The prophet Habakkuk declared, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there be no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
In 1620, 102 Pilgrims sailed to this continent to build a new world where they could be free to worship God. Within a short time after they had landed on the shores of what would become Massachusetts, 56 had died due to a variety of hardships, including starvation, disease, and exposure to the unrelenting, bitterly cold winter weather. However, despite the difficulties and suffering they encountered, they did not give up. They persevered and continued trusting God, and in 1621, 46 Pilgrims and 91 Indians met to give thanks for the bountiful harvest and for the preservation of their crops. Though they had every reason to be concerned as to what the future might hold, they chose to be joyful and give thanks for the modest success they had enjoyed, and which they recognized as a blessing from God.
The circumstances which life presents to us are constantly changing, often dramatically so; one day the cupboard is full, the next we may struggle to put food on the table. One day we may exhibit the epitome of good health, the next day we may be informed of a serious illness. It is an unfortunate fact of life, but no one ever lives constantly on the mountain. We all will have our share of burdens to bear, and very often these will be thrust upon us by conditions which are beyond our control.
But one thing over which we do have control is our attitude. And as Habakkuk and the Pilgrims clearly demonstrate, one of the most important decisions we can make is to have an attitude of thankfulness. As Psalm 100:4 instructs us: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” We must choose to be thankful.
As a nation America is certainly experiencing some unsettling economic times. But God through his lovingkindness has been mighty good to all of us. And while there will certainly always be struggles which we must endure, God is obviously pleased when we establish an attitude of thanksgiving in our hearts. This Thanksgiving let’s pull some groans out of our prayers and shove in some halleluiah’s! Make a conscious choice to be thankful.
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” Col 2:6-7
See ya Sunday!
Pastor
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Winning and Losing
Yesterday our boys’ soccer team played in our conference championship game. Over my years of coaching I have planned and prepared for many such games. Thankfully we have won far more of them than we have lost. Unfortunately, this was not the case yesterday as we were beaten handily by a better opponent.
I did my best to lift the wounded spirits of the guys, but at times such as this, words, no matter how eloquently spoken, often fall short of accomplishing this intent. The sting of losing a game of this magnitude stays with you for a long while. My Dad used to say “show me a good loser and I will show you a loser.” The fact the boys took this loss so hard is a tribute to their competitive spirit.
Sad to say, losing is an unfortunate but inescapable part of life. It certainly is not what most of us would consider something to be embraced. But in reality, not all loss is bad. Some loss can be a pathway to bigger and better things, which is especially true in the Christian life. Take these few examples from the Bible: We must lose our childhood to become adults (1 Cor 13:11); A man must lose father and mother in order to cleave unto his wife (Gen 2:24); Jesus Himself told us that in order to find our life we must first lose our life (Luke 9:24, among others).
Though losing is often quite painful, it is never the less an inevitable consequence of life, in particular for those of us who truly want to live life to the fullest, as the following quote by Teddy Roosevelt makes plainly evident:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Simply stated: those who are afraid to lose will never win.
I have invested umpteen hours into the soccer program this fall. Although I feel this has been valuable time well spent with our young people, it has regrettably meant many of you reading this have been without a “full-time” Pastor these past 3 months. Soccer is now over, and so I will be returning to my “normal” duties! ;)
One final comment: although losing is part and parcel of life, one thing we can rejoice in is the fact we can never lose our salvation!!!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
I did my best to lift the wounded spirits of the guys, but at times such as this, words, no matter how eloquently spoken, often fall short of accomplishing this intent. The sting of losing a game of this magnitude stays with you for a long while. My Dad used to say “show me a good loser and I will show you a loser.” The fact the boys took this loss so hard is a tribute to their competitive spirit.
Sad to say, losing is an unfortunate but inescapable part of life. It certainly is not what most of us would consider something to be embraced. But in reality, not all loss is bad. Some loss can be a pathway to bigger and better things, which is especially true in the Christian life. Take these few examples from the Bible: We must lose our childhood to become adults (1 Cor 13:11); A man must lose father and mother in order to cleave unto his wife (Gen 2:24); Jesus Himself told us that in order to find our life we must first lose our life (Luke 9:24, among others).
