You Never Know

You never know the impact that your testimony of faithfulness to the Lord can have on another.  In Acts 7 Stephen shares one of the most scathing, telling, prophetic messages that has ever been told and then they stoned him.  Didn't seem to matter much, did it?  Well, I beg to differ.  I believe something that forever changed the spread of Christianity happened there. It is found in Acts 7:58-59- Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  (www.lifejournal.cc)
By laying the garments down at the feet of Saul, it tells us a couple of things.  First and most basically, it tells us he witnessed not only Stephen's stoning but also his testimony.  Most likely it also tells us that Saul was one of authority in this matter and may have had a part in ordering Stephen's stoning.  We know from further reading (in coming days) that after this event Saul sought the authority to hunt down Christians and further attempt to stifle the voice of the Gospel.  It is one thing for a man to try to break up a movement in his local area.  It is another for him to try to chase it down in other parts.  Such an attempt only comes from a man that is manic about stifling the message.  Saul apparently was.  Why? I believe it was because he was under conviction.  I believe it was because everything he had been taught had been challenged and he was questioning but trying not to.  I believe it was because Saul had given his life to something that was now being challenged by a man with a stronger drive than him: Stephen who was willing to die for the cause of Christ.  A convicted man will try to stifle the message of conviction, to snuff it out, or to respond to it.  If Saul could get the message completely gone, he would not have to deal with it.  He was seeking to snuff it out when he was on his way to Damascus. Of course, as we will read over the coming days, on the road to Damascus he met the Lord and was forever changed. The spread of Christianity was ever changed as well.  How?  By Stephen allowing nothing to hold him back from sharing Christ boldly.  I believe that testimony sent Saul over the edge of conviction and right into the arms of salvation. 
Never underestimate your consistent, committed testimony.  You never know the impact you may have.  Allow God to let you make an impact today just by living  boldly for Him!  

Working till Jesus Comes

If the Lord wills, in January I will celebrate (real personally, privately, and quickly) being a pastor for twenty years.  God blessed me with a pastorate when I was a seminary student and did not consider myself a candidate for such a position.  Those dear folks took me in, gave me their scrap furniture to furnish the parsonage, fellowship leftovers to eat, and room and space to grow and learn.  I carpooled with three other guys and commuted 250 miles four days a week to seminary.  Whatever was left after the ride, the classes, and the Greek and Hebrew homework, I gave to that church.  It probably wasn't much, but I tried and God blessed it.  I was there 3 1/2 years and then went back to South Carolina and pastoring in a community very close to where I was raised.  They took a chance on a 26 year old and we grew together.  Eleven years I served there and they were all blessed.  Almost five years ago, I began the conversation with a church in Houston, MS that became the next big move for my family.  Once again, God has blessed me with a wonderful congregation and a splendid opportunity.  I hear horror stories from preachers that talk about disgruntled groups that rise up, women that stir up, and men that throw up (no, I'M kidding!)...men that throw down.  I've never been through such an atmosphere and pray that I am not so blind, self-consumed, or marked to go through too many such  episodes. 
I have learned that God gives order to chaos when you get out of the way and let God do what He wants to do.  Notice how the church of Acts did it-  ¹ Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. ² And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers,^] pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”- Acts 6:1-4 (www.lifejournal.cc)
The only thing I remember about geometry is the hypothesis concept that we had to learn.  If this, then that.  Let me give you an IF, THEN statement for the church.
If the people that are not doing anything for the Kingdom are the ones that complain, then keep everybody busy in the Kingdom.  I have found over the years that everyone needs some responsibility in the church (whether it is assigned to them in an official position or they just see what needs to be done).  If people are not busy, trouble will brew quickly.  It is the job of each and everyone of us to do what needs to be done for the Kingdom.  When we do that, God will bless our efforts and we will grow in Him and closer together.  Find the task that God would have for you and get busy serving Him.   You will be blessed and so will others around you.  Serve Him today by encouraging someone and praying about what God would have you do!

The "Can't-Help-It"s

Acts 5:28-29-  “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (www.lifejournal.cc)
I must ask this morning:  Who do you take your orders from?  If you are an employee, you take it from your employer.  If you are in the military, you take it from a superior rank. If you are a student, you take it from your teacher.  If you are a child, you take it from your parent.  If you are a child of God, you take it from.....God.  God is superior to all these others and if it is in conflict with God, you do what God would have you to do.  I have had employers that wanted me to compromise ( I sold cars one summer).   I have had professors that wanted me to compromise.  I had an English class at a community college with a professor that was burned up and out and left over from the 60's.  She had long straight, black hair and came in class with long skirts on.  She would hop up on the table, sit Indian style with her dress draped over, smoke cigarettes and whisper a bunch of nothings in our ear.  Believe me, she had an agenda.  She wanted to further the whole hippies movement.  It was fun to have conflict with her.  Of course, I had parents that I took orders from but it did not feel like orders as I remember.  In my nostalgic look back, I don't remember much conflict coming when my parents told me to do this or that.  I don't remember the drama that I get from my kids when they are told to do the bare necessities. I just say, "Act on, girls, but get the mess up."  I do remember a day when I had to take a nap while my friends played basketball right outside my window.  That was torture...and how old was I anyway?  We didn't get the goal until I was 7 or 8. What was that all about?  Scars, we all have them....
Anyway, I try to teach my kids to follow their parents' instructions and do what would please the Lord.  Once grown, the first part may be left off, but the last part never changes.  Follow the Lord.  Peter and the others had a bad case of the "can't help its".  They had to do what the Lord would have them to do, rather it pleased folks or not.  That is what we must do too.  Not follow the lead of friend, of our wants or desires, but follow the lead of the one that gives us a reason to live.  We need to have a case of the "can't-help- it"s.

