I have recently had the opportunity to join the Volunteer Fire Department here in my local community in east Tennessee. It is an eclectic group of young, middle aged, and older rednecks who come together and give their time and efforts to protect the lives and property of those around them. Now granted alot of the motivation for some of the younger guys is the fact that we get to go fast with sirens and horns and then play with extremely powerful water hoses.
It was while I was spending time with this group today and in the last few times with them that I started to see something. This group that has both Christians and unbelievers alike is actually a great picture of Christ's love in Scripture. How can this be you might say. well look at the words of Christ as He is talking with His disciples in the gospel of John: "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (15:12-13)
Now I am not saying that all of the guys in the department are mature discples or even believers in Christ, but I am starting to see that everywhere around us God calls His children's attention to them if they will just look. Yes the Holy Scriptures are the only perfect place to find truth about Christ, His salvation, and the live are to live in light of Him and His salvation, but we can find practical examples of Scripture around us if we would just keep the things of Christ and His kingdom on the forefront of our minds. It does not take a pastor or a Sunday school teacher or anything for one to be able to learn practical discipleship actions, all it takes is a believer that interacts with and meditates on the Word of God and through the power of the Holy Spirit and God's sovereign wisdom in all of creation and you can grow, be strengthened, and challenged in your walk with Christ.
Just an simple observation from a guy looking to see all He can on this the rural route God has placed Him on for righteousness. I pray the grace, mercy and peace of God bless you on the route He has each of you on.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
What I Am Looking Forward To
This morning I was looking forward to a day to try and relax and recuperate from a long week of working on my grandparents house and an interview with a church. Beyond that I am looking forward to the birth of my son in June and between now and then there are alot of unknowns so I am not really actively looking forward to much. That was until I picked up my Bible this morning.
This morning I finished the book of Revelation as a part of my reading plan. Now there is alot that has been said and continues to be said about what everything in the book of Revelation means and stands for. There are churches that represent ages, some say it should be read literally and is yet to come and others say that it is mostl figurative and has already happened. I will not be entering into that discussion here as this is not a place for extensive discussion on eschatological theory.
What I could not escape as I read the last few chapters of Revelation this morning is that Christ is going to be victorious and ultimately already is. No matter how you interpret the book of Revelation one cannot read it and believe it without feeling better about the future whether it be distant or near. This is great news for all Believers, no matter what else may be going on in your life whether it be financial trouble, stress at work, or turmoil in your family it will ultimately be taken care of by the only loving, sovereign God, for He cares for you and provides your every need according to His riches in glory. How refreshing to know that no matter what circumstances and trials may come God is still in control.
This passage did not only bring comfort and excitement however, it brought with it a sobering realization and an urgent challenge. While I am completely ready for Christ to return and reign victorious over all the Earth, there are millions all over the world who have no idea that He came once before to save them from their sins and themselves, and have no reason to look forward to Christ bringing this world to its worshipful end. This sad fact compels me and my fellow believers to rest in the assurance that they have in Christ victorious return but also to lead those who have no knowledge of Christ into that same rest while they have the opportunity to find it.
We all have things we are looking forward to in this life both physical and spiritual and that is great as God has plans to bless us beyond measure in our obedience to Him. There does come with those great promised blessings an urgent need to let other know of those same promises that are available to them just as they are to us.
Just a take from a man that is greatly looking forward to what is to come from my loving God and Father on the rural route to righteousness He has placed me on.
This morning I finished the book of Revelation as a part of my reading plan. Now there is alot that has been said and continues to be said about what everything in the book of Revelation means and stands for. There are churches that represent ages, some say it should be read literally and is yet to come and others say that it is mostl figurative and has already happened. I will not be entering into that discussion here as this is not a place for extensive discussion on eschatological theory.
What I could not escape as I read the last few chapters of Revelation this morning is that Christ is going to be victorious and ultimately already is. No matter how you interpret the book of Revelation one cannot read it and believe it without feeling better about the future whether it be distant or near. This is great news for all Believers, no matter what else may be going on in your life whether it be financial trouble, stress at work, or turmoil in your family it will ultimately be taken care of by the only loving, sovereign God, for He cares for you and provides your every need according to His riches in glory. How refreshing to know that no matter what circumstances and trials may come God is still in control.
This passage did not only bring comfort and excitement however, it brought with it a sobering realization and an urgent challenge. While I am completely ready for Christ to return and reign victorious over all the Earth, there are millions all over the world who have no idea that He came once before to save them from their sins and themselves, and have no reason to look forward to Christ bringing this world to its worshipful end. This sad fact compels me and my fellow believers to rest in the assurance that they have in Christ victorious return but also to lead those who have no knowledge of Christ into that same rest while they have the opportunity to find it.
