Why must it be this way??

25 Jan

This summer, Justin McAlpin shocked Ebenezer one Sunday while preaching.  He basically talked about how tough my job is and how he couldn’t BELIEVE the junk I put up with as pastor of EBC.  THAT IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL ABOUT CHURCH LEAGUE BASKETBALL right now!!

I am thankful for Andrew Parker, who has directed our league for several years now (and played in this same league when he was a kid).  I am thankful for Justin, who faithfully serves as our staff liason to the league and helps Andrew make it happen.  I am most thankful because I don’t have to TOUCH it anymore.  Because I cannot believe the junk that happens!!

The sad part is, many of the problems we have with the league trace back to the same churches every year.  Coaches and parents, getting way too angry with referees and taking it out on our league staff.  Players taking this way too seriously and doing stupid things during and after games.  (Central got beat last night and one of their kids peeled out way too hard on the youth house road out of anger … I can only hope he knocked his front end out of line!!)  (Yeah, okay … BAD DAVID … I said it to myself)

There are several things we must remember:

  • MOST of the participants of this league DO NOT act like this.  Only a few bad apples every year make this a rough experience.
  • This league DOES SERVE a great purpose for fellowship and for recreation.  And I know a TON of people who are grateful it happens.
  • Our battle is not with FLESH AND BLOOD, but with Satan who tries to defeat ANYTHING that builds fellowship in the Kingdom of God.  Yes, Satan even attacks a church basketball league!!

Pray for Andrew, Justin, and this league.  Because it DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.  We need to be praying!!

Updating several things …

24 Jan

I haven’t posted much in January.  Honestly, its been hard to find the motivation to write.  Things haven’t gone so well in some areas, but they are looking up!!

Dad is about the same.  Well, honestly, he is losing ground.  Still recognizes us but every time I see him and notice him losing ground more and more.  It’s really hard to watch, and hard to see Mom facing what she faces.  I wish I could stop it!  Dad did help Drew and me install the new gas burner in the fireplace.  It’s not really a set of logs, but a burner with decorative glass.  REALLY puts out good heat!!  And it looks great, too!  Much thanks to Bryan Howell and Fire it Up in Florence for all of the good help, and to Rick Luhrs for helping me with engineering ideas concerning the chimney!!

Ebenezer is really getting into a good place.  People are starting to listen to God, to seek being filled with His Spirit, and seeking His will and direction for their lives.  Along with that comes attacks from Satan!  And he IS attacking!  We all need to be aware, watch our backs, and know that Satan is the true enemy, NOT EACH OTHER!!  Our struggle is not with flesh and blood!!  I love my church and I’m very concerned for it right now!!!

Something funny

24 Jan

I saw this on the daily Mikey’s Funnies email (you can subscribe at http://www.mikeysfunnies.com).  Had to share it!!!

today’sFUNNY===========================

The father of a family – who is a big-time techie – got his oldest daughter an iPhone for her birthday. 

He also got an iPad for his son. Later an iPod for the youngest daughter.

So when his anniversary rolled around, he got his wife an iRon.

That’s when the fight began.

[forwarded by Don Hochmuth]

today’sTHOT============================

“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine.” – Abraham Lincoln

The Passive-Aggressive Shuffle

21 Jan

Not as flamboyant as the SuperBowl Shuffle (performed by the ’85 Chicago Bears), the Passive-Aggressive Shuffle is a dance often-performed at volunteer organizations worldwide.  VERY OFTEN this dance can be seen at churches, especially those which are volunteer-led.  And I see it all the time!!

I’m no Simon Cowell, but … wait a minute … I’m really dipping low with that comparison.  Okay, I’m not a professional talent judge, but I can tell you the PA Shuffle is NEVER a good thing.  I’ve never seen it work well and I’ve never seen it build the kingdom of God or build others up.  It results in quite the opposite.

