Landon's Blog

The One Year Voyage

2010-01-02T01:20:00.005-05:00

Bon Voyage

We set sail today on a one year voyage through the Bible!! I am looking forward to what God will do in my life and in yours. I truly believe this will be a life-changing experience for us all. If you have not signed up to be a part of the voyage and have not received the one year chronological Bible and accompanying journal, please e-mail me at landon@lakenormanbaptist.com. Even if you don't get started today, you can get on board at any time. Below is my journal entry for 1/1/2010. Bless you all!!!

Landon Horton

Whatever Floats Your Boat

In the days ahead, as we set sail on this voyage together, I hope you will share comments on this blog about "whatever floats your boat." I would like to hear about your thoughts, questions, experiences. What are you doing to make the most of this voyage experience? Are you a part of small groups outside of your Sunday School class? What creative and meaningful things are you doing that motivates you in this journey and "keeps your boat afloat?"

Journal Entry -- January 1, 2010

Today, I set sail along with approximately 900 youth and adults on a one year voyage of reading through the Bible in 2010. One year ago today, there were about 100 of us who set out to read through the Bible in 2009. Less than halfway into 2009, several who had committed to reading through the Bible were feeling discouraged because they had fallen "behind" in their reading. I began to think and pray about how we could increase participation in personal Bible study at our church and help each other accomplish this task. I believe what came was a vision for 2010. I guess you could say it became a "20/10 vision" as we soon came to dedicate this new year to focusing intently, more than we have before, on reading God's word together, journaling our experiences, sharing these with each other, and experiencing Sunday School lessons and sermons each week that correspond to our daily reading. This comprehensive focus is now church wide, and it will be exciting to see what God accomplishes through this. I know of others who do not attend our church who have decided to join us in this voyage. They plan to do this on their own or with a small group in their local church. I know of one small group in Shelby, North Carolina who started their voyage today as well.

Today's reading was Genesis 1-3. There is so much in these three chapters that you could probably spend half of a year just on the truths and issues that are revealed. In these chapters, I read about:

The majesty and power of God displayed in His orderly act of creation
The origin of all things
The uniqueness of humanity, made in His image, given stewardship of His creation
The war between Good and Evil -- Chapter 1 everything is good. Chapter 3 there is death.
Satan
Temptation
Pride
Disobedience
The origin of fear, pain, guilt, shame, sin, separation from God, and death
The husband and wife relationship
God's grace

Perhaps the saddest part of this section of scripture is when the all-knowing God asks, "Where are you?" to Adam and Eve. Why would a God who knows everything have to ask where someone is? The more I think about it, I don't think it was because He needed to know where Adam and Eve were. Rather, it was because Adam and Eve needed to realize where Adam and Eve were. They had disobeyed and now they were doing something they had never done before. They were running from the one who gave them life -- the first game of hide-and-seek. The irony is that in this game the "hiders" were also the "seekers." They had to find themselves, and they found out that the path to disobedience leads to a place you don't want to be.

But there is hope! God gives them clothes to cover their shame, an early sign of God's grace that will ultimately be displayed in the sacrifice of His son, Jesus, whose blood covers the shame and guilt of all sinners who believe.

Life Application:

Acknowledge God as Creator/Owner
Be a good steward of all God has given, especially His creation
Give thanks for my wife. Tell her how much I appreciate her.
Practice obedience in all things
Confess sins
Receive God's grace

My prayer today:

"Dear God, I acknowledge that you are the creator and owner of all things. You are an awesome God! Thank you for the things you have entrusted to me to manage. I especially thank you for my wife. Bless her and help me to be a blessing to her. I pledge to be a better steward of your creation including the areas of responsibilities I have as a husband and a father. Forgive me for my times of disobedience. I desire to flee from temptation and not from you. Thank you for your grace. With joy, I receive your grace now so that I may be the person you want me to be. In Jesus' name, Amen."

I Just Made Chicken

2009-06-22T17:19:00.018-04:00

I have heard it said that there is nothing better than to enjoy the work you do. Makes sense. It would be difficult to get up and get to work on time every day if you viewed your job as something you had to do out of necessity, and it really was not something that you loved to do.

Just the other day, I found someone who loves what they do. I found her at a fast food joint that I frequent. I frequent this place because I love sweet tea, and they make it right! Even though I am on a diet now, I cannot seem to give up sweet tea. To satisfy my need for good sweet tea, I try to locate restaurants in the area that make it "just right." After all, if this is my splurge item on the diet plan, then it's got to be worthwhile! So, I have my list of drive through restaurants that I hit on a regular basis in order to satisfy my craving. Bojangle's is a local fast food chicken and biscuit chain that just happens to have made my top five list of sweet tea joints. It was there at the Bojangle's on local exit 28 that I found the employee who loves what she does.

Here's the story: It was time to splurge, so I took leave of work for a few minutes and drove myself to splurgedom (Bojangle's). At the outdoor menu at splurgedom, someone I could not see began a conversation with me. She said, "Welcome to Bojangle's. May I take your order?"

I replied, "Yes, I would like a medium sweet tea."

"Would you like anything else?"

"No."

"That'll be $1.07. Drive around."

I drove around to the window where I saw the face that went with the voice. It was a young face and a rather happy-looking face.

"How are you today?" she asked.

Remembering etiquette 101, I replied, "Fine. How are you?"

Her response to my question was a surprise to me. I thought she and I were just playing that cordial "I-don't-really-have-time-and-maybe-don't-really-want-to-know-your-answer-I'm-just-being-nice" game that we sometimes play with people in passing. That wasn't her game, because with pleasure on her face and joy in her voice, she replied, "I'm good! I just made chicken!"

I laughed. I turned to see if she was laughing too, but she wasn't. She really was good, and the reason was because she really had just...made...chicken! As I took my tea from her and began to drive off, I laughed again. You might think that I laughed because I was about to experience the complete joy of sweet tea made "just right" for me. You would be wrong. I laughed because I had just experienced a taste of that employee's complete joy of a job made "just right" for her. I guess you could say that Bojangle's is my sweet spot for satisfying my craving for sweet tea, and it is her sweet spot for satisfying a craving we all have -- to love what we do.

The writer of Ecclesiastes adds commentary to this. In Ecclesiastes 5:18-19(NIV), he writes,

18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to
find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of
life God has given him--for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man
wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be
happy in his work--this is a gift of God.

Do you find joy in your work? You can if you view it as a gift from God, and if you perform it as a gift to God.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

"How are you today?" she asked.

"I'm fine. How are you?" I replied.

"I'm good," she said. "I just made chicken!"

Think about your work. What did you just do? How would you fill in the blank, "I'm good. I just ________________?" Did it satisfy your craving? Did you love it?

Ahhhhhh!!! Nothing like a good old drink of sweet tea, is there?

When Life Changes

2009-06-14T00:56:00.009-04:00

During last year's Presidential campaign, the catchword was "change." Both candidates pledged to bring to our country the change that we needed in order to be a better nation. Regardless of which candidate won, they both would have been correct if for no other reason than that with either's victory they would change the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Now that President Obama is in office the changes that he initiates will be scrutinized but there is no denying that America is and will change. This has always been the case with any President. This also has always been the case with every person who has ever lived.

Every person and every person's circumstance is and will change. It can be argued that the catchword for life is "change." This can make life exciting, but it can also create anxiety and even discouragement. How do you deal with change? How do you deal with broken relationships, sudden unemployment, tragedy, terminal diagnosis? How do you deal with an upcoming marriage, a job promotion, a substantial pay raise, the birth of your first child? Whether change is perceived as good or bad on the surface, change always involves a loss of something we have been comfortable with in exchange for something unknown to us. This is the cause of fear and discouragement that accompanies change.

