New Assignment from the Lord

Posted in Church Chat, Ministry1 Comment

On Sunday, September 16, 2012, I submitted my resignation as senior pastor of the historic 193-year-old First Baptist Church of Shelbyville, Kentucky with a heavy heart and with tear-filled eyes. Words can NEVER express my gratitude for the support and encouragement given to me during my time there. I assume the position of Team Leader of Church Consulting & Revitalization for the Kentucky Baptist Convention on October 1, 2012.

We will continue to live in Shelbyville and we plan to continue to be active members of Shelbyville First Baptist Church. Because of my Kentucky Baptist Convention job responsibilities, I will be out many Sundays, but my family will continue to attend regularly. Allow me to share a few final thoughts concerning the days ahead.

Let’s trust God together. Let’s thank God for our journey together and fully trust Him as we move forward. Although I did not see this transition coming, God was not surprised. In looking back now, I can see His hand in preparing me for this new role and I can see His hand in preparing our church for this next season of ministry.

Show your loyalty to God and to Shelbyville First Baptist. This has been a great church for over 193 years. God will provide you with a leader. Now is the time for you to support the church with your attendance, your service, and your finances.

Make this a time to grow closer to God and to each other. Great churches always unite during a time of transition. Give visible love and support to one another and make this an opportunity for a fresh start. Walk close to our Father and close to His children.

Release us and help us follow God. I have always taught you that we should follow God regardless of the cost. Please know that our hearts are heavy. We humbly seek your blessing and your understanding. Help us have courage and release us to follow God. Pray that our faith will be strengthened and that God will anoint our ministry to the churches across the state of Kentucky.

Love your new pastor. When God brings a new pastor to you, give him the same love and support you gave me. Be his friend and be his partner in ministry. But remember, I will be his biggest cheerleader!

Don’t be a stranger. We have treasured your friendship and partnership in the gospel. We still desire and need your friendship as fellow Christians in the Lord’s work. Please include us in your prayers, your friendships, and your gatherings.

Love Jesus. There is no greater joy than serving and loving Jesus because of His grace and His love. He is faithful and I encourage you to faithfully love Him above all else!

 

I Love Summer in Shelbyville

Posted in Church Chat2 Comments

I LOVED THIS SUMMER at Shelbyville First Baptist Church!  Summer meant Vacation Bible School, mission trips, Acts 1:8 teams, church outings, and a different pace.

Like most families, we traveled some this summer.  We headed to California to see our oldest son and our new daughter-in-law, Nathalie.  I performed their wedding halfway up a mountain in Yosemite National Park while we were there.  Maybe Laura and I can FINALLY get some grandchildren!

This summer at church we focused on revival-style messages.  I called the Summer Sermon Series “THIRST” based Psalm 63:1.

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

I tried to preach these messages from God’s Word with the aim of creating a Godly thirst for the Lord.  I would simply call them “old-fashion, revival-style” messages.

If you would like to listen to any of the messages in the THIRST series, you can access them on our church website.

California or Bust

Posted in Life Happens3 Comments

Last week we headed out to sunny California with our family.  While there, in addition to vacationing, we visited with our oldest son who is an active member of the United State Air Force.  We had not seen him in a year, so it was great to spend time together.

On our trip, we also met our soon-to-be daughter-in-law and found her to be a lovely person.  On Thursday, we drove to the Yosemite National Park for site-seeing and a wedding.  That’s right–a wedding!  We hiked halfway up to Yosemite Falls, and after I caught my breath, I performed the ceremony right there on the mountain.  It was a memorable and beautiful setting indeed!

California is a beautiful state!  From the high Pacific coast cliffs on Highway 1 to the grandeur of Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite–WOW!  Not to mention the sequoia’s.  It was all breathtaking.

The final day, we traveled back to San Francisco.  We loved riding the cable cars and hiking around the Golden Gate bridge area.  More than anything, we loved being with family.  My perspective concerning California can be summed up in the familiar phrase, “it’s a wonderful place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”  I guess for me the saying “once a Kentuckian; always a Kentuckian” is true!

Do I Yearn for You?

Posted in Life Happens, Worship1 Comment

Tonight I sit wide awake in the early hours of the morning as I wrestle with this question, “do I yearn for God”?  The song “Yearn” by Shane and Shane has captured me. It haunts me. I hear it everywhere I go. I can’t escape it.

Tonight, I understand why.  God has reminded me that there was a time when I thirsted for Him night and day–a time when He was my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. There was a time when I would literally rather sneak away and spend time with Him than eat, and often did. A time when I devoured His Word every day. A time when I looked for any and every opportunity to share the story of Jesus.

Tonight, He reminded me of special moments at the Morehead Baptist Student Union, of the afternoon I led a man to Christ on the streets of Flemingsburg, of nights sitting on the hill above my house at Banner, and of day-long hikes in the hills of eastern Kentucky–all because I yearned for Him. All because He was everything to me. All because I was desperate for Him. All because I couldn’t get enough.

God is reminding me tonight and it’s painful–so painful that it’s hard to see as I type, but the pain gives me hope that He hasn’t given up on me. The pain gives me hope that He will still use me in His work, but His message has never been more clear. “My son, only if you yearn for Me! There’s no shortcut….YEARN! There’s no secret–YEARN! There’s no other way–YEARN! YEARN!”

The chorus of “Yearn” by Shane and Shane goes like this:

Lord, I wanna yearn for You. I wanna burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, I wanna yearn for You. I wanna burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, I wanna yearn.

In humility can I ask you, do you yearn for Him? Is He everything to you? Do you burn with passion in your life for Him, and only Him?  If so, praise God! If not, then do whatever it takes to get there. Remove anything in your life that dampens your fire and passion for Him. Yearn! Yearn for Him! He desires it. He deserves it. He demands it.

“Lord, help me yearn for You. Help me burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, help me yearn for You. Help me burn with passion over You, and only You. Lord, I wanna yearn.”

The Title That Lasts Forever

Posted in Discipleship, EvangelismLeave a comment

Tonight I sit awaiting the championship game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament with mixed emotions. Oh, don’t misunderstand, I’ll be watching every second, coaching from my chair with every play, leaning and jiving, cheering loudly for the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Yet, for some reason things are different as I age.  As I mature in the Lord (hopefully), I realize that tonight’s game is just that–a game! The title of NCAA 2012 Men’s Basketball title, like all earthly titles, regardless how prestigious, are only temporary.

When it’s all said and done, I hope that UK will hang its 8th National Championship Banner, but what title will last throughout eternity, when it’s all said and done? What title should I seek? What title should you seek? The title we should desire is the Biblical title of OVERCOMER! Who is an Overcomer? What does that title mean? Consider the following verses from the Word of God:

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 (ESV)

When I repent of my sins and place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, I am “born of God.” Those who are born of God are Overcomers. Jesus told Nicodemus:

3 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 3:3-6 (ESV)

I encourage you to search your soul and know with 100% certainty that you have born of God. Examine your heart and be sure that you are God’s child and that you possess the title of Overcomer through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Life is filled with uncertainties, but eternity can be definite. Decide right now to be an Overcomer!