We all have things we are looking forward to in this life both physical and spiritual and that is great as God has plans to bless us beyond measure in our obedience to Him. There does come with those great promised blessings an urgent need to let other know of those same promises that are available to them just as they are to us.
Just a take from a man that is greatly looking forward to what is to come from my loving God and Father on the rural route to righteousness He has placed me on.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Effectiveness...Lessons for the Church from the Government
As I write this right now I am on the phone with a state government office and have been on hold for the last 56 minutes and counting...and counting. Now while I can appreciate that this is a busy office with important work, I do think that this is inefficient at best and dereliction of duty at worst. If I were a more cynical person I would think that this war on the auditory senses (repitition of only 20 bars of the worst elevator music I have ever heard) is designed to get people to give up. This may seem like an overreaction from a frustrated citizen but you must understand I was hung up on by a computer 5 times in the last two weeks because "they were experiencing greater than normal call volume and should call back later." This is why I happen to be a small goverment conservative politically.
The only problem with my political ideas is that if the goverment gets out of the "helping people" business, it appears to be in lately, that vacuum must be filled by the faithful of our towns, states, and country. That may sound like a great idea to you and at first glance it did to me too. One would ask what's wrong with the idea of churches doing the charitable work? After all didn't Christ teach us to love our neighbor as we love as ourselves, and didn't Paul write to Timothy that the goal of the apostles instruction is charity/love from a pure heart?
I am afraid the sad fact is that while Christ modeled caring for those who were sick and dying in sin and its consequence and Paul reaffirmed that model again and again, the church would still be no more effective than the goverment. Why you ask. One must first look at the main work left by Christ for the church, to make disciples. Would it shock you to know that in this country a majority of people still profess to be Christian? That is great news for the church right? Well not so much because the majority of those same self professing Christians do not believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life in heaven one of the most central aspects of all Christianity. If that were not bad enough it seems that even right now the universal body of Christ is growing exponentially on every inhabited continent on Earth except North America, home of two of the wealthiest countries in the world.
So when you go to bemoan the ineffectiveness of the goverment as I know almost all of you will. Or when you start to complain about how inept the employee at Walmart or McDonald's seems to be. Stop and think a moment about whether or not you are being as effective as possible at the most important job a Christian has, making more Christians. It is easy to complain about other peoples actions (or inactions for that matter) while we judge ourselves by our best intentions. Maybe we should rechannel that energy into being more effective in all that we do but most importantly to be more effective for the Kingdom of God.
I know that is what the Bible has called us to do and we need to get on it or one day when we really look into our mirrors we will find that we are as just as ineffective as a huge goverment. May God bless us with mercy and grace as we continue on the route of righteousness He has called us to.
The only problem with my political ideas is that if the goverment gets out of the "helping people" business, it appears to be in lately, that vacuum must be filled by the faithful of our towns, states, and country. That may sound like a great idea to you and at first glance it did to me too. One would ask what's wrong with the idea of churches doing the charitable work? After all didn't Christ teach us to love our neighbor as we love as ourselves, and didn't Paul write to Timothy that the goal of the apostles instruction is charity/love from a pure heart?
I am afraid the sad fact is that while Christ modeled caring for those who were sick and dying in sin and its consequence and Paul reaffirmed that model again and again, the church would still be no more effective than the goverment. Why you ask. One must first look at the main work left by Christ for the church, to make disciples. Would it shock you to know that in this country a majority of people still profess to be Christian? That is great news for the church right? Well not so much because the majority of those same self professing Christians do not believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life in heaven one of the most central aspects of all Christianity. If that were not bad enough it seems that even right now the universal body of Christ is growing exponentially on every inhabited continent on Earth except North America, home of two of the wealthiest countries in the world.
So when you go to bemoan the ineffectiveness of the goverment as I know almost all of you will. Or when you start to complain about how inept the employee at Walmart or McDonald's seems to be. Stop and think a moment about whether or not you are being as effective as possible at the most important job a Christian has, making more Christians. It is easy to complain about other peoples actions (or inactions for that matter) while we judge ourselves by our best intentions. Maybe we should rechannel that energy into being more effective in all that we do but most importantly to be more effective for the Kingdom of God.
I know that is what the Bible has called us to do and we need to get on it or one day when we really look into our mirrors we will find that we are as just as ineffective as a huge goverment. May God bless us with mercy and grace as we continue on the route of righteousness He has called us to.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Death and New Life
It has been at least two weeks since I last posted here and for good reason. In the last two and a half weeks I have buried my father in the ministry and my wifes great grandmother. Throughout it all there has been such a great sense of peace around not only me but the family and that can only be the outpouring of the peace the Bible talks about that surpasses all understanding. a peace that can only come from the Heavenly Father above.
