Staying Hungry

Recently my daughter in law shared that our grandson Aiden is waking up in the morning now hungry and ready for breakfast. That is the sign of a healthy growing body desiring to be fed.

This year in my own spritual life, I want to wake up, live the day, and retire at night hungry to live in obedience to the Lord. As a Christian, too many times we desire to fill the hunger spot in our heart with the junk food of the world. I am asking God to give me and to give our church a hunger for the word of God this year like we have never had.

I have once again discovered that in reading through the Bible so far in 2012, that you don't have to go too far to find a sermon and an outline. The Bible speaks for itself and is the best source for sermon illustrations to support the text.

I am embarking on a self study of the Greek language. While I will never master a foreign language, I need all the tools I can get to help me be a better preacher and expositor of the Word of God.

Recently as a church, we have been surveying the Old Testament. I am humbled by how much I don't know, and challenged and stirred by how much we can know.


My prayer for myself, and my prayer for you. Lord keep us hungry!
Open your Bible and dig in! There is plenty for all of us.

Showing Up for Christmas

As we get closer to the 25th of December, I am really amazed at the conversation surrounding whether or not a church is going to have services on Christmas Day. My response is simply, "Are You kidding me?"

Christmas Day is the time we stop and celebrate as a family, the precious birth of Christ. What better place to be on Christmas morning than in worship. We go to Birthday parties all year long, but this Sunday marks one I don't want to miss.

I understand some reasoning for a person not able to make it. Away is understandable. If you have guests staying with you, bring them with you.

Kids want to enjoy Christmas. I certainly agree, and what better way to teach them what the priorities are in your life and family than to honor God on His day.

We don't know for sure the exact day that Christ was born. While that may be true according to the calendar, biblical history puts us in a very close time frame. This is the time when the world stops and celebrates Christmas.

How much more should a Christian and the church begin His day by saying thank you to the Lord for coming into this world to die for our sin. God with us came so that he could save us!

Light the candles! Jesus is born!

From Renee and our whole family, I wish you a Merry Christmas. See you Sunday!

Christmas Snow and Satellite Dishes

The music, lights, and traffic all point to the fact that Christmas is upon us ready or not. One reason I enjoy Christmas so much has to due with my mom and dad. They always made it fun. We were by no means rich growing up, but I always felt like were were. I guess the reason was because they taught me how to be content and grateful. I hope I never get over that life lesson regardless of how old I get.

Another reason I enjoy it so much is because Renee loves it. The gift buying, the cooking and baking, the decorating. She is like a kid when December rolls around. I don't share enough with people the impact she has on my life as she encourages me in ministry. It is true. a Pastor's wife can make or break him, and I thank God that He gave me Renee. She is a jewel. A keeper!

A third reason I love it is because of Drew and Stacy. Kid's make the season fun and loaded with expectation and anticipation. As God has blessed Drew and Ashley with Aiden, it is obvious that the joy he has brought to our lives is unexplainable. With Stacy and Kyle preparing for marriage in June, we realize that our lives as we know it are constantly changing.

The other night, the big Ohio State/Duke basketball game was coming on. I couldn't wait, and as the game approached the TV starting jumping and missing and I knew we had a dish issue. It had been snowing so I decided to go out and knock the snow off of the satellite. When I walked back in the picture was crystal clear.

I believe our lives can get that way around the holidays. We can have stuff accumulating in our lives that block us from the true meaning and blessing of Jesus. It can cloud our relationship with the Lord and frustrate us.

My prayer for you this Christmas is to ask the Lord to remove the snow(sin) in your life that is hindering your relationship with Him. He will cleanse you making you ready to hear from Him.

Renee and I wish all of our readers a wonderful Merry Christmas!
A Savior is born! Bro. Greg

Oh Little Town....

It really is. Today the message was on kindness in the series on the Fruit of the Spirit. People do seem to be kinder when it comes to this time of the year.

I love living and pastoring in a small town. Recently I read a book named in the title of this blog and was reminded of the blessing of living in a rural small community. During the holiday season, a small town comes to life. Camden becomes a Thomas - Kinkaide like water color represented by the lives of the wonderful families that live here. We are no exception, small towns can spread news like a speeding train, but the pros far outway the negatives.

