The sign said, “Estate Sale.” As Carrie and I followed the signs, we pulled in the driveway of an early 1940’s white house. The house was small and people were walking about it looking for what treasures they could find. As I entered the houst was clear that the owner had passed away a while ago and the house had not been updated since the 50’s. Everything held a masking tape price tag. I walked through the house and did not seen anything I could not live without. As I walked through the living room, a small book on the coffee table captured my eye. Amid all the other books, this one stood out.
Picking up the book, I wipe the dust form the front cover and read the title,” New Testament: Protestant Version.” With that title, I knew the Bible would be mine.
“Do you have any cash?” I asked Carrie. She nodded she did.
I made my way to the garage where two ladies sat eating their lunch. “Will you take $2 for this Bible?” They quickly agreed.
I thought it was a fair offer for a 74 year old Bible with a rich heritage in our nation’s history.
These Bibles were printed by the United States Government Printing Office and given to service men and women fighting for our country in World War II.
Opening up the first page, you read some powerful words from May 6, 1941 from President Franklin D, Roosevelt,
“As Commander-in-Chief I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origin have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a fountain of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.”
What a powerful statement from the President of our country. I am not sure that we have a President or a Congress who will give Bibles to our military today. This is a vital part of our nation’s history.
Here are a few more pictures with some words to consider:
Last night, I sat down with my journals over the past few years to reflect on the past and I ran across this short list I am made regarding the leadership of the church. I did not include a lengthy discussion, just the points as I thought of them. Take a moment and see what you think.
What Type of Leadership Does the Church Need?
The church needs a leading leadership. – Shepherds need to lead the flock, not follow them.
The church needs a seeking leadership. – The leadership seeks to seek the lost sheep and bring them back to the flock. The leadership needs to see the will of God, not the thoughts of man.
The church needs a prepared leadership. – The leaders need to be prepared for the good and prepared for the bad. Someone once said, “Good and bad situations should never surprise a leader. They are always prepared.”
The church needs a visionary leadership. – The leadership should examine questions like, “Where will the congregation be in one year? 5 years? 10 years?”
The church needs a knowledgeable leadership. – The leadership needs a knowledge of the word of God and the flock to which they lead.
The church needs a faithful leadership.
The church needs a confronting leadership. – The leaders need to confront sin.
What Type of Leadership Does the Church NOT Need?
The church does not need a leadership into “bill-paying” only.
The church does not need a pew packing leadership. – Success is not found in numbers, but in faithfulness.
The church does not need a micro-managing leadership.
The church does not need a “maintenance leadership.” – Maintaining a congregation and leading a congregation are two different things.
Most Christians discuss the resurrection, but what if it never happened?
Without Christ rising from the tomb, there is no gospel. (1 Corinthians 15.1-8) If Christ was born as a man, lived as a man and died as a criminal only to remain in an earthly grave, there is no good news. The testimony of our Lord is false and most would call Him a liar, a false prophet and a leader of crazies. Without the good news of His resurrection, there is no good news. Without the good resurrection news our lives are tremendously lost in the turmoil of this world and our hope is in vain. The faith of the everlasting scriptures is reduced to a pile of rumble amid the chaos of lies.
Without Christ rising from the tomb, the Bible is not true. The prophecies of the Messiah dying to rise again would not hold water, because the Messiah would have been a man. His life would have been no different than ours and the Old Testament law would still be intact today. As the letter to the Hebrews discusses the passing of the old law to the new, but without the power of the resurrection, the One who brought the new will never hold it viable to our lives today, for His testimony is false.
Without Christ rising from the dead, we are dead. The same words Paul speaks to the Ephesian church echo in our lives today, “…made us alive together with Christ…” (Ephesians 2.5; ESV). Without the resurrection of Christ we have no hope of ever being made alive again, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. If Christ never rose, His blood stopped. His blood stopped at the cross, because He was not the Son of God!
What would you add to this list?
And now the Good News…
The good news is that the tomb was found empty! Christ did arise from the dead and our everlasting hope is found on His life. His tomb is empty and His feet walked this earth after His death. The women saw him, the apostles (except Judas) saw Him and many other saw Him! There is a gospel, a resurrection and good news!
Since we know the tomb was found empty, are we living like it?
One year ago on March 30th, it was a Sunday and I stood before the congregation in Mount Pleasant and delivered my last sermon as their full-time minister. The road from that day until now has been amazing. There have been three jobs after leaving Mount Pleasant and even the great question of whether or not I would return to full time ministry again. It was a long, bumpy and rewarding road.
