The Mystery of Prayer
June 30, 2016
Scripture
Quote
Although Satan uses distractions, he does not want us to understand that we are being distracted. If we understand that he is behind the distraction, he loses his advantage.
Satan loathes and fears believers who pray. Any sincere pray offered by believers bothers Satan. He does not want us praying. Anemic prayers, good prayers, short prayers, long prayers, any prayer is bad as far as the devil is concerned. He does not mind us talking about prayer, reading books on prayer so long as we don’t pray. His approach is to discourage us from prayer by raising an endless questions that we cannot answer.
How does prayer work? Why would an infinite God who dwells in eternity listen to the prayer of a finite human in time? If God is sovereign, how can our prayer affect His will? How can He listen to thousands of us praying at the same time? How in the world can the human prayer of today affect the weather of tomorrow? We have answers to none of the above questions. Prayer is a mystery. It is something that we are to do in spite of the fact that we do not understand how it works. One does not have to understand the dynamics of electricity to flip a light switch.
Do we know how to pray? Do we understand prayer? No, but I will pray every day. Don’t let Satan keep your from prayer. He will do everything he can to keep you out or your prayer closet. Many times, the devil has said to me, “You can’t pray, you don’t even know how.” My response is–“You may be right but I am going to pray anyway.”
- We had two deaths in Danville yesterday: Sammy Crow departed this life at 3:15 pm at HH. Then we found out last night that Billy Laney’s son, James McAbee [45] was killed in an accident on 157. He was driving a tractor on 157 and got run over by an 18 wheeler. Sammy Crow [73] had a stroke Tuesday morning and never recovered. Sammy is survived by his wife Kathy, two sons, Bryan and Brett, two sisters and his mom who depended on Sammy for a lot of things. This is a shocking blow to the Danville community and the Crow family.
- I had two places to be this morning and they were 200 miles a part but the LORD heard despairing cry and sent a helper to Columbia, Tennessee to pick up Seth who has been to summer camp.
- I’ve been behind all week: can’t get caught up. Shohn will be carrying Clara to B’town to the doctor and I will be in an out, mostly out. Call my cell if you need me.
BLOCK PARTY AUGUST 13
Parking Crew
We’ll All Understand…By and By
June 29, 2016
Scripture
Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
~Isaiah 57:1, NLT
Quote
For reasons we don’t understand, bad things happen to good people, and perhaps even more inexplicable is that good things happen to bad people.
~John Hamby
Pat Summit, the legendary coach of the Tennessee Volunteer women basketball team died yesterday morning early at the age of 64. She had suffered from Alzheimer’s for the last six years. This means that her quality of life dropped drastically at age 58 and that my friend is young. I’ve had a lot of friends to die young. The number is so large, I would be afraid to list them. Perhaps all of them were better men than myself; some of them for sure and it left me wondering: Lord, why would you take them and leave me. Why did you take them and leave drug pushers, wife beaters, dead beats, crooks and child molesters? It doesn’t make sense to us, does it?
Josiah was the best king in Israel’s history: yes, he was a much better man than David. Josiah was a puritan with bulldog tenacity. He set out to destroy the pagan altars in Israel and his crusade lead him into the North where he was not recognized as a king. He hated Baal with a passion and he loved Yahweh. He got killed in battle at the age of 39 but the Lord allowed this to protect Josiah from seeing the evil that was to come. God has a way of turning our deepest grief into our greatest joy. My oldest brother died as an infant. My mother almost gave way to despair and she did have a root of bitterness. God gave her three more sons and all three broke her heart more than once. She told me once, “The only son that I’m sure will be in heaven is the one I gave up.” God took her grief and turned it into a comfort. He is an amazing God.
- You never know what a day will bring. I met Sammy and Kathy at the 4-way in Danville this morning. Little did I know what was happening. Sammy has suffered a major stroke and is fighting for his life. Doctors say the next 24 hours is critical. Pray for Sammy Crow and family.
- BUMPER STICKER OF THE DAY: “Heaven, don’t miss it for the world!
- GATHERING tonight at 6:30
- SUNDAY SCHEDULE: Deacon’s and wives meeting in the sanctuary at 9:05, LCBS at 9:15 and worship at 10:15. No pm worship.
Protection
June 28, 2016
Scripture
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful, because I come to you for safety. In the shadow of your wings I find protection until the raging storms are over.
~Psalms 57:1, GNT
Quote
In the dark of the midnight,
Have I oft hid my face;
While the storm howls above me,
And there’s no hiding place;
‘Mid the crash of the thunder,
Precious Lord, hear my cry;
“Keep me safe ’til the storm passes by.”
