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.

Revival

What does the word "Revival" mean to you...

To me it means to renew that promise I made yrs ago to God.
Maybe you made the same promise..."If you save me, I will serve you no matter what."

Have you made that promise?
If so, do you keep it?

It is so easy for us to let our promises to God slide. But God expects you to keep them. Are you serving Faithfully? Or are you MIA... Missing In Action?

God needs us to fulfill our promises and duties...
When you are MIA you suffer...
Other Christians suffer...
Jobs go undone...
People are not helped...
Souls go to Hell...
Are you shirking your duties?
Do you make your other brothers and sisters pick up the slack because you are not fulfilling your promises?
Have you promised God something...

Maybe you bargained with God in prayer....

Maybe like this...

"Oh God, if you give me... ____________... I promise I will attend church more, pray more, be a better Christian, read your bible more, witness more, serve in church more, help others.......blah, blah, blah"

Then God answered your prayer....

Whatever it is you promised God you would do... God expects you to keep your promises..

If you don't keep your promise, can you really expect God to answer your prayers the next time you try to bargain with him?

Our church will be having Revival services the last part of the week.
A local pastor, John Vetter, will be preaching.

For me, these services are important, because it is a time for me to examine myself, and to make some changes in my life that reveal God's love in a more clear way to the world.

It is a time to allow God to clean my heart, get all the junk out, and renew my spirit.

Even as a Pastor, I make mistakes... and need to repent.

Is there something you need to repent of?
Is there a promise you are not keeping?

If so, talk honestly to God... He will forgive you.... then keep your promise.

Early Memory of Church

The following is one of my earliest memories of church..
This is the way I remembered it as a 6 yr old boy...

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun was bright, flowers were just beginning to bloom, and birds were beginning to sing on the banks of Elk River. I was 6 years old, and was riding with my mom and dad and sister to church. Dad had just been called to preach the year before, and had only preached a few times. As a matter of fact, one of my earliest memories was in that church. My family was sitting in the back of the church, and I looked at dad and asked him if we could go home, I had already watched this service on TV! But that morning was different, I could tell something was wrong, but I didn’t know all the details. I overheard dad telling mom that, “If Gene thinks he is going to take the church from Pastor Ray, there will be a fight and a half.”
You see, Ray had been pastor for around 3 yrs, and the church had grown from around 15 in attendance to around 75 in attendance. Ray had worked hard building that little WVBC church at Falling Rock. Before Ray came to the church, Gene was pastor. Gene realized that the church wasn’t growing, so he resigned and brought in Ray to be pastor, but Gene still attended the church and had a lot of influence on the decisions of the church.
Rumors had been circulating that Gene wanted to be pastor again, and was going to take over the church. And it seemed that everything was coming to a head that Sunday morning.
We arrived at the church, and set in our usual seats. After Sunday School devotions, we went to our classes, my class was in the little building across the parking lot, and the Pastor’s wife was my teacher. At 11 O’clock, we crossed the parking lot to go to the worship service. I set down with my parents, and service began. There were about 60 in attendance that morning, and all seemed to be going well up until the time, Pastor Ray stood to take the pulpit.
He walked up behind the pulpit, and right behind him was Gene and one of the Deacons. Gene told Ray that he was not going to preach in that church again, and that he was now the pastor. Gene and the Deacon picked Ray up and threw him into the choir chairs. Some men started to come to Ray’s defense, but Ray stood up, and stopped them. Ray dusted himself off, and started walking down the aisle toward the entrance of the church. Ray’s wife, and children with tears in their eyes, followed him, and out the door they went along with the congregation. Only 8 people were left inside. On the outside, it seemed like total confusion to this 6 year old boy. What had just happened? I had never seen this on TV before! What do we do now? Ray invited us all to his house, and we had service in his front lawn. I remember watching for Gene to drive up. I was scared at that point, and thought that Gene would try to start something at Ray’s home. But he didn’t.
That was essentially the end of that church. My family started going to another church, other families just quit going. Ray started pastoring another church a year later. And by the time I was married, he was pastor of my wife’s home church. He was my pastor when I announced my calling to preach, and he was the one I chose to preach the Charge message at my ordination.
What happened to the church Gene took over? That little church beside the road has been shut down and re-opened many times since by other preachers, but it has never been a light in that community since then… Ironically, its name was New Light Baptist when we went there. Later in years, I asked Ray why he didn’t fight back, and he said that he felt that morning that God told him to be Christ-like, and that meant to him to be humble. That was one of my earliest memories of church.

