Are we neglecting the Holy Spirit

Recently, I read a book entitled "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan. It was a Christmas present and after we got somewhat settled into our new home, I blazed through the book in no time. I'm the type of person that doesn't promote something unless I really believe in it. With this book, there's nothing but praise on my behalf for its message, declaration, and challenge. I have added his widget for this book to my blogger page. I would highly recommend watching the short video and buying the book to read for yourself. I became such a believer in this books message that I'm about to go through it with my students here at Hamlin. This book will be at times hard to read simply due to its convicting nature, but I certainly feel like we all need to be convicted in order to grow further in our relationship with Him.

Go buy this book, read it, and ponder the questions raised throughout. I'm not going to say it will change your life because you control that yourself. However, it does have the potential to do so. Enjoy!

Unto us a child is born....

I don't have kids yet, but regardless of that fact, I can't imagine what it would be like to hold that precious, innocent, new born baby in my arms and know that its purpose and destiny in life would be to live a perfect life only to be rewarded with the most violent, shameful death known to man. Working with youth, I've talked to many parents in my ministry. Interestingly, the number one concern for a parent is their child's safety. Ask any normal parent and they'll tell you their purpose is to protect their children.

But for one set of parents some two thousand plus years ago, they had to deal with this reality the instant their baby boy was born. I can't imagine what Mary and Joseph went through just dealing with the criticism of Mary being pregnant out of wedlock. The prophesy of the coming Messiah had been foretold many, many years earlier and these young teenage parents were faithful to God and saw prophesy fulfilled before their very eyes. Their son was God Almighty in the form of a man. Their job was to raise this child. His destiny was to provide a means for eternal salvation and rid us all from the old covenant. God chose a virgin to conceive His Son. Death to bring about life. Crimson blood to wash us white as snow. Shame to bring about eternal glorification. Injustice to provide justice for all mankind.

So this Christmas season as you stress about your shopping, entertaining family, and traveling, take the time to think about how it felt for those young parents of the Son of God. The world's first Christmas present was God's own Son--a blood sacrifice for the sins of the world. Put things into perspective and never forget the real reason for this season.

How it all went down...

As many of you know already, our church has been searching for a pastor since early January. I came in to Hamlin knowing that I would soon be without a full-time pastor along my side in our ministry here, but I knew without a doubt that God wanted me here. God truly blessed us with a wonderful interim, Gary Longnecker. His leadership has been wonderful over the past eleven months or so, but without a doubt all of us here at Hamlin were looking forward to the day where we called a full-time pastor into our congregation. By the grace of God, that day has arrived!

I thought I would take a moment to explain some interesting God sightings in this process of Hamlin finding her future pastor. The way we came across Pat Findley was in and of itself an amazing story. However, God was at work LONG before Pat even became our prospective pastor.

About seven years ago while I was a sophomore in high school I did my usual volunteer work for our church's VBS. I dedicated most of my time in high school to music and I loved playing drums at church. This particular year, our pastor (Ryan Palmer) brought in some outside help to lead the music. That outside help was none other than Pat Findley. We had a great week together doing the music for our kids at FBC Neosho. Just working with him over that week of VBS was a true blessing. I was very impressed by his sensitivity to the Spirit, his love of God, and his genuine love to serve Him. Little did I know that wouldn't be the last time I would see Pat.

Now, there's another side to this story. My pastor during high school at FBC Neosho was someone I truly admired. Ryan Palmer and I had a great relationship. He really got me going in ministry. I can still remember when he came up to me and asked me if I wanted to preach in "big church." I thought he was kidding at first, but no, he was dead serious. It was scary, but he walked through with me on how to prepare for a sermon and deliver it. That's really what kick started me. I was kind of worried about going away to college and not having his pastoral leadership, but he helped me get plugged into South Haven here in Springfield. South Haven is a wonderful church and I'm so thankful for the opportunities I had to better my worship leading skills and continue to develop my relational abilities with the youth there. It seemed like it took no time at all to get going. It was truly God at work. The underlying story here is this: Ryan, Pat, and I are all graduates of SBU. Pat grew up going to South Haven, Ryan was very involved there while he was at SBU, as was I. So all three of us have that connection. Obviously, this is where Ryan developed a relationship with Pat.

I started working here at Hamlin the December before I graduated from SBU. Just this past September, Ryan was called as pastor of South Haven and of course just last night (Nov. 18th) Hamlin officially called Pat as our new pastor. So here we are. All three of us, united yet again. It's so interesting to see how God has orchestrated this long before any of us knew it. I've told my church body here at Hamlin from the beginning that I'm thrilled to have Ryan here in Springfield as a very close ministry friend of mine and it's even more exciting to see Pat coming in as our new pastor. I've prayed that God would allow this church to not only reach our community on the north side of Springfield, but also we would have the opportunity to partner with other churches in Springfield to reach this city with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don't know about you, but I look at the past and I see what God is doing. I can't wait to find out where we're all headed from here. Hamlin has a glorious future ahead of her. I hope and pray that we continue to follow God's design for us. Thanks for all your prayers and I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoy telling it. God is incredible creative, isn't He?

