Faith

He’s Just Famous

by

For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. (II Timothy 1:12 NKJV) Have you ever met someone famous? In 1994 I met John “Hot Rod” … Read more

Spirit Prayers

by

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the … Read more

Riverland Church

by

20140128-113848.jpg

This weekend my family and I traveled to Summerville, South Carolina to celebrate the launch of Riverland Church www.riverlandchurch.com . We’ve been a part of this church plant since meeting our good friends Jeff and Lexi Centers two years ago. Throughout the weekend we were blessed to spend time with the Centers, and Rick and Trudy Bonnette as well as meet the incredible launch team they’ve assembled for the church. 

The launch team is talented and diverse. They are also committed to the vision. This team is a loving, inviting group who welcomed us in and made us feel like family. They play well to their strengths and have found ways to lean and depend on each other. 

The launch team’s desire to serve with excellence is off the charts. For example, in the debriefing meeting several team members reported they noticed a small curtain was out of place during the service. They didn’t want anything, especially an out of place curtain, to distract anyone from the message. This team is one of the things that makes Riverland a great church. 

The highlight of the weekend for me was hearing these words at the conclusion of the service. “Thank you. Wow! Thank you!” These were the words Jeff spoke in awe of the move of God when people began to raise their hands and respond to his sermon. Later, we were informed that more than 20 people in the audience raised their hands to indicate they were either re-dedicating their lives to Christ or accepting Christ for the first time. 

This is only the beginning. If you know anyone in Summerville, Mt. Pleasant, or Charleston, South Carolina who needs to know Jesus, send them to Riverland Church. It’s a place of Hope, Acceptance, and Generosity where people can find their purpose in God. They meet on Sundays at 10:00am in the Regal Cinemas in Summerville, South Carolina. Check out their website for details. www.riverlandchurch.com

Start Now

by

20140122-124616.jpg

“Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. (Acts 7:23 NKJV)

“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. (Acts 7:30 NKJV)

I’m blessed to turn 40 today and it’s got me thinking: what can I start now? Moses was 40 when his life took a dramatic turn. After living in Pharaoh’s house as a prince of Egypt, God put it in his heart to visit the people of his heritage and start down the path toward their deliverance. Then at age 80, after another 40 years of tending sheep in the desert, God spoke to him from a burning bush, commissioning him to free the children of Israel from slavery. After that he wandered the desert for 40 years leading a nation of more than a million people to the brink of the promised land. 

This encourages me because it shows God can use us to do great things at any age. We just need to keep our hearts and minds opened to God’s leading like Moses. If Moses could endure a career change at 40 and begin leading a nation at 80, what can we do if we start now? 

It’s not too late for us to go back to school or start our own businesses. It’s not too late to lend our strength, talents, and expertise to help community organizations. It’s not too late to make a meaningful impact in the life of a child. It’s never too late to make our contribution to the world. It’s never too late to decide to make our lives count.  

No matter what age we may be, or how large the task may seem, with God’s help, we can start now. 

Seasons

by

20140107-143219.jpg

“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22 NKJV)

It’s 6 degrees with a wind chill that makes it feel like -8 degrees in Georgia this morning. For those of you who live in the north, you will say that’s no big deal. But those of us in Georgia and Alabama know that we are totally and completely unprepared to handle any weather below 32 degrees. If there is any chance of ice, frost, snow, even a flurry, we basically ransack the grocery stores for commodities in case we’re “snowed in” and we shut everything down. 

Even now my daughter, Faith is enjoying her second day home from school because there is the possibility of black ice on the roads and it’s too cold for kids to stand at the bus stop. But you know what, if she had to, Faith could stand on the bus stop for hours and not feel the cold. That’s because every year, whether we have a cold winter or not, my mother buys coats, hats, gloves, and scarves for my kids as if we live in Canada. We have a collection of 4 to 5 pairs of “only worn once” gloves with matching hats and scarves in Faith’s room. 

Why am I talking about the weather? I’m glad you asked. The seasons of life will always change around us. We need to expect it and we need to be prepared. Throughout the New Year we will experience seasons of joy, grief, progress, and struggle. There are seasons of work, rest, worship, growth, great storms and unexplainable peace. We will have seasons of great spiritual awakening as well as tests of faith. 

We will need to prepare ourselves with things like prayer, fasting, worship, and personal bible study. These spiritual disciplines can strengthen our spiritual resolve throughout the year and help us handle any season that comes our way. 

Happy New Year!

by

20131231-115554.jpg

This morning my wife Melissa and I talked about the New Year. I explained to her that the New Year isn’t as significant to me as my birthday that comes later in the month because of the experiences I had growing up in Birmingham in the 80’s and 90’s when I was in high school. 

The crimes in Birmingham’s urban area at that time didn’t make national news like many of the recent tragedies that occur in suburban areas today. But if you lived in the city at that time there were fights, stabbings, and shootings every week at parties, high school football games, basketball games, the skating ring, the teen clubs, the mall parking lots, the movie theaters, and just about any other place you could imagine. 

Some of the violence was gang related but there were also cases where teenagers were being killed and robbed for their sneakers and jackets. Even though I was raised in a loving family and was an honors student at a magnet high school, I had a gun pulled on me at band practice after school one day because a drug dealer wanted my sunglasses. As a result of all this violence I had friends that didn’t live to see our high school graduation more than 20 years ago. So, for me, I’m more thankful for being alive to see another year of my personal life than I am the new calendar year. 

After sharing this with my wife, she said I should have more joy and that I have a reason to celebrate. She said life’s too short to be so serious all the time. She suggested I shouldn’t allow the New Year or my birthday to pass by without truly letting loose and celebrating the life God has given me.  I agree. Life is too short to focus on the stresses of life, to get too wrapped up in the struggle to be successful, or to risk our happiness by living recklessly. 

“For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James 4:14b NKJV

We should not allow our hearts to be brought low by the losses of our past. We shouldn’t put all of our hope in the future we do not know. Life can reach it’s end as quickly as a vapor vanishes away. Instead, we should rejoice today in the life we have in God and place our hope in Him alone. Every breath we breathe and day we live is a blessing from God. We should celebrate the New Year with thankful hearts filled with gladness. Happy New Year!

A Thanksgiving Blessing

by

20131126-233408.jpg

I’ll never forget the holiday our family grew. Early in our marriage, Melissa the kids and I would either visit her family or mine for Thanksgiving. Well one particular year, we were hosting everyone at our house. It made us feel like grown ups!

I was really excited and talked about it at work with a few co-workers. To my surprise, a few of them revealed they wouldn’t be able to go home for the holiday. It didn’t take long for me to offer them the opportunity to come to our home for Thanksgiving dinner. 

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2 NKJV)

Two of the younger guys from work took us up on the offer. These guys fit in like family. They shared stories about holidays with their families. They played video games with our kids. They helped out as much as they wanted and marveled over my wife’s cooking. One of them said the cake was so good it could be served in a war zone and cause world peace!

On that day, we were blessed with good fellowship, fresh perspectives on the holiday, the opportunity to share our faith, and the joy of giving. Ultimately, we received more than what we gave. That’s my challenge to you. We all know someone who could use some holiday cheer. Let God use you to be a blessing to others.