12/28/06

I always enjoy the year-end TV programs and magazine surveys of 2006, they provide lots of insights.  For example: we were smart enough to know that Pluto wasn’t a planet, but believed God’s plan for life needed a Plan B; hurricane damage isn’t repaired in a year, and the saints really do come marching in; the Steelers aren’t made of steel but Tiger is; we said goodbye to Barney, the 38^th president and the president of soul. 

Take some time this week to review your 2006 and consider God’s faithfulness. Psalm 89:1-2, “I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.”

 

Pastor on the run: day of rest, iRun tomorrow.

 

12/27/06

I have climbed out from under all the wrapping paper, and boxes and survived a glorious Christmas Day.  Sunday was a significant day of worship followed by a wonderful day with family.  The days immediately following Christmas are about evaluating and enjoying.  We enjoy our gifts or return them whatever is appropriate.  Somewhere after the relatives leave and before the BSC games begin, I usually begin to reflect on the year.

Think about 2006.  Consider the ways you have walked with God and how you may have walked away from God.  What have you accomplished that really matters?  How have you wasted a portion of your year?  What will you do different?

Sunday will be about evaluating our mission, our church and your life in 2006. 

 

Pastor on the run: iRun a four mile yesterday and a lunch run in today with a new iPod.

 

12/20/06

What did you get last year for Christmas?  Most of us would have to take a fifteen minute break to remember what we got that we loved so much last year for Christmas. Unless you got a bass boat, Lexus (that’s a December to remember) or a year’s supply of jerky, you do not remember.  The gifts at Christmastime are nice but they are like the splenda we use, sweet, temporary but they provide little nutrition to our lives.

The Apostle Paul said it well, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do everything through him who gives me strength,” (Philippians 4:12-13).

Merry Christmas!

 

Pastor on the run: Ran three miles this morning on the first day of winter.

 

12/19/06

Do you really need more stuff?  Really, if you can access this blog then you already have more than most people will ever have in the world.  Do you find that you have to make up things you need for Christmas gifts?  Will your life be that much more complete with a battery light source for you dresser drawer?

This Sunday’s villain is commercialism.  Commercialism is the antagonist in A Charlie Brown’s Christmas.  The troubled Charlie Brown is bothered by Snoopy’s drive to have more at Christmas.  Join Linus and others by reading the famed Christmas passage from Luke 2:1-19 Lights please….“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”

 

Pastor on the Run: Got a great four miler in yesterday.  It’s hard to run listening to Christmas carols. They are more reflective. However, I did do my best mile when I heard Jingle Bells!

 

12/14/06

The focus of Matthew chapter two appears not to be the birth of Jesus Christ but the comparison between the Magi and Herod.  The Magi are given many admirable qualities in the passage.  They are wise, spiritual, affluent, influential and most importantly they “get it.”  Herod, on the other hand, is ruthless, unspiritual and destructive.  The shock is that he appears to be spiritual, Jewish, and a king yet instead of worshipping the child, he seeks to harm the child.  Who are you more like this Christmas?  The Magi come to worship the child and place the focus on the birth of the Lord.  Herod appears to be spiritual yet it is all about him. 

 

Pastor on the run: resting from my long run on Monday. Plan to run tomorrow and hope the weather remains pleasant.

 

12/12/06

One of my favorite childhood memories was watching TV specials at Christmastime.  Frosty the Snowman was a must see, do you remember it? It is the story of a little girl named Karen who brings Frosty the snowman to life by the magical hat from the phony Professor Hinkle.  Karen, Frosty and a rabbit named Hocus Pocus begins their odyssey.  They elude the villainous professor. 

Another phony in real life is Herod, the not-so-great, whose story is told in Matthew 2:1-17.  Herod, the phony, is nothing as he appears.  He is king in title only, he is Jewish without God and he appears to seek out Jesus to worship Him.  Begin reading this passage with me and let’s discover the truth for this week.

 

Pastor on the run: great run yesterday on a beautiful day: 6 miles at 44:52.

