To Be Reproved...

Has anyone ever truly been rebuked you?

If you have honest and true Christian friends then you should have answered yes. It is our duty as brothers and sisters in Christ to correct our fellow Christians when they are not doing things the right way. This can be a difficult thing but it is something that must be done. I would argue that this lack of correcting is one of the forces that slowly eats away at the foundations of our churches until they eventually collapse on top of them selves. Too often people do not want to rock the boat be labeled a troublemaker so they simply let things go. We must always remember that when we fail to correct our brother or sister then we will also be held accountable for the consequences of their sin.

The flip side of this situation is if you are the one being corrected. In many ways this can be an even harder position to be in. Many times our pride and arrogance cause us to get angry and ratioinalize away the things people are saying to us. This has been me more times than I can count. It is one of those areas that I am consistently trying to improve upon and with God's power and strength I hope that this will no longer be an issue. If you are in a similar place then let me direct you to the words of Psalm 141 and especially verse 5. Hopefully these words will ive you some hope and remind you that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train!

More On Forgiveness...

Not surprisingly I have had some more time to think at work tonight. So much so that I had to come home during lunch to do some research and write some.

One of the things that came to mind while I was at work was the idea that I must always remember how much I have been forgiven and that the Father's forgiveness should be a pattern for my forgiveness of others. Of course, ours will never be as perfect as His. Following this line of thinking I came across the Greek word "Aphiemi". This word basically means to remove from oneself or more literally to throw away from you. So, that would mean that we are to literally throw away from us the sins of others. So how do we accomplish that?

I still do not have any truly hands-on practical answers for that. I believe it begins and ends with the Holy Spirit and a willingness to forgive. I also believe that for most of us this will involve some level of personal interaction with the one who has sinned against us. Speaking of which I need to go and deal with some forgiveness issues. Do you?

Forgiveness

Over the past few weeks I have had a lot of different thoughts running through my head. I have a lot of time to think at work since I spend at least a couple of hours every night working alone. Some are random ideas about the songs playing on Wal-Mart radio and some are the replaying of past events in some strange attempt to gain some additional insight. As I have walked through these thoughts I have run up against a question that I have yet to come to answer to and so I thought I would toss it out to you to see if you have any insights that might help me find the answer.

The question is "what is forgiveness?" Practically, what can/does it look like when we forgive someone else?

I look forward to reading your thoughts on this rather important question.

Christmas Eve 2008-Bailey Style

Well it is time for the annual Christmas Eve Decorating. This year was not nearly as overwhelming as in year's past but it did have a bit of a theme sort of based on the Veggietales "The Star of Christmas." If you have seen the movie hopefully you can figure out how I was inspired by it.

Before Pictures

The Living Room

The Front Door

The Playroom and Kitchen

A video of the completed decorations



The view up the "road" to the Christmas Tree

Today is going to be one of those days...

I believe that today is going to be one of those great days that each of us really looks forward to in our lives. A day in which we believe/know incredible events will take place. Those kinds of events that will forever change someone's life. I know today will be one of those days.

In a little over an hour I will have the honor and privilege of baptizing a young lady by the name of Amber Hansen. She is on those wonderful teenagers that I got to work with on Wednesday/Thursday nights over the past two years. She is the kind of person whom you look at and just know that God has something incredibly special lined up for them. I have seen this in her for a long time and I am excited to see God drawing her ever closer to His side. I have no idea what God desires of her life but I look forward to seeing what He does.

I would ask that you being praying for her. I believe that God will reward her willingness to be obedient to Him. I also believe that as He pours out His blessing on her, He will begin to open her eyes and hearts to things she has never even considered.

Yes, my friends today is going to be one of those days!

Church Planting

Over the past year (actually a little longer than a year) Angie and I have been praying through and considering the idea of working with and/or leading a Next Gen Church plant here in Illinois. There have been tons of questions and tons of fears but in the end we believe this is the directions that God wants us to go. We have gone through the formal assessment process and as it stands right now we will be seeking to work with a lead planter probably somewhere in the Western Chicago Suburbs (think Aurora area). We do not have a lot of details at this time but we would ask that you take some time to pray for us as our family will be going through a tremendous amount of transition over the next few months.

As we move further along in this journey both Angie and I will make sure and pass along the details. We are excited about this new opportunity and look forward to joining God in the work He is already doing in the lives of people.

Above all else

Above all else we should give thanks to God because His incredible and merciful love endures forever. It has no end. There is nothing in this world that can snuff it out of existence. It will simply continue no matter what you do or what happens in your life. If you do not believe me take some time and read Psalm 136 today, you will be glad you did.

Dare to Dream

Do you dream?

No I am not talking about what happens to us when we fall in to REM sleep. Rather I am talking about those thoughts and ideas about the future. Those ones that we have when we say "wow wouldn't that be awesome if this happened!" I hope you do.

Over the past few years this has not always been the easiest thing for me to do. There have been so many things happen in my life that I have sometimes found myself in place where I could not dream. I was essentially scared to get my hopes up again to only have things come crashing back down. This is a difficult place to be in. If you ever find yourself in this place I would encourage you to read Psalm 126. These verse really spoke to me today in that I was reminded by God to never give up dreaming dreams that only he can fulfill. They may not always come true but in dreaming big dreams we will be a person whose mouth is filled with joy and whose tongue shouts with joy.

What is even more amazing about this lessons is that my friend Holly was also struck by this same concept of daring to dream. If you have not already read her blog post (Saturday November 29, 2008 post) on this I would encourage you to do so.

So do you still dream? If so what are some of your God sized dreams? If not, why not?

An Update

It has been some time since my schedule has really allowed me to really post an update on all things going on in the Baily family right now.

On the immediate job front:
Many of you know that I have started working overnights at Wal-Mart. While this may not be the ideal job it is definitely a door that God has opened for us. The timing could not have been better and the vast majority of the actual jobs I have had each night have been ones that I would have chosen for myself. God continues to answer many of my other prayers with this job.

On the ministry front:
We have heard back from IBSA and we looking at becoming next gen church planters. We are looking at meeting with the IBSA next gen team this coming week to determine where would be the best fit for us and to find out some of the practical steps we need to take to get on the field.

Along with this we are also exploring some of the ways we can still serve the people of Macomb. We are seeking God's direction on this and would appreciate your prayers in this.

On the family front:
So far adjusting to my new work schedule has been trying to for all of us. We believe we have figured out a pattern that will work best for us and we hope to try this new pattern this coming week. We have all been sick recently and are hoping that we can all get well this week but only time will tell.

I hope this gets some of you a little more updated on our life and times.

Ch ch ch changes

Last night was my first night working overnights at Wal-Mart. It was an interesting night. All in all it went well but it is frustrating for me personally because I could not get as much done as I think I should be able to do. This was mainly due to just not being as familiar with things. This will change as I work more and more nights.

I would ask that you be praying for me in one special way. I have been to work twice and have had to spiritual conversations. I am hoping that God will continue to open doors for me to speak His truth in to the lives of people who so desperately need to hear it.

Cannot Be Shaken

"Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever." Psalm 125:1

What an amazing statement!

