What's been going on...

It has been a few months since I have posted anything on here, and by now I realize that the only person that probably reads this is my wife. But I still want to use this Blog to relate things that God is teaching me.

We have been in Houston for several months now and I realized that this is one of the busiest towns I have ever been in. I realize that we grew up in a fairly large town (El Paso, TX) but now I view it in the different perspective. This is one of the busiest places I have ever seen. Busy with life, busy with work, busy with extra-curricular activites...just busy. So busy sometimes that I wonder what our busyness accomplishes?

I guess what makes it stand out so much is the lack of busyness that has been going on in my life. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have been busy working, and I do work for the Church, but not busy in what I know is important...ministring to God's people. It has been over 15 months since I have been "In" the ministry severing in any Pastorial role and it seems like it kills me a little more every day.

I wonder when I will be able to minister again, when will I find a place to serve God in ministry again. What makes it worse, is it is all I think about every day, every hour, every minute. About how and when will minister to people again. It would be so much easier to just find a job...but God won't let me lose my passion. Guess for now I just have to wait and see how God see's us through this. I say we, because it is burning inside my wife as well.

That is something that is so exciting though. To know that my wife is wanting to minister again. As a Pastor, I need my wife. This time a year ago she was not only unintrested in ministry, but ready to hang it up completly. Now, she is praying as well we will find somewhere to Pastor and Minister again.

So I will use this blog as a tool to show you into our journey and how God will work through us. I don't know where we will land or how it will play out, but know that God is wonderful and His ways are higher than ours!

I wrote the poem below, because it was just in my mind and felt like I had to get it out. Sometimes I get these thoughts and should write them down, but haven't but now will make it a point to try...

The Sea called Life

Do you ever feel like a drop of rain that fell into the sea?
Where waves and currents flow, but the never really see me.

Got get to where I am going, I have so much to do,
and yet that drop of rain, well I maybe will get to that to.

Hey there is that drop, we noticed it the other day,
We should probably see what's up with him, but maybe soon but not today.

Today is filled with way to many other things,
My friends, my schedule, and whatever else life brings.

I know I should take the time to invite him in,
But I am just so busy with the life in the ocean.

I should take time to know them and maybe where they are,
But not to much, because then they will want a relationship and that's to far.

Well guess I will just say howdy do and then go my way,
Surely someone else will open their hearts to them but I can't today

What's going on... there's not one rain drop but now there's two,
I hope someone loves them, but I just have to much to do!

Sometimes I relate to a drop of rain,
falling into the sea of people again.

Wondering if they will ever see, my heart, my passion, or even really see me?
But for now I will just keep treading water, in the life sea.

Where are we at?

So many things have changed in our family and I haven’t taken the time, or effort, to put them on here to maybe share with folks what is going on in my life. So where are we at? That has been a question that has recently changed for our family in several parts: Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually. So where to start, well I am not going to back build the story very far because it would have to be a series of posts so I will try to shorten it to smaller text. (In my mind I hear my wife saying, “Yeah right, you put whatever you are trying to say in less words not more…good luck!” But I am going to try.)

My family and I were “Stuck” in Illinois, and I use stuck in quotes because there is so much that is involved in that word, but it seems fitting for the synopsis of what has happened in the past year. We were wondering what was going to happen in our lives. We had been diligently looking for a place to Pastor or a Place to serve as an Assistant Pastor, Student Pastor, Outreach Pastor, something ministry related, but nothing came to pass. (Again, another long story with many things behind it, but I am trying to simplify this post.) The big problem is that we were stuck with a house and couldn’t get it to sell. We gave it to the Lord and said that if the Lord would sell our house then we would move wherever he wanted us. Wow, did he put that to the test.

We were driving 62 miles to Church (One Way) and loving the folks at Quint City Baptist Church, and were wondering if this would be where God would have us to be? The Pastor, John Beeler, was a great guy and we clicked really well, but we still had this house to sell! So nothing came to pass. But then, in July we had an offer on the house! It was lower then what we needed so we countered the offer, and guess what? The house sold! Praise God! Hallelujah! Amen! But then the big question was, ok where do we go, where do we live, what do we do?

What was really weird about this time is that both Charlie and I had perfect peace about not knowing and trusted that God would show us where to go. We had four weeks before we had to be out of our house and we still didn’t know where to go. Well truthfully we knew what God wanted us to do, but I tried to reason and make “Sense” out of what God was doing in our lives. We had it narrowed down to three choices. One move to Peoria, which is where my job was at, and then try look for a Church to get involved in. Two, move to Quad Cities, maybe try to work with the company I was at from a distance (I was already driving 104 miles a day to work, and 124 miles to get to Church every Sunday and Wednesday. Don’t know if that is important but put it down anyway.) Or three…well this one will take a little more explaining.

