Category: Life Happens

Lessons from the Ark

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Funny, Life Happens, Preaching1 Comment

Someone recently sent me an email about Noah’s Ark.  As a preacher, it caused me to think of several sermon ideas I missed over the years.  Read over the following “Lessons from the Ark” for yourself and see if you find them as helpful as I do.

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah’s Ark . . .

  1. Don’t miss the boat.
  2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.
  3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
  4. Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
  5. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
  6. Build your future on high ground.
  7. For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
  8. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
  9. When you’re stressed, float a while.
  10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
  11. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.

I want to thank my email friend for the sermon ideas and the “kernels” of wisdom.  I hope they help you as they have me.

Can A Christian Be Divorced?

Posted in Church Chat, Life Happens, Preaching, Worship1 Comment

I am currently preaching a Summer Sermon Series called Hot Topics. This week’s sermon is entitled, Can A Christian Be Divorced? Several of my pastor friends believe that this week’s “divorce sermon” will be the most difficult message to deliver in the entire series. I suppose they’re correct, but all that I know to do is to explore what the Bible says on the subject.

During this series, I have been reminded over and over that most people want to hear the truth. They want a preacher to stand with a heart full of love and share straight from God’s Word. Even if the topic is difficult, they want to know what God has to say! Well, this summer, I’m desperately trying to share what God has to say on each of these hot topics.

If you would like to hear any or all of the sermons from this series, you can listen to them on our website at http://www.shelbyvillebaptist.com.

The Kind of Person God Uses

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Life Happens, PreachingLeave a comment

Have you ever wondered why God uses a particular person or a certain church?  Have you ever looked at them and wondered what they had that you did not have?  I believe there are at least four observations we can make about people or churches that God uses….

  • God uses the person who is following His mission. As Dr. Henry Blackaby said in Experiencing God, most of us pray “Lord, bless what I’m doing” when we should be praying “Lord, help me to do what you are blessing!”  God will bless those who are focusing on HIS mission instead of focusing on THEIR mission.
  • God uses the person who is willing to risk failure. Following Jesus is not for the faint at heart.  Acts 15:26 reminds us that Paul and Barnabus “risked their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Erwin McManus says that we have become domesticated Christians, unwilling to risk anything for the cause of Christ.  The truth is, that our lifestyle is far-removed from the Book of Acts.  I’m not saying we should simply take foolish risks for no reason, but we should be willing to go anywhere God leads and attempt anything God says we should attempt, even if there’s no guarantee of success.
  • God uses the person who expects to be used. Jesus told the two blind men, “According to your faith will it be done to you”  (Matthew 9:29).  Rick Warren says that there is one consistent ingredient he sees in every church where God is working — people who are willing to believe God.  In other words, the faith factor.
  • God uses the person who never gives up. Paul reminds us to “not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).  Most people miss the harvest simply because they quit too soon.  The harvest takes time, but God’s timing is always perfect.  We should NEVER give up.  Sometimes the game is won on a last-second shot….on a two-out blast….on a hail-Mary heave.

This past week my mom’s youngest brother went home to be with the Lord.  As I sat and heard his children, my first cousins, talk about what a wonderful father he was and what a Godly example he was, I was reminded that we should serve God passionately.  We should serve Him daily.  We should serve Him to the very end of our life.  We should finish the course and keep the faith.  THAT is the kind of person God uses.

My Story

Posted in Evangelism, Life Happens2 Comments

My name is Steve Rice and this is a brief story of the most important thing in my life.  I grew up as somewhat of a hillbilly in eastern Kentucky.  I lived in Floyd County and graduated from Betsy Layne High School.  I loved to hunt and fish.  I loved to ride motorcycles and play basketball.  I especially loved to golf. Jack Nicklaus was always my favorite golfer.  My dad was a plumbing and heating contractor and my mom was a stay-at-home mom.  They were both hard workers and I had about anything I wanted as a boy.

I was happy, but when I was fourteen years old, I started to feel like a piece of the puzzle was missing in my life.  I went to church all the time with my parents, but I realized I had never personally made a decision for Christ.  I started worrying about what would happen to me if I died without Christ. One day after my pastor, Earl Waugh preached, I walked down the hardwood aisle in the First Baptist Church of Allen and told him I wanted to become a Christian.  He led me in a simple prayer and I asked Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins.

Right away, I could tell something was different.  I didn’t worry any more about death and a peace came to my life.  I’ve been a Christian now for thirty-seven years.  I still have problems and still make mistakes like everyone else.  But God has always been there to pick me up and wipe me off.  My mom passed away in ‘92.  I miss her more and more every year.  I don’t know how I would have made it during that time without the Lord.  I try to live for the Lord every day the best I know how.

Through the years God has blessed me with a wonderful wife and three awesome children, but that’s enough talk about me.  I’d like to hear about your life.  Has this kind of thing ever happened to you?  Do you feel like something or someone is missing from your life?  Would you like to invite Christ to come into your life?  If I can answer any questions or help you with a decision to invite Christ into your life please email me at srice@fbcshelbyville.com.

Honoring Our Military – “Raw Worship”

Posted in Discipleship, Life Happens, Worship2 Comments

(Written 10/23/2008)

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”John 4:24

Can you remember the most moving worship service you ever attended? I can, because it was only two days ago, on Easter Sunday.

My wife and I entered the Chapel Service at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas with our son wearing his sharp “dress blues.” Around us sat 1,000 young, uniformed men and women, at all stages of military basic training–“zero weekers” to “new airmen.”

Music videos played as we entered. Toward the beginning of the service, the worship leaders and band led some upbeat worship music along with a jazzed-up version of a moving hymn.

Then IT happened–the most powerful worship moment I can remember! The Mark Schultz video, Letters from War, began to play. In amazing unison, the soldiers leaped to their feet, let out a yell, and started passing around boxes of tissues. As the song began, every soldier was singing and every soldier was crying.

The moment was raw….the moment was real! They seemed to understand that God helped them through another week of “Hell on earth” as they prepared to serve our country. That week, the God of the Bible had been their God, their helper, their strength.

The most touching moment was the point in the video when the soldier came home. As his car turned down the lane to his farm on the video, the soldiers let out an enormous cheer. Wow! Patriotism and the Spirit of God was as powerful as any moment in my life.

Later, during the offering, I watched my son count out 10% of his small, military salary and place it in the basket as it passed. Words can never adequately describe how I felt at that moment!

The truth is, our churches are starving for that level of raw worship. Assimilation rates will dramatically improve if we achieve worship that is real….worship that is raw…worship that is relevant! Even though I have been a Christian for 34 years, I personally long for that kind of worship. I fear that we may have to experience a great trial in our lives, similar to these soldiers, if we ever hope to cling desperately to God again.

Prayer: “Lord, whatever it takes. Let us see You. Let us sense You. Let us experience You. Let us worship You in a way that is raw and real. Let us serve you with a living sacrifice which is our reasonable service because You are worthy!”