Joy in the Journey

In December 2010 we had a van with a bunch of miles on it, electronic problems, and a 'shimmy' in the front that sent us rocking right along.  When the dummy lights started coming on, I, like a dummy, took it in for a change of spark plugs.  While there, I walked the parking lot looking at vehicles because I am a man that cannot sit down very long in a new car dealer service department waiting room while one of my babies is back there getting torn apart by a dude that may be working the meter real hard.  Every time I drink that coffee, I think, "how much am I paying for this cup?"  It is nerve racking.  Although my daddy can fix anything with a MacGyver kind of talent- "Get me duct tape, a hammer, that foil gum wrapper, and take your belt off."  (My brother cleaned every ditch in our county out with our volkswagen bug that was then handed down to me.  My daddy kept it running.  Only 3 wheels touched the ground, but we rotated them often.)  Even though he could fix it, I learned that you are still supposed to get strained when car trouble comes.  Now pile on top of that the fact that I am so dumb about cars that I have to look up what the dummy lights mean, I really panic and get ill when car trouble comes.  It is my nature and my nurture. 
Back to my story..so I am walking around the car lot blowing time and steam and I see the MacDaddy of all vans.  Everything we wanted in one, it had.  I drove it, took it to Dawn to see, got a price on my old van while they were doing the tune up and could not drive it (wink, wink), and told them how I was a poor, litttle country preacher just needing some stable transportation that happened to have every entertainment device possible and the capability for the driver to eject anyone at a  moment's notice if he choose so.  Two hours later we had a new van.  I was blown away (and still am) at how easy the sale went.  They must have took me to the cleaners, but it sure don't feel like it! 
Now, I said all that to say, that I bought that van with another matter in mind.  With the Southern Baptist Convention being in Phoenix, I wanted to take the opportunity to drive outwest and see stuff I had never seen.  I  wanted to see the stockyards of Oklahoma City and make it to "Amarillo by Morning."  I wanted to see the scared woods, or the pertified forest, and spend the night in Albuquerque. I wanted to ride up to Flagstaff and down to Phoenix (what a roller coaster!).  I wanted to see the Red Rock, the Grand Canyon, and the Million Dollar Mile.  I wanted to drag my family through every loving minute of a 4000 mile journey over two weeks and I wanted them to play video games and watch movies quietly all the way!! And do you know what.... I did, we did and it was great! ....except for one little matter.  In a new van my children could not eat or drink in it.  We had some squeeze bottles that they could use when they were going to dehydrate, but only because we did not get the IV option on the new van.  About the time we got across the bridge out of Memphis (100 miles in), I heard something like you find in Exodus 17:3-4- But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” ⁴ So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” (www.lifejournal.cc).  I am no Moses, but right into Arkansas, I did lift up my eyes and say, "What shall I do?  They are ready to stone me!" or something like that. Actually it was a good trip, but let me get to my point. 
God can surround us with the greatest blessings that we could ever imagine.  For the Hebrews it was the opportunity to escape Egypt and journey to their promise land.  For my children it was videos that they did not have to hold in their lap.  He can give us everything that we need: peace in the midst of the journey, the promise of the destination, and the guidance along the way.  But even when He does, we have a tendency to bellyache and whine along the way.  We cannot see around the corner of tomorrow and because we live with indefinites, we panic and want to go back to living like we really believe we can control our own destiny.  Today, we are in the midst of the journey.  We are not happy about all that comes along the way, but if we will pay attention, we can see some beautiful sights.  We may not know what is ahead and that indefinite makes us shaky, but let's remember, we know Who is ahead and we know who controls it.  He has not led us this far to let us thirst in our desert.  Lean on the Living Water and keep all the matters of this day in the right perspective.  I hope you have joy along the journey!!

Morning Blessings

 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. ¹⁴ And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. - Exodus 16:13-15 
I think it is funny that when they did not know what it was, they said 'What is it?' or pronounced 
"manna" so they called it 'What is it?' from then on.   It reminds me of a time in the spring of 2010, we had a couple of bags of clothes sitting right outside the door that I was going to take charity.  One Sunday night I came home after a meeting and there was a puppy laying in between the bags.  I said, "Who's He?"  The next day Dawn and I were leaving on a trip and the children were staying with some friends.  I knew we would not be around for several days, so I fed the puppy thinking after four or five days, it would be gone.  When we returned four days later, there were two puppies on our carport that ran out to meet us.  We claimed one and a neighbor claimed the other.  We named our puppy, "Who's He?" based on that first encounter.  We spell her name, Whoosie (the extra "o" is a tribute to an old dog we had then named "Boo").    At the time we had two dogs- Boo and Whoo (pronounced Who) or together they were "BooWhoo".  I could not help but think about that when I read the manna episode.
That part of it was funny, but there is another part of it that is reassuring.  God's blessings are renewed day after day.  There is never a time when we need worry what we will find in the new day.  God is already there and His Blessings are new every day.  Does that make every day pleasant? No.  It does, however, reassure us that no matter what that day holds, God holds that day. He has already been there.  He is ready to make us ready for whatever may come.  As sure as the dew is on the ground on a summer morning (and even more so),  we can be sure that God will walk with us in this day.  That alone is quite a blessing.   Have a blessed day!

A Lead in the Dark

Years ago I went to a Haunted Trail at Halloween.  It was a fund raiser for a local fire department and the trail was filled with stuff hanging from trees, chainsaws without chains, and overzealous post-teens in $20 masks.  The final stage of the tour was a death tunnel or something that was a maze of walls with narrow corridors, mattresses to walk on, and goblings hiding in holes here and there.  It was pitch black dark and hot.  I think I was leading Dawn's 8 year old cousin through it. I don't remember that part. I just remember when I got in that tunnel some pre-teen girl grabbed the back of my shirt (untucking as she did) and was leading herself along by pulling on my shirt.  When a big boy gets hot, lost, and untucked, things begin to spiral downward in the tunnel of death.  I got about halfway to my destination (I guess to death) and a monster popped out and screamed at me.  I said, "Hey Pal, how do you get out of here?" He said in his spooky voice, "There is no way out!!"  I grabbed him by the collar, pulled him in tight, and said, "You don't understand.  I'm getting out of here or the tunnel of death is coming down." I was determined that I could play the part of the man with a legion of demons and tear through the walls.  He stopped pointing his flashlight at his Wal-mart mask and pointed it down some corridor and said, "Down there, sir!"  I said, "Thank you, mad man!" I was free, a little cooler, and away from that scared youngun.   I tucked my shirt in, told everybody how grand it was, and went back home. 
There is nothing like a lead in the dark.  Can you imagine being led as the Hebrews were lead?  (www.lifejournal.cc) And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. ²² The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. - Exodus 13:21-22  I would love to see how this took place.  It has always amazed me and I don't think Hollywood could ever get close to showing such imagery.  What a blessing the lead of the Lord is through the dark deserts of our lives!
He will not do it through a fire by night for you but God will lead you through whatever you are facing.   Through the Holy Spirit, He often does through a still, small voice.  Listen, follow, and let Him lead you today!

