Are you afraid to shoot??

17 Oct

As a lifelong student of basketball, you see many parallels to life in the sport. And I love this sport.  At one time, playing ball was ALL I wanted to do.  Then coaching came along, but it wasn’t as much fun as playing.  Now I am relegated to watching because of my left elbow and the potential to dislocate.  I’ve found many life lessons on the court, and one that really strikes me today is the fear of shooting … Yep, that’s right!!

But WAIT … ISN’T THE POINT of basketball to SCORE??  To shoot the ball through the hoop as many times as you are able, and to prevent the opposition from doing it!!  The one with the most points WINS.  So, if you are afraid of shooting, why play?

Good question.  And there are many reasons to be afraid to shoot.  Fear that you won’t make the basket.  Fear that you will get your shot blocked.  Fear … that you will fail in some way.  And, little kids and rookies are not the ONLY ONES paralyzed by such fear.

The fear of failure gets WAYY TOO MUCH respect in our society and world today.  If you don’t shoot … if you don’t take your shot … YOU WILL NEVER SCORE.  In gun speak, if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.

And, if you DO shoot … you will be criticized.  And that is ok!!  It’s so funny to me to watch people who are actually DOING something taking criticism while those who do little or nothing do not.  In politics, in business, in sports, and in life, there is ALWAYS someone who thinks they have a better idea and could do it better.  Just look at how much criticism Jesus took — AND HE IS THE SON OF GOD!!

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL!!  DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SHOOT!!  Have you ever heard the story of Thomas Edison and the lightbulb??  There are a variety of versions of this story and numbers associated with his quote, but this seems to be the most accurate version.  When asked by a NY Times reporter about all of his failures at inventing the light bulb, Edison replied “I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”

Take the shots God gives you!!  DON’T BE AFRAID!!  TRUST HIM AND HAVE FAITH!! When He calls on you to take your shot, HE HAS ALREADY PREPARED THE WAY!!

The GREATEST FEELING ON THE COURT is shooting and watching the net pop as the ball spins perfectly through the hoop!  It won’t happen everytime … but all it takes is a time or two, and you’ll be hooked!

Membership Covenant

15 Oct

Yesterday in worship I shared the membership covenant written by early members of Ebenezer Baptist Church and adopted by the church on January 4, 1823.  Thought I would share it a and a rough modernization of it this morning:

ARTICLE IV – Church Covenant – Adopted by Ebenezer Baptist Church, January 4, 1823.

“…we do solemnly covenant and agree:”

“First, that we will take the only living and true God in three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – to be our God.

In MODERN ENGLISH:  When we refer to God … and the Trinity … We are talking about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  And we worship Him and Him ALONE.

“Secondly, we unreservedly and solemnly give up ourselves, both soul and body, and all we possess, to Almighty God to be ordered, directed, and disposed of by him, according to the counsel of his holy will.  And this we do in an humble dependence on the grace of the Holy Spirit, to aid and support us in these sacred engagements.

We will give up OURSELVES … EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE AND HAVE … TO BE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED AND DIRECTED BY GOD.  AND WE DEPEND ON THE HOLY SPIRIT TO GUIDE US AND SHOW US.

“Thirdly, we take the scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be our rule of faith and practice, both in the great concerns of religion and the general affairs of life; and particularly for transacting the business of the church.

We believe God’s Word to be our standard of living, both in spiritual matters AND in LIFE and especially when doing the business of the church.

“Fourthly, we promise to maintain communion and fellowship with each other in the public worship of God, according to the various ordinances of the gospel; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but embracing all regular, convenient seasons for this purpose, as the providence of God shall permit.  And that we will exercise Christian forbearance and love, one toward another: praying for, and sympathizing with each order, in the various circumstances of life, and using every laudable endeavor to provoke to love and good works.

We PROMISE that we will WORSHIP TOGETHER as much as God permits us. We will have communion with God and fellowship with each other.  And we will love each other, pray for each other, sympathize with each other, and everything we do will promote LOVE and GOOD WORKS.

“Fifthly, we promise individually, to pay a respectful regard to the advice and admonitions of the church, and to be subject to its discipline as directed by the word of God, and conducted in the Spirit of the gospel.

