I took your place

8 Aug

I received the following email today. Don’t know the source of the story, but the email was from my friend Teresa Suddreth!!

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YOU TOOK MY PARKING SPACE AT CHURCH

This should wake us up.

One day, a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near the driver got out and said, “I always park there! You took my place!”

The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, “That’s my seat! You took my place!” The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.

After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, “That’s where I always sit! You took my place!” The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing.

Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, “What happened to you?”
The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye,

“I took your place!”

Life really is precious

7 Aug

I walked into a house yesterday.  A house into which I have walked many times in my 17 + years at Ebenezer.  But this time, it was different.  It might be the last time I walk into that house …  This time it was to plan a funeral.

Funerals are never easy, whether attending or conducting.  Funerals are a fact of life, and in the South we do them better than anywhere else.  They become more difficult when they are for a friend.  Someone who invested in me and my family.  And, long story short, Mrs. Genevieve Pettigrew did just that.  And she will be missed!!

We are never really prepared for death.  When someone we love lives a full life, it does make it a little easier.  But once again, we are reminded that life is precious and every day is a gift from God.  What are you going to do with your gift today??

The Whole Thing

6 Aug

Do we have the luxury of picking and choosing which parts of the Bible we believe and which parts are fictional??  Do we have the option of deciding which parts of our lives we will give to God and which parts we will keep for ourselves because we know better than He??

A few months ago I received an envelope from a friend.  Honestly, I had no idea what it was and was a little hesitant to open it!!  It was a copy of a guest editorial in The State.  The Unitarian pastor that wrote the editorial was stating that there is a lot of good stuff in the Bible, but we have to dismiss the mystical as something fictional that was added in to keep our interest.  Honestly, I believe Jesus brought Lazarus back from the dead.  I believe He healed the blind, lame, leprous, and fed 5000 with five small loaves and two small fishes.

And I believe Revelation 22:18-19, which says “18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” (NIV)

Friends, we don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing which parts of this book we believe and which parts are fantasy.  It’s all true.  And the very nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to us because it shows us that we are sinners and God is Holy, Righteous, and Blameless.  We cannot stand in His light and NOT see our sin.  And that bothers us.  And we don’t like being uncomfortable with ourselves.  The word of God is confrontational because it shows us that our base nature is not like that of God, but it strives for and desires our own will and our own way.  And Jesus Himself said that we cannot serve two masters!!  We must choose one!

And the end of the book of Joshua, Joshua challenged the Israelites with the same kind of challenge.  Choose THIS DAY whom you will serve … but as for me and my house, we will choose the Lord!!

As for me and my house, we believe the whole thing.  And we will try our best to serve Him with our WHOLE LIVES!!!

 

The Kingdom of God is like this …

5 Aug

What to do, what to do??

31 Jul

Most of us have this ingrained-trait that we cannot shake … WHAT DO I DO NOW??  We’d rather do SOMETHING than NOTHING.  We’ve got to keep moving!!  Do anything, even if it’s not the right thing, because at least we will be doing SOMETHING!!

Well, friends, there are times in life where ALL we can do is wait on the Lord.  Stop, be still, and know He is God.  Listen.  Remain faithful and true to Him.  He has brought you this far … He WILL see you through.

Just before God delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh once and for all, He led them to a place that really seemed to be a dead end.  Go read about it in Exodus 13 and 14.  I would’ve hated to been Moses that day …  The Children of Israel were TERRIFIED and they asked Moses, “What, it wasn’t good enough to let us die in Egypt so you brought us out here where there are NO GRAVES???”  They completely lost faith in God.  Pharaoh and his army were closing in and there seemed like no where to go.  Then Moses told them “Don’t be afraid!!  Stand firm and SEE how God will deliver you!!”  And He did just that.

I tell you, STAND FIRM, TRUST HIM, and just SEE how He works it all out!!!!!

Back, but not the same

30 Jul

That could probably be said for every person on the Honduras team this year.  This was the first time I’ve been, but I heard from some of the veterans.  This trip was different:  Good in many ways, but difficult in others.

Sister Leonarda’s Home of Hope (the orphanage in Limon) was in worse shape than our team has ever seen it.  I had nothing to gauge that on, but it was bad.  And when Pastor Mario told me that HE thought it was bad (and I know the conditions in which Mario ministers), that made an impact on me.  I firmly believe God is leading us to help with this situation, and I am still praying about how that looks.  God will make that call, not David Wike.

