Yesterday was another incredible day and much better than the week before because we didn’t have to talk about Hell!  Looking back on the last twenty-four hours through this rainy, Monday afternoon, it seems like we had a “heavy” day!  As many of you know we learned about the “Judgment Seat of Christ” in the morning services and then at our Purposeful Parenting seminar we heard from Tal Prince!  My friend, that seminar was a kick in the gut!

Tal’s message last night will leave an incredibly lasting impact on our families.  I have prayed throughout today that many moms and dads – and staff members if necessary – will contact Tal’s ministry seeking help against pornographic addiction.  I believe we have many homes, marriages, and families being torn apart by this epidemic in our church!

By the way, thanks for taking the time to write your notes of encouragement and sharing verbally your appreciation for this seminar.  It is awesome to be in a church and work with a leadership team that will go to bat with God and allow Him to hit grand slams for the Kingdom!  If you were not able to attend this past Sunday night please take some time to view what Tal had to say on our website.  Click here (http://www.fbctrussville.org/link_update.htm) and scroll down to view the videos!  If you want to check into Tal’s ministry, Tapestry of Hope, click here (http://www.tohcommunity.com).

We know that we ALL have sinned and need a gracious Savior.  That’s one reason we needed this emphasis!  We are a church who seeks – and loves – people regardless of their present situation or past sins.  Why?  Because that’s exactly how God loves us!  God is good!  We have always said “the ground is level at the foot of the cross,” now we need to go live it!

This Sunday will be incredibly encouraging.  We are going to look to the future and see a God that is in control and calling the shots of eternity!  Don’t miss it!

Yesterday was an incredible day at First Baptist Church!  The weather was kind of stinky, but God was really at work.  We finally got past hell and moved onto our families last night!  In case you are wondering …no…there should not be a correlation between “hell” and your “family!”  I think we were all encouraged by the fact that satan (yeah, I know, it should be capitalized but I just don’t want to give the ole liar any recognition) has been defeated on the cross and we can live in Victory as followers of Christ!  I am fully convinced that when I’m in Heaven God will show me the many times that people interceded for me and the girls on our behalf.  Their prayers of protection and strength changed the course of history.  So I encourage you to pray for one another this week!

Sunday night was incredible.  It is great to be a part of a church that cares for and addresses the issues that are facing our families.  We are going to see another generation saved for Christ because of this church being real and addressing the very real – and uncomfortable – subjects that threaten our children.  The stuff kids are facing today will affect the next generation and their families 40 years from now.  We can prevent further destruction as we pull our heads out of the sand and get extraordinarily focused on growing up soldiers of the faith.

I cannot wait until next Sunday!  It’s going to be awesome.  I know you’ll come and that you’ll bring a friend!  Keep praying the name of Jesus!

September is going to be an incredible month! In addition to cooler temperatures that will usher in football season and beautiful fall foliage, we have awesome opportunities taking place in the fellowship.

The New Normal

The life of Jesus is characterized by fulfilling the teachings of God while at the same time transforming our world. Each Sunday morning in September we are discovering “The New Normal” in our lives as followers of Christ.  In order for us to experience God’s presence we must place our lives under His description of The New Normal…which really hasn’t changed for 1000’s of years!  Living the “New Normal” is the key to an abundant life.

Phase 1 Completed

As we finish up the month we will begin a new era in the life of First Baptist.  As we complete Phase 1 of our building program, we will finally have an opportunity to have seating for those who have a passion to worship God in a contemporary worship setting. It is great to see God’s people embrace one another as we provide traditional, blended and contemporary venues that allows us all to worship our Creator. Our renovated gym will be an incredible space that will continue to impact lives for many more years.

Phase 2 Begins

As you know, we are also preparing to break ground on a new preschool building that will address an area of our ministry that must be corrected so we can reach the next generation for Christ.  Soon you will be receiving information for a special ground breaking celebration that you will want to attend.  Be in prayer for this process…it will be an exciting journey.

Upward Basketball & Cheerleading

Have you been praying for Upward Basketball?  Our newly renovated gym will also be beginning a new ministry that has literally reached children for Christ around the world.  Two “p’s” come to mind that are necessary for this ministry to spread through our community: Prayer and Participation! All of us can pray for the children and their families that we need to impact for Christ. Please remember to pray every day for what God wants to do through Upward this winter.  Also, have you signed up to participate in this ministry?  There is a job for every one of us who have a desire to win children for Christ.  Sign up this Sunday and your life will be better for it.