Today, I reflect on these words and I share them with you. As you read them you will see that I borrowed and adapted from one of the greatest speakers of our time. These words are some of my favorite I have spoken because the thoughts of my heart flowed through the pages as I wrote each word. If you would like, take a moment and see what you think.
The words are many, but so are the meanings.
My brothers and sisters,
This will be approximately the 1,153rd time I’ll speak to you from this position, and the last. We’ve been together for 8 and ½ years now and now, it is time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I have been saving for a long time.
It’s been my honor to serve as your minister; the first full-time minister of this congregation. Many of you have shared your thoughts in the past few weeks to say “thank you”, but I could say the same of you. Carrie, Alexis, Emma, Caleb and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.
One of the things about ministry is things go by so fast. You spend a lot of time in between Sundays. A minister’s job is never clearly seen. Most see you just on a Sunday and very few will see you during the week. The few, think they are left out, but truthfully, they are blessed. If you do not see a preacher coming, realize there are others who needed to see him more.
To some, we spent nights awake talking, crying and being frustrated together. Others, we spent time in the hospital talking over food sitting on a tray that made the tray look better than the food. Still others, we talked. We talked about things this world will never know, because you had a simple trust in me. You allowed me into your life and trusted me to help you out.
Those are the times no one sees, and some still question.
People ask how I feel about leaving and the fact is, “parting is such sweet sorrow.” The sweet part is the next chapter in the journey of our lives and the sorrow — the sorrow is the goodbyes.
The goodbyes are hard because this is the congregation my children have really known. When the congregation decided to take a chance on a 31 year old minister, Alexis was 5 and Emma was 2. Caleb was not even in the picture yet. Many of you are our family. To my children, some of you have adopted them as grandchildren and they think of you as additional grandparents. You are the ones they prayer for at night as they lay in their beds. I have heard the words – the sincere words of innocent children as your names are lifted be them to the Almighty God.
Our family grew here. This is the congregation that will be the one which settles in the heart of our children. This is the congregation, along with the pounding surf of the ocean and allowed me the everlasting opportunity to baptize Alexis into Christ.
From the morning ritual at the Holiday Inn to the ritual in this building, we have seen members come and go. Some have moved onto greater things in different places and two have moved one to their eternal rest. It is our goal to cross over from this life to meet them there.
As we came here, with nothing but open hands, we will leave, after paying a small loan back to the congregation, with nothing but open hands. Ready and willing for the next opportunity to serve the Lord, our God.
In the past 8 and ½ years, it has been my goal to push and challenge you to fill a greater purpose. The status quo of Christianity is not built on a Sunday morning pew, but on the actions of a loving Son. It was the challenge of the Savior that caused 12 ordinary men to change the world, through a simple message preached. It is the duty of every man, every eternal wanting man, to hear the message and make the response from a sincere heart. Without the sincerity of heart, it is just an emotionless action. But see a man with a pierced heart, and you will see a changed man, willing to take the cause of Christ to anyone, everyone and leaving no one behind.
This is where our passion must reside. The message of the gospel, is only found in the words that God breathed into existence. Without the Creator’s words, there is no road map and no hope for the created. You and I possess that road map, that lamp to our feet and the light to our path – it is not hidden through the ages anymore, but it is held in our hands to be read, studied and diligently placed into action.
Our faith, left in our minds alone, yield nothing. But faith put forth on the world’s stage means salvation to anyone ready, willing and searching. The way is narrow, the burden is light and the Savior is waiting. It is to this end, Christians live. It is to this end that Christians strive to find the unity found in the Savior, not in the world.
The journey we have traveled has been one to strengthen our faith and magnify our light. The light of the city set on a hill shines for all to see and all to realize the light does not go out, but it glows brighter day by day. For us, our light will only shine as bright as our faith will allow.
This was the challenge. The challenge to see how bright out faith will shine amid the busyness, the temptations and the desires of the flesh.
The challenge for our faith is clear and the battle wages one. Through the days of good, the battle is waging, when the days are bad, the battles still rages on. No matter the greatness of yesterday, the hope of the future home in the Lord is our power and our strength.
There is power in the gospel….because it is the saving grace of our lives. The evidence that Christ took on death, laid in a grave, then broke free from the pain of death to walk, talk and clearly speak before rising into the clouds is the message we teach, preach and live by. There is no greater message than that of Christ.
For over 8 years we have fought side by side in the fields around us. We have won some battles and lost a few others. The battle is not over. We still find ourselves clothed in Christ and clothed in the full armor of God and we walk through the world, knowing that some will follow and some will fight….but we wage on.
