God, help us.

As I sit here reflecting on this past week, I shudder. I shudder because as a Christian, I have given my life to reflect the love of Jesus. There are days when this is a huge challenge. There are other days where it is a joy. I also shudder because I fear there are some Christians who will be hostile to the very people they wish to see turn their lives over to Jesus. God's love MUST be shown.

Charleston, SC

First, how would Jesus treat Dylann Roof? He took a gun and sat in a Bible Study and then shot and killed nine people. I, just me, I think Jesus would look at Dylann and offer him forgiveness. He would allow Dylann an opportunity to ask for it and Jesus would then give it to him. What Dylann did is a sin. He killed people. For no reason other than they were the "wrong color," he killed them. Jesus would give him the opportunity to get things right. Does this mean there are no consequences to his action? Certainly not. There are ALWAYS consequences to our actions. We serve a just God, but also one who forgives.

How would Jesus treat the homosexual? He would love him. He would offer forgiveness. Why? First, because He cares about every individual. Second, because sin is sin. According to the Bible, homosexual behavior is a sin. No, I do not want to debate this issue. You will not change my mind, nor will I change yours. I did not write this to start a fire. Both Christians and non Christians must realize that we are not always going to agree on everything.

The "Supreme Court"

No, I am not one of those unfeeling, non-caring Christians who has never had a friend who is homosexual. Nor am I one who has never known or spoken with a homosexual. In fact, the ones I have known and know, know themselves better than a lot of heterosexuals. I am one who seeks to love people, follow God's word and point people to Him.

I am also not one of those who uses God's word against others. The way I see it, if the person does not adhere or care about the Word of God, they are not going to be won over by it. They need to see God's love in action. They want to see the Love we say we have shared with them. THAT is what makes a difference.

Now some would say I am "judging" people by saying this. Others would say I am a hater. Disagreement is not hate. I sometimes disagree with my wife on issues, but that does not mean I hate her. My goodness, to take disagreement and elevate it to hate is a huge leap for me, but evidently not for others. The ability to respectfully disagree with another human being, and not hate them, is what I call, "living on higher ground." God wants us living on "higher ground."

"Preacher, what about the Confederate flag?" Hmmmm. That is best saved for a post of its own. I do need to point out that getting rid of anything that reminds us of the civil war is not going to change the fact that it happened. I think it is best to have reminders of the pain lest we repeat the same mistakes later.

The big question for every Christian, and it should be asked every day, is "How do I reflect the love of Jesus today?" What we do with Jesus makes a difference in our lives, in our community and in our world. If one has truly given their lives to God, then they have said to Him, "Rule over me. Guide me." In doing this, we put ourselves in subjection to Him. THAT is where we need to live. May God help us to be who He wants us to be. May we listen to Him.

Youth Matter

I was so excited that Sunday as the youth helped us to worship the Lord. There is nothing better than having people help us to worship God. To be able to join together as a church family, and worship God, is probably one of the most exciting opportunities that we have as a Christian family. Many of the youth helped to paint the signs and have them ready for worship. They were preparing to worship. What do you do to help prepare your self to worship God on a given Sunday? When you gather to worship God there must be some forethought given to what you were going to do when you get there. You are not going to worship to be entertained, you are going to acknowledge God's presence and His power.

Many people approach worship as if it is a big show that they come and watch. Ah, but worship involves participants. And you and I are those participants. The one who is "on stage" is God. We are gathering to worship and praise God. Be thinking about what you can do to help others worship God. Be thinking before you walk through the doors into a time of worship.

Pay Phone and Music

Once upon a time there were phones in areas around cities and stores available for use by the public for a fee. If you needed to call someone when you were out and about you stopped at a pay phone and inserted some change and were able to make a call. When the cell phone was invented, it still made calls, but you could carry it with you. The first ones were called, "bag phones." They were rather large and those who could afford them carried them in their cars. As technology advanced, the phone shrank to a size which could be carried in a pocket. As technology continued to advance the cell phone became a smartphone which allowed you to search the internet while out and about. The common factor of the phone is the fact that you can have a voice connection with another human. The original use of the phone is still relevant today. The funny thing is, I do not hear millions crying out in pain and sorrow for the loss of the pay phone. Where are the loyalists? Where are those who loved having to carry enough change with them to make a call when they were out and about? You would be hard pressed to find those who miss the pay phone. Why? Because the phone still exists, just in a different form. One may still call a loved one when out and about.