To grasp how profound this declaration is I think we need to first look at what exactly Mount Zion is. First, it is a really mountain. Most people seem to agree that it is the easternmost of the two ancient hills of Jerusalem. It seems most likely that it was the site of the Jebusite city captured by David (2 Samuel 5:6–9). Second, Psalm 74:2 tells us that it is the place where God dwells. I think this second understanding gives us some incredible insight into our understanding of Psalm 125:1.

Normally I would take some time and give you the insight that God has given me through this verse but today I would like to do things differently. I want your input. Take some time and meditate on this verse and let me know what God teaches you about your trust in Him.

Times of Struggle..

It may seem like a cliche to many of you but today I have been pondering the idea of calling on the Lord in my distress and how He does help. Specifically, I have been thinking about Psalms 120 and 121. Here are some of my thoughts (please note they are in no particular order).

1. In Psalm 120:2 the word translated save or deliver has this connotation of being snatched away. This would mean to me that what the psalmist is requesting to be removed quickly from the lying and deceitful tongues. I think it is interesting that he does ask for God to stop their sin rather he request to be removed from them.

2.Psalm 121 speaks of my help coming down from the hills and that it is the very Maker of heaven earth that is my help. There is great power in that help. I think some times we speak of God's help in ways that dismiss this level of power. How can I avoid this?

3.Psalm 121:7-8 tell me that God is watching out for me. This tells me that even though things seem bad right now that there is a larger picture that I cannot see. I firmly believe that God's leading in my resignation was a means of protecting me from something else. I have no idea what it was but I believe this to be true.

Good Deeds

This may come as a surprise to some of you but doing good deeds does not come naturally to people. This is true if you are lost and it is still true if you are saved. If it came easy or naturally to Christians then Paul would not have taught Titus that church going folks need to learn to engage in good deeds. So if Christians must be taught to do good deeds, then how are we to accomplish this?

I think it begins with Christian leaders setting the example. We as leaders must be willing to do those things that we know to right and true even when it makes us uncomfortable or nervous. We must be willing to do it even when we do not necessarily want to do it. We must be willing to do it even if others around us are not willing to do it. If leaders were to consistently do this then I believe that those in our local congregations would eventually follow in their footsteps. I believe that in watching God work through those good deeds people would drawn to God's activity. This could eventually create a snowball effect that would begin to spread beyond one congregation. In the end if leaders are willing to do the hard work then others will eventually follow. I believe this is why men like Titus and Timothy were willing to hard things. They had seen their mentor Paul do even harder things all for the sake of the Gospel.

I also think this goes beyond church leaders. I think a tremendous amount of responsibility falls on parents to teach their children to do good deeds. Parents must seek ways to involve their children in ministry and helping others. It is these experiences that will build a foundation for decades of Godly service. In my family we have started doing what we call family ministry. Family ministry means that whenever possible we look for ways for all four (yes the 3 and 2 year old can do ministry) of us to be involved in ministry. Some times this means things take longer but this extra time is worth it.

So what good deeds have you done today? Who are you intentionally trying to teach about doing good deeds? How can you and your family do ministry together?

Aiden's Call to Worship

As most of you know Aiden started preschool this fall. On Thursdays he gets to hang out with Pastor Burdick who has a guitar. They learn some really cute songs and we had the chance to record one our personal favorites right now. You can check it out for yourself...

http://www.logonix.net/~dtboy/Aiden-Come%20and%20Worship.mp3

Be the Herald

Timothy's primary job was to be the Herald in his area of the world. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2 to preach (proclaim as a herald) the word. He goes on to say that the time will come when people will no longer want to hear truth they will simply want their ears tickled. I wonder if this happened to Timothy.

Did Timothy ever see within his congregation this sort of ignoring of truth? If so what did he do? Was he faithful? No matter what happened I do hope he remained faithful. For it is God and His truth that we commanded to hold on to. Where are you in this kind of struggle today? Are you a herald of the word? Are you proclaiming His truth? Maybe you do not know His truth so you cannot begin to proclaim it. I do not know where you are but I do know what He wants of all of us and that is be faithful to Him no matter what may be going on in our lives. It is my hope that one day I can stand before others and proclaim as Paul does in verse 7 that I have fought the good fight and that I have kept the faith.

Playing in the Florida Sand

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing in the beach sand that Mimi and Papa brought to them from the Island (Florida). Thanks Mimi and Papa!

The Future

I know many of you who are regular readers of this blog are in a rather interesting place in your life. You are at that place where you are truly trying to find out where God wants you to be and what He wants you to do (think career, job, ministry, schooling, etc..). Let me tell you from personal experience that no matter what He calls you to it will be an incredible adventure. There will be highs and lows but if you can keep your focus on Him then His joy will never fail.

Because of my recent resignation I am in a interesting place and one that I do not exactly enjoy being in. At the same time I believe that we are following God's plan for us. If we can continue to seek out His will and follow it then He will blesses us in ways far beyond our imagination. The blessings are not why we do it but they are a part of our future if we hold true to Him.

While there is a great part of me that burdened with sadness there is also a great part of me that is looking towards the future with great hope and expectation. I hope that today you too have at least a part of you that is looking towards the future with great hope and expectation.

Resignation

It is with a heavy heart that Angie and I would like to announce my resignation as Student Minister at University Baptist Church. I officially turned in my resignation last night during the Deacon Council Meeting. This decision is not something we took lightly and was the result of much prayer. We offered a two week notice and we were asked to turn in keys and not return.

If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them but please understand that I may be limited in what I am able to share so as to avoid gossip and rumor. I would appreciate your help in this area as well in that if you do not have first hand knowledge of "facts" in this situation please do not talk about those facts with others as this will only lead to misinformation and confusion. Once again if you have a question please feel free to ask me and I will do my best to answer it.

Making Hard Decisions

I think deep down inside of each of us we desire for someone or something to tell us what to do and how to make the right choices. For many us we look to God for those answers. We accept it on faith that He loves us so much that He has a plan for us and that He desires to be intimately involved in our lives. What happens when we are at a cross roads and we do not seem to have answer as to which way to go? How do we handle this? How should we handle it? How are suppossed to move forward?

I know in my head that God will give the direction I need when I need it. The hard part for me is living this truth out. Then again is that what faith is all about. Moving in a direction where we do not always see all the way down the path. So tonight I am at a cross roads. I am at that place where I need to make some decisions and I having to march forward with the advancement of time trusting that God will give the clear direction I need exactly when I need to get it.

Women's Role in the Church

As many of you know I have been spending some time examining the requirements for Elder, Deacon and Pastor. During this study I have been wrestling with the issue of women in the church. After much study and reading I believe that I have come to some conclusions on this issue especially with regards to what we read in 1 Timothy 3.

First, by no means do I believe my position to be the definitive one yet it is the one that seems the most plausible and likely to me. There have been many people much smarter and educated than I am who have come to a variety of conclusions and it would arrogant of me to think that I have somehow finally found the real answer. At the same time these are my convictions and conclusions and I must be willing to faithfully live them out while also living with a willingness to hear Scriptural arguments that differ from my understandings.