About three or four years ago (Don’t remember when for sure, because I am a little brain dead on Mondays) my family and I met and fell in love with a family at the Church we started attending. It just so happened that the family that was such a blessing to us was the Pastor and his family. We had great fellowship with them, we were challenged to grow for the Lord with them, and just enjoyed the wonderful hearts they had for the Lord and loved being with folks that just loved Jesus! I also had the opportunity to work with Pastor Andy as the youth pastor of the Church we were at. It was great, but God called Pastor Andy to the Houston area a little over a year ago in what I had opportunity to see as a wonderful leading in a man’s life! Such a great story there, but no time for it in this post. So now option three, move my family to the Houston area and join the Southwinds Baptist Church Family.

What was I thinking? This made no sense! Move my family to an area where there is a Great Church and a Great Pastor? Wait this can’t be right? I would have to quit my job and have to find another one? I would have to find a place to live while unemployed? God surely can’t be moving us here! This was the struggle I was going through, but the fact is that it was God’s leading and He doesn’t always have to make sense to us, but He will always provide when He leads. We had the peace of God that this is where He wanted us and with three weeks left before our house was somebody else’s we decided to move our family to the Houston area. That peace of God that passes all understanding…how wonderful! It truly demonstrated Philippians 4:7 to us in a real way! (Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”)

So we told my office (Samaritan Ministries Intl.) that I would be moving my family to Houston and let our Pastor know the same. And then you know what happened? We saw God provide in His way and it was wonderful! God worked out the way for us to get to Houston, a place to live, and a job for us as well. God is so good and now we are in the Houston area! We are still transitioning and getting adjusted but we are so happy that God has not only moved but helped us be reminded of the faith we need to have in Him! We look back at the past several weeks and have the wonderful knowledge of how good our God is, how wonderful He provides, and know that our faith in Him is never a faith misplaced! Oh so much more to say, but I am over a 1,000 words and will leave it here for now.

The Church Series—the beginning of this story

I would have to confess that I am probably not the typical kind of Pastor. I did not grow up in a Christian home. I grew up in a broken home going from one parent during the week to another parent on the weekend. I was about twelve when my I was told that I was going to have to choose which parent I would live with until I turned eighteen. Can you imagine having to choose? This was my life. I did not have the knowledge of the scripture or the challenge to walk with the Lord even though I was part of the Catholic Church. I had never heard what it means to be saved or what it was to be lost.

When my father passed away I couldn’t fill the void it left and turned to a gang lifestyle. My family was unaware that I was drinking, doing drugs, or running with gangs. I was good at hiding it. This was my life. I was on the path to destruction. I was on the path to failing in life. I knew it and didn’t know what I was going to do about it. What I didn’t know at the time is that I was on another path that would lead me to Hell. This was my life.

You see this is the beginning of the story because as I said this “was” my life, but praise God it is not anymore. God sent a wonderful women in my life who didn’t know she would be my wife at the time but was a huge instrument in the Lords hands by just sticking to what she knew was right and got me to come to Church. It was there I heard the good news that I didn’t have to go on the path I was living and could come to know that heaven was my home. I have never been the same. I am a child of the King! This is my life!

It is from this foundation that has paved the way to what God has made me today and why I feel I am an atypical Pastor. Shortly after I was saved, God began to work in my heart about becoming a Pastor. I know my father wasn’t saved and is in hell today, and it is this knowledge that God allowed to resonate in my mind as I thought of the ministry. It is almost as if I could hear him say, “There are Daddies everywhere that are going to go to hell if someone won’t tell them.” I surrendered with a passion for souls.

As the Lord grew me my passion never changed but God certainly expanded it. I started seeing families falling apart, young people not seeing the Lord as relevant, and more importantly believers finding their “Christianity” failing them when the rubber met the road. Why is that? What happened? What failed? We had a mold, but what went wrong? I noticed in college and for some that I had worked for as an assistant pastor that the solution was easy. Push soul winning more, Push dress standards more, push Sunday school more, push Bible reading more, push faithfulness to Church more. Now let me add a disclaimer here by saying that I am not against soul-winning, Sunday school, faithfulness to Church and for sure not against reading Gods word, but the success of a Church hinges on so much more than methodology. And there begins the problem…

Are you serious?

Recently I have been reading a lot lately of what has been going on in the world of Fundamentalism and all I can say is: are you serious? In the past several months there has been a battle brewing over the King James Bible, its preservation, and the inspiration of the Word of God. It all seems to focus on Jack Schaap the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond, IN. Last year as I sat in Pastor’s School I heard a statement that was made in reference to a book that Pastor Schaap wrote, that I knew was going to cause some uproar. It was a statement made about how we are fighting amongst each other or the King James and its inspiration. I looked over at my friend, Pastor Andy, and said, “Watch, he is going to take a lot of heat for that.” Wow did I totally underestimate the inferno that was to come.

