PROBLEMS!

With hurricane season upon us, I am inclined to write about problems.

What is a problem? That question could be answered in many different ways, but at MHBC we strive to answer that question like this: A problem is an opportunity for God to work. Do we have problems, of course we have problems, but I'm glad for it. When we do not have the answers, we are forced to turn where we should have been looking all along, to God.

Right now, I'm most excited about the space problem that we have. We are not running out of space for our children, we are out of space for our children! But, what an exciting opportunity to watch God work as we strive to open up more space in our facilities. But for those of you wondering, what is our plan for the future?

Well, I anticipate many more problems in the future and I pray that we will soon have space issues driving us crazy. I hope that we continue to run out of space. But, having faith that God will bless us as we strive to offer him our best, we must work now to put systems in place to handle the blessing that God has in store for our church.

Back to the hurricane--of course, when a hurricane is predicted, people board up their windows and leave town. It's time for us to prepare for the storm of God's blessings, but we're not boarding up our windows and leaving town, we are preparing to handle the overflow of people that we expect to join us soon.

Mark Teixeira!

Because I am an avid Braves Fan, this is my contribution to the blogosphere today. Enjoy!!


LYRICS:
VERSE 1
Four and a half games back and I don't Te-care-a
You know why we got Mark Teixeira
Got a new Braves jersey that I'm gonna wear-a
And written on the back is Mark Teixeira
The Mets are scared cause their lead's gonna narr-a
They're lookin' over their shoulder at Mark Teixeira

Chorus:
We got Fred McGriff back in '93
Hampton's out cause of injury
Schuerholz smiles cause he is happy and Bobby says,
"Let's go Mark T."

The National League it just ain't fair-a
The Atlanta Braves got Mark Teixeira
Chipper and Andruw make a mighty nice pair-a
Let's make it a trio add Mark Teixeira
A side effect is mild hysteria
The medical reason is Mark Teixeira

Chorus

Bridge:
Scott Thorman stinks and Julio is old
What did Shuerholz do? Must've sold his Sooouuulll

Pitchers beware cause he's gonna scare ya
Throw him a strike now if you dare-a
He could probably steal on Yogi Berra(NOT Yogi Bear-a)
Biggest thing in Georgia since Scarlet O'Hara
If I were a woman I'd probably Marry ya.

And that's not Gay cause its Mark Teixeira (more)

Ya Gotta Believe...

I think it is probably human nature to doubt and question. We doubt ourselves, we doubt others, we even doubt God. Some doubt that God exists, others doubt that he is all he claims to be in the Bible. Of course, Christians deny this doubt, but I believe the doubt often continues to exist. We say we believe, but we believe in a limited way...believe as much as is comfortable to believe. But, that's not God's way.

The book of Mark gives us a great example of a man who doubted the ability of Jesus to heal his child. The man looked at Jesus and said if you can do anything... I love Jesus' response, If you can! All things are possible for one who believes. Tom Hanks is famous for saying "There's no crying in baseball," but we need to remember that there is no "if you can" in God. God is capable of all things, and the minute we say "if you can," we reveal our own doubts of God's ability.

God is capable of healing, of blessing, and of growing a church. God is capable of saving the souls of thousands, if we will just believe and live like we believe it. I heard a pastor the other day say that we should not be surprised if the number of baptisms continue to drop..."eschatologically speaking, it is just a sign of the times. A drop in baptisms shows us that the end time is near." PLEASE!!!

I wish this guy would act more like the dad Mark's account. When his unbelief was uncovered, he did not try to cover it with theological jargon or make big excuses, he was just honest. I believe, help my unbelif, he said. In other words, Jesus, I believe in you, I have faith in you, help me to beleive even more. Christians, you already believe in Jesus, that's why you are a Christian, now pray that he would help your unbelief when you are tempted to believe that the world is right and the church can't grow. Pray that he would help you to believe even when others in your own church tempt you to doubt, pray that God would help your unbelief and change the world!

True To The Word

I'm always searching for things about which to write on my blog. Today, I want to take just a minute to emphasize the importance of being true to the Word of God. As we strive to honor God and to reach others, we must be certain that God's Word, the Bible, is the centerpiece for our efforts. It is never enough to look into a text of Scripture to determine "what is it saying to me?" The most important aspect of Scripture is not "What is it saying to me," but rather, "what is this saying to everyone? "

The Bible is objective truth, not subjective truth. The very minute we reduce the truths of the Bible to what they mean to individuals rather than what they mean universally, we undermine the overarching authority of the Bible. Let's all work to be sure that we are true to Scripture, not merely our version of Scripture.

