lord.