Adventure

Scripture

“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God… you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.”

~Joshua 3:3-4, NIV

Quote

Life is either a darling adventure or mere existence.

~Helen Keller

Charles L. Allen wrote a book entitled, All Things Are Possible Through Prayer; it is a great book and filled with wonderful stories. In this book, Dr. Allen tells about a man born in New York city where he lived for the remainder of his life. He left his apartment, went to his shop a few minutes away by subway and then back to his apartment. He worked six days a week in his shop and stayed in the bed all day on Sundays. He followed this same routine for 50 years and never, not once, did he venture beyond his small little world.

This man lived in New York city for 50 years and never saw the Empire State Building, Yankee Stadium, the Statue of Liberty, Time Square, 5th Avenue, the Rockefeller Center or Central Park. He lived less than an hour from all these attractions but he was afraid to go somewhere he had never been.

Joshua told the timid Israelites, “You see the chest that represents God’s presence, you follow it because God is leading you to a place you’ve never been.” I can guarantee you, God wants to take you to places you’ve never been.  Do you have the faith to follow or are you paralyzed with fear. Some folks are made for the boat, they cannot step outside their comfort zone. Dr. Jack Taylor referred to these faint-hearted followers as the “Boat People.” Peter, one out of twelve went overboard while the others stayed glued to the boat and all of the boat people say…“Peter got wet.”  Yeah, he got in a bit of trouble but Jesus got him out. He also walked on water. I heard a black preacher say once, “God can’t get you out of something until you have enough faith to get into something.”

Why do we want to live in a rut? A rut is a grave with the ends knocked out. Get out of the rut and do something new, refreshing, exciting, wear something different, sit in a different pew: get out of your stinking comfort zone and go overboard for a change.

• We live in a small world: Adrian Spillers called me yesterday and ask me to do his grand mothers grave side service. His grand mother was Dorthy Castell who I never remember meeting but her parents {Howard and Essie Sanford} were the janitors at Danville High school when I came here in the late 70’s. They had a son named Buddy who lived with them in the little green house next to the old gym. I saw Buddy at the service. I visited them several times. The Sanfords are Sissy and Dian’s great/great grand parents. Dorthy Castell was their daughter and sissy’s great grand mother.

• Yesterday was perfect weather wise: Thank You Jesus!
• Record attendance at GOLDEN GIRLS and I forgot my phone so no pics. We had twelve. Our next meeting in June 4.
• HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Mother and Big L when he was Little L. They were Buds.

Hope, JD and Holly with Mother

• Today is Hope’s birthday: she is 38. She is looking good, fixing hair and getting 11 cards per day. She reads them, so keep sending them. Holly and June are carrying the kids down today to have lunch with her on her birthday and Mother’s Day.

VBS June 3-7

Good Mothers

Raginmuffin Gospel

SCRIPTURE

The Lord looks down from heaven at us humans to see if there are any who are wise, any who worship him. But they have all gone wrong; they are all equally bad. Not one of them does what is right, not a single one.

~Psalms 14:2-3, GNT

QUOTE

“There’s a difference, you know, between faith and playing make-believe. One will make you grow. The other one will make you sleep.”
~Rich Mullins

This is a long blog that you want to read. If you don’t have time today, come back to it later.

The name Rich Mullins probably doesn’t ring a bell unless you are a Christian musician. Rich was born on an Indiana farm, the oldest of five children. His father farmed for a living and as a contemporary of Mullins, I can tell you, those on family farms were not wealthy. His dad wanted him to be a farmer which he was not. Rich wanted more than anything to make his dad proud of him but Rich was a gifted musician and his dad wanted a gifted farmer. Rich could not do anything right and the pain of the relationship drove Rich to leave home after graduating high school.

The constant berating, belittling and pure scorn from his dad took a toll on Rich’s life. He finally, just before his death in 1997, found peace with God about his father’s rejection through the help of a Pastor Brennan  Manning, author of the Ragamuffin Gospel. Manning took Rich on a mountain retreat and skillfully helped him refocus on God as Abba Father. Rich came to realize that his earthy father loved him, his dad was just so messed up on the inside, he couldn’t express love.

A ragamuffin is a dirty street urchin, a child, usually homeless and in rags. It is a broken, needy, dirty, neglected and unloved child. My father saw so many ragamuffins in WWII that it left a lasting impression on his mind. Daddy’s last year in service was in the mess hall and he saw the urchins digging through the garbage looking for something to eat. You could not complain about food at our house, daddy would go ballistic. He never forgot the image of these starving children out of his mind.