Though losing is often quite painful, it is never the less an inevitable consequence of life, in particular for those of us who truly want to live life to the fullest, as the following quote by Teddy Roosevelt makes plainly evident:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Simply stated: those who are afraid to lose will never win.
I have invested umpteen hours into the soccer program this fall. Although I feel this has been valuable time well spent with our young people, it has regrettably meant many of you reading this have been without a “full-time” Pastor these past 3 months. Soccer is now over, and so I will be returning to my “normal” duties! ;)
One final comment: although losing is part and parcel of life, one thing we can rejoice in is the fact we can never lose our salvation!!!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Busy Days
I'm sorry for being slack in writing my blog. Soccer is in full swing and in the past couple of weeks we have had four games a week. Basically, that means a lot of days I am with our kids from 2 til 8. I have gotten to know these kids pretty well! I will tell you, they are a great group. These teens have great attitudes and that is hard to find these days. I'm impressed. I rejoice over the measured success of our graduates. You parents deserve a lot of credit; you're doing a great job.
Being a coach requires a lot. These folks are all volunteers. They put in a lot of hours. The majority of our teachers leave at 4:00. The coaches spend the rest of the day and a lot of the evening working. Pray for them. They have unbelievable influence on your kids.
Next week are the playoffs, then if we move on, the champoinship. It's a tough challenge but we are up for it!
I thought our program on the cross was phenominal. Each week we were challenged to love, honor and lift up the Lord Jesus. Thanks to the Production Team for a job well done! We've got some special services coming up. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. Stay faithful.
Lord willing I'll see you Sunday!
Pastor
Being a coach requires a lot. These folks are all volunteers. They put in a lot of hours. The majority of our teachers leave at 4:00. The coaches spend the rest of the day and a lot of the evening working. Pray for them. They have unbelievable influence on your kids.
Next week are the playoffs, then if we move on, the champoinship. It's a tough challenge but we are up for it!
I thought our program on the cross was phenominal. Each week we were challenged to love, honor and lift up the Lord Jesus. Thanks to the Production Team for a job well done! We've got some special services coming up. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. Stay faithful.
Lord willing I'll see you Sunday!
Pastor
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Revival!
Wow! What a great Revival Meeting! I was inspired, encouraged, convicted and impressed by the soul-stirring music and the preaching of God’s Word. I feel that we have a new breath on our ministry.
Brother Lee was at his best. His messages hit home and were from his heart. I was moved as I’m sure you were to love and serve our Lord more.
Thank you for your faithfulness to the meetings. To all those who worked the nursery, picked up folks, the ushers, the choir, all the musicians, I say a heartfelt “Thank you for your labor of love.”
I’m looking forward to continuing our program this Sunday with “The People of the Cross”.
See you then!
Pastor
Brother Lee was at his best. His messages hit home and were from his heart. I was moved as I’m sure you were to love and serve our Lord more.
Thank you for your faithfulness to the meetings. To all those who worked the nursery, picked up folks, the ushers, the choir, all the musicians, I say a heartfelt “Thank you for your labor of love.”
I’m looking forward to continuing our program this Sunday with “The People of the Cross”.
See you then!
Pastor
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
March to a different beat!
Early in Israel’s history, God ordained that judges would be responsible for overseeing the adherence of the nation to His law, maintaining the social order and administering justice. Unfortunately, as time passed the Israelites allowed the cultures of the surrounding heathen nations to influence them, and they began to clamor to be like them and be ruled by a king. God reluctantly yielded to them, and gave them Saul as king. As is abundantly evident in the Biblical record, the results were catastrophic! God had intended for His people to be different than other nations, but now they were becoming as the heathens around them, both in practice and in spirit.
America likewise has always been different than other nations! The principles upon which this country was established were derived from Biblical precepts. Since our inception our leaders have sought God’s direction, not the direction of those around us. We have always been different in body and spirit. We marched to a different beat because our guiding values were based on a different book, the Bible.
