One Pastor's Perspective

Yes, the Proverb is true . . . Without vision, people perish. One of the hardest jobs as pastor has is communicating vision. I’ve spent hours reading about it, praying about it, and attempting to do it from the pulpit. I believe the appropriate vision for Ebenezer can only come from God and His word. I believe He clearly calls us to love Him, love each other, serve Him, and to GROW individually in a relationship with Him. There it is . . . simple and complete.

And, yet, there are some who refuse to hear that . . . I guess they expect blueprints and bold plans (not necessarily for a new building, but for THEIR LIVES). In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises that HE has plans for each one of us. If He gives your plans to me, I promise that you will be the first one I call. My personal experience with God is if we are in that growing relationship with Him, He WILL lead us and show us His plans. Will there be times when God calls on me, as a pastor, to set strategy and direction for the church?? Yes, and He will provide that FOR me. But none of that will mean anything to the masses if we are not each tuning in to Him and His desire for each one of us PERSONALLY.

In other words, every one of us needs to work in our personal relationships with Him. He WILL ignite us with His vision for Ebenezer, and for the Body of Christ in general. And we will not miss it!!!

If you have ever wondered about what I believe God’s vision is for Ebenezer, hit this link and check it out!!!

http://ebenezerbaptistchurch.blogspot.com

Okay, I guess I cannot continue with the Saints as my pick. I watched the game (THE WHOLE GAME) yesterday . . . I will watch playoff games. Anyway, it was SOOOOOO cold in Chicago yesterday that the Saints could barely function. The Bears looked good.

In the OTHER game, I watched that entire game thinking “Who can beat New England??” Then, the Colts DID. So the way I see it, the City of New Orleans still has a dog in this hunt in the form of Peyton Manning, who was born and raised in New Orleans.

THEREFORE, and this is a difficult pick for me because I like both teams, but I will go with the Colts. I want to see Peyton Manning do well and silence all of the critics that have said for a few years that he could not even make it to the Big Game.

I am proud of my team for their play yesterday. True, we lost 20-14, but to a team that has been absolutely blowing everyone they play out. AND, it was a two point game (in which we led at times) for most of the game. And, I saw things my guys can do better next time and I really believe we can beat these guys. Everyone in the league thought they were unbeatable, but not anymore. They played with a lot of heart and gave it everything . . . I would have rather won, but I am very pleased with their performance.

Okay, I have always been a fan of DA BEARS, but my prediction for this year is Saints VS Colts, with the Saints winning by 10 points. Enough said (and I realize I might have to revise after Sunday).

My Pirate Name Is…

Lord Sultan of Timor

This morning on one of the news shows I watched at the Y, they were talking about Stephen Colbert and his “news” program on Comedy Central. Long story short, they were discussing how many young people get their news from such satirical television shows. It made me think about current events and how my opinions have been shaped by television.

I remember the Bush/Gore debate spoofs in 2000 that were done by Saturday Night Live. They were fair in their portrayal: Bush was a dummy, Gore was a complete bore. NOT TRUE TO LIFE, mind you, but those were the given impressions. Then I remember hearing on the legitimate news how both the Bush AND Gore camps would watch those debate spoofs to see how they appeared! They were using the SNL impressions to change their approaches to the debate! That is a smart move, but it lends a dangerous credence to satirical television. It made me think, “Well, there must be something to these portrayals!”

Now that I am 40 yrs old, I know better . . . When I was a kid and a young adult, I DID NOT. And such comedy really shaped my opinions. Now that I know better, that comedy is even MORE funny to me, but it is because I try to stay current with the issues and players. But what if I did NOT know better?? What if those sources were my only links to current news??

That would be veddy, veddy bad (as Dominican Lou would say). Now more than ever, we NEED to know the candidates and the issues FOR REAL!! The older I get, the more I learn to keep my eyes on political candidates. They are not always what they appear to be. This is my blog, so I can really write what I think here, and I will try to know everything I can about each candidate from now on. That is my duty as an American.

And, YOURS TOO.

The FIRST weather related school issue of the ’06-’07 school year!! Two-hour delay! They say the roads are icy, but they look fine here at the house. That is the danger with ice: Most times you cannot even see it until it is too late. I really hate for Krissy to even drive on a day like today . . .

Today promises to be an unusual day. A lot of families with immediate needs today and I have the CLC today (Justin and I rotate). UNC beat Clemson last night, and I only got to see three minutes of it, so not much to say there . . . Deano is iced in at San Antonio (or Dallas) but hopes to catch a flight this afternoon. I hope he can land here.

Anyway, BE CAREFUL today if you are in or around Florence.

We have waited FOREVER for cold weather to actually settle in and do its thing . . . (Like killing my grass). Is it finally here, or does winter tease us yet again? Will it get cold and stay cold, or will it warm up again only to hit the 20s a few times in April? This has been the weirdest seasonal year I can remember in a long time. I had to go to the grocery store late yesterday, and walking down the aisle I realized I was in shorts and a t-shirt. It just feels strange and I am more concerned with global warming than ever before.

And, to top it all off, my sister has been iced in to Abilene, TX, for the last few days (taking my niece back to college). WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?? Isn’t it supposed to be warmer out there, and we’re supposed to get ice???

I really feel fortunate to be part of this pilot CLC class at Sneed, but it has added a new dimension to my weekly routine . . I really struggle to get everything done now. I guess I am hoping the routine will settle out in the next week or two and become somewhat normal.

I say that KNOWING that God is at work in this thing . . . Knowing that there are kids in that class that have no other connection to a church. Knowing that one and maybe two families were at our church this past Sunday whose kids are in the class. Knowing that, if nothing else, we are planting seeds in the lives of these kids that could come to fruition one day, and we might never know it.

Pray for Justin, for me, and for 26 kids that signed up to take a New Testament survey class for credit at Sneed Middle School!!!!

Life is a great gift. We should never take it forgranted, because we REALLY do not know what waits around the corner.

I have a friend, who is a member at EBC, who I ran into two months ago at Home Depot. Now, I see this guy every Sunday, but in Home Depot we had a little more of a chance to talk. He was doing well and looking at something for his house. Two months and a cancer diagnosis later, I visited him today and would not have recognized him except for his voice. And I have seen him several times since that day in Home Depot. The last three weeks have been really hard for him. His cancer is agressive and there is not much doctors can do.

We never know what tomorrow will hold, but we know who holds tomorrow.