Turning the Page from 2018 to 2019!

Pastor's Christmas Devotional - New Year's Eve 2108

When I was a teenager, I loved New Year's Eve and Day, not just for Family and Buckeye football, (and black eyed peas, ribs, and sauerkraut), but also for the fact the radio stations played a "Top 10 Countdown" from that year.  I can remember laying in my bed looking at the poster of basketball hero Pete Maravich on the wall and waiting to hear the next song, thinking it may be one of my favorites. Today I want to share some of my "Top Things I am taking from 2018"  and some "Top Priorities to carry into 2019."

2018 Takeaways:

 1. Prayer is the Key - apart from the power of God it is easy to just go through the motions.

2. FSBC needs steady, faithful, verse by verse preaching and teaching of the Bible without apology or compromise.

3. There is no substitute for a personal face to face visit.

4. If I am not intentional in sharing my faith, the staff, leadership, and church will most likely follow my lead.

5. I will not lead our church forward if I am not growing personally, through prayer and Bible Study and personal evangelism.

6. 25 years have flown by - make the most of the time you have.

7. Regardless of how long you have been a pastor, there will always be tough calls to make.

8. God has blessed us to partner with other churches who are just beginning. we may not always see the numerical blessing here at FSBC.

9. FSBC is the most giving group of people I have ever witnessed. You can never out give God.

10.Never take a healthy marriage and family for granted.  There are many hurting people. In the church and out of church.

11. Bonus: Never under estimate the value of other pastors who are personal friends.

Things to carry into 2019:

1. A burden to walk in surrender and obedience to the Lord.

2. A prayerful love and concern for lost family and friends.

3. A hunger for the Word of God like never before.

4. Speak with more grace and less criticism.

5. Share my faith more,visit more, both prospects and members.

6. Guard my study time better.  Make the most of mornings for study.

7. Way less Twitter or social media. Read more!

8. Physical exercise is a great stress reliever.

9. Communicate better to Staff and Leadership.

10. Walk by faith, not by sight.

11. Bonus: Quit trying to be someone else. Let's just be FSBC for the glory of God.

Never Alone

It has been a blessing to write a devotion for Christmas this year.  Below is the post from 12/28/18

Pastors Devotion Friday December 28th,

Mark 4:35-41 (NKJV)
³⁵  On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."³⁶  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.
³⁷  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. ³⁸  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"
³⁹  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"
⁴¹  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

Good morning FSBC, after a twenty four hour glitch, Centurylink is back up and we are able to get online. My initial response yesterday was, "Alexa , why are you not responding?  Then I added, "Good Grief!" So yesterday, due to the fact that the church office also has the same provider, sent me to McDonald's to borrow a WiFi signal.  (Desperate measures for desperate times.)  This minor inconvenience to us(me) is a reminder that we are not the only ones going through things at the time.  This glitch appeared to be nationwide.  Life is like that sometimes.  The dark cloud, or the circumstance  that is so overwhelming and seems to follow only you, can make you feel like you are the only one at the time going through a difficult moment. When I realized there was an issue I text me neighbor who is a tech wiz and he said it was not only us, but a national outage. Think about how that affects someone in business who counts on the internet for sales.

Boy what a picture of sin.  It is not only my problem, but a mankind issue.  That is why Jesus came and that is why He died.  To redeem us and let us know that we are not alone, but that as a Christian, He is with us, every moment, every hour, every day.  Lift up your eyes unto the hills, Psalm 121 tells us, " Our help comes from the Lord."  Let's close out 2018 strong for the Lord!