Mullins was a ragamuffin, he was broken, disturbed, erratic, prone to outburst of anger, temperamental and some would just say strange. He smoked and drank. He was not into wealth or greed. He gave away practically everything he owned. He really had no idea what he was worth which would have been millions. Mullins was known for his honesty: he did very little pretending.

As I watched his life story last night, I was sad. I worked things out with my father before he was promoted but Rich never had that opportunity. His dad passed away without ever expressing his love for his oldest son. Rich did fall in love in college with a girl that made him feel complete but she was afraid of his erratic behavior and broke off the relationship. I don’t think Rich ever recovered. It is not a happy feel good story but it does convey a powerful moral. “We are all broken, we are all dirty, unlovable street urchins with nothing to offer other than our sin and shame. We lay at the gate of God’s gracious mercy as beggars. Our mantra is Amazing Grace, it’s our only hope.”

By the way, Rich was basically my opposite. He hated tractors and loved guitars, I love tractors and have no use for a guitar. He had long hair, I like short. Cigarettes calmed his nerves, they make me sick. The smell of one gives me an instant headache. He turned to the bottle, I turn to food and lots of it. Thus he was skinny where I am fat. But this weirdo, as he referred to himself wrote my favorite song, “Awesome God.” By the way, when the song became an overnight hit and the one that put him on top of the charts, he resented it and didn’t want to sing the song in concert. He began his concerts saying, “I know what you came for, so lets sing it and get it out of the way.”

How many lives have been touched by AWESOME GOD? I would guess millions to date but eventually probably billions.

• Today is the big day: SENIOR ADULT DAY. Deacons meeting @ 8:15, LCBS @ 9:15, Celebrate Jesus in worship @ 10:15, Gigi’s Baptism @ 11:00 am, benediction @ 11:30. SWAMP JOHNS for lunch [Senior Adults go first]. AWANA @ 5:30, Visitation @ 5:30 and worship @ 6:15.
• Today: Fund Raiser for ST JUDE’S CHILDREN HOSPITAL. My personal goal is $1,000 which means we will need a $700 mission offering. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone felt a sense of indebtedness to this great hospital and gave generously. The offering could easily be $10,000.
• Looking ahead: Business meeting next Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
• Franklin Graham Prayer Rally coming soon, April 14.

NEW YORK – JUNE 25: Franklin Graham, with Bible in hand, addresses the crowd before his father Billy Graham speaks during his Crusade at Flushing Meadows Corona Park June 25, 2005 in the Queens borough of New York. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the site for Graham’s sermons on June 24-26, which looks to draw thousands of people from across the country, and will purportedly be the aging Christian evangelist’s final crusade. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

Practice What You Preach

Scripture

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

~Jeremiah 32:9, NLT

Quote

The preacher who only preaches what he can practice is not worth our listening.

~Manley Beasley

In theory, preachers should preach the pure and perfect word of God. We who are grossly imperfect lift up a perfect standard. I don’t measure up to what I preach and neither do you. Manley Beasley was one of my favorite preachers of last century. I have heard him read a text, make an opening remark which was usually his sermon in a sentence: Then, with a grin, he would pause and say, “I’ve already said more than you can live up to.”

Whereas it is impossible for the herald to live up to the perfect standard of the king, he had best take his job seriously and be ready to demonstrate the message he preaches. Jeremiah preached faith and hope. Israel was being invaded by the Babylonians. The invaders had crossed the northern borders and were capturing cities in the upper regions. Jeremiah had been telling the people not to give up hope in Israel’s long range future; yes, there would be a captivity but Israel would return and have a future and a hope.

Jeremiah’s cousin  Hanamel decided to put him to the test so he visited the prophet who was in prison and offered him the family farm for a price. If Jeremiah had said, “Are you kidding me? Do I look stupid? The Babylonian army is camping on this piece of property as we speak and you want to sell it to me? Then Hanamel would say, “You are just like all the false prophets, you don’t mean what you say.” Jeremiah, knowing he would never set foot on the land, bought the land as a gesture of faith.

The moral of the story is that preachers need to be careful about what we say: God may give us a chance to practice what we preach. I talked once about how easy it was to forgive and the LORD allowed something to happen in my life that taught me how hard it can be to forgive.

