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What a Wedding!  I had the extreme privilige to officiate the wedding of one of our fine young men and his betrothed last Saturday.  So wonderful was their journey to the Marriage altar that I literally had to re-write the entire wedding ceremony.  The first time they held hands, kissed, or embraced we were wittness to on Saturday.  Their first date was their honeymoon.  The anticipation was nearly overwhelming as the groom beamed as his beloved made her way to him.  I had the bride and her father stop at the base of the stage.  I was able to declare to the hundreds in attendance that the Church has been in Egypt for too long.  We have ceased being salt and light and are now being influenced by our culture - especially in the area of dating and relationships.  We have drunk deeply from the well of worldly wisdom and we are reaping what we have sowed in the destruction of Christian families.

We then had the giving away of the bride AND the confirmation of the groom.  I asked, "Who has prepared this man for the covenant of marriage and declares him qualified to take a wife?"  The Groom's father, also the best man, replied, "I have".  He then expressed his pride in his son's journey to this point and his joy at his son's character.  Then the father told the groom, "Son, go get your bride."  The groom literally bounded down the stairs!  His father in law then joined their hands together for the first time and said, "We've had her for 19 years.  I now transfer my authority and headship over her to you"  He then prayed a beautiful blessing over them. 

When they finally kissed it was amazing!  Tender & respectful yet full of anticipation and wonder!  The way it should be.  There were two very successful business men in attendance who were associates of the Groom's father.  They sought me out after the ceremony and had one burning question - "If this continues to happen, will it mean that there is a glimmer of hope for our nation?"  These guys were heaven and hell serious.  To look at two seasoned men who wittnessed the power of a multi generational vision of faithfulness being lived out and now reproduced in the life of these families.  With great confidence I assured them that our sons & daughters could be the beginning of hope for this fallen nation.  These sucessful and worldly wise men were wiping away tears of hope as I shared the gospel with them.

How awesome is our God and his righteous plan for his children!  To God be all the glory!

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I got out of God's way today.  I love music & especially to worship.  I play the guitar, harmonica, & the stereo.  A couple of weeks ago I stepped out of our worship ministry so I could actually worship.  My pastor partner is much more skilled than I am in the technical arena of music.  For the past two Lord's days I have actually just worshipped.  The group is actually doing better - they are very talented and gifted with no "rock stars'.  It hit me today as I listened to the beautiful blend of double bass violin, guitar, violin, & piano - I just needed to get out of God's way.  I was so ready to preach after the sweet time of worship.  It was better without me & I was better for it.  Pastor John's gifting is really coming out as well some of the members of the group.  It's amazing to me that I can actually hinder God's giftings by trying to do it all FOR Him.  I praise God for his patience & mercy and the gentle way he rebukes his zealous sons.

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It’s a beautiful Indian Summer here in middle Georgia.  I’ve been hard at it in my study since this morning trying to exegete the Hebrew of Genesis 7 & 8.  The phone rings & its my Dad.  “Hey, you ready to fix your kitchen ‘plumbing problem’?”  After five hours of Hebrew, a blow torch and soldering iron were looking really good.  “Sure” I enthusiasticly replied, “I’ll see you in about an hour”.  We haven’t had cold water in our kitchen for the past couple of weeks.  I “checked it out” and discovered that the cold water supply was leaking at the valve.  I purchased the part a week and a half ago & it has been spending quality time with the other half of the home depot repair aisle that inhabit my top dresser drawer.  Just as the supply valve was making friends with the box of outlets purchased last year, Dad called.  I was all psyched up for the blow torch when Dad strolled in, tool box & drop light in tow.  My son plugged in “Poppy’s” light and Dad disappeared under the sink.  I could just about hear the hiss of the blow torch and and smell the odor of the hot solder gun when Dad emerged with that triumphant smile that I’ve seen a thousand times and declared, “You’re good to go”.  What?!  How?!  Come to find out the hose to the sink sprayer, located about a foot above the cold water supply, came loose & the water ran down the line and dripped off of the supply handle.  Some Teflon tape and a few tugs of the old adjustable wrench & we were “good to go”.  The problem was my diagnosis & how I arrived at that particular conclusion.  The thought of the time & energy involved in fixing it is what I used as an excuse to ignore the problem for two weeks.  My dear wife, who has the patience of Job, lovingly commented that drinking warm water was getting a little old.  Dad tackled the same exact problem but he had two things going for him that I don’t.  One – Years of experience & two –a natural propensity to fix anything broken (which did not make it in my particular genetic makeup – I, however, CAN break anything Dad can fix)

