Thinking about Life and the Lord!

It is Fall and our thoughts begin to turn toward the holidays. Recently I was preaching a revival in the northern part of the State when a little boy about 10 years old came up and said, “Hey preacher! Can I ask you a riddle?” I told him to go ahead and he said, “If April showers bring May flowers then what do May flowers bring?” I thought for a few minutes and said, “Well I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” The little guy laughed and said, “Pilgrims!” You know the little guy was right. The little riddle made my mind race toward Thanksgiving. Sandwiched somewhere between Halloween and Christmas is this annual Thursday holiday that is becoming more and more miniscule in the minds of people all over our country every year. Rarely do retail stores even acknowledge the occasion and the celebration of Thanksgiving. Sadly, even among God’s people there is very little thought given to Thanksgiving. For many it is a holiday that is nothing more than a day off work, a day for football, a da...

A man and his wife were eating in a restaurant in LaFayette, Louisiana. They were having an argument on how to actually pronounce the word “LaFayette.” One of them emphasized the first syllable while the other emphasized the second syllable. When the waitress came to the table she was a freshman in college. The man said to her, “Young lady, you are obviously going to school to get an education. My wife and I are having an argument. Will you very slowly tell my wife where we are?” The young college student shrugged her shoulders and said, “Sure!” She looked at the man’s wife and said, “Bur…ger…King!” I don’t think this couple had much peace, do you? Peace is something I have been thinking a lot about lately. It seems that every where you turn people are calling for peace. However, the peace they are calling for is not the kind of peace we really need. The world’s definition of peace is too limited. To the world, peace is simply the absence of conflict. This understanding of peace is ...

Join me for a life-changing adventure in the Holy Land February 21-27, 2012. I am once again leading a tour to Israel to walk where Jesus walked and to see all the sites of our faith. The cost of the trip is $3,450.00 per person which is an all inclusive cost. The price includes our stay at 5 star hotels, all meals. a luxury motorcoach, a full-time guide, all tips, and all entrance fees. You will not even be allowed to carry your own luggage. We will be seeing sites all around the Sea of Galilee, Caesarea, Tiberias, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, and throughout Jerusalem. You will walk into the empty tomb, see the sites of the crucifixion, stand on the Mountain where Elijah prayed fire down from heaven, overlook the valley of Armegeddon, put your hands on the place of Jesus' birth, and walk through the towns and villages of Jesus' ministry.  Space for this trip is limited to the first 30 people who pay their non-refundable deposit of $300.00 pe...

Did you know that people exists? Often the people we come into contact with each day are nothing more than nameless faces we view as being available to meet some need for us or to provide us with some kind of service. The reality is that people all around us have lots of needs. You may even be someone with lots of needs. Often times the needs we have in our lives come to us without invitation and are not welcomed guests. At other times they simply occur because of the change of our situations or circumstances. Either way there are many needs people are experiencing from finances, illness, joblessness, relationships, decisions, to spiritual issues and needs. In life it sometimes seems that we have more questions than we have answers. It is at this point in our lives when we discover whether or not the faith we profess is genuine. Faith in the Lord is much more than just wishful thinking, an attitude of hope, or an experience of good will. In fact, faith is more than something you just f...

During the 1800’s in Birmingham, England, a little boy went to one of the newly formed Sunday Schools for children. The teacher taught the children that day and said, “Jesus is the light of the Lord.” Not realizing the symbolic phraseology of the teacher, the little boy came up to her after class and said, “Teacher, if this Mr. Jesus really is the light of the world, I wish He’d come and visit the street by my house. It’s awful dark where I live.” Darkness is prevalent throughout our world. The darkness of sin is in your community and in the streets of your town. While darkness surrounds many of our churches in Arkansas and across America, the light of the gospel must not be allowed to grow dim. The light of the gospel of Jesus grows dim in our churches when we forget that in our churches there is but one celebrity and His name is Jesus! Have you noticed how too many of our churches are being built on the wrong foundations? Some of our churches are making celebrities out of the w...

I am often asked why I am always so insistent that people join and participate in a small group Sunday School class at FBC. The truth is that there are many reasons and benefits for being in a small group SS class each week. Jesus, knowing the value of a small group, led his own small group for 3 years teaching and investing his life into the group. Let me just mention a few to you so that maybe you might make it a priority to be in attendance this week at either 9:00 am or 10:30 am. REASON # 1- Partnership In a small group we learn how to be in relationship, fellowship, and partnership with others through real life issues and circumstances. In this class setting your learn how to practice and show love to others, as well as care, mercy, and grace. All of us need a place where we can go and be ourselves. We all need a place to go where others will walk alongside us and support us through the struggles of daily life in this world. Also, it is through the small group that we can wor...

On August 19, 1979, US swimmer Kim Lineham won the world record in the women’s 1500 meter freestyle. She held this record until 1987 until it was surpassed by US swimmer Janet Evans. At the time, Kim was the best female distance swimmer in the world. She had a training regiment that was rigorous and that kept her in the pool for 7-10 hours every day. After winning the world record she was asked by a reporter, “Kim what is the hardest part of your training regiment each day which has brought you victory?” Kim Lineham replied, “Just getting in the water.” All across America churches stand on the threshold of doing something amazing for the Lord. There is a new ministry to be started, a new strategy to be implemented, new small group classes to begin, or some new and creative ways to do ministry. The problem with many of our churches and leaders is not that they do not know what to do or what it takes to reach people for Christ. The real challenge we face when it comes to doing new ...

In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. Its main mission was to reach Jupiter and send back information about that planet. It was a bold plan because at that time no satellite had gone beyond Mars. Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and so much more. It swung past Jupiter in November, 1973, then passed Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. By 1997, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun. Despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to earth. The most remarkable thing was that those signals were powered by an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light. Not even the most optimistic scientist could have ever imagined what that little 8-watt transmitter could do. So it is when you and I offer ourselves to God in faithful obedience. It's just incredible what God can do through little 8-watt transmitters like me and you, when we're turned on for Him. As God’s people living...

Have you ever made a mistake? Have you really blown it big time? Welcome to the human race! If you have made mistakes, bad decisions, or experienced failure then it just means that you are alive. The Bible says in James 3:2, “We all stumble in many ways (NIV).” I do not know about you, but I can identify with that verse. We have all failed. We did not want to fail, but still we failed. We failed ourselves, our families, our friends, and we failed God. So what if you have failed? Should you just give up? Should you write off your life? Is there any hope for you? The Bible is filled with examples of people who failed. Some of these people really made some mistakes, misjudgments, and wrong decisions. Still, we see God’s forgiveness being shown toward these people. We see these people throughout the Bible take advantage of a second chance and lead lives of significance. Let me share with you some encouraging words about failure. First, you need to remember tha...