The Words I Say

As I had my quiet time this morning, the Lord placed Ephesians 4:29 on my heart. It says . . .

"You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear." -- Ephesians 4:29 (NET)

I was reminded that it is not only a good idea to be careful about the words that I allow to come out of my mouth, but it is actually a command. I stand broken, because too often the things that I say are hurtful or judgmental!

My commitment is to allow my speech to be full of grace with the intent of building others up!

Thankful for a Wonderful Wife

Today Becky and I celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. I know that this will probably surprise most of you, but I am not the easiest person to live with. I can be driven, stubborn and down right aggravating at times. Becky is the opposite of all those things and she has made my life truly blessed!

Becky is . . .

• my best friend
• my help-mate
• my partner
• my lover
• my biggest cheerleader
• my sounding board
• my main squeeze
  

We are told in Proverbs 31:10 (NASB95), “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.” Let me say that I know first hand that this is true, because I have an excellent wife and her worth cannot be calculated.

Becky I love you and I thank God that he placed you by my side!

Flag Day!

As I drove into the church parking lot this morning and saw the flag, I remembered that today, June 14th, is Flag Day. As I thought about the day, I wondered what is the importance of Flag Day? Flag Day is the occasion where we celebrate the adoption of the American flag on June 14, 1777.

When the flag was adopted in 1777 the colors red, white and blue did not have any specific meaning. However, the colors red, white and blue were also used on the first Great Seal of the nation, which was commissioned on July 4, 1776. For the seal, white represented purity and innocence, red represented valor, and blue represented perseverance and justice.

Today, as I observed the red, white and blue flag, it reminded me that I have the privilege of living in a land of freedom. A freedom that was purchased with the blood of the patriots through the generations!

Seeing the Full Picture

I was looking through some pictures that Marvin Slusher sent me several years ago and one of those pictures reminded me of something that God has been teaching me lately. In life there is a strong tendency for me to get so focused on the circumstances of life that I miss the blessings of God. In this picture the clouds keep us from seeing the mountain that is below.

There are times in my life and ministry that I catch myself being overwhelmed by the circumstances in my life. I am so focused on the problems that I begin to lose hope and I become discouraged.

It is during times like this that I must back up and begin to see all of the blessings that God has brought into my life. It's also during these times that I must remember the promises and the presence of God!

Guiding Principles

In a recent speech to the International Mission Board's Trustees, Tom Elliff, the new president of the International Mission Board, outlined three questions that frame his view on missions. As I read the speech I was reminded that these same three questions should guide everything we do at Calvary Baptist Church. These are the three questions:

1. Is it Biblical?

God's Word must guide our vision, our work, and our doctrine.

2. Is it Balanced?

With the Great Commission and the Great Commandment we have five great responsibilities: evangelism, discipleship, ministry, fellowship and worship. As a church we must continually strive to keep a balanced approach.

3. Is it Bold?

Right now, there are 6, 711 unreached people groups in the world. (An unreached people group is a people group where less than 2% of its population is evangelical.) Of these people groups 3,698 are considered unengaged. (A people group is considered unengaged when there is no active church planting occurring within that group.)

To make an eternal difference in this world will require that we take bold actions that are completely dependent upon the presence and the power of God.