Ice Storm

I guess it takes a natural disaster to get me to blog again. In the past week we have been living through the worst natural disaster that I have personally experienced. Our electricity was only out for three days. There are many in NE Arkansas, MO and KY who will be out for weeks to come. Our youngest daughter is one of those. She, two of her dogs and her cat are living with us for the time being. It's funny how a few days without lights and heat really make you appreciate what you have.

Please pray to for those who continue to suffer. Please also pray for the safety of those working to provide electricity. Our son-in-law is a lineman and may not be home until the end of February.

Our daughter Emily has pictures on her blog if you would like to see them.
Check them out at: http://12-14-2007.blogspot.com/

Tozer Quotes

This week I have been rereading The Root of the Righteous by A.W. Tozer. My copy is literally falling apart and I have read this book at least ten times over the years. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"No man has any right to offer advice who has not first heard God speak...Before we follow any man we should look for the oil on his forehead."

"I think there is little doubt that the teaching of salvation without repentance has lowered the moral standards of the Church and produced a multitude of deceived religious professors who erroneously believe themselves to be saved when in fact they are still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity."

"People must be told that the Christian religion is not something they can trifle with. The faith of Christ will command or it will have nothing to do with a man. It will not yield to experimentation."

When I was a young believer someone gave me a copy of The Pursuit of God and since then I have built quite a collection of Tozer's writings. The thing that encourages me the most about his writing is that he was basically a self-taught theologian. That tells me that the Holy Spirit really will teach the person who will listen.

Pray for North Korea

It appears that things continue to go from bad to worse in North Korea under the megalomaniacal Kim Jong Il. According to a report in the TimesOnline the government there is cracking down even further on the use of cell phones and long distance calls. This is in order to squelch information leaking out of the country about the food crisis. Even more frightening to me is information that the government is infiltrating religious groups with spies. North Korea has one of the most brutal modern track records when it comes to religion and Christianity in particular. You can read the article at the following link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5005161.ece
You will have to copy and paste the address into your browser.
You can get even more information about the plight of Christians in North Korea from Voice of the Martyrs. There is a link in the column on the right side of this page.

Why You Need The Church

Pastor Don was away this past Sunday so he asked me to fill the pulpit. Since the theme of our revival was "How God Views the Church" I wanted to continue an emphasis on the local body. Our passage was Hebrews 10:24-25.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The premise of the message was that God wants to build certain things into our lives that can only be done in the context of the local church.
I won't give you the full load but here's a synopsis of my message:
1. "consider one another"-This carries a wagon load of implication. We are to know each anothers needs, strengths and weaknesses. That requires time together.
2. "stir up"- "provoke" in the KJV. (A very interesting word in the Greek.) I need someone to remind me of my mission.
3. "not forsaking"-How can I expect to receive the benefits of the fellowship if I'm not there?
4. "exhorting one another"-This is not only a command given specifically to the elders, it is also given to every member of the body. We're all ministers and need to exercise our spiritual gifts.
5. "as you see the Day approaching"-We need to remind one another to live with a sense of expectation of the Lord's return.

To not be an engaged member of a local church is to rob yourself, God and your fellow believers.

Small is Beautiful

I love small churches. I don't have anything against big churches. In fact, I love God's people wherever they gather. I just think that small churches can actually better do the things that REALLY matter. I think large churches are too often tempted to weigh themselves down with "stuff" that doesn't necessarily advance the kingdom of God.

I preached a sermon a while back at a small country church where I was supplying trying to get them to see how rich they really are. The point I was trying to make from the book of Acts is that even the smallest of churches have been supplied with everything they need to do what God has called them to do. It is not a matter of having enough programs, money or buildings. What did the early church have? They surely didn't have any programs. They didn't own any buildings-they met in public places and in homes. Some of them didn't even have money because they had to take care of one another. What did they have? They had the Holy Spirit, they had fellowship and care for one another, they had God's word, and they had they great commission, which they took seriously. Can you tell me what small church doesn't have all the above?