I love my church family.  Bro.Greg

A Christmas Review

Pastor's Devotion - Monday December 17th

As we have completed "The Light of Christmas", all I can say is wow, and praise the Lord!  I believe we had a record Saturday night crowd, with so many guests, but it didn't stop there.  Sunday morning we had 461 in worship! There was a buzz in the building as the anticipation of months of practice was about to become reality through the performance. The church was decorated beautifully and Christmas is in the air!  Marcia and Bev had labored tireless to get us to this point.  A group of fine young people kicked it off with a fun "It's Time for Christmas"  holiday choreographed rendition that would have made any Christmas show or King's Island performance proud.  The staging, lighting, sound, narrators, actors, soloists, and singers were spot on and everyone adjusted wonderfully when they had to.  The Drama Team delivered a powerful presentation of the futile search to find perfection on our own. Kelli (Becca) shared the Gospel so clearly.   She passionately reminded us that it is Christ , the Perfect, who came for the imperfect.  Darlene (Stephanie) received the Mother of the Year and recognized that the perfect Christmas really comes from receiving the unconditional love of God and the blessing of a family.  I believe many lives were touched with the power of the Gospel this weekend and I thank you for your effort and hard work, along with your prayers.  We concluded last night with the Lord's Supper in a sweet time of worship.  One pastor referred to the Lord's Supper at Christmas as , "From the Stable to the Table."

This has been my attempt to review the weekend.  As your pastor, proud is insufficient to sum up my feeling and love for you all. The degree of talent and commitment that God has blessed our church with is not taken lightly or for granted.  We are blessed. As the Lord looks at us, may we be reminded that it is His review that really matters.  Only time will tell the impact of this weekend on the lives of those in attendance.  Thank you for being faithful to allow us to go big when attempting to share the love of God.  Thanks for supporting the work of Christ here on the corner. 

With Christmas one week away, let's not lose our focus on doing, but remain committed to being.  I pray that you point people to

"The Light of Christmas" where ever the Lord may choose to take you this Christmas. 

Have a great day for Jesus!   Bro. Greg

He's On His Way!

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio meant that our grandparents lived out of state our entire lives.  Most of that time being in Tennessee and South Carolina.  Many years when Sheila and I were kids we were able to go to Tennessee to celebrate the birth of Christ with family at Christmas.

A special memory I have was the arrival.  We would pull into the lane, roll out of the car, then step up onto the porch.  As we would step up on the crickity floor, we would  knock on the old screen door. If you listened carefully you could hear it.  The china cabinet was vibrating and that meant only one thing.  Somebody was on their way walking through the house.  
In seconds, we were greeted by someone loved far more than Santa, we were welcomed by my Papaw Jackson.  He and Granny were always so happy to see us. He also always greeted us with a joyful smile and hug. There was always food ready when we arrived.  Regardless of the hour, it was prepared with eager expectation of our arrival.  The sight of his overalls, along with the smell of tobacco mixed with the smell of coal in the fireplace and chalky peppermint sticks are things I will never forget. I must not forget the small glass bottles of Coke!

Just as the vibration of the china shouted, "He's on his way", Christmas shouts to us a message that when Christ was born, Hope, Peace, Joy, and Salvation was on His way!  If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, He will be home for Christmas.  Home in your heart as a Christian is where the Holy Spirit resides.  Let's celebrate and not forget or neglect the reason for it all.  Regardless of where holiday travel takes you, make sure Your heart is where Christ finds His home.  That will make it a great Christmas.

Merry Christmas!  Bro. Greg

Surprise in Sandusky

Last week at our State Convention of Ohio Baptist Annual Meeting Sandusky, Ohio I was stunned to receive an award called the Darty and Dot Stowe Award. Taken by surprise, it was a blessing to have Renee slip up with Mom and Dad, and Roy and Cathy from church.  It was also a great blessing to have our Staff share congratulations by video as well as my sweet kids and grandsons.  God has been so good to me as a son, husband, dad, papaw, and pastor.  I could not have asked for anything more in life. It is a great blessing to shepherd the flock God has given me in Camden. I share this with my church family.  Below is a description of the origin and some background regarding Darty and Dot Stowe.