I went back and reread my last five blogs. I wrote them for the sake of others without realizing they would be for me. As my wise mother was fond of saying to me, “You are getting a taste of your own medicine. How do you like it.” Right now, I’m getting a heavy doze of humility which may not be appreciated but definitely needed.

Coming to DBC in 2016…Kenny Evans {Mother’s Day} and Dr. Junior Hill in August 21…

Dr. Junior Hill

Kenny Evans

• SENOR ADULT DAY this Sunday with SWAMP JOHN’S for lunch. I need some dessert makers.
• Today is the last day of March and the end of the first quarter. One forth of 2016 is gone like a freight train. Just 38 days till Mother’s Day, 60 days to Memorial Day and 269 days till Christmas. I would tell you how many days until VBS but I don’t know. We may possible change the date. Mandy will meet with workers this Sunday.
• Franklin Graham prayer rally April 14

 

NEW YORK – JUNE 25: Franklin Graham, with Bible in hand, addresses the crowd before his father Billy Graham speaks during his Crusade at Flushing Meadows Corona Park June 25, 2005 in the Queens borough of New York. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the site for Graham’s sermons on June 24-26, which looks to draw thousands of people from across the country, and will purportedly be the aging Christian evangelist’s final crusade. (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

In His Presence

Scripture

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

~Psalms 34:19, NASB

Quote

There is more evil in the least sin than there is in the greatest affliction.

~Thomas Brooks

I love the story in Daniel three about the Hebrew boys. One reason is the courage displayed by the Hebrews and I also like happy ending. When the kings herald told everyone to fall on their face at the sound of music, the Hebrews refused to bow and this infuriated Nebuchadnezzar. I really like their statement of faith when threatened by the king himself…Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

I can’t imagine the horror of being thrown into a fiery furnace but for the Hebrew young folks, it turned out much better than expected. While in the furnace of affliction, the LORD was with them. Where is God? I would look for Him among the afflicted, the crushed and broken hearted.

• Don’t forget the FRANKLIN GRAHAM prayer rally in Montgomery, April 14 at noon.
• Baptism schedule: Blake this Sunday, Sydni March 6, Seth March 13, Mylee March 20, April 3 will be Sissy and April 10 will be Gigi. Remember folks, it is God who gives the increase…Keep praying for the Ruach ha-Kodesh to move. [Spirit of holiness]
• Joe David will be preaching both services Sunday.
• I begin a four day meeting at my Home Church North of Athens, the Sardis Springs Baptist Church. This church ranks number one in America at sending cards. I think this is my 17 consecutive year to do their JBS.
• Continue to pray for Gary Garner, Buford Burgess and Angie Blackburn.
• SWAMP JOHN’S April 3 following morning service. We need to pre-sale 83 more tickets. The next 83 are $10, after that, they will be $11 and then $12 on the day of the event. Remember, you can eat in the FORTE if you choose with drinks and paper products provided. I’ll have to find out about desserts.

Starlight

Scripture

“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

~Isaiah 55:12, NKJV

Quote

And when I reach the other side, I want to look you in the eye and know that I have arrived in a world where I belong.

~Reepicheep {Voyage of The Dawn Treader}

I doubt if anyone below the age of 50 will recognize the name Pat Nixon. Pat was born March 16, 1912 in Ely, Nevada but eventually moved to California where she worked her way through college [USC] doing odd jobs. She later became a devoted wife and mother with no ambition for fame. Eventually, she would become the first lady of the United States. Unfortunately, due to events beyond her control, she has never received the honor due her.  Dr. William Franklin Graham in his last book, WHERE I AM, devotes and entire chapter to her memory. Thank you Dr. Graham for reminding us the greatest of this exemplary and extraordinary first lady.

• Mike Wallace of CBS– “Her stamina and courage, her drive and self-control made her one of America’s most remarkable women.”
• Billy Graham–“Few women in public life have suffered so much with so much grace.”
• Tricia Nixon Cox–“Her faith in God sustained her during the last difficult days of her life.”
• Julie Nixon Eisenhower–“My mother’s favorite phrase was ‘Onward and Upward’. {C.S. Lewis…The Horse and His Boy…Chronicles of Narnia}

The Secret Service code name for Pat Nixon was ‘Starlight.’ Indeed she was a beacon of hope during the dark days of scandal and ensuing shame. Those who knew her best testify that she never lost her sweetness of spirit nor her sense of optimism. Judging by her spirit, you would not have known there was such a thing as Watergate. In spite of all the difficult circumstances, Pat Nixon was lead by peace and went out with joy with the applause of heaven.

