Emotionally Drained

Yesterday was my last day as pastor of Cardiff Baptist Church and I am emotionally wiped out.  It is sad to leave, especially considering the close friends I have there and the people that my kids have grown to love.  I know that it is difficult for a church to go through, but I believe that Cardiff will be able to remain strong as they rely upon God and help each other.

 I am looking forward to the new year and starting ministry at a new church.  Stoney Point Baptist Church in Knoxville is where I went to church as a child and I have fond memories of so many of the people.  I pray that God will bless there in great ways as we try to find ways to serve the community.

Unfortunately, being a bivocational pastor, I have to go to work at my “secular” job now.  I’ll be off tomorrow and hope to regain some energy then. 

God has a lot in store for all of us.  We have to make sure that we are ready.

Biscuit and Mercy (Part 3)

Biscuit, our hyper little chihuahua, has learned a new trick.  It’s not really a trick, I don’t suppose.  It’s more of a psychological problem.  He has begun chasing his tail.

 Kristy said he has been doing it for about a week, but I had not witnessed this phenomenon until tonight.  He looks toward his rear, sees his tail, and goes after it with a vengeance.  Around and around he goes until he either catches it or grows bored with the hunt. 

 It’s not long, though, before he’s at it again.  Earlier this evening, he was sitting on the couch when he started going after his tail.  He chased it with such force that he hurled himself off of the couch onto his back. 

This is really a pointless endeavor.  There is no reason for it and his energy could be better spent doing something else.  But for some reason, he is continually drawn to it again and again.

This seems strangely similar to how we often act in our lives.  We get involved in fruitless activities that waste our time and energy that could be better spent doing something else.  Running around in circles may make it seem like we are accomplishing something, but we usually end right back where we started.

Taking inventory of how we live our lives is important.  This is one thing that I usually do as the year winds down.  Have I been running in circles or have I really been doing things that make a difference? 

Hopefully, you have grown in the past year.  If not, go ahead and change.  If nothing else, it will keep you from getting as dizzy as you head into 2008.

Christmas is Here

Like many, I often get aggravated at how Christmas has become overly commercialized and complain about it.  Sometimes I do this too much.

Instead of grumbling about the way it is, I should instead focus on how it should be. 

I’m with my family, which is a great gift.  Many would give all they have to be in my shoes.  I’m thinking primarily of those who are serving in the military far from their loved ones.  My heart goes out to them.

There are others who are without their family because they have a strained relationship with them.  I pray that they will find reconciliation so that future holidays can be shared with family, as it should be.

Of course, I also think of how my kids will be excited as they wake up in just a few short hours to see what Santa has left them.  I can’t wait to hear their laughter as they play on their new scooters.

Mostly, though, I think of that day long ago when a scared young lady arrived in Bethlehem with her just-as-scared husband with no place to stay.  They ended up in either a barn or a cave (somewhere that animals were kept) and that young lady gave birth to the One whose entry into our world we celebrate. 

I wonder about the emotions that must have flooded the hearts of both Mary and Joseph on that night.  They had both previously heard from God through His angelic messengers about who Jesus would be and what He would accomplish.  And then they were visited by some wide-eyed shepherds who had just seen a miraculous sight.

Jesus would grow up and be just what this world needed and still needs.  A perfect mix of God and man who would show us the way to live in peace with both God and our fellow man.   He would do no wrong, yet get face death; not for His own misdeeds (there were none), but for ours.

If the story all ended there, it would be a tragedy.  However, because of the resurrection it did not end there.  As a matter of fact, the story is still unfolding as those who truly follow Jesus are still working to fulfill the mission that He left us.

Christmas gives me joy, strength, hope, and so much more.  God came to us on that first Christmas so that we could get to Him.

That’s what I call a gift.

Mike Huckabee’s Christmas Ad

Here is a link to Mike Huckabee’s Christmas Ad:  http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=920.

I did not want to put a link to a presidential candidate’s website on my blog, but the videos of Huckabee’s ad on YouTube had comments underneath them that I felt were inappropriate.

What I wanted to comment on is the ad itself.  There have been many who have said that he should not have run this ad and others who have made Huckabee their hero because of it.  I come down somewhere in the middle.  I’m fine with the ad, as long as it was done in order to honor Jesus and not to gain favor with Christians.

I do not like when politicians try to manipulate me and my fellow believers by invoking the name of Jesus.  I do not know whether this is the reason for the ad, but I hope that it wasn’t.

What Huckabee says in the ad is true.  Christmas is supposed to be about celebrating the birth of Jesus.  Hopefully everyone who reads these words understands that.

If you do not, I am not trying to force you to believe the same way that I do.  However, I hope that you will not let your dislike of some Christians keep you from reading the words of Jesus and seeing how gracious, kind, and loving He is. 

