Posts

A Blind man and the Southern Baptist Convention!

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 I was recently studying John 9 in order to try and bring a message on a Sunday at the beginning of 2021 for the First Baptist Church, Lexington, Tennessee congregation. As I read through that passage over and over again and sought the counsel of God as to what He was trying to say to me and to FBC, I continued to stumble over and over again on the first five verses. Listen to these words from John 9:1-5 from the Christian Standard Bible : As he (Jesus) was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3  “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him. 4  We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”   Let me tell you that not only was I convicted over and over again by these words written by John
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COVID-19 HAS REVEALED THE TRUTH ABOUT CHURCH!

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 Another month of the Covid-19 pandemic! Another month of trying to decide what we can do or not do at the church. Another month of second guessing decisions, wondering about the outcomes of those decisions, and trying to navigate an unknown future. Another month of trying to hit a moving target. Ugh! As I try and lead my church into another month, there are a lot of things that I do not know. However, there are several things that a Pastor like me has learned during the pandemic of 2020.  As I am rambling out loud about these things, let me mention a sampling of things that pastors and church leaders have learned: 1. We have learned who our real leaders are in the church!     I have always known that there was a MAJOR difference between a real leader and someone who holds a position of leadership. Often times, we get these confused in a church. There are always those who hold positions of leadership and who are recognized by others as "a leader", but in reality, they are no
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The Trouble with Consistency!

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Consistency...now this is a word that seems to be completely lost in our modern day society. Consistency means "a steadfast adherence to the same principle, course, form, or way of life." In other words, a person who is consistent is one who holds to a set of beliefs or actions regardless of the ever-changing world around him or her. Currently, we are living in an ever-changing world. Consistency is a lost art form in this world. From day to day, the information we are being told about life, politics, economics, business, and even a pandemic changes almost by the hour. There are very few consistent messages in our world today. The things we have consistently believed as Americans based on our Constitution, our Founders, and even scripture are now changing by the day. That which was once considered to be moral and right is now considered to be wrong. Those things which were once considered to be immoral, shameful, and wrong are now being promoted as the norm or society. Con
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Lessons I am Learning...and other Random Thoughts!

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It seems that the world as we have known it has turned upside down in recent weeks. Suddenly and without much warning, COVID-19 has become all the talk. It has been dramatized, politicized, publicized, criticized, subsidized, and immortalized in the world, nation, and in our state. This has quickly become serious business. We had a huge Revival at FBC Lexington, TN at the end of February 2020, and I never would have thought that within a month we would be doing online worship only services. Wow! Everyone and everything all around us is shutting down, closed, or following very strict guidelines and new policies. Yes...we are living in a different world. With that in mind, I have learned or been reminded of several things, and I have a few important questions that are plaguing my thoughts. First, let me tell you a few things I have learned or I have been reminded of over the past few weeks: 1. GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL! When I say that, I can hear the collective yawn of the masses. Ye
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HOPE AND HELP...NOW!!!

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I walked out into my backyard where I have now lived for almost 3 years. The weather is cold, the skies are cloudy, and there is a mist of rain in the air. I look at my flower pots which still contain the stems of flowers that succumbed to the cold winter months and at my grass which is yellowed and dead looking. It is enough to make one sigh in absolute frustration and hopelessness except for one small thing that I find in my subdivision… Daffodils ! There they were! They were coming up once again all over the neighborhood. Their trumpeting yellow flower buds were standing up tall and straight soaking in the misty rain. It was then that I was reminded of spring…of hope…of change! As I stood looking at those daffodils, I was moved to go over to them and take their picture. I don’t know why? It was just one of those spontaneous things I was prompted to do. As I took their picture it was as if God Himself impressed some thoughts into my mind about how He works in our li
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WHERE ARE YOU GOD?

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When tragedy strikes, it is very normal to ask the question, “Where was God while this was happening? Why didn’t God stop the tragedy that happened at Southerland Springs, Texas?"  In times like these, it is important to be open and honest with ourselves and with the truth of what God’s Word teaches us. What we know for a fact is that we live in a sinful, broken, and evil world. Our society is filled with selfishness, hurt, pain and destruction. We live in a fallen world where people intentionally choose to disobey God and hurt others, usually because they have been hurt in some way themselves. The recent shooting of our friends at FBC Southerland Springs is a stark reminder of these facts. This was not God’s plan! From the beginning, God created a perfect world full of life, joy, fulfillment, peace and love. God gave people the free will to choose their own paths. Because Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, sin and brokenness entered the world. We are all sinners by n
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GROWING OUR FAITH # 2: Our faith and our tithe!

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On Sundays at FBC, Lexington, Tennessee, I am preaching out of the book of James and the series is called “The JAMES Experiment: Does Faith really work?” We are talking about growing our faith. Last week I wrote that God tests our faith through trials. This week I want us to think about how God tests our faith through our tithe. Tithe…now isn’t that a fun word? A Baptist pastor can say the word “tithe” and watch people cringe, cry, coward, or cop-out. Ha! I am, of course, talking about the topic of faith and our money. Did you know that money is one of the greatest tests of faith in your life? Our material possessions test our character and our faith. For a lot of people, their possessions have become the god of their lives. Possessions or the pursuit of possessions has become the priority and focus of their lives. I have found that this issue of money is one of the greatest tests we face because many people do not want to give up their own self-made god to worship and give to
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