What was the response, almost a public lashing and separation of fellowship from the Church and any ministries of the Church. What is amazing to me is the amount of print that has been taken up of “Why we are breaking ties with First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN or Hyles Anderson College.” (This is not a quote, but a paraphrase of titles that I have seen). It has been printed in the Church Bus News, a personal letter written to graduates of Hyles-Anderson College, and others that have also thrown their hat into the arena. What amazes me is that the groups arguing are really ignorant the fact that they are saying the same thing, but they are saying it differently and in some ways incorrectly. Let me give you an example.

In my work of the ministry I have heard preachers say, “There is no such thing as a woman preacher!” and we all shout amen right? Well yes and no. The reason why yes is because being in the IFB movement for the years I have now I know that the preacher that would make a statement like this is saying that Biblically there is no way a Woman could be a Pastor (Or hold the office of Bishop as the Bible Calls it—I Timothy 3, Titus 1). The problem is he is using the word Preacher, which in the 1828 is defined as: One who discourses publicly on religious subjects. In the NT the word Preach (G2784 kēryssō) means to herald or to proclaim, and contrary to the statement; men, women, children, all those who know Christ as Saviour are to proclaim the good news of Christ. It is called soul-winning, evangelism, discipleship, etc. This is a simple example of how one word can be used to describe something that is Biblically correct, however not correct in the context of what the word really means.

This is what I liken the whole feud over; the saying of the same thing but one says it scholastically correct the other correct in the sense of we (fundamentalists) get you and understand what you are saying. It just simply amazes me to see this all play out and the foolishness that come because of it. In one letter it was talking to Dr. Hyles…in the letter! I mean if that isn’t bizarre then I don’t know what is. It was funny because after the person that wrote his letter finished his portion to Dr. Hyles (Who died in 2001) he misplaced a sentence (Or at least I hope he did) and said that you could feel free to contact him and gave his Email address. Last I checked, I wouldn’t be checking my Email in heaven.

Let me conclude by saying this. I am a King James only Bible user. I have seen the evidences for the King James and against and through prayer, study, and conviction I will never use any other Bible when I preach in English. I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and has been preserved for us as He has promised. I also believe that it is important to quit fighting amongst each other and focus our attentions on the true enemy for he loves times like these.

2009 here we come...

2008 was filled with unexpected turns and trails, but although some were good and some were bad God is still good and 2009 is filled with expectation. To fill in the back story let me explain a little of what has happened in the McCoy’s life. 2008 started with a great expectation. We were serving with a great Pastor who loves the Lord and loves people and we were working together with him and his family as the youth Pastor of the Church. The future seemed very bright, but then something unexpected happened. An earthquake…no really an earthquake, in Illinois. I remember being woke up to the shaking of the bed, the sound of our furniture rattling, and my wife’s panic wondering what that rumbling sound was. Then it dawned on me that this experience was familiar, I had frequented Los Angles many times as a child and have experienced these conditions before. However, this earthquake was not only literal it was in a sense a setting of the platform of how things would play out for the rest of the year.

In May, our Pastor let the deacons of the Church and me know that he was looking at being a Pastor of another Church. He felt very lead of the Lord to go down this path and looking at where he is at now, we praise God that He is using Pastor Andy at Southwinds and allowing him to see the many blessings He had for yielding to His perfect will. On the other hand, the shock to the system was pretty great and we found ourselves in a predicament. What now? Where now? In the transition, the Deacons of the Church asked me to step in as the interim Pastor of our Church and we felt as if the Lord might be leading us to Pastor again. We know that the Lord wants us to Pastor, but haven’t seen where as of yet. Was Colonial the place? Was this to be? Maybe God brought us to Colonial for this reason? I mean everything seemed to fit…right? I have been working in the ministry for several years now, I am familiar with the Church and the people, I have a vision from the Lord for this place and the people, and God was even blessing the work as I was their interim Pastor (We saw souls saved, baptisms, new families still coming, and a great spirit in the Church) but that is not always the way the Lord works.

We then had to do one of the hardest things for someone in the ministry has to do…walk away. Not because we wanted to, but because we knew the Lord wanted us to walk away from Colonial. We knew there were several families that wanted us to be their Pastor but the Lord did not want that to come to pass. In order for the Church to move on for the Lord, we had to step away so any new candidates could be considered without families still thinking we could be their Pastor. And thus I bring you the place that our family finds ourselves at the conclusion of this past year.

I won’t lie and say that it has been easy. Going from Church to Church, watching lives separate from ours, watching my children not have friends, fellowship or really anyone but each other and their family, watching my wife and I go through times where we want to through our hands up in frustration, watching the whole “Politics” of Church ministry, and then the emotions…oh the emotions. Discouragement, loneliness, frustration, and an overall feeling of despair. And yet through all of this we realize that God has willed it and even though all these things have come and we try to deal with them as a family we know that God is good and as we love Him through this He will work it all for good.