Darty and Dot Stowe began their ministry with Mission Ohio in 1954 as director of missions for the greater Cincinnati area. A year later he became state director of missions and then became the associate executive secretary, working closely with state executive secretary Ray Roberts. Darty and Dot loved their work in Ohio and served until his home going in 1981. Dot accepted a position as director of a women’s residence hall at Georgetown College in 1983, where she influenced many young women. She moved back to Ohio in 1989 and stayed in close contact with friends in the ministry until joining Darty with our Lord in 2000.
  


Darty Stowe led well from the ‘second chair,’ with a servant’s heart, leaving a great legacy in Ohio. The award is given every year to a pastor or minister who has served faithfully, perhaps never recognized like those in the larger, more visible churches, but leaving a legacy and serving in the spirit of 1 Thessalonians 2:3-12. The Darty and Dot Stowe Award is provided by annual gifts to Georgetown College from members of the Stowe family.
Candidates for the Stowe Award must be currently serving Mission Ohio and have at least five years of service. Nominations are submitted to the state convention staff by October 1 each year. The award is announced during the annual meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. A recognition plaque and a financial award for the purchase of books and/ or continuing education are presented to the recipient.

Hallmark Holidays?

I can't believe the transformation that has recently overtaken me when it comes to television watching. I am actually watching the Hallmark Movie Channel and enjoying the movies. It began last Christmas season and has now progressed through the present series of Autumn themed movies.

Some characteristics of these movies are recurring, such as the actors, a small town or village, a trip back home to the farm where an old flame is still there,  fall or Christmas festivals, a delayed flight back home to a job that has overtaken a life, and did I mention I haven't heard cursing. There is always a fresh snow and plenty of coffee and hot chocolate in people's hands.  We even know the names of the actors and actresses who often appear in many different movies.

These movies are about simple things from small towns with clear messages.  There is nothing fancy about them.  To really experience the season, there is nothing wrong with keeping things simple.  Spending time with folks you love, in places that you love, and being reminded about the One who first loved us is what brings joy to the holidays.

Jesus teaches us to be grateful.  Paul said that he had learned to be content,  in prosperity or poverty.
Let us seek to be thankful for all that Christ has done for us.

My mom and dad have always made this season special.  They have spent their lives going out of the way to make it wonderful for our family.  Now with grandsons of our own, I hope we can make the holidays "Hallmark" for them as well, and if that means keeping things simple, if it is all about Jesus... then we have done something right and that will be ok.

When Your August Doesn't Sizzle!

Most of the time, August means hot, lazy, the winding down of summer, school clothes hopefully purchased, and school buses starting to roll.  In ministry it may be even the month where you try to catch your breath as the fall schedule begins to take shape.

A former pastor and longtime mentor of mine, Joe Baker, once said, "Don't evaluate ministry on Monday morning, or in the month of August."  That is a good word preacher. Why?  

I believe that Mondays can be either wonderful or grueling. If you have had a good Sunday, powerful worship, decisions for Christ, strong attendance, strong offering and a spirit of unity.  That can add up to a good Monday. A great Monday! That is when sleep is easy on Sunday night as you are exhausted from giving it your best. You get to the office early on Monday, ready to tackle the week and preparation in front of you with passion and excitement.

But what about when August isn't sizzling.  Everything seems down, and as you look around, it appears as if even your leaders are hit and miss in support and attendance. Leaders failed to show, you lead the worship, pass out bulletins and everything in between.   If you evaluate ministry on Mondays in August, you can easily be discouraged, even now as you read this blog, yesterday may have felt like a death blow and you are reeling like a fishing bobber in strong wind.  I have experience both of these kind of Mondays.  I certainly prefer the the good ones, but be reminded, "God is at work, even when we can't see it." Blackaby
 

What does God need from us in August?  Faithfulness.  Some have said that ministry today is harder than ever before.  If that is true, God must be wanting to use us if He is allowing us to lead for a time such as this. Charles Spurgeon once wrote, "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages."  My prayer for you today, is that the Holy spirit may stoke the fire of your heart, and that you sense that sizzle that keeps you pressing toward the mark.

Until He comes, we will go!  Bro. Greg