Sunday Thoughts - 9/27/09

Thank God for rest!

This weekend Tracy and I took a much needed break from everybody and everything in San Diego, Ca. We made it to San Diego in one hour and 30 minutes. Normal travel time is about 2.5 hours but I broke every speed law possible. I was on a mission from God…lol

We had good time relaxing and resting. I wish I could say I’m at 100% operating capacity but I would be lying. While I may not at 100%, I’m not at 25% operating capacity so I thank God for making me lie down in green pastures.

Pastor Robert Calvary of Praise Chapel Church preached in my place Sunday and from all reports the members were blessed. Thank you, Pastor Calvary for your ministry service on Sunday.

We got home Sunday afternoon in time for me to go play in my first softball game. We won and it was fun even if we would have loss.

Yesterday, I rested for the most part after doing lawn work at the house. My yard was a mess but looks good now. I cooked dinner for the family. Our menu: Jambalaya, French bread with garlic butter, tomato and cucumber salad with balsamic vinegarette dressing, and brownies for desert.

I ate and watched my Dallas Cowboys play. I’m glad we won but I’m still worried about how the season is going to end for them.

Over the weekend, I started reading a book God-Size Your Church – Beyond Growth for growth Sake by John Jackson. I’m being challenged and helped reading this book. When I’m done I plan on writing a brief review and how I believe it will help the ministry of First Goodwill.

That’s it, that’s all, stay blessed until next time.

Sermon Block-When the Preacher is too tired to study

Over the past few months, I’ve struggled in my study due to extreme exhaustion. The month of September has been the busiest. I over-scheduled myself and it has taken a complete toll on me. This exhaustion that I'm feeling has affected my ability to study adequately.

My normal routine is to gather all my study material, open my bible, get my paper and pen, turn on my laptop, and start reading. Before long, my eyelids are heavy, I’m yawning every two minutes, and then, I’m off to sleep. I've never been a night person when it comes to my studying so I wake up early in the morning when I’m fresh and mind clear of everything to receive what God has to say to me through His word. But lately, my attention span has been like many church members that sit on the front pews, short, even in the mornings.

I have not been able to pull it together. Even after receiving my thesis, points and sub-points, I struggle with the meat of the sermon, illustrations and a clear communication path so I won’t ramble in the pulpit.

My last sermon on Psalms 23 – “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” was, in my opinion, my worse presentation of my series. My sermon skeleton was good but I struggled in my communication. I usually write a full manuscript but in this sermon I wrote a ½ sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 paper cut in half and relied on my memory for scriptures and illustrations. I was misquoting passages I knew. I was getting tongue tied trying to move quickly through the message. I messed up illustrations that made my explanation more confusing. My energy level sucked. I had no passion or power. It was bad. I forced this sermon to keep from delaying the series. Big mistake!

Oftentimes, we as preachers don’t like to admit the fact that we become so tired that studying is more of a burden than a blessing. I’ll be the first to admit it, I'm so tired that studying is no fun right now and I dread it every week. I love the word of God. I love to preach it, teach it, share it, study it, meditate on it, and research it. But lately, it’s been a whole different story.

I started thinking about why sermon preparation has become such a burden for me lately. With all of the reasons I could list, I think one answer will sum it all up, I’m human! I get tired physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. There are times when I want to stay home at BBC, Bedside Baptist Church and watch the NFL all day long. Not because I don’t love coming to church but for this expressed reason, I’M TIRED!

I'm not looking for pity so please don't show me any. However, the harsh reality of preaching is that we're human also and if we don't take care of ourselves, we will not be able to give God our best presentation of the Gospel message.

Many of our members, visitors, and friends see the final result of a long week of study. Some weeks are easier than others. But then there are those weeks when you just can’t pull it all together.

The point of this article is that preaching/teaching is not easy and sermons don’t grow on trees. A lot of work is put into expository preaching. God didn't call us to be super-preachers. My body and mind has shut down on me. Green pastures is calling me name.

I want to give God my best in everything I do for Him. I can't do that if I'm tired.