So six days in and what’s going on…not much but yet much hope! Hope is something that we find ourselves clinging to. Charles Swindoll wrote this, “Hope isn’t optional. It’s essential to our survival. Hope is as important to us as water is to a fish, as vital as electricity is to a light bulb, as essential as air is to a jumbo jet. Hope is basic to life.” We are clinging to the hope that is only found in the Lord. The hope that we will one day find a people that we can Pastor, the hope that one day we will see more lives changed, the hope that one day we will again have fellowship, the hope that one day our children will again have friends, the hope that we can only find in Jesus Christ.

Gotta practice what you preach...

Well it has been a while and quite a bit has gone on and yet at the same time we stand at an impasse. In our search for a Pastorate it has taken us down several roads that we had wished we would have not had to travel but God, in His infinite wisdom, has placed us here for a purpose. What I have discovered is that through these journeys the roads can be frustrating, taxing, and sometimes leave you in a place where you need not to be: wondering what God is doing.

My wife and I have had the opportunity to see God’s wonderful provision for our family in many different ways. And those times have always shown us the greatness of the Almighty Father. But at this point in our life we are on the preface of something that we do not completely understand and for sure would have not planned it this way, but that is where this thought (and post) take me this afternoon. God doesn’t always work in the ways that “I” think are the best it is always what He knows is the best!

I was recently preaching in San Antonio and said something there that made a lot of sense as I said it but now I have to “Practice What I Preach” in a way. I told the congregation that God planned the entire world and never once asked my opinion on how things should work and in what ways He should make them. With that in mind I realize that the Lord did a fantastic job without me and allows me to enjoy His wonderful creation every day (Even when it is stupid cold outside.) But now we are in a point of our walk where we do not see the end of the path and the illumination seems not to be as bright as it once was. So what are we to do?

Trust in the Lord! I realize that my God has a pretty good idea about what He is doing and has placed me on this path because of His will and now it is my job to Trust Him! But what is wonderful is that He has built a base with me to show me and my family that He is trustworthy! He has provided so wonderfully in the past, who am I to thing that He won’t provide the same way in the future. I am just going to trust Him and pray that my faith will not waiver but stay strong in Him!

I don’t know several aspects of this journey yet: Where God will lead me to Pastor, What will the people be like at the Church where our Pastor, How quickly will our Home sell, What part of the Country will God call me to, What am I having for dinner tonight is still up in the air at this point…but what I do know is this: God knows exactly how He is going to lead, how He is going to provide, and since my God is Good and since Romans 8:28 is still in the Bible I know that I will keep on loving my God and it WILL work out for Good. That’s my God and that is just what he does…Amen and Amen!

A Family Circle of Prayer

Something sweet happened the other day when we were spending time in prayer. My family and I spend time together in prayer every day. It is a very sweet and needed time in our lives and seldom goes by that we do not spend our family devotion time together. Even when I am out of town I make sure that I call and gather my family together so we can spend time in prayer together. It is always a sweet time and I would not replace it for anything. We spent time praying over a specific need and as we finished wiping the tears away Dylan made a discovery that touched our hearts. He looked down and saw our footprints indented in the carpet to where we made a circle with our feet. Immediately my wife and I welled up with tears again seeing the blessing in this beautiful sight.

In the believers life we are constantly being pulled in different directions. Wether it be work, or school schedules, or extracurricular activiies, they are all pulliing us in different directions. In today’s world we have Moms trying to balance careers along with family life. Dads worker longer hours while they are trying to advance in their careers to make a little or lot more money. Kids trying to have the “Well Rounded” childhood and are involved in several different extracurricular activites. All of these things going on and you know what ends up suffering, our time with the Lord, but more specific then that…our time with the Lord as families!

As a look at the Church today I realize that we have programs, we have groups, we have worship practice and so many more things which are wonderful blessings in their own aspects, but what I do not see is a calling of the Church back to a time of family worship. I have known many believers over the past several years, and in conversations with these individuals and families I notice that people are so busy with Church they get to busy for God. How backward we have become. As a Pastor one of my biggest fears is that my children would become more familiar with the routines of Church, the programs of Church, or the aspects of Church instead of the wondrous God who died for the Church!

As my son looked down and saw the footprints in the carpet I realized that I need to be more zealous then ever in my ministry to show people the need and blessing that comes from time together as a family. I heard a statement made years ago and wanted to broaden it for famlies sake. A family that is to busy to pray is to busy for God. Let us search our lives and schedules and make sure that we are first and formost with God in prayer and in worship.

To be or not to be…that is the question.

This quote from Hamlet (Act 3: Scene 1) is such a wonderful quote, for it transcends the literary context found in Hamlet and can have bearing on many facets of life or in the case of Hamlet death. This is what has lead to the posting of this blog this morning. Please understand that there is not an involvement of death in the context of this thought, however the statement is not only applicable it is the best way to describe the future of this Pastor.

When I surrendered to be a Pastor I had an ignorance of all the aspects of what that meant, but over the past several years I have been schooled in the knowledge of “Politics” in the IFB Church. One thing that has always troubled me and at the same time challenged me is the aspect of, “It is not what you know, it is about who you know.” How this has been revealed to me even the past several weeks and is now the dilemma that we once again face.