It's not things. It's making disciples in the power of the Holy Spirit that matters.
Small churches can do that very well if they take the task seriously.

Revival

We just finished Wednesday night with a wonderful series of revival meetings. Despite our church fellowship now being 14 years old we had never held revival services. But our people were ready. I know that folks must have been praying because it was one the most refreshing spiritual seasons of my life. Brother Doug Welborn of Cathedral Baptist Church in Jonesboro was our speaker and Paul McKinney, a young man from Jonesboro, led the worship. Bro. Doug taught a series on how God views the church. All I can say is, "WoW!" God is so good. If I got nothing else out of this past week I can say that God has given me an even greater love for the people at South Caraway and for his body worldwide.

Also, please remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering for His name. As we sang one song this week about God's glory filling the earth I couldn't help but see the faces of people all over the earth in my mind's eye. This is how God's glory will fill the earth - through the hearts and lives of the elect. When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer so please lift them before the throne.

Weekend Praises

This just happens to be one of those passages that makes the hair stand up on the back of my head every time I read it. Enjoy.

Psalm 8 (New American Standard Bible)
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

1 O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 All sheep and oxen,
And also the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,
Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Love Story

What is the greatest love story ever told? If your life has been changed like mine has you know that it is how God pursued us and drew us to Him through His son Jesus despite our unworthiness. Any time I hear of a unique new way to tell that story I'm intrigued. That's why I'm so excited about a new tool a friend of mine has developed. The beauty is the simplicity of it. Terry Simmons, pastor Cash Baptist Church, introduced me to his new ministry thelovestory.org.
I'm not a big fan of turning the name of Jesus into a fake Coke logo but I think this is a very unique and tasteful way to share the gospel. Check it out.

I'm Baaaaack!

Shades of Jack Nicholson. The phantom blogger from Arkansas is back. I have taken a nice long sumer break and now I'm ready to dive back in. What did I do on my summer vacation? Well, not much other than work. I have gone to several movies but my wife and I haven't taken a real vacation this summer because the boy genius changed jobs and gave up three week's vacation. (My wife is still mad.) We did take a nice weekend trip to Mt. View Arkansas. This is like a trip to Mecca for folk music junkies like myself.

The home group is going well but it's not quite what we had envisioned. We have had a pretty consistent group of eight to ten each week and it's been a lot of fun but I'm finding that those who are not part of the "church culture" are still a little suspicious or just plain indifferent to anything labeled "Bible study."

We are in full swing with vacation bible school right now and that's always a lot of fun.

My oldest daughter graduates this Friday from Arkansas State University with her Master's in Rehab Counseling. I am very proud of both of my daughters. Despite their father, they have turned out to be Godly, gracious young women.

That's my summer story. What's yours?

Great Father's Day

I had a great father's day as usual because I've got some great kids. I call them kids but both of my daughters are actually married adults. I got the usual cool gifts that I need and want but the best gift they always give is "I love you."
Even though my dad is no longer with us I am thankful for the wonderful memories he left us. I realize that not everyone is blessed with the kind of father I had so I am very grateful for his example and love.

A New Work

We are starting a new home bible study this coming Sunday evening with the goal of eventually becoming a HOUSE CHURCH. We had an initial study a couple of weeks ago to sort of lay some ground work. We are calling our fellowship Jacob's Well based on our study of John chapter four. It was encouraging because we started with eight adults. Most involved have been busy inviting others so I really expect more this time. Our goal is to reach the UNCHURCHED and those who have dropped out for various reasons. Please pray for us because we really do not want to recycle sheep from other folds. As with any new work I am also expecting some spiritual warfare.

More Music

This photo is one that my youngest daughter Emily posted on her photo blog. It is from the last time that our group The South Caraway All Stars played at a local coffee shop. I am very blessed to have such good friends to play music with. My brother Tony plays bass. Chandler Treadway is our drummer. Jason Turner plays acoustic guitar (he's also a great bass player). Aaron Johnson plays electric guitar. I'm the big guy up front. Just a fun post.