The Quest for Holiness Part I

I'm back!!! I understand that its been a really long time, but I've come to find out that blogging for me is a seasonal activity. However, I have once again found some inner determination to start blogging again, so without further delay, here we are.

Recently, I've found myself enamored with the not so casual concept of God's holiness. I'll let that notion sink in for a moment...................Ready? Ok. I have found myself reading books and coming across countless scriptures that elevate the "otherness" of God. I don't know how God works in your life, but for some reason He likes to take a concept/attribute/characteristic of Himself and decides to poor it over me for a season. Don't get me wrong, I love it and appreciate the fact that God is doing things so that I will learn more about Him, but its been somewhat of a sensory overload. Its not just the fact that He's holy (like no other/separate), but its the full extent of that implication. 

 God is so holy, that the OT writers would use LORD (all caps) as the name of God (Jahweh) and use Lord (adonai; Sovereign One) as a title for God. For example, George Bush is the name of our current president, but President is George Bushes title. 

The terms in the Bible for God were used the same way. Have you ever noticed that in Psalms chapter 8 and verse 1 it reads: "O LORD our Lord,"? The actual translation would be "OH GOD OUR SOVEREIGN ONE."  The very name of God is holy in and of itself. It is so holy that they Jews wouldn't even say His name. This has been called the Tetragrammaton (the unspeakable four letters). This all applies to the name of God, much less the actual person of God. God Himself is the epitome of Holiness. He can be likened to no one or no thing in all of creation and yet He's knowable. He shares communicable attributes with humanity rendering them made in His image. So, here's the question: Where does God fall on our reverence scale? Does His holy being dictate the journey of your life? Its just some food for thought...

Passion or partial?

Its interesting to me when I hear someone talking about their passions. I think that word gets used a lot without considering the implications that it carries. The problem is when someone says, "I am passionate about this or that",  but that "passion" yields no fruit. Its one thing to enjoy or to be somewhat invested in something, but to be passionate enters into an entirely different ball park. True passion yields results. You can say all day long that I am passionate about things, but unless they compel you to act, than I'm not convinced. I am passionate about good hygiene; therefore, I take showers and brush my teeth daily. I could never claim to be passionate about that which I am not acting on; Unless, of course, I say that I am passionate about lethargic slothful passivism.

 I am passionate about having a healthy relationship to my wife; so, I work to maintain an open line of communication and I spend great effort to enjoy her and our marriage. Could you imagine someone walking up to you dressed in some scantly clad outfit and trying to persuade you of their passion for modesty. That would be absurd! My question for you, reader, is this; what are you passionate about? 

Would you dare to say that you are passionate about evangelism? If so, are you out seeking the lost and giving them the gospel? Would you dare say that you are passionate about missions? If so, when is the last mission trip you went on (stateside or international)? Perhaps you would say that your passion is the infallible Word of God. If so, how has His word impacted your life and what books are you reading that heavily outweigh the time you spend in God's word? This has all been weighing heavily on my heart lately as I have been teaching through the Doctrine of God's Word. If we, at the risk of sounding cliche, say that we are so passionate about the things of God, than shouldn't that "passion" yield fruit? It MUST! Perhaps some of us should simply say I'm not passionate about spiritual things, but It sure interests me from time to time. At least that would be sincere. But, to say that I am passionate about God, evangelism, missions, the Church and His Word without fruit to back it up, is simply a lie.

 I am not accusing anyone other than myself. You might say that I am passionate about false passions. I have been convicted and challenged, yet again by God's word, to live as though I'm more than just interested in God from time to time. Hopefully, this has been whatever its needed to be for you. God bless.

Baby Days

It was just little less than a week ago when I woke up to hear my wife saying, "Alan, I think its time". I wish I could describe the feelings that where swimming through the currents of my groggy (having been woken up) brain. It wasn't quite how I expected myself to respond. I didn't run around like a chicken with my head cut off or anything; probably because Sarah was calm about everything. We gathered everything together and made our way toward the hospital to begin a journey that I will not soon forget. It wasn't long before the contractions ensued and my wife began her own little journey through the catacombs of pain. However, God bless a little medicinal treat called epidural. It wasn't long before Sarah took up new residence in a land called la la. 