By and By

The older I get, the smarter my parents get.  I am so proud of them.  They did not know much when I was a preteen.  It is not that they did not try, they were just so old.  When I was a teenager, they went from bad to worst.   They seemed clueless.  Oh, if  they had only listened.  When I was in college, they tried but they just did not understand the times and situations in which I faced.  However, there was something about that empty nest that did them good.  They became brilliant and wise, almost overnight.  The more independent I got, the more they knew.  EUREKA! and I don't mean the vacuum.  However, something else happened when I got "out on my own" (whatever that means!).  Their words, guidance, and direction from years earlier appeared wiser.  It was as if there had been some miscommunication along the way...as if it was not their mistake after all...as if it was lost in translation...as if I spoken some goofy foreign language for about a dozen years of my life...an unknown tongue not of the Spirit.   I guess hindsight is not really 20/20 but time gives us corrective lenses. In other words (for the slow ones in the group), it was me that was the dumb preteen, the arrogant teen, the know-it-all college student, and it was my parents who had seen it all before.  Too bad my light did not come on earlier. 
When we read of the resurrected Christ, we see the light come on.  It was not that He had not prepared them, told them, and tried to show them what was going to come.  It was that they just did not get it until they saw His Face...His Resurrected Face.  Now notice what happens (www.lifejournal.cc)-
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.--Luke 24:45-47  You can almost sense the light coming on, can't you?  There was much about what Christ said to His followers and to His disciples that they just did not understand in the midst of their training.   Afterwards though.   After going to the cross and seeing Him die....the tomb and seeing it sealed...going to the Upper Room and locking that door and waiting...and after watching Him walk through it.   The light came on. 
For whatever you do not understand about the Work of God in this world, save your time.  Don't make a list of questions to ask Him in eternity.  I believe when you see Him face to face all the lights will come on.  I believe your mind will be opened...and your eternity changed and your questions won't matter near as much.  They will even appear naive and silly. 
Until that day, let's trust Him completely.  I'm convinced we will understand it better by and by.

The Stanking

When you study Moses in the book of Exodus, an interesting part of the story is the plagues that came upon Egypt.  It may seems as you read it that just one menacing thing comes after another.  That is true.  All the plagues were, at least, menacing.   However, there is a much greater message that Egypt got from the plagues that we too often miss today.  With every plague God was attacking, not only their lifestyle, but their false religions.  For instance, they saw the Nile as the lifeblood of the nation.  Economically and in many other ways, it was.  For instance, I learned the other day from a historical account in a 6th grade reading book something else about the Nile.  It is thought to be the mode of transportation of the large limestone rocks that make up the pyramids.  They would bring those large "bricks" down the Nile to the location of the building of the pyramid tombs.   The Nile was at the center of all Egypt did.  The Nile was so valuable to them that they worshiped it.  When God turned it to blood, He was attacking their "lifeblood" or the Nile, in which they worshiped. 
Another example is the gnats.  The gnats were significant because they made everything unclean and the Egyptians were not able to carry out their pagan, religious practices because everything was contaminated by gnats.  He interrupted their pagan worship with filth. 
The whole onslaught of the frogs is also significant.  Frogs were not thought of in a negative sense.  As a matter of fact when the floods came, the frogs came out.  The Egyptians knew that without the floods, the land would not be fertile.  Therefore, they saw the frogs as a promise of fertility. 
They even formed a goddess from the image of a frog.  HEKT was a mythical goddess that had the body of a woman but the head of a frog and she represented resurrection and fertility.   You have to wonder if she was seen in the same light after the following episode (www.lifejournal.cc):  And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. ¹⁴ And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.-- Exodus 8:13-14 
In other words, HEKT stank or it stank like HEKT!  Whatever!  It should have been a clear message to serve no other god, but the real God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It should have been a message to Pharoah to let the people go and worship.  As a matter of fact, he should have followed them to worship.  However, he didn't and the trouble continued.
Let's let nothing in our lifestyle, custom, or habit come in the way of worshiping God wholeheartedly today!  Celebrate the Lord!

Slow to Speak

If you have committed your life to Christ, you have a customized job to do.  It has been individualized to meet your settings.  It has been personalized to match your strengths.  God has allowed you to join his team and you have a responsibility to carry out.  All that say they are of God are not faithful and will not carry it out.  Don't look around to see what others are doing to determine what you are to do.  Look around to see what God is doing around you and get in on it.   Don't make excuses.  Maybe you know someone that would be better at it, but God has called you to make a difference, so trust Him to enable you to get the job done.  We often are like Moses-- trying to disqualify ourselves.  (www.lifejournal.cc) Exodus 4:10-13- But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” ¹¹ Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? ¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” ¹³ But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
Quit making excuses!  God can enable you to do whatever He needs you to do. The reality is that sometimes we make excuses when really we just want someone else to do it.   But God sends us. 
Let's go when He calls. 
I hope to see you in worship today.  Let's praise the Lord together.