The Israelites were facing a major change in their existence as they camped on the eastern side of the Jordan River on the plains of Moab. For the previous 40 years a man named Moses had led them through the wilderness. He talked to God, and God talked to him telling him how to lead the Israelites to a Promised Land flowing with milk and honey that was given to them and their descendants by God. Now on the plains of Moab, on the brink of arriving in the Promised Land, Moses dies. The leader is gone! Who will talk with God now? Who will walk with God now? Who will lead the children the final steps to reach their destination? Change was happening, and I am sure they felt anxious about it and were discouraged about their loss. How did they move on, and can we find a model to follow through their experience about moving on when change comes?

The first step that had to be taken in order to move on through this change in their lives was to identify and acknowledge their current circumstances. In other words, they needed to come to grips with the reality of their situation. God helped them with this when he told Joshua as recorded in Joshua 1:2, "Moses my servant is dead." This was the reality of their situation. They could not hide it. They should not deny it. Whatever change that is happening in your life, call it for what it is. Acknowledge what you are facing. This is the first step in our model for transitioning successfully through change. You cannot move on from what you are going through if you don't acknowledge its existence.

The next step is to get up. Whenever change comes it can knock us off of our feet especially if it is sudden and unexpected. We may experience a time of grieving for whatever it is that we are losing in this season of change. We may be in shock over it. It is during this time when we are down that anxiety and discouragement can gain control over us as shackles binding a prisoner. In order to keep this from happening, we need to get up. This is the next thing that God told Joshua to do. After telling Joshua that Moses was dead, God tells him to get up and get the people ready. This is significant. The message here is that regardless of the changes we are currently facing, God's will and purpose continues and never stops. He is always at work, and He wants us to be a part of that work. We cannot be participants in His work if we stay down when change comes. Let the fact that God is still at work and wants you to be a part of that work be the motivation to get up!

The third step is to cross over. God tells Joshua to get the people ready to cross over the Jordan River. The Jordan River was the final geographical boundary in the way of the Israelites reaching their destination. It was a natural boundary that was not easily crossed when the waters were high. Such was the case for the Israelites, but if they were going to experience the Land of Promise, they had to cross this boundary. There will be boundaries that can impede your progress through change. Some of these are natural boundaries like anger, jealousy, pride, guilt, and absence of communication to name a few. Identify your boundaries and cross over them. The Israelites crossed over their boundary because God went into the boundary ahead of them and cleared a path through it so that not even the feet of the Israelites got wet (Read Joshua chapter 3). In order to cross over your boundaries, pray, committing yourself to move on through this change in your life, and ask God to go before you into the boundary. As you trust Him to do this, He will make a pathway for you to cross over and step into the Land of Promise.

The final step is to walk on. God tells Joshua in Joshua 1:3 that every place that the sole of their feet walked would be their land as a gift from Him and a fulfillment of His promise to their father Abraham. Those same soles that were untouched by the flood boundary of the Jordan River would now be able to stand dry on the promises of God and claim all that He had promised. Christian, God has promised you so much! Have you claimed those promises? The promises are numerous and are available to believers, but you will only experience those that you claim. You will only live in the promises that the soles of your feet walk on. So, walk on!

One final note...God told Joshua three times in Joshua 1:1-9 to be strong and courageous. God knows that change is not easy for us, but He gives us the means to be strong and courageous. God says on three occasions in those same nine verses that He would be with Joshua wherever he went. He also gave Joshua His word, the law, that if followed and obeyed would bring success to Joshua and to the children of Israel. We find strength in His presence and in His word to acknowledge our current situation, get up from anxiety and discouragement, cross over boundaries that impede progress, and walk on, claiming the promises He has given to us.

I don't know about you, but all of this sounds like change you can believe in...for a change!

Lefty, Meet Righty

2009-04-21T22:22:00.002-04:00

This coming Saturday, April 25, over 400 people from our church will gather at the church and then disperse into our community to touch the lives of people in need. Projects range from landscaping to light construction, from conducting food drives to stocking pantries, from washing cars to washing clothes, from conducting clinics for children and youth to delivering donations to local charities. It's going to be a great day as we single-handedly make the community a better place for all people and as we single-handedly display the love of God in action!

I know, it sounds a little boastful to say that we will make such an impact single-handedly, but that's exactly what we should say because that is exactly what we should do. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told his followers to do charitable things single-handedly. Matthew 6:1-4 says,

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Did you catch verse 3? Jesus said to give to the needy in such an unpretentious manner that your own left hand is clueless about the good deed that your own right hand is doing. Is that possible? How good are you at keeping secrets? Can you keep a secret with your right hand that you promise never to share with your left hand?

I think Jesus is intentionally using exaggeration as a figure of speech to drive home the point that the wonderful act of giving to the needy is never about the one who gives. Instead it is all about bringing glory to God and goodness to others.

As a youngster, I would try to impress my friends and enemies by boasting about my superior skills and talent at just about everything. I used to tell them that I could beat them at whatever with one hand tied behind my back. Of course there was never any rope around at the time I would say that so I never got to prove it. I guess it would have been impressive if I was able to do that.

I know for sure it impresses God when I give to the needy with "one hand tied behind my back." I know it impresses God when I am genuinely more concerned about helping the one in need and about bringing glory to Him than I am about tooting my horn to gain the admiration of others. It impresses Him when I keep secrets about acts of kindness with my right hand that I don't even share with my left.

Imagine a world where we Christians "single-handedly" helped the needy because we are genuinely more concerned about helping the ones in need and about bringing glory to God than we are about our own needs and about impressing others. What kind of world would that be? It would be a "right" handed world, a right kind of world, and the secrets that are kept from the left hand will be safeguarded in the watchful eye of a pleased God until the day this world is over.

Then, imagine a heaven where God the Father receives His children home. Imagine His children arriving through the gates of glory with their left hands tied behind their backs. Imagine the Father saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant," as the Lord Jesus loosens the rope and liberates each child's left hand. Then all secrets are revealed and celebrated as lefty meets righty for the first time, lifted together to receive their reward.

Are you "single-handedly" making an impact on our world? Are you helping the needy "with one hand tied behind your back?" We all should be. If you are, then only you and God know it is so, and God is pleased with that!

How Do You View The Rain?

2009-04-14T20:57:00.010-04:00

A few nights ago, we experienced a heavy thunderstorm in our area which made it a little more difficult than usual to get a five-year-old and a three-year-old to go to sleep. As difficult as it may have been to get the children to sleep I didn't mind it that much. Thunderstorms can create some great conversational moments with preschoolers. Such was the case for me and my five-year-old that night.

"Daddy, the thunder means that God is strong."

"That's right," I replied.

"And the lightning means that God is fast."

"I guess you are right," said I, startled at how a five-year-old came up with that one and a little embarrassed that I had never noticed that before. After a somewhat lengthy pause to allow for my brain to grasp hold of this sudden burst of genius from my five-year-old, I realized we had not yet discussed the rain.

"What about the rain?" I asked.

After giving it some thought, the question was returned to me, "I don't know. What does the rain mean?"

My reply went something like this: "The rain means God is good and kind. We need the rain for the plants and flowers to grow. The rain shows us that God loves us."

That concluded our conversation, but I have since given it more thought. I have wondered what adults in general would think about this "thunderstorm to God" comparison. I believe most would accept the idea that the thunder means that God is strong. After all, there is a word used in church that is attributed to God that says God is all-powerful. That word is "omnipotent." I also believe most would accept the comparison that the lightning means that God is fast. In fact, God is so fast that He is everywhere. The church word for that is "omnipresent." But the "thunderstorm to God" comparison may begin to differ among adults when it comes to the rain. What does the rain mean?

As you recall, I told my five-year-old that the rain means that God is good and kind and that the rain shows us that God loves us. Admittedly however, I haven't always felt that way about the rain. There have been times when I thought the rain was unfair. As I look back to when I was a child at an age not much older than my five-year-old, I remember my baseball games being canceled because of rain. I couldn't go outside to play when it rained. There were times that I hated the rain. So, sometimes I have seen the rain as a blessing and sometimes I have seen it as a curse.