~Mosie Lister
In the ancient world, you were not safe unless you had a “Protector.” One reason Israel desired a king was so they would have a high protector; someone who would care for them and protect them. It did not have to be a king but it needed to be someone who commanded an army. Abraham was Lot’s high protector. David became a protector but in his youth, he had no protector: his king was trying to kill him, not protect him. David learned what we all learn eventually, the LORD is our High Protector.
When I feel threatened, I run to Jesus and take refuge underneath the shelter of His omnipotent wings. I think about the woman caught in adultery, and how Jesus gave her protection amidst a hateful crowd who were ready to stone her to death. Hallelujah, what a Savior!
- Our search team did not get to meet with Jay last night: he had a wreck on the way from Birmingham. He totaled his vehicle but he is uninjured thank goodness.
- What about that rain! We got 1 and a half inches here in Rocky Ford. I think that rain will make Jake’s corn and Kurt’s Cotton on Stephenson road is as pretty as any I’ve ever seen. Thank You Jesus for the rain.
- We’ve been having some BP issues and they are putting me on two medications to try to get it down. They think the head aches are coming from the high blood pressure. My heart rate is so low that they ran an EKG but it turned out OK, thank You Jesus.
- The sweet woman who took care of us while we were in Seminary is going to be 90 her birthday. She is living in a retirement home in New Orleans but we met her in Ashville, Alabama yesterday and had a nice visit. We hope to get to visit her when Joe David graduates NOBTS this December. I graduated there in May of 1974. Joe David will be December 2016. If my math is right, that is 42 years a part. Trust me folks, I had no idea something like this would happen.
BLOCK PARTY AUGUST 13
If Only I Had Wings
June 26, 2016
Scripture
I wish I had wings like a dove, so I could fly far away and be at peace.
~Psalm 55:6, CEV
Quote
Some people live in a dream world while other face reality and a rare few learn to turn one into the other.
~Doug Everett
Escapism is the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant circumstances or realities. We may achieve this relief through entertainment, recreation, hard work, drugs or fantasy. Usually, when a person get addicted to drugs, it is an effort to escape an unpleasant reality. In David’s case, his life was threatened by a friend who betrayed him and David came so close to death that he was terrified. In that moment of fear and anxiety, David prayed, “I wish I had wings like a dove, so I could fly away and be at peace.”
Hey, there is nothing wrong with David’s desire for peace and security. Only a fool would pray to be on someone’s hit list. A powerful person had a contract on David’s life and he was feeling very insecure. He longed to be like a bird because they have a distinct advantage over their predators and over we humans; they have wings. In seconds a dove can escape danger by taking flight. They can fly above the fray and they leave no tracts for those who would hunt them. Have you ever saw a dove in a storm? Birds don’t do storms; instinctively they fly away from or above the storms. They are the ultimate escape artist.
So, David is wishing he could be like a bird and escape his problems by getting away from the storm and the turmoil. BUT we are not birds and God is not pleased when we run from our problems. Little children use fantasy as an escape valve and that is a God given survival instinct but a part of growing up is learning to face reality whether it is pleasant or not. By the way, there is one bird that doesn’t fly away to escape reality, it buries its head in the sand. Its the Ostrich and it is a stupid bird. [Job 39:13-18]
So, don’t make excuses and don’t be childish, immature or stupid–face your problems. It is not like you are alone, Jesus will help you. He is our courage and our peace.
BLOCK PARTY AUGUST 13
With Kenny Evans
Kenny Evans
Kindness
June 24, 2016
Scripture
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
~Ephesians 4:32, NASB
Quote
The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.
~Oscar Wilde
I could write pages on the word “kindness” but I’m going to keep it brief. Yesterday we were in the court room all morning on those hard oak pews with no cushions. Our judge was Brent Craig who happens to be a member of the West Hartselle Baptist church. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a kinder man working in difficult circumstances. Unfortunately for us, we were about the last case to be called so we got to hear three dozen or more that preceded ours. There was everything from domestic abuse to check kiting. One woman gave a bad check for a $17 pizza that is going to cost her $1200. There was several cases of domestic violence but one involved a tall skinny woman about the size of Big Mama and her husband who would go 230. She beat him up and he was there to drop the charges. If I had been the judge, I would have fined him $1000 for not being a man. This woman was 6 feet tall but she didn’t weigh a hundred.
But this is beside the point which is Judge Craig’s compassion and kindness on a lot of reds. I saw bleach blonds wearing clothes way to tight, tattoos galore, pony tails on men, Mohawks, skint heads, and know-it-all teenagers who think drugs are something to wink at and yet this judge never, not even once, made an unkind remark and a gesture of contempt. You could not pay me enough money to do what he does but that’s because God did not call me to be a judge but He did call Brent Craig.
