Christmas List? How About A Thanksgiving List?

Already, many of us have "Christmas Lists." What about a "Thanksgiving List?" We are commanded in I Thessalonians 5:18, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

At the breakfast table this morning, we Colburns took time to talk about what we are thankful for this year. Here is our less-that-comprehensive-but-more-than-cursory list.

1. We are thankful for our family!
2. We are thankful for the church family!
3. We are thankful for the Bible!
4. We are thankful for our house, that God provided for us!
5. We are thankful for God's protection!
6. We are thankful for our garden that God helped us plant!
7. We are thankful for the tractor that God gave us!
8. We are thankful for the growth we have seen in our church family!
9. We are thankful for our two cats, Wally and Olivia!
10. We are thankful for good health!
11. We are thankful for our chickens! (Which are in the freezer).
12. We are thankful for our bull, Flash! (Which will soon be in the freezer).
13. We are thankful for the wood boiler and trees that keep our house warm!
14. We are thankful for the trials that purify us!
15. We are thankful for fellowship with good friends!
16. We are thankful for Juddy-Poo, but not Juddy's Poo!
17. We are thankful to have celebrated Amanda's one-year spiritual birthday, this past July 1!
18. We are thankful for soft beds to sleep in!
19. We are thankful for the essential oils we have learned about, that have improved our family's health!
20. We are thankful for the natural resources that our property has, (apples, blueberries, wood, raspberries)!

That list took all of ten minutes to produce. Take time to give thanks, on Thanksgiving.

Scriptural Evidence Indicating Facial Hair is Wrong

<Click Here For The Follow Up Article.>

I've done a bit of research here on the issue of facial hair. When I went to college we men students were to be clean shaven, with nary an 11 o'clock shadow permitted. As I've grown up and as God has brought me to South Liberty Baptist to pastor, I of course, want to be as obedient to the Scriptures as I can.

Therefore the tiniest of minutiae, the most insignificant of details are important to me.

With that in mind, I would like to present to you the compilation and list of Scripture references that have led me to believe that it is wrong, (i.e. ungodly or sinful), for a pastor, preacher, or man of God (per your acceptable descriptor) to have facial hair (i.e., a "goatee," beard, etc.)

List of Scripture verses against facial hair:












































Have a good day. :)

5+1 World Series Predictions

ESPN's descriptor of the World Series is spot on. Though they haven't a clue.

Sports are so riveting, aren't they? The word "riveting," of course, describes the quality of something to hold our attention or focus. In these United States of America, we are continually "riveted" by many, many things other than Christ. Think for a moment on the relative importance of the World Series in terms of the absolute importance of God. Perhaps you believe that baseball isn't all that big of a draw in your neck of the woods, well, praise the Lord for it. But I am certain you'll acknowledge that at least the "riveting" nature of one sport (pro football, perhaps) is a hinderance to the average believer. I know of at least one church in America that is described by some of its attendees as "NFL friendly," given the early, consistent Sunday morning service finish times. In fact, one particular church body on the East Coast recently celebrated a "Fan Day," where church folk wore the uniforms or fan gear of their favorite sports teams. Good people, good intentions, but I'm not sure I could preach wearing a Duke Blue Devils uniform or a David Ortiz Red Sox uniform. Seems a bit... counterintuitive.

So, here are my 5 World Series Predictions.

Prediction #1
-Some believers will opt to stay home from church tonight in order to watch this baseball game, and even invite friends to watch with them.

Prediction #2
-More than some will faithfully be in their places tonight but will permit their minds to drift toward the game, missing the critical portion of their pastor's message -you know, the point that "ties it all together."

Prediction #3
-More than many will check the scores on their smartphones during a service in which our focus is to be directed toward God.

Prediction #4
-A number of pastors will make reference to the World Series tonight and in fact hinder their own message because they will have distracted the "weaker brethren."

Prediction #5
-There are many whose emotions will be affected for better or worse depending on tonight's (and further still, the entire series') result. They will be better or worse husbands, better or worse dads, better or worse employees. The joy of their life hinges on the outcome of a game played by men who (some of which) will never know Christ and suffer hell for all of eternity.

I'm not saying don't watch the game, I'm not saying don't enjoy the series, but we sure could use some balance.

I John 2:15-16 -- Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Go team.

BONUS PREDICTION #6
-All of the losing team's fans will show up again next year and do it all over again. Like hampsters.

What Do You Want Your Children To Know?

Prior to chapel this morning, I began with a simple question to gather some input and perspective about the state of our nation (granted, from the under-18 crowd.)

"Who is Ted Cruz?"

I received a number of answers, from a "Roman Catholic," to "the brother of Tom Cruise," but no correct answers. Even a few of the adults were shaky as to the identity of Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz is, of course, the senator from Texas who just today finished his lengthy filibuster to protest Obamacare. Which, given this is somewhat headline news, one would expect folks to be familiar with it. That was just not the case.

This prompted me to run upstairs in the afternoon and toss a pop quiz at the older students. I asked 5 questions:

1) Who is the Vice-President of the United States?
2) Who is the Secretary of State?
3) Who is the Governor of the State of Maine?
4) Who was the president during the Civil War?
5) How many states (excluding territories) are in the "United States?"

