2011

Remember when Jesus went to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. He sat down to teach and Mary was sitting at His feet just soaking in every word. Meanwhile, Martha was out in the kitchen preparing dinner and Martha gets upset because Mary is not in the kitchen with her. She complains to Jesus in Luke 10:40, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

Jesus reply follows in verse 41 and 42. "Martha, Martha," Jesus answered, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”
Now was Martha committing a sin by fixing a meal in the kitchen?  Of course not! But here’s the problem. She was so preoccupied with what she was doing that she didn’t realize that God was in her living room.  We make the same mistake every day. We get so caught up in the here and now that we fail to deal with the eternal, the things that will last forever.
God gives us opportunities to be Jesus to other people, the Bible tells us so :) WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THEM!

If we can’t find someone in our life to tell about Jesus, we aren't looking very hard! If we can see someone for us to be Jesus in their life then we aren't looking with the eyes of Jesus.

We get so preoccupied with what’s going on in the kitchen we don’t know God is in the living room. He indeed may be standing right next to you in the form of the homeless, in the form of the hungry, in the formed of the hurting. He might be coworker or schoolmate and have a need. My prayer for 2011 is we make the most of the opportunities to be Jesus to others that God gives us.

This Is The Best I Can Do Right Now

I will have more when I get to De Queen.
I love you guys!

Goodbye

Since having submitted my resignation 4 month ago I have been praying about what God would have me share this last time together? I have also spent the last 4 months reflecting on our nearly 10 years together as your minister and 38 years together with of you as a part of this church family. Add to this that I have even taken a spiritual assessment of my life and you can see I have much on my mind.

How is my faith different after more than 9 years together? I’m know I’m a better minister because of my time here with you and I hope you feel you are a better follower of Christ after your time we me.
How has my Christian walk been affected? I have learned so much, I hope you have. I have made mistakes, been knocked down but ultimately I now realize I was being prepared and molded for a different path in God’s plan. This church family was being prepared as well.

My final conclusion—I am humbled. Humbled that God allowed me to grow up in a great place like Hurricane WV. Humbled that he gave me such amazing parents. Humbled that he placed me in this church family nearly 4 decades ago. Humbled He blessed me with a wonderful wife and family. And now humbled to be a small part in God’s plan in another part of the Kingdom. Thank you for love and respect that you have shown me over the last 4 months.

I think God would have me share this with you today. The Lord God is sovereign. Everything about Him, including His plan.
Psalm 103:19 says, “The Lord has set his throne in heaven, and his kingship has dominion over all.” I hope that you believe that God is sovereign and that you live your life that way. Because a Christian that is not willing to submit to the total and absolute sovereignty of God, is like an actor that cannot act, or a singer that cannot sing. A Christian who is not humble before God is like a person who will not pay his bills or his debts. God’s plan for our lives is sovereign as well. God’s plan for my life, your life, God's plan for this church family and the church family in De Queen, Arkansas. ALL SOVEREIGN!
God has not left anyone behind, left anyone out or forgotten anyone.
Live for God each day and you will be in His plan. 

There are many ways to say goodbye. Many quotes, some may be thinking “Don’t let the door hit you in the rear end!” :) But my favorites are “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” That's from Dr.Seuss, one of my favorite places to find sermon material. The other is a quote from the musical Anne. “How blessed I am to have had something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” HOW TRUE!  I love you guys! Goodbye! We will see each other again!

Spiritual Divas

I share Einstein's affirmation that anyone who is not lost on the rapturous awe at the power and glory of the mind behind the universe "is as good as a burnt out candle."Do you? Do you believe that we serve an awesome God today? Ephesians 3:20-21 says, Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  So it doesn’t matter how strong the storm is?
So it doesn’t matter how fierce the winds are?
So it doesn’t matter how high the floodwaters are?
So it doesn’t matter how bad it looks?
It doesn’t matter how serious it looks right now?
Because our God is able to meet our needs. He is a mighty, awesome, amazing God.
Then why do we look so much like losers?

Then why do we look so much like wimps?

Then why do we look so defeated?

Why do we spend more time whining than praising?

Why do we spend more worrying than worshipping?

Why do we look more like complainers than combatants?

Why do we look more like a like the weaklings than the warriors?

Why do we look more like victims than the victors?

God is able to meet our needs whatever the need is but when the answer doesn’t come right away or you get a different answer than the one we expected to get or we pray and things get worse instead of better? Sometimes we face difficulties even when we are doing what God asks us to do. What do we do? .....well sometimes we whine! We complain, we go into wimp mode. Have you seen this commercial? This is us? Spiritual Divas!

Dear Paco

There's a Spanish story of a father and son. The son stole from and lied to his father and ran away from home. The father set off to find him. He searched for months but could without any luck.
Finally, in a last desperate effort to find his son the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper.
The ad read:
Dear Paco, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.
On Saturday over 800 Pacos showed up, looking for forgiveness and love from their fathers. Amazing! This world needs forgiveness, this world needs love. Are you looking for the forgiveness and love of the Heavenly Father. You don’t have to look through the newspapers you don’t have to wait on a sign. He is only one step, one prayer, one thought away.
He has in fact been looking for you and pursuing you. And what nothing more than for you to come home and be with Him.