From the outside looking in these deaths so close together would make you think how difficult life can be, but it is actually quite the contrary, this has been a great time in my life. Now that does not mean that I have not and do not continue to mourn the losses of Papasan Craft and Granny Womac here on Earth, it is just that both of their funerals were testimonies to the fact that death had no sting for them or any other believer in Christ. While one went quickly in the prime of life, and the other after a prolonged illness it was equally better for both of them to leave this Earth and go home to be with Christ. You see they did not have reason to fear death for their Savior had conquered death for them and given them the keys to His kingdom.
It is that realization that has gotten me through this trying time. At the visitations and funerals these two bodies were surrounded by friends and families that they had impacted while they were here. The reach of their impact on the world around them was evident to all in attendance even if it had not been to those who were deceased. This is inspiring to me because these great ambassadors of the faith had no idea how many lives they touched while alive, and just continued in lives of obedience and godliness hoping only to please God, and in pursuit of that goal they both pleased God but made an indellible impact on those around them.
How freeing it is for me and all Christians to know that whether we ever realize the impact we have on others or not if we keep our eyes focused on walking in the newness of life that Christ has provided for us we will please God and by His power we will have an undeniable impact on those around us. It is amazing to me that even a man as wretched as I am might be able to impact anyone on this Earth much less impact them for the Kingdom of God through the newness of life God extended to me by the death burial and resurrection of His only begotten Son.
I thank God that He has finally allowed me to see firsthand why a Christian's funeral should be a celebration and that it is only dependent on my obedience to Him. That is something I can do and so can anyone else.
As if that were not great enough, I have continued to be blessed over the last few days as my life has "gotten back to normal" so to speak. I was honored with the opportunity to preach at Solid Rock Baptist Church last night and they were so much more than generous with their love and support of me. That means the world to me because as a preacher the hardest thing to do is to not be able to preach anywhere. As if that were not enough today my wife and I found out that the new physical life that Christ has entrusted to us is going to be a boy!! I have to admit I have been praying hard for our child to be healthy and a boy (the idea of raising a girl scares me!!!) While I would have been extremely happy either way I am ecstatic that we will be welcoming David Samuel Jenkins on June 20th as the Lord wills.
It has been a rough road on the rural route lately but even in the midst of the low and trying times God has continued to bless beyond measure. So for those who might ever read this who are experiencing the rough stretches of life on God's route for them, keep holding to the faith because as you will learn like I have these past few weeks that even when life is the roughest God still blesses and makes it better than a seemingly easy life of disobeying Him.
May God's grace and mercy bless and comfort you from to rural route to whatever route God has placed you on.
From the outside looking in these deaths so close together would make you think how difficult life can be, but it is actually quite the contrary, this has been a great time in my life. Now that does not mean that I have not and do not continue to mourn the losses of Papasan Craft and Granny Womac here on Earth, it is just that both of their funerals were testimonies to the fact that death had no sting for them or any other believer in Christ. While one went quickly in the prime of life, and the other after a prolonged illness it was equally better for both of them to leave this Earth and go home to be with Christ. You see they did not have reason to fear death for their Savior had conquered death for them and given them the keys to His kingdom.
It is that realization that has gotten me through this trying time. At the visitations and funerals these two bodies were surrounded by friends and families that they had impacted while they were here. The reach of their impact on the world around them was evident to all in attendance even if it had not been to those who were deceased. This is inspiring to me because these great ambassadors of the faith had no idea how many lives they touched while alive, and just continued in lives of obedience and godliness hoping only to please God, and in pursuit of that goal they both pleased God but made an indellible impact on those around them.
How freeing it is for me and all Christians to know that whether we ever realize the impact we have on others or not if we keep our eyes focused on walking in the newness of life that Christ has provided for us we will please God and by His power we will have an undeniable impact on those around us. It is amazing to me that even a man as wretched as I am might be able to impact anyone on this Earth much less impact them for the Kingdom of God through the newness of life God extended to me by the death burial and resurrection of His only begotten Son.
I thank God that He has finally allowed me to see firsthand why a Christian's funeral should be a celebration and that it is only dependent on my obedience to Him. That is something I can do and so can anyone else.