We will pay respect to the advice and guidance of the church, and will be subject to BIBLICAL DISCIPLINE as the church sees fit.

“Sixthly, we promise to contribute in a reasonable manner, according to our ability, for the support of public worship and the relief of the poor in the church and to use our influence to forward and promote the interest of the Redeemer’s kingdom in the world; that we will be careful to conduct ourselves with uprightness and integrity and in a peaceful and friendly manner toward mankind in general and toward serious Christians of all descriptions, in particular; that we will also pay a conscientious regard to civil government, and give it our support, as an ordinance of God.

We promise to TITHE, to GIVE to efforts of the church, to be people of INTEGRITY, and we will be INVOLVED and SUPPORT civil government, an establishment of God.  And we will work to use our influence to advance the Kingdom of God in this world! 

And this covenant we make, with the free and full consent of our souls, hoping through rich, free and boundless grace we shall therein be accepted of God, unto eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be glory and majesty, power and dominion, everlasting.  Amen.”

Today’s sermon: Time for a Reboot?

14 Oct

The Next Few Steps

11 Oct

A lot of folks have asked what our next few steps will be at EBC.  What do we do now??  Today, we are a church without a student minister…  Where do we go from here?

The process is already at work.  We are receiving resumes from several different sources in the next few weeks.  Personnel will soon begin to review these and pray.  This is the process through which we found Justin (and every youth minister we’ve had) and it is very much a trust and pray process!  I’ve told several folks, “We need to be asking God now who He wants for this position.  NOT telling Him who we want!!”  So IMMEDIATELY you can begin to pray!!

As for day-to-day operations of our Student Ministry, we are thankful that Paige Self will be available to help us for a few months, continuing in her role as Student Ministry Intern.  Between her, Hunter Gregg, Ed Self, Pam Gaddy, me, and our Youth Council and Youth SS Teachers, Student Ministry at EBC WILL CONTINUE!!  Our plan is that we will not miss a beat!!

What does the Crash need from YOU??  PRAY.  Please pray and STAY PLUGGED IN!!  I’ve been asked on a couple of occasions “What if the Crash falls apart??”  The answer to that is this:  “It WON’T as long as YOU don’t allow it to!!!”

A Different Day

10 Oct

Yes, today will be a day like none we’ve seen at Ebenezer in quite a while.  Today is the last day of J. Frank McAlpin’s employment at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  (J Frank is his evangelist name … We know him as Justin)

Today will be a sad day at EBC and a happy day.  There are many reasons for sadness and tears, and there are many reasons to be happy about this.  I personally am sad because I love Justin like he is my little brother and have spent every week with him for the past seven and a half years.  For me, it’s not that he has done an EXCELLENT JOB as student minister and as a support for me … And you guys will never know what a support he has been for me … But, it’s more the fact that he IS family.  Period.  We on staff have had an unbelievable run of good relationships and working together, and that is a testament to our staff.  Justin has been a big part of that.  We all consider him as family, and we will all be a little sad.

We KNOW God has a plan in this, a plan to prosper ALL OF US and NOT TO HARM US.  He has a plan for Justin, He has a plan for Westmeade, and yes, He has a plan for Ebenezer.  That is a reason TO BE HAPPY!!  We’ve been blessed at Ebenezer when you consider we have long tenures in ALL of our ministerial positions.  The average tenure of a full-time Southern Baptist minister is 18 MONTHS.  ANOTHER REASON TO BE HAPPY!!  If Justin refused to answer a call of God in His life, it would negate everything for which he stands.  I am thankful he is willing to be obedient, even if it is tough.  ANOTHER REASON TO BE HAPPY!!

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.  And the good things FAR OUTWEIGH the bad.  So, there will be tears.  But there is also great reason to praise God!  And, He inhabits the praise of His people!!  THAT IS WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO TODAY!!

JMac … I love you, bud!!  And I refuse to accept the fact that you are anything less than a missionary, sent by Ebenezer to Alabama!!!!!