God’s calling for me to Pastor a Church has never been a question in my mind. Even through difficulties of personal attacks, financial hardships, vicious and brutal lies being spread about my family and me, God has never caused me to doubt the calling he has given, but even through all the difficulties mentioned and unmentioned the greatest of all is not those, it is simply about who you know. I find it so interesting that this is such a difficult facet of trying to find a Church to Pastor, but it is the dilemma that was faced by so many. It is to a point that if you don’t go around trying to get to know everyone and trying to be a good politician then you may not be able to find a ministry to serve in someday. Now that sounds like some good Bible teaching! (I hope the sarcasm was sensed)

And know I hope the title is now made clear, is it to be or is it not to be? Yes that is truly the question! In the context of the situation I face, it seems the” be or not to be” has no bearing or relationship to me but in truth and sincerity it is mostly about the “Who” that know me and how well the “Who” is known. How tragic, but nevertheless is the circumstances we are in. It screams to me of the Church in Corinth who had a problem with man identification instead of Christ identification.

As a Pastor my prayer is to never fall into this snare. One of my friends, who is a Pastor in a Church, has challenged himself to also not be in the conformity of culture when it debunks scriptural authority. I am so glad for men like this who know that the Church is not about “Politics” it is about Christ and in that the “Be or not to be” should be in the hands of the perfect one who won’t get it wrong...Jesus Christ.

Catch a breath…write a post.

Well it has been quite a while since I have posted anything on here, but I realized that it is a wonderful way to express thoughts in written format so here I am…and here we go again. In my spiritual walk with in life I realize that many things happen both good and bad, some understood some not understood, but through it all I realize that the Lord has a greater plan through it all. And here we stand on the threshold of something that bears the resemblance of a road traveled before. I find myself looking again to Pastor a Church.

If you know me and you actually read this you remember it was just a few years ago that I was out looking for Churches that I could candidate to be their Senior Pastor. What an experience, both good and bad, but now it is that time again. I know that God wants me to Pastor a Church and that the Lord has prepared me for such a time as this, but at this moment we are trying to candidate at the Church where I am currently serving as Youth Pastor. What a unique experience, because I actually know the people, have a heart for them, have loved them for years, and have a great vision of what the Lord could do, but at the same time I have to prepare myself for the fact that they may not want me as their Pastor. I know that may not seem weird, but for me it is kind of weird.

What makes it weird is what would happen next…last week as I met with a Pastor friend of mine he asked a very sensible question, “What will you do if they tell you no?” Now, I had this all figured out in my mind, but I guess I never really entertained the idea before or really pondered it. So as I ponder I wonder what will happen. My standard answer is, “well God is calling me to Pastor so I will go to where God wants me to Pastor, either in Galesburg or wherever he leads.” But the implications of that are what are really interesting. What if _____ What if _____ it is the What Ifs that get me sometimes. And as I ponder this thought I have one conclusion ______________ Yep that’s it…But I realize the Lord is control and I am looking forward to whatever He will do with us. I don’t doubt His calling or His leading during this time it is just the Blank I want filled in. Soon…soon.

Welcome Superman, to 2008

Well apparently my blog and I have not had the chance to talk to each other this year so I figured I might as well take the time and see how it is doing. In all actuality, I am finishing a session in the EPA conference and one of the tools she is speaking of is Blogs and communicating to others with these resources. I have a friend in Indianapolis (shout out: What up RedHeadRev) that is a lot more dedicated to blogging than I am and I always enjoy reading his blog and now I feel challenged to share thoughts that have gone through my mind. Here we go…

Last night I am sitting in the conference getting ready to eat some chicken like substance (Haven’t quite figured out where the chef was going with this one) and I started to say to myself, “I hope this year the speaker is better than last year.” Me and I agreed, but myself was still pondering the chicken substance in front of me. At the table we are entertaining conversation with various individuals who have jobs that deal in some way or another with printing. Great conversation, but then the question should be asked how long it took before the conversation turned to Politics. I am pleased to announce, five minutes tops!

After our meaningful conversation on how bad our Governors (if you know me you could hear the sarcasm in my voice at this point.) we began to listen to Paul Baloche lead some worship. He begins to sing a song that I am familiar with but have never really listen to the words. Now the words aren’t just being sung, but are in front of me on the big screen. This guy is wonderful! You can see the Lord has given him the ability to write and praise God through song. But then he sings another called “Above All” which really gets me going now. Again it is a song I am familiar with but have never truly listened to the words but now I not only hear them, but see them. Here are some of the words that gave an impact.