Second, I believe that for us to properly understand the role of women in the church we must first understand that there is a distinct difference between elders and deacons. They have separate roles and separate qualifications. Simply put elders have the duties that are "centered around teaching, directing and protecting the church from error." Whereas deacons have duties that are centered around caring for the physical needs of their church family. These two roles are equal in value and necessity but they are distinct in much the same way that husbands and wives have distinct roles yet both are equally valuable. This understanding helps us when we begin to look at church authority and women. In particular it opens the door for women to not be exercising authority over a man (some still see this as an issue, I however do not) yet still serve as a deacon.

Third, (based on the above definition of deacon) women can serve as deacons. In fact, I believe churches would do well to have a greater balance of women and men in their deacon councils. As church seek to meet the physical needs of people we would do well to have the input and perspective of women. Being generally wired differently than men it would only serve to reason that having a different view on the world would only enhance our ability to minister to people. I believe that we see a number of different women serving in this type of capacity in the Scriptures and we see it from the earliest stages of the church. In particular in the book of Romans we see names such as Priscilla, Phoebe, and Persis listed as workers for the Lord. I believe Paul would have seen these women as fulfilling the role of deacons whether they had the title or not is for the most part unknown.

Fourth, the issue of having authority over men found in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 has a number of different methods of interpretation. Most of these have substantial exegetical backing and therefore seem plausible. One of the most compelling is to view the passage in light of Paul's teaching of husbands and wives found in Colossians and Ephesians. This connection is at the very least implied by Paul's use of the relationship between Adam and Eve (verses 13-14) who were of course husband and wife. Using this logic it is possible to interpret this passage not as some sort of edict for all women but rather a furthering discourse on how wives and husbands should relate to one another in the context of church and worship. You may not agree with this conclusion but I think you can see how there are a variety of interpretations and therefore this is one of those passages which will continue to be a source of disagreement until the end of the age.

Fifth,at this point I do not believe women should be senior pastors and this based on the idea that I do not believe women are to be church elders and that the senior pastor should essentially be the lead elder. I could be wrong on this issue as it by far my least researched idea so stay tuned for further developments on this one. I have recently read a number of different articles that present some arguments for both sides of this debate.

Finally, I have a certain set of beliefs on these issues but these beliefs should not prohibit me from working with other born-again believers to further the Kingdom of God. I believe we are called to be unified in the Spirit which does not mean we all share the same beliefs (outside of some core beliefs such as there is only way to Heaven and that is through Christ) but it does mean that we should share in one purpose which is to proclaim the good news to every tribe tongue and nation.

In the end, do not take my word for it. Take some time and research these issues on your own and see what conclusions you come to.

Do Things Differently

Ever had one of those days when just feel this need to stop with the busyness of life and just think some? I am kind of having one of those days today. So far my mind has been all over the map (I am sure this is of no surprise to some of you) yet I keep coming back to one idea. This idea is one that is beginning to radically shift how I approach and think about ministry. So here is the idea:

If you want to reach people that nobody else is reaching then you have to do things that nobody else is doing.

In other words be different! Do different things and do not be afraid of failure. I do not believe that God ever intended for all churches to look, sound or act alike. I believe He created each local body to reach a particular group of people and if we are to do this effectively then we need to be willing to be different in our community. We must find who exactly it is that God wants us to reach and then figure our ways to do that. We must move beyond being jealous of the success of other churches. We should look at their success and rejoice the impact (provided it is biblically sound if even we do not totally agree with it) they are having.

So the question for you today is ow can you do things differently to reach people in your community that nobody else is reaching? Are you willing to be bold and step out and be different?

Do Not Fear

"Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, for I am with you," declares the Lord. "Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished."

Jeremiah 46:28

God's Purpose

In the past when I have given a sermon I can give you a wonderful outline to help you follow along. This one is different. It was one of those times where God lead me on a wonderful journey to His message. If you were not with us last Sunday I would encourage you to take some time and listen not because I gave a great sermon but because God had something to tell you and/or our church. You can find this sermon along with others by visiting the UBC Sermon Page here. The sermon is from October 12 and is titled "Fulfilling God's Purpose."

I would love to know what you think.

Trying to get your attention...

Do find yourself constantly doing the same bad thing over and over again? Does it really matter to you that you are in this pattern? Do you know that is wrong yet you continue to do it? Have you suffered mighty consequences yet continue to go back to the well? If so you would not be alone.

Jeremiah 44 tells us how God's people continued to worship other gods despite the fact that they were told that the reason Jerusalem had been conquered was because they had refused to follow the One True God. Their actions were not the result of ignorance rather they were the direct result of absolute defiance and blinded logic. The evidence for this is found in verse 17 when the people attempt to make the argument to Jeremiah that when the gave sacrifices to the queen of heaven then life was good and when they stopped life was bad. The people had failed to see how bad it had gotten for them even when they were worshiping other gods. They had forgotten how wonderful life was in the Kingdom when they did worship the Lord. They also refused to see how those choices were causing them problems in the present. Essentially what they were doing was looking back at the good old days and trying to recreate those times.

We are quilty of this many times in churches. We look back into the history of a church and see how great things were back then. We take this 'knowledge" and attempt to replicate it. When we look back however we tend to not look at how our choices have negatively impacted our church. We usually only see the short term gains and not the long term losses. We must always be vigilant to not allow ourselves to get caught up in this trap and remember that there are consequences to our choices and that there really is no such thing as the good old days. Each era has it issues and problems. We must alwaso remember that people and cultures change and that just because something has worked in the past does not mean it will ever work again. We must always be on the look out for those new ideas, strategies and thoughts that will allow us to be better prepared to reach our current generation. To do this affectively we must not only allow but encourage the youngest among us to become leaders. We must be looking to them for ideas, visions and solutions for the problems we face today.

The Word of the Lord..

Just a simple thought for you today. Never be afraid to write down, speak or act out the Word of the Lord. When God teaches you something and He burns that belief into the heart of who you are then you have no reason to be ashamed of that truth. In Jeremiah 36 God commands Jeremiah to write down everything He had ever told him Jeremiah obeyed but eventually this scroll was thrown in to the fire by the King. God then told Jeremiah to create another scroll in spite of the fact that the King of Judah was opposed to the message. In the end, Jeremiah was more concerned with God's plans and desires than in man's.

So what it is that God wants you to be telling someone that you are not? What are you afraid of?

Worship...

What does worship look like to you? What is suppossed to look like? Is there one way or time that we are suppossed to gather and worship?

While I know that worship goes beyond Sunday morning, I wanted to speak to exactly what Sunday morning worship should look like for each of us. Worship is not about the music, songs, sermons or anything else that we bring to the table. Worship should be about each of us individually and all of us corporately seeking to be in the presence of Yahweh. We should be doing seek out the physical presence of God. God is real! God is tangible. We can literally feel the presence of God. When we gather for worship we should be seek this tangible encounter with God. If you are not seeking this when you sing praises to His name then I would simply ask what are you doing? What is that motivates you to sing? Some may answer that it is out of love and thanksgiving but within that do you not also want to be in the presence of God so as to thank Him in person and to know that you have thanked Him in person.

Many of us are church leaders and many of us are actively involved in the planning and execution of Sunday morning services. Ultimately I believe that is our responsibility to do all that we can to help lead people into God's presence. God does not care what songs we sing or the music we play. He wants us to come before Him with everything that we have and are. As you look towards the future and your times of worship I hope that you are willing to give Him and everything about you and that you, whether you are a church leader or not, are willing to do whatever it takes to help lead others into His presence.

Why do Christians sin?

Most people when they answer this question they say something to the affect of we are still living in a fallen world and we will not be without sin until we are in Heaven. While this is true, I think there is more to this question and its answer. I believe that while we would still sin the amount of sin that we would see within the church would be less if we all had a proper fear of God.

God Himself tells us this in Jeremiah 32:40 when He says that He will place the fear of Himself in the hearts of His people so that they will not turn away from Him. A healthy fear of God is one of the keys to living a life that is pleasing to Him. This fear is meant to serve as a motivator for not doing those things which make God sad or angry. It should be one of those things that prevents us from willful disobedience. To have this fear we need to have a deeper grasp of exactly who God is and who we are in comparison to that.

God is in absolute control of everything and He is absolutely perfect. He is our creator and our master. In His infinite wisdom He created us and then allowed us to have free will. Why He did this is up fro debate but the fact remains that He did/does allow free will today. This free will has lead many people to believe that they are some how above God or that God does even exist and that humanity is at the top of all of things created. Yet it is clear that there are many things beyond our control such as the weather, the earth's rotation and the tides. We are not masters of all that is around despite our attempts to be so. We will never fully be masters of all things and there will always be some "chance" in this world. We are under God and his authority.

As a part of being under His authority we become subject to His rules and standards for morality and choices. His standard is that of perfection since He Himself is perfect and His original creation was also perfect. We are obviously not perfect and thus we fail to meet His standard and as a result we are to be subject to His penalties. The Bible clearly lays out in both the New and Old Testaments how these penalties are to be enforced. It shows us that there are both eternal and current punishments for those of us who fall short of God perfection. It also clearly shows us that God has the right under the system of perfection He has created to destroy as because of our sins. His infinite amount of mercy and love for His creation allows us to continue living. He withholds His wrath because of His great love for us. For those of us who are Christians and have accept the incredible sacrifice of Jesus have a permanent and unshakable exemption from the eternal punishment of death (spiritual death, Hell). This does not mean we are exempt from the consequences of our sin while here on earth. When we sin there are consequences. These consequences carry from person to person and issue to issue but they are nonetheless still there.

I believe that if we had a better understanding of how bad those consequences could be then we would be far less likely to commit many of the sins we commit.

What do you think?

Standing for what is right

Jeremiah was a man who struggled with depression and a woe is me complex. He was a man who got frustrated and I would say even angry with God. I would suspect there were times when he felt used and abandoned. He was also an honest man when it came to dealing with these feelings. He told God what was on his heart and mind. I believe this is one of the things that made him such a great man of God. He was willing to be totally honest with God and express who he felt about their relationship and in particular those things that bothered Jeremiah the most.

Jeremiah was also a great man of God because He was willing (most of the time) to do what God wanted him to do and to do when God wanted him to do it. He was willing to lay down his life for the calling God had placed upon. He was willing to sacrifice prestige and honor (man made honor) just so he could follow the commands of the one true God. This wonderful character trait is exemplified in Jeremiah 26. In verses 7-24 we see how and why the life of Jeremiah was being threatened. We also see in these verses how he was willing to lay down his life rather than back away from the truths God had commanded him to share.

You and I may never be in that kind of life threatening situation (though you never know for sure) but we will find ourselves in similar situations where God wants us to speak truth that will not be pleasant for the hearer. If God calls us to share those kinds of convicting or unpleasant words then we must share no matter what the consequences may be. If God is behind what we are saying then it must be said.

Have you ever found yourself in those kinds of situations? Did you speak the truth God wanted you to share? Or did you hide behind your fear?

I know have not always shared the truth God laid on my heart. It is something that God and I are working on. It is something where I am recognizing a growing need within myself to abandoned fears and move forward into His peace and protection.

The Holy of Holies

Do you desire to be in the holy of holies? Do you simply long to be in His presence? Does every thing within you seek to simply rest in Him?

This is where I am today. I long to be in the presence of my God. I long to just sit with Him. I long to be silent in His presence and all His glory and power to fill me. I long to be away from the noise and clutter of this world. I want to take my rest in Him so that He will send me out full of His mercy and grace.

Verse of the Week

I have a great verse for you to meditate on this week. It is Jeremiah 23:29. The NASB translates it this way.

""Is not My word like fire?" declares the LORD, "and like a hammer which shatters a rock?"

As you go through your week take some to meditate and think about this verse and what it can/should mean to you and your life.

Never Ceasing To Yield

Jeremiah 17:7-8 tells us that those who trust in the Lord will not only be blessed but that they will never ceasing yielding fruit. As we look at that verse in light of the New Testament we can see how it is our trust in the Lord that will allow us to continue to be an agent of change in a world that is desperate for change. This tells us that those things that happen around us have no bearing on our ability to bear fruit, so long as we keep our trust in the Lord. Furthermore, this means that nobody is beyond being useful. There is no sin, no mistakes, no anything that can exclude us from being useful in God's eyes.

I believe there is forgiveness or all things. There is a grace that extends beyond our understanding. We must keep in mind that God's call on someone's life supercedes any of our arbitrary molds or ideas about who can and can not serve God. As I read the Scriptures what I see is a God who does hold us accountable for the choices we make but He is also a God who fully restores us. Peter denied Christ 3 times yet it was Peter upon whom Christ built His church. Jonah ran from God and yet He used him to change the hearts of an entire city. So today I encourage you to simply place your trust in the Lord and allow Him to make you useful and fruitful today.

The Qualifications for Deacons, Elders, and Pastors-1 Timothy 3-Part 4

It has been some time since I have been able to dedicate the energy and time necessary to really dig into the word on the subject of church leadership qualifications. For those of you who were reading the series I do apologize for this. I am hopeful that today will be the beginning of a renewed effort to bring more of this series out.

I am starting to see that the pastor of the local church is really to be seen as the lead elder. There are some who would argue that no elder is to be above another. I would disagree with this concept in that in the Old Testament we see head priests and other leaders. We see people whom God placed in charge of others and I think in many ways the same is true within the church. That being said I want us to consider what it means to be old enough to be an elder.

The question is based on the fact that the Greek word Presbuteros basically means an older person. Yet we do get a specific age to use to define who is older and who is not. Is 30 old enough? Is 20? Is 40? Is more about age in the faith? Could it vary greatly from church to church based on its local area and congregational composition? Does this age requirement apply to pastors? Should it?

I think we are going to be hard pressed to find an exact answer to the age question. I tend to think of it more in terms of experience. From my perspective an 80 year old man who has been a believer for 1-2 years is not as well suited for this level of church leadership as 25 year old who has been a growing believer since say age 10.

I also do think that the age issue is relevant to the preaching pastor. We tend to think that the pastor of the church is the ultimately leader in the church. I am not so sure this has to be the case. I think in some ways it can be true but it does not have to be. I think it is clear from the leadership of Paul that one can be a preacher and not be an elder. Paul was a full time preacher and church leader. He was not however an elder at any single church. Peter on the other hand does refer to himself as a fellow elder (1 Peter 5:1) and he was also a full time preacher. In a modern sense what this means is that one could have a lead elder and a preaching pastor and they could be two different people. It also means that they could be one and the same. In either case, I believe that the ultimate responsibility (human) for shepherding the flock lays within the realm of the elders (1 Peter 5:1-2). In the case where the preacher is not an elder (for whatever reason) then the elders are responsible for doctrinal oversight.