After a days worth of labor, the time had come to bring Wesley into this little world. The next two hours would prove to me that my wife is one tough cookie. No screaming, no shouting, just a little grimacing and then he was here. Finally, after great anticipation, my first born son is here. Waves of emotion swept through my entire being. In moments, I experienced an endless array of feelings. I was happy, afraid, concerned, overwhelmed, proud and anxious. Its incredible at how my entire existence has changed. In a few short hours I went from a family of two to a family of 3. I HAVE A SON!!! 

For years I never imaged taking care of a little human being that was utterly dependent on me and my wife. Not just dependent on some things, but everything; and the only way he can communicate his needs is to scream. Its funny how things like poopie and spit-up suddenly are cute instead of gross when its coming from a baby. Why its called spit-up instead of vomit?; I have no clue. In addition to that, its ok that Wesley goes through about 8 changes of clothes a day, but if I wear more than two, I get scolded. Yeah, babies have it made. 

Wesley's been home now for four days and we're finally getting into what we feel is a good routine. Because Sarah is breast feeding I really can't do much in that area, but I try to offer help in anyway I can when she's feeding. Sometimes, I bring my computer in there so that she can watch a movie during the hour he feeds or I just lay in the floor and keep her company until she's done so that I can hold him again. Anyway, there's not a lot to say because he's only been with us for 4 days, but I'll keep you posted as time progresses. Please pray that God gives us wisdom to lead as godly parents would and that Christ would be honored in our decisions and leadership. God bless.

Street Witnessing

I don't know if any of you are familiar with "Way of the Master Ministries", but it is lead by Kirk Cameron (child star from "growing pains") and evangelist Ray Comfort. The whole ministry is street evangelism using God's law (Ten Commandments) as the tool. Watch this video and see this teenage boy's countenance drop to the floor when he realizes his own guilt.

Christians in the UFC

In the last several years the Ultimate Fighting Championship has hit the scene with force that seems to be potentially unstoppable. During the early 90's the UFC, which is mixed martial arts fighting (MMA), was banned throughout most of the country. In fact it was on the precipice of extinction. Why, you ask? I suppose the problem was the fact that it was brutal. Many nay sayers attributed the UFC with being the human version of cock fighting. True, it is not for the faint of heart, then again neither is football, kickboxing, bull riding or any other of the countless sporting events that are hazardess to your health. 

Allow me to briefly explain for those  of you who are unaware of the sport. MMA is basically taking many forms of martial arts and combining them in an arena that allows you to strategically use them offensively and defensively to defeat the opposition. Such martial arts include: Kickboxing, jujitsu, wrestling, boxing and etc... These forms of martial arts include submissions and ground and pound tactics, which is where, for most, the brutality comes in. The entire point of the fight is to win by whatever means necessary. This might include submitting the opponent, or nocking the opponent unconscious. Many times the fight comes to a judges decision based on the points that were earned by striking during the match. For better or for worse this is the concept. 

     Having followed the UFC for a number of years now I've come to know a lot of the fighters in all the classes. Of course I don't know them personally, however, you see someone so much on television you feel like you know them right? Anyway, every now and then there is a fighter who professes to be a Christian. I don't mean they make a reference to thanking God after a fight, but that they really act like  Christ followers and conduct themselves, through word and deed, as a Christian would. 

I would like to hear some feedback from you as to how you feel about Christians being in the UFC. Should Christians get in the octagon and beat each other to a pulp as an occupation. Does God call Christians to fighting occupations to be Salt and Light? Consider this and please respond with your convictions or support.

One Year!!!

Well friends, yesterday was my one year anniversary of living in Clarksdale and serving as full time Youth and Evangelism pastor of Oakhurst Baptist Church. I've always heard that each year you should set goals for yourself as a minster and follow up on those goals at the end of that year. Well its time for evaluation. Last June 1st, when I started, I really wanted to see a few things happen. First and foremost I wanted to build relationships with the students. I had been commuting for over a year and it was hard to really invest the way I wanted to from a distance. Looking back over the past year I feel that many relationships have flourished. This is no way means that I have fulfilled my task and its time to move on. Ministry is about people and I will always strive to continue building and bridging until the Lord takes me home. 