This true account is really a microcosm of my life.  I have a problem, a sin problem.  It shows up in my life & makes a mess at home. I know it needs addressing but the time & energy to do that just seem overwhelming.  Besides, there are so many other front burner issues that need my attention – I’ll deal with it later.  You know, “if you ignore your sin, he is faithful and just…” Yea right.  The Father calls at just the right time & I am willing to listen,  “You bout ready to deal with that ‘plumbing problem’?”  With the light of the Holy Spirit & the tool of Holy Scripture, he goes to work & puts his finger right on the problem – Unbelief.  See, the sin is just a symptom of the root problem which is unbelief.  I believed a lie then embraced it and gave birth to sin.  That sin must be dealt with because if it is allowed to grow to maturity – death is the result.  I am ready for major spiritual surgery but the Father merely tightens up the faith leak with the wrench of Scripture & seals it with the Teflon tape of the Holy Spirit.  He emerges from the dark recesses of my soul and triumphantly declares, “You’re good to go”. 

As Dad left my kitchen he gave me one of his chiding back door encouragements that I have become so fond of.  “Don’t wait so long to call me next time.”  Isn’t that just like the Father?

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I've just realized that we've come a long way...in the wrong direction.  How did we get to the place in this nation that we accept abortion on demand, indoctrination of our kids in the halls of Babylon, & family splintering Church methodology?  What ever happened to discernment?  What ever happened to standing up for the truth even if it means standing alone?  We are in desperate need of discerning & corageous men to fill our pulpits & to lead our families back to God's unchanging standard.  We look at these issues & wonder how it got that bad.  Well, as I see it, these issues are the tip of the iceburg of apostacy, apathy, & ignorance (for which there is no excuse).  I recently went to a "Christian" marriage seminar that stated a "traditional" (biblical) marriage was a "problem to be remedied".  The material then went on to quote the likes of Gloria Steinum.  The real problem is that a room full a Pastors & Church Staff simply nodded in agreement.  Why weren't there red flags going up all over the room?  Cal Thomas recently asked Rick Warren if there was anything in his best selling book, "The Purpose Driven Life" that wasn't in the Bible.  Warren answered, "No" to which Thomas replied, "Good, you just saved me $19.99".  When will we stop looking to Warren & Hybles & start looking to Christ?  What will it take to call the Church back to her roots & to gain a Biblical sense of discernment once again?

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God is so faithful.  I spent last Thursday evening at the home of one of the faithful families in our assembly.  There were 40 people in this modest home.  More than half were kids under 15.  We played volleyball, ate a wonderful meal, sang to the Lord, & enjoyed an excellent exposition of the 102nd Psalm.  Ralph brought the teaching & it was born out of his family worship time.  As a Pastor/Teacher who teaches 4 times a week not counting daily discipleship with my own family - the joy of hearing another gifted, competent, & passionate man expound the "Eternality & Immutability" of the Father is a gift too great for words!  After a time of worship we enjoyed the best banana pudding I have ever had!  Then about 20 of us played "capture the flag".  I left full thrice over.  Full of great food, full of God's word, & full of the joy of the Lord.  It also hit me as I was driving home that this kind of assembly can survive in hostile territory.  We have bought into the church building/idol mentality.  I suggested that we get a new sign for the front of the church as the old cross & wooden sign was rotting away.  One long time member of the church informed me that "This sign IS the church."  He no longer worships with us but that mentality is so prevalent.  What would most of our assemblies do if we were stripped of our idolatrous properties tomorrow through "emminent domain"?  If we would begin to adjust our mentality to family ministry & hospitality - the church would never miss a beat. 

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Can we really do that?  The early church lived in a culture of Spirit birthed "koinenea", fellowship.  Our Church elders recently asked the above question at a retreat.  Can we really expect to have the same type of fellowship that they had in Acts 2?  Our individualistic culture will never allow it.  We're too busy.  Who's going to cook & clean up every week?  These were all questions to the wild idea of bringing our food to church every week & sharing a fellowship meal together after the weekly worship service.  We weren't responding in obedience to the scripture but rather we were addressing a practical need.  We have 6 families that travel over 40 miles to worship with us.  We were discussing ways to give them a bigger "bang for their gasoline buck".  Then we realized that sharing a weekly fellowship meal not only met our objective but it embraced a biblical pattern.  So once again, we backed into obedience.  The genesis of our "Family Fellowship" is the first Sunday in March.  I'm so thankful that God is patient with those of us who tend to back into obedience rather than using the front door.