Some of you are reading this are wondering where that leaves Deacons in all of this. I hope to dive more in that question with a later post but lets just say that I see Deacons as your ministry leaders. They are the ones who lead the way when it comes to providing service and ministry both within the church and outside the church. Their role is rather distinct from that of an elder and as such I think they should be two separate bodies within a church.

So what do you think? Should there be two distinct groups of elders and deacons? What about the age issue? What the pastor not being an elder? Does the pastor need to be an elder? What does your experience and reading/study of Scripture tell you about all of this?

Rejecting Pleas for Mercy

If you have ever been in charge of little people then you have probably experienced the following situation...

You come up with a special prize, snack, dinner or soemthing for them to do. You tell them they have a surprise coming if they will act right. They do not act right. You tell them they are not going to act right. They burst into tears and basically beg to change your mind. Part of you wants to give them another chance, even though you gave them bunches of chances before taking it away. You also know that if you go back on your word then it will be less likely they will take your "threats" seriously the next time. You heart is pulling you in one direction but your mind is pulling you in another.

Have you ever been in that place? If so how did you handle it? Did you still give them the special treat? Have you sometimes given the treat but not others? I know I have done both. There are some times I have been too much of a sap and pushover and gave in to them. Other times I have been able to stand my ground. I think we see a similar situation played out in Jeremiah 14.

What we see in this chapter is a severe drought. The people are shown to be crying out for help and acknowledging their sins. They also acknowledge God and His power to control the rain. Yet the drought continues. God's response to them is that there is a price that must be paid for their sins. I can only begin to imagine what it was like for God. On the one hand He loves His chosen people and desires to bless them yet there are consequences that must enacted for their sins.

In the end it seems to me that there is this interesting balance between mercy, grace and punishment. Only God fully understand how it all works out but we must trust that it will because He is the one in control of it all.

One Step at a Time

Before reading this post you need to go and read Jeremiah 13. I have some links to help you out with this.

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Now that you have done that...
Can you imagine what Jeremiah was thinking as God was telling him to but the linen. God was only telling him one step at a time. I can just imagine Jeremiah trying to figure out why God was asking him to do these things. There is even a part of me that can see him saying to himself, "this seems kinda of strange but if God says to do it then I guess I will" (of course he would have said it in Hebrew).

Have you ever been in that kind of place? Have you ever been going down a path that seems strange and odd yet you know that God has orchestrated each step and has guided you through it all. As I look at this story I realize two things. First, God does not always give us the whole picture. There are times when He simply tells us the next step without telling us the end goal. He just wants us to follow Him no matter what. This is what Jeremiah did. He did not know exactly what God was doing but he still followed the voice of God. Second, Jeremiah had some incredible faith to keep following that path. I think I would have had a hard time continuing in the same manner that Jeremiah did. I want to be able to see the finish line. In this case that was not the best plan. God knew that it would be better for Jeremiah to do it this way.

If you are in one of those places where You have been following God and hearing His voice and yet many of the steps He has taken you through do not make sense, then take courage. I believe in the end the dots will all connect for you just like they did for Jeremiah. Keep listening to God voice and He will take care of everything.

Why I like Jeremiah

The book of Jeremiah is my favorite book in the Bible. I think the main reason for this is how easily it is for me to connect and relate to Jeremiah. He comes across as someone who experience great triumph, great sorrow and even a crisis of faith. Through all of this though God never leaves Him and uses Him to preach His truth.

I cannot imagine what it was like for Him to hear from God about the destruction of the people around Him. He understood why (the people had forsaken God, 9:13) but I am sure he had friends whom he believed would die. Beyond those friends though I think He felt a sense of shame because how his family was acting and what they were doing. It must have been a great struggle for him. On the other hand, He was faithful to God and He trusted in God's sovereignty. He trusted in the fact that what God was doing was right, no matter what it seemed like to him. He did have to like it or even agree with it.

The same is true for us today. We may not always like or even agree with what God is doing in our lives and the lives of others but in the end we must accept His providence. In this acceptance though we can not allow ourselves to somehow become bitter. We must always remember that God does things that will be for the good of those who trust in Him. We may not always see the good that comes from something but that does not mean that it is not there. There are a lot of things in this world that we do not see and we believe they are there, mostly because someone with authority has told us that they are there. The same is true here. God has said that there are good reasons and so they must be there even though you and I do not see them.

Downfall

Have you ever watched a person, church or denomination as it is in the midst of a downfall?

I know I have and it is one of the most painful and heart wrenching things to watch. I remember when I was in Seminary and the Episcopal Church was reeling from the decision to allow an openly gay bishop. The consequences of that decision have been far reaching and devastating for many good and faithful people. Fro me though the most difficult part was that I knew that along the journey that led them to that decision they were given many opportunities by God to turn back to Him. Since that time I have seen similar patterns in churches and people. I see them walking down a path towards destruction and I see God constantly giving them reasons and opportunities to turn back to Him. When we are able to see those opportunities being ignored then we begin to better understand how God would be justified in allowing His people to fall into disgrace. This same basic pattern in s descibed for us in Jeremiah 8.

In this chapter we see how all hope will be lost in the people of Judah. This hope though was lost because they refused to return to Him (verse 5). I think the fact that we see the idea of refusal is important because I believe it implies opportunities to accept. In other words you cannot refuse something if it is never offered. In this case, God's people could never have rejected the opportunity to repent if it was never given to them.

So are in a place where you feel as though hope is lost? Is you church in a place where hope has been lost? If so I think you would be wise to go before God and earnestly seek His forgiveness. Ask Him to show you the opportunities missed and do so with heart that desires to learn from those mistakes. Nevertheless always remember that we should seek God's forgiveness for missing those opportunities and to accept the peace that He grants when we truly seek Him in repentence.

Evidence of Death

Have you ever thought about the signs of a dead or dying church? Have you ever wondered if your church was dead or at the very least starting to get rather sick?

If you are like most of us then at some point you have at least considered these questions. Today I would like to offer one idea that may help you answer those questions. Today's thought comes from Jeremiah 7:34.

In this passage God essentially says that He will be removing all of the joy and excitement from Judah and Jerusalem. He will make the land lay in ruin. I think as we look at church we can use this as a sort of barometer of a church's health. Simply put, if we look around us and we do not see people who are excited to be in church or doing ministry then there is a problem. And to be sure I am not talking about the kind of fake happiness that many people express during Sunday AM greeting time. I am talking about a deep sense of joy and excitement. It is when you look at people and that have that look in the eyes and that sound in their voice that says there is nothing I would rather be doing than this right here. Do you see this in your church? If not why not?

I think the same can be true of our personal lives. Do you have that level of joy in what you do? Do you have it when it comes to church? Do you have about spending time with God? If not, why not?

Circumcision of the Heart

Most people think that the concept of "circumcision of the heart" is a purely New Testament idea. In fact, for years I have been guilty of thinking that myself. Jeremiah 4:4 shows us differently. I have known for a long time that what God desired in the Old Testament was more than mere rituals yet I did not know that He was specific about the concept of a circumcised heart. To some this may not seem like a big deal but I think that is because we are so far separated from the time and culture of the Israelites.