Pray then Vote

9 Oct

Late Saturday night, Drew and I got back to the house and found another sign in my yard:  A sign that says Pray then Vote.  I love it, and absolutely agree with it.  And I wondered who put it there… Had my list of suspects, and it turns out the one who put it there wasn’t even on the list!!  No matter, I am glad it’s there and pray it provokes thought for the next few weeks and time propels us towards the most important election day of  the 21st Century.

Another friend of mine tweeted about one of these signs.  She added the thought that we need to pray AND know the issues AND vote.  I think she is right, too.  When it comes to the vote, I believe in trusting God just as I believe in trusting Him with everything else in life.  And I believe in knowing the issues and the candidates.  Knowing their platforms and their values.  Not just voting because someone runs with a particular party or group, but really knowing what they believe.  And comparing them to my values and beliefs.  And for me, that carries a BIG influence on what I do with my vote.

Over the years I have also learned to know the candidates as much as I can personally know them.  And that probably WON’T HAPPEN if I just believe what is written about them in the press.  I personally know if local media decides to pump a candidate, they will paint the most rosy and unrealistic picture of that candidate even if they are NOTHING like this picture.  I’ve watched that happen even this year.  And, I’ve seen good candidates attacked for no good reasons other than they didn’t bow down to this or that (I have a friend who is going through that right now).

Personally, I want a candidate who won’t bow down.  And if you look hard enough, you just might find one.  There are one or two of those out there in local races this year!!

So, heed the sign and dig a little deeper.  PRAY!!  INFORM YOURSELF!!  PRAY SOME MORE!!  Then VOTE!

What does it mean?

8 Oct

A question:  What does it really mean to be a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church??  To be a member of ANY church, for that matter??  Should it mean something?

I think so.  It means so much more than merely having a name on a church roll and a sense of pseudo-security.  Church membership is a commitment to God AND to a family of faith.  I’ll talk more about that from the pulpit this coming Sunday.  But, rest assured it SHOULD mean something.  At Ebenezer, our church fathers developed a membership covenant in 1823.  And, honestly, we have strayed.  Sometimes I wonder if it is time for us to REBOOT!!

Hope you have a great week and praying that we all (not only Ebenezerites) can BE THE BODY OF CHRIST THIS WEEK!!!

Today’s sermon: Live the Life

7 Oct

All around us

4 Oct

Henry Blackaby wrote in Experiencing God that God is at work all around us. All of the time. Our job is to find Him at work and JOIN HIM!! I believe that with all of my heart. I believe that the times we don’t see Him at work are due to the fact that we are not looking for Him. He is at work all around us! On the other hand, that can present problems to our human nature.

In a church like Ebenezer, God should be at work in MANY PLACES. There are over 1,300 members of Ebenezer Baptist Church. He is at work somewhere around every one of us and wants us to join Him!! The problem presents itself when our human nature tells us WE are the only one working for Him. What WE are doing for Him is the ONLY THING GOING… When we do not leave room in our minds and hearts for others to be at work with Him in other places, we limit God and aggravate each other.

In other words, in a church the size of Ebenezer we MUST realize that there are many things happening for the Kingdom of God. Even though in our minds tell us ours is the most important thing, it actually is one part of a tapestry that IS Ebenezer Baptist Church. A tapestry that IS the Kingdom of God.

Remember today that God is at work in MANY PLACES ALL AROUND US. He is big enough to do that. Are we big enough to recognize it???

Papa

3 Oct

Man, my grandfather was awesome!!  He really was the best!!  He died over 17 years ago, but would’ve been 100 if he’d lived until today.

He wasn’t perfect, but if I can be half the man he was, I think I’ll be okay.  He had 12 grandchildren, and had of way of making every one of us feel special.  Some of my best times with him were spent in a boat or on the bank of a pond/lake with fishing poles in our hands.  In our days, we caught some fish.  And we had many days where all we did was drown worms and minnows .. (Can you drown a minnow???  Anyway …)  It wasn’t the fishing, or the cleaning fish, or cleaning the boat that mattered.  It was time that made all the difference.  That is what I remember.  That is what made him the best!!

And, I’ve got 11 cousins who feel the exact same way as I do.  He really was the best!!  Miss you, Papa!!

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