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Two weeks ago 25 men gathered for four hours on a Saturday to welcome my son into our world, the world of men.  They all gave passionate pleas for this young man to walk in paths of righteousness & to honor his parents at all times.  Several themes emerged as prominant throughout the evening.  A man uses his gifts to glorify God, edify the saints, & evangelize the lost.  My son is gifted in the arts & is "faning into flames the gift of God that is in him."  My oldest son & wife purchased an upright piano as a tool to aide this young man in honing his skills & gifts for the glory of God.  Purity, honor, & holiness are a man's duty & God's delight.  Lastly, admonitions against pride as the chief of the things God hates.  The gifts given were full of meaning as well.   A set of tools from my father who is a master auto body technician with an admonition to become familiar with God's word as the all sufficiant tool box.  A retired pulpit bible from my father-in-law, digital photo editing software, an acoustic guitar from me, a framed photo & explination of the Presidential Motto , "The Buck Stops Here", a complete set of classical sheet music with the coresponding LP recordings & a vintage record player.  After three hours of presentations, 25 men gathered around this young man and blessed him in prayer. After I offered the final prayer I insructed my son to rise & look each man in the eye for two reason.  Each man he locked eyes with was making a promise to walk with him in this journey through manhood and because he was now one of us.  Many of the eldest men present related that they would give anything to have had the blessing of their fathers.  May we bless our boys as they become men. 

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One of the most frustrating aspects of a Pastor's calling is the reluctance of believers to apply the teaching of God's word both practically & personally.  Well today I & my family were blessed to see a stellar example of just such an application.  Two ladies from our church who heard Sunday's message on "Burden Bearing" from Galatians 6:1-5, showed up at our home this morning around 9:30.  My wife has been suffering from debilitating headaches for the past 4 months.  She is in bed more than she is up.  They came with mops & rags in hand & cleaned our house top to bottom.  My in laws are coming Friday & this has been a real blessing for this family of ours.  God is good & he has used these ladies to not only clean our floors but strengthen our hearts.

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Yesterday I brought a teaching on Galatians 5:24-6:5 entitled "He ain't heavy, He's my brother".  God blessed & a clear context driven lesson really hit home.  There were a number of clear insights but the one that struck me the most was the apparent contradiction between 6:2 & 6:5.  The former commands us to bear one another's burdens but the later states that we must bear our own burdens.  On the platform of the church I had the bubble, a luggage carrier for the top of your car.  On it was the word "Barros".  On the other side of the platform I had a backpack on which was the word "phortion".  Both words mean burden or load in Greek.  Barros in vs 2 means a heavy lumbering load that one person cannot bear alone.  Photion in vs 5 means "a mans pack".  The "load" of vs 5 is our calling & spiritual gifts to be employed for the evangelizing of the lost & the edification of the saint to the glory of the Father.  According to Jesus, this burden is light -or a joy to bear.  Another interesting observation is that Paul equates a Barros burden with sin not circumstance.  We think of burdens as things that happen to us - like my wife's illness - making us the victim.  This is true but in a secondary way because the bible here gives a clear primary definition of a heavy load as a sin.  That moves me from the 'victim' catagory to the 'culprit' catagory.  God did not mean for us to bear these sin loads alone.  In fact, we cannot.  We are unable to do so.  We need other spiritual believer -those who walk after the Spirit - to confront us in love with an eye to restoration.  For some pragmatic reason, this command has been labled "mean spirited" & "unloving" so we have dismissed its practice out of hand.  What we are left with is believers who are crushed under the weight of their sin because nobody is willing to follow the Spirit & trust God for the outcomes.  When will we wake up and repent?