There were also loops in my heart that were closed about this mission project.  There is no question of the value of this mission for me, for several reasons:

  • The needs are REAL, and God has put them in front of us AND given us the ability to make a difference.  For that, He will hold us accountable someday.
  • The people are REAL!  Not only the ministers and translators with whom we work, but the PATIENTS and CHURCH MEMBERS know us and love us.  Last week, an old friend of Diana’s contacted her and warned her that she had done missions work in Honduras and found that she was being hustled.  I am sure that happens, just like it happens in Florence, SC.  But I’ve seen these needs firsthand.  I’ve sweated and bled with these people.  These needs are more real than you really want to know!!
  • The power of Christ is REAL!!  I told a couple of stories yesterday about how God’s power took over and did things that we could never do.  There are a hundred more stories about this.  God was so interwoven in this trip that it humbles me to think about it every time I do.  If I sit and think about it for a few minutes, it still moves me to tears every time.

In Exodus 34, we are told that Moses’ countenance had changed because he’d spent time with the Lord on Mount Sinai.  We spent ten days with the Lord in Central America, and our lives will never be the same!

Today’s sermon: The Mission Continues

29 Jul

God is at work here

27 Jul

The past nine days have honestly been a blur.   An emotional rollercoaster.  Times of great victory immediately followed by passes through the valley of the shadow of death.  Yes, we’ve seen that shadow this week.  And it is so much to process.

I have no idea what I will preach on Sunday, but something is telling me not to worry about it too much.  There is so much to say and share about this trip. One thing I know for sure right now is that God is at work here and I am thankful I got to join Him.

I have no idea of the medical numbers, but I would guess it to be that we saw between 800 and 900 patients on this trip.  Paula Hooss did women’s ministry for hundreds.  Nancy and Marci Gatewood did children’s ministry for hundreds.  And Paula and I got to be a part of praying individuallly for hundreds and leading 31 to Christ.

Even more importantly, we have relationships.  This is not a get-in and get-out and never see ’em again thing … Not only do we have relationships with the pastors with whom we work, we have relationships with the PEOPLE.  As long as that continues, Ebenezer has an obligation to keep going!!

God IS at work here.  And I am just glad I got to be here, too!!

Yes, I said Bibles

20 Jul

Honduras is a beautiful place full of great people.  And they are very different from us, living in a much different context.  A much more poverty-stricken context.  And I found out yesterday what the “gold currency” is of these people is the Bible!!

Bibles … We get excited about new cars and big screen TVs.  They get excited about God’s word.

Bibles are terribly expensive over here,  Abnd it humbles me to think about the fact that my family could miss one “eating out meal” a month and buy TEN Bibles.  Ten gold bars.

Really makes you think, huh??  By the way, our medical clinic saw a metric ton of people (I would guess it to be over 150, but I don’t know for sure) and we had 18 people accept Christ.

Last few things …

16 Jul

3:00am Wednesday morning is coming.  FAST!!  That is the designated time for the buses to pull out of the EBC parking lot, en route to the Columbia Airport.  From there, Atlanta and then a direct flight to San Pedro Sula.  Make no mistakes in understanding that the “mission” has already begun.  The Holy Spirit is already at work in the places we will go and in the hearts of those we will see.  I know this sounds so cliche, but I can literally FEEL it!!  I am so pumped about this trip!! But there are many things to do, and the clock is ticking …

And the devil is doing his thing, too.  One of our team members is still waiting on her passport to be delivered.  We are all praying hard that it WILL COME tomorrow.  Please join us in that prayer!!  And I cannot even describe the things that were thrown at us today at the office.  There was one GREAT spot:  I got to talk to one of our children about accepting Christ and being baptized.  His mom was so careful to not want to encroach on my time of preparation for this trip… Little do they know that was the BEST THING that could’ve happened!!

So now, packing … Praying … Studying … I have no idea what waits for me, but right now there are several speaking opportunities.  I thank God for that!!  But I am willing to do whatever He wants!!  I’ll miss you guys, and my family most of all.  A little known fact about me is that I AM heavily entrenched with my family.  I love them most of all and 10 days without them will be rough on me!!

You guys pray, and when you think you have prayed enough, pray more!!  Pray for us.  Pray for Ebenezer.  Pray that God will continue to do His thing, and that we will all be willing to do OURS!!!

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