One Pastor's Perspective

I could tell ten stories like this one, but check this out: A few weeks ago, our campaign consultant asked me to write a letter asking for stories of sacrifice. They are supposed to be powerful illustrations to use in sermon delivery. Okay, I did that and got about seven (out of 100) back.

ONE of the stories I received is from a lady in our church that I will not identify. She told this story of how as a little girl, her parents didn’t go to church. But a church was there and a big part of her life. How as a teenager, her family had to move a couple of times due to her father’s job. Once again, the church was there to make an unmistakable mark on her life. Then, as a young married adult, the church once again was there to make a difference that no one else could make. Why?? You will have to come on Sunday to really hear this story, but I promise it will make you think!!

God has this way of providing EXACTLY what I need at the right time in this thing. There is NO MISTAKING IT in my book . . . If it all ended tomorrow, I would walk away from here KNOWING that I’ve seen God at work UP CLOSE and it is AWESOME!!!!

As you guessed, I hate that Tommy Bowden is no longer a Tiger. True, the guys have NOT been motivated this year. True, I had stopped defending him. I’ve never been real crazy about the way we South Carolinians treat our football coaches. But life is life and football is football. Forget about the fact that he is a Christian in MORE than name, he has great integrity, and has been criticized for suggesting to his players that a real relationship with God could make a difference in their lives.

So, in honor of Tommy, here is my list of the top ten things a pastor and an SC college football coach have in common:

10. Everything that happens is HIS FAULT.
9. If the players are not doing their job, it is HIS FAULT.
8. He has to be nice to EVERYONE no matter how many knives they might put into his back.
7. He is expected to know EVERYONE who is ANYONE at his school, no matter how infrequently they might come to see him!!!
6. His family is expected to live up to the same impossible expectations imposed on him.
5. Everything that happens is HIS FAULT.
4. His results are not measured by the difference he made in the life of the school or his players . . . His results all come down to numbers.
3. He is expected to be the perfect coach, the perfect recruiter, the perfect fundraiser, and just plain PERFECT.
2. If a player makes the big gamewinning play, he is the hero. If not, the coach is the goat.
1. Did I mention that everything that happens is HIS FAULT??

As I looked out at the congregation at 11am yesterday, I wondered why the crowd was so small. Did people decide not to come because we ran so far over at 8:30? Are people already tired of hearing about the capital campaign?? (IT IS JUST WEEK TWO!) Was it just a coincidence?? Did I leave the iron on?? (Oops, I am drifting)

I DO know that Satan will do anything to distract us, to anger us, to cause problems for us because GOD IS DOING SOMETHING HERE. I also know that people love their money, and anytime we talk about something that involves great sacrifice, they don’t like it. They didn’t like it when the stock market was above 13,000 and they don’t like it now. But God is still on His throne and we still have a calling.

Time rolls on, and God is in control.

Yes, there is much room for faith. Stock markets across the world have fallen into a slide (or more of a black hole). We will soon be back in the stone ages, with Fred Flinstone cars (which DO NOT give off deadly carbon monoxide) and kitchen appliances made out of living animals (who speak to the camera when we are not around).

And, yet, God is still on His throne and there are STILL people in Florence (and in this world) that DO NOT KNOW CHRIST. And we STILL have a job to do. Put things into perspective, gird up your courage, and lets face this day KNOWING that He will lead us if we will only have faith and follow.

And then, do what I do . . DON’T LOOK at your retirement account and try to avoid as much news as possible!!!!! I call it my “head in the sand” strategy! (just kidding)

Have you ever been on to go so much that you feel like you MEET YOURSELF coming and going?? This week, I have shaken my own hand FOUR TIMES in my driveway!!! That is how life has been for David Wike for the last couple of months . . . I feel like I am trapped in a revolving door, and every time I think I can jump out it speeds up a little.

I think if we can just make it to November 9th, things will have to slow down a little (one way or another). That is my goal . . .

Negative talk; I have heard very little of it. Sometimes I am the first to hear, and sometimes the last . . . So, I really don’t know what is going around out there right now. But I do know this: In a church of our size, there WILL be negatives. In fact, Jim Sanderson (our RSI consultant) says IF we are doing this right, we can EXPECT it!!

And, all I really want to do is ask people to PRAY! Get it out of their minds that this thing is about David Wike, or even Ebenezer. This is a GOD THING!! If not, we shouldn’t (and I would like to think WOULDN’T) be doing it!!

Like Peter, the wind and the waves are STILL in turmoil all around us. It would probably make sense to us to give up . . . But God hasn’t sent that memo yet!!

Be still and KNOW that HE is GOD!!!

Hearts of Stone. That is what I believe it would take to NOT see what God is doing here. And, yet, there are some who do not see it and will not see it. I don’t know what motivates them (or DEmotivates them). I am stumped.

I know the economy is rough. I know the cost of living is going up. I know the cost of a gallon of gas is horrible (although I DID hear on the news last night that some stations are under $3.00, but I haven’t found that in Flotown yet).

I also know that God is leading us, and if we will only obey, He WILL PREVAIL!!! In the words of a very wise high school senior I know (very well), “God has got this.”

Be still and KNOW that He is God. That He is in control. That HE is in charge. Let’s let Him REALLY GET IT and look back one day and KNOW that it was Him and not us!!!!

Well, I survived. We survived. I believe yesterday was the most significant day in the modern history of Ebenezer Baptist Church. All things considered, it was a positive day. Most of the people were either positive OR had no comment. ONE did say we need a lesson in economics. That was her only comment. After the sermon I preached, after the video about the thing, I wanted to reply “No, we need a lesson in faith.” But, like a good little boy, I just listened to her and smiled.

Jim (our consultant) has prepared us for the fact that we won’t win EVERYONE over. But to succeed, we must win MOST. In this day and age of economic instability and a rising cost of living, it really WILL take faith to accomplish this. And God is here, ready to walk every step with us.

To someone on the outside, it WILL seem crazy. But God is at work in this and the only SANE response for us is to JOIN HIM. Period.

Below is a link to the campaign video, in case you didn’t get to see it!

EBC H.O.W. Video

Yep, here we are. D-Day. I have decided to cook breakfast for my family, and they don’t know it yet. I hope they like it.

Cooking gives me time to think. And all I can think about is what will happen at Ebenezer this morning. Will God’s people respond?? Will we all catch His vision for EBC??

Will those who come behind US find US faithful???

Time will tell the rest of this story . . .

HAHAHAHA . . . I’m over here on the swing!!! (See yesterday’s post). ANYWHO, Here we are on the Friday before what is probably the biggest Sunday in Ebenezer’s modern history. This really is a big day, and the week has been no short of the SuperBowl week I blogged about earlier. This has been a week of high pressure, and almost every oddball thing that could have happened has happened. And now, the weeked comes . . .

I hope all of you have a relaxing, restful weekend. I hope all of your football teams win. I hope God removes EVERY EXCUSE and REASON we could possibly have NOT to come to church and NOT to worship Him in this time, and we all actually come and see what He is doing!!

And my prayer is that we will see HIM in all of this!!!