Get in the Word and stay in it!

Please watch this video. The only way to strengthen today's churches is a serious study of God's word. Not fun activities, not fluffy sermons, not feel good entertainment that's CALLED "worship"...

I would rather have a church of 40 that seriously took God's word for what it says... than a church of 200 that only came because they liked the music and entertainment.

Longing for home

Last night I laid in bed talking to my wife about growing up on Cottontree.. a little road in Roane county WV. Here are a couple pics of that place... The one view is a view that I grew up with.. looking down the road and out of the hollar...
How I longed to get out of there and make something of myself...

Now I miss it... Life was simple...

Only in WV

Will you find Portapotties in a hospital parking lot...

At Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV... (WVU!!!)

land of the lost

Awww. the memories of Saturday TV from the 70s...

I loved this show...

Just as I am

Wanna blessing... watch this video

Pastor Appreciation

Today at our Harvest festival, a few people gave me cards and said some really nice things about me... For that I am thankful.

My wife even got me this cake to celebrate my graduation from the School of Christian Studied...

More pics from the State Convention and our way home

I DID IT!!!

After 12 yrs, I finally graduated from the WVBC School of Christian Studies!
In 1996, Rev. Paul Fulks, my area minister encouraged me to enroll in the school.
If I would have kept at it, I would have graduated in 3 years, but I took a couple classes, and then couldn't afford it. So I didn't take anymore until I became youth pastor at Sutton Baptist. I then started taking them sporadically... sometimes I couldn't afford to take the class, other times the one day classes were scheduled on a Saturday that was already busy for me in youth ministry. As a youth pastor, Saturdays are prime days for monthly activities.

So, I picked up a class here and there, and 12 years later with a lot of help from God, I graduated....

Next stop... Palmer Seminary.
I am now ready to begin the process of getting my Masters in Divinity degree.

But for now... tonight... I am celebrating!

Pics from the Convention

Still More pics from the convention

More pics of the convention

Some pics of us at the convention

First Day of WVBC Annual Meeting

Well, we arrived! Actually the Convention starts in the morning, but we are already checked in to our hotel..
I have already ran into Max Hill, and Jim and Pat Ash. There is nothing like a bunch of WV Baptists converging on a town!!!

The leaves on the trees through the mountains were beautiful, and we enjoyed our trip down yesterday to Tabatha's mothers.. (Although we were ran off the road by a guy between Elkins and Buchannon!.... Tried my Christian patience!!! lol)

We stayed all night at my MILs and then spent sometime this afternoon with Tabatha's Grandmother, Freda, who is in the nursing home in Charleston. After leaving there, we found the two churches we will be attending, and then found our hotel.

Justin is wanting to go to Dollar tree, and then we will have dinner this evening. (Probably order in Pizza from Papa Johns... my favorite pizza)

Justin is having a time... he saw a map of the hotel on our hotel door and he started freaking out! He said.. "This place is bugged... this map says, "YOU are here!... Then he read the instructions on what to do if there is a fire in our room.. Step 1... Call 9-11 and tell them where you are.... Justin said, "How will they know I am here?!!!"

Then he grabbed all the coffee, creamer, little bottles of soap, and shampoo and is trying to sneak them into Tab's purse!

He really has to get out more often!

"JUSTIN... put that alarm clock down.. you can't take that home!!!
NOW! Put it back! ...and that remote won't work on our TV at home!"


After a good night's rest, (IF I CAN GET ONE!!!") He now thinks the ice bucket is a bed pan!!!........... we will be ready to go again.
Please pray that my mother can come to the graduation... she doesn't have a way to get here. I will update this blog tomorrow night after services...

Tim.

Getting ready to go

Only 4 days left...


I have been looking forward to the Annual meeting of the WVBC for a few weeks now.
Besides getting to graduate from the WV School of Christian Studies, the gathering of over 500 WV Baptists together from all over the state is something that lifts my spirit.

This year the Annual Meeting will be held at St. Albans First Baptist Church. There will be awesome worship, sermons, and music. Getting to see friends that I haven't seen for a year is always a blessing. And this year our convention has hired a hispanic strategist to help church's and associations to start hispanic ministries throughout the state. I had the privelige of meeting him last evening at our local association meeting. His testimony is powerful, and I am convinced that God is going to work through our association in a mighty way.

For a couple yrs now, I have felt some sort of call to hispanic ministry, but the call has never came in clear. It is like God is saying, "prepare yourself" so I have been. For the last few years, our association has been planning a hispanic ministry, but all our plans get shot down. We know God wants it, but we didn't know the timing... until now.