Don't Lose Focus

I heard someone say something yesterday that is worth posting here. He said, "Churches that are really focused on missions and evangelism avoid many problems that churches not focused on those activities face." Imagine that, when we focus on God's directives and when we have clear purpose, people tend to line up behind that purpose and get busy about changing their world rather than pursuing their own purpose and staying busy trying to change God's church to suit their own whims.

It's a challenge for all Christians, but I say especially for pastors. We have to keep our focus, no matter what else may happen. Just because the world may seem to be falling down around us does not mean that we abandon our vision and lose our focus. Our God is the only answer to this dying world, so when it seems to be falling down around us, we have the answer if we will simply remain focused.

Don't get so busy putting out fires that you forget to sow the seed and fertilize the soil.

Props

I try to give credit where credit is due, and I think that Steven Furtick at Elevation in Charlotte hit the nail on the head with a few things in this post. Check it out for the things they are doing to grow a church...and by the way, they are growing HUGE!!

One thing that might strike a chord for some of my readers, and maybe some of his, is the number five thing on his top five list of things they are doing right. "It's all about the numbers." I gotta admit, I get pretty tired of hearing "Well, i'm not really worried about numbers, just about spiritual growth." I wonder if we are going to get to heaven one day and hear God say, "Well, Craig, nobody got saved, but everybody stayed while you were at Malvern Hill...Good Job." I don't think so, it's all about the numbers! It's all about the number of people we take with us to meet the Lord, and so, by extension, it is all about the number of people we bring into our church.

The "it's not about the numbers," game is a cop-out. Pastors don't like to say it is about the numbers because then there is a definitive way to hold them accountable for their goals. Well, I guess if I say its about the numbers and we don't grow, I'll fail. I believe we all fail if we don't take folks with us to meet the Lord. Let's be successful.

Bring 'em in!!!!

Evidence Continues to Support the Bible

So, everyone who knows me knows that I am not a world-reknown scientist. I did consider majoring in biology in college, but after responding to God's call to ministry I went with Christian Ed. instead. And, as a Christian, I admit a certain level of bias. However, recently published scientific findins relating to so-called pre-historic man will certainly upset the theory of evolution in our society today.

AP reports that according to the old theory of evolution Homo habilis evolved into Homo erectus, which according to the old theory of evolution was supposed to be direct links from knuckle dragging apes to brief case toting men as depicted in illustrations in science books for years. However, the new evidence proves that Homo habilis did not evolve into Homo erectus because the two different species existed simultaneously. Fossils of each species dating from the same period have been found in close proximity to one another in Africa. Specifically, the report says:

those two earlier species lived side-by-side about 1.5 million years ago in parts of Kenya for at least half a million years, Leakey and colleagues report in a paper published in Thursday's journal Nature.

What does this mean? In the words of the researchers, It's the equivalent of finding that your grandmother and great-grandmother were sisters rather than mother-daughter, said study co-author Fred Spoor, a professor of evolutionary anatomy at the University College in London.

And so, what for the old classic theory of evolution? Of course the religion of evolution is not willing to abandon their belief systems just yet. A religion!? you may ask, isn't evolution science? In his book Darwin on Trial, Phillip E. Johnson quotes Stephen Jay Gould's quotations of Teilhard's "inspiring vision" this way:

Is evolution a theory, a system, or a hypothesis? it is much more--it is a general postulate to which all theories, all hypotheses, all systems must henceforth blow and which they must satisfy in order to be thinkable and true. Evolution is a light which illuminates all facts, a trajectory which all lines of thought must follow--this is what evolution is.

So, based on that definition, I assert whole-heartedly that for man, evolution is not merely a scientific theory, but is the "god" to which the universe must bow. Of course, if my God were proven futile, I might look elsewhere for the true God, but fear not, the church of evoltionary science is different. As the AP report cites, Overall what it paints for human evolution is a "chaotic kind of looking evolutionary tree rather than this heroic march that you see with the cartoons of an early ancestor evolving into some intermediate and eventually unto us.

All the changes to human evolutionary thought should not be considered a weakness in the theory of evolution, Kimbel said. Rather, those are the predictable results of getting more evidence, asking smarter questions and forming better theories, he said.

But, hey, don't take my word for it...read it for yourself here and form your own opinion.

Which Part?