The passive-aggressive approach is close to our human nature.  When we are angered and feel threatened, our nature will lead us to a defensive posture.  Passive-aggressivism is a way to defend ourselves without actually appearing to take action.  It often includes half-truths, twisted truths, and a dab of misinformation.  And it is very harmful to the church!!

There is a strong biblical approach to conflict resolution.  It’s not easy, but it IS God’s way and results in building His kingdom, His church, and His people.  Here is a great article on that:

http://www.peaceful-conflict-resolution.com/biblicalconflictresolution-2.html

For goodness sake, please do the right thing when it comes to conflict!!  The church NEEDS people who are sold out to God and dedicated to doing the right thing!!

The Value of it all …

17 Jan

One of the greatest resources available to YOU TODAY is free.  And often goes untapped.

When I think about what God is doing at Ebenezer right now, I am humbled.  Thankful to be a part.  Sunday School is STRONG and serves to bind us into close relationships with others for support and accountability.  Worship sets the tone of where we are going as a church:  Our vision, our mission, our marching orders.

When people choose to pursue one but not both facets of Sunday morning, they sell themselves short.  There is something really meaningful happening in morning worship AND in each small group class at Ebenezer.  All excuses aside, there are too many people missing out on one or the other OR BOTH of these!!!

So, here I am this morning praying for Ebenezer.  Praying for my fellow pastors in Florence and their churches.  Praying that we will ALL seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and do the right thing in every aspect of our lives!!  Join me!!

Snow Day 2011

10 Jan

I hope I don’t have to revise that title to ICE DAY or DAY OF RECKONING.  So far, this snow day hasn’t been too bad.  I’d like to thank Al Gore for this snow, for global warming, and for inventing the internet ….  (BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

Seriously, sometimes I think God invented snow days to force us to slow down with nowhere to go and nothing to do but SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY.  Drew and I have already gone out, thrown a snowball or two, cleared the front walk and the step, and drove around our neighborhood.

Talked to Mom and Dad already this morning.  They are doing okay too.  Mom predicts they got about 8 or 9 inches, judging by where the snow comes to on the van wheels.  Snow used to be a big event for Dad.  He would get up and drive up and down our road multiple times to cut grooves so the rest of our cars could get out!!  (Remember, I grew up in PICKENS County).  That is probably why I always feel compelled to drive around Chadwick.  They are warm and safe and stocked with plenty of milk and bread.

Krissy sent us a picture of the courtyard at her apartment at 2am (GEE, THANKS!).  Then she called when the shoveling of the sidewalks woke her up around 8am.  Of course, she is asleep right now and I am not.  Cost of being a dad.

Hope your snow day is great today and it doesn’t cost you too much down the road!!!

The following is a repost from Ron Jackson and Parson’s Pantry:

2 Jan

Happy New Year and I pray 2011 will be great for you in the the service and ministry of our Lord!!! The Lord blessed

the ministry of Parson’s Pantry in a wonderful way in 2010. The Lord provided the resources to help 123 needy pastors,

retired pastors, widows of pastors and married ministerial students with $62,800 dollars this past year. We were able to

reach our goal of $200,010 in the year 2010. We had prayed that the Lord would allow us to reach this amount given

to help needy families since we started the ministry. At the end of 2009 we had granted $139,550 dollars and at the end

of 2010 we have been able to give $202,350 dollars to 426 needy families. Praise the name of our Lord! He is doing the

work and it is all about Him!

Please be in prayer for the ministry of Parson’s Pantry. The needs are great and more could be done with the

support of God’s people. We are so grateful for the churches who have Parson’s Pantry in their budgets and indivduals

who give on a regular basis. We thank the Lord for more than 20 Parson’s Pantry Partners who pray for the ministry

and make a monthly gift. We are asking the Lord to raise up more Parson’s Pantry Partners this year.

A widow of a pastor in SC said,”I continue to be amazed at how our Lord works! The timing for receiving the gift was unbelievable. Thank you for being our loving Lord’s instrument to meet my needs.”

A student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary said, ” Thank you so much for your financial assistance.

