Monthly Archives: February 2011

02.24.11
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Waiting at the Doctor’s Office

Today, I had a doctor’s appointment. I am not a huge fan of doctor visits. I try to avoid them at all cost. I had to go this time so I figured that I could endure it. So, I check in and walk through the hallway with the nurse to my room. She gets my information, and boom she leaves. Then you wait…. Have you ever waited during that time? Oh my word, it seems like everytime I wait after the nurse leaves. Now, you get educated on the various body parts and latest diseases. The crazy thing is the nurse always tries and makes me feel good with comments like, “wait right here and the doctor will be right with you.” I know that is a lie, it is going to be a long while. Why don’t the nurse just say, “wait right here and the doctor will be in about 20 minutes from now.” Well, that sounds good, but when I hear “right with you” I think 2-3 minutes. Well, I begin to wait, and I waited for a long time today. I start to wonder if the doctor forgot me. You ever wonder if the doctor forgot you? You sit there, and think did the nurse forget to tell the doctor that I was ready? Maybe the doctor had to go to the restroom or something. Well, you have no idea what the hold up is so you sit there and wait. I was wondering if I needed to go in the hallway to check if everything was okay. Luckily I did not. That is how I always feel though as I wait in the doctor’s office waiting on the doctor.

Have you ever felt that way about God? Maybe God forgot about me, or maybe He did not hear my prayer. Did God have better and more important people to see? So, you sit there waiting on God just like you wait in the waiting room. You know waiting on God is a VERY good thing. Now, during the time where you have some feelings that I mentioned above, it does not seem like a good thing, but it is. One pastor told me, “You cannot fail when you wait on God.” I have had a couple of instances in my life where I honestly felt like God was not hearing my prayers or something, because He was not acting upon what I felt I needed. Now, that was the root of my problem. I was focused on what I thought I needed. It is not about me or you, our lives are all about God! Well, I learned some valuable principles that have helped me during this process and I wanted to share them with you:

1. The Lord’s protection is not always from, but sometimes it is through. If you get this thought, you get the point! We are naturally selfish people. I am not trying to be mean, but we are. We are not willing to understand that maybe you are waiting on purpose. God could be trying to teach you things, but you are too busy asking why. During the waiting time of my ministry, God taught me more than I believe He has ever taught me.

2. God always has a plan in His perfect time. God has a plan for your situation. It may seem impossible, but remember all things are possible with God. I love serving the God of the impossible. He has a plan, and remember, it is all about His time. His time is on time. Whenever He works, He is ALWAYS right on perfect time. If you and I directed things, it would be messed up!

3. You can always trust God’s character. His character is perfect and immutable. He never changes. We are serving the same God who allowed David to kill Goliath. We serve the same God who destroyed Jericho by marching and blowing trumpets. You can always trust His character.

4. God is working in secret when you cannot see it. We see the here and now, and God is looking at the past, present, and future all at one time. He is working in the future and the present to lay things out according to His perfect plan for your life. His unseen hand is working when you cannot see it. It is our responsibility to trust that unseen hand.

Are you waiting on God for something. Just wanted to encourage you with some powerful truths that I have learned from God lately.

02.22.11
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Developing a Healthy Quiet Time

One of the toughest things for anyone to do is develop a consistent and healthy quiet time. Now, this is the toughest thing for believers, but it is also the most important thing for believers. I am a student pastor, and let me be transparent with you, it can be tough for the pastors as well as the congregation. We all are super busy, but I want to encourage you not to overlook the importance of your personal quiet time. I am going to share a few thoughts on the importance of developing a healthy quiet time that I have learned over the years.

1. Have a set time. When I was a student, I would try and have a quiet time, and I would do it sometimes in the morning, at nigt, afternoon, etc. There was never a set time, and I feel that hurt me in consistency. It is so important to have a set time each day. I became more consistent in my quiet time when I locked down an exact time that I would sit down and do my quiet time. I decided on in the morning after I got completely ready. That is when I spend time with God each day.