Every Generation

When you read the last part of Genesis, you read a wonderful story about the rags to riches, pit to pinnacle journey of Joseph.  Sold into slavery by his brothers, his faithfulness, leadership, and blessing of the Lord led him to lead the powers of the world at that time, Egypt, through a famine.  His leadership saved not only a strong country but his very own blood.  He brought his large family into Egypt to live  in Pharoah's lap of luxury and they prospered....and multiplied.  When Joseph died and the Pharoah too, you had a bunch of Hebrews in a foreign land. The new Egyptian king was nervous by their presence and problems came: Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. ¹⁰ Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”- Exodus 1:8-10 (www.lifejournal.cc)  Of course, Moses will soon be on the scene and we will have another Godly hero to learn from. 
Isn't it amazing though that from one generation to the next, the people and the lessons of the last generation are lost?  That is scary.  However, the truth of it should not shock us:  we are experiencing such a thing in America today.  We are one generation away from an anti-Christian atmosphere in America.  Some would say we are there, however, it can get much worse.  I promise. 
So what is my point, just gloom and doom on this Saturday?  No.  Just to point to a need that we must  live in response to and pray in response to:  every generation needs Godly leaders.  We cannot skip a generation.  Therefore anyone who reads this is either a part of that generation or has a responsibility to encourage, train, pray for, love on, guide, and spiritually nourish that loved one or friend of the next generation to keep the great ship of Zion sailing in America for  another generation.  That will not come through Washington.  It will come through Christ in and through lives.
So today, let's live like the world depends on our faithfulness and let's love the next generation as if it depended upon them.  Don't slack off!  Seek Christ today!

The WOW of His Love

When you think about who He is and think about who we are, it is pretty amazing how much He has done for "little ole us."  Psalm 8:3-6 (www.lifejournal.cc)- 
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
⁵ Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
   and crowned him with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet.
When you realize all God is, has done, can do, has created, is over, it will amaze you.  When you sit and ponder His Love, His Power, His Grace, His Patience, His Holiness, His Craftmanship, you cannot help but we overwhelmed.  Who are we that He would even think of us?  After creating us as the crown of His Creation, how often, in every generation, have we failed Him! 
When you move beyond us and move to  yourself, if you are honest with God about what He has given you, in spite of what you have done, it is quite amazing.
I pray today that we will be amazed by the love, care, and countenance of the Lord in whom we serve.

A House of What?

The Temple in Jerusalem was a marketplace as well.  The outer courts were filled with folks that were selling stuff.  The animals that were required for sacrifice was sold in that area. It is sometimes easier to buy the stuff when you get there than to travel with it.  I am sure that is the case for animals that you buy for sacrifice.  However, don't expect to pay the same price.  I eat popcorn at home for about 50 cent a bag.  At the movies it will cost you $7.  The things for sell on the Temple grounds were marked up as well.  It all did not set right with Christ.  Why are people getting ripped off on the Temple grounds?  He responds in Luke 19:46- “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’” (www.lifejournal.cc)  He compares the sales folks to robbers, because they were "robbing people blind" as we might say.  But what about the front end of that statement?
He could have said, "My house will be a house of worship.."  There is no doubt that the Temple was made for worship.  The deeper you were able to go into the Temple, the more intense the worship.  However, He did not speak of worship.
He could have said, "My house will be a house of preaching.."  There is no doubt that preaching is at the center of the strategy of effectiveness in the Kingdom of God.  He is highly revered throughout the New Testament and I believe (as a preacher) is timeless in its effectiveness.  However, He did not speak of preaching.
He could have said, "My house will be a house of giving..."  There is so much at the center of Christianity about giving.  We give our lives to Christ.  We give our time to others.  We give our tithes and offerings to the Lord.   Without giving, the work of the Lord would not be effective, however, He did not speak of giving.
He could have said, "My house will be a house of sharing..." There is no doubt that Christ has called every Christian to share their faith and their Christian love with all they come in contact with.  However, He did not speak of sharing.
He could have said, "My house will be a house of fellowship..."  Fellowship is at the center of Christianity as well.  The first century church gives us a model of the strength that comes to the people of God when they fellowship together.  Nothing needs to inhibit the fellowship of God's people, but He did not speak of fellowship. 
He could have said, "My house will be a house of..." a lot of different things, but He did not.  He said it is to be a house of prayer.  It is to be marked by prayer, empowered by prayer, made effective by prayer, molded and made by prayer.  Of all the things He could have said, He said prayer. 
If it is true for the body of Christ, it is also true for the individuals in Christ. 
I guess I know what we need to be doing today, don't you? 
Seek the face of God today and have a blessed day.

Sellling Out

When one makes a list of difficult passages of Scripture, most will include Luke 18:22- When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”   If it difficult because many will follow such a statement with a question:  Do you really have to sell everything you've got to follow Jesus?  We need to keep a couple of things in mind though.  First, we only have record of Christ giving one man such a requirement.  Second, this ole boy put a lot of confidence in his money.  How do I know?  Because Christ seeks to help us remove anything in our lives that could be a hindrance keeping us from walking with the Lord. Money can hinder a lot of folks and money does not need to be a hindrance.  Do you need to give it all away if it is a hinderance?  Not necessarily, but you need to prioritize your life in such a way that Christ is your focus and not your money or your habit or your hobby or a person or your recessive sin pattern.  Christ must be first and, as uncomfortable as we may be with it, He speaks radically to the matter on various occasions.  Remember He also told us to take up our cross daily and deny ourselves.  Some of us are very demanding and it takes a lot to deny ourselves.  I really don't believe that for most of us it is about giving everything we have to others, I believe it is about giving everything that we have...and are...to Christ.  It is about total surrender, and if we have a special thing in our life that we just will not get rid of, Christ may require it.  When we radically love Jesus, we will radically live for Him.  Radically live for Him today!