As I type this, Juan, our hispanic brother is on a fact finding mission with another local pastor. He will assess our area, which happens to be heavily populated with hispanics, and will set up a strategy for our association and churches to start a ministry.

Anyway, back to the convention... We will be leaving on Sunday Afternoon. We will stay Sunday night with my Mother-in-law, visit my wife's grandmother Monday, and go on to the hotel near St. Albans Monday evening.

Tuesday morning, we have a minister's council meeting that morning and early afternoon, then the 1st session of the annual meeting around 3 pm... dinner, then back to the church for the evening service at 6:45. It is in this service that I will graduate from the School of Christian Studies.

Wednesday morning and early afternoon will be spent in workshops. Then the business session of the meeting will be held in the afternoon. We will go to dinner, then back to the church for Wednesday evening service... ending in communion with our brothers and sisters.

Then wake up Thursday, have lunch, and head home.

Hopefully, I will be re-energized by the time I get home. I love these conventions.
Pastors need to be fed too. And it is during these times that I am fed.

Please pray for our traveling safety.

Another Sunrise

God is good!!!!

This morning when I woke up, and sent my boys to the bus stop, I noticed the view that God painted a portrait just for me.

So I took out my camera to capture it, and share it with all my readers...

Don't take nature for granted. Everytime you look at a sunset, or sunrise, or a mountain stream, or the ocean, you see something beautiful that God created just for you at that moment in time. Imagine, the creator of the universe caring enough for you to produce something of beauty just for you.

Have you thanked HIM today? YOU should... I should... We all should shout out to God, "THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME!"

A tribute to a brother in Christ

Last week I received the news that a friend of mine had passed away.



I met him when I was only 6 yrs old. My family started going to a new church, and Ralph and his family was members there... Ralph and his wife, Leonna were a couple singers in the church's quartet. And I was always amazed at his ability to play the guitar. As a matter of fact, Ralph was the one that inspired me to play the guitar.



Last week Ralph passed away. He was 74 yrs old, and as I look back on my childhood and teen yrs, and even early in my marriage, I can see the influence he had on me.

Here is his Obituary:

Ralph C. Morris

Ralph C. Morris, 74, of Adonijah Community, Lizemores, died Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, at home after an extended illness.
Born Oct. 24, 1933, in Crosby, he was a son of the late Esmond L. and Maggie Alice Morris. He was also preceded in death by a sister, Janet Fisk; and brothers, Dale, Merle, Edward and Norman Morris.
He was a retired carpenter, a member of Laurel Fork Missionary Baptist Church, Lizemores, and an Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Leona McGraw Morris; a daughter, Regina Bass of Lizemores; sons, Jeff, Bruce and Jamie Morris, all of Lizemores; sisters, Marie Johnston of Glen and Doris Summers and Evelyn Mitchell, both of Lizemores; and seven grandchildren.
Service will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at Laurel Fork Missionary Baptist Church, Lizemores, with the Rev. Earl Elliott and the Rev. Naaman H. Moore officiating. Burial will be in the Morris family cemetery, Lizemores. Military graveside rites will be conducted by Clay VFW Post 4419.

Here is a song he wrote that I have sung a few times.
It is called "The Little Ol' Church By The Road"
Little ol’ Church by The Road…
By Ralph Morris

Often times in my memories I wander again
to the Little Ol church by the road
I can see the dear people and hear them so plain
singing songs of the blessed abode.
I can hear my dear mother as she fervently prayed
blessed Jesus help me carry my load.
She was never downhearted or never dismayed
in the little ol church by the road.

There my mother was prayin,
while the preacher was sayin,
“sinner come and repent of your sins..
There the people all crowded,
while the sisters all shouted,
and the brethren were saying “amen”
It was there I met Jesus,
and gave Him my life.
It was there he took the weight of my load”
And he freely removed all my sorrow and strife,
in the little ol church by the Road.

I remember the preacher so gentle and brave
as he told of the father above.
gave his only son Jesus all the lost ones to save
such wonderful, wonderful love,
I shall never forget how he spoke when he said
come to Jesus he will carry your load,
and so often he told of the life giving bread
in the little ol church by the road.





My sister and I at that little ol church by the road... Click on the picture to enlarge it.

I am a Soldier

I found this a few yrs ago, and I wanted to share it with you.. I have never found out who wrote it.. if anyone knows, let me know, so I can give proper credit...

