Category: Life Happens

Adopted

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This morning at Shelbyville First Baptist Church, Holly Prosser shared her testimony about adopting her daughter Ellie.  Ellie’s story is a heart-wrenching, fascinating drama about moving from an Ethiopian orphanage to a loving, American family where she is growing and flourishing.  Check out the picture of Ellie and “mom” this past Christmas.  Also, be sure to checkout Holly’s blog here!

God does the exact same thing for us when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus.  He moves us from a position of helplessness to a position of hope.  He adopts us as His own child and promises to provide and care for us throughout eternity.  When business guru Peter Drucker was asked why he became a Christian, he simply answered, “There’s no better deal!”  Indeed, there’s no better deal than being adopted by God Himself.

Look how the Apostle John describes this awesome deal of adoption:

     1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

 

 

An Old Passion Returns

Posted in Church Chat, Life Happens4 Comments

I began to run regularly in my mid 20s.  I was very passionate about the sport and thought about it throughout the day.  As soon as I completed a run I was thinking about my next run.  As a result of running, I reached a fairly high level of fitness and enjoyed running in several races over the years. 

After becoming a pastor, I got sidetracked from running for a few years.  A couple of my friends from Belfry, Roger Varney and Harold Osborne, inspired me to get started again and I rediscovered my passion for running very quickly.  I think I became fairly fit again and I set several personal records (PRs) in local races.

Then “it” happened.  I had my first injury.  I tore a menicus in my knee and had to have surgery.  Although the injury was not all that serious, I never resumed running with the same intensity.  Through the years I became less active and put on some weight.  This past January I decided that I had to do something about my weight and my level of fitness.  Since January 18, I have lost 39 pounds and have rediscovered my passion for running.  One tool that has been very beneficial to me is a website call MyPlate.  This website helps you set weight goals and monitor calorie intake.

I said all this to say that I plan to blog occasionally about my running ventures.  I apologize in advance because I realize that not everyone is passionate about running.  I hope to connect my writing about running to our daily race for Christ.  Just as I long to be faithful throughout my life in my race for Christ, I long to remain faithful in my personal fitness and running.  Writing about it here will give me an outlet and a level of accountability.  Thank you in advance for your patience.

Thess passages come to mind this morning….

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”  1 Corinthians 9:24

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  2 Timothy 4:7

“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.”  Hebrews 12:1

 

Fights and Quarrels in the Church

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Funny, Life Happens2 Comments

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.This week I’ve been reading from the New Testament written by James, the brother of Jesus.  In the passage above, James asks the question, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?”  Then he answers his own question by saying, “Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?”  James 4:1-3, NIV

This week I have been reading the New Testament book written by James, the brother of Jesus.  I love his letter written “To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1) because it is very practical and very direct.  We need more preaching and teaching like that today.

In the above passage (4:1-3), James identifies the source of most “fights and quarrels” in the church–they derive from our selfish, personal desires.  The greek word for the term “desires” is the source of the word “hedonism.”  Dictionary.com defines “hedonism” as “the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.”

We live in a day when many believe that the church exists to serve them, to entertain them, and to make them happy, but actually the opposite is true.  The Church does not exist to serve us; as Christians, we exist to serve the Church. 

May the Lord help every believer in every Christ-honoring church to set aside his or her personal desires for the church to pursue the desires that the Lord has for His church!  May it begin in me.

The “Skinny” on Spiritual Growth

Posted in Church Chat, Discipleship, Life Happens, Ministry1 Comment

The last few weeks at Shelbyville First Baptist Church, Pastor Andy McDonald and I have been teaching our second-level foundational class called Maturity 201.  The class includes some of the material written by Dr. Rick Warren as well as material I personally wrote for the class.

In Maturity 201 we discuss the important subject of spiritual maturity.  Here is a brief excerpt from the class:

FACTS ABOUT SPIRITUAL MATURITY

  • Spiritual maturity IS NOT automatic.  A Christian believer must be disciplined and work at achieving spiritual maturity.  We can’t just sit back and “hope” it happens.  We have to develop and practice the spiritual habits that lead us to spiritual maturity.  For more information on this topic, read my other entries under the “discipleship” category. 

“You have been Christians for a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others, but instead … you need someone to teach you … When a person is still living on milk, it shows he isn’t very far along in the Christian life … He’s still a baby Christian!”  Hebrews 5:12-13 (LB)

  • Spiritual maturity is a journey.  Ultimately, spiritual maturity will take a lifetime.  It is a process–a lifelong journey of becoming more and more like Christ.

“Learn to be mature.”  Proverbs 8:5 (GN)

“Continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our savior Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 3:18 (GN)

  • Spiritual maturity takes discipline.  Spiritual maturity is not complicated, but it is not easy.  It takes discipline to be spiritually fit just like it takes discipline to be physically fit.

“Take the time and the trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.”  1 Timothy 4:7b (Ph)

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”  1 Timothy 4:7b (NASB)

 

Jesus = Happiness!

Posted in Church Chat, Evangelism, Life Happens2 Comments

This Sunday at Shelbyville First Baptist Church I am preaching from Matthew 19:16-30 (see below).  The first portion of this passage (vv. 16-22) relays the story about the young wealthy ruler who asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life”  (v. 16).  Although He had everything his world said that a person needed to be happy, he still sensed that something was missing.  His instincts and the Holy Spirit correctly led him to Jesus, but ultimately, he was unwilling to place God’s will above his own. Tragically, the Bible says that “he went away sorrowful” (v. 22).

I have never been rich; I have never been a ruler; I have seen younger days, but I am happy; I am peaceful; and I am full of joy!  Everything is not “perfect” in my life, but “He” (Jesus) is perfect in my life.  I realize that this all sounds unusual if you are not a Christian.  Although I’m a preacher, I’m not preaching here.  I’m simply saying that my life changed when I met Jesus!  He is my intimate friend and constant companion.  He gave His life for me and I am striving to “give” my life for Him.

If you are a Christian.  Give a shoutout for Jesus and a brief testimony about your relationship with Him.  If you are not a Christian, please consider trusting Him as your personal Savior and following Him as the Lord of your life. 

      16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Matthew 19:16-22 (English Standard Version)