But recently, a disturbing trend has been taking place. Both the executive and judicial branches of our government are looking to other nations to develop our national policies. And we are fast becoming like Israel in the sense that we want to be “like” everyone else. Look around the world and you will see the disastrous consequences that result when a people embrace a philosophy of man over the clear teachings God has revealed in the Bible. Socialism has caused the better part of Europe to begin to self destruct. Greece, Italy, Spain and France have all begun to display the signs of countries whose societies are eroding from within. What’s wrong with socialism? After all, on the surface it seems to be a “fair” system; the government taking care of everyone! The problem lies in the notion that government has endless resources to accomplish this. But the government by nature does not produce material goods. It in fact must take from those who have earned through their own industry in order to give it to those who have not. This is nothing less than government theft, and ultimately produces a climate of entitlement, and a population who will by and large become dependent on that government. As Margaret Thatcher aptly said, ” The problem with socialism is when the other guy runs out of money”.
America has prospered because the people who came here worked hard, relying on their own industriousness and resourcefulness, not because of government hand-outs. An enterprising spirit along with a dependence on divine help has always set us apart from others. May it ever be so!
We do not need to look elsewhere and embrace the failed philosophies of men. We need to return to the foundational concepts upon which this country was constructed. In closing, I believe these words spoken by Ben Franklin to the Continental Congress are most appropriate: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His Aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this.”
God bless you all!
See you sunday!
Pastor
America likewise has always been different than other nations! The principles upon which this country was established were derived from Biblical precepts. Since our inception our leaders have sought God’s direction, not the direction of those around us. We have always been different in body and spirit. We marched to a different beat because our guiding values were based on a different book, the Bible.
But recently, a disturbing trend has been taking place. Both the executive and judicial branches of our government are looking to other nations to develop our national policies. And we are fast becoming like Israel in the sense that we want to be “like” everyone else. Look around the world and you will see the disastrous consequences that result when a people embrace a philosophy of man over the clear teachings God has revealed in the Bible. Socialism has caused the better part of Europe to begin to self destruct. Greece, Italy, Spain and France have all begun to display the signs of countries whose societies are eroding from within. What’s wrong with socialism? After all, on the surface it seems to be a “fair” system; the government taking care of everyone! The problem lies in the notion that government has endless resources to accomplish this. But the government by nature does not produce material goods. It in fact must take from those who have earned through their own industry in order to give it to those who have not. This is nothing less than government theft, and ultimately produces a climate of entitlement, and a population who will by and large become dependent on that government. As Margaret Thatcher aptly said, ” The problem with socialism is when the other guy runs out of money”.
America has prospered because the people who came here worked hard, relying on their own industriousness and resourcefulness, not because of government hand-outs. An enterprising spirit along with a dependence on divine help has always set us apart from others. May it ever be so!
We do not need to look elsewhere and embrace the failed philosophies of men. We need to return to the foundational concepts upon which this country was constructed. In closing, I believe these words spoken by Ben Franklin to the Continental Congress are most appropriate: “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His Aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this.”
God bless you all!
See you sunday!
Pastor
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Revive Us!
James 4 exhorts us to “draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye double minded.” In this passage, James has essentially provided the framework for the concept of revival.
All of us experience highs and lows; one day we’re on top of the mountain, the next we may be traversing through the lowest valley. This is what C.S. Lewis described as the “Law of Spiritual Undulation” of the Christian life; the tendency to move from spiritual highs when the blessings of God are clearly evident, to times of spiritual lows when the trials of life provoke us to battle with doubts or discouragement. Our hearts get cold and calloused, and let’s be honest, even bored at times, and at some point, we all need revival. We need to get back to the fire and warm ourselves again.
Revival is bringing back to life that which has previously had life. Of course, this means you cannot have revival unless you’ve already had “life”. God’s people are “born again” into a new life, adopted into God’s family; yet at different seasons of life we need a new stirring of the Spirit of God; a quickening of our spiritual life. We need a personal revival.
Gypsy Smith, an evangelist of yesteryear said, “The way to have a personal revival is to draw a circle around yourself, get down on your knees and say “OH Lord send revival and let it start inside this circle.”
Charles Finney, the great evangelist said, “Revival is a new beginning of obedience unto God.”
All of us need that! Amen.