For the Israelites circumcision was the sign of their special covenant with God. It is was separated them from the cultures around them It became so important to them that an intense debate arose in the early church as to whether or not new Christians had to become circumcised. Eventually this debate was settled and Paul addresses the issue in Romans 2:28-29. Here he asserts that it was never really about the outward circumcision and more about the focus of the heart. So why does all of this matter?

First, it further shows the continuity of Scripture. Many, including myself, have struggleed with seeing how the two testaments present a consistent and uniform picture of God. On a surface level they seem to present two different gods. The Old Testament seems to present a God who judges with great severity while the New Testament presents a god who shows nothing but grace, compassion and forgiveness. A further study of the Bible shows this perception to be untrue. This issue of circumcision once again shows us how the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are the same and that He is consistent in how He deals with humanity.

Second, this shows us that gentiles have always been a part of God's plan. Yes there is a focus on the Jew in the Old Testament and a focus on the Gentile in the New Testament but neither is ignore in either Testament. God has always had a heart for all of mankind. His desire was Israel (His relationship with them) to be an avenue through which all would come to worship Him as the one true God. Sadly, the Israelites never fully appreciated this part of their relationship with God. They saw it more in terms of how it could benefit them and not how it could benefit others. Christians have many times fallen into this same trap. We see how God can help us and provide for us and we forget how God desires to bless others especially those outside of the body of Christ.

So how is your heart today? Has it been circumcised? Have you allowed yourself to enter into that relationship with God that will define and impact all other relationships? If not why not? If you have, are you fully submitting to His will? Are you doing all that you can to allow God to use you to change the lives of others?

Returning from Embarrassment

If you have been or are currently apart of a church that is going through embarrassment there is hope and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That hope is not simply about being removed from embarrassment but it is a hope towards prosperity and great fulfillment. In Jeremiah 3 God condemns Israel for their adultery and for abandoning God but it does not stop there. Beginning in verse 11 God opens the door for forgiveness for them. This forgiveness comes with a multitude of promises not the least of which is the return of shepherds who, like David, are after God's own heart.

So take heart my friends. There is no sin or situation that is beyond God's sight, love or control. Take hope in that God desires to see you prosper but only if you will fully submit yourself and your desires to Him. If you and I are willing to do that then we will begin to see His blessing, restoration and peace in ways we could never have imagined before.

Church Embarrassment

When a church gets shamed or embarrassed in the community is that wrong? Better yet, does that mean it was the work of the Devil?

Not necessarily. In Jeremiah chapter 2 God tells the Israelites that because they have turned from Him and become like a whore under a tree that He will shame them in Egypt and Assyria. This shame was meant to bring them back to God and to help them understand the consequences of their actions. This shame was orchestrated by God. It was the result of their sin.

In my little world it would only make sense that some times God would use the same types of consequences with those churches who refuse to follow Him. I am not saying this is what is going on every time a church find itself in an embarrassing situation but I believe it still happens and if you ever find yourself in that kind of place it is something you most definitely need to consider.

Age, Position and Calling...

Many in the church today seem to have this attitude that age should some how be at least a highly determinative factor when it comes to church position and leadership. On the surface their logic makes sense. Many of us look around and we do not see how it is that a teenager or college student could be "good enough" to lead a church, worship service, or committee (or council). Those who hold fast to this kind of logic ignore what the Bible has to say about this.

The Bible is clear that it is not age that is the determining factor for leadership, rather it is calling. God calls different people of different ages to a variety of leadership positions. In fact, Paul clearly states to Timothy that he should not allow anyone to discredit him simply because of his age. We also see Jeremiah being called as prophet as a teenager and Jesus was attending to His Father's business at the the Temple at the age of twelve. Who are we to think that we would know better than God. To think that somehow teenagers and college students are unfit for true leadership simply because of their age lowers the standard for them. It allows them to continue to live a life that is short of the calling God has placed on them. Truth be told I know a number of young people who have a greater depth of spiritual insight than do many of the older leaders in our churches. They are able to see things with a clarity that is nothing short of miraculous.

So today I want to encourage you to maybe take a new look at young people. To look at them and not see them as someone who will some day be ready to lead but rather as someone who is ready to lead today. If you are one of those young people then I would like to encourage you to step out in faith and take some leadership in your church and to not allow those who would look down upon to discourage you from doing those things that God has called you to do.

Do the tears fall?

Do you look around your portion of the world and does sadness pierce your heart in ways that words can not describe? Do you see the destruction and just have a desire to weep uncontrollably? Do you ever just want to cry (more like yelling) out to God for change?

If you have been or are in that place today then you understand where my heart is. You can understand the mix of sadness and joy. You can appreciate being heartbroken for the lost souls that you see and for the poor choices that so many around you will make. You can appreciate the joy of knowing that you do have brothers and sisters in Christ who will make a difference in someone's life. You know what it is like to see so many opportunities to make a difference in this dark world. You know what it is like to have heavy heart and to be desperate for the Holy Spirit to come and change lives on a scale that seems impossible. You know the joy of watching someone finally get it (salvation or growth) and then seeing their lives forever changed. You understand where I am today.

If you have never been in that place then I think you need to ask the question of why not. Why have you never wept over the lostness that surrounds you?

God's Will and Answers

For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched out hand, who can turn it back?" Isaiah 14:27

Simple question today. If nobody can frustrate God's will then why do things happen that seem so far out of His will?

I wish I had an easy answer. I know sin plays a part in all of this and yet I know that God's power is absolute. For me I have come to realize that there are many things in this world that I will never understand. I have learned to accept what God's Word tells us and then simply let the chips fall where they may. Some will say that this is can lead to contradictions and that destroys the validity of Scripture. I can see how someone might begin to follow that line of thinking and I do not have the time to go into all of the problems with that today (maybe another time). In the end the valid of Scripture is not depended upon us and how we understand it, it is dependent on God and God alone. If we as sinful and fallen creatures miss what He has told us then that is our responsibility and our fault and does not prove or disprove anything about God.

So what do you think?

Words

Have you considered recently the power of your words?

I know I have. I have recently become reacquainted with how my word choice can impact what I am communicating. I have recently made some rather poor choices in this area and it has cause some pain to those closest to me. In light of this I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts after having read Isaiah 11 and 12.

In 11:4 we have an example of the power of words. When we look at this verse we should consider why these words are so powerful. As I thought about this I realized that the power of words is derived from their source. this lead to the following conclusion... evil words are powerful and have a source that is powerful but good (Godly) words have an even greater power as their source.

As you continue on with your day I hope you will remember this truth when you begin to hear the lies of Satan. Remember that the Truth of God is far more powerful than all of Satan's lies because God is far more powerful than Satan ever dreamed of being.

Being Angry with God

Have you ever been angry with God?

I know I have. Heck I was angry with Him earlier today and in some way a part of me is at least still frustrated with Him if not a tiny bit angry. If you have never been in that place then you may not be able to appreciate how difficult it can be. The church over the years has at the very least implied how sinful ti is to be angry. We have been taught that somehow our feelings of anger and frustrated are ungodly. This kind of teaching, in my opinion, is unbiblical. God does not tell us that and in fact through His own description of Himself we see how anger in and of itself is a God created emotion. Emotions in and of themselves are not the issue. What is an issue is how we allow them to dictate of actions and out relationship with God.