Above all powers
Above all things
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

I could have stopped there, but then we got to hear an evangelist named Luis Palau speak who did a fantastic job of challenging us to be praying for the City God has called you to (Jeremiah 29: 7) and work with them. But my focus today is on the song and the lyrics above and how it brought to mind several thoughts. When I think of all the things that my Lord has done for me, I stand in Awe, but I realize that above all, it was for my sake he went to the cross. I realize that above all, it was for me and you that he came. Out of all the things this world had to offer: kingdoms, thrones, wealth, treasures, he choose me above all. This puts me at a point of where I completely stand in awe of my great God, because he is so wonderful to me. Now flip the coin.

What about me? What about you? This world has so many things to offer: Title, Position, Wealth, Prosperity, Freedoms, Social Groups, etc. But where does our God fit in. In my life I have many things to praise God for: a wonderful wife, fantastic kids, great friends, a tremendous youth group, a spectacular Church, and so many more outstanding things. When I list these things, above all the greatest thing is my Lord, My God, My King. He is above all in the placement of my wonderful blessings, but true as well is that he is above all in the rule of things in my life. What about you? May I challenge you as the song writer wrote, as Paul says in Philippians 3:7-10, and as I realize today and hope to in the future. All things have their place, but above all, there is only one…Jesus Christ! Amen and Amen.

Go ye into all the urinals...

This weekend was one of the most interesting weekends I have faced in a while. My office gave us our bonuses on Friday which meant I had to brave the Christmas crowds to finish some shopping for my boys. On top of that I felt absolutely horrible, because I was sick and when I mean sick it was bad. So it is late now, I have to use the restroom and look on the urinal and what do I see??? A Tract. I blurred out the name, address, and Pastor because that is not relevant but in my half asleep, medicated, and frustrated state mind I begin to laugh as I am using the restroom. I started thinking of my Christian life and said to myself, “Man if I had a dollar for every time I heard of a guy who got saved because of a tract left on the urinal!” Okay if you can’t sense the sarcasm in that statement let me just say it was there.

Being a Baptist and especially growing up in the Circles that I grew up in, Soul-winning is a huge thing. Soul-winning—that term just—never mind that is another blog. When I think of Evangelizing the World, as Christ told us to do, I wonder is this what he really meant? Go ye into all the restrooms and leave a piece of paper that has the scripture on it. In reality I have heard certain Pastors saying that any time you put a tract on the dinner table at a restaurant, front door of a house, or even a urinal, you are leaving the “Gospel” and fulfilling the great commission. Wow! Here’s the pitch, swung on and a miss!

In my mind there are two major issues with the tract on the urinal. First, the person that left that tract most likely felt as if they were placing the check mark by the box that says, “Did you do any evangelizing today?” This is such a dilemma in our Church today is the infamous Check Box. What do I mean? The reality of a person going through the motions of Christianity, instead of experiencing a genuine relationship with Christ and then through that relationship having the overwhelming desire to do the things Christ has commanded. Secondly, why would you leave a tract on a urinal? Where is our Church falling to when we think that genuine evangelizing is leaving a tract on a urinal? I am all about showing a lost and dying world the Gospel, but leaving a tract on a urinal is not going to cut it.

We as a Church need to get back to the very thing that seems to missing in the modern Church. Commitment, Community, Communication. We need to be committed to our relationship to Christ, learn to build our community with Family, Church, and with the lost world to see them come to Christ, and then please, please, please, learn to communicate.

So this is Christmas…

…and what have you done? First line to the John Lennon “Happy Christmas” song, but man how much that thought is running through my mind this morning. Christmas time means so much to so many people, but normally it is so little to do with the real reason for Christmas which is Christ. As I sit here and I think of all the things that come to mind when I think of Christmas…Family (Well immediate since most of ours is in El Paso, TX), Christmas Dinner, Christmas Trees, Christmas Lights, Carols, Decorations, Charlie Brown Christmas, Fruit Cake (Yeah, I know I am weird, but like them), Christmas Cookies, Making Cookies, Christmas songs on WCIC until Jan 2^nd, and so much more. With all of that you would think that the Christmas spirit would just be pouring out of people including myself, then why isn't it?

I think a lot of that is based on the fact that we forget the reason for Christmas, which is Jesus Christ. All of the things above are a reality of Christmas and some wonderful things, but I realize this morning that Christmas is so much more. To stop and think that the creator of the universe loved you and me so much that he would allow himself to be born as a baby, subjecting himself to all the feelings that you and I have to face, so that you and I might be redeemed. I sit and think what it would be like for the God who knew no hunger, no pain, not knowing the physical understanding of Cold to now be in this world and experience hunger, experience pain, experience the physical things you and I face every day. It is amazing to think what love he has for us.

Going back on that John Lennon song, which is really kind of depressing when you read the lyrics, there is a line that says, “A very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear.” You know what John, I think I will have a Good one. I have a life not lived in fear for I fear not the eternity I face, for I face an eternity with the Father. It is going to be a Great Christmas and a Great Year…Merry Christmas!!!

Side Note:
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You might live in Illinois if...