As if that were not great enough, I have continued to be blessed over the last few days as my life has "gotten back to normal" so to speak. I was honored with the opportunity to preach at Solid Rock Baptist Church last night and they were so much more than generous with their love and support of me. That means the world to me because as a preacher the hardest thing to do is to not be able to preach anywhere. As if that were not enough today my wife and I found out that the new physical life that Christ has entrusted to us is going to be a boy!! I have to admit I have been praying hard for our child to be healthy and a boy (the idea of raising a girl scares me!!!) While I would have been extremely happy either way I am ecstatic that we will be welcoming David Samuel Jenkins on June 20th as the Lord wills.
It has been a rough road on the rural route lately but even in the midst of the low and trying times God has continued to bless beyond measure. So for those who might ever read this who are experiencing the rough stretches of life on God's route for them, keep holding to the faith because as you will learn like I have these past few weeks that even when life is the roughest God still blesses and makes it better than a seemingly easy life of disobeying Him.
May God's grace and mercy bless and comfort you from to rural route to whatever route God has placed you on.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
In the last week...
In the last week and a half I have traveled over 1,000 miles preached two services watched my favorite college football team win a national championship. It has been a full week to say the least but a very insightful and good week for me. When one travels that far by himself he has nothing but time to think of things and I availed myself of the opportunity I was surprised as I thought through core tenets of my faith and how far they reach into my everyday life. The farther I travel with God the more I see His truth challenging me and changing me albeit very slowly into the man he would have me to be. How great a realization this is that even as slow as my growth in Christ is God continues to place me in situations into which I can be spurred on to deeper intimacy with Him.
This time of forced (so to speak) introspection greatly enhaced my sermon preparation even though it cut my actual research time down. I began to see how important my comprehension, to the best of my ability, of the gospel relationship and how that understanding changes the way I view the world. There is no way I can see how God met my need for me when I couldn't meet it for myself and think that I am somehow better than anyone else. For it is solely in the grace of Christ that I am even alive now and can be alive forever more and that grace is not reserved for me because of my greatness but offered for all because of our depravity. This unshakeable truth must change how we who are alive in Christ change how we view those around us. Christ died for us and for them the only difference is we have availed ourselves of an opportunity to accept God's gift of grace. This coupled with our call to make disciples of all nations has to change our actions, we are saved to see others saved. As I thought and studied on that realization I found myself wondering how best to do that and lo and behold God had already recorded over and over again how to live and preach the gospel he saved me and all believers to preach. We are told to live worthy of the calling with which we have been called and Paul in his letter to Ephesians gives us some characteristics of the life lived worthy of the calling placed upon it. How great the Father's love for us that He not only saves us from the penalty of sin but also the reign of sin in our lives and shows us how to live a life set free so that we might be able to set others free in Him.
The most recent thing I have experienced is probably the most exciting on a carnal level. After over 50 years the Auburn University Football team has won its second National Championship. I have watched almost every minute of every game this season which is a little sad but hey three plus hours a week lets me get away from the rest of the world and not have to worry about anything, so that and the grace of God keep me sane. I have yelled, jumped, danced and growled week in and week out with this great team as a part of the Auburn family and was prepared to drive through the ice and snow if necessary to get somewhere to see the game Monday night. Low and behold we won it was a close game and exciting from start to finish but then at about 12:20 Tuesday morning I realized something. A bunch of guys I do not actually know personally winning a championship fought for every year does not bring a lasting excitement. Even their head coach said the next morning the time to celebrate is over its time to go back to work. How telling that even their coach realizes this is great for now but not for long.
I leave you with this there is but one thing that is constantly worth celebrating and working toward and that is the Kingdom of God in Christ that will last forever, yes football is great so is nascar and baseball but only one thing is lasting in its glory and we should chase after it harder than we do any team or driver we love. That is a deep reaching idea especially as one walks a rural route to righteousness because football is like a religion in the southern sticks. There in lies the key to balance realizing that while football is great and can bring moments of intense happiness much like a religion, God calls us to a deeper more permanent joy which only comes through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.
God's Grace and Peace to you from the Rural Route to All Routes of Righteousness
This time of forced (so to speak) introspection greatly enhaced my sermon preparation even though it cut my actual research time down. I began to see how important my comprehension, to the best of my ability, of the gospel relationship and how that understanding changes the way I view the world. There is no way I can see how God met my need for me when I couldn't meet it for myself and think that I am somehow better than anyone else. For it is solely in the grace of Christ that I am even alive now and can be alive forever more and that grace is not reserved for me because of my greatness but offered for all because of our depravity. This unshakeable truth must change how we who are alive in Christ change how we view those around us. Christ died for us and for them the only difference is we have availed ourselves of an opportunity to accept God's gift of grace. This coupled with our call to make disciples of all nations has to change our actions, we are saved to see others saved. As I thought and studied on that realization I found myself wondering how best to do that and lo and behold God had already recorded over and over again how to live and preach the gospel he saved me and all believers to preach. We are told to live worthy of the calling with which we have been called and Paul in his letter to Ephesians gives us some characteristics of the life lived worthy of the calling placed upon it. How great the Father's love for us that He not only saves us from the penalty of sin but also the reign of sin in our lives and shows us how to live a life set free so that we might be able to set others free in Him.
