I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I'd like to make a prediction about the Olympics in China.
I predict that one of their venues will experience a catastrophic structural failure.
(If you know what I know about Chinese corruption, this prediction shouldn't surprise you. It would surprise you if one of their stadiums DIDN'T collapse!)
Friday, August 08, 2008
8-8-08
That is why they chose to begin the Olympics today in Beijing.
China thinks it's lucky. Anyone who disagrees with them, however, will find that their luck has run out.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
New Church Sign
We've been awfully excited this week as we (Immanuel Southern Baptist Church) have installed a new church sign. I took a picture of it yesterday but noticed that with all of the debris from the old sign and from the dirt we took out of the hole, that it wasn't very "pretty". So, I put my photo-doctoring skills to the test and "cleaned-up" the job site a little bit. Voila!
All that is left to finish it is to install the skirt around the two bare poles. It was inadvertently left off at the manufacturing plant and will be delivered tomorrow morning.
Rain!
Yep, it's 84 degrees and we have rain with thunder! I love the smell of a summer thunderstorm!
Gas Prices Down!
Yesterday, I had to go to Tulsa (about 40 miles away) to make a hospital visit. As I passed by QuikTrip, the gas price was $3.45 for regular unleaded! It is still $3.64 here in Wagoner.
So, what are the gas prices where you live?
So, what are the gas prices where you live?
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Church Anniversary
The church surprised me with a cake and ice cream social after church on Sunday evening to celebrate my 1st anniversary as their pastor. I had no idea they were planning it. It was very special!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Happy Birthday, Sally!
Today is my wonderful, beautiful wife's birthday! The girls and I are going to meet her for lunch today in Muskogee, then, after work, we'll all go somewhere nice for supper.
Sally, I'm so glad you are my wife and the mother of my children. I cannot imagine life without you! God has blessed me so much with you!
Happy Birthday!
Monday, August 04, 2008
Relief in Sight! (PTL!)
Perhaps our heat wave has an ending to it. I hope it is an ending, and not just a "lull".
I was outside a little while ago, and had to walk across the church parking lot. WOW!!!! Getting into my car was worse than any Chinese sauna I have ever been in! (not that there have been many, but there was that one time in Kunming with Alan B....)
Personally, I'd rather be a bit chilly that any too warm.
Blogiversary
Yesterday celebrated my 4 year blogiversary with my blog. It started out much different than this, but I sure have had fun along the way.
Thanks to all who are faithful readers and commentors. I've enjoyed getting to know many of you though this media.
Thanks to all who are faithful readers and commentors. I've enjoyed getting to know many of you though this media.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Friday, August 01, 2008
Another Anniversary
August 1, 2008, marks the one year anniversary of my pastorate at Immanuel Southern Baptist Church. What a year it has been!
From the moment I first pulled into the parking lot with Bro Bill Sherrill, Director of Missions for the Muskogee Baptist Association, I knew I was going to be the pastor here.
My first contact with anyone was with the interim pastor, Bro Bill Crow. We had a nice visit which encouraged me to get in touch with the search committee. Within a few minutes of visiting with Betty Rice, I think we both knew it was God's plan for us.
Excitement grew as I came and preached one Sunday. An unexpected hiccup occurred when I picked up the bulletin and discovered they were planning for me to preach that evening, too! I muddled through something, if I remember right.
I'll readily admit I became skeptical of this being the church (isn't that like Satan to put doubt in your mind?) Just like Peter, when he was walking on the water towards Jesus, I put my eyes on the things of this world. I looked at what I thought was reality; that is, how in the world could a small church support my family? My skepticism carried over in my attitude and there was one or two on the search committee that thought all I cared about was money. I truly regret that part of the process.
But God was greater and His will prevailed! I really, really wanted to be the pastor here, but I was afraid of what they would offer. I had a salary amount in mind, but their offer actually exceeded what I had in mind. It is a good thing, too, for, in retrospect, we could have never survived on what my initial ideas where! I had been living for too long outside the US and simply didn't know what it took to live here!
I remember my first Sunday morning here (of course). There were fewer people here that Sunday than there were when I came in view of a call. That was rather discouraging. There were 25 people here for Sunday morning service. We had no where to go but "up".