I also desired that God would grow our group qualitatively and I feel that he has. I've seen tremendous spiritual growth in many of the students and that is one of the greatest answers to prayers I've ever received. The Lord has saw fit to grow us quantitatively as well. Of course, some times are better than others, but as a whole God has grown our numbers by the truck loads. 

The Lord has blessed our year with so many great moments of ministry. We had a successful fifth quarter and an awesome Fall Retreat. RAKE has grown along with Youth Nights and we have our first self-organized (in-house) mission trip in a few weeks. Wow, God has been good! 

In the last year I've seen a church (Oakhurst) that never treats its staff any less than they did the first day we arrived. In the last year, I've had many visits from members bringing great food, gifts and blessings. Finally, God saw fit to bless my wife and I with a child in this last year.  If this next year is only half as good as the first, than I still have a lifetime of gratitude for all that I've experienced. So what are the goals for next year? Hopefully, we can do all that we've done and more. Thank you God and Oakhurst for making this year so great.

Hang in there...

Hello everyone,

    Sorry about not blogging lately. Its been a very crazy two weeks for me. I had the Clarksdale Crusade this week, I am officiating my sister's wedding this weekend (so I've been preparing a sermon and slide show) and I am in another wedding in two weeks; not to mention my Wed. night preparations and regular duties. Anyway, its been a wild time for me. So, i figured I would just write and give you and update on my life. Sarah and I went to have a 3D ultra sound the other day and now Know for sure that its' a boy!!!! We were a little skeptical at first because we were told a couple of different things, however, Wesley Shane is well on his way to being born. Last weekend Sarah's mom and step dad came and brought us our furniture we ordered and carpet for the nursery. It looks so cute. Wow, I'm not even a daddy yet and already sounding less masculine. Excuse me, I meant to say his room looks cool and tough. Sarah has been doing well. She hasn't really complained all that much to be honest. I know I sure would be if I couldn't see my own toes. It really is a neat thing to watch. Sarah feels that she is not as attractive anymore, but I think seeing her pregnant with my son is hot. Pretty funny huh? Pray for us as we travel to Orange Beach Alabama this weekend and as I pronounce my sister a wife to her husband. Again, sorry for the delay in blogging. Stay tuned for more once I return.

Baby got BITE!!!!

You know its funny that this little kid would stick his finger back in Charlie's mouth after he had already bit him once. Obviously, the first time didn't really affect him so much. However, when he stuck his little finger in Charlie's mouth that second time he got a little more than he bargained for. 

Sin works the same way sometimes. There are times that we choose to indulge in sinful acts and there are seemingly no consequences of that action, which leads us back to that same indulgence. However, the second time will prove to be a different experience. Sure, it may be fun at the beginning, but inevitably there is pain that follows. Now, I understand that this little kid's ability to reason through decisions may not be mature, but ours are. In a spiritual sense, if it looks like there's potential for pain, than turn away and never give it a chance to prove itself of its appearance. Look at it this way, sin is a mouth that has vicious teeth; what do you think would happen if you stuck your finger in it?

Little Drummer boy

Whether you're a music lover or not I think this little clip will stimulate your mind for a while. Keep in  mind that this little boy is about 12 years and allow yourself to get impressed. I know its not that spiritual but, entertaining none-the-less. Enjoy!

Tolerance in the Church

Do we tolerate too much in the Church today? Does the Biblical description of the New Testament Church portray it as one who sweeps sin under the rug or as a Church that deals with sin through discipline and confrontation? I know that its not popular these days to confront the issue of sin when it is running rampant throughout the body of Christ, but does that excuse us from doing it? The Bible makes no exceptions when it tells us to deal with sin in the body. Sure we can preach it from the pulpit, but thats not really singling anyone out now is it. If you didn't realize, the Bible is offensive and calls for sinners to repent. Its one thing to allow a non-christian, that has a loose lifestyle,  to attend a worship service and not confront them, but its another issue to treat a "member" of the church the same way. Unfortunately, we've become dangerously tolerant of sin. Maybe its because we're calloused towards it in our own lives or maybe its because we want to leave it to someone else like the pastor or other ministers in the church. Churches in America would look a great deal different today if we followed the Matthew 18 model of church discipline. What would it look like and how would it affect us to actually call an unrepentant sinner to repentance? What would be the outcome of going to your brother and sister in Christ to tell them, in love, that they are in sin and need to repent and move on? Well, it would look like the Bible's description of a Church. There are churches now that are allowing homosexuals to be the pastors of their Churches. What a dangerously audacious notion that directly defies the word of God. Below is an interview with Al Mohler (president of Southern Seminary) and some homosexual leaders of other churches. Please watch and consider the position that we are in as the Church today.

