Missional

How do you like this weather? It sure is hot/cold out there. Why are we here when it's so nice out there?

My pastor has introduced me to the term missional outreach. I've traditionally called it discipleship. I don't really know which term I like better, but I try to engage those around me.

I am shy when unfamiliar with my surroundings, but very expressive when I am comfortable and in my little world. I think that is because I am a control freak, and when not in control I tend to try to figure out how to be instead of just doing it. That being said, I have discovered my favorite way to get to know someone I know nothing about.

In out modern society, most folks don't tend to talk to each other. We tend to be overly focused on our task at hand, and can not deviate from that task. We close ourselves off so that if someone unfamiliar to us speaks to us we will smile/giggle, give a short response and walk off wondering why they spoke to me.

The trouble I have had for years is that one person is into sports, another is into reading, while someone else is in to cars. It's hard to tell in most cases, what someone is passionate about. Everyone however is affected by the weather. I've found that if you say something about the weather, that everyone has a story they are just waiting to tell. They will still hide it, but they really want to tell it.

Man it was a scorcher yesterday.

It sure was, we had to go to a birthday party that was outside. (This is the response that shuts most down, but I find it best to ask questions about their response)

Who's birthday was it?

It was my nieces birthday. She turned...

With every statement made, I will figure out a connection. I'll ask more questions, and tell related stories. This shows whoever it is that we have similarities. I usually walk away knowing that I have had an impact on someone. I have given someone the attention that they rarely get.

My wife is an example of this as well. How many know the name of the postman? Our's gets Christmas presents, and conversation anytime we receive a package. We aren't best friends, but we share the joy of Christ every chance we get.


May the Lord give you a conversation this week.

In the Garden

That title reminds me of my favorite part of the Sixpence song Kiss Me. She sings In the garden.... of looooooooove. Of course it makes me think of my wonderful and beautiful wife.

We're participating in a community garden at Shelby Farms. It's been interesting so far. I believe this is an unusual year. They plowed the area late due to rain. I'm told a couple of days later they made rows when it was to wet, which created large (fist to foot size) dirt clods. A couple of days later they ran a clod buster over everything, but it was to wet to be effective.

And then we got to till it all over again. Here are some pictures of that event:






Though it looks like Nehemiah is about to cutoff his sisters head, that was not the case. He would have gotten in trouble if he had.

Joi and the girls planted part of a few rows of corn on the north side of the garden. Ezra asked, "What kind of corn are we planting? Corn on the cob?" I treasure that question. Children are so precious. They bring such joy.

Where I Am

In my last post, I explained my current situation. This is the part I've really been thinking about all day.

I've been listening to some lessons my pastor has been giving regarding baptism. That having been said, I've been thinking on doctrine and theology that covers ever aspect of Christianity. As Pastor James states, you can not separate your interpretation of God's word from your view on baptism. It is integral. I would go further to say that you can not separate your view on all of life from your view on baptism. Now all that being said, here is how I view this situation based on my view of baptism, and what I feel are fallacies of the view of baptism that partially has us in this quandary.

I believe in paedobaptism. I believe baptism is a sign of the covenant similar to circumcision for Israel. I believe we are to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and they should never know a time when they were not part of the church. They should be raised as Christians. We can not view the heart and are not able to determine one's election. I believe that there are several moments in life where we have divine revelation in our growth. I can personally point to several defining moments that without any one of them would have led me down a different path.

I grew up as a Southern Baptist. Not the reformed kind. I believed that baptism was done after a public profession of faith (which in hindsight means going down to the front of the church, telling a pastor who then asks a question where you respond in affirmation... doesn't seem very public to me now). I believed that people who have a profession of faith and backslide can rededicate their lives. Those that fall off the wagon can get saved for the first time again, and get baptized on the right side of salvation. This can happen any number of times. This is often coupled with the pat answer of well they weren't really saved. I'm not sure on the origins of this doctrinal statement, but I believe it is very dangerous. I believe this specifically creates an incompetence in situations where discipline should be administered.

Now back to my friend. We grew up in the same church, so he was raised as a typical Southern Baptist. He went to a Southern Baptist school and studied to be a Southern Baptist minister of some sort. He later worked in some way for the SBC and/or its local affiliates. He could spell Baptist forward and backward. He claims to have studied Christianity, but I doubt he could tell us much of anything outside of the Southern Baptist thoughts he has always had.

My issue with this is that under the SBC sect of the church, he is either backsliding or was never saved. The typical SB church holds to baptism as merely an act of obedience, and there is no value in it (thus allow and sometimes require multiple baptisms... watch what happens when a Presbyterian joins a Baptist church). I would hold that baptism brings you under the jurisdiction of the church. It is in fact a profession that you belong to God (as my children do). There are other aspects to baptism, but this is my main point, so I will not follow those rabbit trails.

I fear the SBC will never do anything about my friend. He should in fact be called under the discipline of the church if he is unwilling to repent. He should be banned from the table and cutoff. But then that brings up another point.

