Pursuing God

Praise the Lord

2012-02-07T16:18:00.002-06:00

In the Westminster Shorter Catechism that was completed in 1647 the question is asked: "What is the chief end of man?" The answer: "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever."

The psalmist put it this way . . .

Psalm 147:1 (NASB) -- "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praisesto our God; for it is pleasant and praiseis becoming."

God created us to worship, love and adore Him! The psalmist says that it is good for us to sing praises to God. When we sing praises to God it is the best possible use of our voices because it glorifies God; it brings joy in our hearts; and it encourages others. When I listen to the Brooklyn Tabernacle it leads me to worship the God who loved me enough to send His Son to die on the cross for someone like me! I hope that you will watch the video and praise our risen Lord!

Why I hate religion but love Jesus

2012-01-24T10:01:00.000-06:00

There is a video by Jefferson Bethke that is storming the country through YouTube. At this point over 16 million people have watched the video. This video has been discussed and critiqued on various blogs, but like many I am thankful for Jefferson's boldness and his love for Jesus!

I hope you will take the time to watch this video. Please leave your comments below.

The Drift

2011-12-30T22:37:00.000-06:00

In ministry there is always a risk that we will drift to a place where we are no longer effective in accomplishing our mission. I read an article by Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church, that really spoke to the need of guarding against three natural drifts in ministry.

We have to be careful of the drift toward insiders and away from outsiders. If we aren't careful we will spend all of our time handling the squeaky wheels and little to no time reaching people who don't know Jesus.
We have to be careful of the drift toward law and away from grace. As a ministry matures the natural tendency is to begin developing policies and to begin to think of people in the context of categories (tax collector, adulteress, sinner, lost) and the result is that grace begins to slip away.
We have to be careful of the drift toward preserving rather than advancing. In the early days of a ministry when all we have is vision and there is nothing to lose, we are willing to take great risks in trying to reach people. As we grow larger the drift is toward preservation, which often comes at the cost of advancing the Kingdom.

Our mission is not to build a great organization, or to exalt ourselves, but to lift high the Savior so that He can build His Kingdom!

Matthew 16:18 (NASB95) -- “Upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."

To Infinity and Beyond!

2011-09-29T18:32:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite animated movies is Toy Story and my favorite character in that movie is Buzz Lightyear. One of the things that I like about Buzz Lightyear is his infectious positive attitude. With his statement "To infinity and beyond!" he let everyone know that regardless of the boundaries that he faced, he was going to push through them.

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi these words of encouragement in Philippians 4:13 (NASB95), "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

If these word are true then why do we tend to allow the boundaries and limitations of life to keep us from accomplishing our God-given calling? You can sum it up with one statement: We have doubts about the character of God!

We doubt the power of God
We doubt the love of God
We doubt the faithfulness of God
We doubt the goodness of God
This list could go on and on . . .

Let us stop falling for the lies of the enemy and let us move out in faith to accomplish that which God has called us. May we say with the apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE

2011-08-08T21:34:00.000-05:00

Did you know there are close to three million prisoners in the United States right now and that population is growing at a compounded rate of well over 2 percent a year? Did you know that over 80% of the children whose parents are incarcerated will also find themselves incarcerated one day? What will the future bring?

I want to introduce you to Hospitality House.

This ministry is the real deal and if you’ve been looking for something to support, get involved with or pray for, you definitely want to check this out.

The Hospitality House was founded in 1986 in Huntsville, TX by the Texas Baptist Men to minister to the families of those who are incarcerated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the Huntsville area. The director, Debra McCammon, shared with our church last night about their ministry.

Here are some of the features of the ministry that meet the needs of the families:

They provide approximately 1,250 people per year, from all around the world and nearly every state of the Union a place to stay the night when they come to visit loved ones incarcerated by the TDCJ in the Huntsville area.
They share the love of Jesus to these families through counseling and providing food.
They provide a safe and caring environment for the children.
They minister to the families of those who are on death row.
They are open 24/7 every day of the year.

Please pray for Debra and Joe McCammon and the volunteers who serve by their side as they minister to the least of these.