In honor of April Fools!!!

For those of you who haven't heard the story yet, allow me to impart what might have been one of the best pranks every pulled. 

The clown you see in this picture, as horrific as it might be, is the clown that was pretty much the culmination to an eventful day in the life of seminary apartment highjinks. Let me start from the beginning. My former beloved roommates during Seminary were Ben Adkison and Stephen Burks. Well, Stephen, as fun as he was to live with, was most definitely the instigator of the roommates. Naturally, he that instigates shall receive the consequences and repercussions of his actions. One particular Saturday Stephen was planning to head out of town for the day to visit his girlfriend (now his wife) and be back that night some time. Ben had the great idea of painting Stephen's room pink when he left that morning. What a great idea!!!! I exclaimed. So, we bought some HOT PINK paint, cleared his room of all furniture and called the friends. You see, everyone wanted to get Stephen back for something. Its always good to see a jokester get joked. Anyway, Stephen left and the painting began. It didn't take us long and we were done, but something was still missing. So we painting unicorns on his walls. We also painted lace around his window seals and other things you might see in a little girls room. Once that, among other ideas, were done, we were still missing something. 

We decided to call up a friend of ours who happened to be an artist. She came over and said what would like me to paint. Well, imagine our little brains going into over drive just thinking of what we could put on his wall. Then it came to us. STEPHEN HATES CLOWNS, so what better to put on his wall. Anyway, we told her what we wanted and what you see above this text is the clown that Jennifer painted. Pretty neat huh? Well, we laughed, took pictures and opened our home to many observers having heard the word until finally, it was time for Stephen to arrive. Well, lets just say that Stephen had a hard time sleeping in his room for a while. I would honestly hear him across rooms at night talking to himself. Finally, I asked him who he was talking to at night. He said the clown. The only way for him to get over his fear was to threaten the clown every night before he went to sleep. Hope you enjoyed it. If you've heard of other good pranks, please let me know. 

Text Messaging.....Mental Illness?

Recently, I was given some extremely interesting news concerning text messaging. In short,  addiction to text messaging could be linked to a mental disorder according to the American Journal  Psychiatry. The article was written by Dr. Jerald Block who says that there are a number of  symptoms that could be indications of mental illness. One of these symptoms is going into withdrawals when you cannot access your phone. Another is an increased need for better equipment/phone. The list continues but you kind of see where this is leading. You do realize if this is actually true than we have a student ministry comprised of mental problems. I feel confident in the fact that I do not fall into the mental illness category because, although I text the students, I feel absolutely no withdrawals if I don't text. However, I don't believe the same can be said for others who shall remain nameless. 

According to a report called "Media and Communication" they found that the avg. student in Australia ranging from the age of 15-17 spends 30 minutes a day texting. Wow... I believe that's considerably low compared to our wonderful students who consider texting to be the equivalent to life-support. Of course I'm just kidding around with you guys, but you've got to admit that it does stir up some interest. If you're interested in seeing a video concerning text messaging please go to 

http://money.cnn.com/video/#/video/news/2008/03/28/news.harlow.wierdbiz.cnnmoney. I believe you'll find it interesting. So, the question is posed. Do think addiction to texting could be a mental illness. In my opinion where do you draw the line? If addiction to texting is a mental illness than is addiction to caffeine a mental illness as well? It would seem that taking that stance would mean that any addiction could be labeled a mental illness.  I would love to here your thoughts. 

Are you obsessive compulsive?

