Hopeless

As I write this, my heart is very heavy and hurting. I was in Youth Ministry for many years and during those years God allowed me to build some lasting and meaningful relationships. I can't recall the name of every student, parent, or adult volunteer that was a part of the ministries God blessed me with. However, I can recall many who I had, and continue to have, meaningful relationships with. One of the greatest parts of Youth Ministry is when a student has parents, or at least one parent, who cared enough to be involved in the lives of their kids. It was a joy to come alongside parents and help them with the spiritual development of their kids. Some parents you forget, not intentionally, and there are some you never forget. I recall two families I will never forget. These two families were a vital part of our youth ministry and our church as a whole.

Back in 2005 my family moved to Valdosta, GA where God opened the door for us to be on staff at Northside Baptist Church. In 2007 I received a phone call, from a former church member in Florida that the mother of two former students of mine had committed suicide. For many days I thought I was dreaming. This lady was a youth worker, church pianist/organist. Law school graduate. Her husband was a prominent attorney in town yet something was wrong. She had fallen sick shortly after we moved and almost lost her life. Although she recovered enough to function with her family and church family, she never seemed to have fully recovered. She got to the point in her life where she felt hopeless and taking her own life was the only way out.

Today, December 10th, 2013, I received another phone call. As I was listening to the person on the other end, I again felt I was dreaming. The voice on the phone said, "Nick, Mrs.____________ took her own life." I sat there speechless for what seemed like thirty minutes. This family was known throughout the same community as the previous lady I told you about. She was a middle school teacher for many years. Her children had grown up in our church in Florida. Her and her husband were strong supporters of our Youth & College Ministry. Her daughter is engaged and she was supposed to go dress shopping with her next weekend. What I was told by the voice on the other end was that she had been experiencing a lot of pain and was having a hard time at work. No doubt, just like the previous lady, she had gotten to the point of feeling hopeless.

I have been asked many times throughout the years, "Nick, do you know what it's like to feel hopeless?" And I have to be real honest and say, "No." I do know what it's like to feel helpless. However, I have never had a moment in my life where I felt hopeless. I pray to God on a regular basis that I never get to the point where I feel this way. Hopelessness has got to be the most miserable place to be. If hopelessness can bring a person to the point of taking their own life, I ask God to please protect me from ever getting to that place.

Ever since I heard this news this morning these words have been on my heart and mind:

My hope is built on nothing less 
than Jesus' blood and righteousness. 
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, 
but wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the solid rock I stand, 
all other ground is sinking sand; 
all other ground is sinking sand.

When Darkness hides his lovely face, 
I rest on his unchanging grace. 
In every high and stormy gale, 
my anchor holds within the veil. 

Let me encourage all of you with this; if you ever begin feeling hopeless, PLEASE lean on Jesus. This is done by finding someone who can help you. God loves you and people love you. I know there are times you feel no one does but I PROMISE YOU THEY DO.

Pumped

Most of you have seen it. Especially this time of year. You are watching a football game or most recently the World Series. Your favorite team, or the team you are pulling for, does something good and you throw your fist or arms in the air to celebrate. You, or another fan, does this because they believe that what just happened is worth getting excited about. Not everyone is in to football or sports for that matter. However, there is something in all of us that gets excited or pumped. What is it that gets you to this point? We don't throw our fist or arms in the air for just anything. We have to be convinced that what just happened is worth getting excited for. See, raising your fist or arms in the air is a sign of support and loyalty.

In Isaiah 44:6-23, the Prophet Isaiah addresses the problem God's people (Israel) had with idolatry. Israel would support and get excited about worldly things more than they would support and get excited about God Himself. They replaced God with worldly loyalties. In today's culture we replace our loyalty to God with loyalty to football, baseball, hunting, video games, iPhone's, TV, work, family, etc.  We will throw our fist and arms in the air for things we are loyal to. In Isaiah 44:23, Isaiah instructed Israel, "Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel." This sounds like a celebration, where God's children are to throw their arms and fist in the air because God has blotted out their transgressions. We should get more excited/pumped about what God has done for us and will do for others than we do for our favorite hobby or sport.

I come back to the original question. What is it that gets you excited or pumped? Is it the things of God or are you guilty of idolatry?