"...and He rested on the seveth day from all His work...."

Here's a chiasm for you: Non-clergy use their busy schedules to account for why they can't spend time with God while clergy use their busy schedules as a way to prove they're spending time with God. Allow me to elaborate. How many times have you heard it said, "I'm just so busy with (fill in the blank) that I just can't go to church, do my quiet time, offer myself for service work, etc." Often times, when I hear this it's coming from your ordinary, hard-working, American people. Nurses, teachers, doctors, accountants, insurance agents, the list could go on and on. But here's what I find so interesting. If you were to ask a minister about how busy they are they would absolutely tell you they're busy. As a matter of fact, what I've grown more and more accustomed to by listening to other ministerial staff here in my area is that in some cases they almost brag about how busy they are and the "ministry" that's being accomplished because they spend 14 hours of their day at work.

There's a lot that could be said about that, but let me start with this. Do you know how many times the word "rest" is mentioned in the Bible? Try 275 times. Rested is mentioned 21 times, resting 4, and restore or restored a combined 67 times. Obviously there's something to be said about taking it easy. I'm afraid that we have come to the point where we almost enjoy exasperating ourselves with work. As I said before, for whatever reason if you're a minister you brag about being so busy that you can't spend quality time with your wife, kids, and family--let alone quality and purposeful time with the Lord--all for the sake of "ministry." At the same time, if you're not involved in church work then your exhausting schedule becomes a means of excuse as to why you're not spending quality time with family or the Lord.

Here's where what I have found applies to all of us, clergy or not. Look at the ministry of Jesus. Did Jesus take time to rest before and after working miracles, healing the sick, or traveling place to place? Did Jesus ever tell His Father He was too busy for the work set out before Him? When did He ever exhaust Himself for His ministry? Never. One of my favorite stories in the Bible comes from Matthew 8. I like it because to me it's hilarious and speak volumes of how important rest was to Jesus. After spending time in Capernaum and with Peter's mother-in-law (He was doing a lot of healing), Jesus in verse 18 sees a crowd of people approaching Him and the disciples and literally orders them to retreat away from all the busyness that was about to ensue. Sure, Jesus could have probably stuck around and healed some more people, but who knows how long that would have taken. Jesus was essentially saying, "we're done for the day, let's retreat to the other side of the sea." Far away from the hustle and bustle taking place on shore. But wait a minute. Oh my goodness! He was a minister! Ministers aren't supposed to rest, are they? I mean, they're supposed to offer themselves at all times of the day or night for the sake of the gospel, right? Well, yes, and no. According to Jesus' ministry, He was constantly yielded to the Holy Spirit, but as we see in this story (and many others), there were times when He got away and rested. Later in the story, He almost gets disgusted with the disciples for waking Him up in the boat they were traveling in due to a storm. So you see, Jesus took His rest seriously! It was a pivotal aspect of His ministry. It was part of His ministry. Jesus knew what needed to be done, but He also knew how to do it.

I challenge you to not get so caught up in "busy" and use the word "no" every now and then. Start small, then gradually you will see more free time that you could spend with the Lord, family, or friends. Also, treat Sundays as a day of rest, just like it was intended. Go to church, spend some refreshing time with fellow Christ-followers and allow the Spirit to pour upon you. After all, even God Himself took a day off after He witnessed everything He had done while forming our universe. You deserve it too.

In closing, do you know how many times the word "busy" is used in Scripture........once. :-)

Willard Car Accident Update

Last night three students from Willard High school were involved in a fatal car accident after school. The accident did not directly impact any of our students at Hamlin. None of them were involved and not any of our students knew any of the deceased personally. However, with that being said, I know even in a situation like this where our kids might not have known these students personally, they're going to come in contact with those that did. This can be a very difficult and awkward situation to be in at times.

This morning at approximately 7:30am I went to the high school to offer any services to these hurting kids. Without a doubt, the impact of this horrific event was substantial, but WHS officials were doing all the right things to provide an atmosphere of comfort. All the students at Willard, whether they notice it or not, are truly blessed with an incredible staff. I didn't know any of the students in the grieving room, but I did take the time to quietly pray over them as I stood in the room.

Here's what I'm asking you to do. Even if you don't live in this area and don't know these kids or their families personally we can all lend a helping hand.

1. Pray for the families of the students killed.
2. Pray for the students of WHS and the faculty as they work through this over the next few weeks.
3. Check this blog periodically as I will be receiving word from Chris Grauf, the guidance counselor, on what our community can do (care packages, prayer teams, etc.)
4. Pray for new ministry opportunities. Any time a tragedy takes place people, especially teenagers, are asking questions, working through their faith, and looking for answers.
5. Pray that the Christian communities of Springfield and Willard work together to see restoration take place in this difficult time.
   
6. Pray for me. I hate to see things like this happen, but as my favorite saying goes "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good."
7. Commit to pray in one of these areas at least once a day for the next two weeks.

