The Burden Lifted

"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome," 1 John 5:3

The burden comes because we misunderstand the meaning of works. Doing Christian service to justify God's love for you is a burden to heavy to carry. What work could one ever do to justify the love of God. God loves you not because of what you do, but because of who He is, and the work of His Son on Calvary. You are justified by His actions, not your own. But true faith at work in a life will result in a life lived to the praise of the glory of God.

"Faith alone justifies, but the faith which justifies is not alone"

John Calvin The Principles of Theology

Works then are not for the purpose of earning the love of God, but because I have already experienced the love of God even while I was yet a sinner. Thus, the works that I do are not to free myself from sin, but in a very real sense, our good works are for the purpose of helping others be freed from sin, as the grace of God begins to work in their lives. Not that you free anyone from sin, but you are called to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 RSV)

The burden is further lifted by the reality that it is not in my own strength that it is accomplished. Wherever God reveals His glory He provides His strength to reveal it. "I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power." Ephesians 3:7

In all that you have to do today allow the working of God's power in you, that the work He has called you to will be free from burden.

The Power of Jesus Christ Crucified

"For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2

If we don’t believe it we are not going to see it. We’re not going to hear it. Greater understanding of God can not even enter our hearts if we don’t believe that Jesus was crucified because of GOD’s LOVE.

That’s the whole point of John 3:16 "for GOD SO LOVED…." It is because He first loved us that we love Him. It is because of the cross that we can love others. Those who have been forgiven can forgive. The cross was not something that happened to Jesus alone. It was something that happened to ME.

How can I possibly love my enemy? How can I possibly keep from despising those who have hurt me? How can I possibly forgive a spouse or a friend who has wronged me? It is very possible that you can’t, you won’t, it’s not in you, in and of yourself. But the great mystery is this, that through the power of the crucified Lord things begin to happen in my life that were never possible before.

Because of God’s love for me HE REVEALS MYSTERIES. I begin to see things with my spiritual eyes that I have never seen with my physical eyes before. I am able to hear things spoken to my heart that I have never heard with my ears. It is possible to love my enemy. It is possible to forgive those who have hurt me. I begin to understand that all things are possible with GOD. That’s the power of the overwhelming all consuming love of God.

Does Jesus want to speak to our daily lives? YES! Can the church address how to be successful in life? ABSOLUTELY! BUT we must get the foundation right or everything else is faulty. YES We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. YES I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But before victory and strength becomes a reality in my daily living I must come to the reality of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. This is the mystery the world can not accept and so it continues to spiral into oblivion.

I must also understand that his crucifixion is because of me, because of my sin, because of what I have done. Dallas Holmes sings a song. “ I’m the one who spat upon the Savior, I’m the one who cursed his Holy name, I’m the one who said with all the rest “CRUCIFY HIM” Yes I’m the one. I’m the one to blame.” The next time you sing the words of IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL may you be able to do so with all your heart because you have come to the reality of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"

This is the crux of the matter. GOD LOVES ME. HE LOVE YOU. The crucified Lord is the the proof of His love. He who knew know sin, became sin for me and for you. My sin, your sin was nailed to the cross in Jesus Christ. He died for me. He died for you. Who else could love me like that?

It is God’s love revealed in a crucified Lord that gives the church it’s power. That is the message that transforms lives. This is why I want to walk with integrity in my business and personal life. This is why I can praise the Lord. This is why my family is more important to me than money. Not because Jesus helps me climb the corporate ladder, not because Jesus makes me a better pro athlete, not because my name can be plastered on the new wing of the Christian hospital, but because he died for me a sinner.

Understanding this reality – this truth does not put me to shame. ON the contrary it releases me from shame, from guilt from hopelessness and despair. IT is not a negative on which I should not dwell, but it is the power of God in my life. I am redeemed!! I am set free. The chains have been broken and I am FREE. Even death cannot conquer me now, because of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

In a world that titters on the brink of spiritual and emotional bankruptcy do you have a living faith like that? Have you experienced the Love of God in such a way. Until you come to Jesus Christ and Him crucified you will continue to flounder through life on the outskirts of the peace of God. You will never know true joy and happiness until you settle this matter. Until you make this trade ~ His blood for my sin. His death for my life. Until we come to the point we can never fully know just how much God loves us.