Matthew 25:40 (NIV84) - "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Update from Bro. Trey and the Amazon Mission Team #2

2011-07-23T11:04:00.000-05:00

Amazon Mission Trip Day 4-5

DAY 4:

Village of Ariau. Construction team consisting of Sam, Mike, Filipe and Jerry helped to build stadium bleachers behind the school. Some of the children of the village helped to saw the wood and take out nails from some old boards off of a grandstand that were used for the bleacher seats. In particular, 11 year old Adu was a big help. He came over later and played frisbee and football with some of the Argentinian kids from the boat.

Mike Chamblee met one of the villagers and got a tour of his home that he was in the process of building. The man also invited Mike fishing. Mike, Jerry and Kristine, one of the translators, took a canoe ride to a remote spot where the man had another house on the river. He took the three on a tour of his land where he had equipment that had been siezed by the group IBAMA which protects the rainforest. A group from the neighboring State of Para had been illegally cutting wood from his land until the group stopped them. On the way back, the boat kept stalling. Mike asked the group to pray for our safe return back to the boat. The engine ran smoothly after praying and there were no more stalls. Back at Ariau, the man then recieved Christ as his personal saviour.

Hair Stylist extraordinaire Olive Amanda Reasons (aka OAR) paddled her way through twenty haircuts at the village. Before starting she felt tired and was in pain from cutting so much hair over the week. She prayed for strength. A man named William showed up and began helping her cut hair. He was a barber from Manaus and he had recently moved to the village. Olive found out through getting to know him that he was having problems trying to stay away from various bad influences. She prayed for him and thanked him for helping.

DAY 5:

After having breakfast and devotional we spent the morning in the village of Freguesia, a bigger village of about 1000 families. Some of the group saw firsthand the processing and grounding of the Manioc root. Others watched a few of the villagers make thatched roofs, an excruciatingly detailed process of tying leaves from the Caranai plant to the bamboo-like shoots of the Inaja plant.
VBS was a success. The kids were very happy to color and hear about Jesus through the story of the Little Lost Lamb.

In the afternoon, we went back to the town of Barrerinha. The construction team helped to sand down the outside walls of the church. We then painted the outside of the church with primer and let it dry for the next day.

Today was a day of strengthening the many friendships made among the group throughout the trip.

DAY 6:

Barrerinha. Half day. The construction crew painted the church a coffee-with-cream tan. It looked nice once it dried. The crew then went around and shopped at the local stores and got a chance to bond with the people of the town.

VBS had over 400 children hearing stories of Christ's power and singing songs of faith.

Update from Bro. Trey and the Amazon Mission Team #1

2011-07-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

Amazon Mission Trip Day 1-3

DAY 1:

Pastor Mario set the tone of the entire trip the night before. He said that he felt something very special was going to happen on this particular trip. He said the group would be going to villages with whom we've already established relationships And, he added, we would be embarking on new journeys and establishing new relationships with villages we've never been to before. He called us pioneers.

He then told the story of a woman in the town of Baharina who dreamed a big snake was attacking the city and that we were sent to destroy the snake. We had fire in our hands and we were burning the snake until it was no more and the city once again belonged to the lord. Pastor Mario had put a fire in us spread the Word to those who knew us and those who didn't.

The First Village Terra Preta seemed like it happened in a blur. We left the boat and got everything set up in the village. Dental and medical teams assisted the villagers. Our main focus once everything had been set up and running was to assist in getting building materials to the church. Another boat pulled up with windows and beams and metal roofing and we carried them to the back of the village where the church was located. It started to rain and there wasn't much construction that day. The youth group played an exciting soccer match.

We then went to the town of Barrerinha to visit another church being constructed. So exciting to so many churches being built. You also got the sense you were at the very early stages of that "something very special" that Pastor Mario had spoke about. At the church, we sang songs and there were testimonies. Becky, the Amazon Outreach intern, gave her story and how she returned to the lord.

It got late and it became very dark in the church. Relating to the dream he told the night before, Pastor Mario lit a lighter and said it was the light of Christ to spread throughout the city. We then went to the back, sang more songs and dedicated to the lord a piece of property behind the church that would very soon be a youth recreation area, a place that would guide the town's misguided youth back to the lord.