Jesus once said, "For he (God) gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too (Matthew 5:45b, NLT)." I think this verse means that good and bad people experience good and bad times. None of us are immune to difficult circumstances in life; neither are we entitled to only good circumstances. Whether we see our current state of affairs as showers of blessings or a deluge of cursing all depends on how we view the rain.

Jesus tells the story of two individuals, one wise and one foolish (Matthew 7:24-27). I believe they both had the goal of living a successful and a happy life. However, they differed in their approach to achieve the same goal. The first man was a wise man. This man built his house on the firm foundation of solid rock. When the rains came, the floods rose, and the wind beat against the house, the house survived because of its foundation. The second man was a foolish man. This man was not concerned with the foundation as evidenced by the house he built on the sand. When the rains came, the floods rose, and the winds beat against the house, the house was demolished because of its foundation.

The foundation -- that is your vantage point! My foundation is my vantage point from which to view the rain. Like a house, the foundation is the part of you that is unseen. It is the core of who you are. Take away the bricks, the mortar, the decorations, the wood, and there underneath it all is the foundation. There is your vantage point. There is where you find out if you have what it takes to withstand the storms. From there you look out at the rain, the floods, the wind, and the lightning. There is where you hear the thunder, and there is where you either see the rains as showers of blessings or a deluge of cursing.

What is your foundation? What is your vantage point? Jesus said that we are like that wise man if we live according to what we hear from Him. On the other hand, we are like the foolish man when we hear from Him, yet we don't do what he says. We can all hear the words of Jesus, but our survival in the storm depends on whether or not we live what we have heard.

The rain will come, if it hasn't already. It is bound to happen. When it does, look deep within before you look out. Get down to your core. Get down to your foundation. That's the vantage point from which to view the storm. If you have not been putting into practice what you have heard Jesus say, then you will view the rain as unfair, even though we are neither immune to difficult days nor entitled to only good days. If that remains your view, you run the risk of developing an increasing anger toward God and the crumbling of relationships all around you. On the other hand, if you have been putting into practice what you have heard Jesus say, then when you look outward toward the storms you will see that indeed God is good and kind and that he loves you. You will see showers of blessing in spite of the storm!

You know, that thunderstorm the other night was a shower of blessing because of the things my five-year-old taught me.

"The thunder means that God is strong." That's right!

"The lightning means that God is fast." You are right!

"The rain means....." Well now that depends. How do you view the rain?

'Nuff Said

2009-04-07T21:33:00.010-04:00

For God so loved the world...
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Therefore, sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. There is no fear of God before their eyes." For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

God is love. He first loved us.

That He Gave His One and Only Son...
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

The time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Pilate had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. Then they led him out to crucify him. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull), and they crucified him.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus said, "It is finished." Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

That Whoever Believes in Him Shall Not Perish...
Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

But Have Eternal Life...
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. By this gospel you are saved that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

'Nuff Said!

This entry is a compilation of various scripture passages throughout the Bible from the NIV translation. The only words that are mine are "'Nuff Said!" What more needs to be said? God bless you this Holy Week!

Oh Danny Boy

2009-04-01T02:02:00.006-04:00

We all are like Danny. Danny is a rooster. At least “Danny” is the name I gave to the rooster that recently took up residence in my cul-de-sac. I live in a planned neighborhood where houses are built on less than an acre and next door neighbors might as well be in the next room. Farm animals are the last thing one might expect to find in that kind of community. So you can imagine my surprise, when one day last week, I awoke, walked out to my car, and there in my front yard was a rooster.

Danny let me know rather quickly upon our meeting one another that morning that he had no intentions of being a neighbor of the friendly sort. He cocked his head back, ruffled his feathers, and strutted with a swagger that the old John Wayne would have been proud of. I minded my own business and left him to mind his.

None in the neighborhood seemed to know if he might actually belong to someone, so no one knew what to do with him other than just accept him into our cul-de-sac community. For a few days, Danny roamed from yard to yard strutting his stuff, and every morning at sunrise he proudly announced his presence in the neighborhood.

That’s when it dawned on me (pun intended - “dawn” = sunrise). We all are like Danny! There are times when we strut our stuff. We cock our heads back, ruffle our feathers, and swagger. Peter, the disciple, had such a moment.

Near the end of His ministry, Jesus told his disciples that He would soon leave them. His destination was not a place that they would go to immediately. They would have to wait awhile. Jesus was informing them that he would die soon. Upon hearing this announcement, Peter, the old rooster, cocked his head back, ruffled his feathers, and strutted his stuff as he boldly crowed, “I will lay down my life for your sake!” Peter boldly professed his absolute and undeniable loyalty to Jesus. What a rooster kind of move!

Jesus heard Peter’s bold proclamation, but He knew better. Jesus knew that Peter really would have to lay it on the line. Peter would have to choose between loyalty to Jesus and saving his own life. Moreover, Jesus knew the choice the Old Rooster would make. So, Jesus' response to Peter revealed what He knew. Peter’s apparent boldness would soon manifest itself as the unimpressive cockiness it really was. “Before the rooster crows” in the morning, Jesus said, “You will deny me three times.”

Intended boldness is reduced to unimpressive cockiness when at the defining moment cowardice sets in and takes over. Rooster moves become chicken dances. Sure enough, Peter’s defining moment came in the wee hours of that Friday morning while Jesus faced the trial of his life. Jesus was undergoing his trial in the courtroom, while Peter was dealing with his own trial in the courtyard. Three times someone asked Peter if he was a follower of Jesus, and each time the Old Rooster chickened out. His rooster move had become a chicken dance and just in time to hear the barnyard rooster signal the dawning of a new day and the disappointment of an old friend.

The other day, I walked toward Danny, and Danny ran! I was reminded that Danny is as much a chicken as he is a rooster. Peter once was too. You and I are also. There are times when we strut our stuff -- we cock our heads back, ruffle our feathers, and swagger. Then there are times when we dance the chicken dance. Most assuredly, we all are Danny-like.

I haven’t seen Danny in the cul-de-sac lately. I guess he has flown the coup! How can we rid our ‘hood of the Danny-like tendencies within us? How can we move from unimpressive cockiness to genuine boldness and do great things for God? How did Peter make the move?

Here’s how. Peter got re-instated. After His resurrection, Jesus sought out Peter and intentionally asked him three times if Peter loved Him, once for each time that Peter had denied Him. The number three is significant in the Bible because it represents completeness. By stating three times that he was not a follower of Jesus, Peter had completely and totally turned his back on Jesus. By asking Peter three times if he loved Him, Jesus completely and totally re-instated Peter.

Like Peter, we move from unimpressive cockiness to genuine boldness when we receive the grace God offers to re-instate us when we fail. We receive that grace when we confess our chicken dances and submit our lives to the Lord of the dance. His Holy Spirit then emboldens us and empowers us to do and to be what we might have thought impossible. Godly boldness is not something that we can manufacture or fake. Godly boldness that enables us to do great things for God begins with the humble awareness that were it not for God, oh Danny Boy, a cocky coward is all we would be.

The story of Peter as summarized in this blog can be found in The Gospel of John, chapters 13, 18, and 21.

Forgive? R U Kidding Me? Forgive?

2009-03-23T21:02:00.023-04:00

Several years ago, Jim Mora was head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. At a press conference after a loss in the latter part of a particularly difficult season, he was asked a question as to whether he thought his team would make the playoffs at the end of the season. His response at the time has become a current day humorous commercial for a particular beverage company. He said, "Playoffs? Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs?"

He answered the question posed to him with a series of questions of his own that revealed loudly and clearly what he thought about the possibility of his team making the playoffs -- not a chance!