I also believe that we should approach the Lord's table weekly. We now have a church that doesn't understand the table. We've made it into something that happens a couple of times a year, and we miss one of those anyway, so what difference does it make if we don't participate. Well, that is the very point. Cutting the sinner off from the table and turning them over to their own sins has no meaning if the table has no meaning. They are simply doing what they were already doing. There is no call to repentance. The table is the call. We are all called to repentance every time we partake. We are reminded of our own sin and wretchedness weekly. This holds us close to the Lord... or drives us away. Being driven away is something we don't want, but it in fact happens. There are those who are not elect. They will be driven away. They may be in the covenant, but they will be pruned. We will all be pruned, but some will be lopped off. Some will remain smaller to grow again. I believe those are the redefining moments. When he has pruned us back. Not lopping us off, but lopping off the part that was holding us back.

I must say that I do not know how to call my friend to repentance in the SBC. I fear this is someone who will be lopped off. And it is due to the impotence of the denomination.

Friends Are Friends Forever

I've been thinking of this post all day. Unfortunately, it will most likely be broken down into several posts.

Facebook is a good thing. I've recently heard from folks that were integral in my life. I am now in touch with the man that I often refer to as my spiritual father. He is the one that took me under his wing, and encouraged me in the Lord. It wasn't anything very deep, but he taught me how to develop my relationship with our Lord.

Facebook is a bad thing. I've recently heard from folks that were very integral in my life. I have been in touch with who was once a great friend, someone who inspired me to grow in the Lord , someone who I remember supporting as he preached at a revival and many other places and someone who now professes a different religion. He is now a self consumed atheist and humanist.

I have learned that I am a talker. I love conversation. I usually have trouble striking it up, but once it gets going, it's hard to stop (just ask Joi). I tried to engage conversation with this individual. I've since learned that what was once bridled has now been loosed. Now that there is no reason to hold back, it is not done. In my attempts to understand how he got to his state, I had insults thrown at me. You could tell he was not having a conversation, but was waging war. I approached him for understanding how he go to this state, and hopefully make him realize those moments that changed him. I knew there is nothing I can do for the situation, but I wanted to know what happened to my friend.

Out of that, I eventually heard from someone else, and then got in touch with Brother Kevin (the one referred to as my spiritual father). I have enjoyed catching up with him. I was very glad to finally be able to express what he meant to me. With that, the later situation resurfaced. He is now going down a similar road. He has a different tactic (his sole purpose is to point out that he is wrong). He is in a different position (being someone that molded and guided him as a teenager). So we will see how he responds. I hope and pray for a better outcome.

Now, what is the point of this post? The title is part of the chorus for a Michael W. Smith song. Friends are friends forever… if the Lord's the Lord of them.

A Fun and Stressful Day

Wow. I took the day off to go camping. Due to my own malfeasance, that didn't happen. Instead, we went hiking. My fried David told me about Big Hill Pong State Park (thanks David). I've been planning to go take a peek for some time. My plan was to camp in the Pickwick State Park, and go to Shiloh for the Civil War reenactment. I figured we would stop by on the way back or something.

The day didn't exactly go the way I expected. I got a couple of phone calls from friends/co-workers. I was told that someone from my area was laid off, and several others that I work around. I asked one if I needed to call my boss to find out about myself. The day went on, and I got several other calls and text messages. I listened to a voice mail informing me that there were some in our group, but I was not one. That was a relief.

Now the fun part. We took a hike. Literally. I took all of the kids hiking. Joi stayed in the van and watched a movie and read a book. We were gone about two hours. I figure we probably went two miles there and back. Now I realize that doesn't sound like much, but... but... I had five kids with me. I carried (in a backpack), the youngest at one, and my two and four year old's walked the entire way. To add to that, this was around nap time (2:30 to 4:30). The first 200 feet was a descent, where we crossed the lake to ascend the other side. It was much milder on the other side, but that meant we had to climb the major hill before getting back to the van.

All in all, we had a great time. I am so thankful that my kids love trenching through the woods. There were so many leaves on the ground, no leaves in the trees, and they were being giggly, so we didn't get to converse much. It is still a lot of fun to just walk around in nature. I think if I could, I would live in the middle of the woods. I enjoy it so much.

So with that trip, I've decided that before long, I am going to take the older kids (not sure if that will stop at #2 or #3) backpacking. We'll hike through the woods to a shelter, and spend the night. We're going camping soon, but I still can't wait to do this.

A Good Point

Joi was watching Nightline Face-Off the other night. The question was, "Does Satan exist?" This question was covered by:

Deepak Chopra, an Indian philosopher
Carlton Pearson, a bishop of something
Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill pastor
Annie Lobert, former prostitute

In the debate/discussion, Deepak Chopra, made what I believe was the most profound statement of the event. He said that when we define God, that we have placed a limitations on Him. I don't believe he has any idea what he was really saying, but it is a truth. We define God under this doctrine or that theology, but all of our definitions are limited to our understanding. The truth is we can't comprehend God in His fullness. We always put God in a box, we just have different size boxes.

3: It's A Magic Number

Today, I've been hanging out with my boy. The girls are out shopping with their aunt for some Easter dresses, while Ellie and Joi are in the bed (for a short while). So Nehemiah and I have been watching The Three Stooges on youtube. I have to admit, I love The Three Stooges. I cam across this one, and was laughing the whole time. I hope you enjoy it also.

Part One:

Part Two:


The second part isn't quite as funny after they leave the restaurant. I don't eat out as often as most. I hope you know what you're eating. Remember if it barks or meows, check under the table. ;-)