You know, it seems like there are so many people who do nothing but complain about their church (thankfully thats not the case at Malvern Hill for the most part). But for those of you who might want to complain, I've got a word for you.

You are either part of the solution or part of the problem. And, chances are, if you are complaining, you are part of the problem. If the church has too much gossip and you are talking about it...then guess what, you are part of the gossip. But, if there is too much gossip and you refuse to listen to the gossip, then you have just done your part to begin the process of fixing that problem in the church. Of course there are probably a million examples I could share, but I wont.

I know that nothing in this short post is world-shattering knowledge, I just want you to think about it. Which part of the church are you, the problem part or the solution part?

The Heart

What drives a great church? I've often thought about that. Some say prayer, others preaching, and the list could go on and on. However, I believe there is more to the equation. Most churches pray, some better than others. The Brookly Tabernacle is known for its extended prayer meetings. So, is it the preaching? Well, just as prayer is an integral part of any great church, good preachign is a necessity. However, I think that the answer may be a little more simple than even those things.

A great church is made up of great people. God has chosen in his infininte wisdom to use people to accomplish his purposes. He uses the prayers of his people to bring about his intended ends. He uses the sermons of his people to bring about changed lives. And he uses the services of his people to grow the kingdom of God and make his church great.

So, do you want to have and be a part of a great church? The answer is simple, work hard to be a great church member and encourage those around you to do the same. A great church is made up of great people of God. Never succomb to the belief that a great church makes great people...no no, great people in love with God make a great church that glorifies his name!

Firemen

OK, time to be a dork. In 1951 Ray Bradbury wrote "Farenheit 451." It is a science fiction book about the future that focuses primarily on firemen. However, the firement it portrays are very different from the firemen that we have grown to respect an appreciate. In his novel, the firemen do not put out fire, they spew fuel onto fires to burn houses that contain books.

I'm not going to outline or critique the book. You can go read it if you'd like, its a quick read. What I do want to do here today is to talk about the church. Unfortunately, in most churches, we have plenty of firemen who work to stoke the flame rather than put it out. You know how it goes, we do it under the guise of "informing" or requesting that an issue be put on the prayer list. For the record, "Johnny and Susie need prayer b/c they couldn't pay their bills and had their cable cut off yesterday," is usually gossip and not a prayer request.

Don't indulge in the fires in your church, work to be an extinguisher. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of unity, so rest assured, as you work to quelch gossip and extinguish harmful fires in your church, God will be pleased.

It's Contagious

I was at a wedding on Saturday night when an old friend came to tell me goodbye. "I think I may have the flu," he said, "I'm need to get to bed." Rather than embracing him, I stepped away. As glad as I was to see him, there was no way that I wanted what he had, and we all know how contagious the flu can be.

But, did you know that attitudes are contagious as well? Think about it, when you get around a group of people who are really excited about what God is doing in the church, it is easy to get swept away in the excitment. As a matter of fact, when I get around those people, I sometimes find that I need to tame my excitment before it gets out of control...I'll have us going to Timbuktu on a mission trip next month, for instance, if I'm not careful.

However, the wrong kind of attitude is contagious as well. The old saying goes, "one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel." Well, I don't know much about apples and barrels, but I am learning more and more about people every day, and one bad attitude can definitely spoil a whole group of people. You see, bad attitudes are probably more contagious than good ones, and if we aren't careful we find ourselves wallowing in the feeling of accomplishment we receive by spreading a bad attitude.

An old Aerosmith song said, "sometimes it kinda gets like feelin bad looks good." Well, if we aren't careful we will find that doing the bad thing in the church begins to feel really good. Gossiping, backbiting, and generally doing everything you can to spread a negative attitude causes division and hampers the growth of the church, not to mention it is not Godly.


The Bible tells us that the Spirit of Christ is the spirit of unity. Let us seek to be contagious Christians who spread positive attitudes faster than flu patients spread germs. Glorify God in your speech, and all of your conduct, it will be amazing how much you will be blessed.

The Brand

In an on-going (all-be-it new) attempt to brand our church, you now have the opportunity to visit here. Please enjoy!

www.cafepress.com/malvernhill

God, More Than The Nice Guy in the Sky

This is not my forum for preaching. Most of that comes on Sunday mornings, but it is a wonderful forum for teaching. In my reading this morning, I could not help but be moved by a passage in Zechariah 10:3. God says, "My anger is hot against the shepherds." Here, God is speaking of his anger toward the leaders of Israel because they had not led as God desired. However, God's anger is not limited to the leaders of Israel.

God, because he is God, is holy and righteous and detests anything that is not holy and righteous. For that reason, it is absolutely proper and appropriate for us to speak of God's anger--even hatred--toward sin and sinners. Scripture itself testifies to God's wrath and to the eternal punishment that all who do not call on the name of the Lord will experience. Our society is bent against punishment and responsibility for wrong actions, but society's bent does not change God's eternal decree.

We live in a world that likes to refer often to God's love, and we should always refer to God as a God of love, for he is love according to 1 John. But, Jesus is more than our "homeboy" as hats and t-shirts claim today. God is more than a nice guy in the sky or a genie in a bottle. God is holy and righteous. The gospel is good news only because it is the means by which men, women, boys, and girls can be saved from God's wrath.

Though we like to be loved and to know a God of love, we as the church must never lose sight of the God of wrath. Without a just and wrathful God, there is no need for salvation. When we refuse to teach and focus on the wrath of God, we refuse to teach the gospel as it is taught in the Scriptures. We speak of hell and God's wrath, not because we are fire-breathing dragons, but because we love God and people. We love God enough to speak of him as he truly is and we love people enough to warn them of God's justified punishment for their sin. God is more than a nice guy, and we should all be glad. A God who is nice and nothing else could never be holy and a God who is not holy is no God at all.

Who Would Have Guessed?

It never fails. If I haven't found enough application for a sermon in my life in the week leading up to the preacching of it, I always find plenty of application later. Last night, I talked alot about fighting for joy and to maintain the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. I believe I even talked about the necessity of fighting for joy when you did not even feel like getting out of bed. Lo and Behold (to use some of my parents terminlogy), this morning getting out of bed was nearly torture. I just could hardly pry my body from under the sheets.

So, for those of you who may think that fighting the fight is only difficult for people who aren't pastors, let me just tell you from my personal experience today that living a sermon is sometimes more difficult than preaching it. I am a fellow sojourner with you on this journey of faith, and I struggle with you in the constant battle to bear the fruit of the Spirit abundantly. May God bless and help each of us as we labor together to see his glory displayed in our lives daily.

Awesome

I've just got to brag a little on our church. Yesterday we had amazing services. Even though we were without half of our regular praise team, we had plenty of people to step in and fill the gaps. It is a blessing to know that there are so many people ready and willing to serve the Lord in our church.

Of course, it was also exciting to have our World Changers group back with us last night. It was awesome to hear of all the work that our group was able to do last week and of all the work that God did through them.

I'm already enjoying my vacation, but it was great to have such a wonderful send-off yesterday. Malvern Hill, you guys are all amazing! Thanks.

Don't Stop Praying!!!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 commands us, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing." So, I say to you, keep on praying. Never stop praying for your church. Never stop praying for your pastor. Never stop praying for your family. Never stop praying for fellow Christians, here and around the world. Never stop praying for God to continue to help you grow in your own life.

To pray without ceasing does not necessarily mean that you are praying 24/7, it means that your default mindset is one of prayer. When nothing else is going on, you are talking to God. It means that you regularly and consistently pray and that you never give up.

Fleetwood Mac sang, "Don't stop thinking about tomorrow." Well, they were right. We must never stop thinking about tomorrow, but more importantly, let's pray for tomorrow, and today. Only great things can come from prayer, so keep up the good work. Please, DON'T STOP PRAYING!

Thanks!

Well, I don't usually even open forwards, but since this one came from my mother-in-law, I gave her the benefit of the doubt on this one. I think it's worth reading so I pasted it here for today.

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. The people who make the largest difference in our churches aren't the big names either. Rick Warren has done wonderful things at his church, but I can't find him anywhere in Camden. I can, however, find greeters who meet 3 and 4 year olds at the door on their way to Sunday school. I can find members who visit nursing homes and hospitals. I see praise team members who stay late and come early to practice and prepare for worship. The list could go on and on, but the point is still the same. YOU make the difference in our church as you work and volunteer to accomplish God's purposes through our church. THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!

Late...again

Well, I'm late to the office. Here it is, 8:33 on Tuesday morning and believe it or not, my blog is the first thing I'm attending to this morning. Why am I late? Well, the truth is that I just couldn't let Wyatt go. I love that kid, he is absolutely amazing. I wish I could bring him into the office with me and just hang out with him while I work. Of course, the largest problem with that is that I would get nothing done; I would just hold him and stare at him (It's amazing how you can stare at your child for hours on end).