The Favor of the Lord

Psalm 5:12- Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;  you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
(www.lifejournal.cc) The Psalmist this morning is speaking of finding refuge in the Lord.   He speaks of seeking the Face of God in prayer, coming into the House of God seeking refuge from his enemies.  He concludes by asking God to "spread his protection" over him so that he can again rejoice in the Lord.  Then he concludes by speaking of surrounding them with favor as a shield.  I cannot help but be reminded of a story that I heard about something found after a forest fire.  I believe it was seen in the crevice of a tree at its base or in a small divot in the ground.  The person coming through heard a bird...maybe several, but saw none.  Looking down, he saw a charred bird with its wings extended over the ground but obviously dead by the smoke of the fire.  The person kicked the dead bird to the side and found to his surprise her babies safely stored under her wings and hungry for nourishment. When Christ went to the cross, He spread His wings and protected us from the wrath that our sins had caused.  He died so that we can live under the shelter of his wing of salvation.  Some will not receive such favor.  They will chose not to.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:37- “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 
The option is ours.  Will we run to the Lord's Shield of Salvation for protection or will we try to sustain the battle on our own in a losing effort?
I encourage you to embrace the favor of His Protection today and give Him Praise!

Church Day

My 5 year old daughter is trying to get a grasp on time.  "How long until this?  Is it tomorrow or the next day or the next day?"  Just yesterday she held up her hands pretty close together as if showing me how long a fish was that she caught and asked, "How long is it until my birthday? This long?"  Well, it is bigger than the size of a brim but it is not the size of a... how do you show a kid how far....I mean long....seven months is by holding your hands together?  I just told her it would be quite a while.  We had been talking about her sister's birthday which always falls during spring break. 
Another question she often asks when she wakes up is "What day is it?"  She does not mean Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.  She means 'school day', 'church day', or 'family day.'  Then she will ask what tomorrow is and on and on. 
Well I am happy to tell her when she wakes up today that it is 'Church day'.  (We kinda sing 'Church Day' to each other.) I have always loved church day; at least since I was her age.  My kids love it too and I am thankful.  The Psalmist loved it too (www.lifejournal.cc) - Psalm 7:17- I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.  Earlier in verse 7 he had discussed the assemby getting together in worship.  I hope you will be a part of 'Church Day' today.  Let's come already celebrating the Lord and ready to give thanks and sing praise!  I'm looking forward to seeing you.

The Banquet

Recently our college students went to the Passion Conference in Atlanta, a very 'worship intense' conference that is top notch and very inspiring.  About 50,000 college students filled the Georgia Dome.  Can you imagine??  Well, they came home...passionate...about serving the Lord. Based upon a passage that we read this morning, they have a vision.  (www.lifejournal.cc)  Luke 14:12-14- He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” 
We have  a food ministry where we give a bag of food to about 50 families on 1 or 2 occasions each month.  At Thanksgiving we give turkeys and at Christmas we give hams.  We also have a Free Medical Clinic that serves 75-100 people every month on a Saturday morning.    The College Students want to throw a banquet, a nice one, for all those that would come  that normally could not come to such as that.  When I think about the burden that God has given me to help out the needy and the vision that He has given others, I get excited about the heavenly impact such events can bring. 
Pray for the planning and think of others today...especially those you would not of normally thought of.

Do It Today!!

There is an opportunity available for all that must be seized.  There is an expiration date to the offer that is unknown and is individualized.  However, the offer is still available now.  We must seize!  We must share! 
It is described several ways by Jesus in Scripture.  At one point He talks about the bridegroom coming and being ushered in by the prepared bridesmaids.  Once the bridegroom goes into the courtyard to join the wedding feast, any who have not entered will be left out. OR  Once the sheep and the goats are separated in the end, it will be too late.  OR as today's passage says (www.lifejournal.cc) in
Luke 13:25- When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’
There are a lot of uncertainties about the future.  Sometimes the most emphasis is placed on what we know the least about:  the future.  Scripture has been turned, twisted, pushed and pulled  to say many things that folks have grown to accept even though they cannot find it in Scripture.  I see that happen more about the future or the end of time than any other matter.  However, if you read the words of Christ, He makes it clear.  You get one shot at this life.  You need to make the right decision before it is too late.  Why put off such a major decision when you do not know when it will be too late.  Come to Jesus today!  Admit that you have done wrong (and are a sinner) and ask Christ to forgive you as you surrender your will and way to His and commit your life to live from this day forward to honor, obey, and follow Him.  And if you have made such a commitment, let it be known by becoming a part of a local congregation and publicly acknowledging the Lord.
And if you have done that, then show your gratitude to God by living for Him and giving others a personal invitation to come to Him today.  I pray that God will open doors for us to share today, and they we may see the world as HE does.

Watching the S$S's

So much of what we work for, plan around, and schedule are aimed at matters that Christ tells us are misguided.  It is not that these matters are not important; it is that they are not the most important.
We focus on Stuff.  Everybody likes their stuff.  We go to parties to buy more stuff.  We rent storage buildings to buy more stuff.   The plastic tub industry is huge.  Why? To keep our stuff safe.  We have old stuff that we don't like anymore but that we cannot get rid of because we may like it again.  If you find something on sale, you better get it.  It is a deal.  I went to a store one day and spend about $100 on clothes and the lady told me that I saved $240.  I told her that I wanted to save $1000 so I guess I'm gonna have to spend more money.  It must pay to spend!!  All for more stuff.
Then there is society.  People strive hard to keep up with the Joneses and once you catch up, the Joneses refinance.   How can we afford to have what others have, when we cannot afford it?  That is the kind of question that sent the housing market to the bottom.   That is the kind of question that leads folks to heavy credit card debt, bankrupcy, and strained relationships.  Why?  To keep up with the neighbors.
Then there is security. We need to be ready for whatever may come.  To make sure they are ready, some people spend so much on matters that will help them feel secure that they get insecure on how much money they have spent. 
It is a rat race and one that is not necessary, not required, and advised against.  Listen to what Christ says about it. Luke 12:33-34- Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let's not run after stuff or the demands of society or the falsehood feelings of security.  Let's run after the Savior.  Let's seek Him first and watch Him take care of the rest of it.  I don't believe it is really about what you have and what you don't, but what you seek and what you don't.  Seek Him First today!