I AM A SOLDIER
I am a soldier in the Army of My God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer and the Word
are my weapons of Warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit,
trained by experience,
tried by adversity,
and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this Army,
and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this Army at the rapture
or die in this Army;
but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out,
I am faithful, capable, and dependable.
If My God needs me,
I am there.
If He needs me in Sunday school to teach children,
work with the youth, help adults, or just sit and learn.
He can use me,
because I am there!
I am a soldier.
I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered,
petted, primed up, pumped up,
picked up, or pepped up.
I am a soldier. No one has to call me,
remind me,
write me, visit me,
entice me, or lure me.
I am a soldier.
I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King,
obeying His orders, praising His name,
and building His kingdom!
I am a soldier.
No one has to send me flowers,
gifts, food,
cards, candy,
or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled,
cared for, or catered to.
I am committed!
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this Army,
I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing,
I will still come out even.
I will win.
My God will supply all my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.
I am a soldier.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me,
and Hell cannot handle me!
I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain
and then bring me back to rule this world with Him.
I am a soldier in the Army,
and I'm marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am a soldier,
marching Heaven bound.
Here I stand!
Will you stand with me?

This is the day that the Lord has made!
This morning, I walked out on my front porch and saw this beautiful sunrise. What a gift from God! It reminded me that the troubles from yesterday are gone, and today is a fresh, new day. God gives us these reminders that he is on the throne and in control of our lives...

If you are having a bad day, just wait until tomorrow and watch the sunrise.

Does Worship Stop When the Music Does?

The following is the paper I wrote for the class Worship and Music through the School of Christian Studies:

I hope you enjoy.

I am a member of an online Christian community called Baptistboard. I have been a member of this community since October of 2003. We have discussed a lot of subjects, and worship and music are prominent in our discussions. Since this board is made up of all different stripes of Baptists (As well as other denominations), I have been challenged to redefine and/or provide support for my view of worship. The following is a post I made on 8/29/06 in the thread titled (Does Worship Stop when the music does):

Music is just a tool to use to worship... so is prayer, meditation, Bible Study, Preaching, etc.. A Christian should never quit worshipping... Even if there were no music we would still Worship our God for WHO He is... not what He does....but Who He is... But thank God for music... it is a gift to us, from Him, that aids in our worship of Him. No, Worship doesn't end when the music does, unless you are worshipping music...It doesn't start when music starts either...
For a Christian, worship is life.

Having read New Ways in Christian Worship by Robert W. Bailey, and Beyond the Worship Wars by Thomas G. Long, I am persuaded that my post on Baptistboard.com back in 2006 is still the correct way to view worship.

While talking to the woman at the well, Jesus said, “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.” - John 4:24

Jesus was clear that worship must be done in spirit and in truth…
But what does this mean?
The phrase, “in spirit” strips away the belief that worship is tied to material things.
The woman had just mentioned two physical places that people went to worship. Jesus was pointing out Worship is not tied to Jerusalem or any other place. Worship can be done anywhere at any time, with or without physical elements to help us along.

The phrase, “in truth” applies to the fact that Jesus is God. He was God in the flesh talking to that woman. The woman had been use to worshipping in the shadows of the coming Messiah. The Pentateuch, which was the Samaritan’s scriptures, was full of shadows of the coming Messiah. The offerings and ceremonial rituals that Moses handed to the people were pictures of the coming Christ. But that woman had the privilege of looking into the eyes of the actual Messiah. She was staring truth in the face. And she realized it.

No longer would people be bound to a physical place to worship. No longer would people be limited to their preconceived ideas (based in the ceremonial rituals of the Pentateuch) of what the Messiah would be like. Now we can worship God any place at any time, knowing that Jesus is God. Jesus is the truth… For Jesus said himself, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

So how does this truth translate into today’s culture? How can we take this truth and apply it to us and our churches?

In today’s church when the word “Worship” is mentioned, it seems that people automatically think of music. Even job titles in churches point to this concept. We have Worship Leaders, Worship Pastors, Ministers of Worship, etc… but they all have one thing in common: music.

But music is only one aspect of worship.
Let’s define worship. The word worship comes from the old English term, “Worth ship” It means to apply worth to something. So when we “worship” God, we are applying worth to God. We are reflecting back to God the truths of who he is. He is Holy, Just, Righteous, and is worthy of our praise. Worship stems from who God is, not what he does for us.

Other ways to worship God is Bible reading, Praying, meditating, proclamation of God’s Word, giving of tithes and offerings. All of these say to God, “You are worthy of my praise, time, and resources. We say to God, here I am, I am completely yours, use me how you want. Romans 12:1 I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.


Worship means so much more than the 15 to 20 minutes we spend each Sunday morning right before the Pastor gives the sermon.

But because of this misunderstanding, we now have churches splitting over the right way to “worship”. There are many different music styles in American churches today.