These have been difficult days financially with family and school expenses. God has used you to demonstrate His

Faithfulness to us again. Thank you for all you do to help fellow ministers.”

A retired Pastor in SC said, ” What a blessing you have been to me and my wife as I try to daily climb a mountain of serious health problems.Know you have made my life brighter with the generous gift. I am thankful for the ministry of

Parson’s Pantry and all you do to help the Lord’s servants!”

One hundred per cent of all tax deductable gifts goes to help needy families. We are praying the Lord will provide the resources this year to go over $300,000 dollars – $300,011 in 2011! Gifts are sent to Parson’s Pantry PO Box 777, Gaffney,SC 29342. We can be contacted by calling 864-489-6709 or cell 864-490-0596, Ron Jackson.

2010 in review

2 Jan

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 12,000 times in 2010. That’s about 29 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 199 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 1011 posts. There were 4 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 292kb.

The busiest day of the year was April 21st with 183 views. The most popular post that day was Who is this David R. Wike?.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, davidwike.blogspot.com, ebenezerbaptistchurch.com, my.msn.com, and thepacepage.blogspot.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for david wike, post christmas quotes, random thinker, davidrwike.com, and http://www.davidrwike.com.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Who is this David R. Wike? April 2010

2

The Y August 2010
3 comments

3

Signs you are drinking too much coffee November 2010
2 comments

4

Did something I don’t like to do today August 2010
2 comments

5

Weekend June 2010
4 comments

The Last Day of 2010

31 Dec

Man … hard to believe!  The last day of 2010.

I remember, as a kid, thinking about the year 2000.  Realizing that I would turn 34 in the year 2000.  I thought surely it would never come.  I would never live that long …  (I have no idea WHY I thought that.  I didn’t have a death wish, just thought it would be a lifetime away!!)

Those days seem like yesterday now.  My children are young adults (well, Drew is 15 so almost).  Every year flies by faster and faster.  Life does have its ups and its downs.

I now find myself joining many adults in that middle zone … I’ve raised my children, and now with Dad and his NPH I am helping to ease he and mom through the next few years.  Physically and emotionally, its a tough spot to be in …

But today is the last day of 2010.  I am thankful to have lived another year.  This afternoon I will perform a wedding for a young couple … He is in the Marine Corp and stationed in Hawaii.  Praying for them and for all of the weddings I did in 2010.  Praying for the families of the funerals of 2010.  Praying today for my fellow Ebenezerites, that 2011 will be a great year to serve and build the Kingdom of God however He leads.  Praying for the Wike family, that God will reign supreme in EVERYTHING this year!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!  (almost!)

Christmas 2010

30 Dec

Deep down inside there was this fear … Looking back I realize how bad last Christmas was for the Wikes.  On Christmas night, 2009, Dad’s downhill slide began.  He entered Greenville Memorial Hospital not to be discharged February.  From there, he was at the Cottages of Brushy Creek (which is a GHS rehab facility) until the end of April.  So, in other words, Dad left his house on Christmas night 2009 and did not return until the end of April, 2010.  As Christmas came closer, there was this fear.  I felt it most when we left to go to my mother-in-law’s house for Christmas, which was where I was last year when all of this began to unfold.

Although it was a short trip, it was a good one.  I am so thankful for another Christmas WITH Dad.  Physically he is doing okay.  There will always be mental challenges, due to the nature of his disease (NPH).  These challenges mostly revolve around his memory and physical abilities.  But, again, I’m just glad we had a good, uneventful Christmas.

We had to rush back for Krissy’s surgery.  She broke her nose at least three times in her childhood.  Years ago, the doctor told us we had to wait until she was 19 or so to fix it because of growth plate issues.  Her number came up on that one this past Tuesday.  Unlike Diana’s surgery, we didn’t keep this one a secret.  We didn’t buy a billboard and broadcast it, either.  She is doing well … still in a considerable amount of pain, but she is making it.  Before the surgery, her septum was blocked 100% on one side and 90% on the other — NO WONDER SHE DOESN’T SLEEP!!!

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →