Category: Discipleship

Haiti Relief Effort

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Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti.  Please join me in praying for the people of Haiti daily and join me in asking God to show us what He would have us do to help.  As expected, we have people from our church who are gearing up to travel to Haiti to help with disaster relief efforts.  I will share information soon about opportunities to travel to Haiti and help if you are interested. 

I encourage you to consider giving a monetary gift to help the people of Haiti.  Here are a number of reputable ways you can give to the Haiti Relief Effort. 

Southern Baptist International Mission Board

Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief Efforts in Haiti

Salvation Army

American Red Cross

Edge Outreach Ministries

How Fat Are You?

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Life Happens8 Comments

When I was a young man in my twenties, I decided to take up running.  I discovered that I not only loved the sport, but I was a halfway decent runner.  I built up my endurance to the point that averaged about 40-50 miles of running each week.  I was strikingly thin at 5′ 11″ tall and 145 pounds.  I often won my age divisions at local races and occasionally won the entire race at small events around eastern Kentucky.

Well, that was then and this in now! I’m still 5′ 11″ tall, but the rest is none of your cotton-pickin’ business.  Let’s just say, my waist size has increased three inches since those days.  Recently, I decided that enough is enough — I’m gettin’ in shape!

When I was in shape, I would often take long training runs up to 20 miles in length.  Now, it’s difficult to even jog around the block.  I realize that it’s going to be a long, slow process, but I’ve got to start somewhere.

Many times, our spiritual journey is a lot like my physical journey.  We fall off after a period of spiritual fitness and frankly, we know we’re not where we should be.  In order to regain our fitness, we have to become more disciplined in our spiritual lives.  Does that describe you?  I have committed to become more fit it all areas of my life and I invite you to join me.

Will you join me in this journey?  I’m writing about it here to build in some accountability.

Give me a shout-out here on the blog if you will join me to provide a level of accountability with your decision.  May God bless you in your efforts.  Keep pressing forward  Here’s a great theme passage….

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)

World’s Greatest Sermon

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship2 Comments

This morning I read the Sermon on the Mount from the gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7.  One day an unusually large crowd gathered to hear Jesus, so he gathered them together on the side of a mountain.  There He preached the greatest sermon that has ever been preached throughout all history.

In the sermon, Jesus addresses some difficult topics like the following:

38″You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.'”  Matthew 5:38-42

Does Jesus mean this literally?  Do you know of anyone who has actually practiced this in real life?  I encourage you to read through this sermon–it will challenge you in your thinking and in your walk with the Lord.

“Beam Me Up, Scotty”

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Star TrekHave you ever taken a shortcut?  I live for shortcuts.  I love side streets and back roads that save time and keep you moving toward the desired destination. A while back, I bought a GPS unit, in part, so I can find additional routes that can save time.

Unfortunately, I have discovered there are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity! If a person wants his or her life to count for God in a significant way, there is no shortcut. It’s not all that complicated, but, it’s certainly not easy!  No shortcut will lead you into the power of God and impact for His kingdom.

How can a Christian make a Godly impact on his world?  The answer can be found in a simple Scripture written by the Apostle Paul to the church of Galatia.  Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul alludes to this same truth in 2 Corinthians 12 when he tells about his William Shatner, Star Trek experience of being “beamed up” into Heaven where the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Paul responded by saying, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

These verses teach us that we cannot rely upon our own strengths to accomplish God’s will.  We will only see the power of God when we are filled with His presence and His power!  We trust Him to do what only He can do. The formula for spiritual success then is as follows:

Surrender +  faith  =  God’s Power

We do not apply this formula to our lives one time and then that’s it! No, we apply it daily–sometimes several times throughout the day. Walking with Christ implies a journey where we take step after step. Sometimes we will run; sometimes we will walk; sometimes we will stand still!

Book of “Acts”

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ActsI’ve been reading the Book of Acts the last couple of days. As I read I am reminded and convicted that the book is about the “acts” of the early followers of Jesus. They did not simply say they were believers; they acted it out each day in the way they lived. Many of them made great sacrifices along the way as disciples and many of them died for the faith.

I ask myself, “What am I sacrificing for Jesus? What acts in my life show that I stand with and stand for my Savior?”

In Acts 5, Peter and some of the Apostles were called before the Jewish religious court and were ultimately flogged for speaking about Jesus. After their brutal beating, the Bible says they they left “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41, NIV).

Wow! I don’t know about you, but passages like this challenge me and convict me. Any thoughts?