 

12/07/06

We have two Christmas trees in our home.  One tree is the “Home and Gardens” tree for guests.  It is a theme tree with beautiful ornaments.  The second tree is our family tree that is decorated with homemade ornaments.  We love the family Christmas tree because it is filled with memories.  The tree is covered with Christmas ornaments like “Baby’s First Christmas,” and ones made in Sunday school from our daughters.  The girls of course always laugh at my fourth grade picture glued to a ceramic ornament that confirms that not only did I not comb my hair, but apparently was not destined to be an artist.

Each ornament has a memory—some good and some not so good. 

This Sunday’s villain is our past.  Our past comes at us with overwhelming affect at Christmastime.  Our Lord’s past in Matthew 1:1-17 allowed Him to redeem the present and future.  Thank God for the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, who alone can redeem and restore our past.  Your past ideally should be a launching pad for your future. 

 

Pastor on the run: Hope to run later today.

 

12/06/06

On most days, my wife puts in a long and demanding day as a teacher, unless there is a day like today. Today she will travel with the students and faculty of Kentucky Christian School to see Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in Louisville’s Actor’s Theatre. This is an annual rite of passage for Louisvillians.  One of the ghosts in this classic is the called “The Ghost of Christmas Past.”  This ghost visits Ebenezer Scrooge to remind him of his childhood in hopes to move him towards redemption.

This Sunday I will begin a sermon series for Christmas entitled, “Defeating the Villains of Christmas.”  This first villain is our past.  Most people I know have trouble reaching their promising future because of their troubled past.  Self-defeat, failure, emotional scars and other baggage keep people from attaining the future they hope.

 

Pastor on the run: three-miler on Monday and it felt like the North Pole.

 

12/01/06

I graduated from college a year before “Jim”, but this is the only advantage I had on this guy.  Jim is one of the brightest young ministers to come out of Georgetown College and seminary.  He has served faithfully at a church in Kentucky in the area of discipleship.  He and his lovely wife have been given four beautiful children.  This is an exceptional family.

On October 31 in Cape Girardeau, MO, they were appointed by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.  They will begin the preparations to be missionaries to Central Asia.  It is the most unreached region of the world, where only .037% (1 out of every 2,700) of the population are believers. 

When you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas offering you are helping to support, equip and place Mike and his family as missionaries. God bless them as they go to be salt and light.

 

Pastor on the run: Good work out with the leaping lords yesterday on the tread mill.  I hope to run tomorrow maybe in a winter wonderland—burr!

 

11/30/06

Every year someone with apparently too much time on their hands calculates the cost of the 12 Days of Christmas.  The 12 Days of Christmas is a tradition both secular and religious beginning on December 26^th.  It is also a Christmas carol that lists extravagant gifts given each night of the twelve days. 

So what is the grand total for the lords a-leaping, ladies dancing, pipers piping, drummers drumming, maids a-milking, swans a-swimming, geese a-laying, those five golden rings, colly birds (What is colly you say? It refers to the old English word for black referring to the European blackbird), French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree??  Adjusting for a 3.1% increase for inflation the cost of the grandiose gifts--$75,122.00!!  WOW, this is a lot of fruitcake!

I hope you will join me in giving an extravagant gift towards our Lottie Moon Christmas offering goal of $36,000.00 this year. 

 

Pastor on the run: I will join two lord’s a-leaping at the gym this afternoon.

 

11/29/06

I have marked December 12 on my calendar.  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas returns to network TV.  Do you remember the old fashion notion of waiting for the Christmas specials when we were children?  Today in our DVD world, all the specials are moments away.  The Grinch will also return to our Christmas.  This December I will be preaching a sermon series entitled, “Defeating the Christmas Villains.” 

 

Each Sunday morning a different villain from a Christmas classic will be our focus.  Do you remember the “Ghost of Christmas Past,” from A Christmas Carol, “Professor Hinkle” from Frosty the Snowman, or commercialism in A Charlie Brown Christmas?  The villains and what they represent have been defeated in the coming of the Son of God.

 

Pastor on the run: Did my best three mile on Saturday at 25:20 and a three mile this morning.