P.S.

I have very little confidence in politicians but even less in the media. The Payton Manning fiasco is case in point. For those who can’t go back to the Nixon era, Watergate was a feeding frenzy for the media. The power to destroy a man and his legacy was enthralling to them: they enjoyed every moment. Collateral damage meant nothing to them. They couldn’t have cared less about Nixon’s family.

I have news for the liberal media: Nixon was a cub scout compared to the Kennedy’s, Johnson’s and the Clinton’s.

• I think they got the weather forecast wrong. I went to Debbie’s mom COLS without a coat. June told me I wouldn’t need one. That’s the first time this week she has been wrong. I think it is supposed to be better the rest of the week.
• Pray for Gary Garner. We need a miracle folks. Gary is very, very weak. Let’s lift him up DBC.
• Another great GATHERING…Man I love the Wednesday night service. I studied more for last night’s sermon than I have for any sermon I have preached in years and I had a ball delivering it.

“Who Knows?”

Scripture

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

~Jeremiah 17:9, NLT

Quote

The greatness of man is great in the sense that he knows himself to be wretched. Plants and animals do not know themselves to be wretched.

~Blaise` Pascal

Monday, I had an experience that I hesitated to share. If we do alms, we are to keep it to ourselves but in this case there is not chance of me losing a reward for sharing. I am in the parking lot at Decatur General, trying to get to my car, when from out of no where pops this young lady. I would say she is the age of our granddaughters Lara and Lexi and almost as pretty. I have no idea how I knew, experience I suppose but the moment I made eye contact, I knew in my heart that she was a beggar. She was coming straight toward me and to evade her, I would have to run which I cannot do. This incident leads to the following confession.

I viewed her as an interruption and I don’t like interruptions. So my first emotion was resentment. She gave me her story which I am fairly certain to be untrue and I just looked at her thinking: “you want my lunch money, don’t you.” Then either the LORD spoke or my conscience prodded me: to be honest, I don’t know which. My silence had not intimidated her, she is not going away: she just stands there, looking at me. What was I to do?

I reached for my billfold and took it out, I looked for a $5 but only had a $10: I took it out and held it firmly in my hand. She started thanking me before I handed the bill to her. I said, “This is not from me and I can’t take credit [this is where I confess my greed normally but I was in a hurry], this comes from Jesus. Before I hand this too you, I want to know if you know Him personally or just know about Him? She only knew about Him so I ask her to share her opinion about Jesus. Her testimony was not very coherent; I knew that she was just trying to satisfy me with the best answer she could give. Then….I thought… “I am not giving her $10 without a sermon.”

You would not believe how candid I was or then again you might: I basically told her that if she would practice Matthew 6:33, she would not have to be on the streets begging. She never failed to make eye contact and showed no signs of shame. Matter of fact, she seemed so innocent I got very emotional which lead to my begging. I begged her to give her life to Christ and allow Him to take care of her needs.

I drove off feeling good about myself…end of story, not! As I drove away I began thinking about what a soft touch I am. June says there is a neon sign on my forehead that blinks, sucker, sucker! Did I help this child or did I enable a destructive habit? Was she truthful or did she con me? Was I a dupe or a dope? Was this encounter totally unproductive, a waste or was a seed planted? This is the way my conscience answered and you probably concur:

• I probably did more harm than good.
• She probably lied which means, in a sense, I was conned.
• I am a dupe and a dope plus a soft touch.
• The seed I spread probably hit a hard heart and bounced like water off of a ducks back.

The bottom line: I don’t know! I don’t know if my motives were pure, I don’t know if my words penetrated; I simply don’t know. I could have done it differently but it would have taken a big part of my day. I give money and a witness to appease my conscience but there is no reward for such giving.