I think we sometimes feel the same way when it comes to forgiveness. Think about the times in your life, and maybe now is the time, when someone has wronged you in some way. Maybe they know they have wronged you and maybe they don't. If in the midst of that situation you were placed before microphones at a press conference and asked the question, "When will you forgive __________?" would your response be similar to Coach Mora's, "Forgive? Forgive? Are you kidding me? Forgive? -- Not a chance!"

I'll admit I feel that way sometimes. The degree of pain I feel that a perpetrator has inflicted on me determines the degree of difficulty I have in forgiving that person. The greater the pain the more difficult it is to forgive.

Last Monday, March 16, a powerful testimony of forgiveness was aired on national television on the CBS morning show. Last Monday, Julie Chen interviewed Cindy Winters. Eight days prior to this interview, on Sunday, March 8, Cindy and her family were attending their church services at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois. Cindy's husband, Fred, was the pastor of the church.

As a minister, I have an idea about what Fred's week was like prior to that Sunday. He probably spent much of his time that week preparing a sermon, praying for God's will and guidance, counseling hurting people, leading a church staff, attempting to meet the spiritual needs of congregants, attending meetings with various committees and groups in the church, and trying not only to shepherd a church but also to shepherd his family - a typical week for a minister. But Sunday, March 8, was everything but typical.

Terry Sedlacek was a troubled man who decided that same Sunday morning that he would attend First Baptist Church Maryville, Illinois. Terry needed help. Turns out, I think he came to the right place. What he did while he was there was not the right way to go about finding help. For whatever reason, Terry came to church that day with a plan that maybe in his mind was some sort of solution to his own problems. He walked down the aisle of the Baptist Church and allegedly murdered the Pastor, Fred Winters.

I don't know about you, but I would have understood if in the aftermath of that tragedy Cindy Winters would have stepped up to the microphone and said, "Forgive? Forgive? Are you kidding me? Forgive? -- Not a chance!" Amazingly, just eight days after the event, Cindy did step up to the microphone on national TV. She did have a press conference, and if I may summarize what she said, it would be "Forgive? Forgive? Are you kidding me? Forgive? -- Absolutely!"

How in the world did she pull that off? I think I found the answer in two people in the Bible.

First of all, Joseph did the same thing in the book of Genesis that Cindy did. Joseph's life was a series of peaks and valleys. His story begins with him being the favorite son of his dad, Jacob. He held a position of privilege in the home as evidenced by a coat of many colors. This made his brothers jealous of him and they plotted to throw him into a pit and do away with him. He was sold into foreign slavery, moving him from a position of privilege to the pits. The Bible says that God was with Joseph in the peaks and the valleys, and it wasn't long until Joseph's integrity and God's grace elevated him out of the pit to a position of privilege once again. Joseph eventually became the "lord of Egypt" second in command to Pharaoh.

A famine in the land brought Joseph's brothers to Egypt to seek relief. Joseph recognized them, and though he was now in a position of power and could return vengeance upon his brothers in greater degrees than the vengeance his brothers had delivered to him, he had compassion on them and gave them good land to dwell in and food resources to survive the famine. Eventually, Jacob died, and the brothers thought the kindness of Joseph toward them would die with their father. They became worried for their lives, so, they approached Joseph with this concern.

This was Joseph's press conference and when he stepped up to the microphone and was asked about the forgiveness, Joseph said, don't fear. What you intended for harm, God intended for good so that today many lives are saved. Joseph was saying, "Forgive? Forgive? Are you kidding me? Forgive? Absolutely!" How did he do that? Certainly he could have had a Jim Mora experience!

Joseph was able to respond this way because he saw life as a bigger picture than himself. There is a God running things. He has a plan that will succeed, and to the extent that any of us are given an opportunity to play a part in that plan how much better are our lives! Rather than focus on himself and "Woe is me-ing," Joseph had a confidence that God's plan was greater than his own life. When we have that kind of confidence in God, whether we live or die is insignificant. In fact, when we have that kind of confidence in God, either life or death is a blessing. Just ask Paul, who wrote the words, "For to me to live is Christ (isn't that a blessing?) and to die is gain (to be with Christ - isn't that a blessing?)"

The second person in the Bible is Jesus. Just imagine if you had lived a perfect life, had never done anything wrong morally or legally, had even made life better for some of your fellow human beings like the sick, lame, blind, and even dead, yet one day a large crowd turns on you and falsely accuses you of a crime punishable by death. That's what happened to Jesus. Like Joseph, Jesus was in a place of power. He could have enforced vengeance upon that crowd the likes of which they had never seen. But without a fight, he laid down his life and died for you, me, and that crowd that treated him unjustly.

Jesus had his press conference too. The crowd wanted to publicly humiliate Jesus by nailing him to a cross. Yet Jesus used that as a podium from which to speak these words into the microphone that echo throughout all of history and are about you, me, and that crowd, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they are doing!"

Jesus was saying, "Forgive? Forgive? Are you kidding me? Forgive? Absolutely!" How did he do that? Let me show you. Let's go back to the night before he died and visit a garden. We find Jesus and his disciples there. It is late. Perhaps it is a little cool because it is early springtime and the sun has long set for the day. It may have been cool in the garden that night, but Jesus was perspiring profusely to the point of dropping blood, sweat, and tears. Why the agony? He knew what was coming. He had been sent by the father to die in your place, in my place, in the crowd's place -- in the place of all who would believe. He came to face the punishment that we all deserve for our sins, and he knew it. In less than 24 hours he would be dead. He would have already cried out from the cross, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" But he would also have prayed, "Father, forgive them."

Why? How? Because of what we hear him praying now in the garden on this cool spring night - the night before his death, "Father, not my will, but yours be done." Jesus submitted his life to God's bigger picture, and what the crowd intended for harm, God intended for good so that many souls may be saved.

In some ways, though the significance of their lives pale in comparison, you notice a common thread in the life of Joseph and Jesus when it comes to forgiveness. Maybe that thread is just the rope we need to restore seemingly irreparable relationships.

If you have or are struggling with whether or not you should forgive someone, I can answer that. Yes, you should forgive. The Bible tells us to. If you are struggling with the "how," here's the thread: Life is much bigger than you or I. There is a God running things and to the extent that He gives us opportunities to play parts in His plan how much better are our lives! We can have the confidence that God's plan is greater than our own lives and whether we live or die, either is a blessing!

On March 16, eight days after her husband was murdered in church, Cindy Winters had a press conference. She stepped up to the microphone, and when asked what her feelings were toward Terry Sedlacek, she responded with humility and offered a thread of hope to his hurting soul in need. It is a thread called "forgiveness." The strength of its fiber is the confidence we have in God and His bigger picture. It is the same thread that is common to Joseph and Jesus.

Terry Sedlacek, a troubled man, decided to attend church services at First Baptist Church, Maryville, Illinois on March 8. Terry needed help. Fortunately for him... I think he came to the right place. Fortunately for us all, what he intended as harm, God intended for good so that potentially his and many other souls might be saved!

What about you? Do you have that kind of confidence in God? Is there someone to whom you need to extend a thread of hope?

Here's a side note: When you think about the common thread between Jesus and the Old Testament Joseph, is it any wonder that Jesus' earthly father was named Joseph and the man who buried him was named Joseph as well? Think about that one! May have to continue that thought in next week's blog!

The story about Cindy Winters as well as a video of her interview with Julie Chen can be found at: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/16/earlyshow/main4868070.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._4868070

Coming and Going

2009-03-11T11:25:00.009-04:00

As you may or may not realize, I have not written anything in a couple of weeks. It's good to be back. One update to the blog that I hope you notice is the people group of the week in the upper right hand corner of the blog. This is provided to my site each day by the Joshua Project. Each day they highlight a people group that has had very little to no opportunity to hear the gospel. They ask us to pray for them. I think that is something we can all do. I hope you will.