The responses were amazing and horrifying. Twelve students took this pop quiz.

For question number 1, only one student answered correctly (Joe Biden). The rest were "IDK's" (I don't know). Question number 2 had zero correct answers, with one student answering "Hillary Clinton," and the rest answering "I don't know."Paul Lepage is our state governor, and spelling errors aside, half of the students answered (guessed?) correctly.

During the Civil War, I was certain Abraham Lincoln was president, but most (except 1) thought George Washington was.

Thankfully, everybody was certain there were 50 states in the United States.

I then pondered in my office for a bit, and then ran back up to the classroom and posed a few more questions.

1) Name the quarterback for the New England Patriots.
2) Who is Babe Ruth?
3) Who is Toby Keith?
4) Who is Mariah Carey?
5) What is the last movie you watched?

Now, I will note that these were taken anonymously to protect the ignorant, but, without producing the statistics, I will tell you that the students fared much better on the second (culturally-oriented) pop quiz. This is a rather small segment of people to be drawing some broad-brush conclusions, but I would venture to say the following thoughts are reasonable (albeit hasty).

Thought #1
-Our children know much, much more about pop culture than history.
Thought #2
-Our children will tend to orient and invest themselves toward the things that they see are important in our families and their immediate culture, i.e. sports, entertainment, hunting, cars, etc.
Thought #3
-A child's interest in the things of God tend to be relative toward the interest they perceive in their families and immediate culture. (Proverbs 22:6)

Concluding Question...
What do you really want your children to know? Does it really matter and do you really care? Is the identity and person of Tom Brady or Joe Biden more important than knowing the identity and person of Jesus Christ?

You only have so long before they are adults.

Business As Usual

On August 19 of last year I became the pastor at South Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, ME. God very carefully guided and directed us in order that he bring us here, and I 'm so thankful for his grace and mercy along the way. 

Having just completed our first year, I was reflecting on the numerous things that I had experienced, learned, and seen God do. Along with this reflection came the news of the passing of one of our church family's oldest living member, Mr. Carney. Mr. Carney was 96 years old and had served faithfully as a deacon but for a number of years was unable to attend church services due to health and age. I "officiated" his funeral Wednesday, August 28, and was honored to do so. His was my fourth funeral, and I keep a folder in which the details of each I've been a part of is available to review.

Funerals have taught me more about people than anything else in the past year. I wouldn't say I've learned or seen much I didn't already know about grieving families or death, but I have observed the troubling "business as usual" handling of death and the accompanying services.

It is important for me as a pastor and for the funeral home staff to be professional, I get that. There is, however, the element of genuine care and concern that is discernibly missing in some individuals, be they pastor or funeral home staff. 

One staff member recounted a pastor that he had worked with, of whom he could predict exactly how many minutes the service would be, what his message would be, and noted that the pastor even thought it funny about how quickly and efficiently he was able to "do his thing." 

On one occasion, I asked a staff member how long he had worked in at a particular funeral home, and he proceeded to give me a monologue of not only how long but all the reasons why he was sick of it.

I write this for one purpose, to bring to our attention the need for the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word to break our calloused, "business as usual" hearts and give us hearts the hurt and grieve alongside the hurting and grieving. Whether or not we know the folks involved, we ought to hurt and grieve at the simple, fundamental understanding that death and corruption entered God's created universe upon the arrival of sin (Romans 5:12). 

In other words, the entire reason we are "officiating" (I despise the word) is because of sin and the consequences of it. While we direct people to fondly remember the memories at one's passing, we ought also bring to their attention the entire reason for the event. Death was never supposed to be a part of living, and was never a part of God's plan for mankind. Let's not callously treat it like normal business.

  

Are You Worth Fifteen Cents?

I'd like you to watch this video. As of today it has nearly 500k views on Youtube, and I first viewed it on www.theblaze.com. 

I'm cautious when I handle a situation such as this, given that we are given but an excerpt of the sermon (though the full video is available here: http://vimeo.com/66510051.) When we only have one side of the exchange, its difficult to draw honest conclusions, but I'd like to share 5 thoughts on this 5-minute rant by Pastor Standridge. Ponder accordingly.

1) Pride sure does get us into trouble. Truly, I don't know whether or not this pastor is a prideful individual, but, given that he said, 'I'm important,' and was comfortable belittling a person attending the service, I don't think we have to wrestle too much to draw a conclusion. We are all full of pride. That is the reality of being sinners who would rather rely on our own means and instincts instead of our God.

2) Boy we have big mouths. James 3:5 reminds us that "the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" Public humiliation rarely wins the heart of the lost or weak. Those who have the privilege to preach and teach God's Word best serve their listeners with what God has to say, not their personal assessment. In the eyes of Christ, Underwood (the guy called out for attendance) is clearly worth more than 'fifteen cents.' He was worth the very blood of Christ which was shed for him.

