A while back, while standing in line at the supermarket, my eyes caught the following headline on a newspaper; "World's Most Beautiful Woman Hospitalized". It was an account of Elizabeth Taylor and an illness she was battling. I thought about that for a second and thought, I guess the world has no better candidate. However, God does!

The Bible says "Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised".

I just returned from the memorial services for Mrs. Janet Faulkner. For those of you who did not know her, she is the Mom of our own Sharon Baugher. I had a small part in the service and was humbled to do so. Dear Mrs. Faulkner was absolutely one of the sweetest, kindest, most generous, compassionate people this side of heaven.

I can honestly say it has been my privilege to know her these many years. To say she was a great woman would be an understatement. Only eternity will reveal her meek and quiet spirits' impact on her family and those who knew her.

She had a strong relationship with the Lord. She prayed for me. I'm going to seek the help of others as I will miss her intercession on my behalf.

Mrs. Faulkner, thank you for your kindness extended to me. I could always see Jesus in you. I shall miss your smile, your tender hello, and your warm sense of humor. I can truly say I am a better man for knowing you. Our loss is heaven's gain. Thank you for revealing Jesus in your life. We look forward to the day when we shall see you again. You will be missed - but not forever.

Herbrews 12:1

Pastor

Leadership is a Privilege

My entrance into the ministry was not as a Pastor. My introduction to ministry was when I was asked to be an Assistant Pastor and minister to the college students. I saw firsthand how a church can impact young people when it pours its energies into building lives and reaching people. A couple years later I became a Pastor. In total, I have pastored for 31 years. I can honestly say it has been a joy and delight to be a Pastor. Pastors have to be a lot of things; a preacher, a counselor, and at times a referee, but most of all, a leader. That is the most difficult thing about it. Whatever else a Pastor must be, he must be a leader. He has no choice. Two of the terms used for a Pastor in the New Testament are "shepherd" and "overseer". A shepherd leads a flock and an overseer sees over the affairs of the church. A Pastor has no choice in terms of whether or not he is a leader and in reality, no one does.

All of us are leaders in some capacity. We all have influence over someone. We are all leaders to some degree.

Only twice in the Bible do we read that Jesus was amazed at anything. Mark tells us that Jesus was amazed that the people in his home town rejected his ministry. Then Luke tells us the story of the Centurion that amazed Jesus. The Centurion had a servant who was sick and he sent word to Jesus to heal the man. Jesus started to go to the man's house when the Centurion stopped him. The Centurion said "No Lord. I am a man under authority." In other words, I understand leadership. He then asked Jesus just to speak the word and heal the servant. This amazed Jesus because the scripture says that Jesus marveled. Whatever else you learn, learn this: to be over, you must be under. It's so true in every life. Constantly I must place my life under the authority of God. To be a good leader I must yield to my authority, the Lord Jesus. This must be done daily. Paul said "I die daily." The secret to leadership is yielding. As I yield to Christ I will become the leader God wants me to be. Today, pray and yield. And as you do, you will see leadership is a privilege.

It's my privilege to be your Pastor. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity.

See you on Sunday.

Pastor

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Rolling Stone magazine ranks it as the number two song on its "500 Greatest Hits of All Time". It is the number one song on VH-1's "One Hundred Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time". The reason it became so much of a hit was not because of how it sounded but what it said. You may remember the title, "I Can't Get No Satisfaction".

I must admit that when it comes to satisfaction and contentment, sometimes I run a little short myself. The reason is simple; we all want more. There are a lot of high dollar, white collar executives on Madison Avenue who drive Mercedes' and BMW's, living in penthouses because they are able to do two things; make sure that you and I are discontent with what we have and make sure that we always want more than we have.

Why else would someone pay $2.6 million for a 30 second ad slot during the Super Bowl? They are making mega-bucks because they know how to create discontentment. If there was a single word that summarized the American dream it's the word "more". We want more money, more success, more square footage, and more luxuries. We live for more. Many live for their next raise, their next house, next car, and next purchase. We just can't find any satisfaction.

Many go through life thinking that contentment is just one more something away. If they could just relocate, they would be content. If they could just go to another church, that would please them. Now if the truth be known, things will never satisfy us. Many who are trying to get ahead need to stop and take stock of what they do have. Then they would realize they are ahead. If you are a follower of Christ, you ought to take inventory of all that you have and all that God has done for you and all that God has given you. Then, thank Him for it.