Prayer at Big Dawg Gym

I headed off to the gym this morning to try out a new routine. It's supposedly a program that cuts your workout time in half while providing the same or better benefits. I'm all for that. Now days the less time I can spend in the gym the better.

One of the guys struck up a conversation with me. We had seen each other in the gym before, but never carried on a conversation beyond "watz up". As the conversation continued I discovered that he attended a church I had been to a few times. His name is Jerry. He rides a Harley and does prison ministry. As we concluded our conversation I asked him to pray for a missionary friend who has left his family and it would appear the Christian faith.

I did a couple of more sets and Jerry came back over and said let me pray for him now. So right there in the Big Dawg Gym we had prayer meeting. Now let me tell you what didn't happen. There was no criticizing the poor missionary for not knowing better. There was no theological debate on whether the man was saved or not saved. There was no name calling like some might do. There was simply a humble powerful prayer offered in Jesus name that our brother would come back home, that his eyes would be open and that the attack of the enemy would be made of no effect, because of a great and mighty God who knows exactly where our brother is.

It was what I call a GRACE FILLED PRAYER. If there is anything our wayward brother needs right now it is grace. What is going on right now in this missionary's life sheds a whole new light for me on Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God". Could it possibly that the "not of yourselves" part means more than what I thought? Is is possible that the "gift of God" part is actually the faith of others on behalf of one who has fallen away.

I think of the faith of a mom who prayed for her son that God would open his eyes to the grace of God. I think of a campus minister who prayed for a rebellious military cadet and God broke that rebellion. I know because I was that man. Their prayers for me and the faith that they had became to me the "gift of God".

At the throne room of grace there is no place reserved for judgemental spirits. I am so thankful that us Big Dawgs have a Big God who humbles our hearts in the most unlikely places and causes us to understand what it truly means to be mighty men.

Well the workout wasn't any shorter today, but the impact was out of this world...

"For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" 1 Timothy 4:8

THE ANSWERING MACHINE

My mom keeps everything. The other day she showed me a recipe book I had made in 1971. It was a second grade project. Each of the students had brought in their mom's favorite recipes and we had combined them to give our moms gifts for Mother's Day. I reminisced about Elementary School days as I looked over the names of former classmates.

I got online and did a Google search for one of the boys. I found that Randy was serving as a minister on staff with a large church on the north side of Atlanta. So I emailed him and we reconnected. Isn't Google amazing? It's been thirty years since I last saw Randy, but when I sought him I found him. (Haven't I heard that somewhere else?)

Now he has his mother's old Strawberry Delight recipe again and I have something to blog about. One of the things I remember about Randy is that his family was one of the first to get an answering machine for their home phone. I can remember calling his home just to hear the answering machine pick up. It was fascinating to me. I don't think I ever left a message. I just liked listening to the recording.

My how far technology has come in the past thirty years. I was ordering a Big Mac the other day and a young man standing behind me with a bluetooth in his ear was talking one second to his soon to be ex-wife and the next to his current girlfriend about who was allowed to come to the little boy's birthday who was standing there beside him. Talk about airing your laundry.

Funny think is, even with all the advances in technology and tools for better communication it doesn't really appear that mankind has advanced that much or is really any better at communication.

On the other hand, you don't need Google to find God; and when you seek Him it's not a recorded message on an answering machine.

What Are My Options?

What are my options? The question means different things to different people. To the cancer patient it means chemo or radiation. To the stock broker it means buying or selling. To the high school senior it means getting a job or going to college. To the woman served with divorce papers it means fighting to keep the marriage or fighting to keep the house. To the climber of corporate ladders it means staying put or relocating the family to another state. At some point in our lives most of us have asked ourselves what are my options?

Ever so often the outcome that results from the decision we make when options are presented can be life transforming. In April of 1985 our family was trying to find a new church home having moved from East Point to Fayetteville. Dad wanted to visit one church and I wanted to visit another. Dad said, "come on son go with us, you may meet the girl of your dreams." So I went with mom and dad not all that happy to be going. As we sat there waiting for the service to start my eye caught sight of a girl several rows in front of us. But she was with another guy, obviously her boyfriend; so I didn't take the time to meet her, much less consider that she was a candidate for marriage. "Oh well dad", I said as we left, "so much for dreams coming true."