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I had to "correct" my 13 year old son last night.  He is me all over again & his flesh has a way of igniting mine.  I understand him all too well for he bears the "sins of his father".  I know that sarcasim & anger shut his spirit up tight.  When that happens, no amount of discipline is effective.  I am almost at a loss as to what to do.  I say 'almost' because the answer grates against my flesh.  I need to talk to him.  It is just so much easier to yell & impart a consequence.  I guess I'm a lazy Dad at times.  Even as a Pastor, I have had to discipline errant church members.  My fellow elders have admonished me for my "bluntness" that can come across as harsh.  I have the gift of prophecy (forth telling not fortelling) & prophets aren't warm fuzzy people.  I know that can be used as an excuse.  I sent my son to work with his older brother & a church elder today.  Good physical work never hurts & often helps prepare the heart of a young man.  Tonight we will "talk" man to man.  I will show him the scripture that warns of his offense & try to cast a vision of why this behavior must be ammended through the power of the Holy Spirit in the path of repentance.  I need to use the golden rule.  Treating him like I would want to be treated if I were in his shoes (and I have been, many times).  Anger has been a family curse for us.  My paternal family is well known for short fuses & voilent behavior.  May this curse die in me & not be passed down to my children & thier children.  I believe that all it takes is one man who will submit to the Lordship of Christ & live in the flow of the ungrieved Holy Spirit to break a generational curse.  My Father was the first in his family to be justified by faith alone in Christ.  He began a new chapter for us - one where Jesus was now Savior.  My chapter must be one where Jesus is Lord.  My children will live out chapter three where Jesus is Life.

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You never know the worth of water until the well runs dry.  My Grandma used to quote that to me frequently.  Growing up in foster care during the depression, she experienced the agony of not belonging or being wanted.  She knew what it was like to not have family or food.  She knew the worth of both.  My own partner & help meet has been down with severe headaches for nearly four months now.  She has spent more days in bed than up.  We, as a family, have been learning first hand the incredible worth of this incredible woman.  It is a shame that it takes such a severe circumstance to shake us out of our apathy.  This time has also revealed the depth of my selfishness.  It is staggering.  Just as I preach to my kids that the struggle will end when you submit to authority - I now hear my Father in heaven say the same thing to me.  Yet I still struggle & push & fight it.  I must admit that it has occured to me more than once that maybe this sickness is more about my sin than not.  Yet I still resist.  This weekend, our church elders prayed over her according to James 5:13-16.  Following this, her pain seemed to increase in frequency & severity.  I wonder if it is like the children of Isreal getting the ark & bringing it into the battle with the Philistines because they were losing.  They thought they could "use" God to bail them out.  The enemy won & captured the ark as well.  I don't want to use God.  I want to be used by him.  May he forgive me & give me a heart of flesh for a heart of stone.

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Well its Monday - my day off.  My assistant Pastor called early this morning to inform me that the Church was broken into last night.  Just some minor damage & minor theft.  It appears to have been young kids based on the inexpensive "toys" that were stolen.  It makes me realize that the church is having little to no impact on the community in general.  Yesterday my treasurer informed me of the desperate condition of our "giving".  Basically, only about 10% of the body is giving anything resembling a tithe.  Not only are we not reaching the community outside of the church, we are not reaching the congregation INSIDE the church.  My first reaction to the financial report was not concern for my family due to my being employed by the church (this WAS my second reaction however).  My first thought was the spiritual condition of the flock.  There are two books that show where we are in relation to our sanctification - Our checkbook & our daytimer.  Money is money & time is money.  Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  To put it another way - your passions follow your investments - not the other way around. 

     Then the "trifecta" hit me.  We are not reaching our community from with out or with in because we are not reaching our families.  We are not reaching our families because we have given up on reaching our fathers & communicating to them that THEY, not the church, are responsible for reaching & teaching THEIR families.  We are taking drastic steps in our church to change that.  Basically, we are taking the safety net out from under our men.  We are dedicating our energies to equipping & empowering Men to lead, feed, & intercede for their own families.  May God both protect & empower us to succeed for his glory. 