 Merry Christmas!

A Bad Christmas Tradition

Matthew (our youngest 3 year-old) is back in the hospital again with breathing problems.  It seems like he gets admitted every Christmas, but thankfully gets out before Christmas Day.  Please pray that this happens again.

Resigning

Today I resigned as Pastor of Cardiff Baptist Church in Rockwood in order to become Pastor of Stoney Point Baptist Church in Knoxville.  It was a decision that I prayed about for some time and feel that it is truly what God wants me to do.  As I’ve written before, following God is a simple proposition that is rarely easy to do.  Resigning was no exception to that.

I have come to deeply love the members of Cardiff Church.  They are among the most loving people that I have ever been around.  They love God and people and try to express that love in tangible, authentic ways.  Telling them about my resignation ranks way up there on the list of most difficult things that I have ever done. 

I knew that it was coming.  Stoney Point voted to call me as their Pastor last Sunday.  Even though I had time to prepare myself and what I would say, it was still heart-wrenching.  Because I believe in the sovereignty of God, I know that Cardiff will be fine and that they will continue to make a difference for God in this world.  Still, looking out at their faces and hearing their surprised gasps of sadness broke my heart a little. 

My first Sunday at Stoney Point will be January 6th.  The church is located at 1980 Stony Point Road, Knoxville, TN 37914.  I will be posting directions on this site in the near future, but if you need directions before then, please ask.

I’m looking forward to ministering at Stoney Point, but will definately miss the people of Cardiff Baptist Church.  If you are in/around Roane County and are looking for a church home, check out Cardiff–the people are caring and love God.  If you are in/around East Knox County, please visit Stoney Point–I would love to meet you.

Knox County Commission and God

Here is a story about a resolution passed by Knox County Commission: http://knoxnews.com/news/2007/dec/18/1218webcountyside/.

 I guess that it could be called the “God resolution.”  It urges “all American citizens who have similar beliefs to proclaim to every level of government its responsibility to publicly recognize God as the foundation of our National Heritage.”

You may not be aware of all the goings on with this Commission.  If you are, you probably agree with me that they should focus more on following God’s teachings (telling the truth, forgiving others, treating people as you want to be treated, having integrity) than on passing a resolution about God.

It’s much more difficult to follow God than it is to use God’s name for your own purposes.  I, like everyone, often fail to live up to the high standards from Scripture, so I am thankful for God’s awesome grace.  I pray that more people experience His grace and learn to lean upon Him in order to be all that they were made to be.

It’s A ……

GIRL!

We (Me, Kristy, our 4 kids, and my parents-in-law) went to the doctor today and found out that Kristy is carrying a baby girl.  Excited is an understatement for how we feel.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.  Years ago, Kristy and I found out that we probably would not be able to have biological children.  After praying and thinking about it, we decided to become foster/adoptive parents.  That’s how we were blessed with our first 4 children.  We got Noelle when she was 1 month (she’s 6 now), Bradley when he was almost 11 months (he’s 4 now), Jonathan when he was 3 days (he’s 3 now), and Matthew when he was 2 months (he’s 3 now, too). 

Then in September, during a regular check-up, Kristy found out that she was pregnant.  When she told me, I almost didn’t believe it.  It has become more and more real to us.  Today it was very real.

 We’ve never experienced this part of pregnancy before.  Seeing the pictures of the baby and how she moved, seeing her face and her toes and her feet and everything else.  It was overwhelming.

I thank God for His blessings and pray that everything keeps going well.

Christmas Tree

We have had our Christmas Tree up since the week before Thanksgiving.  We kept it lit up for the first few days and then stopped.  It was too hard for Kristy to get behind it and plug it up and by the time I got home, I was too tired and it was too late to fool with it.

So the Christmas Tree stood in the corner like an uninvited guest not quite sure what to do.  It was all dressed up, but in the dark.

Until tonight, that is.  I finally got tired of looking at the pathetic thing, so I plugged it up.  I was feeling kind of down and the lights served to brighten my mood. 

There are people I see every day who are going through the motions of life while not truly being engaged (or plugged in to life).  They could be great encouragers to others, brightening up their days.  Instead they pass by person after person, not being used in the way that they were supposed to.

We, like my Christmas tree, have a purpose.  We are here to make a difference.  Many times, we are here to shed light into the lives of others.  If we fail in that, the lives of those that we love lose a little bit of joy.

Sometimes, I’m like my Christmas Tree was.  Standing in the corner of my childrens’ lives, not shining love on them or helping them at all.  I need to remember to stay engaged.  I also need to remember that God is the source of my power and light.  As I look to Him, I am made better in order to make better the lives of others. 

Mallard Fillmore Hits Close to Home

This comic strip is more than challenging.  Take a look here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mallard.asp?date=20071213.