• Ultra-traditional: Those like the Church of Christ, Primitive Baptist, or Old Regular Baptist teach that no instruments should be used with music.

• Traditional: Those that sing traditional hymns, and an occasional Southern Gospel, or Bluegrass song

• Contemporary: Those that use Contemporary or Praise and Worship music for their services. Opponents of praise and worship music often call the songs “7-11 songs” because they often use repetitive phrases that consist of only a few words. They sing the 7 word phrases 11 times.

• Blended: Those that blend the above styles in a service.

Again I believe that if God’s people would properly understand the meaning of worship, people would not be at odds with each other, but would appreciate the differences in the different styles.

Which is worse, an older person that has always been use to traditional worship refusing to allow the younger generation to use contemporary songs OR a younger person refusing to come to church because the church only sings hymns?

To me, both are sinfully wrong.
But I see it in both sets of people. When the older person refuses to allow the younger generation to worship using modern music, he is wrong, and it reflects that the older generation is worshipping a style of music, or culture instead of worshipping God.

When the younger person refuses to come to church, or join a church because the church only uses hymns, that person is wrong, and it also reflects that the younger person is worshipping a style of music instead of worshipping God.

Both sets of people are sinfully prideful in thinking that people should accommodate them by meeting their demands before they will worship God.

So in an effort to reconcile the differences of opinion, some churches give in to the demands of one side and alienate the other side. Some churches decide to pro-actively split the congregation offering two services, one a traditional service, the other a contemporary service. Still another option is blending the styles of music into one service, using some traditional elements and some contemporary elements

No matter what decision a church makes to reconcile these differences, the doctrine of worship must not be compromised. Jesus said we must worship him in spirit and truth.
We must be teaching our people that worship comes from the heart, and that music is just a tool that we use to accomplish worship. Music is not the goal, but the means to get to the goal. We should be able to worship God no matter in what circumstance we find ourselves. We should be able to worship God no matter what physical things are connected to our worship. We should be teaching our people to worship God in spirit.

I am also convinced that when people truly see the truth of Jesus, worship naturally flows. I believe that the person that is addicted to traditional worship will still be able to praise God even in contemporary settings. Also the person addicted to contemporary worship will not boycott the church if the church decides to stick with hymns.

It all comes down to an issue of the heart. Do Christians in today’s world truly love Jesus or are we so self-centered that unless the demands of our musical styles are met, we will not come to church to worship?

Maybe that is the problem; the modern American church believes it meets TO worship…
We are still steeped in the idea that we need to be in a particular place before we are worshipping. We don’t understand what worshipping God in Spirit is about.

Maybe if instead of people meeting TO worship on Sunday mornings, they would COME WORSHIPPING to the Sunday meeting. If we start teaching people to worship outside the church building we may cut down on worship wars. If we start teaching people to start Sunday worship the minute their eyes open on Sunday mornings, people will have the right attitude when they walk through the church doors. If people were worshipping on their way to the church building, then that worship would carry over into service, and the focus would be on God instead of what type of music is in the church, or what instruments are being used, or what sister Maggy So-n-so is wearing! Can you imagine a church filled with Christians that had been with Jesus that morning? What a Sunday that would be!

Worship is not something we watch, it is something we do. But it seems that more and more people are coming to church to just watch worship. Maybe it is a symptom of a generation grown up on television, internet, etc., but it seems that many just want to watch others worship God. But somehow we have to get back to true worship. Somehow we have to teach people that worshipping God in spirit and in truth is more important than if we sing, “It is well with my soul” or “In the Light” by DC Talk.

So to answer the title of this paper, Does Worship Stop When the Music Does?

No, Worship doesn't end when the music does, unless you are worshipping music...It doesn't start when music starts either...

For a Christian, worship is life.

And you think you had a bad day...

I saw this in a myspace bulletin...
Before you go out and condemn our troops because you are gullible enough to believe what the liberal left, and the liberal media present as News... (which is nothing more than socialist wannabe trash) Take a minute to read this, and look at the pictures... Then thank God that we live in a Country that has the best armed forces in the world!

So, here it is.. copied and pasted from the myspace bulletin, just as it asked people to do.








this is sad...






You stay up for 16 hours.

He stays up for days on end.





You take a warm shower to help you wake up.

He goes days or weeks without running water.





You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.





You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.





You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.





You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.

He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.


..


You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his brow.







You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.





Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are clean.





You go to the mall and get your hair redone.

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.





You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.





You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.





You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.





You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.





You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.





You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.





You see only what the media wants you to see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.





You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.





You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.