Two months later I came home from work and mom informed me that she had received a visit from that "pretty girl" and her friend. They had been assigned our names for church visitation. They had tried to stop by the week after we had visited their church, but we weren't home. So they came back for a second attempt two months later. "That's great mom, but that guy is her boyfriend." "No" mom said, "He was her boyfriend, but he is moving off to college and they have decided to just be friends and I think you need to ask her out."

Long story short, for once in my life I listened to mom asked that "pretty girl" out and two months later we were engaged. Nine months after that we were married. Twenty two years later she is still a "pretty girl" and I am a believer in dreams coming true.

What's the moral of the story? When you think going to church is an option ~ choose to go. When you think visiting others is an option ~ choose to visit! And when mama says you need to ask that pretty girl out ~ BY ALL MEANS ASK! You never know! Your dreams just may come true.

If the Call Should Come

As the day approaches for a rural Georgia church to vote on my becoming pastor, I and my family, and many people throughout the east coast have been praying. I have boldly called on a lifetime of friends to pray with us that we might know and do the will of the Heavenly Father. I know too, that much thought and prayer have gone into each meeting on the part of the search committe and the members; and with each meeting our “hearts have been strangely warmed” as we have experienced the grace and love of kindred spirits.

We have fully embraced, with great confidence in Divine guidance, that God is now ready for us, and me specifically; to assume a role He has been preparing me for all my life. In all sincerity, the last time I felt “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding” in such a way as I sense it now was in 1985 when I asked Sherry to marry me. I am reminded of the words of Mordecai to Esther and believe with all my heart that he has raised me up "for such a time as this".

Over the last twenty years of my Christian life I have sought to be a Romans 8:28 Christian, believing that “all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” In all that time God has been faithful to His Word. I look back and see His loving hands molding and shaping me for the role I believe He is now calling me to as full time pastor.

It is a call to full time vocational ministry and I approach this call with much holy fear and trembling, but also with great excitement that what God has ordained ~ God will sustain. I have been a business owner for the past fourteen years. I have experienced the joys and trials of being “in the world, but not of it” just like the member in the pew, and it has given me a great compassion for people that I would not have known otherwise.

Just as I knew my life would drastically change the day I said, “I do” to my bride; so I know that my life as I know it is about to change. Not that my mission in life is changing; for it is immutable ~ to be a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ; but the things that I do on a daily basis will change in fulfillment of that mission.

Sherry's life is changing too. Her desire and mine too is that she be available to assist me in ministry as the pastor’s wife, exercising the gifts God has given her. She will be stepping up to the plate and taking a more active role as the real estate person in the family as well; and if she can sell a half dozen homes or so per year this will greatly help as we look toward college days with four boys in the near future.

The active agents in our company know what is going on and they are excited for us. I have asked them to assist me in this transition with what listings I currently have, and in the future I will not be putting my name on any listings for Sherry can handle it with the team. At present we have more than 300 pages of real estate related internet material which we will cull through over the next few weeks to make sure that Sherry or other team members are the point of contact instead of me. It is my full intention that my presence on the internet be specifically related to ministry topics and the promotion of the church I go to serve. Even now this blog has been established as the first step in that direction.

We all know things never go exactly as planned, but with all the steps we have taken behind the scenes to transition the company I believe that I will be well positioned to jump right in to full time service as pastor.

My first desire is to begin a systematic plan of visitation to the church body beginning with the Seniors of the congregation. Oldest member raise your hand!

We will also work closely with the youth minister to reach the heart of youth. We believe strongly in this regard. After all we have four of our own. We also believe that there is a great need to minister to couples with children as never before. Moms and dads must learn how to engage their children in spiritual matters for the sake of the next generation.

I will make myself available on a regular basis for personal spiritual counseling and will be immediately available 24/7 for emergency situations. Hospital visitation is a given. I believe strongly in the ministry of presence and enjoyed my days as a chaplain at Georgia Baptist Hospital. I pray we won’t need too many hospital visits, but when we do I am prepared to go.