We were thrilled with the judges ruling which gives us more time. Other than waiting all morning, everything went great. We got Hope back to the FOUNDRY by 7:50, just ten minutes before her curfew and they were thrilled to see her. She is an icon at the FOUNDRY. They love her and she loves them. If you want to go see Hope; my suggestion is to go to the THRIFT STORE between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm and just asked for Hope. She will be working in the back. I go on Thursday night but you can’t visit until 6:00 and you have only a few minutes before their worship service which is 2 hours long. The people who run it is not Baptist, they are Assembly of God and they don’t believe in watches or clocks. Personally, I enjoy it but there are those in the Bailey clan who prefer the KISS formula: Keep It Short/Simple or as some say, Keep It Short Stupid. I could say the same thing they say in one third of the time, maybe less.
No extra tonight, the blog is the extra.
BLOCK PARTY
August 13: 6-9 PM
O Deceitful Tongue
June 23, 2016
Scripture
You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth.
~Psalms 52:3, NRSV
Quote
Integrity is being truthful with yourself; honesty is being truthful with others.
~Spencer Johnson
When you read Psalm 52:3, You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth, what name comes to mind? For me, it was Bill {Slick Willy} Clinton. I was in a hotel outside of DC when the news broke about Monica Lewinsky. I think I was there for the Promise Keepers rally. Whoever was rooming with me, said, “Jack, you have to see this,” it was Clinton making his famous denial: “I am not in a sexual relationship with this woman.” I tried to find the clip on YouTube and I couldn’t. I did find several with the words, “I did not.” I would have bet the farm that he said, “I am not,” which would have been a subtle play on the tense of the verb. Be that as it may, you can see the video clips on YouTube of the denial and then the confession. Either way you look at it, Clinton lied. In fact Clinton lied so much that it became natural: it would have required a special effort on his part to tell the truth.
But there is a greater problem than a president lying and that would be the lack of integrity in the folks who elected him. It was a proven fact that the man was a liar but that did not deter voters from electing him and many of them professed to be Christians. Lying is not just a political problem, it is a cultural problem. We live in a culture that loves to point the finger at someone else. We had rather make an excuse for our irresponsible behavior as to learn from our mistakes. We are childish and immature. We make promises and don’t keep them. We make vows and then break them. We make debts and don’t pay them. We sin but never confess them. We are a nation of liars. Isaiah could have been talking about America in 59:14, “Justice is driven away and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there.”
- I love the GATHERING, great music and fair preaching.
- Today is our court day: say a prayer for us. We don’t expect any surprises but you never know. I don’t like courts or court houses but I must confess that everyone there has been very helpful.
- Thank God for electricity and A/C: what a blessing!
- Pray for Rebecca and David, they leave Friday for vacation. Rebecca doesn’t fly so they are driving to Miami and going on a seven day cruise. Tyler will be filling in the next two weeks.
BLOCK PARTY
August 13: 6:00-9:00
Offensive
June 22, 2016
Scripture
Against you – you above all – I have sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.
~Psalms 51:4, NET
Quote
Every sin has a consequence or consequences.
~Ya’akov
All sin is first and foremost against God because only God is holy in the perfect sense. God hates sin, all sin and that includes gossip, gluttony and greed. Some sins offend us and some attract us but God is not attracted to any sin, He hates them all with a passion. David knew he was wrong from the beginning. He had six wives and a harem of concubines so why did he steal another man’s wife. Uriah was a noble man, a man of integrity and loyal to David. He was one of David’s decorated veterans. David’s sin was against Uriah and resulted in his death but it was first and foremost against God.
There is no sin without consequences. You can have your roll in the hay but sooner or later, you are going to pay. It is the law, God’s law: the wages of sin is death and every time we sin, something dies as a result. It may be brain cells, lung cells, an opportunity, a relationship but you mark my word, there is no sin without consequence. You may be free to sin but you will become a slave to the consequences. Every sin hurts someone.
- Bumper Sticker of the Day: I’m not lazy, I have switched to my energy saving mode.
- The GATHERING tonight at 6:30
- BLOCK PARTY August 13
No Immunity
June 21, 2016
Scripture
As the scriptures say, “There is no one who is righteous… All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one.
~Romans 3:10-12, GNT
Quote
“The depravity of man is at once the most empirically verifiable reality but at the same time the most intellectually resisted fact.”
~Malcolm Muggeridge
June and I got hooked on TNT’s The Last Ship which comes on Sunday nights at 8:00. A deadly virus broke out causing a pandemic, the entire human race was threatened until Dr. Rachel Scott came up with a vaccine. The antagonistic in the drama is a group they call the “Immunes“. Due to their rare DNA, they are immune to the virus and many of them form an alliance to rule the world. On the final episode of the 2015 season, an Immune shot and killed Dr. Scott and I am not happy about her departure.