In thinking about our church, I find it puzzling that some of us still hold on to the way we have done things for over 50 years without being open to the God inspired songwriters of today. Some of the new music touches hearts and reaches people. It does not sound like the old music, but it still serves the purpose of praising God and touching people's hearts. Should we ignore something that God is using? New is not bad. Not all new is best, but not all new is bad. Not all old was great either. Some of the old was horrible and we skip those hymns when singing to God in church. The point is, music evolves. It changes. You have old country and new country. Believe it or not, the songs that reached you may not reach people today. God tells us to sing a new song. Should we be resistant to something that God, Himself, told us to do? Are we scared, fearful of new songs?

Regardless of what you have been told or believe, hymns will not disappear from FBC. They will continue to be sung and used by our congregation. They may have a different tune, be paired with a singable new song or chorus that does not repeat itself 50 or 7 times. If we are going to reach this generation we must learn to speak their language. We may not like it, but how willing are we to reach people for Christ? They matter to God. They must matter to us. If we insist on maintaining the "way things have always been" at FBC, then we will continue to decrease in number. Have you not noticed that we have been unable to replace with new members those who have passed away? Have you stopped to wonder why? We have lost families due to our unwillingness to bend in the area of music. How long can we exist if we continue on this road? We have a long time family which I am not sure about. They are hanging on, hoping we change a bit in our music. If we do not, I fear they, too, will leave. We have had people visit and tell us that they did not like the music. Sure, those who grew up with hymns liked what we do, but those who are longing for music that reaches them skip out and go elsewhere. We must be able to compromise in this area. It is vital to the continued existence of our church. 

I do not know how many times I have to say this, but here I go again, "We are not going to be a rock and roll church. The music will not be bangy clangy. It will also NOT be loud. We will not have music that dishonors God. We may have our favorites, but so does the younger generation. We have music that speaks to us and so do they. How will we reach them? The bottom line is, "do we care about those outside our church and their eternal destiny or not?" If we do, then we must learn, as Paul said, to be all things to all people in order that we might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22 NASB)

Is church all about the music? No. Is music important and do people have music preferences? Yes. Can we meet EVERY need people have? No. Should we try? To a degree, yes. I am not asking for a complete overhaul of our music program, just a few adjustments. Can we do this? I think we can. As of yet, we have not seen a truly trained music director try. I pray we will soon. Pray for your church.  

Worship with us!

We have started a new service on Sunday evenings. We are calling it Pursuit. We are seeking to pursue God in all of our services, but this evening service is one that is non-traditional. We use guitars and a keyboard. Tonight's service was great! I truly feel God is going to bless us as we reach out to our community.

Upward Soccer is going to be great! Come watch the kids as they play September 29th.

Helping Hands will be working again, probably on the 22nd, of this month.

Exciting things are happening at FBC. Invite a friend and be a part of what God is doing!

Keep praying!

What does God have for us next?

Pray for our church as we seek a new music leader for worship. Pray God helps us to have eyes as to who He wants for us to have. 

Worship is not to be taken lightly. It's our purpose of gathering as His family on a given day. Pray we lean on His guidance in all things. 

Many thanks for the many years of service that Mrs. Carolyn Thomas gave to God and to His church in Winnsboro. She has put countless hours in preparation and thought. There is a special place in the soprano section of God's choir when the time comes. I'm convinced of that! Thank you Mrs. Carolyn for ALL you have done! To God be the glory!

Helping Hands

So we had a work day at the church on Saturday. Had a great group show up. Got things done! Love our church! Topped the weekend off with two baptisms and a great camp report from Ridgecrest. What a weekend!

Even got spots off the ceiling!

Easter–Celebrating the Gift.

Our Easter Cross at FBC.

Easter at First Baptist Church was an awesome time of celebrating the risen Lord. I do believe this Easter has been more meaningful and real to me than any other year. Is it because I'm growing up? I'm not sure. Whatever the case is, this Easter was just great! God is so good. We really don't deserve the gift which God has given us.

Maundy Thursday–a time of reflection.

It's here. This is the time of the year where we celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the dead. This past Maundy Thursday service was very moving and helped us to truly concentrate for 35 minutes of our busy lives on what Jesus did for us. There is some sort of connection with God which occurs when we spend time with Him. I guess that is no revelation, but to have it occur sure reminds us of how much we do need to spend time with Him. 