I thank God for strength and grace but now I must have my space! So, this weekend is my renewal weekend to rest. Pray for your pastor (not just me but all pastors) that God will strengthen him by making him lay down and rest.

Sunday Thoughts - 9/20/09

Worship started a little slow yesterday but we had some good church. A son of our church, Brian McGrew, preached in my place yesterday. He did an excellent job, I’m extremely proud of him.

Yesterday afternoon I was privileged to preach for Village Baptist Church Pastored by W Charles Harris. Good time of worship from start to finish! Lady Rose Neale killed everything in the building singing “I Won’t Complain” and then “He’s Done Enough”. Wow!

I preached from a famous passage of scripture, Isaiah 40:28-30, “The Strengthening of the Saints”. God blessed the message. Pastor Harris is a great host for preachers and, again, I say thank you for your hospitality and generosity.

This weekend Tracy and I celebrated 17 years of marriage. We didn’t do anything special this weekend due to our departure to San Diego, Ca this coming weekend. I can’t wait, we need some getaway time, and the count down begins. I did mess up on Saturday because I went to watch the Mayweather vs Marquez fight at my brother's house and stayed out a little longer than expected on our anniversary. Sorry, T-Baby!

The fight was pretty boring if you ask me. I expected much more from both fighters. I’m not a Mayweather fan but he did look good after being off for 2 years. The real fight started during the interview when Shane Mosely came into the ring to challenge Mayweather to a future fight. Mayweather needs to stop running from Mosely and take the fight. I think Mosely will give Mayweather a challenge because of the similarities of boxing styles. Mayweather stop being a busta and fight Mosely…lol…If you have not figured it out I’m a big boxing fan.

My Cowboys….Next…

This week will be no different than the others, busy. I do plan to go over to my home church, Mt Sinai, for their 67th Church Anniversary Revival with Pastor H.B Charles from Shiloh Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida.

I have so many things to write about: the continuation of my online book “Understanding Healing”, Sermon Block – When A Preacher is too tired to study, 2009 Book Reading Review, End of the year Ministry Review, Who’s Fooling Who – Counterfeit Preaching, Kingdom Partnership – Can Two Churches Co-exist in the same building? and so many more.

Until next time, that’s it, that’s all! Have a blessed day.

Happy Wedding Anniversary!

Today Tracy and I celebrate 17 years of marriage. I don't dance like I used to back in the day but here's some memories of what we used to do.

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The Secret To Vision Accomplishment

William Carey was once reproached for spending so much time in prayer that he neglected his business. He replied that supplication, thanksgiving, and intercession were much more important in his life than laying up treasures on earth. “Prayer is my real business!” he said. “Cobbling shoes is a sideline; it just helps me pay expenses.”
The Lord honored Carey’s vigorous faith, for he became a renowned missionary and was mightily used by God in India, Burma, and the East Indies.

Neh. 1:5-6 (NKJV)
And I said: "I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, [6] please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father's house and I have sinned.

Neh. 1:8 (NKJV)
Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;

Neh. 1:11 (NKJV)
O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer.

Neh. 2:4 (NKJV)
Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Neh. 4:9 (NKJV)
Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night.

See while we plan calendars, programs, seminars, and other things to accomplish the vision of the church. Nehemiah before planning, preparing, and positioning himself for the work of rebuilding walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah made prayer a high priority.

I believe the secret to vision accomplishment (and that is how much of the vision we’re able to accomplish) lies not in our plans and programs but in our prayer life.

As a church, and people, we are to join God’s vision not to have God join our plans. How do we join into God’s vision for what he wants to do in the church? We need to join God’s vision by making sure prayer is high priority in the church and in our every day life.

Theodore Monod was once telling a little friend about Christ healing blind Bartimaeus. (Mark 10:46-52) “And what,” said he to the boy, “would you have asked from Jesus if you had been blind?” “Oh,” said the child, with glowing face and kindling eyes, “I should have asked him for a nice little dog with a collar and chain, to lead me about.”

How often do we ask for the blind man’s dog instead of the seeing man’s eyes?

