Crossroads or stop signs...

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the past. Shana can tell you this is normally not a healthy thing for me. But, I think I have a much healthier perspective about the past than I use to have. Often in my life I have said I was approaching a crossroads. Crossroads are like Y's. There are several choices that include sitting there and doing nothing, pick a direction, and going backwards. We often use the idea of crossroads because it seems so "cataclysmic." It seems so pivotal to say, I am at a crossroads. Or, this church or that church is approaching a crossroads or critical moment. I guess it just sounds good.

I know I have been through some crossroads. I have been through a few decision moments and I knew that whatever I decided was going to change my life forever. I am understanding what a crossroads in your life really looks like!

But, the point of my writing is to let you know that the decision that is just beyond the horizon isn't always a crossroads. As we approach them we know that a decision is very near. We think they are crossroads. However, after we have passed through the moment and are on the journey again we realize that the decision point we were at was more like a stop sign than a crossroads.

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

The point is very simple: we are on a journey! This journey is with the Father, Son and Spirit. Many decisions are going to be crucial. But, approach them with God's help and with a prayer for wisdom and guidance. God already knows the plans He has for you and I. Our concentration must be on seeking the will of God in each situation. It doesn't matter if it is a crossroads, a Y, a stop sign, or yield sign. Follow Jesus and know that God's plans for you are good because they are from Him. He is perfect!

God's Love for a Prostitute

Hebrews 11:30-31 says, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute received the spies in peace and didn't perish with those who disobeyed."

In Joshua chapter 2 we find the amazing story of the spies being sent to Jericho to scout out the city for Joshua.

Did Joshua really need this report? God had already given Israel the land. Joshua 1:2 says, "Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites." What compelled Joshua to send these spies?

We can be confident that God called Joshua to send the spies and that Joshua listened and obeyed. But, there is much more to the story than that. Too often we look at this passage and are led to ask the question, "is lying on God's behalf right?" The heart of this passage says something completely different! The heart of this passage is that a loving God sent two men into enemy territory to provide provisions for the deliverance and protection of Rahab and her family. What an amazing demonstration of God's sovereignty!

The point is clear: God knows where the faithful exist! God is sovereign and will ensure that His children are redeemed! God will go to great measures to put things on the hearts of his people even though they have no idea how the puzzle fits together. It wasn't revealed to Joshua that Rahab would be awaiting those he was sending. It wasn't revealed to the two spies that Rahab's deliverance depended on their going to Jericho. What is clear - God was in control of the situation the entire time. He knew where she was, what she believed and who she belonged to.

Lesson for you: God knows! God knows what is in your heart. The Father knows your concerns, the desires of your heart, your struggles and your hurts. God is still in control. He is bigger than everything. God can love and redeem anyone - even a prostitute. He is a loving God. Trust Him and allow Him to show up in your life. He is faithful! He is calling us to be faithful believers and followers.

Frustration and the SBC!

Well my frustration has officially reached a point that I must say a few things about the events that are going on in the SBC. I am a "young leader." I am a 34 year-old pastor. I am a graduate of the Baptist College of Florida and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS). I am working towards my Doctorate of Ministry at NOBTS. My entire SBC education has had 1 underlying theme: SUPPORT THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM!

Currently my church supports the Cooperative Program (CP) by giving 10%. I must say that as a "young leader" - I have a few concerns about what is going on with the SBC.

Clearly - I have no intentions of leaving the SBC. But, I must ask some tough questions. I fully support and appreciate the Great Commission Resurgence (GCR) Taskforce. I respect the task force that has been given the charge of looking at some very challenging issues.

But, after reading this article http://www.arkansasbaptist.org/current_news/?id=734 I am concerned with the perception that you can't judge a church's commitment to the Great Commission (GC) by observing how much they give to the CP. I agree with this statement. But, you can judge a church's commitment to the SBC by their commitment to the CP.

Tragically I am led to this question - what would happen if ALL churches in the SBC voted to lower their CP giving to 2.5 or 3.5 percent? One answer - the SBC would see some real restructuring.

I am also led to this question. Why are so many people that give so little of their undesignated budgets to the CP in a place of leadership to help propose changes to the SBC? I know that is a tough question. It is a question that some of my friends and peers don't want to ask. And, they don't want others asking that question.

When I was a chaplain in the U. S. Army one of my supervisors gave me some great advice. Chaplain Walker said, Mullis - Don't drink the Kool-Aid. I am not comparing these great men and women leading this task force to Jim Jones. But, I do believe that we must look at the facts. We must carry things out to a logical conclusion. We must ask the question - where is the SBC really headed? What is the future of the CP? Should our churches follow the leadership of those on this task force and reduce our CP giving? I am just sayin'!!

Push out into the deep

Luke 5:4 has always been a verse that the Holy Spirit has used to nudge me to considering things that are outside of my comfort zone. I still remember the first time I read this verse and was consumed with the idea of "pushing out into the deep-waters." I understand the passage is about pushing out into the deep and catching fish. Jesus shows soon to be disciples the harvest He can bring in the natural world as an example of the harvest He can bring to them serving as "fishers of men."

One of the principles found in this passage is that we must be willing to be followers that will push out into the deep while expecting God's rich blessings. Too often, we toil in very close proximity to the bank. However, God is calling us to go deep in various ways.

"Push Out Into the Deep"

That is what I have challenged FBCE to do this coming church year. But, I realize that many read this that aren't associated with FBCE. Therefore, I challenge you as well - Push Out Into the Deep.