Faithfulness

All of this is possible because of your tithes and offerings.  Please make sure that each Sunday we honor the Lord with our tithe…which is 10% of your income. You know, Scripture teaches that this is the first portion that is distributed from what God has allowed us to oversee.  Also, as God leads, be faithful with your offerings which is always in addition to your tithe.  This would include your commitment to “What If…” that we are a part of.  These are exciting days because of God’s love and our faithfulness.

So what’s your story?

God is doing incredible things in your life. Often, your story will be a source of encouragement and strength to those who hear it.  When God works in your life, visit our website and send me a note.  As the opportunity arises we may use your story to strengthen the family!  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

As Barney Fife would say…”This is big!”  School has started back and now families have an opportunity to get back to some sort of schedule.  We can choose to focus on the important aspects of life.  That’s big!

The school year slams us into a routine that is welcomed by many after a long, hot and crazy summer.  It’s a great time to check out your life and see how things are going.

This Sunday will be big for churches!  This is a great opportunity for small group leaders to contact their members and encourage them to get back into the “habit” of going to church.  We don’t want our walk with Christ to be a bad habit…but we do want our fellowship with Him to be habitual! It is a great time for students and neighbors to invite people to come join them in church.

I read a statistic today that indicated that 89% would be willing to listen if someone wanted to tell them about their relationship with Christ.  That’s big!  Church this weekend is going to be big!  We should have a great time together.

I hope you will be there…and bring a friend!

Our day with Don Piper was a day that we will long remember for many reasons.  So what exactly did Don Piper teach us about Heaven?  Let take a few minutes and make a list of a few things that he encountered.

• There really are pearly gates.  The Bible says there are twelve of them and Don said they seemed to be alive with their radiance.
• There was a magnificent light originating from a pinnacle in the distance.
• We will recognize people in Heaven.
• The streets of gold…they were there but appeared to be translucent.
• Angels make tremendous noise with their wings as they praise God.
• The music was massive but molded together in perfect harmony.
• There are mansions…dwelling places in Heaven.  Don didn’t elaborate but said they were magnificent.
• All of our senses work in Heaven.  Don could hear, smell, feel and was sure that taste would also be incredible but he did not experience that.
• Our bodies will be perfected!!  They will be just like God intended for them to be.  All of the scars will be gone…except for those on Jesus.
• There was no waiting to get there…absent from the body…present with the Lord.
• Heaven isn’t a dream…it is a real place.  Don said several times it is more real than our life here.
• Don was greeted by those people who helped him know Christ.
• The music was a combination of many different songs into one and yet somehow it all made sense!
• He simply didn’t want to leave.

So who will we greet in Heaven.  It was not those who lead him in the “sinner’s prayer” that greeted him but simply those who assisted in the process by how they lived their lives and they did for Don so he could hear about Jesus.   The Bible puts it this way:  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV)

So Heaven is real!  Because of that, we have work to do.  I think I will go “plant” or “water” today and let God bring about the results!

Thailand…what an incredible trip.  There are many things that could be highlighted but here are few that really stand out:

1.  What a great team of missionaries we have.  As a Southern Baptist Church we join with other churches and support over 5,000 foreign missionaries around the world through the International Mission Board (IMB).  The team serving in East Asia is awesome!

2.  There is a movement of young missionaries going on the field.  It was encouraging to see how many of our missionaries are in the late twenties and early thirties.  The future looks bright!

3.  The sweet Asian people can teach us many lessons about hospitality.  Their cordial and polite spirit left an impression on me.  Even though they have a false hope they still have a kind approach to life.

4.  There is still work to be done!  The fields are white unto harvest but we need more laborers to go.

5.  There was some stress among our missionaries because of some restructuring that is taking place within the IMB.  However, it is encouraging to see the IMB looking for new ways to be more efficient and effective.

6.  It is exciting to know that I have taken my last long trip by traveling “coach!”  When your legs are longer than the space given for them you get really uncomfortable after about 6 hours with 7 hours to go!  I will not do that again!  Remember:   A 747 is a big plane but does not have much leg room!

7.  There is an entrepreneurial spirit among our missionaries.  They do all kinds of things that allow them to live and travel in closed countries.

8.  I am extremely grateful that there was “American” food in Thailand!

9.  Because of this opportunity; our lives will never be the same.

10.  It is pretty amazing that everyone made it back safe and sound…with the exception of major colds!

Patriotism…it is a lost conviction.  The older generation has a clear understanding of what it cost to have America.  It appears that the younger we are in age the more we have lost the understanding that God allowed many of  us to be born in America.  That is a huge blessing that brings about a massive amount of responsibility.  This week one of our daughters asked us what other countries did to control immigration.  We thought and discussed it for a minute and then wondered if other countries even have problems with immigration?  Does Iran need to control the throngs of people that are trying to get into that country to experience a life of blessings and opportunity?  Recently our president traveled across the globe and announced that our country was no longer a “Christian nation.”  We can debate various aspects of that statement but the debate ends when God’s Word says that “we will reap what we sow.”  End of discussion!  As we turn our eyes away from the blessings that God has given this country then we lose the awareness of responsibility that we must understand so that this country will remain strong.  Listen to this Congressional response to Pres. Obama’s comment.