…any time you worry about having to drive in snow or ice people make fun, speak condescending, or make you feel like less of a person because you don’t feel comfortable going out in it. Ok, not a great joke, but a reality living in Illinois. The past couple of days we had another ice storm go through our surrounding areas, and while where the town I work in didn’t get hit very hard, we got hit pretty good. As you can see from the pictures we not only had ice on the trees but slush on the streets. Growing up in El Paso we hardly ever had snow and with that in mind, my comfort levels of driving in it are very low. On top of that my wife had an accident several years ago that left us in a sobering reality, if I have to err on the side of caution, I will do so. So what’s my point?

Over the past few days I have been the bearer of teasing because I really don’t feel comfortable driving in the mess seen in the pictures and wonder why people make you feel so horrible just because you don’t feel safe in that type of weather. Then a bigger thought hit me, is this the way the body of Christ is teaching others? Oh stupid Christian, you shouldn’t be scared of the weather, just go out in it like we do. Yep, unfortunately we are. We take a believer and never equip them or teach them how to “drive” in the “bad weather” and instead of helping we just make fun of them. Guess I figured out two things: One, I want to help believers grow in their faith and help them be equipped to drive in the “bad weather” of life. Two, I don’t care how much people make you feel like garbage with their teasing or ridicule, if the weather is bad outside, I have days off, and just don’t feel comfortable in it I am staying at home. At least my wife and children will be glad I did.

Well said Mike…well said.

Well, unless you have been living in another place like, oh…Jupiter, or maybe under a rock you have seen that the presidential campaigns are in full swing. I don’t remember it being this involved this early, but I could be wrong. I haven’t put my full backing behind anybody yet, like my backing is the turning point in that persons election or non-election, but I have seen some who I wouldn’t vote for. Without getting into details, I will say it won’t be a Democrat, but that isn’t just because I am a republican, but it is based on their political views. With that said, onto my reason for this…the debates!

This Wednesday there were the YouTube/CNN debates and it was quite a show. There was some good statements, some bad, some good positions, some bad, some harsh words, some good, but all in all it was very interesting. Who won the debate? I really don’t know but there was one statement that was made that I really enjoyed. Mike Huckabee, who is also a Baptist Minister :), was asked “On the Death Penalty, what would Jesus do?” His response is below, I could summarize it, but I would butcher it bad, so I just posted it.

With all of that said it reminded me that this coming year’s presidential election as the elections in 2004, as the elections in 2000, as in the elections in the entire history of our Country, the leader has already been chosen, and all I have to do is keep close to the Lord and allow him to lead. Praise the Lord for his sovereignty and omnipotence!

Word is of the devil?!?!?

It has been a while since I have posted a blog, but for good reason. We have been busy with the Church lately and…blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know the routine. But there really has been a lot going on, which leads to the reason for this post. We are putting together an event at our Church for Halloween night as an outreach for our community. No it is not glorifying the holiday, but it is trying to make use of a night where people are out anyway and reintroduce them to our Church. With that in mind we are putting together candy bags and we wanted to put a tract of sorts inside.

While I was writing the text for the bags I decide to make use of one of my favorite features in Microsoft Word…F7. What does that do? It spell checks the document. Praise the Lord for spell check. For us that graduated from college with a passing grade in English, which I did twice (U.T.E.P. and C.I.B.C), and still have problems it is a live saver. What you may not know is that it also checks grammar for you as well as misspellings.

Well much to my surprise this came up when I ran the spell/grammar checker. You will notice that it suggest replacing the word Treat with the word Threat. I tell you, Microsoft is part of the Illuminati and are planning to take over the world!!! That was for you conspiracy theory buffs. All humor aside, how true that statement is in our world today. Jesus is seen as a threat in our Schools, Jesus is seen as a threat to our health care, Jesus is just seen as a threat to our society, etc. etc. How sad!

I heard a friend who works at a salon in Wal-mart that said her district manager told her that they couldn’t listen to Christian music at their work because it was an offense. She said, “Keep Jesus in your heart, don’t bring him to work.” How ridiculous of a statement, but maybe Microsoft Word is telling us a reality of how our society sees Jesus. Where as one time our society saw him for who he was, A Saviour and King, now many see him as a threat. Oh to know that he is not a threat, but as I wrote a great gift. Praise the Lord for our Great Saviour and King…boo on Microsoft Word's Grammar Checker.

Oh and yes, I typed this up and Microsoft Word and still used the spell checker. It’s easier then learning how to spell.

We are.......Christians!!!

So it has been a while since I have posted, not because I am lacking thoughts to ponder, but more lacking the time to write them down (a.k.a typing them in Word.) This week a thought was there and I had to make sure it got written out. My wife and I watched the 2006 movie called, “We are Marshall.” If you don’t know the story behind this movie let me give you a brief synopsis.

This movie is about the Marshall University Football team. Their plane goes down on their return from a game and kills all on the plane. Through this tragedy the school chooses to press on with the football program to honor those who were killed in the tragic accident. Okay, there is a few details missing but that is the gist of it.