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I took the kids to a "Silent Memorial Walk" today in downtown Macon.  We gathered at the steps of City Hall for a time of worship, prayer, & a brief memorial speech.  Then in silence, we walked the mile and a half to Central City park.  The Police escorted us & stopped traffic.  We were instructed to pray as we walked.  As I prayed, I kept being drawn to the kids in our procession at leas a third if not half of the 300 people were children.  My prayer was that God would raise up this generation to lead a national repentance.  I have always believed that God was and is calling the Fathers of my generation home to their families.  But most of us didn't "get it" or "heed the call" untill we were already adults.  My sons, Lord willing, will walk into marriage with a rock solid understanding of biblical headship, servant leadership, & a patriarcal, mulitgenerational vision.  I have likened myself to Terah of Genesis.  We don't know a lot about him but his boy, Abram (later Abraham), is as familiar to us as Moses, David, & Jesus.  All God called Terah to do was to move the family out of the Ur of the Chaldees.  He gave Abram a taste for adventure born out of obedience to the one true God.  He uprooted his family & moved them several miles north.  Terah may never have understood the significance of his obedience but we do today.  Abraham never settled & was noted for his radical faith & the obedience born out of it.  Like father, like son.  Yea, I'm Terah & I'm thrilled to be so but I am raising some Abrahams & Sarahs that are going to do far greater exploits in the name of Christ.  My own Dad was over tonight to put my dryer back together.  I am so blessed to live on the same street as my folks.  Dad is amazing.  He can fix anything.  I hated having to help him as a kid but I love it now.  He was faithful to keep us in church & to demand a righteous standard in his home.  Dad is an autobody man with a 6th grade education.  He is not a big reader but yesterday he recommended a book by Henry Blackaby called, "What the Spirit is saying to the Church".  I started it today & am halfway through it.  He asked me tonight if I started it yet & I told him I'm half way through it.  I think I saw something of pride in his eyes.  I have tried to build on the foundation that Dad gave me & I pray my sons & daughters do the same.

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Today was interesting.  I never have two days that are alike which is good for me.  I get bored easily with routine.  I had a lunch meeting & the guy who was supposed to be hawking sound equipment to a bunch of Pastors had the gift of evangelism big time.  He really reminded us why we are doing what we're doing.  Go figure.  You think you're in for a free lucnh & a sales pitch & you end up both convicted & encouraged.  I also noticed what a compelling vision cast with passion could do - even to a bunch of over fed preachers.  I was strangely thinking in terms of family -mine actually.  How important it is for me to have a compelling vision for my family & to cast it with passion & zeal.  My family needs to be a part of something bigger than any one of us individually.  My daughters need to know that when they match socks they are contributing to the vision & that it is worth their effort.  My sons need to know that when they split firewood they are fulfilling a vital aspect of the success of this family.  Without a vision the people perish.  Maybe that is our problem

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This morning in our family worship we were reading Proverbs 17.  The Holy Spirit highlighted vs. 14 & 19 dealing with quarrels.  I took a "real life" example in our home of using someone else's property without asking.  We talked about the difference between a "response" & a "reaction".  Reacting is what the flesh does while responding is motivated by the Spirit & the Word.  That's what the pain started.  I realized that I was the worst offender in the house on this issue!  The kids learned it from me!  I have been under conviction about my angry spirit.  There is such a harsh edge to me & it is having a negative effect on my whole family.  Then to top it off, one of our memory chapters is James one & we quoted together, "Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  Remember, your anger can never make things right in God's sight."  I "know" that my anger comes from a stubborn desire to be served & to have it my way.  I also know that I must replace the lie with the truth (God's precepts).  Today I echo the word's of St. Paul  in Romans 7:24 & 25a, "O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

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I delivered a sermon on Deuteronomy 6 entitled "Whose Job is it Anyhow?".  It was a bit of an expose of the government school system.  I challenged our parents to prayerfully consider withdrawing their children from public education.  My premise was that it is our job as parents to educate & disciple our kids.  Well that message really shook up the deacons & some of our leadership.  One family, a biology professor at our local college quit coming for 6 months. 

Shorlty after that, the Lord brought to us the first home educating family ,other than us, in our church.  Since then, 4 more such families have come in part due to that sermon.  I believe strongly in the uniting of Church & Home.  In our fellowship, we learn, worship, & fellowship as families.  We have a family Sunday School, Choir, & Worship time.  I believe it is refreshing to go to God's house & not immediatly be split up.  I have found that this type of worship philosophy is not without its challenges but the benefits far outweigh them.  I am meeting with our leaders this weekend for a retreat.  It is my prayer that they will fully embrace the vision of a united Church & Home.

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My wife has been down with severe headaches for the past two & a half months.  They are not every day but she gets 2 to 3 a week.  They put her out of commission for at least two days.  We are going to the Dr. weekly with zero succuss as yet.  The house, home, & education are all beginning to crumble.  I don't see an end of this physical problem in the near future.  We have to regroup & figure out how to function with Mom/Wife in a very limited role.  The kids are 16, 13, 9, 6, & 9 months.  I am a Pastor & as such my time is flexable.  ANY suggestions would be deeply appreciated.

Peace,

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