 

11/21/06

The story of the Good Samaritan is most likely the greatest story ever told.  It is recognized by religious and non-religious alike as a measurement of model conduct.  It is ethical and it is practical.  Unique to Luke’s Gospel with world wide appeal.  

 

There is a lot of hate/hurt in this story.  The Jews and the Samaritan were taught to hate and hurt one another.  The robbers hurt the man traveling.  The religious leaders ignored the hurt.  Our temptation is to deny the hurt that is experienced by people all around us.

 

Pastor on the Run: 4 miles yesterday at 33 minutes and seconds.  I would like to find a Turkey run on Saturday. 

 

11/20/06

Entering the Christian holidays, one would not normally consider people who hurt.  I have found that some of the most painful events of life are made more traumatic because of the holidays.  I googled “hurting people” and got 1,450,000 hits—there are a lot of hurting people in the world and in our community.

 

The story of the Good Samaritan is found in Luke 10:25-37.  It is the story of hurting people.  Read the passage this week and consider the differing perspectives on hurting people in the passage.  Let’s discover the truth of this passage together.

 

Pastor on the run: Ran six on Saturday and three the day before, took some Sabbath time yesterday.

 

 

11/16/06

Thankful! I am thankful today.  This morning in the country of Burkina Faso, the women will work all day to collect millet.  Millet is the primary crop and food for this poor West African country.  They will retrieve enough millet from their grain bin to feed their family.  They must use it sparingly, because it must last until the next growing season.  The women will work the millet by separating the shell from the grain.  They will then use precious water to make it into a paste that resembles playdoh.  They will also make a sauce to go with the prepared millet.  This will be their meal for the day.  I have seen families in West Africa prepare millet and have eaten it.  What they call dinner, is the very seed I use to feed birds.  I am thankful today.  When you give through our church you are helping to relieve world hunger.

My scripture Sunday is found in Ezekiel 34:25-31 with special emphasis on Ezekiel 34:27 (NIV), “The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.”  Join me today in being thankful for the abundance of food for our lives.

 

Pastor on the run: I have been busy running for office at convention and hope to run today.

 

 

 

11/09/06

Gone, gone, gone, it is all gone.  The selfish act that adds pleasure to a life for a moment always results in loss.  Gordon McDonald said it well concerning Ted Haggard’s loss of integrity, “The travel, the connections, the interviews, and the applause of the congregation, the organizational power, the perks and privileges, the honor: gone!” It is the lie of Satan, the deceiver, who whispers in our ears, you can be happier; you deserve this action, go ahead and seek the moment of pleasure, indulgence.  The truth is that the mini-fall from grace always cost more than any benefit from the moment. 

I remember an old preacher who said in a sermon of Samson and Delilah, “Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

Whenever we loose our integrity, we have lost much more than can be measured or weighed.  Integrity comes from the Hebrew word for whole and complete.  Seek today to be a complete person in Jesus Christ.

 

Pastor on the Run: Run Forest Run!

 

11/07/06

I sat in the Orlando airport on Saturday waiting for my return flight home which had been delayed, and delayed, and delayed.  As I was aging, I was able to secure a good seat in front of the plasma TV to catch up on the news.  Unfortunately, CNN decided to have an entire segment on the Ted Haggard fall.  I sat there reading my Christianity Today while all around me the public saw another one who was not as he appeared.  Haven’t we seen this before?  Congressman, preachers, school teachers, all individuals, both male and female, given trust that was broken and the public was again disappointed.  God have mercy.  This Sunday I will pick up the topic, “When the Mighty Fall.”  A sermon to remind believers of the importance of integrity found in Psalm 78.

You have noticed the picture on the blog of me and a child.  It was taken at “Hero’s Unmasked.”  This child decided to dress up like Bro. Skip—yeah I know-scary isn’t it.  This child is out-fitted with white shirt and tie, Bible and bunny, bunny (I’ll explain some other time).  She chose to dress up like me instead of a ballerina.  When I look at this photo, I am reminded of the tremendous responsibility I carry as a Minister of the Gospel.  I hope to daily live up to this little one’s expectations. 