2. Have a set place. I sit in the same chair every morning and do my quiet time. We are “habit formed” people. We react well to habits. When something becomes consistent for us, we react well to that. Naturally, we are not big on change, and this is why it is important to have a set time and a set place.

3. Have a set plan. Your plan is important! Now, sometimes, God changes your plan, and He has something else in store, and that is a good thing. I developed a very basic plan my senior year in high school that helps me. I will share it with you. When I get totally ready (I am talking shoes on and everything), I sit down in the exact same chair and do my quiet time. I first sit their quietly and ease my mind. I wait in silence just to stop thinking about anything, and begin to focus on my relationship with Christ. I then, always start with examining myself. I allow the Lord to examine my heart, my mind, my conversation, my time, and my passion each and every day. Why is this important? Sin breaks our fellowship with God so I want to make sure each morning, I spend quality time in confessing my sin so that I can be in good fellowship with God for Him to speak to me. Then, I praise God for taking me back each and every day after sin. I praise Him for Salvation and for who He is! Then, I look into the Word. The Word is so important, because this is how He speaks to His people and shows us how to live. I read the particular passage twice to make sure I understand it. I then look at how to apply this to my life. We should get something from our quiet time every day that we can apply to our lives. Then, I spend time in prayer for application and for the filling of the Spirit. I also end in prayer for our church and for the students in the Grove.

Now, your plan may be different. One thing that has worked for me in the past is music and singing to the Lord. I still occasionally do this. There are a whole lot of good plans and methods for developing a healthy quiet time. The key is find one that works for you and do it consistently!

02.21.11
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Discovering my Purpose

In today’s society, we are all about discovering what our purpose is. People want to know why they are here, why they are doing what they are doing, etc. Lately, God has been teaching me ultimately about my purpose, and it is the purpose of everyone reading this post. My ultimate purpose here can be put into 2 things:

1. The number one purpose is to glorify Christ! This is in everything that we do. I Corinthians 10:31 says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”The most important word there that we struggle grasping is the word, “all.” We are commanded to do all to the glory of God. So, let’s try and put this into perspective. I am supposed to glorify God in my job? Absolutely! Whether you are a businessman, a teacher (public or private), CEO, farmer, etc, it does not matter, you are supposed to bring glory to God. Now, what about life? I have learned that it is easy to give Him glory when things are going well! When I am on a mountain top, it is easy to say, all glory goes to God. What about when things are bad, am I supposed to give God glory then? Absolutely! We all need to get to the point where if I succeed, the glory goes to God, and if I fail or a trial comes my way, I will still give glory to God.

2. The second purpose is to make His name known to the nations! In I Samuel 17, we find the famous story of David and Goliath. I love this story for many reasons. One of the reasons is that David was a nobody (it reminds me of myself), yet, God still desires to use him. In the story no one would fight the Philistine. He was a giant (over 9 feet tall). David comes to the battle to deliver food to his brothers, and he notices the Philistine and the problem. He suggests that he will fight him and he ends up going down to fight the Philistine with just a sling and 5 stones. This is not the type of gear I would have taken with me to war. In verse 46, David demands the defeat of the Philistine, and he makes this statement: “That all earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” This battle is the same battle we face today. The battle on that day was not necessarily between the Philistines and the Israelite s, but the battle was about defending the name of God. I am disappointed at how many people allow God’s name to be defied in today’s society. We need to get back at defending His name. When the cause is just (fighting for His name is), we will always come out on the winning side. I am deeply convicted at not making His name to the city where we minister at. It is my goal that the focus of our student ministry would be to make His name known and make His name great in our city.We need to get back to where the focus is on reaching people for Him.

Are you fulfilling your purpose?