The unity of faith, the faith we strive for is the same which was delivered once for all time. It is this same unity for which our Lord prayed that night. The unity that all men who come to Him, believe in Him and follow Him completely.
I have been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. There have been those lost to the world. I have been thinking a great deal about that lately, but there is only so much one can do. The final choice is in the eyes of man. God knows we have tried. We have reached, offered our lives and even offered to leave. It is always our goal to strengthen the saved, but more than that – to save the lost.
Some say a minister’s job is best left un-said, and I have to agree. There is a great tradition of warnings in ministry farewells, and I’ve got one that’s been on my mind for some time. But oddly enough it started with one in of the things I am proudest of in the past eight years; the challenge of better living based on putting knowledge of Christi into the daily lives. The feeling is good, but it won’t count for much, and it won’t last unless it’s grounded in knowledge and action.
An informed Christian is what we want. And are we doing a good job teaching our children about the church and what the church has represented in the short history of the world? Those of us over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different time. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be a Christian. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love for the church and an appreciation of its heritage in our lives.
You could see it in our fellowship and hear it in our voices. You saw it, not only on Sundays, but in Bible studies and gathering throughout the week. It was part of our personal culture and our future. You could see it in the people around you.
Families celebrated “Christian values” as did the culture. Prayers before meals, before games and even before bed. God was not a name to be overlooked but THE name to be honored.
But now, we are about to enter a changing time and some things have already changed. Younger parents aren’t sure that an unambivalent appreciation for the one church is the right thing to teach our modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded religion is no longer the style. I believe our spirit is back, but we haven’t achieved it all yet. We’ve got to do a better job of getting across that the church is freedom – freedom from the shackles of sin. And freedom is special and rare. It is fragile and it needs protection and prayer for guidance.
So, we’ve got to teach Christ based not on what’s fashion but what’s important – why Abraham matters, who Paul was and what those 3 days in the tomb meant. You know, Easter is a few short weeks away and the thoughts of many will turn to the resurrection again. When those disciples made it to the tomb, they heard the word of the angel, “He is not here. He is risen.”
Well, let’s start saying those words. If we forget what He did, we won’t know who we are. I am warning of the eradication of the Christian mind that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the Christian mind. Let’s start with some basics: more attention on Bible reading and a great emphasis on our Christian duty.
And let me offer lesson number one about Christianity. All great change in the world begins at the dinner table. So, tonight in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parent’s haven’t been teaching you what it means to be a Christian, let them know and nail them on it. That would be a very Biblical thing to do.
And that’s about all I have to say this morning, except for one thing. The past few days I have thought about that shining city on a hill. The phrase comes from Matthew 5 who recorded the words of Christ on the mount. What He saw was important because He saw His followers being the light – the light of freedom for generations. He came here by what we call the virgin birth and was looking for the time to sacrifice Himself for all of mankind.
In my mind, that shining city on a hill, provides the message of freedom. In my mind it is a bright city built on a foundation on the rock which the floods do not destroy. It is a God-blessed city and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace – a city of freedom.
The city has walls, but the door is always open to anyone with the willingness and the heart to get there. Just listen to Him and you can be there too. That’s how I saw it and see it still.
And how stands more the church? I pray it is more prosperous, more generous and more alive in Christ that it was eight years ago. But more than that; after almost 2,000 years, she still stands strong and true on the granite rock and she was withstood every storm. And she’s still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the weary from all lost places who are hurtling through darkness toward home.
I feel I have done my part. And as I walk off into the next chapter of our lives, our faith, hope and trust is in the power of the Lord and the strength of His might.
My friends, keep doing it.
We weren’t just marking time. We made a difference. We made our lives, and others, stronger we made many freer and now we leave in to good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.
And so, goodbye, God bless you and God guide his children.
As I read those words several times today, I read then as a minister who took approximately 8 months off from full-time ministry because I needed it; my family needed it. Today, I am back in the pulpit again and more resolved than ever to share the message of Christ, the only way, to a troubled world.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me.
After a short time offline, the Preacher’s Pen is back and ready to go. The time offline was spent moving the website and all related files to a new webhosting company. This downtime allowed for a quick cleanup of files and various pages. Now, we are ready to grow the website and reach more people in more ways.
Beginning last year, I resigned from local work and entered a period of refreshment and renewal. After a short hiatus from local ministry, I entered the opportunity for local work with the Gadsden Church of Christ in Gadsden, Alabama. In a few weeks, I will share with you my thoughts on why I took a break and why I decided to enter local work again. It will be a heartfelt look from a minister’s eyes. Other upcoming posts are:
When God Says “No”
Living 6 Months on 3 Months Emergency Fund
When Starting Over is Just Right
What I Really Think of Essential Oils
How to Make a Life
Ten Ways to Enjoy Church
Why Are You Waiting?