DAY 2:

Guatar. Smallish village of thirty families. Those new to the mission seemed to be just a little more comfortable. Group members were establishing lifelong friendships as our relationship with the village was strengthened. Pastor Trey and Mike and Nora as translator met with the president of the village. They had to walk down a remote path, fifteen minutes away from the rest of the village, to get to his house. There he showed them land that he wanted to donate to the church. The four of them prayed together, knelt down and blessed the land. While in the midst of prayer, the president tearfully thank God for all his blessings. He then gave them three pineapples grown from his orchard as gifts. He gave them three beautiful smelling pineapples but Trey told Presidente they only needed one. Presidente then pointed to Trey's belly, and told him, via the translator, that he definitely needed three.

Ipiranga was a very short trip. Most of the villagers had gone to work at a lumber site. So we didn't stay there.

The village of Pindonbal had not expected us until the next day. So we had to find the President to let him know that we were there and ready to help them. He was very happy to see us, and immediately grabbed his soccer cleats first thing. The group played a very intense soccer game against the villagers. Pastor Mario prayed for the village. A woman came up and gave testimony of how she was sick the very first time the boat had arrived a year or so ago. She couldn't use her hands and was very sick. On that mission we prayed for her and she was healed. And she was thanking God for sending us.

Peyton gave an amazing testimony of a girl who raised her hands for the lord and waved goodbye to her

DAY 3:

Pastor Trey set us in the right frame of mind for our mission trip to the next village. He read from 1 Corinthians 5 about hating the sin and not the person sinning. Linda Sticker gave a prayer and then we got off the boat and made our way into Pirai.

The construction team, Mike, Sam, and Jerry helped a villager build part of a new house situated next to his old house. The team used Zapatero wood for the floor boards and Loro wood for the posts. Mike lent his expert carpenter's touch to move the project along quickly. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to finish the project but we got him far along on his project. The man's favorite tools were his chain saw and machete. He used that giant chainsaw to cut a straight line in the floorboards already nailed to the post and crossbeams, walking along and shaving off wood. He'd been using the chainsaw working on various projects for 30 years.

The kids played soccer and volleyball. Trey read Luke to the villagers. The story of Zachaeus. His message: In America, people think they can wait and meet Jesus at their own convenience. But there should be the same sense of eagerness to meet him that Zaccheus had. You should have a sense of urgency about building your relationship with Jesus because you never know what will happen tomorrow. Zaccheus did not procrastinate. He seized his moment and found his sycamore-fig tree to climb so that he could see Jesus. The sycamore is there for all of us and we need to find it, now preferably.

In the afternoon and evening the group went swimming in the amazon. Some of the group went fishing. Later, the small boat disembarked and took those who wanted to, aligator hunting (i.e. seach the river bank and find the runt gators the hunter could grab from the front of the boat, ducktape the mouth shut, take back to the boat for pictures, and then release).

Biblical Illiteracy

2011-07-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

I read an article recently by George Guthrie that didn't surprise me, but it did reaffirm how important it is that we as a church take every opportunity to teach people how to read and study the Bible. Some of the statistics that he gave were:

25 million Bibles are sold each year in the US
400 million copies of all or part of the Bible are distributed through Bible societies each year

Those are the good numbers, but read on for the rest of the story.

Only 16% of church goers read the Bible daily
25% of church goers never read the Bible
Only 37% of those who attend church regularly say that reading the Bible has made a significant difference in the way they live their lives.

For those of us who are in leadership in the life of the church it is vital that we not only teach people what the Bible says, but we must also teach them how to read the Bible and apply its truths to our daily lives.

John 8:31–32 (NASB95) – “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

The only way to continue or to obey Jesus' words is to read and to study the Bible!

2011 Vacation

2011-07-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

We are on our 2011 family vacation. This year we are visiting Becky's brother and sister-in-law in Baton Rouge. Missouri is also taking the tour of LSU while we are here. Today after attending church at Jefferson Baptist Church we took a driving tour around Baton Rouge. One of the places that we stopped was Oakcrest Baptist Church, the place we served 20 years ago, while I was a student at LSU. I was blessed to be the Minister of Youth and Evangelism there from 1989-1991.