 I've often wondered while sifting through the plethora of issues I have enamoring my life, if Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is one that I could add to the list? It really is a remarkable prognosis! Think about it, OCD causes some of the most peculiar behavior. I remember as a child sitting in my classroom during school being at my wits end because the teacher didn't erase all the chalk off of the blackboard. Somehow, that little forgotten chalk marking that rested in the lower right corner of the board seemed to unnerve me. It wasn't just unnerving, but it caused me to lose all ability to pay attention to what was going on at the head of the class. It was like that little chalk marking was screaming at me or something, saying "HELLO OUT THERE, LOOK AT ME ON THE BOARD!" AHHHHH!!! It drove me nuts. I figured after a while that maybe it was just a childhood problem that I had to deal with, but would eventually grow out of; not so much folks. To this very day, the entire board needs to be erased. In fact, I have a dry erase board in my office that I can thoroughly erase any time I like. 

 Which brings me to my question. Do I have OCD? Is that one small problem of mine even enough to constitute or justify a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? Unfortunately, I have more symptoms that just the chalk issue. I find my self straightening up anything thats in a stack. I don't mind for anything to be in a pile, it just has to be in a straight pile. For example, if a stack of papers in stacked at the corner of a desk or at a 90 degree angle, the stack MUST line up with that 90 degree angle. Is that OCD?

Well, just in case its not, let me tell you what is. I had a friend who worked in a psychiatric facility and he knew this man who seemed absolutely normal until you got him in a room with tiles. He had to count every single tile before he could go anywhere else. If you tried to move him, he went crazy. Well, I guess if he was already crazy he couldn't really go crazy. Allow me to rephrase. His craziness surfaced. I've also heard of a man who couldn't use the bathroom directly into the toilet. Rather, he had to go tinkle-town into a cup or jar and then pure it out into toilet. Is that OCD? I've heard of people who had a certain amount of times they had to lock the door before they could leave it alone. Is that OCD? Now, here's where you come in. Please write and submit to me any symptoms you might have that could possibly be characteristic of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I would be interested in hearing them.  Do you have OCD?

D-Now 08 Video

I figured this would be good for those of you who weren't able to come or may not know what went on during Disciple Now. Enjoy!

Alan

Backpacking Adventure

Ahhhh, there's nothing better than sitting around an open flame in the middle of the mountains with some of your best friends in the world. The temperature was a cool 55-60 degrees and the only sounds you hear are cracklings of the fire and the hypnotic flow of a trout stream just 30 yards away. This was the ambience that benchmarked the opening night of this past weekends backpacking trip with me and five of my good buddies. We hiked into the mountains at around 833 ft above sea level at "little bottoms" trail only to climb to the ridge in about 2 miles up to 1051 ft above sea level. That pretty much means that we hiked straight up for a while. I'm not complaining, because what kind of a trip would it be if it wasn't at least a little tough? However, comparatively speaking, this trip was nothing compared to some trails i've hiked in the past.  We hiked on through to camp site 17. This was our home away from home for the weekend. I will admit that backpacking through the Smoky Mountains is a bit of an adrenaline rush for me due to the large black bear population. Did you know that there are 2 black bear for every square mile in the Smokys? Yeah, that is a lot of bear. So, I have to be honest and admit that the thought of a bear encounter is constantly on my mind while hiking. In addition to the unnerving potential of being mauled by a bear, I have had a bear encounter before. It was minimal, but still a little shaking. To top it all off, the camp site we were staying at was under watch and was just opened back up because they had had high bear activity. Anyway, we arrived at camp 17 and spent a wonderful night talking, laughing and listening to Jacob Harris rant on and on about his new motorcycle that awaited him in Chattanooga, TN. Truthfully, we couldn't of asked for a better night. Well, then morning came and so did the rain. We left our camp site to do a little day hiking. For those of you who are backpacking illiterate, allow me to explain the terminology.  There is a drastic difference in day hiking and hiking through. Day hiking pretty much means that we have set up a base camp (stationary camp) and have left it and walked freely (without packs) through the woods to check out the sites. Through hiking means that you get up in the morning and pack everything up and hike all day to another camp site.