I suppose that I am plagued with the same trap that most pastors get into. It is hard to get out of. It is the "numbers game". Attendance and membership is the easiest and most readily available measure of how "I'm doing". I had all kinds of number goals in my mind.
Our attendance has doubled since I have been here. That is do to God working, not me. Last Easter, we had 86 in attendance. Now, I know that those numbers seem mighty low and insignificant to most people, but that was a great cause of celebration for us. It showed me the potential for what was there.
I have given up playing the numbers game. I want to see our church grow, but I don't care so much if it grows in NUMBERS. That is now God's problem. I want to see our church grow in spiritual maturity. I want to see our church grow in love. I want to see our church growing by reaching out to a lost and dying world. If we increase in numbers along the way, then that's fine.
I never thought I would like pastoring, much less love it. The church has been mighty kind to me and my family as we adjust to one another. I mentioned last Wednesday night that it seems like this first year, we have been dancing, getting to know one another. Well, it is time to stop dancing and get to work.
I still don't know why God would chose us for this task. It really isn't mine to know; it is mine to obey. I miss the foreign mission field and all of my colleagues. I miss that way of life. At this point, however, I wouldn't trade this for anything else in the world. At least until God tells me to.
If you are interested in praying for our church, here are some prayer requests:
Immanuel Southern Baptist Church
611 N. Gertrude Ave.
Wagoner, OK 74467
From the moment I first pulled into the parking lot with Bro Bill Sherrill, Director of Missions for the Muskogee Baptist Association, I knew I was going to be the pastor here.
My first contact with anyone was with the interim pastor, Bro Bill Crow. We had a nice visit which encouraged me to get in touch with the search committee. Within a few minutes of visiting with Betty Rice, I think we both knew it was God's plan for us.
Excitement grew as I came and preached one Sunday. An unexpected hiccup occurred when I picked up the bulletin and discovered they were planning for me to preach that evening, too! I muddled through something, if I remember right.
I'll readily admit I became skeptical of this being the church (isn't that like Satan to put doubt in your mind?) Just like Peter, when he was walking on the water towards Jesus, I put my eyes on the things of this world. I looked at what I thought was reality; that is, how in the world could a small church support my family? My skepticism carried over in my attitude and there was one or two on the search committee that thought all I cared about was money. I truly regret that part of the process.
But God was greater and His will prevailed! I really, really wanted to be the pastor here, but I was afraid of what they would offer. I had a salary amount in mind, but their offer actually exceeded what I had in mind. It is a good thing, too, for, in retrospect, we could have never survived on what my initial ideas where! I had been living for too long outside the US and simply didn't know what it took to live here!
I remember my first Sunday morning here (of course). There were fewer people here that Sunday than there were when I came in view of a call. That was rather discouraging. There were 25 people here for Sunday morning service. We had no where to go but "up".
I suppose that I am plagued with the same trap that most pastors get into. It is hard to get out of. It is the "numbers game". Attendance and membership is the easiest and most readily available measure of how "I'm doing". I had all kinds of number goals in my mind.
Our attendance has doubled since I have been here. That is do to God working, not me. Last Easter, we had 86 in attendance. Now, I know that those numbers seem mighty low and insignificant to most people, but that was a great cause of celebration for us. It showed me the potential for what was there.
I have given up playing the numbers game. I want to see our church grow, but I don't care so much if it grows in NUMBERS. That is now God's problem. I want to see our church grow in spiritual maturity. I want to see our church grow in love. I want to see our church growing by reaching out to a lost and dying world. If we increase in numbers along the way, then that's fine.
I never thought I would like pastoring, much less love it. The church has been mighty kind to me and my family as we adjust to one another. I mentioned last Wednesday night that it seems like this first year, we have been dancing, getting to know one another. Well, it is time to stop dancing and get to work.
I still don't know why God would chose us for this task. It really isn't mine to know; it is mine to obey. I miss the foreign mission field and all of my colleagues. I miss that way of life. At this point, however, I wouldn't trade this for anything else in the world. At least until God tells me to.