Through my Bible reading lately, I have been reminded about the call of God on our lives, and I have once again been made aware that our call is twofold. It involves both coming and going. The call of God is first of all an invitation and secondly it is a command.

God's call always begins with an invitation. Jesus' first contact with His disciples was not to tell them to go do kingdom work. His initial contact was to invite them to "Come, follow me." This "Come first" pattern emerges even in the Old Testament in the example of Moses, when God tells Moses on numerous occasions to come to me to Mount Sinai or to the tent of meeting as the case may have been. Then God would give Moses the command to go and speak to the people or do something before the people.

If the first part of God's call is to invite us to come, then our first act of faith and obedience is to accept His invitation. This is obvious in our conversion experience. We cannot do kingdom work and be obedient in it if we are not first of all part of the kingdom. We become part of the kingdom when we answer His invitation and "come" to Him confessing our sins and turning control of our lives over to Him. Scripture says that God desires that no one should perish. Therefore, it is safe to say that his invitation to "Come" is issued for ALL people.

I also believe we should not overlook the biblical truth that His invitation to "Come" is not only for conversion's sake and that is all. On the contrary, God continuously invites His children to "Come." For instance, on one occasion after the disciples had returned to report to Jesus about the kingdom work they had gone from him to do, Jesus told them to "Come away with me and get some rest (Mark 6:31)." So, to fulfill God's call in our lives is to respond first to His invitation, to come repeatedly and often.

The second part of God's call is a command. God always issues the command to "go." We are never to stay. Among the last words our Lord spoke before ascending into heaven were the words, "Go and make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20)." This is how the verse is most often translated and remembered, but the Greek language should more likely be rendered, "as you go." Interpreted this way, we see that "going" is more than a suggestion. It is even more than a command. It is an expectation! We are expected to be going about doing kingdom work. As evidenced earlier in the example of Moses, this pattern of God's call existed in the Old Testament. Since God's call has two parts, we cannot completely fulfill His call on our lives until we also go. Complete obedience involves coming and going!

Sometimes we say we struggle with knowing what God's will is. One thing I can tell you is that the never-changing God who consistently called people of the Old Testament and the New Testament in the same manner, calls us in the same manner today. God's will for you and me is twofold -- "Come and Go."

If I were to look at a regular week's schedule, Sunday morning and all other times during the week that I spend in Bible study and worship is the "coming" part of God's call on my life. The rest of the week's schedule should involve times when I am "going" -- doing kingdom work witnessing, teaching, encouraging, and helping those in need. This is the "going" part of God's call on my life.

So, when I see you during the week and I ask you, "What are you up to?" I hope your response will be, "I'm just coming and going!"

Let me hear from you!

Prayer -- A Conversation with God

2009-02-19T16:07:00.003-05:00

I am currently leading a small group study on Sunday nights at our church. Our group is reading and discussing the book, Conversation With God, by Lloyd John Ogilvie. Ogilvie is a former pastor and a former chaplain for the United States Senate. I thought I would share with you some great stuff from his book.

1. First of all, prayer is conversation with God. We often forget that conversation is a two-way street. It is talking and listening. I would venture to say that the majority of time that Christians spend in "prayer" with God is spent by doing all of the talking. There is an art to listening, and, most assuredly, there is a blessing that comes from it. Do you allow for silence in your prayer time to actually listen for God to speak? Have you ever sat with a blank page in front of you so that you could jot notes down from what God says to you?

2. When you think about praying or have a desire to pray, thank God for that thought and desire because God is the one who always initiates our conversations with Him. We don't go to God in prayer without Him already doing a work in our lives to draw us to Him. He issues an invitation for us to spend time with him. Ogilvie says, "A sense of loneliness for God is a gift produced by the (Holy) Spirit." The Spirit of God creates a hunger and thirst in us for God. Without this invitation and wooing from Him we would never pray, or our so called "prayers" would be mere babbling and utterly powerless.

3. Ogilvie writes about the benefits of time spent alone with God in prayer. Here are a few that I drew out of his book:

Prayer is the source of life's greatest joy.
Prayer maximizes your ability to understand and love people.
Prayer helps you think more clearly.
Through prayer you gain supernatural insight and wisdom.
Through prayer you fulfill the reason your were born -- to know and love God.

Prayer is vital to the life of a Christian! It is the means of connection with God and of receiving His guidance and power in life. How is your prayer life? If you would like to experience prayer as a joy rather than a chore, I encourage you to read this book. Not only does Ogilvie discuss the significance and meaning of prayer, but he also demonstrates how to have a practical conversation with God, from start to finish. There is a 30 day plan in the book to help you get started developing the discipline of genuine conversation with God.

God's knocking at your door. He's ringing your phone. He's texting you. He's calling you. Do you want to know how I know? Even if you had no thought about praying prior to reading this blog entry, now you do. Your thoughts have turned toward prayer. That is God calling you to spend time with Him in conversation. How about one right now?

I would appreciate your comments on prayer.

The book referenced in this blog is, Conversation With God: Experiencing the Life-changing Impact of Personal Prayer by Lloyd John Ogilvie, published by Harvest House Publishers, 1993.

Counting the Ways

2009-02-12T15:15:00.006-05:00

Are you counting the ways? If you haven't started counting yet, I remind you that Valentine's Day is just a couple of days away, and it might do you well to get started.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote one of the most well-known love poems ever written. I am sure you are familiar with the first line of the poem, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." In the lines that follow in the poem, she notes the ways that she loves her husband. Sounds like a good exercise to do. So, all you wives out there, get to it!

Just kidding! It sounds like a good exercise for husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, brothers and sisters, moms and dads, and friends to do. For Valentine's Day this year, stop for a moment and think of someone special in your life and ask yourself, "How do I love thee (that person)?" (Notice I did not say "How in the world do I love thee?") Before you compose your list, consider the question carefully.

The question is, "How DO I love thee?" In her poem, Mrs. Browning's list of ways that she loved her husband seems to be made up mostly of the expression of her emotions and passion for him. Emotions and passion are significant parts of love but that is not all. Perhaps the question, How DO I love thee, should be expanded in its scope to include things that I DO -- my actions. Love involves feelings, but true love is expressed in actions.

You might not receive a Valentine's Day card that says, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee by paying the bills, holding your hand, listening intently, cooking dinner, mowing the lawn, washing the clothes, sharing with you," you get my point. But are not these some actions of love? I challenge you to think about all the things you do because you love that person. Then, make your own list. God did.

God asked the question, "How do I love thee?" and His answer forms a list that is the length of the world's bestseller. His list is written in the Bible, practically on every page. I draw your attention to just three of the items on His list:

1. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

2. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

3. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9).

Wow, what a list! And do you want to know something truly wonderful? Who do you think is the "thee" that He would be thinking about in the question, "How do I love thee?" It's YOU! God does not only have feelings for you. He has actions for you! That's the best Valentine card anyone could receive!

Are you counting the ways?

Chasing Rabbits

2009-02-04T14:04:00.009-05:00

He grew up chasing rabbits...literally. That is what young boys did in the small Florida community of Belle Glade where he grew up. If they caught as many as twenty rabbits they could sell them for $3 a piece! It was a way to make money in a high poverty area of Florida. It was also a way to become a fast runner. The young boys would catch these rabbits by hand which meant they had to run them down, and running in the muck of Lake Okeechobee was an excellent means of leg strength conditioning.

What good could come from the mud and muck of Belle Glade, Florida? In the early 1980's the Belle Glade community had the highest rate of AIDS infection in the country. In 2003, it had the second-highest violent crime rate in the United States. More than twenty-five percent of the residents live below the poverty line. Indeed, Belle Glade has been a "muddy" place to grow up.