 

Pastor on the run: ran four good miles yesterday.  I always enjoy the Monday run following Sunday, its slow going but therapeutic. 

 

11/02/06

In a recent survey of Kentuckians respondents shared why the left church.  Reasons why Kentuckians left church: “simply got too busy to attend church” (19 percent). A change in priority, not theology or worship styles is the number one reason given by the formerly churched. Busyness is the enemy of godliness.  I know that “go” is in God but that is not a divine commandment to practice frantic religious activity.  Have you noticed that you can not pray in a hurry?  It just does not work. 

Slow down some today and read our scripture, Matthew 21:12-17, before Sunday.  After you read the passage pray—pray slowly, pray intentionally, pray carefully. 

 

Pastor on the run: will plan on getting a quick three mile in between here and there today.  You can pray and run.

 

 

11/01/06

 

Are you asking Jesus to bless your mess?  The religious authorities and disciples happily received Jesus into Jerusalem to applaud their righteousness.  Instead of praising them, He curses them.  He does not prop up their activities in the temple, but tears down their attempts at righteousness.  If Jesus doesn’t challenge you and your lifestyle, then have you really experienced Jesus?

Don’t ask Jesus to bless the mess that is your life and schedule today, but ask Him to work like a surgeon and remove things from your life that become distractions. 

 

Pastor on the run: Got a four mile run in yesterday on the treadmill at CU.  Treadmill running isn’t the same as hitting the pavement.  It always reminds me of heart stress-tests or lab animal experiment.  Give me the road any day. 

 

 

10/31/06

 

Sunday’s sermon will focus on removing the religious clutter from our lives.  The text is Matthew 21:12-17, where Jesus cleanses the temple.  The genesis of the sermon comes from a thought of Thom Rainer’s work with Eric Geiger entitled, Simple Church.  He writes, “As a simple revolutionary, Jesus was bothered by meaningless and distracting clutter. On at least one occasion, Jesus cleansed the temple.” (page 18).   I meet Eric Geiger during the 2006 Southern Baptist Convention.  He along with is wife were very kind and I greatly enjoyed talking with them.

 

We will do things better as a church and as believers when we remove the unnecessary or the clutter from our lives.  Simple is better, simple done with excellent is heaven.  The question remains, “What is clutter?”

 

Pastor on the run: got six miles in on Saturday, but have eaten too much Halloween candy lately.

 

 

10/26/06

 

My second blog entry, don’t worry I won’t keep this pattern going.  I am an avid follower of Bill Hybels’ formula for spiritual health: Prayer, study and exercise.  Fortunately I have been able to get all three in before lunch.

Our tech team told me that 701 hits came to the pastor’s blog sight.  That is really surprising because I know I looked at least 150 times yesterday.  Thanks for hitting the blog.

Sunday’s sermon is entitled, “Got Worship?” from the fabulously successful marketing campaign, “Got Milk?” The add pings off the idea of how essential milk is for human life and that some of the most impressive people in our culture drink milk and we should too. 

I hope to continue to have moments of worship prior to corporate worship on Sunday.  Worship is milk for our spiritual body, it is essential.  Got worship?

 

Pastor on the run: three miles this morning at 27:16, not marathon rate.

 

10/25/06

 

My first blog entry and hope it is the first of many.  I need to thank our awesome tech team for taking my suggestion and making it a reality.  You guys are amazing.

I have been working on Sunday morning’s sermon as we present the first two scenario statements for Thy Kingdom Come study:

Scenario statement number one: “Our worship services exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, are God-honoring in every aspect, and are biblical based-all in an environment of genuine fellowship of the Holy Spirit.”

Scenario statement number two: “Opportunities to worship with like-minded believers are available at various times and locations and are offered in a variety of styles and formats.  We value our diversity in our worship and strive to make it accessible to all who desire to worship.”

I am focusing on the worship renewal found in Malachi the last book of the Old Testament.  Worship renewal comes about through the love of God, ownership of sin and reverence for the Word of God.

My prayer and thought has been greatly benefited by the comment found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

Pastor on the run: got a quick three mile run in yesterday