On the Inside

Not long after I moved to Mississippi, I was invited to speak at a regional minister's conference and I preached on today's passage in Luke 11 (www.lifejournal.cc).   At first preachers like when you preach and you 'tear off' on folks.  When you preach like a gnawling dog, some people are going to love it.  However, there are others who get offended and cut you off.  (If you preach love and grace, some will get mad because that is not always just...and on and on.)  It sure is fun to watch the crowd turn though.  First I began talking about how Jesus put the chief priests and elders in their place.  Amen!  Then I began to remind them how He did.  For instance, Luke 11:39- And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.   I began to tell them how trying to look like a preacher was not enough.  You had to live a life that was dedicated to Him, even when they were not looking.  (The enthusiasm began to die.)  Then in verse 43- Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  I explained the passage as speaking against the promonading that preachers like to do in front of their congregation and in front of peers. I talked about the back slapping among some and the neglect of others.  I talked about loving titles, positions, and recognition.  By the time I got finished, I think I made the whole group mad.  I am not the only one though.  Jesus made the Sanhedrin made when He said what He said.
The whole matter (the preaching session and Luke 11) remind me of Amos 1.  Amos is speaking to Israel and he begins by speaking against their neighbors.  He speaks of how wicked the neighbors are.  He goes through several people groups bashing each one.  I can just hear the "Amens" resounding  throughout the congregation.  Then he speaks against Israel herself and the tide turns.   I entitled that sermon, "When the Amens Stop." 
It is easy for us to look at what others do and appear to be and make comments and judgements.  The focus that Christ points us to is not about our evaluation of others or what we look like and act like it.  Christ tells us to deal with who "we" really "are."  If we get ourselves right on the inside, it will take care of the outside.  It will also not leave time for us to be sizing up others. 
Let's work on the inside today!

A Faith Heritage

When Abraham, his son, and his son's son passed, God often identified Himself to the Israelite people by saying, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob..."  To the generations that followed these great men, it was strengthening to know that they served the same God as their patriarchal fathers.   They knew the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and they gained courage and faith knowing that they were now serving the same God. The same God that watched over these men is the same God that walked with them today.  God was identified with the work that He had done in previous generations.  Today as we read (www.lifejournal.cc) I noticed something that I am not sure I ever noticed.  It is Genesis 26:24 and it comes about during Isaac's well debates with other herdsmen- And the LORD appeared to (Isaac) the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.”  Notice the difference in what God says to Him and what He will say in future generations.   He says, "I am the God of Abraham your father.  Isaac had not walked enough with God yet to build such a legacy.  Nor Jacob.  The benefit that the Israelits had from hearing "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" is similiar to the benefit that Isaac had by the mere mention of his father in God's introduction.  Actually I feel it meant more to Isaac.  Why?  Because Isaac had been with his dad when Abraham faced some of his biggest trials.  Isaac was a main component to one Abraham's biggest moments with God. When he laid Isaac on that altar and walked back down that mountain knowing that God had provided, I don't believe Abraham was ever the same.  Isaac had the advantage of walking with Abraham while Abraham walked with God. 
I hope my children have such an advantage.  I hope my life is such that when I am gone, if God whispers into one of my girls' hearts, "I am the God that your daddy served..." that it will be inspiring, strengthening, and helpful for them.  I hope they can reflect on the faith trials they saw me walk through without ever wondering who came first in my life.  I had such a heritage set before me.  I must leave such a heritage. 
That is my prayer for you as well.  If there was a faith heritage before you, thank God for it today and then leave your own heritage for others to follow.  Even if you don't have children in your home, other generations are watching you.  Don't you dare ever think different!  Live for the Lord first today...and then live for Him for the sake of others. 

Can You Hear Me Now?

If  you have spoken on a cell phone for many days at all, you know the frustation of being cut off mid-conversation.  One of the main cell providers has a commercial and they brag about how strong their signal is with the little guy in the black outfit saying, "Can you hear me now?"  He is not the first to say something like that.  Jesus did as well...or at least similiar.  In Luke 9:44, Jesus says- “Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.”   I am just struck by those words: let these words sink into your ears.  Jesus was saying, "Don't miss this!  This is something to hear! Listen this time!"  If you read the Gospels, you quickly find that the disciples often misunderstood what He was saying to them.  They either did not get it or they just did not listen.  Now the passage actually says in this cause that it was "concealed" from them.   There are many times, however, when they just did not get it.  The disciples were used in a powerful way by God but they were not perfect and missed a lot in their daily walk with the Lord.
I think most of us are probably worse than they were.   I wonder how many times we come across a passage of Scripture or the Spirit whispers into our souls and has to emphasize it with a "let these words sink into your ears."  Thickheaded Christianity is dead-end Christianity.  It cuts us off from God's very best.  It would do us well to be very sensitive to the voice of God, the Word of Scripture, the unction of the Spirit at work in our lives.  I would hate the think that the Lord has to re-emphasize His Words to me with "let this sink in".  I would hate to think He has to do it for any of us. 
Commit yourself to be attentive to the Word of God today.  Hear It Now!

Fruitful Patience

Well, I guess the holidays are officially over.  It takes a while to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  Due to Black Friday and the sales frenzy right after Thanksgiving, Christmas is all over us the minute we get up from the turkey table.  New Years is only a week after Christmas so there is some 'limbo land' there too.  However, about a week into the new year, life settles and it is time to get back at it. I am glad.  We have had special events on Sunday night since the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  Tonight it is back to normal (if you consider my preaching normal!).   We have Sunday School today and, yes, some meetings here and there.  We are feeding people again on Wednesday night this week.  (Poor church members have been starving to death...)  We are back and I am glad!  Hope to see you there!

There is so much in our reading today that is so very good (www.lifejournal.cc) it is hard to pick one area on a day of reading like today.  However, I could not get past the seed.  When the seed hits the right soil and does what it is supposed to do, Luke 8:15 tells us- As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.  When we are where we need to be when God speaks to us, our heart is right and our lives reflect it with fruit.  Perfectly?  NO, we bear fruit with patience.  That means we have patience with others along the way as well as having patience with ourselves.  We will not be perfect or complete until we are glorified with Him forever.  In the meantime patiently bear fruit, letting your life reflect the seed of His Word having impact in your heart.