This does not mean that emotions should not 'separate' us from God. I think at some level when God's wrath came down upon Israel thy became separated from Him. So how can it be a bad thing? Having said that I think there must be a plan for the separation to be temporary. God was always looking to have a plan of restoration. He would also keep a remnant that He would call back to His side. We must have the same heart. We must be seeking to return to Him while we are in our time of being apart. We must be seeking Him with all that we can offer, no mater how small that may be at the time. We must be honest in our expressions of emotions and prayers with God. He already knows our hearts. He wants us to come clean with Him. If we can be honest with Him, He will begin to move in our hearts in ways that we could not ever begin to imagine. He is just that big and powerful!

Today was one of those moments for me. I started out very angry and frustrated with God. I felt as though I could not hear Him or see His plan. I told Him how I felt. I told Him what I was angry and upset about. I told Him that I was not even sure that being angry was such a bad thing for me right then. Eventually though He began to open up my heart and change me. He started showing me things. He removed the anger that I needed Him to remove. He did in an instant. He removed those emotional blinders that were keeping me from seeing Him and hearing His voice. It was a miraculous morning!

Where is Your Yoke?

So here is the question I would like for you to ponder for just a moment. What has happened to the yolk that burdens you so much?




Many of you may have said or at least thought that I have at least tried to give it over to Jesus and let Him carry it for me. Some of you may have thought that it is right on my back and weighing me down. Some of you may have no idea what I am talking about.

Each of us has burdens that we carry around with us. We can become so weighed down with things such as guilt, fear, laziness and pain. These attitudes and feelings are a natural part of living in a fallen world. They come as a result of sin and how it has changed the perfect world God created. Thankfully though we do not have to live under the weight of these things. Many believers have this picture in their minds of Christ exchanging yokes with us and carrying our burdens for us. We get this picture from verses such as Matthew 11:29-30 and Galatians 5:1. However, I think this picture is only half right.

Jesus did NOT come to take our yokes and carry them for us while we carry His. He came to shatter them (Isaiah 9:4). He came so that they would exist no more for us. He destroyed their power when He was beaten, bruised and nailed to a Cross. I believe that if we can grab a hold of this concept and live as though we are no longer controlled by the power of our yokes then the world will once again be turned upside down. I believe this is what we saw happening in the early days of the church. Those early believers knew in the hearts that they had been set free. They were no able to become the creation God had intended them to be.

So what burdens do you hold on to? What yokes are you allowing to hinder you?

Pain and Control

As many of you know we did not see a heart beat at our last ultrasound. Needless to say this was an incredibly sad event in our lives. Since then we ran away for a couple of days. We went to St. Louis to take some time and be away from the pain as much as possible. Some may have problem with that. Some may think that was the wrong decision for us. I suppose that is their opinion. I of course would disagree. For me I was taking care of my family, in particular my wife. In the end we did some really neat and fun things. All the while Angie and I knew in the back of our minds that today we would be having another ultrasound. For me today is like a Day of Reckoning. Today will be the day in which we either confirm what we saw on Monday or the day when hope will once again be renewed.

If you have ever been in this kind of position then you may understand the feelings and thoughts that are running through me. You may have been in the place where you know that God can raise the dead but you do not think He would do that for you. That is where I am at. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God can do that but I am not so sure He would do that for my child or me. Along with this I have not wanted to hope for that kind of miracle for fear of being disappointed. I knew in my head that it was wrong to approach God in this way but my heart was just in that place. Today, God reached down past all of my fear and spoke to my heart.

I wish I could tell you that He said "I will raise this child from the dead." What He did tell me though was that He can raise this child, He understands my pain, He allowed His own son to die (and had the power to do something about it) and that He will carry my family through. Our God is a God who saves. He reigns now and forever. His awesome and mighty. Today I have begged God to bring my child back to life and there is a part of me that believes He will. There is a part of me that wants to hope with great passion that He will. The selfish/defensive part of me struggles to do this yet I am still trying to have that kind of hope. May God help in my unbelief and lack of hope.

Tough Day

Dash did not have a heartbeat today at our appointment. Please pray for us.

Thoughts From Sunday School

Today in Sunday School we learned:

1. Jesus talked on a mountain
2. How Rachel's tooth came out
3. Some Sign Language-"Hi my name is ________", "Church", "Rachel", "Snowman", "Blocks" & "Building"
   
4. How to do a crossword puzzle
5. How you can do good things
6. Jesus talked about attitudes
7. Taught Mr. Patrick how to spin
8. Taught Mr. Patrick how to organize your bed
9. 1 John 3:22 "Keep His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight"

We missed you Mrs. Angie in Sunday School today. We hope you feel better. Love, Angelina & Rachel.

The Strong Man

Have ever considered how powerful and strong the Devil truly is? Take some time and look around you. Can you see how he is controlling people's minds and actions. you would have to be pretty mighty to be able to do that. I think this is one of the reasons Jesus essentially calls Satan the Strong Man in Matthew 12.

In spite of this great power his fate is sealed. His possessions will be taken with ease (Matthew 12:29). He will be become like tinder and left to burn without ceasing (Isaiah 1:31). He will be cast in to the fiery abyss. In the end his power is only superficial when compared to awesome power of God. As a born-again believer we have that same power in our possession. There is no stronghold that Satan can place around us that cannot be destroyed. The battle may seem hard at times but we must take hold of the fact that in the end we will win and will overcome. The greatest of all strongholds, death, had been defeated so it would only serve to reason that the rest will also fall.

If you are battling with a stronghold in your live I would encourage you to not give up. The power of God can remove those things which hinder you. It may not always be easy and some times God allows us to wallow in our sins before He pulls us out. I know from personal experience God can and will remove those strongholds from your life. You job in this is to continual seek His face and allow Him to do the rest in His timing.

Praise Worthy

I just wanted to share one of the praise songs that has been particularly meaningful to me lately.

What to do? What to do? What to do?

One of the hardest aspects of what I do right now is that on Sunday mornings I have to concentrate so much on the timing of the worship slides that I find it difficult to worship. So much of Sunday morning service is work and not rest for me. This has been a personal struggle of mine for a number of years. I have been intimately involved with this kind of ministry for a number of years now. In so doing I have found myself away from my family and feeling as though I am away from God and have not worshiped Him. Satan has taken these feelings to make me feel guilty about my relationship with God and how I must be doing something wrong or that I am making god sad by not worshiping Him. In my head I know that worship is more than songs yet I also know how much a part of worship is in my life. Music is one of the best avenues for taking me and my heart into the Lord’s presence.

With this as a back drop I have been seeking someone to come and take over at least some of my roles on Sunday morning. With this though I have always thought it seemed selfish of me to do that. I did not want anyone else to be in the place(s) that I have been. Today, my perspective has changed. I guess really what has happened is that my heart now understands what my head has known for a long time.

I can and should worship God by running the music slides. By doing the best job possible. By having the timing work, the backgrounds look good,and the words in the correct order I am worshiping my God. So to all of you who find yourself working on Sunday, I encourage you to work as hard as you can and to have that be your act of worship.