 Before we set out on our journey to Abrams Falls, we assembled together for prayer. We spent time asking God to protect us from bear and keep away the rain. Well, we were 1 for 2. No one got eaten by a bear, but the rain began to fall shortly after our prayer. The bible says that the prayers of a righteous man avails much. I guess none of us were righteous enough to keep away the bears and the rain, but keeping the bears away is just fine with me. Thank you Lord. Anyway, we hiked through the rain to Abrams Falls (thats the image you see on this blog), took some pictures and then began our hike back to base camp. The rain continued and what would usually turn into a pretty miserable time ended up being a wonderful experience. We had hot enough coals from the previous night so starting a fire in the middle of rain was no problem at all. We literally threw sticks on there and there was fire. We sat, talked, laughed and enjoyed each others company as the scattered showers past through the mountains. Thankfully, it never rained that hard so we all stayed dry the entire time. Eventually night time came and it was time to turn in. We slept well and got up at the crack of dawn, packed up our stuff and hit the trail. We hiked out and headed to crackle barrel which is food I believe they will serve in heaven. All in all, it was a great trip. I just felt selfish to have so much fun and not tell you about it. Anyway, take are and God bless.

Frogs

I've decided to let you all in on a little secret. I HATE FROGS!!! I realize in admitting this that I might being setting myself up for some undesirable prank or unfortunate mishap. However, I feel that its time to let the cat out of the bag. You should know that I thoroughly hate frogs. There is nothing remotely cute or appealing about these wretched creatures. Sure, you can go buy some stuffed green thing off of the shelf at the zoo that does in fact look cute, but lets be realistic; you know very well that that stuffed frog is no resemblance to the real deal. I must warn you, if you have a sincerely deep love and devotion to these waste of space amphibians, I strongly encourage you to stop reading now. Although I still hate frogs with more passion than a man with irritated irritable bowl syndrome looking for a commode, I am not near as ruthless towards them as I used to be. I used to stick m-80's (thats dynamite for children) in the mouths of frogs and watch them sky rocket into a million pieces just for kicks and giggles. I used to take a water hose and put the end of it in the frogs mouth just to watch it inflate like a balloon. One time, I put gasoline in a a large cup and was going to throw the frog in it and then light it on fire. However, good reasoning told me that the cup was to large; there was to much gasoline in it. So, I poured out half the gasoline into a smaller cup. Both cups were now sitting beside each other and both cups were half full. I threw the frog in one cup and dropped a lit match into it only to see the frog leap out of the cup with a flame attached its rear. The frog not only leaped out, but while on fire leaped into the other cup of gasoline which caused a small explosion. The frog leaped out of that cup and as it made it's get-away, the cup fell over onto a bunch of pine straw. Well, then there was fire. We managed to put the fire out after a while only to find a very charred, but living, frog. You would think that the frog would've earned the right to live. Come on folks, I hate frogs, why would I let him live to get his revenge on the one who burned him up? Well, we put the frog out of his misery with America's favorite past time; frog baseball.  

I know all of this seems really disturbing. I agree. I was not always this way. I think the turning point was when I used to play with frogs in the ditch at my grandmothers house. One day I picked up a frog and squeezed it a little to hard. The guts came out all over me and I have never been the same. I need you to know that I know that frogs are God's creatures. I haven't killed any frogs since I was a little boy, but I still hate them with the passion. If anyone knows anyone who can take me frog gigin, just let me know.

D-Now weekend

Hello everyone! Thanks for being patient with me since I stepped away from the blogging scene for a little while. Life has been a little crazy in church land these past couple of weeks. I'm afraid between Disciple-Now and reconstructing the youth youth this week, I exhausted my creativity which would have made for a boring blog. However, I'm back now with new ideas and energy for the task. Lets make a deal. I will do my best to have a couple of fresh blogs for you each week if you all will try and turn others on to this blog page. How does that sound? 

Let me make a few comments about Disciple-Now for those of you who could not make this past weekend. Maybe you're an adult reading this and you are interested in knowing what it was all about. Well, we met here at the CAC for registration on Friday afternoon and had somewhere around 60 or more students lined up and ready for the weekend. We fed them tons of hamburgers and fries and barely got all the mouths fed despite the fact that we spent a ridiculous amount on food for the weekend. After supper we went had worship with Jacob Harris (the speaker) and Kyle Kite (and band) leading in song. It was an amazing night to start the weekend. Students were up on there feet lifting their voices and hearts to God. Later that night they went to their host homes and had small group sessions. This is probably the most crucial part of Disciple Now because students are more likely to open up in smaller groups. The next morning we had breakfast and then it was out to minister through some good ole physical labor. This is primarily our attempt at wearing them out so they are more manageable. The students broke up into teams and went out and served by raking yards and cleaning our the Greer's shed. later, we had large inflatable events in and our of the CAC where the students had free reign for about 3 hours. IT WAS FUN!!! Once this was done we sent them back to get cleaned up for our third and final worship service. 