I will totally admit that I am a huge fan of movies like this. Triumph coming from tragedy, pressing through the conflict so they can have the blessing on the other side. But in this there is a chant that starts when they talk about the team. They say, “We are” a brief pause, then the person responds. All the grief is now getting ready to explode through their next word. The overwhelming pride they have in their School, their Town, and their fellow students is now ready to be said. What do they say? “Marshall” That is it, “We are?” “Marshall” Over and over again.

I thought about this and of course the overly analytical person that I am begins to think what pride, what heart, what about the Christians out there? Granted we don’t go around looking at our Brothers and Sisters in Christ and say, “We are” expecting to hear the person or persons say, “Christians” but wouldn’t it be nice to have that type of love for the Lord. Loving the Lord so much that when somebody says “Who are you” you can boldly, proudly, and joyfully say…a Christian. In my mind I am hearing the crowd.

We are…Christians! We are…Christians! We are…Christians!

Six Flags Great America…Kind of Okay America…Oh who am I kidding.

Every year for the past several years I have tried to take whatever youth group I am working with to some sort of large activity before the beginning of the school year. This year the youth group decided to go to Six Flags Great America. Oh man, how just the sound of that would have thrilled me several years ago, but now…not so much.

It is not that there is anything wrong with Six Flags, but with me…that is another story. I guess I will just blame it on age. We went on a few rides before the teen boys said “Let’s go to the Screaming Eagle!” I am telling myself, “Oh joy, the great big wooden roller coaster.” A few facts here, this thing is big, loud, and lots of wood. Which I know means that it will be Loud, Long, and definitely bumpy. The narrative in my mind continues.

As we approach the front of the line I ask myself, “Why do you do this to yourself? You know that you really don’t like it when you hit that first drop and you get that strange sensation of your stomach and throat getting together for some sort of strange how do you do. And as I ponder this thought I realize I am boarding the train. We take off to the sound of some teenage boy who is trying to pump up the crowd before we leave, and by trying I mean with the vigor of a boy who is making minimum wage and is looking forward more to clocking out than getting us pumped up. The train climbs with the infamous click clack of the track and then we are there, the top of the peak and then it’s, “Hey Mr. Throat how are ya! Fine Mr. Stomach, haven’t seen you in a while. Oh look, its Mr. nauseous come to the party to, great to see you!”

After we get off the ride I realize something. Several years ago, not telling so don’t ask, I had the ambition to be a pilot. By ambition I really mean more of a fascination, but it was my dream. I wanted to fly America’s fastest machines and be a Top Gun, but two things happened. First, God allowed my eyes to go bad so that I need glasses, or contact lenses, and that is not allowed in fighters. Two, I met the Lord. Sounds like a strange second reason but let me explain; while my dream of becoming a fighter pilot may not have been achieved I have a greater dream now…it is serving the Lord in full time ministry.

I praise God that he allows me to work in the ministry I work in. I love the teenagers we work with and see that God has great plans for them. But my love was just heightened for them today, why you may ask, (Even if you didn’t your getting an answer) because their one of the reasons I believe God allowed me to not be a fighter pilot, and one of the reasons Mr. Stomach and Mr. Throat only meet once in a while.

And we are off…

Tomorrow afternoon we head to Camp Joy located in Whitewater WI. I look forward to what God is going to do in our lives and in the lives of our teenagers. Camp is always a great time where our teens can grow because of the lack of distractions the daily life can cause. I look forward to the drive up to Camp and the memories that will be built. I look forward to the long days and what seem to be really short nights. I look forward to the games, the fun, and the food (which I am told at Camp Joy is really really good.) Most of all I look forward to the outdoors.

In Psalm 19: 1 God says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” I love to see the mornings in the wilderness where there is the glisten of the sun on the fresh morning dew. The silence and peace speaks of the beauty and majesty our Creator gave to this world. Oh how I look forward to how God will bless during this camp year.

Please pray for this week as we look forward to what God will do.

It is "Very" good!

Today I began reading the Pentateuch, which we know is the first five books of the Old Testament. Today I began with Genesis. I like reading Genesis. Reading about the creation, the fall, the promised redeemer, the flood, the…oh read it you will love it to! Today, however, I read a line in Genesis 1: 31 that reminded me of how Great our God is. It reads, “And God say every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…”

When I stop to think of this world that my God created I sometimes forget of the beauty it possesses. The stars, the moon, the planets, the sun, the green on the earth, the blue in the ocean, the white of the snow, the…you get the point. Our God didn’t say it was good, He said it was “Very” good!

When I stop to think that our God says our World is very Good and realize that we, humans, are a greater creation what are we? Very very Good? I don’t know, but I do know this our God loves us so much that he created us such an awesome place to live in, and if this worlds beauty is “Very” good, can you imagine what heaven will be like? I am encouraged to know that our God is such a great creator.

God is “Very” Good…No, He is Awesome!