As I have grown in my life over the past year and re-entered local ministry, the Preacher’s Pen website is back and ready for action. Steps have been taken to improve the speed and the format of the site. Over the next few months, various resources will be added; a few of them are listed below.
Future Releases:
April 1st – The New Preacher’s Pen Podcast
On April 1st, a new Preacher’s Pen Podcast will be launched as a weekly tool to educate, motivate and inspire others for better service in the Kingdom of God. This podcast will be available on iTunes and other podcast formats. Stay tuned for more information.
April 6th – A New Sermon Podcast
A sermon podcast will begin on April 6th. This will be different than the weekly Preacher’s Pen Podcast. The Sermon Podcast will feature the lessons presented on Sunday morning. This podcast will also include a link to the sermon outline accompanying the podcast in the note section.
May 1st – A New Preacher’s Pen Photo Section
A photo section will be made available on the Preacher’s Pen website to provide photos suitable to PowerPoint backgrounds and to be used in other ways. The photos will be available for free in a digital format, but possibly available at a low-cost in a print.
June 1st – The Preacher’s Pen Store
One June 1st, we will open, for the first-time, the Preacher’s Pen Store. This store will feature a variety of resources, books and others items. More details to follow.
As you can see, there are many things taking place behind the scenes of the Preacher’s Pen. I hope that you will be a part of these efforts by sharing them on your social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.).
Thanks for being a part of the efforts to share the best message in the history of the world.
“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children…”
(Deuteronomy 4:9; ESV)
I have been blessed more than I ever deserve. Throughout my life there God has placed people at various times and in various places to remind me of the gifts and the blessings given to me. My grandparents have been one of these powerful and motivating blessings.
Last June, my grandmother got better. (Click here to read more) I was blessed to spend her last three weeks on this Earth with her. For those finals days I constantly joked with her about taking her to WalMart, put her in a scooter chair and letting her drive around. She would roll her eyes and smile. After a series of joking around with her, she got serious, very serious.
“You need to get back in the pulpit.” She said.
When she spoke those words, I had been out of the pulpit for over 9 weeks. I had resigned at the beginning of the year, but stepped away from the pulpit at the end of March. I knew she was going to talk to me soon; she just needed the right moment. When she spoke, I nodded in agreement and told her that “I knew.”
“You know where you need to be. Stop messing around with those other things.” she continued.
Since leaving the ministry, I had been involved in insurance and sales. The secular work had gone alright, but not as expected. Her words struck a cord with me; but not one of frustration, but one of humbleness.
My grandmother had been one to let me know what she thought, even if it frustrated me. She was always there when I needed her and here she was again, telling me what I needed to hear.
I think she knew that I would be back in the pulpit soon, but she wanted to make sure I knew her thoughts.
Today, she would be happy. After over six months of a much needed step back from ministry, I am back in the place that I love.
She is happy, because she is better and I am here.
I have been blessed with grandparents who let me know what they thought and how much they cared. Before my grandfather passed away in 1996 some of his final words to me were, “Tell ’em what they need to hear.” He meant ministry and I knew it. I know he is happy.
In 2004, I was blessed with another grandfather, when my grandmother remarried. I was blessed with my “Grandfather Part #2.” He has always encouraged me to stay where God intended me to be and where my gifts can best be used.
I am blessed.
While my grandparents have been a pivotal part of my ministry, I am happy. I am happy to be where I am and happy to be where I need to be with a loving, supportive congregation who, together, will begin to change the world.
Thank you for allowing me to share some of my grandmother’s (and grandfather’s) final words with you. Below are a few things I needed from my grandparents and they provided them. I share them with you today, so you can pass along a lasting legacy to your grandchildren.
Grandparents: Leaving a Legacy
No Matter What, Care for Your Grandchildren – My grandparents, grandmother in particular, always stood by me in my decisions, but she also let me know what she thought of them. I know that her influence is one of the reasons I am where I am today.
Share Your Heart – My grandparent’s shared their hearts with me. They let me see a glimpse of where I stood in their life. I am thankful for the way my grandmother spoke with me about our family and let me know what I could do in the future.
Share your Spiritual Life – I know my grandparents are better because I know they have graduated to eternal joy. Their spiritual life is blessed because they held fast to the faith and their spiritual legacy will continue because of the lives they touched.
Begin today and share the love, the joy and the hope of the future with your grandchildren. Even if they will not listen, they know you care.