Someone wisely wrote, "Contentment will make a poor man rich and discontentment will make a rich man poor." Jesus said in His Word, "Be content with such things as ye have, I will never leave nor forsake thee." Today we Americans could complain. There's lots of fodder for that. However, we could also learn to realize how blessed we are in this great nation. Let's choose the latter.

Pastor Brindley

A Word From the Pastor

Around a week ago my finger began to swell. At first I thought maybe I had jammed it somehow, but for the life of me I couldn't remember how or when. Ultimately, the swelling was so bad I decided to see the doctor. After an examination, he determined that my gout that was often in my feet had moved to my finger. He prescribed some meds and I am on the road to recovery. Every once in a while I hit it the wrong way and it reminds me how painful it has been.

Just a finger, yet my whole body was in disarray. No one could see my pain, but believe me I knew it was there. I was hurting.

As Christians we are part of a body, the body of Christ. We all have roles, purposes and ambitions. Our attitudes are not the same, nor our likes and dislikes, nevertheless we are part of the body.

As a body we are to care for every part. Each one is crucial to the health of the body. Ephesians tells us God made us this way in order to perfect the work of the ministry.

A week ago I went up to Pennsylvania to visit one of our church members who moved away. She's very sick with cancer. We prayed and cried and even said our goodbyes to this life. However, when I left, I hurt. I mean, I hurt real bad. I remembered the night 20 years ago when I sat at her kitchen table and she recieved Christ into her life. God will help her and be her portion until she goes home. Me, well, I hurt. Why? Part of the body is in pain. That's the way God wants us to love, and nurture and care one for the other.

Are there those around you that are hurting? Jesus said "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep". It may be just a finger, but man the whole body feels it. Please know that I care about you.

See you Sunday!
Pastor

Family Matters

Each Tuesday I will be sharing a newspaper article that I've been writing for over 27 years. On Thursday's I will be sharing a personal word with you.
Many of us remember the TV sitcom "Family Ties". A thirty-something couple who were also liberal ex-hippies had a conservative son and faced everyday experiences of family life. It was entertainment pure and simple. Another sitcom from the eighties was "Family Matters". It was also entertainment pure and simple. However, its title bears repeating because family really does matter.
Of all the endeavors we may put our efforts into, none are as important as the family. Now, I realize that today the American family is quite different than the "Cleavers". However, family still matters. It may be a single parent or the typical Dad, Mom and two kids. The important thing is it matters. It matters to God. The home is the first institution ordained by God. God performed the first marriage ceremony in the Garden of Eden. Marriage is not a man-made institution; it is divine in its inception.
It matters to a nation. The Bible says "If the foundations be destroyed what shall the righteous do?" In other words, if those foundations are destroyed there is no hope. Please realize that as the home goes, so goes the nation. America's problem can be traced back to our homes. Absentee parenting, humanistic philosophy, and latch-key kids have added heavy weights to our freedom.
It matters to our children. Every child is made in the image of God and that child deserves to be loved and cared for. A child deserves to be shown care, to be nurtured and also to be shown responsibility. Today many of our youth walk about with chips on their shoulders. Trying to appear unafraid, they are afraid to face life because they have never been shown how to handle it.
Yes! Family matters. Today, thank God for your family. It's important to God, and may it be important to us.

Pastor Brindley

A Mother's Day Message

This Sunday is Mother's Day. It's always a special day as Americans remember "Mom". We use the slogan "as American as baseball, apple pie, Chevrolet and Mom". Moms hold a special place in our hearts. Their tenderness, Christ-likeness, and love is exceeded only by our Lord.
Personally, I am very thankful for my Mom. She had to stop going to school at age 8 in order to cook for her eight brothers and sisters. When my Grandfather, her Dad, died it placed a severe strain on the family. I could listen to her talk of it for hours. Getting the fire started on cold mornings, standing on a stool in order to reach the stove, and going without are only a few of the inconveniences she endured.
My Mom is absolutely one of the sweetest, kindest, most compassionate people I have ever met. I love her beyond words. I respect her immeasurably. I cannot say enough good things to describe her. She can make me feel like a successful man and a little boy at the same time. Her care for my Dad and her diligence to raise us kids is only exceeded by her knowledge of the Word of God. Mom, I love you and thank you for all you have done.