• I am 90% certain that we have found the BLACKWOODS a car. It is ten years old but in good shape. It is a Nissan Maxima loaded with power everything, heated seats, sun roof, SAT radio and TV [kidding about the Radio and TV]. It is older and has more miles than we wanted but we got it for a good price and the Blackwood’s will also get a check with the car. Your total gifts for the month [and for this project] was $8,100.00. Church, I commend you. Well done good and generous servant. This Sunday we will move to CHILDREN’S SUMMER CAMP and then to YOUTH. Our goal is to send all our van kids to camp.
• I have never had SWAMP JOHN’S in my life but I am excited about them coming to DBC. Pass the word: Advanced Ticket [present to March 28th] are $10 per plate. Senior Adults 65 and over $8, tickets after March 28 and day of will be $11. All profits go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis. My wife has been supporting St. Jude’s for 30 years or more but I was ignorant of what they do for children until Kane got sick. Trust me folks, it is a worthy cause. I would like to sell 200 tickets this Sunday.
• Gary Garner was feeling a little better late yesterday evening but he is very sick and needs our prayers. I am asking all my friends to pray for my nephew Heath, it has been an emotionally roller coaster, he improves and then it is back to square one. He is discouraged, my sister is discouraged and so am I…please pray for Heath. One to the right is a great nephew [Jacob] and the one on my left is my nephew Heath. They graduated the same night some 5 years back at Ardmore High School.

Revelation

Scripture

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.

~Luke 10:21, NLT

Man can impart knowledge but only God can reveal divine truth: about Himself and our self.

~Ya’akov

We relate to God on the basis of faith not knowledge: thus a child has the advantage over a rocket scientist. Common fisherman understood more of what Jesus was teaching than esteemed lawyers. We are not saved by intellect. Our salvation is by grace through faith.

First God reveals or unveils Himself to us and then he unveils our self to us.

A bright young lawyer came up to Jesus and tried to entrap him with a question “What should I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus said, “You are a lawyer, how does the law code read?” The man answered, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and your neighbor as your self.” Jesus said, “You got it right, do this and you will live.”

The young lawyer, wishing to make himself look good, said, “But who is my neighbor?”

Wow! He wasn’t even listening to himself; he deliberately skipped the first commandment and went to the second. His first question should have been, “Jesus, are You the Son of God?” To which Jesus could have said, “Yes, matter of fact, I AM.”

If you don’t get one right; forget about two. How could a brilliant mind miss this simple truth?

Truth is revealed, not acquired.

• I have even fewer friends than I thought but I’m going to blog anyway.
• Fuzz Dobbins got to come home: Gary Garner did not.
• Ben Blankenship’s Dad, Bobby Blankenship, memorial is today at 3:00 with visitation at 2:00 at Pecks.
• My nephew Heath had another sat back last night. Please pray for Heath Roberts.
• Haley Rae had a good party last night and I think she flies out today. I may be wrong but that is my understanding.
• Coffee and donuts at 9:00, LCBS at 9:15, and worship at 10:15.

DOUBT-FREE FAITH

SCRIPTURE

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

QUOTE

Some people feel guilty about their anxieties and regard them as a defect of faith but they are afflictions, not sins. Like all afflictions, they are, if we can so take them, our share in the passion of Christ.

~C.S. Lewis

I have to confess that I do not have doubt-free faith. I think I was born a doubting Thomas. I am much like the father in Mark 9:24, who prayed– “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” I would love to have pure faith with no mixture of doubt but I don’t think I have ever seen that demonstrated in another human. I’ve known some folks who had great faith but I can’t recall any one who had perfect faith with no doubt. I have some mountains that need moving but they are so huge and have been there so long that I don’t pray with any degree of faith.

What do you do when your faith is imperfect? You keep believing with the faith that you have. Faith is like a muscle; it grows with exercise. Jesus called twelve disciples and none of them had perfect faith which is why He nick named them “Little-faiths.”

• Well, another successful TRUNK-A-TREAT. I want to think our 24 vendors. It is the most we have had in recent history. I didn’t count but I am guessing 300 or so. I think the most we have ever had is around 450. Hey, the rain doesn’t stop them.
• REVIVAL begins today. This revival is an annual thing and it’s always the first week in November but folks have planned hunting trips, cruises, Smokey Mountains trips and everything else. Folks don’t seem to understand our desperate need for REVIVAL and it certainly will not happen with us putting other things before HIM. 
• Todays Schedule: Deacon’s at 7:45, Biscuits and donuts at 8:30, LCBS at 9:15, Revival Service at 10:15 and 6:00. No Visitation or AWANA’s.

No Time For A Prayer Meeting

SCRIPTURE

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!”