But, out of the muck and mud have come champions! Glades Central High School , the only high school in the town, has produced at least nineteen professional football players. Monday, one former Glades Central Raider rode in a convertible with Mickey Mouse at a Disney World parade because he is one of those champions. Santonio Holmes grew up chasing rabbits in the mud in Belle Glade in order to make a few bucks and, in the process, became a speedy wide receiver. Sunday, he made the biggest catch of his life, and it wasn't a rabbit. It was the game-winning touchdown for the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers!

After nine catches with one hundred thirty-one yards and the game-winning touchdown, Santonio Holmes was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLIII!

Rising from the mud and muck to become a Most Valuable Player is an amazing story. This can be our story as followers of Christ! How can you and I be named a Most Valuable Player in the game of life? I share these verses to give you clues:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

"And without faith it is impossible to please God." Hebrews 11:6

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27

In order to rise from the mud and muck and be a Most Valuable Player in the game of life, we must act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with our God, live by faith, love God with everything we are and have, and love others. If we do these things, then one day we will hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

What other Bible verses can you add to this list that would answer the question, "What should I do to be a Most Valuable Player in the game of life?" I would welcome your comments.

Not to Chase Rabbits, But...

Tell me what you think about this comment:

"God doesn't owe us anything. In fact, if he did, he wouldn't be God."

I found information about Santonio Holmes for this entry from the article, "Steelers' Holmes Traces Speed to Humble, Rabbit-chasing Roots," by Kevin Acee, Union-Tribune staff writer, January 30, 2009. The article can be seen at www.signonsandiego.com

Information about Glade Central High School came from www.wikipedia.com.

On a Wing and a Prayer

2009-01-27T14:10:00.003-05:00

Amazing what happened to US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15. The heroic decisions and actions taken by the pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, and his crew were incredible! I don't think I will ever forget the image of the passengers standing on the wings of the airplane floating in the Hudson River. I can be certain that the passengers themselves will never forget it. I know Emma Sophina will never forget it.

Emma Sophina is a 26 year old professional singer-songwriter from Perth, Australia who is trying to make it into the U.S. music industry. She was aboard flight 1549 on the day it went down on the Hudson. She had traveled to New York as part of a vacation opportunity and for an opportunity to meet with Marc Swersky, a writer and a producer. She was leaving New York and headed for Charlotte when the life changing event occurred. After her rescue, Marc Swersky was the only person she had a contact with in New York who could help her after she lost all of her belongings to the bottom of the Hudson River. So, naturally, she contacted him.

I don't know what kind of, if any, meeting Emma may have had with Marc Swersky before the fall of Flight 1549, but the time they spent together after the accident has produced a song that could not have had the same meaning or impact if it had been written prior to the accident. As the story goes, Marc had an unfinished song looking for someone to add some additional verses and to sing the finished product. Emma brought her experiences of January 15 and added lyrics to that unfinished song finalizing the piece which is now entitled, "Send Another Prayer."

Somewhere out on the wing of that aircraft floating in the Hudson River, Emma Sophina was inspired to give thanks to God for saving her life and to give thanks for the flight crew and the magnificent job they did. She was literally "on a wing and a prayer!" Of the song she says, "Send Another Prayer" is a thank you to God for my life, firstly, and secondly a thank you to the pilots."

Tomorrow (January 29), Emma is scheduled to perform her new song in front of several major U.S. record companies. Sometime next week, she expects to perform it on U.S. television. What a turn of events! One minute, on a flight out of New York, not knowing if her dream of breaking into the U.S. market would ever happen, the next minute literally "on a wing and a prayer" and that just might be the break she needs. Do you think it is actually possible that our desperate situations could become the "breaks" in life we need?

"On a wing and a prayer" is a saying that comes from a song written during World War II. It has come to mean that you are in a desperate situation and are relying on God to see you through. Emma Sophina and so many others were in a desperate situation that day, and she and other believers relied on God to see them through.

Do you find yourself in a desperate situation? Are you living "on a wing and a prayer?" If so, think about the image of those passengers standing on the wings of an aircraft floating, of all things, on the Hudson River. Emma Sophina is somewhere in that picture. Picture yourself there. Then, send another prayer!

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

The information about Emma Sophina comes from an article, "From A Plane's Wing a Song is Born," written January 27, 2009 by Ian Munro for The Sydney Morning Herald, found on their website at www.smh.com.au

HIS Story in the Making

2009-01-20T09:42:00.004-05:00

Today is a historical day as the inauguration of the next President of the United States takes place. Multitudes of individuals will journey to Washington for this significant event, and millions of others all across the world will be watching on televsion because history is taking place.

According to http://www.dictionary.reference.com/, the word "inauguration" means "the ceremonial induction into a position; a formal beginning or introduction." Interestingly, the origin of the word comes from the French language and means "installation or consecration." So today, we are installing a new President in a formal ceremony to establish a new beginning for our nation and for the world. But there is a word in "inauguration's" originial meaning in the French language that I find interesting and that is the word "consecration."

"Consecration," in simple terms, can mean a solemn commitment of your life to a goal or purpose. However, there is greater meaning to this word when you understand it as it is used in the Bible. As it is used in the Bible, consecration is the setting apart of an object or one's life for a Holy God. This means that the object or person consecrated belongs to God, is under His charge, and is for His use. The consecrated item or individual then becomes a part of HIS story.

Years from now, I may not be able to tell my grandchildren that I was an eyewitness to history, but might I still be able to tell them that I was a participant in HIS story? Physically, I may not be able to be present at the President's inauguration, but is there a way that I can participate in it? I believe the answer to both questions is yes, and here is how: I can pray something like this,

Dear God,
Your word says, "for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God (Romans 13:1)." I give you thanks for President Barack Obama, and I acknowledge that you have set him apart and consecrated him, just as you do all governments and authorities. He belongs to you. He is under your charge. He is for your use. I know that he serves a role in your plan for all of humanity. He is a part of history, but more importantly, he is a part of your story. Bless him. Guide him. I submit to your authority and participate with you in consecrating him for your purpose. I now submit to him because of who he is and who he will become in your grand design. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Indeed, today is HIS Story in the making!

More Presidential Stuff

The story is told of Abraham Lincoln that at a White House reception on one occasion, there was a long line of people who were led past President Lincoln, but not allowed to come close or to shake his hand. One old man who had traveled a great distance for the occasion was disappointed that he would not be able to shake the President's hand. Just before he left the line, the old man tipped his hat at the President and shouted, "Mr. President, I'm from up in York state where we believe that God Almighty and Abraham Lincoln are going to save this country." President Lincoln is said to have waved back at him and said, "My firend, you're half right."

Indeed, only one can save this country and all other countries in the world, and when it is all said and done, it will be HIS story!

God bless,
Landon

2009-01-13T14:42:00.004-05:00

What is Discipleship?

Discipleship is a word that is used a lot at church but what does it mean? One definition that I found is discipleship is "the lifelong journey of obedience to Christ that transforms a person's values and behavior and results in ministry in one's home, church, and the world." (Discipleship:God's Life Changing Work, Lifeway Resources, p. 3). Discipleship is all about following Jesus. It is learning from him and becoming like him. Discipleship follows a genuine conversion experience where an individual turns his/her life over to Jesus and says, "From this day on, I will trust and obey Jesus." It is a LIFELONG journey that has a starting point but never ends.

Because it is a lifelong journey, there is always work to be done, improvements to be made. This applies to every believer. Believer, how is your journey? What work needs to be done right now? What improvements need to be made in your life?

On Sunday, January 25, all adults who attend Sunday School will have an opportunity to take a spiritual growth assessment, a questionnaire that is designed to get you thinking about how well you are doing as a disciple. This is something that only you will see unless you choose to share it with someone else. You will be able to examine how well you are doing in the areas of: abiding in Christ, living in the word, praying in faith, fellowshipping with believers, witnessing to the world, and ministering to others.

Starting Sunday, February 8, at 5:00 p.m., we will offer discipleship classes to address most if not all of these six areas. If, after taking the assessment, you discover any areas that need work or improvement, I encourage you to register for the class that will most benefit you at this time in your journey!