Meet Kelly

It has been a long time since I posted something. So I thought I would start posting again on a regular basis...

I want you to meet my fictional friend, Kelly...
For those that know me, don't try to figure out who Kelly is. She is a summation of many different people I have known in my life.

Meet Kelly… Kelly is a single mother of 2. She has never been married, and her 2 girls have 2 different fathers who doesn’t want anything to do with them.
She goes out with her friends on weekends and is looking for love in all the wrong places. She has a minimum wage job that will only work her 25 hours a week. She is renting a runned down trailer off a slum lord. Her trailer has windows broken out, a leaky roof, and pipes under the sink that leak…and the land lord has refused to fix them, but she doesn’t want to move because she can’t find anything else around for $150 a month. She struggles to keep her utilities on, and has learned how to play the system. She knows which agencies will help her and which ones won’t. She knows when the food pantry opens, and the workers at DHHR know her on a first name basis. A treat to her is finding enough change in the couch cushions to take her 2 girls to McDonalds to buy something off the dollar menu.

She lies awake at night, and thinks back to her days in high school. She was popular, she was a cheerleader, captain of the volleyball team, and could have any guy she wanted. She had plans on going to college to be a LPN. And made good grades.
Her life was bright, and happy… until that day the nurse at the health department told her she was pregnant. IF only she hadn’t went out with him!

She wonders is there anything in this life worthwhile, will her life get any better? What will her daughters grow up to be like. There has got to be a way out of this, but how?

What would you say to Kelly if you met her?

Read 1 Samuel 22:1-2 – “So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.”

Did you catch that?
David took a bunch of misfits and created a mighty army out of them.
David took a bunch of "Kellys" and created a mighty army out of them.

He took people in trouble, people who were in debt, and people who were miserable in life...
He discipled them and made them into warriors...
Here is what 1 Chronicles 12:21-22 says about them (21) And they helped David against the band [of the rovers]: for they [were] all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host.
(22) For at [that] time day by day there came to David to help him, until [it was] a great host, like the host of God.


David was a picture of Jesus, and since the church is Jesus' body, David was simply doing what the church should be doing...

We should be looking for the "Kellys" in our life...
Who knows what would happen if the church would reach out to the "Kellys."

All we have to do is look around to find misfits… like Kelly in the Opening illustration..
They are our next door neighbors.
They are our friends
They are the cashiers at our favorite stores..
They are the people behind the counters at the fast food restaurant.
They are your family..
They are the ones that pass you by on the street…

They won’t tell you their problems, but when they lay in bed at night, that is all they can think of.

David took a bunch of misfits and turned them into a mighty army…
David was a picture of Jesus…
Jesus is doing the same thing…
Matthew 11:28 nlt
(28) Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Effective churches are the ones that realize this principle…

Why do good people suffer

Why should I suffer?

Do you ever wonder, “Does God really care about me?” Have you ever questioned why God allows suffering to occur? While I’m not going to pretend to know everything, I do know that God loves you. .I do know that God gave his only son to die for this lonely, pathetic, world. I also know that Jesus came to save you and I from Hell. God allowed Jesus to bear the sins of the world on that old rugged cross. Jesus was sinless, yet he suffered the cruelest death known to man. If anyone could complain Christ would have the right! But he never opened his mouth in defense.
Rest assured that God is protecting you from the evil one. When Satan fires those fiery darts at us it is God that shields us from them. “But”, you say, “I’m a Christian and I’m going through some very rough times right now . Does that mean that God doesn’t love me?” Let me reassure you that God loves you and knows exactly what you’re going through. So let’s look at some reasons that God would allow his children to suffer.