02.15.11
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The Most Important Thing

We all have busy schedules it seems. Everyone is always discussing how they are SOOOOO busy in their own things. Well, in student ministry, there is always something going on. Our hours tend to be so sporatic! Well, last night, in youth group, 2 students came to new life in Christ. Now, when I stop and think, everything else I have on the agenda is NOTHING compared to seeing students accept Jesus! We need to refocus our time, effort, and schedule to make sure that nothing is above seeing people come to new life in Christ. This is the most important things we are called to do. Notice, all people are called to this, not just pastors and missionaries. This is an obligation for every believer! The most important thing to all of us should be seeing people come to new life in Christ!

02.15.11
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The Greatest Gift Ever

We have just come through the Christmas season. Now, Christmas for many means GIFTS. What am I getting this year? What deals am I going to find to give to my family and friends? What will I put on my Christmas list this year. This past week in youth group, I asked our students and leaders what was the greatest gift that they have ever been given? Some responses were boots, clothes, a guitar, or video game systems. One leader responded a poem her kids had written her. Now, what if we opened gifts, and there was a bill at the bottom of the gift for what we owed for the gift? Also, what if how we acted during the year determined if we got a gift or not? This would change things! A gift is given not based upon how we acted during the year, or how much we will pay for the gift. A gift is freely given to us not based upon us being deserving of it or on us giving something in return.

Now, these are all great gifts that these students and leaders mentioned, but NONE of these gifts even begin to compare to the greatest gift ever given! This gift is the gift of grace given by Christ. “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God!” Think about the extravagant grace of the Father in the parable of the Prodigal Son. The story is not all about the son living a sinful life, it is more about the grace demonstrated by the Father. When the Son came to himself, he realized that even the lowliest of his father’s servants lived better than he did. So, he went back to try and but work for his father as his servant. He had disgraced his father’s name and brought shame to the household. As his father saw him a far off, his father RAN to him! He did not wait for the son, he ran to the Son demonstrating his grace toward his son. In this culture, running was not a dignified thing to do. His father was willing to run (pulling up his robe-bearing his bare legs) despite the shame he would face for his son. In a way, he took on the shame so that his son would not have to experience it. This is grace! Grace is giving something that he did not deserve. His son did not deserve grace or the acceptance his father gave him! Do you understand, we do not deserve what our Heavenly Father has given us. We did nothing to earn it, or even to keep it. He willingly laid down His life (bearing our shame and pain) in order to give us NEW LIFE even when we were enemies of Him. This is Grace, and the greatest gift that a person could ever receive.

02.15.11
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Social Media Affects our students

It would be stupid to say that social media does not have to affect our students. It is going to in many different ways. I am going to share with you a way that has really caught my attention lately. We do youth group every Wednesday night. I have had numerous people raise their hands showing their need for Christ in their heart, and when given the opportunity, not moving to get help with this question. They sit there. Now, this could be nerves. I have approached them afterward to see if they had any questions about Jesus, and they respond, “Nah, I’m good, talk to you later.” Then, within minutes I receive a Facebook message or a text from that same person with a question. Why could we not talk in person. This is the affect social media is having on our students. Now, we could argue is this could or bad for students, but that does not matter, it is going to happen regardless. So, let’s try and embrace it and cultivate it. Let’s don’t shy away from it. We can encourage talking face to face, but let’s not shun a conversation just because of the culture of today’s society. By the way, this is a person’s soul we are talking about here so it is the most important decision. So, Facebook, text, or tweeting, I do not care, I am going to share Christ and seek to answer questions in whatever way we can and hopefully then, we can see students accept Christ. I  have been in many discussions through Facebook and texting lately about new life in Christ! I have tried to answer questions about this doctrine. Please pray for several of our students as they are making steps toward a commitment to Christ!