The students all filed in with expectant looks on their faces as they awaited the worship service to begin. The band played and exalted our King followed by a sermon that would make a wall repent of sin. Jacob Harris did a phenomenal job of giving accurate treatment to the word of God. He spoke from Matthew 7 and God honored it. The Lord showed up during the invitation. Well, He was already there, but made His presence known during the invitation. Now, I'm not a fan of emotional manipulation, in fact I hate it. However, there was nothing manipulative about this. They simply responded to God's word. Students were on their knees before a holy God. Many repented and others made decisions. It was a wonderful night and a great conclusion to our weekend. After that, they all went to the host homes for one last session and that Sunday morning we concluded.  Its funny, you spend so much time making something happen and when its over you wonder when it even began. Well, praise the Lord for a successful Disciple-Now. Hopefully word will spread and we will have even more next year. 

Alan

Been a while

If you're reading this I assume you are feeling excited because I have finally blogged again. Well before you get your hopes up let me just say that I am blogging to ask for grace. I have been overwhelmed lately with Disciple Now and other irons in my fire to the point that I have neglected blogging. However, I haven't given up. I ask for a little more of your patience while I get through this week and I promise to be back on track. It just pleases me that there's someone out there that actually reads them. Well, thank you to whoever you are. There will be a fresh blog coming your way next Monday if not sooner. Thanks again for your patience. 

Alan

The best valentine ever!!!

If your reading this on the day that I wrote it, its Valentine's day! For some, this is a very exciting day. The majority of proposals are given on this very special day of love. For some, its a day that should be forgotten and done away with. Me, I don't think much of it, but I do enjoy making much of my wife. Now I don't need some silly day on a calendar to show my beloved my appreciation. I should show it every day of my life. However, since there is a day to do just that I choose to take the plunge and celebrate. 

There have been many Valentines that i've celebrated and many that i've watched pass right on by due to my single status. Some of you might celebrate the fact that you have a single status and thats absolutely fine. I was wondering what your idea of the best valentine gift would be. I'm not looking for ideas. In fact, I've finished all my valentine stuff for Sarah, but I was wondering what your thoughts or experiences have been. Please write and let me and the other readers know what your special valentine would be or has been. It might just help out some fading relationship out there in cyber-space.

More Precious than silver...

I must be honest in saying that I'm brought to conviction when I think about what things in my life I place on a higher shelf than my King. There's a popular song called "More precious than silver" that was written in the early 80's by Lynn Deshazo. Lynn, after graduating high school, went off to college at Auburn Univ.. It was there that Lynn really began to grow as a Christian. She practiced spiritual disciplines and made every effort to grow in her walk with Christ. She took a humble job at McDonalds to help pay for her college tuition and it just so happened that Lynn was practicing the discipline of fasting. It was during this time that her boss put her on french-fry duty one Wed. during her fast. Well, the battle of wills began. As Lynn describes, she fought and fought all day not to indulge in the fries and break her fast. However, after hours of battling she looked to her left and then to her right. Once she noticed that no one was looking she helped her self to some fries. Immediately, Lynn was broken hearted and conviction took over. She left that day and repented before God for breaking her commitment . It was at this time that she sat down and wrote the song, "more precious than silver." 

You see, Lynn was convicted over the fact that she placed a french-fry over her King. If we, as christians, take so much pride in who we belong, than why is it that God is placed on the back-burner of our lives? Is He truly more precious than silver, gold and french-fries? I am challenged, yet again, to be sure that God is positioned in His rightful place of supremacy in my life. 

Are you amazed by grace?