The most recent thing I have experienced is probably the most exciting on a carnal level. After over 50 years the Auburn University Football team has won its second National Championship. I have watched almost every minute of every game this season which is a little sad but hey three plus hours a week lets me get away from the rest of the world and not have to worry about anything, so that and the grace of God keep me sane. I have yelled, jumped, danced and growled week in and week out with this great team as a part of the Auburn family and was prepared to drive through the ice and snow if necessary to get somewhere to see the game Monday night. Low and behold we won it was a close game and exciting from start to finish but then at about 12:20 Tuesday morning I realized something. A bunch of guys I do not actually know personally winning a championship fought for every year does not bring a lasting excitement. Even their head coach said the next morning the time to celebrate is over its time to go back to work. How telling that even their coach realizes this is great for now but not for long.
I leave you with this there is but one thing that is constantly worth celebrating and working toward and that is the Kingdom of God in Christ that will last forever, yes football is great so is nascar and baseball but only one thing is lasting in its glory and we should chase after it harder than we do any team or driver we love. That is a deep reaching idea especially as one walks a rural route to righteousness because football is like a religion in the southern sticks. There in lies the key to balance realizing that while football is great and can bring moments of intense happiness much like a religion, God calls us to a deeper more permanent joy which only comes through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.
God's Grace and Peace to you from the Rural Route to All Routes of Righteousness
Monday, January 3, 2011
Anxiety Relieved and Ambition Renewed
I enjoyed a great day at church yesterday. I went to Sanford Baptist yesterday morning and was able to hear one of Paige's cousins preach and his passion for the gospel was palpable as he proclaimed what God had put on his heart. It is good to see that which i feel within me alive and embraced in the lives of others. While I would love to be super spiritual enough for that to have made my day, it is not what did it for me. On the first Sunday since 07 that I did not have a place to preach I was invited to preach 4 times. You may not see why that is so blogworthy but it is because when you are called to preach and you have nowhere to do it that can be a monumental struggle and was in my life for the last several days. As always God came through for me. At just the right time with just what I needed. While I still do not have a job or what appears to be an imminent lead God has shown me the next step and I am happy for that and it is enough for me.
On another front I am in the process of reading Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey, and his discussion of Christ's perfect life and obedient death imparting to me God's approval so that I would no longer feel the need for man's approval is completely freeing. Christ by being perfectly obedient paid the price for me that God might be able to approve of me, now that I have His approval who cares about anyone elses? Now this is not a license to sin and be careless and insensitive but it is inspiration for me to dream big no matter what men might say, not for my glory but solely for the one who has made me whole. This should make life interesting on the next few miles of this my rural route to righteousness as i dream and strive to do great things for God's glory. Even if I fall short of my plans by shooting for the moon I shall surely land amongst the stars. God's Grace and Peace to you and through you to all men.
On another front I am in the process of reading Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey, and his discussion of Christ's perfect life and obedient death imparting to me God's approval so that I would no longer feel the need for man's approval is completely freeing. Christ by being perfectly obedient paid the price for me that God might be able to approve of me, now that I have His approval who cares about anyone elses? Now this is not a license to sin and be careless and insensitive but it is inspiration for me to dream big no matter what men might say, not for my glory but solely for the one who has made me whole. This should make life interesting on the next few miles of this my rural route to righteousness as i dream and strive to do great things for God's glory. Even if I fall short of my plans by shooting for the moon I shall surely land amongst the stars. God's Grace and Peace to you and through you to all men.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
All dressed up and nowhere to preach
Today has been an interesting day. This was the first Sunday in more than 3 years that I have not been preaching somewhere, and that hits you hard when you have been called by God to pastor. I know that God has led me in this move and its His plan for me to be where I am but that only makes it a slightly less daunting task. It was good to be able to just be a part of a service instead of leading it but I really itch to be in the pulpit. This is definitely a growing experience for me as I strive to be faithfully obedient to God's direction without knowing what the future holds. Right now I am thankful for the peace that surpasses all understanding and the promises that God is with me and for me always as it has seemed He is the only one from time to time in this journey. I pray that as I go forward that He will continue to show me each step to take that I might not get out of step with Him. His grace is more than sufficient and as usual I am left standing in awe of His amazing grace committed to me at Calvary and each new day.
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