This past Sunday I had the privilege of speaking to the main congregation on the theme of Finding Value in the Valleys. In marriage and in life, we can be assured that valleys will come. So the real question is not about whether or not valleys will come, but how we will respond to them when they do come.
I recently learned that some old friends of mine lost their sixteen year old daughter in an automobile accident. Jeff and Denise Arnold are faithul believers in Christ. And yet here they are in the deepest valley of their life. Their daughter Amie...their only child...is gone. Well this week Jeff sent out an email sharing his heart and emotions as he and Denise walk through this valley. I know it is a little lengthy, but I know you will be blessed and amazed as you hear the words of this grieving father.
"Our God is an awesome God. Only once before in my life has this been more true to me than in the past four days. That was on Amie's birthday, 10-21-93. This has been an awesome experience for Denise and me. The outpouring of love and compassion has been overwhelming. What we want now is for God to show us our new direction in lives. We are anxious to jump in with both feet into whatever God has planned for us. We know that God has opened another door for us. We just have to find it and run through. Please continue to pray for us in the coming days as we adjust to life without our girl. A 16 year routine is going to be hard to change.
Denise and I both knew that our girl was going to do something wonderful for God and she has . She has touched untold lives in the past few days and we believe that those lives will be changed forever. What a blessing. The youth of this community will always remember her just as we remember those that passed when we were young. After waiting for nearly 16 years for our only child, Denise and I new that we were only going to have one chance to raise her. We took advantage of every moment. We can both honestly look back and say with great pride that we have no regrets because we did it right. We cherish the time that we had. She was a blessing that we did not deserve. Denise and I are now leaning heavily on Christ for our strength. We both know that the Lord is the source of our joy and that we will be happy again. We refuse to let this tragedy take control of our lives. With God's guidance we are going to turn this around into something positive.
Amie and I have talked about why bad things happen to good people. I would tell her that there is a devil loose in this world and that sometimes bad things happen because of that, but when bad things happen to good people, good people run to God. Denise and I have both run headlong to the Lord since last Thursday. That is the only thing that has allowed us to keep our sanity. We would like to encourage any of you that are reading this to do the same when tragedy comes your way. We will ALL experience some type of tragedy while we are here on this earth. When that happens there are only two routes to choose. We can turn to God or away from God. In my job in law enforcement I have seen countless people who have turned away from God and try to deal with their problems by themselves. So many times that decision has led people to attempt to end their own lives. I am always saddened when I come in contact with these people because the answer is so simple: Lord Jesus, I cant do it on my own anymore. I know that I have sinned and I now ask your forgiveness. Please come into my heart and life and guide me through the rest of my days.
Folks, please help me spread this simple solution. I have never been very vocal about my christian life but I feel like that may change. Denise and I both hope and pray that this tragedy will touch untold lives in a positive way. When you see us again put on a smile and greet us like you always have. Don't be sad for us . We haven't lost our girl. We know exactly where she is. She is being loved and protected better than we could have ever done. Our God is an awesome God."
I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. I think everyone who attended our Valentine Comedy Dinner on February 14 can attest to the great time of fellowship, food and FUN we all had together. Of course a great big thank you goes out to our own Ron & Cyndi Livingston, and Dennis & Norma Caudle for heading up the preparations for the evening! The entertainment, from the opening act provided by our Student Pastor Hadley Baker and his original tunes, to the humor from comic Garland Owensby was first class!
We are focusing on the subject of Love this month with a sermon series entitled “The Thing About LOVE.” I am trying to convince Shelly that, since I am preaching the series, I must be an expert on the subject. Unfortunately, I don’t think she’s buying it. However, I did make a point in last Sunday’s sermon that I want to reiterate.
Growing up in Texas, I learned at an early age that if I learned to speak Spanish, in addition to my native language, English, I would be better enabled to relate to many others in my community. Truth be known, I only know a small amount of Spanish…just enough to joke with Nydia Franco about my ability to “Habla” in her native “Espanol”
.So, since I did not conquer the art of conversational Spanish, when I want to communicate with someone whose primary language is Spanish, I improvise. I try to get my point across using my homemade concoction of body language, charades, and broken verbal “Spanglish”. About the only thing I don’t do is raise the volume of my voice (as some do when mistaking a lack of speaking English as equivalent to a hearing impairment.)
