Crazy Love Chapter 2

It's time for this weeks installment of Crazy Love. I think a lot of you read chapter two weeks ago because of it's intriguing title, "You might not finish this chapter." It was almost like a challenge for me. In this chapter we were confronted with the brevity of life and the fact that we are not the one whom the world revolves around. We are in fact only a small player in the whole scheme of things. My question for you is are you living in such a way that you are making an impact for the kingdom?

In our time together this morning at the men's bible study we discussed this chapter in depth. One of the questions we discussed challenged us to remember someone who died unexpectadly and tell about the regrets they might have had. This provided us with quite a few stories of those who died young in life and made a huge impact on the kingdom, it also confronted us with some lives that had a very negative impact on the ones they left behind. I shared that I have done a lot of funerals over my seven years of ministry. Some of those have been very easy to do. The deceased was very active and growing in their faith, with the fruit to prove it. Others were only professors of faith and showed no fruit or life change. You can imagine those were services that were approached in a very different manner. One easily preached and given as an example for others to strive for as they grow in their faith, the other a seemingly wasted life. I don't want to waste my life.

Consider what you would regret today if you stood before Jesus. What changes will you make in your life that will help you approach the end knowing you have not wasted it. Cry out to the father and draw close to Him that he may show you your dire need of Him and His spirit's work in your life.

For next week, read chapter 3. I will see you soon. God bless.

News about the body

I am not talking about your personal health. By the way, ours is poor (all three girls sick with a feverish, coughing, snotty thing). I am talking about the body of believers at Shiloh Baptist Church. Summers at Shiloh are always interesting since we have a lot of families and families vacate a lot in the summer. Seriously, some of you guys have had three or four already. They are also interesting here as we approach August because we start thinking about the new church year. I just wanted to let you know some things to be praying about and excited about in the months ahead.
1. The new building should start either today or Wednesday. I know finally. This is the initial stage that will just include the erection of the building. A good start with much work left to do. I am pumped.
2. The nominating committee is hard at work casting a vision for the new year. Please pray for them and pray for laborers.
3. As we begin the new church year in September we will engage in a new evangelism initiative called Proclaim. During proclaim we will strive for church wide involvement in evangelism. We will also provide training in sharing your faith on Sunday evenings during the worship hour.
4. New discipleship training opportunities. This will include a book study, systematic theology class, and intensive scripture memory for children. Please see this as an opportunity to grow in your faith and come out at 6pm on Sunday evenings.
5. Christmas store, missions opportunities, and much much more.

Please be praying, be willing, and be excited about the opportunities God will present us this fall. Believe it or not, Lane Kiffin is not the most exciting thing to hit this town, the unstoppable Gospel is.

One more calvinist video

This video also brought me great joy today. Once again, you might not all get this.

Mariah Carey is a Calvinist?

I laughed so hard at this video. I had no idea how deep Mariah was. I hope you appreciate this Benji.

Crazy Love Chapter 1

Well, I just got back from the men's bible study at church where we are reading through this same book and I was blessed by the conversation and the work in the hearts of the men by our great God this morning. I pray that God is challenging you through his Holy Spirit as you read His word and read this book. Every week on the blog we will summarize the chapter and challenge one another through the comments section.
As I read the preface I was quickly drawn in as he referenced the question he posed to the group of college students at the beginning. Is the church being what the church is called to be in scripture? This question has haunted me over the last weeks as we have thought about men of God and their desire for Him and churches that God uses in a mighty way and we have asked the question Why don't I have that passion and desire? So, I was hooked from the beginning, and thankfully he also tells us in the preface that this is not a come to Jesus and leave the church book. I believe the author knows that the church is the bride and God claims it with the blood of His son.
In chapter one we are confronted with the majesty of God. How do you approach God when you pray, or when you worship? Is He a genie in a bottle or a cosmic waiter in the sky? The creator of the universe, over 300,000,000 galaxies alone just to show His glory, and yet also the personal God who sent Christ to die for you and your sins. This is overwhelming. I pray that you were challenged. That you think next time as you approach God. That you would read through Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4 the descriptions of God and begin to think about the God you speak to and how you are even able to speak to Him?
What were you challenged with in this first chapter? I look forward to reading your comments over the next few days and responding to those. For next week, read chapter two. God bless, have a great day.

Our view of the gospel

In his book, God is the Gospel, John Piper poses the following question:

If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities that you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties that you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?

I believe we quickly answer this question with a resounding no? But do we really mean that? Do we really mean that we love Christ and love the gospel because it brings us to God and not just to God's stuff? I am quick to wonder in the stuff of God, my get out of hell free pass, and not to wonder in the glory that I can come into the presence of the creator and king of the universe by the blood of the lamb. May you wonder this week at the glory of the gospel, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. That he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God.

Reading together

I think some of your were overwhelmed with Knowing God, so lets try something different. Last week I read a short little book called Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. I will be going through this book with my Men's Bible study group on Thursday mornings and I think it would be great to also discuss it with you guys that follow the blog. So, between now and Thursday the 23rd, buy Crazy Love and read the intro and the first chapter and we will discuss it beginning on the 23rd. I look forward to sharing in this with you. It is a great book that will challenge you.

Kentucky Missions

During the last week I had a great opportunity to spend some time in eastern Kentucky on a mission trip with around 30 youth and adults from the church. Our God is so good in leading us to Big Creek Missions in Kentucky. Clay and Leslie counties, where big creek operates, are two of the top ten poorest counties in the U.S., there is great physical need there. There is also great spiritual need, as they in many ways are hopeless in this present world. This was a week where God was at work in our group. Many had their eyes opened to life outside of our safe little box, may God continue that and call many of these to leave the safety of home and take the gospel forward to the nations. May we understand better and better all the time about the mandate of missions to us as believers and serve Him faithfully, not wasting our lives here. As I wrap up this post, allow me to commend Big Creek Missions and the director Kevin Rogers. I have been to many youth camps over the years, this one however stands above them all in a love and commitment to God and His word and a love and commitment to the lost and hurting around them. I would highly recommend Big Creek Missions to anyone interested in obeying the Lord and being on mission. Check out bigcreekmissions.com for more info.