~Exodus 14:15, NLT

QUOTE

We cannot do what God does and God will not do what we can.

~Oswald Chambers

A woman woke her husband in the middle of the night telling him that she was in labor and needed to get to the hospital. He grabbed her by the hand and said, “Honey, let’s pray.” She said, “I have a better idea, get your clothes on and get the car.” How do we know when to wait on the Lord patiently in prayer and when to act decisively in faith and obedience? Many people use prayer as an alibi for disobedience. I have asked professing believers to do things clearly commanded in the word or God and they say, “I’ll have to pray about that.” After 46 years, I know what this means, they aren’t going to do it. They lack the courage to be honest. Instead of saying, “I have no intention of helping you preacher,” they spiritualized their fear and rebellion by saying, “Let me pray about it.”

The LORD said to Moses, “This is no time for a prayer meeting, tell the Israelites to get going: I want to see some wet feet.” 

Actually, there are several things you don’t need to pray about:

• Tithing
• Sharing your faith
• Helping someone is need
• Worship attendance
• Loving our neighbor

The most hypocritical thing we can do is to ask God to do something that we are perfectly capable of doing. God will not honor our prayers when we refuse to be a part of the answer. Some circumstances call for fervent prayer while others demand prompt obedience. May the Lord give us the wisdom to know the difference.

• Bill Wilbourn is in ICU at DGH.
• Chanda’s Grandmother, Mrs. Corey Orr is very sick. She is at USA in Falkville. I visited with her briefly yesterday. She is very weak but in good spirits.
• Gary Garner had his second or third treatment yesterday and is walking on his own. He walked 800 steps yesterday. He is very thankful. I don’t know that I have seen a more grateful soul than Gary. He thanks you for your prayers. He said, “I am convinced Bro. Jack, that it was the pray that made the difference. That is what I believe,” He said. I agree!
• We had 104 for the GATHERING: PTL
• Kane Update: The blood pressure meds seen to be working. Blood work and MRI tomorrow. Blood pressure check Friday morning then we head home. This all depends on how the blood work goes. Pray us home folks. We are tired of Memphis!

Going Overboard

SCRIPTURE

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

~Matthew 14:29

QUOTE

There can be no faith so feeble that Christ does not respond to it.

~Alexander MacLaren

Folks like Peter, the impetus types, are ridiculed for acting before thinking but Peter got a blessing which no other disciple received. He didn’t have perfect faith but he had enough to do something daring. It is true that Peter’s faith or lack thereof, let him down but think of all the right things he did.

1. He asked for a miracle–“Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” Galilean fishermen don’t walk on water, not naturally. Peter is asking Jesus to enable him to do something supernatural.
2. He responded obediently to the word of Christ— “Yes, come,” Jesus said.
3. He got out of the boat—So Peter went over the side of the boat. Peter left his comfort zone. 
4. He moved toward Jesus—He walked on the water toward Jesus. It is never a mistake to move toward Jesus.
5. He walked on water—So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water. He may not have walked far, but he walked further than you and I.

Soul Search:

1. Do you have the faith to ask Jesus for a miracle?
2. Would you obey if Jesus commanded you to do something daring?
3. Are you willing to leave your comfort zone?
4. Are you moving toward Jesus or away from Jesus?
5. Are you willing to put yourself in a position where you are totally dependent on Jesus?

Life is filled with storms. Jesus is in every storm. Look for Jesus in your storm and move toward HIM. Don’t be afraid to obey HIM, there is abundant blessing and glorious victory in doing as He commands.

• I want to ask everyone to pray for Bill Wilbourn, this is Debbie Gilliland’s brother, also Charlie’s brother. He is in stable but serious condition at DGH. When I left last night, he was still in ER but they were waiting on a bed in ICU. All his vitals were stable but he was in great discomfort. They were putting him on a bigger bed when I left.
• Kane Update: Got new meds for kidney hypertension caused by all the trauma in his gut. It should lower the blood pressure. If it does we are Danville bound this weekend.
• If everything checked out yesterday, Gary Garner was to have his second chemo treatment today.
• GOLDEN GIRLS this Saturday morning at 9:30–CB in Hartselle. We will plan our November meeting which will be at Lisa’s house.
• THE GATHERING tonight at 6:30. I am thrilled with way you have adjusted to the PM services. We are having better attendance on Sunday night and Wednesday night.