Vision

This is my favorite time of the year! You can feel and smell the weather change. The temperature is cooler, the leaves are changing, Georgia snow (cotton) is everywhere, it's hunting season, and most importantly College Football is in full swing. Fall is the best time of year, but it's also the busiest time of year. We are busy with fall festivals, Thanksgiving meals, and before you know it we will be busy with Christmas shopping and New Year celebrations. Being busy can be a good thing. It can result in production-getting things done. If we just sit around and don't busy ourselves then nothing will get accomplished. However, being busy can also be distracting. It can cause you to lose focus on what's really important in life. I can't tell you how many times I totally forgot to do something important (like pay a bill on-time) because I was too busy with other things. This is exactly what has happened to the local church. Many people think the busier the church the more we can accomplish. That may be true to a level but that is not what God's Word teaches us. God's Word gave us a clear vision and direction of what Christ wanted the church to accomplish. In Acts 2 we see the first church model for us what we are supposed to focus on. It says they were busy with 3 things. They worshiped together in the temple. They connected with God by worshiping Him. It also says, they devoted themselves to the apostles teachings and to fellowship in small groups in homes. They connected with each other by spending time together in small groups. Many churches today do this on Sunday morning and call it Sunday School. At Bethany, we offer Small Groups on Sunday morning and during the week for those who can't make Sunday morning, or prefer to connect with a group during the week. Acts 2 goes on to say, they were committed to ministering to the needs of each other. They put the needs of others over their own. This is called Ministry. They connected with ministry. THIS IS THE PRECISE VISION FOR BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH. God showed me that He wants us focusing on these 3 things and not becoming so busy we lose sight of our original purpose for existing. We strive to Connect with God, Connect with others, and Connect with ministry. If you are a Bethany Member, have you bought in to this vision? If no, it's not too late. Start with committing to attend worship regularly, then find a small group to connect with and start doing life with other believers. Once you have done this, connect with a ministry where you can serve others. Let's Do This!!

Pastor Appreciation

I was having a conversation with a couple of our staff members this morning and the topic of October being Pastor Appreciation Month came up. In our discussion I asked the question, "Who came up with Pastor Appreciation Month?" As I reflected on that question a little more, I began to think to myself, how does a church member show, or demonstrate, appreciation for their Pastor? So I jotted some thoughts down and thought I would share with you, how a member can show appreciation to their Pastor. First, don't confine your appreciation to one month out of twelve. Doing ministry together is a twelve months a year thing. There are many times during the rest of the year that your Pastor struggles, works hard with helping the flock, puts in hours when everyone else is sleeping and he gets physically, emotionally, and spiritually worn out. Showing appreciation to him throughout the year can go a long way in encouraging, strengthening, and supporting him. Second, whatever you do to demonstrate appreciation, make sure it's from your heart. Pastor's know their flock and they can detect if it's sincere or not. Sometimes people demonstrate appreciation out of obligation, maybe because someone else did, or they are trying to woo the Pastor. The act of appreciation is no where as important as the motive behind it. Your heart is what matters to your Pastor. Last, being a Biblical church member is the best way to show appreciation to your Pastor. A Pastor knows he can't do it all. Ministry is a team effort and it needs everyone doing their part. The Pastor can't, and can't be expected, to do it all. God have us all different gift sets, talents, and abilities. Each member, including the Pastor, needs to appreciate each other and function together. So there it is. If you love your Pastor listen to the heart of one and go for it.

Why A Blog?

I am new to blogging. In fact, this is my very first time attempting this so here goes. To start with I wanted this first blog to answer the question, why am I blogging? Growing up I never was much of a reader. It wasn't until college that I read my first complete book. I immediately acquired a like for reading but my acquired like was not to read everything and anything, but to read things I was interested in. Mostly I am interested in reading fictional things and the thoughts of others. As a Pastor I find myself reading what others think and how they interpret things. I like reading things of this nature because it allows me to see the heart of people and get to know them better even if I never have the opportunity to meet them. My desire to begin blogging comes from this same idea. My goal is to post thoughts, ideas, and insights that will challenge you, the reader, to think, consider, and grow more in your faith. If someone who is not of the Christian faith follows and reads my post I hope they see and feel the love of God. I never want to sound arrogant, argumentative, or unteachable. I encourage dialogue and hope these post are insightful and encouraging to all who read them.