An Intangible Blessing

When I played football in high school, one of the pregame preparations on Friday afternoon was to go over our 'intangibles'.  In our locker room boards were posted on the wall that had significant words or phrases that we should keep in mind while we practiced and played.  Our coach called them 'intangibles.'  On gameday we would have a meeting and go over the 'intangibles' or those things that you cannot completely describe but make a huge difference in a ballgame.
Salvation in Christ has some intangibles as well.  These intangibles are benefits of the Christian life that you cannot fully describe but you can receive the blessing from while living in Christ. Our reading today (www.lifejournal.cc) closes with one.  Luke 7:50- And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”  Peace...what an intangible!  Peace is one of those benefits of the Christian life that you cannot quite put your finger on but you know when you have it.  Unlike what many think, peace is not an absence of war or conflict. Peace is a stillness in the midst of the storm.  Peace is the calmness in the midst of calamity.  Peace is the presence of God in your life in the midst of circumstances beyond your understanding.  Peace is a gift of God for the Christian.  A gift that cannot be bought or sold, sought and seized, but a blessing that comes as the Spirit speaks... in the stillness,  as the Lord walks...in the midst, and where the Christian lives...in the daily.  Seek Him and peace will be an intangible blessing for you.  I pray that for you today!  Keep your eyes on Him.

Whatta Wadi!

I have previously owned a house with a basement.  It was a wonderful thing.  It was unfinished when I moved there and I soon had dreams of a secondary study.  When we built at church and I got a new study, I turned my dreams to a 'man cave.'  I had great illusions of sports memorabilia  all over the team color, painted walls, a big TV (before flat screens), and all kinds of other things....then the rains came.  A hurricane brushed the coast of Carolina and it came inland as a storm.  By the time it reached us it was a depression...my depression.  A small crack on the base of the wall and a lot of water behind it led to Heeringa Stream running through my basement.  The good news: whoever built that house expected it.  I found out the floor was sloped toward the back door. The bad news: not perfectly.   After that, once every three years the wadi would come back.  The man cave never came.  Now the water never caused a lot of damage, just a few long nights.  I learned to buy plastic tubs for storage instead of cardboard boxes or to get cardboard a half-inch off the ground.  (Before someone tells me, I do know there are pseudo-solutions to such a problem.  I did not trust such solutions efficiently enough to pay the money for them.  I did buy a wet/dry vacuum.) 
The problem was the foundation.  All was not well at the foundation, therefore when the storms came, there was trouble.  That is true in our spiritual lives as well.  We need a strong foundation in the Lord to spiritually endure whatever may come.  That foundation is laid with a commitment to Christ and is strengthened by a daily walk with Him.  That is why I encourage all that I know to spend time with Him daily in the Word.  We don't know what this day holds, but we know who holds it, so let's hear from Him before we approach it!  If not, the storms could get ugly.  Christ said it this way in Luke 6:49- But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.  (www.lifejournal.cc)  Build upon the Rock and rest in your foundation today!  Do more than survive...thrive....and have a great day in the Lord. 

Wherever You Go

I appreciate Abraham very much. I like the fact that when God called him, God told him he was being called to a land He would show him.  Abraham went somewhat on blind faith.  I have felt like that with every major move I have made as an adult.  We don't make moves across town.  I went from SC to New Orleans for seminary, from south Mississippi to SC for a pastorate, and then from SC to north Mississippi.  Each time it was on a somewhat blind faith (not being very familiar with any of the spots) and each time God has blessed.  Abraham was blessed as well and was a blessing, just as God told him.  What stands out to me is the altar building of Abraham.  God spoke to him at Shecem (12:7) and he builds an altar there.  He pitches his tent in the hill country and builds an altar there (12:8).  He comes back across it (13:4) and I am sure he used it again.  Then again in Hebron (13:18) he builds an altar there.  Abraham left smoking altars everywhere he pitched his tent.  That means he worshiped the Lord everywhere he went, regardless of the circumstances.  I believe that is the key to being blessed everywhere you go.  Worship God wherever you are!  See every location that you find yourself at on any day of the week and consider it grounds for worship.   Before you interact with others, consider that place, a  place for worship.  Before you go in a store, step into your car, get out of your car, and when you return to your home-- every time-- make that a ground for worship and I truly believe we will be blessed.  Notice something else today too.  This is in our Luke 5 passage (www.lifejournal.cc).  In Luke 5:16 it says: But (Jesus) would withdraw to desolate places and pray.  Have you picked up on something?  Worship is not about a particular setting, circumstance, or location.  Worship is about the state of your mind, heart, and will.  Wherever you are, worship the Lord today!.....and have a great one!

The Bow is Hung

To really understand the message of a Scripture passage, it helps to follow some rules.  It helps to look at the context.  Before you pick out a passage and talk about what it means, read around it.  It's context makes a difference.  You also look at the historical setting.  Don't ignore what is happening around it.  You also check the cultural context- what does it mean to the first audience?  The first audience is who the letter is written to (i.e. the Ephesians), who the prophet is speaking to (i.e. the Israelites), or who the Lord is speaking to (i.e. Noah).   Therefore when I pick a passage from Genesis 9 in today's reading (www.lifejournal.cc) and I see God talking to Noah, I have to ask how did Noah interpret it.  Let me show you the passage:  Genesis 9:12-13- And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³ I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Now you and I know that what He is talking about is a bow of spectrum colors that are a beautiful reflection upon a moist sky.  Not only is it beautiful and a joy to see every time you have the opportunity, it is also a reminder of God's redemption.  But what does it mean to Noah?  Well, notice that the word 'bow' is used.  The bow that Noah would think of would be the one that would make up a bow and arrow combination (a common weapon in war in that day).  The bow was a sign of warrior and when he pointed it at you, it was a sign of war.  However, the Great Warrior who had flooded the earth to cleanse it, no longer aimed his bow.  Instead, now God has hung up his bow.  This episode of wrath is over and God has left a reminder of his grace.  The sign is that the warrior has hung up his bow. 
God speaks further to it: v.14-17- When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷ God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”   God will never destroy the earth by flood again.  He has hung up His Bow.  He is not at war with us.  God is not mad at you.  As a matter of fact, now we know that God loves us unconditionally enough to send His Son to die in our place.  I don't know about you but I celebrate today that God has hung His Bow up.  God does not war against us.  He fights for us!  Go out and claim the victory today!  The Lord is on your Side!