This Sunday will start our Fall Revival with Evangelist Tim Lee. I would encourage everyone to make a commitment to participate as I am sure we can all use some “revival” in our spiritual lives! This is our church and together we need to seek God’s blessings through obedience. Each night bring your family and your Bible but most of all bring your heart open, ready to receive what God has for you. Let us all pray this week that God will send us true Holy Ghost revival. I can’t wait!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
All of us experience highs and lows; one day we’re on top of the mountain, the next we may be traversing through the lowest valley. This is what C.S. Lewis described as the “Law of Spiritual Undulation” of the Christian life; the tendency to move from spiritual highs when the blessings of God are clearly evident, to times of spiritual lows when the trials of life provoke us to battle with doubts or discouragement. Our hearts get cold and calloused, and let’s be honest, even bored at times, and at some point, we all need revival. We need to get back to the fire and warm ourselves again.
Revival is bringing back to life that which has previously had life. Of course, this means you cannot have revival unless you’ve already had “life”. God’s people are “born again” into a new life, adopted into God’s family; yet at different seasons of life we need a new stirring of the Spirit of God; a quickening of our spiritual life. We need a personal revival.
Gypsy Smith, an evangelist of yesteryear said, “The way to have a personal revival is to draw a circle around yourself, get down on your knees and say “OH Lord send revival and let it start inside this circle.”
Charles Finney, the great evangelist said, “Revival is a new beginning of obedience unto God.”
All of us need that! Amen.
This Sunday will start our Fall Revival with Evangelist Tim Lee. I would encourage everyone to make a commitment to participate as I am sure we can all use some “revival” in our spiritual lives! This is our church and together we need to seek God’s blessings through obedience. Each night bring your family and your Bible but most of all bring your heart open, ready to receive what God has for you. Let us all pray this week that God will send us true Holy Ghost revival. I can’t wait!
See you Sunday!
Pastor
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
In Honor of Our Fallen Soldiers
It was certainly an emotional day this past Sunday when we honored those precious families that suffered the loss of a son in Iraq or Afghanistan. Heart-rending may actually be a more appropriate description. If you were not moved by the life stories behind each of these valiant young men, you better check your pulse! In the coming weeks we plan to have the names of these dear men engraved on the bench designed in their honor.
Solomon said “Sorrow is better than mirth (laughter).” Although this may seem to be a rather cynical attitude, it is actually rooted in Solomon’s astute observation that we tend to learn and grow stronger in faith more from times of sorrow than we do from times of joy.
Experiencing sorrow is typically not considered to be something beneficial, but Solomon would argue that it does have some positive effects. For one, it causes us to “reconnect” with our humanity, often compelling us to reach out to our fellow man in ways we otherwise would not (this Sunday’s service, for instance!). It also forces us to recognize our inherent weakness as humans, and that some things are beyond our control. This in turn provides insight as to our own limitations; we are so limited just by our being finite human beings. But God is unlimited, and God is infinitely wise and perfect in all His ways. If we acknowledge these contrasting realities, and we place our trust in God and rely on his providence, times of sorrow will strengthen our faith and fortify our spiritual muscle. I guess Solomon knew what he was talking about!
This Sunday our theme will be on “The Power of the Cross”. We have some great things planned at Chestertown Baptist Church. If you miss a Sunday, you miss a lot!
Please know that I love and appreciate you all.
See ya Sunday!
Pastor
Solomon said “Sorrow is better than mirth (laughter).” Although this may seem to be a rather cynical attitude, it is actually rooted in Solomon’s astute observation that we tend to learn and grow stronger in faith more from times of sorrow than we do from times of joy.
Experiencing sorrow is typically not considered to be something beneficial, but Solomon would argue that it does have some positive effects. For one, it causes us to “reconnect” with our humanity, often compelling us to reach out to our fellow man in ways we otherwise would not (this Sunday’s service, for instance!). It also forces us to recognize our inherent weakness as humans, and that some things are beyond our control. This in turn provides insight as to our own limitations; we are so limited just by our being finite human beings. But God is unlimited, and God is infinitely wise and perfect in all His ways. If we acknowledge these contrasting realities, and we place our trust in God and rely on his providence, times of sorrow will strengthen our faith and fortify our spiritual muscle. I guess Solomon knew what he was talking about!
This Sunday our theme will be on “The Power of the Cross”. We have some great things planned at Chestertown Baptist Church. If you miss a Sunday, you miss a lot!
Please know that I love and appreciate you all.
See ya Sunday!
Pastor
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