What should be the content of our prayers to accomplish the vision set for the church?

I. Pray for Others – Ch.1:5-11

Point: We cannot forget people. In other words, it takes people to get work done.

II. Pray for Opportunity – Ch. 2:1-5

Point: As we join God in His vision we need to pray for opportunities to impact the world.

III. Pray for Organization – Ch. 3

Point: We need to pray that the right people are in the right spots.

IV. Pray for Opposition – Ch. 4 (key v. 6)

Point: Pray for those who dare try and stop the vision from moving forward.

V. Pray for Openhandedness – Ch. 5

Point: Vision costs!!!!!!

VI. Pray for our Successes – Ch. 6:15-19

Point: We can’t allow our success to cause us to slack in our work. For every work that is done there is still more work to do.

One Year Ago

It was a year ago today that First Goodwill Church and myself stepped out on faith to renovate our church which needed repairs badly. We met at the church on Wednesday night for prayer and clean up. We moved everything out of the building except the pews and items we no longer wanted because on Thursday contractors were coming in to start demolishing. For the next three (3) months we were homeless (figuratively speaking) while our building was being repaired.

This was, and still is, a huge step of faith for our church in an effort to offer God our very best.

As I reflect over the year, I must give God praise for His faithfulness and favor He has extended to our church. With a new bill, God has allowed us to continue to do ministry, make our monthly mortgage payment, and meet salary obligations. During this recession, God has saw fit to make all things possible for us financially. Our giving has increased 10% during the summer months which is typically low giving months in our church. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we have a whole lot of money because we don’t. But what I am saying is that God has met our daily needs for the past year. Praise God!

The month of September has been busy with many services and many pastors with their congregations coming into the sanctuary and seen what God did through His church. They were extremely encouraged and I had the opportunity to speak with many of them after service and encourage them to dream big no matter what size the church is. There are no limits with the God we serve. He’s big and we should dream big.

I thank God that we have been able to encourage others through our step of faith but I must remind you that it’s not easy yet it is doable.

I’m looking forward to what God is going to do through our church. We have many opportunities to make a huge impact for the kingdom of God. Please continue to pray for the First Goodwill Church familythat God will see fit to continue to show favor towards us.

Sunday Thoughts - 9/13/09

Another long week that made my study time extremely hard but I was able to pull it out, “I Have Direction for My Life” – “He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalms 23:3B)”. I will post a semi-copy of the manuscript later this week if I a get a chance to correct all the grammatical, spelling, and every other error you can think of. But for now this will suffice:

Thesis Statement: God, our Shepherd, knows where He’s taking us.

1. “He leads me” speaks of the Will of God in Righteousness

2. “in paths of righteousness” speaks of the Ways of God in Righteousness

3. “for His name’s sake” speaks of the Wisdom of God in Righteousness

I had no energy at all to preach yesterday after such a long week of revival services Wednesday-Saturday in addition to my weekly work schedule.

These past few weeks have been difficult to study, pray, and preach due to thoughts of job loss because of our terrible economy. God has been gracious thus far and I can only pray He will continue to be gracious to me in this situation as well.

I found the track by Deitrick Haddon – He’s Able and it has blessed me more than words can express. In addition, it’s a song written on biblical truth, Ephesians 3:21-21 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. We song it for the first time Sunday and it will become our morning worship song for the next few weeks.

I can’t believe 2009 is done and now it’s time to plan for 2010, WOW. This has been a good year because God has proven Himself faithful to His children. But man, I can’t wait for 2010.

We’re getting ready for my 7th Pastoral Anniversary Service. My prayer is that our services will be filled with a spirit of revival. I don’t have the line-up yet, because we’re still working on it.

Deacon Loud is still in the hospital. He’s doing much better but he still needs our prayers.

I have meetings this week and I want to support a new fellowship with Pastor W.H Charles and Village Baptist Church during this week of revival services. And I want to hear some good preaching for myself. One of my meetings this week can change the course of things in our ministry for the better. So I solicit your prayers for God’s guidance and will share outcome when time is right.

That’s it, that’s all, peace!