Read Through the Bible 2009

I hope you are reading through your Bible on a daily basis. If you have a plan to read through the Bible in 2009, I want to invite you to become a part of an online encourager group. There are a group of 80 + individuals who are part of an online group on Facebook.com called "Read Through the Bible 2009 -- LNBC." I hope you will consider joining. We have people in the group from North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, and West Virginia! It is an opportunity to encourage one another, share things God is teaching us, and raise questions we might have about what we are reading. I would enjoy your participation.

If you would like to join, go to facebook.com and set up a profile. Then in the search field, type in the group name as I have it above. This should take you to the group page where you can then sign up. All of this is free.

Proverbs 30:5

This verse was shared by someone on the "Read Through The Bible 2009 -- LNBC" online group page this week. It says, "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." God's word is pure. He can be completely trusted! Because His word is pure and He can be trusted, He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. The safest place to be is a place of trust!

How has He proven to be your shield? I'd love to hear your comments!

January 5, 2009

2009-01-05T10:24:00.009-05:00

Sometimes You Just Go With the "Moe!"

My three-year-old son, Landon Jr., was trying to decide between two books that he wanted me to read to him the other day. He decided to do the "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe" routine. It went like this:

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a rabbits (sic) by its toe. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe."

When he ended with the final "moe," he pointed to the winning book and said, "That's the Moe!" And that was the book that we read.

Decisions are tough sometimes. I wonder in some cases, if God allows us to choose between more than one good option. We must pray for His direction in all cases. When His direction doesn't seem to be clear enough, we should examine what we are looking at and examine our own hearts more closely. God may be saying stay put where you are or he may be saying either option is good. We can know the latter to be true if in our examination of all options and in our heart examination, we don't see anything in them that would conflict with the truth of His word.

So, is it okay to sometimes just go with the "Moe?"

What do you think?

A Psalm

In one of my posts prior to Christmas, I suggested writing a Psalm as an activity to do over Christmas. Charles McLeod did just that and here it is:

O Lord, my Father in Heaven
Holy God, Exalted God
How beautiful your gift of life is to me

You love me despite my sinful nature,
How wonderful you truly are!
You sent your only son for me
Because you love me.

How unworthy I am of you
I fall short of your glory
Yet you still love me

You are truly a wonderful and just God
Holy, holy, holy are you dear God
Thank you for all you have given me
I will strive to be a good steward
Of all you have trusted me with.

I will be diligent in seeking you
I will persevere in my journey
To be closer to you, Lord God
Because you love me
Because I love you

Charles said, "Hi Landon, earlier this month on your blog, you invited us to write or own Psalm. Well, I have, and what a rewarding moment it was. You really do look deep as to what God has done for you."

Thanks Charles!

Read Through the Bible (Part Deux)

2008-12-30T13:27:00.004-05:00

I have had over 50 people say that they intend to read through the Bible in 2009! Whether you have officially let me know that you are planning to accomplish this feat or not, I encourage you to do so. Let me offer a couple of suggestions to help motivate you and give you incentive to go for it!

1. Get a Journal or a Notebook -- Reading is one thing, but writing things down will help you remember, and will enable you to look back in September to notes you took during a reading you did in January and see a connection to what you are reading on that particular day. It will help you see how God's word is cohesive, and, since writing it down helps you remember things better, it will help God's word become adhesive to your daily life. (Couldn't help the "cohesive/adhesive" play on words).

2. Before you begin on day one, write down specific questions you would like answered as you read the Bible -- Knowing specific things you are looking for as you read can motivate you to study, even on days you may think about skipping your Bible reading. As you read daily, write down passages that address the specific question(s) you have. Compiling a year's worth of notes and a complete reading of the entire Bible will give you a deeper understanding of God's message as it relates to the questions you have. Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking about what questions you may have. Use these or come up with some of your own:

Questions:

What questions does God ask in the Bible? We ask Him questions all the time. Does He have any?
Where in the Bible does it mention or allude to the trinity?
What are the many different names of God mentioned throughout the Bible and in what context are they used?
Record all of the prayers in the Bible and see how God answered them.
What are all of the promises God made in the Bible and how do they effect me today?
What is God's view of His creation? What role does creation, other than humankind, play in the whole scheme of things?
What examples of healing are there in the Bible? How does that impact what I believe about His healing today?
What does the Bible actually say about...? (You fill in the blank)

I think doing these two things will help you stay motivated to study and will give you rewarding returns!

Send me a comment about the questions you will seek answers to as you read the Bible this year!! Or just send me any comment. I like 'em.

2008-12-22T14:22:00.006-05:00

Poll Results

Thanks to all who took the time to vote on the poll, "Should we do A Family Christmas Next Year?" The final result: 27 "yes" votes and 7 "no" votes. Obviously, this is just a fun poll, but, as with all things, evaluations follow events. Thanks Kevin for your comments. Any other comments pro or con about doing A Family Christmas next year are greatly appreciated.

Good Things Happening

Just thought I would share with you a couple of good things that are happening. I know there are more, but I highlight these two.

First of all, for two consecutive Friday nights we have had some of our church members go out and do some street witnessing in Birkdale Village. This group is led by Russ Salerno. Russ led this group through the study course, "The Way of the Master" and what started as an end-of-study street witnessing event has turned into two consecutive weeks of it. Thanks gang. I would love to hear some reports of your experiences.

Secondly, in worship yesterday it was announced that we are emphasizing Reading Through The Bible in 2009. Everyone was invited to stop by a display in the main lobby of the Family Life Center to check out some resources, including the ones I mentioned on an earlier blog, to help individuals accomplish this goal. There is a sign up sheet at that display that says, "I commit to reading through the Bible in 2009." We had 20 people sign the commitment on the first day! If you did not stop by the display please do so. If you commit to reading through the Bible, sign the sheet along with your e-mail address. I will add you to a new e-mail distribution list I have created for all who commit so that we can encourage one another throughout the year and share with one another things that God is teaching us. I guess you could call it the RTB (Read Through the Bible) accountability group! If you have read through the Bible before, I would love to hear how meaningful that was for you. Send me a comment below.

Something to Do Over Christmas

I ran across something that I had forgotten that I had done several years ago. It was a note stuck in one of my One Year Bibles, and after I read it, I thought this might be a meaningful exercise for people to do over Christmas, especially if you are creative. What I found written on a post-it note was a personal Psalm I had written to God. A psalm is a song written to and about God. I patterned my psalm after the psalms in the Bible. The exercise causes you to think about God, who He is and what He has done, and about yourself. Whenever you stop long enough to think about these things, you realize how blessed you really are. I can think of no better time to reflect on these things than at Christmas. I hope you will attempt this and if you do, I hope you will share it with me. Send it through the comment box below. Here is mine, written at a specific moment in my life. I was single at the time and was a guest minister one weekend at a church staying in some one's home:

"Lord, you know all about me. You know even more about me than I do. That is such an awesome thought!

Today, I sit here in some one's house I just met yesterday. My parents don't even know where I am. My church doesn't know where I am.

You do -- You are here.

I'm so glad you are wherever I am.

Because of this difficult to fathom principle, I am humbled. I worship you!

Search me, cleanse me, make me who you know me to be!"

Have a Blessed Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

Notes From Sunday's Sermon

2008-12-15T10:41:00.009-05:00

I had the privilege of preaching at the 8:30 worship service yesterday and preaching live in the VERGE worship service in the chapel at 9:45. Preaching in the chapel took me back in time to the days when we worshiped each week over there.

I just wanted to leave you with a few summary thoughts from yesterday's sermon and invite any feedback you may wish to make. I would love to hear stories about how you make Christmas spiritually significant each year. Maybe we can learn from one another some new ways to enhance our journey to Bethlehem this year

Experiencing Bethlehem

Luke 2:10-20

Opening Question: What is it in your life that needs to change?