So if you are thinking “what is the big deal” then travel with me to some third world countries that have no foreseeable hope of a bright future.  Read the news and notice the incredible job our soldiers are doing trying to fight people who hate us because we have freedom and opportunities.  Visit Arlington Cemetery, Pearl Harbor or other places like that which represent the lives that have been given for freedom.  Walk through Washington D.C. and read the inscriptions that talk about God’s presence in our country and if that it too difficult then get out a dollar bill and see where we put our trust!!  I’m not talking about patriotism just for the sake of patriotism.  I am patriotic because of God and the foundations of this country that was obviously based on what His Word teaches us.  He has blessed this country and with those blessings comes responsibility.  May God bless America!

In the words of Barney Fife:  “This is big…big…really big…Andy, are you listening…this is big!”  It really is big.  James 5:16 says that your prayers are making a big difference and we are praying about some big things.  You are praying aren’t you?  You prayed last week for our students while they were in Dallas.  That was big!  Come to think of it…doesn’t Dallas and Texas always make you think “big?”  This week is big!  Men on Missions…they need our prayers…it is big…and at times dangerous.  They create quite a buzz when they arrive…it’s big.  Vacation Bible School is big…no huge!  Kids are everywhere this morning.  There are many guest here that represent various faiths and backgrounds.  It is big…they need to learn about Jesus.  Sooooo, pray.  Pray this week that Jesus would be supernaturally evident from Sparta, Missouri to Trussville, Alabama just like He was in Dallas, Texas!  It’s BIG!

Today at lunch Dan mentioned his favorite class that he had taken in seminary was philosophy (not really).  Just the mere mention of that word brought back vivid memories of lapsing into a deep coma while sitting in a desk!  It would have been more fun to watch paint dry!  I still remember the depths at which we discussed others peoples views and questions of life.  It seems like we discussed whether “a tree makes noise when it falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it” for weeks!   I could immediately answer that question in two ways:  1. Who cares?  2. Of course it does…the tree is not there for man!  That tree was created, existed, and fell to the floor of the forest for God and God alone!

There is not much put here in this world for man.  Everything that exists is for God and to bring glory to Him.  Sure we oversee it, enjoy it, and are stewards of it – but it is not mine.  Isn’t that what the Bible teaches us?  Why do we chase after things that focus on the created instead of the creator?   We tend to get the cart before the horse and this always leads to big trouble.  Due to the fact that we really were not created for “here” but for eternity, we need to understand that I exist for Him and not for me!  When we become so short-sighted that we think that this life is about us then we sit around and discuss questions that revolve around us!  Since we know far more to “do” than we actually practice, I believe I will get up and go do what I know I should be doing and let other people chase those self imposed questions of life!

What is happening to me?  One of my favorite verses, Proverbs 6:6 (NIV), says “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!”  This verse speaks about preparation, hard work and diligence!  Yesterday, I took our home computer to a shop to purchase a power supply.  The Tech opens the case to verify that I am buying the correct one and says, “Sir we can clean this up (get the dust out) and replace your power supply for $30.”  Moments later, after I reviewed what I needed to accomplish that day, I let him!  I could have done that and I have all the tools to do it.  This morning I let a shop rotate the tires on Lynn’s car!  Again, I have a floor jack and air tools to do that myself…yet I let someone else do it!

Am I losing the “practice” of one of my favorite verses or is my life just getting tooooo crazy that I personally can’t get to everything myself?  I like to work on things…but I can’t seem to get all the “work” done these days.  Sometimes I notice people who think that the way THEY live life is THE way that everyone should live life.  Sometimes that attitude comes from arrogance and sometimes it from those who have lived long enough to develop an opinion or habitual lifestyle.

The fact is we all live life differently due to many variables.  Some of these variables are accumulated over long intervals of time and other variables come in a flash of a moment at important times in our lives.  It would be beneficial for us to focus more in building people up, even if they are not like us, than to criticize others who don’t have the same way of living that we do.  What is good for the “goose” is not necessarily good for the “gander!”

Now, I need to go pick up a tiller I let someone else repair…what is my world coming to?