It was neat to share some old memories with Missouri as we traveled through a community that had such a great impact on the early years of our marriage and ministry!

The Words I Say

2011-06-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

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

2011-06-16T14:43:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-06-14T09:56:00.000-05:00

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

2011-06-09T21:26:00.000-05:00

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

2011-06-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Judgment Day Is Approaching

2011-05-19T10:49:00.000-05:00

I am trying to work on the sermon for Sunday morning and I am having a hard time focusing and then I read another pastor's blog and was reminded that the world is coming to an end Saturday so I guess I shouldn't worry!

I am amazed that every few years someone comes out with a new prediction that the world is going to come to an end. I know he wasn't the first to make such a prediction about the return of Christ but the first one that I can remember during my lifetime was Edgar C. Whisenant's book entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988. And who can forget all the hysteria that came with the beginning of the new millennium on January 1, 2000? Now we have a new group saying that the end is coming on May 21, 2011.

How many times will Christians fall for these silly predictions before they go to the Bible to find out what Jesus says. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 . . .

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴² “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

The point that Jesus is making is that "no one" knows when He is coming, but we are to be ready at all times!

Flood of 2011

2011-05-16T18:50:00.000-05:00

It was just two summers ago that we stood at this very spot in Vicksburg, MS and contemplated the history of this very building. It is sad to see the flood waters creep up this historic building. But the saddest thing is to think about all those whose lives have been impacted by the flood and the tornadoes that have hit our country this Spring.

In the midst of the tragedy and heartache I am thankful for the SBC Disaster Relief volunteers that give of their time, energy and finances to minister to those whose lives have been devastated. These volunteers are up at 3:00 am and may not go to bed until midnight! Pray that God would give them strength as they labor and that they would have boldness to share the Gospel!

The Church Fellowshiping Together

2011-04-25T17:46:00.000-05:00

Over the last several weeks we have experienced some fun times together as a church family.

On April 17, we had our annual church picnic and this year we added an Easter Egg Hunt to the festivities. In the busyness of our time, we must set aside time to grow together or the world will push us a part. The Bible tells us in Acts 2:42 (NASB95), that the early church was "continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

On April 24th in our evening service the choir performed the cantata "The King is Coming!" We had a good time celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and His soon return! I want to thank the Choir and Eddie for their hard work!

Living for Impact

2011-04-12T09:23:00.001-05:00

The word Impact is defined as "the striking of one thing against another; or to influence or effect." Do you ever look at your life or your church and wonder what kind of impact you are really having? I find myself thinking about the impact of my life. Have I lived in such a way that my life has impacted the world for God's glory? I truly believe that God has designed our lives for a collision course with the world, in order that we might make much of Jesus.

Jesus explained it this way in Matthew 5:13–16 (NASB95), “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

What I find interesting about this verse is that salt and light are objects of impact. Salt impacts our taste buds when it is applied to our food. Food without salt is bland and repulsive! In a room without light a small candle impacts the darkness and brightens up the room!

The problem with our lives is that we are so mediocre that we blend into the world that we are called to impact! We live as though this world is our home and eternity is an afterthought! We give God our left over time, talent, and treasures! By our lives we deny the profession that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord! How can we honestly say that Jesus is Lord when we love everything more than we love Him! Jesus said, “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine” (Matthew 10:37 (NLT))

It is my prayer that I will enjoy the grace of God so much that I cannot help but extend His extravagant glory to everyone that I come into contact with!

Jesus first, others second . . .

2011-03-28T14:04:00.000-05:00

JOY – Jesus First, Others Second, Yourself Last -- We use this acronym all the time, but is it truly biblical? Is that what Jesus meant when he described the greatest commandment as to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and mind and the second as to love our neighbor as ourselves? I believe that when you look at the demands of the gospel, this saying falls short! Jesus tells us in Luke 14:26 (NASB95), “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” We know that the intent of Jesus’ words were not that we were to literally hate our family, but that our love for Jesus is to be so supreme that in comparison all other loves seem like hate. I am convinced that all of the struggles in my life (temptation, sin, doubts, etc. . .) flow from the reality that too often my love for Jesus is not what it should be! Lord, help me to love you supremely! Let nothing in my life be on the same level as you!