As much as I would like to have a better handle on a second verbal language, I have learned that there is a much more significant non-verbal language… the language of Love! Dr. Gary Chapman, in his best selling book, The Five Love Languages, details how we tend to express our love in the language (manner) we enjoy receiving love. He categorizes these manners into the following five languages:
1. Acts of Service
2. Quality Time
3. Words of Affirmation
4. Gifts
5. Physical Touch
We get really good at speaking our native love language, but in many cases, share our lives with people who speak a different love language. If we therefore do not become multi-lingual in love, (able to speak and understand other’s native love languages) it can lead to situations of gross miscommunication in our most intimate relationships. Knowing that the number one cause of divorce in America is a breakdown in communication, I would encourage every adult, regardless of current relationship status, to read Dr. Chapman’s book. The principles contained therein apply to most relationships we encounter in life, romantic and otherwise.
Okay, so I admit, I am not an “expert” on the subject. But the issue is important enough to my life that I want to continue to grow in my knowledge and understanding of interpersonal relationships. I would encourage everyone to desire the same. Through this quest, I have found this one thing to be very true. It is amazing how much easier it is to communicate and build strong relationships with people when you can speak and understand their language.
There are times when God speaks in really obvious ways...through the Bible, through prayer, through fasting, or through the pastor's preaching at church. But then sometimes he speaks in ways that are small and subtle, but still leave a profound mark on our lives. A couple of summers back I went to lunch at this really upscale restaurant in our community...maybe you've heard of it...McDonalds? So there I am at ole Mickey D's scarfing down my number one combo meal (that's the Big Mac by the way) when I see this guy walk in and sit down across the room. This dude looked like something right out of a rap music video...he had the gangster clothing, he had the bling (that's what students call jewelry), and he had his fair share of tattoos as well. In my mind I was thinking to myself, "That dude's probably a thug." No sooner had I labeled this young man when I saw him bow his head and pray over his food. Talk about switching gears fast...I was blown away! It then dawned on me that I hadn't even offered thanks for my food.
All too often we judge people based on the outward. We like to place lesser value on people we think are not as good us as. I have done it. You have done it. In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus told a story of a "religious" man who did the same thing:
"9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Just a reminder of something you already know...God looks at our heart. Sometimes we feel like we are better or more pleasing to God because of our church background, our clean cut appearance, etc. God is not impressed by all that. He looks at the heart. That day in McDonalds was a lesson in humility for me. Next time I am gonna think twice before I play the role of the judge. How about you?
Texas Governor Rick Perry recently appointed our very own Pastor Russell to the Adoption Review Committee for the State of Texas. Pastor Russell was one of only five appointees for the entire state. Read the article HERE.
Sunday, January 17, 2010 is the day we as Southern Baptists have set aside to remember and honor the Sanctity of Human Life. We chose this day because it is the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision known as Roe VS Wade which legalized abortion in our country. This one decision has led to more deaths of innocent people than the total number of people killed in every war we have been a part of since the birth of our nation over 230 years ago.
While most every Christian will tell you that murder is wrong, and that young ladies should not slaughter their unborn child on the altar of choice, I am afraid that we as Christians are participating in this horrific act none the less. How you may ask? By not getting personally involved to offer other living alternatives, such as adoption & foster care.
While many Christians may be blocking the front door of an abortion clinic to stop a young mother-to-be from entering, many more are guilty of pushing them to the back door because we are not stepping up to care for neglected and unwanted children. We cannot afford to simply talk about this problem in our society. We can no longer see it as someone else’s problem. We, and by that I mean EACH of us, must take action. The numbers of children needing a refuge from abuse in Texas tops 105,000 EVERY YEAR. If we stopped abortion tomorrow, this number of unwanted and neglected children would immediately DOUBLE each year. And currently, there are about 2,500 foster homes in Texas State-wide. Jesus said, the fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are few. We need more laborers that will walk beside hurting children, rather than just talk about hurting children.
So where do you stand on abortion???