The service is available on DVD if you missed it. I would advise you to get a copy from the church office. Our lives are too full of situations and issues which pull us away from God, this service sure helped me to draw closer to Him. That is what true worship is. It's not about preferences in music or in oratorial style. It's about focusing on God and His presence. 

I hope your Easter Sunday is a great time of worship and celebration. God is great and He loves us! Amazing love!

It's amazing what happens when Christians choose to love.

I read this story and was so pleased. THIS is what we, as Christians are to be like. THIS is what it means to look past what we see with our eyes and see a person's heart in need of the love of Christ. THIS is it. Read this story. I think it will amaze you. God is a big God and we can share His love if we'll simply look past what we see with our eyes and look at the need of a person's heart. There are many broken hearts in need of His love. Some even live in Franklin Parish.

Revival

Rev. Charles Finney

So, I ran across this quote by Charles Finney, "A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God." How true that is. Revival is when we refocus and begin obeying God as we used to. It's an awakening of the sleeping spirit to one which is alive, aware and ready to serve. Be praying for revival services at FBC, Winnsboro. Pray we'll be awakened to God's power and God's voice.

Ecclesiastes, nothing new under the sun

Well, we finished the January Bible Study. Ecclesiastes was a great study that reminded us that without God, life is meaningless. What a study!

I've never been applauded for doing a Bible Study before. There is a first for everything. The people I pastor at FBC, Winnsboro are awesome!

On a sad note, our Uncle Willie passed away today. He had had a stroke and had pneumonia. Sad.

Reflection time/Lights went out...

Happy Birthday to me. Well, it's my birthday today. Did I do anything special? Not really. I went to the office. The day continues  by like any other with the exception of over 100 Happy Facebook Birthday greetings, a container of strawberries, a card and a gift certificate to San Marcos Mexican Restaurant. I also received some cologne, sleeping pants and sweat pants from my family. Oh, also cake and ice cream! Lol. Yes, I guess it was special. As I begin to age, I have found an urgency to make a difference in this world. I have taken some time to reflect and ask myself the question, "If I died today, would the world be a better place because I was here?" It's a question I find myself asking more and more.

Lights went out
 Sunday evening the lights went out. Close to 1,100 people in our area were without electricity. Remember what Sunday was? Yes, it was Super Bowl Sunday. The power went out around 5 p.m. I was supposed to be sharing the January Bible Study at 6 p.m. People came and left. After they left, at 6:05 p.m., the power came back on. Why did God allow this? Is He REALLY a football fan? I have my doubts. I question why it would happen to come on just after everyone left. Amazing.

When winning just doesn't happen.

Well, I watched the Saints lose. I watched and could not believe what I was seeing. We tried, but we had a team that seemed to want the win a bit more than we did.

I then watched the Miss America Pageant. Wow. So subjective. Hope Anderson should have won. It was an odd pageant. She is a winner in all of our hearts. We are so proud to have her as our Miss Louisiana. I think God has big plans for her.

Sometimes winning doesn't happen. Sometimes it's not time. When winning doesn't happen, what do you do? I am disappointed. I am down. I try to convince myself that it wasn't meant to be. I sometimes believe myself. I really should. I don't know who needs what when. I don't know "all." Ah, but I do know the one who does. I am still learning to trust Him in all things. He has His timing and we have ours. Ours is not right, His always is.

In spite of the lack of wins recently for our state there are a great number of churches who are praying through the 21 days. Ours is one of them. It's an awesome experience and one I hope will change our lives for the better. Spending time with God is never a losing proposition. We are winners each second we spend with Him.

As we continue to pray, let God speak to you. Take time to listen to Him. If there is any time we need to be closer to God and have direction in our lives it's now. If there is anytime we need to rise up and live out our faith before mankind, it's now. Our nation needs a spot of Hope. Our state needs a spot of Hope. Let's share the Hope of Christ with those who need it.

@FBCWinn and "Does my child need a mobile phone?"

I decided I could handle doing twitter and facebook for our church family. Is it too much? I don't think so. There are so many tools available to communicate with each other that it has become an easy task to do so in under a few minutes. Hootsuite is such a tool. It allows me to post to facebook AND to twitter at the same time. Not bad.