Count your blessings. Don't forget what the Lord has given you and remember that at any time it could be gone. We're not guaranteed anything in life except for the unconditional love of our Savior. Be thankful, pray, and live for Him.

"...the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord." --Job 1:21b

Fall, Football, Frenzy

Fall is honestly one of my favorite times of the year. For me, there's nothing more refreshing than turning the air off in the house, opening all the windows, lighting a fall scented candle, and allowing the crisp fresh breeze sweep through your home. I think what makes fall so exciting is the visible change that takes place. With each season there is some sort of change, but I think the autumn leaves, foggy mornings, and crisp evenings make fall the most favorable. There's nothing more beautiful than noticing the slow and gradual change of Missouri's finest trees. The leaves go from forest green to vibrant yellow, red, and orange, accented by the brown background from the bark of the trees. It's during this time of the year that I can't help but notice God's hand in forming the earth. Of course, His hand is evident year round, but there's something about fall that brings a smile to my face and warmth into my heart. Only through all of this "change" are we able to enjoy the purity of winter's first round of snow and springs refreshing blooms. Change has to take place somewhere for future glory to be revealed.

Of course, what would fall be without FOOTBALL!! If you know me at all you know my appreciation for college football runs deep within my blood. It might seems very silly, it might even seem like an addiction, but I term it otherwise. For as long as I can remember, my family and I would all gather around the TV on Saturday afternoon/evening and tune in to watch the Sooners take on their opponent. A fall Saturday was also composed of working in the yard, burning shrubs and leaves, or attending one of our local fall festivals. No matter what we did, we were always either watching the game, tuning in through the radio, or maybe even there! It was a common tradition that ran deep within our family and I'm not ashamed of that by any means. Some of the greatest memories I have come from those Saturday afternoon cook-outs and fellowships with friends and family. We loved having people over to share in this time of fellowship. This becomes yet another memory connected to one of my favorite times of the year.

BOOMER SOONER!!!

Warning: "I Gotta Feeling"

Recently, I was driving my youth around town to drop off some flyers for our church's block party. One of my students whipped out his cell phone and started playing some mp3 music from his phone for his "music enjoyment." Technology these days allows kids to do just about whatever they want with a cell phone or computer. His song of choice, "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. As the song played over the speaker of his Blackberry phone, he and practically everyone else in the van began singing along. I, personally, had never heard this song. Whenever I hear of this particular band, my ears shut off. The only song I really know off the top of my head that I actually know is "Let's get it Started." However, my utmost disgust with this group comes from one of their members, Fergie (Stacy Ann Ferguson). In 2006, she hit it big with her debut single album The Dutchess featuring songs such as "London Bridge", "Fergalicious", "Glamorous", and "Clumsy", all of which are songs that encourage women to degrade themselves to mere sexual icons and equate their value to nothing more than what a man desires from them. Truly sickening for young teenagers listening to her message. And believe me, these aren't subtle messages either. They're very blatant in their intent.

Back to the story; I was trying to pay attention to driving and picking kids up so my mind wasn't necessarily focused on listening to the lyrics or message of this particular song that my students were singing along to. However, upon my return to work the next day I did some research (which is the reason for this blog). I'm just now getting around to publishing my concerns so for that I apologize.

Let me first start out by posting the lyrics so you can visually see the message behind this song minus the music. Simply follow this link to the correct destination and you will find the lyrics to this song.

As if the lyrics don't portray the message clearly (partying everyday all day, complete drunkenness, sexual misconduct) perhaps the video will do it for you. I watched the video myself and I've gotta say, pictures of Fergie in a thong and bra, lesbianism, binge drinking, inebriation, and all around sexual immorality does not constitute decency for me.

I know the response of most teenagers is going to be "But the music is so good...I don't listen to the message!!" Well, let me say this, if I fed you a plate of brownies and you devoured those brownies right in front of me only to find out later that I had mixed in some of my dogs poop before baking them, what would you say then? You would be disgusted. You didn't taste the poop because it was mixed with something that was "so good." The point: even the littlest amount of "poop" (sin) can really foul up everything. The subliminal messages we allow in our heads will ultimately shape the way we make decisions, associate with others, and live our lives in general.

A few Scripture passages stuck me as I was listening/watching this song. First Galatians 5:19-21 says, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." These desires of the human flesh are clearly seen in the Black Eyed Peas newest video. Also, 1 Timothy 2:9 speaks of how women should dress and conduct themselves. None of these Biblical principles are even remotely accounted for in this new hit-song that has topped the "Billboard top 100" for the past 14 days.

My message is this: I listen to secular music and enjoy a wide variety of bands. However, I do feel as if I have maintained my spiritual beliefs by making the right choices as to what music I chose to listen to and what music I chose not to listen to. For me, I stop listening to a song or band when their message has become entirely contrary to the beliefs that I hold as a Christ-follower. I won't compromise my obedience to the Lord for the sake of "good musical entertainment." If the message is sour you can count on not having my support. I would hope that you would hold the same convictions and hold up something as simple as a song to the light of Scripture and allow God's Word to show you what is right and wrong.