What is grace to you? We use this term a lot in church land, but do we know the weighty implications that nestle down behind this loaded word. Do we use grace in our church lingo with an attempt to stay culturally (church culture) relevant or is it that we are still trying to wrap our minds around the very notion of God's grace, therefore grace is foreign? The impact of grace, although it was given, was not something that I thought a great deal about until a couple of years ago. The very idea that God being pure, precious and perfect would provide me, a sinning, God hating, self-centered and self-righteous black hole with light and life is beyond all I could ever comprehend. Its the grace that God imparts that saves us (by grace you've been saved) from our hell-bound wayward lives. God only knows why he would cover His saints in the warm, comforting blanket of His gracious love and rescue His children like a fireman would rescue his family from a burning home. 

Is grace only experienced by the Saints of God? In the words of the Apostle Paul, "may it never be!" You see, God extends grace to the most vile of sinners. God has extended grace to Adolf Hitler while mercilessly massacring hundreds of thousands of Jews. God gave grace to Bobby Joe Long the notorious rapist and to Jeffery Dahlmer the infamous serial killer. As striking or absurd as this may sound, I implore you to answer one question; is it not gracious that God would allow individuals like that to live a single moment a part from a well-deserved, inevitable eternity in hell (assuming they died unregenerate)? Of course its gracious. It may not be saving grace, but its grace none-the-less. 

What do you think? What does grace mean to you? Has grace changed you from the inside out or have you yet to realize the magnitude of such an impartation? Let me know.

Alan

Video Blog 2 (Have you blushed lately?)

Hey guys,

     This one is about 5 minutes. I condensed it as much as I could and 5 is what I landed on.

Blessings,

Alan

Video Blog 1

Hey guys,

           Check out this 4 minute devotional from Matthew 16:13-17. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Alan

One day with Jesus

I've always thought to myself how neat it would be to spend a day in the physical presence of Jesus Christ. Now, I know that He's in our presence, but I mean if He were here in the flesh and could walk and audibly talk to you, what would  you spend your day doing? If Jesus said, "ok, today we can do whatever you want to do", what would you and JC do? It's kind of an overwhelming thought when you think about it, because after all, its Jesus. If one of your friends came over to your house you would probably be content sitting and festering in your own boarding, but would you really want to sit and talk on facebook or myspace with Jesus hanging out for a day? Would you take Jesus to Memphis, because thats what we Clarksdale people do to treat ourselves? Would you watch Jesus destroy Rock Band and Guitar Hero on expert because  you know it doesn't challenge Him. Would you ask Him nicely to cook your favorite meal? It would be the best thing you ever put in your mouth. 

Maybe your a little more spiritual than that and you would like to take Him to one of your friends or loved one's house so that He could tell them His story in hopes that they might be saved. Perhaps you would be content with sitting in a quiet room all day and listening to Him retell the Gospels. Could you imagine if Jesus got online with the Halo experts and utterly obliterated their existence. That would be a site to see. Maybe you would ask Jesus questions that you've always wanted to know the answers to; like, what exactly will we be doing in heaven? Will we be singing to You the whole time or will we live in those mansions that were built for Your children? 

I told you this was an overwhelming thought. If you think about it enough you would realize that there wouldn't be enough time in that day to do all the things you desired. But still, I'd be interested in knowing what you would do with Jesus. Please submit your idea and share what you would do if you had one day with Jesus.

Alan

Youth Ministry Name

Guys, I've been doing some thinking lately about the possibility of coming up with a ministry name for our youth group. For example, Longview Heights' college groups name is "The Well". The idea is that it is a place to come and draw sound biblical teaching like drawing water. I've also heard of a youth group at Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg being called "Refuge". Finally, the college group at Fairview Baptist Church in Columbus is called "The Gathering". 

I would like to have a name for our ministry if  we can find one that best fits us and is not generic or cheesy. In fact, one name that I was tossing around in my mind was "SURGE". Surge is defined as a sudden powerful, forward or upward movement by a crowd or by a natural force. There are potentially thousands of great names we could have to represent our ministry and mission, but I would like to include you guys since this will be the name you'll have throughout your stay in the youth group. 

Once we've decided on a name I will have a sign made and all that fun stuff along with t-shirts so I need some feedback. Please respond to this blog with not only a possible name but with some explanation as to why your idea should be considered. 

Interestedly waiting,

Alan