If you are interested in praying for our church, here are some prayer requests:
- We need families with children.
- We need a youth leader.
- We need a minister of music.
- We need young adults.
- We need a unified vision for what God has for us.
Immanuel Southern Baptist Church
611 N. Gertrude Ave.
Wagoner, OK 74467
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Goodbye July
I'm headed home. I won't turn on the computer again until next month, so that's it for July!
Anniversary
One year ago today I resigned as a missionary from the IMB to pastor a church.
I'm not sad I resigned; a little melancholy, perhaps.
I first started with the Board in 1989 when I was appointed under Keith Parks as a Journeyman to Hong Kong. During that time, I helped to plant a church in Kowloon, New Hope Baptist Church. I was honored when the church planting team agreed on my suggestion for the name of the church, for at that time, (pre-1997) no one knew what the future of HK held with China looming overhead. Everyone was afraid and had lost hope.
It is fitting that I ended my missionary "career" in Hong Kong. After a tour in West Africa, then in East Asia, we transferred to Hong Kong. I honestly thought that we would retire with the Board and become "Emeritus", but God had other plans.
Most of our missionary service was "support". Not a very glamorous position, but necessary nonetheless. We considered ourselves to be like Aaron and Hur, providing support to Moses has he did what God called him to do.
We loved serving in West Africa. Africa is like a huge goldfish bowl where missionaries are the fish. It is like that to some degree in Asia, but it is much more severe in Africa. We experienced so much in our first term there. God transformed us and He used us. He allowed us to serve in both little and big ways. I pray that He found us faithful.
Then civil war.
We left the land and people we loved and followed God to Thailand. Again, we had a service of service. No glamor, unless you like being in AGM videos (which I secretly did). [OK, perhaps not SECRETLY!] The work there was email intensive. I joked that "I used to be a missionary, but now I answer email for a living". That wasn't far off. But what we did, and what they still do, is extremely important to keep the mission machine working.
If you have a missionary to speak in your church and they say something like "well, I"m only in support missions" or some other nonsense like that, please do your best to affirm them and encourage them in their work. I would rather be found faithful doing what I was called to do, than the alternative. Wouldn't you?
I'm not sad I resigned; a little melancholy, perhaps.
I first started with the Board in 1989 when I was appointed under Keith Parks as a Journeyman to Hong Kong. During that time, I helped to plant a church in Kowloon, New Hope Baptist Church. I was honored when the church planting team agreed on my suggestion for the name of the church, for at that time, (pre-1997) no one knew what the future of HK held with China looming overhead. Everyone was afraid and had lost hope.
It is fitting that I ended my missionary "career" in Hong Kong. After a tour in West Africa, then in East Asia, we transferred to Hong Kong. I honestly thought that we would retire with the Board and become "Emeritus", but God had other plans.
Most of our missionary service was "support". Not a very glamorous position, but necessary nonetheless. We considered ourselves to be like Aaron and Hur, providing support to Moses has he did what God called him to do.
We loved serving in West Africa. Africa is like a huge goldfish bowl where missionaries are the fish. It is like that to some degree in Asia, but it is much more severe in Africa. We experienced so much in our first term there. God transformed us and He used us. He allowed us to serve in both little and big ways. I pray that He found us faithful.
Then civil war.
We left the land and people we loved and followed God to Thailand. Again, we had a service of service. No glamor, unless you like being in AGM videos (which I secretly did). [OK, perhaps not SECRETLY!] The work there was email intensive. I joked that "I used to be a missionary, but now I answer email for a living". That wasn't far off. But what we did, and what they still do, is extremely important to keep the mission machine working.
If you have a missionary to speak in your church and they say something like "well, I"m only in support missions" or some other nonsense like that, please do your best to affirm them and encourage them in their work. I would rather be found faithful doing what I was called to do, than the alternative. Wouldn't you?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
RAIN!
Yep, the weatherman was right! We actually got a little bit of rain this morning. Of course, it had ended by 8 am. By 9:30 the sun was shining brightly, so now, at 10:50, it is hot and steamy. Thankfully, the high is only supposed to be 94, so I guess it could be worse!
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