“Purdy” Green Hills

Posted in Life HappensLeave a comment

A couple of months ago, my sister-in-law, told me about a Bluegrass Festival she recently attended with my brother. She mailed me a CD of David Evans, one of the musicians she heard at the event. I have listened to the recording dozens of times—I especially like the song called “Purdy (Pretty) Green Hills.”  That’s the way Mr. Evans sings the word “pretty” in the song.

The song tells the story of a man who picks up an old hitchhiker. The driver asks the old man where he wants to go and this is his reply:

 “Purdy green hills, purdy green hills”….He said, “take me into them purdy green hills.”

Now, before you even think it, I know those words would make an English teacher sweat like a UK Football season ticket holder, but hang with me. The song even talks about going into a country store and buying some “bloney” (bologna). You know you’ve got a great song when it talks about eating country bologna. Can I get an “Amen”?

Let me say that I LOVE Shelbyville. I LOVE living here. I LOVE our church. I LOVE the topography and beauty of the area. Every morning when I lace on my New Balance running shoes and trot around our community, I thank God for placing us here. BUT, as a person who grew up in the “purdy green hills” of Eastern Kentucky, I perfectly understand the old man’s words in the song. You can take a boy out of the hills, but you can’t take the hills out of the boy.

This past Saturday, as a part of KBC’s Super Saturday, I traveled back down into those “purdy green hills” to teach three conferences in Prestonsburg. Prestonsburg is in Floyd County, my home county. Saturday morning I rose early and ran a 6-mile loop through the streets of the town where I spent so much time as a boy. I recalled Saturday outings with my mom, trips to town with my grandfather—I even ran right by my great Aunt’s home before she rose for the day. We ate at the Jenny Wiley Lodge where I played many a game of ping pong as a teenager and where I attended my high school prom.

Laura and I will probably never live in Eastern Kentucky again, but every now and then, it does my heart good to visit “them purdy green hills.”

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.

“Hot Topics”

Posted in Funny2 Comments

Through the summer I’m opening up a can of  worms at Shelbyville First Baptist Church! I’m wading in waters where I might just drown! I’m going out on a limb!  I’m biting off more than I can chew! I’m waking up several sleeping dogs! I’m swimming with the sharks! I’m taking a stick and hitting a hornet’s nest. For the entire summer, I’m going where very few preachers will dare go!

On Sunday, June 5, I will begin a sermon series called HOT TOPICS! I will address some of the most difficult and sensitive questions in life today. Here’s the list:

  • June 5: What Does the Bible Say about Homosexuality?
  • June 12: Is Laziness a Sin?
  • June 19: Is Sex a Four-letter Word?
  • June 26: Can a Christian Be Divorced?
  • July 10: Is Osama Bin Laden in Hell?
  • July 17: Is Abortion Always Wrong?
  • July 24: Is It a Sin to Be Rich?
  • July 31: What Music Is Real “Christian” Music?
  • August 7: Are We Prejudiced in Shelbyville?
See what I mean? I’m not sure if I’m really thinking straight, but we’re going to just go for it. We’re going to cut to the chase, shoot straight, get down to brass tacks, hit the nail on the head which may go over like a lead balloon. You may be able to say a lot of things about your pastor at the end of the series, but you WILL NOT be able to say that he is unwilling to tackle difficult subjects. Please use this series of sermons to invite your family and friends to church. Give them one of the Hot Topics Invite Card….who knows, they might just come.

Record Attendance on Easter 2011

Posted in Church Chat, WorshipLeave a comment

We had a BIG Day on Easter 2011 as we kicked off our new sermon series called The Life You’ve Always Wanted. Since 2007, we have been carefully tracking worship attendance and last Sunday’s attendance was a record for that time period. Thank you for all your hard work toward making Easter at Shelbyville Baptist a huge success.

This Sunday we will continue our sermon series with a message entitled Life with Meaning. We will study King Solomon and his quest to find true meaning and purpose in life.

Luke Wisely, our new contemporary worship leader, will be leading our 8:30 am service and Gene Wright, our worship pastor, will be leading our 11:00 am service. See you there!