02.15.11
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Pizza Hut with Brian Baker

I went to pizza hut with Brian Baker. Brian is a Word of Life local missionary. Brian has been a huge encouragement and help to me in my new ministry at Union Grove. I love hanging with guys, like myself, are interested in students and what is reaching students. Brian is extremely passionate about students and building healthy relationships with them. One major discussion was how to develop student leaders within the student ministry. This is one of the most important, but most difficult things to do in student ministry. We began throwing ideas and discussing what other guys’ are saying. Here are some of things that came to our minds while discussing this:

1. Spend time discipling specifically at least 1 student a week. We need to be being discipled by someone at all times, but always using our time and resources to disciple students below us as well.
2. Keep them accountable. Accountability is needed at every stage in life. Keep them just as accountable as your adult leaders in the student ministry.
3. Train them. All student leaders need time with training. Put resources in their hands to read that will help develop their skills and help them become a better leader. Take them to conferences that will challenge them to become a better leader for Christ.
4.  Model leadership for them. Students need to see us modeling it for them. Paul said in Scripture, “follow me as I follow Christ.” This is how student ministry should be run. They should be following us (student pastors) as we follow Christ. Perhaps the problem the student ministry has in developing student leaders is their youth pastor is not setting the example for them to follow.

02.15.11
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Senior Adult Soup & Cornbread Fellowship

I was privileged to attend and even speak at the Senior Adult Soup and Cornbread Activity this morning! I am still getting to know the senior adults in our church. We have some very Godly older people in our church. They are faithful no matter the circumstances. I spoke about the promises of God. You know, God’s promises are amazing and found throughout the Bible. We looked at God’s presence, protection, and provision! It is in the very nature of God to be Omnipresent. This means He is everywhere at all times. It is impossible for a believer to escape the presence of God. I am also thankful for the presence of God. I heard Pastor Tom Messer (Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL) say that “protection is not always from, sometimes, protection is through.” We as believers have a very dim view of God sometimes. We think that being a Christian means God will keep us from everything and not expose us to anything that may harm us. I am glad God’s ways are much higher than mine. His thoughts are much higher as well. God brings us through things to prove to us on the other side (which we cannot see sometimes) that He was presently protecting us through it all! Then, God provides for us! Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide) is one of my favorite names for God in all of Scripture. Bottom line, these are promises that God in His character cannot break! You can take it to the bank, God will keep these 3 promises!

02.15.11
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Overwhelmed by God’s love

As you know, I am a student pastor at Union Grove Baptist Church in Lexington, NC. I have the privilege of speaking to about 80 students every Wednesday evening and building authentic relationships with each of them during the week. Lately, we have been doing a series on the afterlife. It has brought us to a place where we have discussed hell and what hell (according to the Word of God) will be like. It has opened up tons of questions from our students. I have been asked, “how could a loving God allow people to go to hell.” I have seen students raise their hands acknowledging their need for a Savior. I have seen students accept Jesus! These lessons and these conversations have really spoke to me. I have been overwhelmed by a God who loves us. I love that song, “Oh how He loves” by David Crowder. I could listen to that song with my eyes closed for hours just dwelling on the fact that we have a God who loves us. Now, some think yeah, we are pretty lovable creatures, but we are unworthy of His love. All of us are! I encourage every person to thank God for His love every day and never miss an opportunity to tell Christ how much you love him. If you have never experienced the love of Christ, I encourage you to reach out to Him today, and you will find a love reaching out to you that is never ending!

02.15.11
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Radical Abandonment

I try and do a little reading every day. Oftentimes, it does not work, but I definitely try. A book that was given to me from my super cool brother in law (Kelly Johnson) is the book, “Radical” by Pastor David Platt. David pastors The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. This is a book that I have wanted to read for a while. In the book, David is calling for RADICAL ABANDONMENT from all believers. I have been deeply convicted for the level of complacency that is plaguing the church! The typical church member believes that it is only the pastor or professional in ministry’s job to be sold out for Jesus, but it is for everyone. We tend to think that the radical areas of the Bible are up to the full time church workers when the calling goes out to all believers. “In the process we have unnecessarily (and unbiblically) drawn a line of distinction, assigning the obligations of Christianity to a few while keeping the privileges of Christianity for us all!” David challenges all of us to examine our lives and get in on the radical abandonment that is throughout Scripture. Will you radically abandon yourself for the furtherance of the gospel of Christ? I highly encourage the book to all believers, but be careful, because the book may hurt after you read it.