However, all of this talk brings me to an important point in the life of our church and in the life of individual Christians. I have to admit to you that this morning I am a bit off schedule. As a matter of fact, that seems to happen to me a lot lately since Angela and I have been in transition, but I have to move beyond that. You see, just as I wrote about last week in Samurai Christians, discipline is one of the key ingredients in the Christian life.

Somehow, we as Americans have dummed down the Christian life to be nothing more than showing up on Sunday mornings. We have even dummed down the church on many occasions, reducing it to a series of meetings throughout the week with no real commitment outside of those scheduled services (Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and various meetings of course). Instead of reducing the church to a series of meetings, what if we began to see church involvement as our life...the way that we related to Christ and others, not the country club to which we are a part.

The Normal Christian Life, as Chinese author, Watchman Nee wrote about many years ago, is not the lackadaisical life of many Christians today who warm the pews of our church. The normal Christian life is one of self-sacrifice for the kingdom of God. So, what in the world am I talking about in all of my "jibba jabba" (as Mr. T used to say) this morning? How much time have you spent alone in the Word of God in the past week, or on your knees in prayer? I'm sure that many of you have spent time in your church this week, but how much time have you spent trying to bring others through the doors with you? Have you shared your faith in the last month, year...ever? Where's the discipline and the commitment?

We must tread lightly lest we begin to equate church membership and attendance with commitment. You see, the committed church members aren't just the one's who show up, they are the ones who SHOW OUT for the KOG (Kingdom of God). But remember, showing out will only be possible when you have been disciplined in the little things...look here at what Jesus had to say. Do the small things first, and then watch how they affect the big things in your life. I've got to stop looking at Wyatt some of the time and get busy about the Father's business. What do you need to do...or stop doing?

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What Are Friends For?

You know, I've been pondering all day what to blog about, and then it came to me. I just got off the phone with a friend and I was reminded how much trust we invest in those people closest to us. The book of Proverbs 27:6 says "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Thats the epitome of trust right there. Good godly friends are so trustworthy that even when they hurt you, it can be a good thing. We need more friends like that.

The Bible talks about friends all the time. David and Jonathan were the closest of friends; (and no, they weren't gay no matter what your college professor might have told you) their relationship serves as an example of what true friendship should be. Jonathan even opposed his father, the king, to protect David when David had done no wrong. Even more amazing, David had such faith in his friend that he was willing to trust Jonathan's commitment even when he opposed his father.

We all need a few friends like that. You know, the kind who will get up out of bed to meet you somewhere in the middle of the night when you need them. But even more important than meeting you in the middle of the night when you need them, they will confront you in the middle of the day when you don't even realize that you need them. You know, that guy who will call you out to your face when its necessary, even when they know it will make you mad. How many people do you love enough to hurt their feelings if it is in their best interest? Better yet, how many people love you enough to hurt your feelings when it needs to happen?

If you can't name friends that close, you need to work to be a better friend and to become a better friend. Cultivate friendship, it's not politics, its love and it is godly. How awesome would God's church be if we were more than brothers and sisters in Christ, but were truly friends to the end?

Samurai Christians

So, it’s time for an off the wall entry. Last night I spent (wasted?) a couple of hours watching The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. Obviously, recent history has turned me off to Tom Cruise, but I really got caught up in this movie. Well, regardless of all that mess, let me just let you know that these Samurai warriors in the movie were incredibly disciplined. They were people of one thing…discipline. Incidentally, the Samurai comes from a word that originally meant "to serve." The Samurai warrior was disciplined to serve their rulers. Their discipline enabled them to become all that they wanted to be, and all they wanted to be was available to their lord, the emperor.

Strange as it may seem, as I watched the movie, I was struck with the overwhelming sense of conviction that my life is not one of incredible discipline. The apostle Paul says, “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” The Christian life must be one of discipline. If you are like me, you still have a long way to go.

But, I’ll issue a challenge for you as I have issued for myself. We must pursue discipline. You can be a Christian Samurai (if you like that analogy), but it will not happen without work. A Christian is called to service of his or her Lord above all else as well, but our Lord is intrinsically greater than any earthly ruler. Discipline brings about freedom; especially freedom in Christ when we live in obedience to his authority, allowing his rule to rightly restrain us. Essentially, when we submit wholly to Christ, we experience all that Christ has to offer.