3) When you mess up, fess up. This particular pastor had these thoughts to share on his rant:
“I know I’m right, and I know I haven’t done anything wrong,”
“I don’t want to offend. That’s not my intention.”
In the first sentence, Pastor Standridge stated his unwavering belief in his innocence. Yet, he does backpedal a bit when he states that offending wasn't his intention. When a person says 'I didn't mean to' or 'it was unintended,' they have in their mind conceded that they may have actually made a mistake, but externally will refuse to concede or apologize. Which is because of pride and results in a bigger, unresolved mess.

4) Fifteen cents is still fifteen cents. If Underwood was only worth "fifteen cents," its likely he won't be worth much more for the Lord now. In TheBlaze's article, Standridge states that his job is to be a "purifier." I'm trying to find a place in Scripture where the pastor is called the purifier, but all I find is Titus 2:14 where we see Christ is the one doing the purifying. And what is his means of purification in this life? The Scriptures. They are the mirror that show us the sin that needs to be confessed.  It sure seems to work better when the Word and the Spirit change hearts.

5) Being a jerk just doesn't seem to work. I am thankful that we are to take into consideration all of Scripture when looking at any single verse. While Scripturally the pastor is to obey 1 Timothy 5:20,  (Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear,) he is also to obey 1Corinthians 13:1  (Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.). Is it hard to balance the two? Yes, I believe so. It is still right to correct lovingly? Absolutely. This would have all been a non-story if the good pastor had simply preached his text and corrected these folks in private.

Much to chew upon. 

Belief Requires Action

What a great verse Hebrews 11:6 is!

As I was reading through the book of Ruth, I was reminded of this verse in particular. In the life of Ruth, it is evident that she believed that God "is" Ruth 1:16. As clear as her belief in God was, it was the action directed by that belief which encouraged and convicted my heart. Socially, economically, and logically, Orpah made the right choice -to return to her people. However, the Scriptures show us that she also returned to "her gods." Orpah didn't simply choose her own family over Naomi, she chose "her gods" over Elohim.

For Ruth, returning to her own family would have certainly seemed like the right thing (socially, economically and logically) to do considering the bitterly cursed family into which she had married.

Without knowing what the future would bring, she trusted in the one true God who held and would direct that future.

Ruth not only pleased Naomi and eventually Boaz, she pleased God by her faith that believed "that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
I conclude with this thought:

If belief does not change behavior, it is no belief at all.

Yes. I Am Young.

We have a great thing going in Maine. It is evident that the hand of God is at work in a number of churches, and as we continue to study our Bibles and our roots, I believe God will revive hearts.

Church planting is the will and design of God. As we see in Acts, as Paul went on his missionary journeys he  worked to plant churches -local, independent works. One way in which we in Maine are working to do the same is through Plant and Root Maine. Once a month we gather at a church-house on a Tuesday night to sing and hear the precious Word preached, and it is indeed a time of refreshment and recharge.

This most recent Plant and Root meeting we were at Center Conway Baptist Church in New Hampshire, which many speculate is actually a suburb of Maine, wink wink. At each meeting the pastors present are recognized and prayed for (a great blessing), and this time, Brother Ness, the pastor at Center Conway, decided to ask of each preacher the number of years he had pastored.

Gulp. Part of me is adding together each instance where I functioned in some sort of pastor-ish role and debating whether or not I should add those into my total time at South Liberty. One by one pastors are naming years served. Years. Years.

It's my turn. 

I clear my throat and brain. "Nine months."

The pastor after me. "Forty-seven years."

God has so blessed my family to be at South Liberty Baptist Church. I believe with all my heart I will serve here until the Lord raptures me or I die, whichever comes first. Pastor Garnett, the man of God who pastored South Liberty before he went home, believed the same. While I've only been here for nine months, God has knit the heart of my family with those of the church family, and we are seeing more and more folks come visit our church. I often look at the people and remember that they have had a wonderful man previous to me, and compare his over thirty-years to my nine months. Nine months. 

I can dwell and dwell and rationalize and doubt because of nine months. But I must not. Because, ultimately, the Truth of which I am to proclaim is eternal, timeless. I am so thankful that though I am a younger pastor, and lack experience (a greater benefit than the experienced may be able to understand), the Truth that is God's Word is unchanging and perfect for the needy heart of the hearer, whether the messenger is young or old.

The Conviction List of Mr. Whitefield

As I read and come across interesting pieces, I'll share them. Blogging seems like the only adequate way to do so. This particular photo is a page 111 of James Beller's 'America in Crimson Red,' an excellent read thus far on colonial America with regards to religious persecution. The type of material you won't hear in secular circles, of course.

What you see here is the 'conviction list' of George Whitefield, a preacher God used in the Great Awakening. You'll notice that I wrote 'amazing,' in the margin. What is amazing to me is the simple wisdom that godly men use in order to be used. 

I'm going to work on a list of sorts, or even just hold on to Whitefield's. One particular change I'm making in my own life is to not get into my bed until midnight. You'll notice that #11 on his list has the question 'Temperate in sleep?' A simple reminder and adjustment in this area I believe will help me be a better husband, dad, and preacher. As Colossians 4:5 reminds us, we are to 'Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.'

Amen.