Noah's Heart

I have always loved Noah.  The older I get, the more I appreciate him.  I often speak of Noah's example with other men.  He has made a profound impact on me.  Why?  Because very little is said about Noah the man but most of what is said about him is marvelous (not all but most).    Let me give you some examples from our reading today (www.lifejournal.cc).  First is Genesis 6:9- Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.  Righteous and blameless or as I have read in other translations 'blameless and above reproach.' Noah had such a reputation that if people said he had done something bad, others would not believe it.   However, no one did say such things, because he was blameless.  The Christian life is not about pleasing everyone else with your lifestyle.  You will not please everyone.  The Christian life is about living at a standard that points people to Christ ORliving 'blameless and above reproach'.  
The second thing I like about Noah is found in Gen. 6:22.  God gives him specific instructions about how to build and fill the ark and then it simply says- Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.  In other words, he did not hesitate, cut corners, or do less than his very best.  Noah gave all he had to please the Lord.  When he did, God blessed him.  He brought him safely back to land. 
When God delivered him, notice what he did (Gen. 8:20)-  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD.  He worshiped the Lord.  The first thing after the flood that is recorded about Noah is that he took the first opportunity he had on land to build an altar to the Lord and worship Him.  What a man!  He had excellent character, a beautiful obedience to God, and an insatiable desire to worship Him!  What a role model.  Perfect?  No, but he did some things right that we should learn from...and live like...even today!

God's First Question

I have always been amazed at the questions of God.  Think about it.  Why does God ask questions?  He don't need to know the answer.  He knows all things.  He asks questions for our own introspection.  The first question that we have recorded in Scripture is found in passage today.  It is followed by more follow up questions.  But get the first one.  It is found in Genesis 3:9 (www.lifejournal.cc) and it comes when Adam and Eve are hiding from God.  God simply asks-  “Where are you?”.  First, have you ever been hiding from God?  The answer is 'yes'.  When sin is in our lives or we are trying to run our own lives without his consultation (that is sin too) or his leadership (God is a leader not a consultant), we tend to avoid interaction with God.  We don't pray like we should.  We don't read His Word like we should.  We don't attend church like we should.  We don't think, speak, and live like we should.  We are avoiding interaction with God. We are avoiding places and situations that are uncomfortable because of conviction or correction. When that happens God will not leave His Children there.  He will begin to probe our hearts and lives and speak to us where we are.  Often times the probing feels like questions.  Questions like 'Where are you?'. Which could also mean, "I know where you are, do you realize how far you have gone?" or "Why are you hiding from God?" or  "Don't you want to walk with the Lord?"  God's questions! They dig deep. 
So I have a question for you on the 2nd day of a new year.  It is a question that I just want you to think about and maybe give God an answer to (but not because he fails to know the answer).  This is my question:  Where are you?

Starting the New Year Right!

Happy New Year!
I hope you are having a happy one!  I am taking an unusually slow Sunday morning because today we have one worship hour only at 11 AM.  It is nice to take the time after a lot of hectic traveling, going, and doing.  Last night we got in from SC at about 5 PM.  We joined one gathering at about 6, moved on to another at about 7, and checked in on another at about 9, and then got home a  little after 11.  We got settled in to watch the ball drop and missed it.  We turned it to Dick Clark's show and at 12:03 Abby came to our room and said I put her TV on the wrong channel and she missed the ball.  I saw no Dick Clark and no ball drop.  I still don't know what happened.  I feel older and the year just started. 
Oh well, but I sure enjoyed the Word this morning.  (www.lifejournal.cc).  I want to encourage to start out this new year spending daily time in the Word.  The link (www.lifejournal.cc) will give you the schedule that I read.  I also have it available in bookmark form.  Bookmarks for an abbreviated version but dealing with the same passages is also available.  Just let me know.  FBC Houston is dedicated to helping you be dedicated to be in the Word.  I believe it makes a world of difference.   I write a blog practically everyday  concerning the Scripture that I read.  Join me on the journey and email me at drheeringa@bellsouth.net and let me know your thoughts.  I know there are people reading  (I read the stats)  but I would love to hear from you from time to time.
I am going to start the year off cheating.  I try to pick one passage each day but I am going to pick two today.  The first is in Genesis 2:3- So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.   The only thing I want to say about that passage is begin the new year committing yourself to giving Sunday (the New Testament day of celebrating the Sabbath that we have in Christ) to the Lord.  Give Him the whole day!  Worship with peers in Sunday School.  Worship corporately in worship.  Don't miss Sunday night.  I bet you will find like most do that if you will come Sunday night, you will like it better than Sunday morning.   The fellowship is sweeter.  Everyone is not so drawn up like on Sunday morning.  Try it in 2012 (start next week though-no PM tonight). 
The second passage is Luke 1:38- And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”  We have studied the events of Christmas a lot in recent days but let's look at it one more time to see how it relates to us.  Mary was given a huge task by God and she simply obeyed.  She wanted His Will done.  Whatever tasks God gives us this year, let us be ready to simply obey Him. Let my one desire be to have His Will done.  May your one desire be to have His Will done. 
We don't know what 2012 holds, but we know who holds 2012.  Let's spend time with Him daily and seek to please His Will everyday.  That is a great way to start the New Year!  Have a blessed day and a blessed year!