Look At Him Grow!!!

Dash more than tripled in size in one week!! Wow. He went from .33 cm to 1.09 cm!! How cool is that!

Small Disclaimer

No, the baby will not be named Dash. That is just the current nickname. :)

More Dash

Here is a 6 week picture of Dash.

Today

Well in few minutes we will be begin another Sunday AM service here at UBC. This one though is unique for me because it will be the first one without Kelly as my pastor. This fills with such mixed emotions. The hardest of which to deal with the is knowing that such a dear friend will not be here this morning. Kelly was more than a pastor to me he is dear friend. I also miss the sounds of his family in our halls. I miss hearing Vicky's laugh carrying through out the church. I miss hear Moriah's feet as she runs. I miss hearing Gabriel voice as he tells me about some animal I have never heard of. I miss these things and more.

I know in my heart of hearts that given the situation that Kelly was in that resigning was the right thing to do. I am just sad that it had come to that point. I know God has great and mighty plan for all of this. I look forward to the day when I can look back and see that mighty plan. That day is a great day to long for.

Separating the Sheep and Goats

Today I was reading the book of Jude and it raised a question in my mind. If we are to know someone's heart by their fruit (Matthew 7:16) then what do we do when we see someone whom we 'know' to be a born-again believer yet we see them consistently acting in ways that are not of God? Add to this thought that we know the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin. We see in Acts 7:51 that those with uncircumcised heart can resist the Holy Spirit but can a believer?

I understand that we all continue to sin after we have sought the forgiveness of God. I also know that we are called to be without habitual sin after a salvation moment.

So what do you think about all of this? Any thoughts?

New Family Member

Angie and I would like to introduce you to the newest member of our family. Everyone say Hello to Dash Bailey!

Arrogance or Confidence?

Have you ever considered the difference between arrogance and confidence? If you truly examine this two ideas you will begin to realize that it is small line that divides the two. I think the difference in the two can be found in the attitude behind each one. If a person is confident then they know what they believe, are at peace with this knowledge, and have no issue sharing what they know with others yet they do not exalt themselves because of what they know. If a person is arrogant then hey know what they believe, are at peace with this knowledge, have no issue sharing what they know with others and they do exalt themselves with pride based on what they know. Unfortunately, I believe that too often in the church we perceive someone as being arrogant when they are in all reality confident about what they believe and understand.

We are called to confident in the truth that we have found. Paul alludes to this calling in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. Paul encourages the believers in Thessolonica to essentially be confident in what they have heard from him and to not allow words and letters from men to deceive them. I believe the same must be true for us. We must seek to be confident in what we believe while always avoiding arrogance. We are only able to accomplish this task if we are willing to seek the wisdom of God. If our confidence rest in Him then He has promised to send His peace which will guard our hearts. If we rest in Him He will show us when we are wrong and He will be the one who provides the new understandings and insight that we need when we are wrong.

Just remember "It's not about me. It's all about Him, all of the time!"

Verse of the Week

So this week my wife and I have started memorizing some verses together each week. I thought it would be nice to share those verses with you as well. We begin our week on Sunday so I apologize for this week's verse being late. In any case here it is (To see it in a different version simply click on the verse)

Psalm 112:7-8
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Your Destiny

Each of us has one of two destinies. You will either be subject to the wrath of God or you will not be subject to God's wrath. There is no middle ground on this one. The bible describes those without Christ as their Savior as children of wrath. Their are people who will inherit the wrath of God for their sins. However, those who accepted the Son of God as their Savior and Lord are to be spared this punishment (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). For those who have recognized that they have comitted wrongs against a God who is absolutely holy and have cried out to be saved from the penalty of death, to them God has given the great gift of salvation.

If you have never cried out to Him for this gift then I would encourage you to do it today. Scriptures tells us that Heaven rejoices over each of us who accepts this free gift. If you have questions please contact me or check out this website.

The Qualifications for Deacons, Elders, and Pastors-Colossians 3-4

Many of you know that for the last week I have been involved with IBSA's Super Summer for Youth. It has been a wonderful experience. I have met some awesome people who love simply love teenagers and desire for them to become all that God has designed them to be. What most of you do not know are the fears and concerns that I had about my role and how well I would be able to accomplish the tasks that were before me.

I knew that I was coming into a situation that I knew very little about. I had never been to Super Summer. I had never served as a Recreation Leader anywhere. I knew I was going to working with a group would had probably been working together for years and I was going to be the new guy.

Needless to say I was a little nervous about things. I was also feeling rather inadquate in my ability to serve and to serve well. Since arriving here I have realized (in my heart as I knew in my head) that "it's not about me, it's all about Him, all of the time." This has been the calming and motivating words within the staff for the last week. For me it meant that I needed to let go of myt fears and simply trust God that He had placed me in this position and that He had done so for a reason. I needed to trust in that and allow Him to use me however He wanted. Since this somewhat obvious epiphany I have been far more at peace. Yes, I am still trying to process some of the things that have happened here and my role in them but in the end I can look around and see some awesome ways God has used recreation time to draw teens closer to Him and each other.
This week has also been awesome because I have been able to observe and participate in a staff that follows a Biblical model for leadership. Essential all of us have had specific roles and tasks that we were responsible for. We have all realized that we all need to be helping each other get all of those tasks done. We have each realized that the need to submit to others. We have also realized that there are times when we simply need to step up and be the leader to get things done and make some decisions. All in all this strategy had worked well. It has been wonderful. This staff has truly followed the model of servanthood and leadership found in Colossians 3 and 4.
It is clear to me from these passages that each of us has a role to play in life. We each have jobs, tasks and areas of responsibility. Yet we all have someone whom we must submit to. Ultimately, as a human beings we need those who will lead us. In the church that person is the pastor. It is his role to lead the church but he must do so as a servant. As a church member I must be willing to submit myself to his authority yet he must be willing to work with me and submit to my decisions when appropriate. I have seen this played out here at Super Summer. Shawn our director is the head of our staff. He gave me some direction with Rec. yet I was the one who had to make the final decisions on the games and where to play them. When he comes to rec. he is "under" my authority while there. He does this by choice. He could have chosen to dictate to me what to and when to do it. He could have come to rec yesterday and totally changed everything around but he did not. He may have one things differently but he has chosen to allow me to accomplish the tasks how I believe they should best be done.

This kind of interaction is how I believe church leadership should interact with each other. It is not about dictating or ordering others aournd. It is about each of us fully submitting to each other while also realizing that there is a chain of command and that someone does have the final say on certain issues.

Love in the Family

Love is a choice. Loving your family is a choice. Loving your friends is a choice. Loving your neighbor is a choice. Sometimes that choice may seem easier than others but that does not change the fact that it is a choice.

This is especially true when it involves the church. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ but I do not always like them. We all make stupid choices sometimes and when we do someone must end up paying the stupid tax. When stupid choices are made there will be consequences.

Paul reminds us of this fact in Colossians 2:14. Here we have God through Paul teaching us that if we seek to have a unity of purpose in our church then we must make the choice to put on love which is the glue that hold the church together. It is not always easy to love others in family of God but we must do it if we are to fully accomplish the tasks that God has for His church.