Every year people journey to a birthplace -- Bethlehem. Bethlehem can be a life changing experience. It was for the shepherds. It can be for you and me. You and I long for a Savior. Everybody does, whether they admit it or not. The shepherds did too. As children of Abraham, they belonged to God's chosen people, but God's people had wandered so far from Him that God had allowed Israel and Judah to be conquered. For hundreds of years there was a disconnect between the people of God and God. During the time of Caesar Augustus, the people of God longed for a Messiah, a savior who would reconcile them to God and who would restore God's kingdom.

Then the announcement came! God's word was spoken through the angel-- "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you! He is Christ the Lord!" The shepherds journeyed to Bethlehem in response to the Good News (gospel) and found things to be exactly as they had been told. It was a life changing event. They would never be the same.

No matter who you are, what you have done, or what burden you are carrying, you too can journey to Bethlehem and be changed. But there is only one path to take that will enable you to have such an experience.

The first stop on this pathway is a garden. In this garden, you see an empty cave and learn that this empty cave was a burial place. Ironic that your journey to a birthplace must first take you to a burial place. What message does this empty burial place tell? It declares that that which was once dead inside of the cave is now alive. The garden reveals that whatever is dead in your life and needs changing can be made alive!

The second stop along this pathway is on a hill. What you see on this hill is not a pretty sight. In fact it is downright ugly. What you see is death. For some this is as far as they go on the journey to Bethlehem. It's too gruesome and too difficult to watch. But if you want to experience the true joy of Bethlehem this is the only path you can take, and you must stop here. It is a good thing that the first stop was the garden. You need to know the message of the garden that says that any one's life can change, regardless of what needs changing. Now you stand on this hill at the second stop, and the hill's message says that in order to change you must die. It is here on this hill that you must kneel before the one who is dying your death on the cross and confess your sins, repenting from them, and giving complete control of your life to Him as Lord. This is where you lay whatever is dead in your life down -- your sins, your marriage, your employment, your attitude, your addictions, etc. -- so that you and that which is dead in your life can be made alive again!

When this is done, you arrive at the next stop -- Bethlehem, and when you peer over into the manger, you see a Savior, a tiny baby, but you also see your new birth. Bethlehem becomes your birthplace! This is the joy of Bethlehem. This is how you can experience a Bethlehem of significance.

Every year people journey to a birthplace. Depending on the route they take, Bethlehem can be their own birthplace. Don't let this year's journey to Bethlehem be an insignificant one. Don't go through the motions. Instead go down the correct route -- the path that will change your life!

A Family Christmas

2008-12-08T10:36:00.004-05:00

Whew! What a weekend! I think there are many exhausted "A Family Christmas" volunteers that will certainly need rest and recuperation. I thank God for all of you who served as volunteers this past weekend. I know you must be exhausted, but it's a good exhaustion to have because I believe in my heart that God touched lives and used you to do so. That is awesome, no matter how tired you may be.

Here are a few highlights that I observed or heard from others about this past weekend:

We "clicked" 2900 people coming through the tunnel over the course of the three nights. Perhaps there were more (not all volunteers were counted and some may have walked onto the campus without going through the tunnel).
We had church groups to visit the campus from Salisbury, Rock Hill, and Avery County!
I met some of your family members who traveled great distances to be a part of the weekend. I met one from Columbia who said she wanted her church to come up and video everything so that they could do this at her church.
I heard several people say, "Thank you." That may not seem significant, but I could tell when they said it that they felt it in their heart.
I heard of one mother who came alone on the last night with her 5 month old baby. She heard about it on the radio and decided she wanted to come.
Others said they saw the advertisement on TV.
Saturday night it started raining around 5:00 p.m. We were to start at 6:00 p.m. At 5:30, we gathered in the Family Life Center and prayed, "God we know it is your will that it rain right now, but we pray that you will stop the rain for the activities tonight. But, if it is your will for it to continue to rain, then help us all make the transitions to the indoors go smoothly and let the nativity be just as meaningful to the people attending as it would be if it is held outdoors." It stopped raining at 6:00 p.m. and never rained another drop that night! It also actually got a little bit warmer when the rain left.
From my vantage point, all the volunteers worked well together. One example -- We had one incident where a guest fell. Our safety crew sprang into action and were able to assist her and get her reunited with family members who were at other locations on campus. Her family took her for x-rays. Unfortunately, she suffered a broken arm, but the crew did a good job communicating and meeting her needs. Pray for this lady.

Let Me Hear From You

These are just a few highlights that I recall while sitting here in my office Monday morning. I would like to hear from you. Please send your comments and suggestions, positive and critical. If you have any great stories from the weekend share those as well, and if you volunteered, let me know where you served as well.

VOTE about Next Year

This is an unofficial poll, but it would be fun to see what everyone thinks. Give your answer to the poll question to the right at the top of the green section on your screen, "Should we do "A Family Christmas" next year?"

Work Left to Be Done

Don't forget, there is still some work to do - taking down the decorations! This Wednesday from 2:00 p.m. until the end of regular Wednesday night activities, we will be taking down lights and other outdoor decorations. Your help will be greatly appreciated. If you plan to help Wednesday, let me know what time you will be available.

Once again, THANK YOU and to GOD be the GLORY!

Landon

Read Through The Bible in 2009

2008-12-01T14:54:00.008-05:00

I know we just completed the Thanksgiving season and are now moving headlong into the Christmas season, but it is not too early to think about next year, nor is it too late. January will be here soon, and with it's arrival we turn our attention to commitments for the new year, changes for the better that we would like to make in our lives. We arrive at these commitments after reflecting upon where we are currently and evaluating the choices we made to get us here.

At this important time of your life where you may contemplate making some changes, I ask, how is your spiritual life? I can say that, for me, there is a meaningful correlation between how well I am doing spiritually and how much time I spend studying the Bible and praying.

As you approach 2009, consider making a commitment to strengthening your spiritual life by consistently studying the Bible and praying. There are many resources available to help you read through the entire Bible in one year's time. I have listed some of these resources below and hope you will use one of these, or another that you might discover, to bring about change you can believe in for 2009.

God bless,
Landon

Resources for reading through the Bible in 2009:

Devotionals

LIFEWALK -- a monthly devotional magazine that takes you from Genesis through Revelation in one year. Cost is $24.95 for 12 issues. You can order these online at http://www.lifeway.com/
The NIV One Year Chronological Bible -- Takes you through the entire Bible as a chronological timeline of all biblical stories and events. Gives you a great historical perspective. Can be ordered through http://www.cbd.com/ for $14.99 or can be purchased at most Christian bookstores.
The NLT One Year Bible -- Each day you will read passages from the Old Testamnet, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. This can also be ordered in a large print edition. Once again, this can be purchased at http://www.cbd.com/ for $14.99 or check any Christian bookstore.
NKJV Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible -- Read through the Bible in one year with Charles Stanley as your guide. The passages come with devotional messages from Chalres Stanley. This can be purchased at http://www.cbd.com/ for $12.99 or ask at Christian bookstores.
My Time With God -- This book is an annual reading plan through the New Testament only. It takes you straight through from Matthew to Revelation and includes daily portions of Old Testament scripture that relate to the New Testament passages read each day. There are also devotional thoughts from well-known preachers, scholars, and other devotional writers. There are also questions for personal reflection at the end of each day's reading. This can be purchased either online at http://www.cbd.com/ for $9.99 or in bookstores. I purchased my copy at Barnes and Noble.

Online Resources

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/ -- This site allows you to choose from several different translations. You also have the chronological option as well.
http://eword.gospelcom.net/year/ -- This allows you to choose among five different reading plans and your choice of translation.
http://bible.christianity.com/readingplan/ -- This site offers a tracker to keep up with your progress. It also gives you reading plan options.