I hope you are enjoying our "Connected" Series. I was thinking about what it means to be connected with those in our daily lives. I was reminded of this article that I wrote a couple of years ago. I hope you feel encouraged and challenged by it.
His eyes stared at me. He looked tired and worn out. And no doubt it had been days since he had showered. I was trying to avoid him. I just wanted to pay for my gas and get back in my vehicle and leave. It was late and I was tired. Not in the mood to give some bum my change. I could already hear the words in my mind, “Hey man…can you spare some change?” He was in the corner of my eye as I walked through the automatic glass doors. I walked faster to my car, thinking I could escape him. I felt safe as I slammed the door and quickly cranked the engine. By the time he got to my vehicle, I was already backing out and on my way. As I put the car in drive our eyes met. Though he said nothing, the pain in his face spoke volumes of his desperation. He motioned for me to stop. I pointed to the watch on my wrist as to say, “Pressed for time, gotta run.” I drove off before my conscience could catch up with me.
I found out the Holy Spirit runs pretty quickly. I wasn’t even a mile up the road until I had to go back. The conviction in my heart was so strong. I felt Jesus saying, “That’s Me back there.” I was reminded of the verse where He told his followers, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Jesus said (Matthew 25:34-46) that whenever we feed someone, give them something to drink, or cloth them, we are doing it as though unto Him. He was still there as I pulled back into the gas station. “Hop in,” I said.
I am not the smartest guy, but it was clear to me that this guy was very ill. He probably had the flu. Whatever it was, it was bad. He was wheezing and coughing. He said he was living in a newspaper recycling dumpster across town. He had gone through a divorce in Louisiana and came to Dallas with hopes of starting over. He had made some bad choices along the way and now found himself down in a hole. His only request from me was to help him get some medicine.
We walked into Wal-Mart and got the medicine. I then told him to follow me. I knew this guy had next to nothing. I filled the cart with things you and I take for granted—deodorant, a toothbrush, underwear, socks. He was telling me not to. He felt I had already done enough. I ignored him though. I knew he was down and needed help.
He hugged me as I handed him the keys to a hotel room. I told him to take it easy for a couple of days and get well. He was so excited about a hot shower and a bed to sleep in. As I was leaving him, I told him this: “Man, I want you to know that everything I have done for you tonight…well I have done it because I am a Christ follower. I want you to know that He loves you. If you will give your life to Him, He will always take care of you.” He was very touched by my words. I learned that night that I was the second person to talk to Him about Christ that day. God was trying to get his attention. I had a divine appointment at that gas station, and I almost missed it. God wants to use us--His people--to show the "least of these" that He cares about them.
I believe that we all have opportunities to reach out. The question is whether or not we are willing to take action and step out. I challenge you (and myself) to look at the world around us. What do you see? The outcast who sits by herself at lunch. The kid in science class with scars on his wrists. The co-worker who boasts about how drunk she got last night. The neighbor who is being evicted. That’s Jesus you are looking at. Whatever you do for those people, you do it for Him. Jesus made that clear. When we show His kindness to others in tangible ways, we do it to Him. So this week choose to see people through His eyes, and you will be amazed at all the people God will send your way.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Happy New Year. I recently received an email that I thought would be most fitting for this blog, with this being the beginning of a new year. But before I do that, let me remind everyone that the Wednesday Evening Bible Study class resumes this coming Wednesday. We will meet in PB4 and will begin promptly at 7:00 and will finish by 8:00. We will be studying a fantastic series by Henry & Richard Blackaby entitled "Reality...7 Truths From Experiencing God". There will be seven small-group sessions & daily devotions to help each of us experience reality as God created it to be. This incredible study is based on seven spiritual facts of life in the real world today and will definitely deepen your perspective of God's will and your awareness of His love for you. Look forward to sharing these truths with you...beginning this Wednesday, January 6th!
Now...back to the email I told you about...the Seven Ups for 2010:
Decide to have a good day.
"This is the day the Lord hath made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24
The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7
Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth,
so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his l ips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3
...for what you believe in.
Stand for something or you will fall for anything.
"Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
Galatians 6:9-10
...to the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".
Philippians 4:13
...for something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6
...your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything; instead
PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring, and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem;
not to mention that Friday at Calvary.
Face it, He's crazy about you.