"Does my child need a cell phone?"
As I visited a local school I noticed a few baskets in the office full of mobile phones. I thought, "Wow, someone could make some money selling those." Then it hit me. These were phones which were collected at the beginning of the day from students who brought them to school. Some of these phones belong to students as young as 3rd or 4th grade. My questions are, "Really? Do who do these kids need to contact at school? Who do these kids ever need to call? How many of them are driving? At this age, do they really need a mobile?" I posted a similar question on facebook, but no one responded. I am wondering, just wondering, why does a young child need a mobile phone? I am not judging anyone, but just want to know why some feel a child needs a mobile phone?

Pre-Teen Invasion/21 days of prayer

As you read this I may still be in Pineville at the Pre-Teen invasion. Pray for us as we are here with some of our smaller First Family members. Pray we learn more about God and have some fun along the way.

How is the 21 Days of Prayer going for you? It's quite challenge. Hang in there. Be open to what God wants to do in your life. He wants to use you in a mighty way. Draw close to Him and listen to what He is saying to you. I'm praying for all of us during this time of prayer.

Praying for 21 days…

Wow. That seems like a tall order. Actually, it's not. When it comes to drawing closer to God one should never become satisfied where one stands with Him. Just when a person feels he's doing ok, he realizes he is not as much like Jesus as he'd like to be. The process of becoming more like Christ takes time. In fact, it's going to take an entire lifetime.

The question I have is, "How much more like Christ am I today than I was yesterday?" That is a great question to ask oneself every day. Don't spend time asking if so and so is more like Christ. Take an inward look at yourself and ask yourself the question.

Spiritual awakening is not going occur in my life or anyone else's life automatically. It will occur when our heart is a receptive position. Is you heart in the "receptive position?"

Happy New Year folks!

As we begin this new year we begin it in prayer. On Monday, as we pray for spiritual awakening, I pray also that you will join with us in your prayer journal. Prayer journals will be available in the foyer. Seek God's face and renew your relationship with Him. We all are in need of a spiritual awakening. It's time.

Oops…I broke a tradition.

Well, it appears I had a bad dream and thought someone told me we did not have to draw to see what section of the congregation eats first at our annual Christmas Dinner. So, I did not have anyone do that. Now I fear for my life and those of my children. Pray I am still the pastor in January. Lol. It's funny, traditions are neat to have. They are important. Some are not as important, but some are. I broke this one. I feel funny about it. I do know that I won't be breaking anymore any time soon. At least not on purpose. Lol. By the way, yes, I overindulged. Oops again.

Oh what a day and night! Plus: Mission Minded Budget

FirstKid's: (from left to right, front row) Andrew Beeman, Luke Wolleson,

Jackson Cordill, Joshua Beeman, Caroline Grant, Bruce Cordill,

(Second Row, l-r) Halie Thomas, (Third row, l-r) Chloe Wolleson,

Katilyn Thomas, Blair Grieme, Jacob Cordill, Joseph Wolleson,

Jessie Thomas and Jarrod Thomas.

Today was an awesome day at First Baptist, Winnsboro! This morning we were able to hear from one of our undercover missionaries who serves in, well, an undisclosed country. It was amazing to hear about her work and what God is doing through this missionary. By the way, have you given an offering, a sum above and beyond your tithe, to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering yet? Pray about it.

This evening we heard our children perform, The Living Créche. They did a great job. I am so proud of our kids. They worked hard. I was amazed at those who sang solos. I don't recall ever having the courage to sing a solo at their age!

Budget Planning
In our Budget Planning Meeting tonight we discussed working towards a mission minded budget. We need to be more about missions than maintenance. We are holding our own, but are we helping to change our world? Keep our committee in your prayers as they seek God's will in regards to missions.

Prayer for the Pastor would be great!

As I sit here typing this, I think about prayer and what it means to me when someone says, "I'm praying for you." Sometimes I believe it. At other times I hope it's true. Either way, when you pray for your pastor, it's one of the most important actions you can participate in concerning him.

Take time to pray for your pastor. Every now and then, tell him you do. It will make his day and maybe even his month or year.

As it so happens, while I did not intend to add this to this post, I would like you to pray for me as I serve on the board of the Princess Theatre in Winnsboro and on the Board of Trustees for the Baptist Message. Neither will tax me, but I do want to serve well in both of those roles. Thankfully they will not take away from me passion of shepherding God's people at FBC.

One more thing…
Huge thanks to Rev. Johnny Hankins, and wife Pam, as they shared with our Triple L group on Thursday. They did a great job. They even taught us a bit of history! Thank you for the laughter as well!