Push out in your intake of God's Word, push out in your giving, push out in your going, push out in prayer life, and push out in your faith. I am convinced that God wants to bring renewal to His people and His church. If we are willing to "push out into the deep" God will bring a tremendous blessing. If you read the passage you will see that their nets were full of fish. In fact, they had to call in reinforcements to harvest all the fish that day! There were so many fish that the boats began to sink.

This rich harvest was only possible because these men followed the words of Jesus. He told them to let down their nets. First, they explained to Jesus that they had been fishing all night long. Sounds like us - try to explain to God things He already knows. Simon finally responds by saying, "but at your words, I'll let down the nets." When called to push out into deep-waters our responses must not include excuses. Instead our responses must be: Jesus, at your command we follow.

If you are willing to get out in the deep waters with God - He will meet you in a spectacular way! You want renewal, you want revival - push out into the deep!

What the local church really needs!

Last night I had the opportunity to preach at the 5th Sunday worship service in Elba. FBCE, Westside and Elba United Methodist gathered for worship at Westside Baptist Church.

I preached on the subject of renewal, revival and awakening. There is much said about "what" the church needs to attempt so that we may experience the end of decline. I have many books that are dedicated to exploring the issues of church growth, health, renewal and revitalization.

If we desire to experience an awakening in our denomination and a revival in our churches it must begin with individuals seeking after God. We must begin to call persons to spiritual renewal and lead them to spiritual vitality. When this event occurs our churches will experience a sense of revival. From there - we can only pray that God will bring another awakening that would radically change our communities, states and nation.

The main contributing factor to the decline of churches isn't our devaluing of the Great Commision, but our lack of dependence on spiritual power. Our churches are saturated with persons that need spiritual renewal. I pray we will begin to humble ourselves and seek the face of God - 2 Chronicles 7:14. Are you praying for renewal in our churches? Or, are you fixated on what is wrong with church?

Sometimes the Moment Matters!

Today, I accompanied my father to the doctor to get the results from his recent scan. Basically we were going to find out if the cancer had spread or if the tumors had shrunk. We received good news. The tumor on his spine remained the same size. But, the tumor in his windpipe actually shrunk a bit. Praise God!

In 4 months he will have another scan and see the doctor.

On the way home I had an amazing thought impressed upon my heart. "We only have today!" I am always thinking about the future and planning for tomorrow. In a blink of an eye, our world can go from what is happening in a couple of months -t0- God, thank you for today!

I realize that my father's life is in God's hand. He is the author of life and He, and only He, will take life away. But, in a moment I was reminded that life is about the moment. Someone (Anne Cline) reminded me that we should be thankful for the manna. She also questioned why the concept of manna - God's daily provisions - is so hard for God's children to grasp.

Therefore, your life and this moment is in God's hands. His will is perfect. He will execute his plan for history.

I am grateful that I have some additional time with my father. I pray that God continues to allow him to have quantity and quality of life. He is my earthly hero. He has been a great father, provider and role model. Please continue to pray for his health. And, pray that I continue to remember the miracle of the moment and not worry about the time line for tomorrow.

The future of the church?

What do you believe will be the future of pastors in the SBC? Recently I found out that 53% of SBC Churches in Alabama have bi-vocational pastors. What is a bi-vocational pastor? A bi-vocational pastor is a pastor that has a secular job and pastors a church in addition to their secular responsibilities. That 53% doesn't include pastors that rely upon a pension, disability or their wife's salary. A fully funded pastor is really a recent trend. I have read it wasn't until around the 1940's that we began to have fully funded pastors. This was at the encouragement of our denomination.

There are a lot of bi-vocational pastors and ministers in ministry. The model that was used for years was farmer/pastor or teacher/pastor. Of course, there were plenty of opportunities for both as the frontier was being forged.

So, where do we find ourselves today? We find ourselves with churches that depend on a paid clergy for almost everything. We find our churches filled with fearful pastors that are unwilling to preach the Bible or lead with authority and boldness because their livelihood depends upon the local church. We find ourselves with churches that have never heard of the Eph. 4 principle of equipping the members for the work of ministry.

What next? Well, I don't have an answer. But, I believe that with a declining denomination and a need to plant more churches we are going to see a revival of bi-vocational pastors. We are going to see God raise an entire generation of business man/pastor to revive and plant new churches.

Day 1

Well, I figured it was time to start sharing my thoughts. I don't have that much to share that hasn't already been thought or said. But, I bring a passionate heart to the table. I plan on sharing my thoughts on church life, ministry, theology, my family and politics. I will throw in prayer requests and church news every now and then.

So - here goes!

Where are our hearts? Where is our passion?

I am consumed with the idea of revitalization of the local church. Some are fixated on church planting and I see that as a rich and important endeavor. But, I am concerned what will happen to the local church in the next 20 years. Too many of our churches have be come "country clubs with crosses" rather than Gospel outposts. If we are ambassadors for Christ, then our churches should be embassies in foreign lands. We must understand we are "aliens" in this land and that our mission is to live as a "missionary" to our culture. We aren't to become engrossed in our culture, but we must remain in constant contact with our culture so we can be relevant and ready!

The local church is in trouble. Things are changing! We must solidify our values/mission/purpose and formulate a God given strategy to revitalize the local church. I am all for the GCR! But, I am deeply concerned about the person in the pew that sees no vision, has no purpose, and can't comprehend Kingdom purposes and principles. The local church is important! Christ is the head and it is the only biblical institution that exists. We must be serious about pouring our plans, energies, efforts, and lives into seeing the church in America become alive and fulfill its biblical purposes.