Sherry and I are both in agreement that our home is open anytime to anyone who just wants to stop in and visit. In fact, we thrive on having a house full of people. We both feel strongly that fellowship of the family of God outside the four walls of the church building is an essential ingredient to a strong church family.

I want to see men actively engaging in the life of the church, as I fully believe that when we reach the men we will reach the family. Thus, I will seek to establish “Just for Men” activities.

I greatly desire to see God raise up individuals to be Pastor’s Prayer Partners and believe extracurricular prayer times to be vital to the spiritual growth of the body.

Finally, I consider personal prayer, study and sermon preparation time to be of utmost importance in my role as pastor of the church and will set aside one day a week specifically for those purposes.

I know this doesn't begin to touch the surface of all that I will be doing as pastor, but it is a starting point and hopefully gives the church body some insight into my thoughts on the matter. We are preparing to go the distance whatever it takes.

I close by saying that I am extremely humbled at even the idea that God would allow me the honor and privilege of serving as pastor of any church and especially the one that is voting on our coming in the next two weeks. May all that we do in the days, weeks and years ahead be to the glory of God.

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

In His Grip and for His Glory,
Kenneth

The Power of Encouraging Words

It was my third season of baseball in the Spring of 72. By the start of my second season I had finally learned the difference between right and left field, and that mainly from the bench. So needless to say, my expectations going into my third season were not all that high. But I was on a new team with a new coach who had different expectations. At the very first practice Coach Mark looked at me and said, “I need a catcher and you’re the one for the job.” All my excuses were to no avail. “But Coach…I’ve never played that position…I’m an outfielder (a benchwarmer even).” Certainly this can’t be happening.

In great trepidation I awkwardly donned the gear of a catcher and Coach Mark tossed me the ball with encouraging words, “you can do this!” I tossed it back and he took two steps back and threw it harder. Then again and again, taking two steps back until he was the distance of a little league pitcher. To my amazement I was actually catching the ball. We had several weeks of practice before the season started and with each practice Coach Mark would always give me encouraging words. As the day approached for our first game I was beginning to realize that I really was the catcher for the team. I would get to play like I never had before.

I was still last in the batting order simply because I would not swing. But one day my dad invited a friend to the game. His name was Dennis Havig, a Falcon football player. I got up to the plate and I heard Dennis yell the now familiar words, “you can do it!” So I did, and to my amazement I hit the ball off the center field fence for a double that pushed two runs in. The next game I was moved from ninth bat to clean-up.

We went on the next two years to win the Little League City Championship. Not because I was great, but because our team was great; and we had a great coach that encouraged us throughout the season, even on the days when we didn’t do so well.

I have been reminded recently of those days long ago because another day is approaching with another team that I may be joining soon in a position that I come to again in trepidation and trembling. Once again it is time to step up to the plate and swing. Once again it is time to don the gear. And just as it was in 1972, so there are men around me who have been a great source of encouragement to me as I prepare for opening day of preaching in view of a call to join a team as pastor of a church. All the calls, emails and conversations with the members of this new team have been an incredible encouragement.

I am reminded of the words of Hebrews 10:25 “…let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

The encouraging words of others have tremendous ability to lift us higher and take us further than we have ever gone before. The bench warming days are over. It’s time for another championship!

What Else Matters?

It's not your everyday Saturday. We've been watching the snow fall since about 10:00 this morning. It just does something inside your heart to see the ground all lit up pretty and white. The boys have been playing in the white stuff for the past several hours. I even took a few shots to the back of my bald head from a snowball fight. It's not often we see snow around here so even the little bit we have today mixed with the mud is worth it just to have a reason to get out there with the boys and have fun.

It's kind of funny what snow does, at least here in the south. The only thing that is important today is SNOW. Many stores are closing down this afternoon. Sherry's mom just called to tell us her church was canceled for tomorrow. The TV has been off all day and the boys haven't even concerned themselves with watching WWE (thank goodness). What else matters today, but snow?

Or could it be that snow really reminds of what truly matters? Being with family, enjoying one another's company, being thankful for the things we have absolutely no control over. What else matters?