Like a small town, a church is a family. Families may have a difference or two every now and then, but the Lord works us through those moments.

I am super proud of the mission heart our folks have developed. This season the Lord has blessed us to provide a Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Day free community meal. We will be having for the first time, a deacon and wives led, "Night To Remember" for our widows and widowers, an often overlooked group at this time of your. Kids and Adult Christmas programs. It is electric at church, buzzing with excitment. Caroling, Christmas Eve Candlelight, and the privilege to gather together and worship on Christmas Day.

In all of the doing, it is important to remember that Christ is the focus of the season, not our schedules or activities. May the ministry holiday schedule in our Oh Little Town... glorify Jesus!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Sunday night , we did an Old Fashion 5th Sunday Night Sing. Great crowd and great blessing. As I opened in prayer I thought I heard something, and then I heard it again. It was true! Someone was calling out my name, but they weren't saying, Brother Greg or Pastor. It was getting louder and louder. I could hear people snickering , trying to muffle it as I prayed on. It was a sound that was even sweeter to my ears. The voice and the tone began to sound quite familiar. it was coming from a special guest that I didn't know was there. It was coming from the lips of a nearly two year old blond headed boy seated toward the back with his family.

The word he was shouting out carries great weight and responsibility. It is a term that means someone is counting on you, and that regardless of circumstances, love still wins.

When I said Amen, I asked our folks to great each other and everyone go give my grandson Aiden a big welcome hug.

The word which he spoke over and over.............Papaw! I loved it! One of those moments you cherish. What a joy and a blessing to be part of a family that has such a loving church family.

COURAGEOUS will be Contagious

Well the excitement has built toward this week as Sherwood Pictures releases the much anticipated motion picture, COURAGEOUS. Having previewed it twice, I believe God is going to use this film maybe in a greater way than He has already shown with Fireproof. Every man who sees it will be challenged and convicted about our roles as fathers and husbands.

I am grateful for Michael Catt and the vision the Lord has given Sherwood Baptist Church to take the gospel to Hollywood. COURAGEOUS stands shoulder to should with the best the film industry has to offer in terms of quality, effects, acting, and overall production. As you will see, it touches every emotion we have.

The one thing that a movie like this one offers that others can't is the fact that we can't change ourselves, and that a personal relationship with Christ is the answer for your life.

We are looking forward to having most of the Theatre packed this Saturday at 10:15 A.M. for the first showing of the day. If you are not able to go with us, make sure you go see it. You will never be the same.

We pray God's blessing on the opening of COURAGEOUS the movie. Check it out!
www.courageousthemovie.com

911 Remembered

This Sunday, 9/11 is the tenth Anniversary of a day we will never forget. As special services are prepared to remember those who lost their lives and the families that were destroyed, our minds are still flooded with pictures of the ash covered people wandering helplessly on the streets of NYC as well as the heroic effort of the first responders and chaplains who gave tirelessly to help people in need.

As I saw the following announced on the news recently, it is hard to fathom the thinking of excluding those who represent the God we clung to and cried out to on that day and the God we still need every second of the day.

Richard Land writes from the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission,

"Perhaps you saw or heard it on the news, that New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s decision not to include chaplains and religious leaders at the 10th anniversary of 9/11 commemoration service, despite his acclaimed support of religious freedom and tolerance:

It is interesting to contrast the 10th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers with the day of the attack. Chaplains and religious leaders were welcomed, and some were martyred, as they sought to minister their faith to the victims of the attack. On that day, political correctness didn’t matter. It was overwhelmed by the crushing reality of the tragedy of 9/11, and people turned, as they always do, to solace from the realm of the spiritual.

“I understand that first responders were also not invited to the 10th anniversary event, unless they happened to be relatives of victims. Once again, on the original 9/11 attack, first responders were not excluded. I suspect that if, God forbid, there is another attack of similar severity in New York, neither religious leaders nor first responders will be excluded, but welcomed at the scene."