1. To develop faith- Suffering produces dependence on the Lord, it takes us beyond self-sufficiency.
(I Peter 5:10 ) when our backs are against the wall then we have to turn to God.

2. Suffering reveals true character- It shows what’s in our heart, the true nature of our character. Moses talking to the Israelites says in Deut. 8:2, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”

3. To expose hidden or hurtful sin- Sometimes our trials are chastisements. During times of pain we should pray as David prayed in Ps 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

4. To learn obedience- Suffering trains us to obey God. Sometimes experience is the best teacher. Even Jesus learned obedience through suffering. In Hebrews, speaking of Jesus, it says in Heb 5:8, “Though he were a Son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered.”

5. To keep down pride- Paul had a thorn in the flesh that God refused to remove. (2 Cor 12:7) Pain and suffering has a way of reminding us of our limitations.

6. Last but not least- to glorify God- some of my favorite phrases in the bible start with, “and it came to pass”. Even in the midst of a storm you can rest assured that it will “come to pass”, in other words, all problems in life are only temporary, and when your suffering ends you faith will be stronger, and when your faith grows you glorify God.
No one likes valleys, we all want to be on mountain tops. Just remember this -- in order to have a mountain it takes two valleys and a whole lot of dirt!

This Warrior is a Child

I have been listening and singing this all morning....

Warrior is a Child by Twila Paris

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears
They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armorThe warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemiesThat lay me at His feet
They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor the warrior is a child

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and look up for a smile 'Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armorDeep inside this armor
This warrior is a child.

You might be a pastor if....

I stole this off a thread on Baptistboard!!! http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?p=1189549#post1189549

I was laughing my head off...
Any pastor can relate to these...

YOU MIGHT BE A PASTOR IF...
~ Everybody stops talking when you enter the room.
~You've ever lied at a funeral.
~ You always read the obituaries.
~ You've ever suffered anxiety attack while playing Bible Trivia Pursuit.
~ You wonder why people who have some time to kill want to spend it with you.
~ You get your second wind when you say "And in conclusion"
~ The ideas you bounce off board members really do.
~ Your car tires are balding faster than your head.
~ You wish someone would steal some of your sheep.
~ You've seen more religion at a pool hall than you've seen at a Church softball match.
~ Your Bible has more side notes than printed text.
~ "Annual Church Meeting" and "Armageddon" are one and the same to you.
~ You jiggle all the toilet handles before you leave the church
building.
~ You've waded in a creek wearing a necktie.
~ You've ever dreamed you were preaching only to waken and discover that you were.
~ You'd rather negotiate with terrorists than the church organist.
~ You see a picnic as no picnic.
~ You've ever wanted to fire the church and form a congregation search committee.
~ You've been tempted to take up an offering at a family reunion.
~ You've ever wanted to give the sound man some feedback of your own.
~ You've ever wanted to lay hands on a deacon, and you didn't mean praying for him.
~ You often feel like you are herding cats instead of shepherding sheep.
~ Your sermons have a happy ending...everyone's happy when it ends.
~ You've never preached on TV, because your wife made you get down before you broke something.
~ You feel that it is your job to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

I HATE SATAN

I just had to say that... I hate satan.

He tears families apart.
He destroys lives
He seperates Christians
He tries to destroy churches...

And I can't wait until he is in the lake of fire burning, suffering, day and night forever and ever!!!

Sometimes I wonder if Hell is too good for that creature.

I just had to get that off of my chest.

Christians stay strong in the Lord.
Satan is trying to devour us...

He hates us.. He will do anything he can to destroy us.
He doesn't fight fair.

Remember though that in the end, WE WIN...

Did you read that Satan? YOU ARE A LOSER!!!!
For my LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, promised that your gates will fall, and we as Christians will be victorious! So stuff that in your pipe and smoke it.