There are no immunes when it comes to sin, we are all infected; from the poorest peasant to the richest king, we are all hopelessly depraved. We all have a self-centered rebellious nature. Our sin has been sufficiently dealt with by Jesus but to appropriate this cleansing we have to acknowledge our sin which most refuse to do. The liberals not only deny personal sin, they deny the presence of evil. It takes a fool to deny the existence of God or the presence of evil. So we have another word for the “Immunes;” it is “fool.”
- I am not going to complain about hot weather but I am going to praise the LORD for the two cooler days {Sunday and Monday}.
- I’ve decided that I will not go home in the evening until I have made four visits. My problem is that I enjoy them so much, I tend to stay way too long. I spent an hour and a half at my last stop yesterday. It seemed like 30 minutes.
- VBS evaluation: I realize things that the average DBC member does not-We are blessed with good help. Mandy and Shohn are VBS, they do all the planning, enlisting workers, props, etc. They put hours into the planning before VBS begins. You are not going to find two better employees who not only know what they are doing but enjoy doing it. It might be a good idea to appreciate them. We are also blessed at DBC to have a lot of school teachers. Although some that could have helped didn’t, still our school teachers help us. Our master teachers are superb and we have had the best refreshment crew in VBS for a number of years. As far as I know the school went great and the program and picnic was the best ever. The unsung heroes in our VBS were the nursery workers, we had 26 children in our three nurseries.
God’s Missionary Heart
June 19, 2016
Scripture
I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
~Isaiah 56:7, NLT
Quote
“God’s love is like the ocean: we can see it beginning but we can not see its depth or its end.”
~Image Quotes
The “them” in Isaiah 56:7 is in reference to us the Gentiles. God had miraculously and mysteriously brought the Jews home from exile but He promised to bring others to join them. In the same breath, Isaiah denounces the leaders of the Jews. He said, “You leaders are not doing your job. Instead of warning My people, you are blind and ignorant. You are like watch dogs who don’t bark. You lay around like a lazy dog who sleeps all the time. You are greedy dogs who never get enough. You have no understanding and you seek your own pleasure by taking advantage of others.”
Israel misinterpreted their call and responsibility. Isaiah made it crystal clear in 42:6, “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations.
Israel failed to demonstrate God’s righteousness and they failed to be a light to the nations but Jesus did not fail. He did what Israel failed to do. Israel will eventually be a light, a guide to the nations but if will be a new Israel with Jesus as King and you and I will be a part of this great kingdom.
- Thank you Jesus for the cooler air: it is refreshing!
- BUMPER STICKER OF THE DAY: “Somewhere in Kenya, a village is missing its idiot.”
- Full schedule today: Deacon’s meeting at 8:15, LCBS at 9:15, Worship at 10:15, Kids leave for camp at 11:30, Pastor’s Search Team meets at 4:00, VBS Commencement at 5:00 and picnic to follow.
- I got to visit four families yesterday. I’m slow because I get to talking and stay too long. Every visit I have made has been excellent. I haven’t heard a complaint yet: I have had a couple of close calls or near misses. We had a great time at Emily and Sean’s last night. I think I’ve finally got the boys figured out.
- Children leaving for camp today and will be back Friday. We have a record number going. I think it is 26 plus counselors.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY
Know What You Want
June 18, 2016
Scripture
“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”
~Matthew 20:33, NIV
Quote
Know exactly what you want. Clarity equals power. Vague goals produce vague results.
~Image Quotes
We were coming back from Bessemer on Thursday night and Holly and I were hungry so we pulled into an Arby’s, Holly was barking instructions but I rudely interuppted with a question I always ask when approaching a drive through window, “Do you know what you want?” I hate to pull up to the window without everyone in the vehicle knowing definitively what they want. I’m not talking about “a fry,” I’m talking about curly fry, small fry, or large fry. You need to know exactly what you want.
Some people go through life like bewildered and confused folks who pull up to a fast food drive through without knowing what they want. If you don’t know what you want, who does? If you can’t articulate what you want clearly, how can anyone please you? The two blind men sitting by the Jericho road knew exactly what they wanted. Jesus stopped and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” Without a moments hesitation, they said in unison, “we want our sight.”
- Officially VBS 2016 is history except for the commencement Sunday evening at 5:00. We enrolled around 290 and averaged 210 per day. A “Well done” to all workers. Mandy and Shohn pretty much do VBS in terms of leadership: I help a little but its very little. DBC is blessed with capable leaders and we should appreciate them. A special thanks to Nursery workers. Hannah is disappointed: she wanted a two week school. My family gives Charlene Tidwell rave reviews: she works in the nursery and loves it and the kids love her.
- Yesterday was hot, too hot. I think I over heated. I was so tired I could barely get in the shower. I did not intend to go back outside but I did and was soaking wet with sweat in no time. I am thankful for the rain.
- BUMPER STICKER OF THE DAY: Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
Jack's Blog 