Meet the Grinder

"Maybe sometimes I'm such a thinker, I reevaluate too much. Sometimes when it comes down to it, I really don't need to do anything, I don't really need to change anything. I need to just keep plugging away, working at it." Michael Chang 

 

I ran across this quote last Friday and it really fits Michael Chang.  He was a professional tennis player, but he wasn't tall, wasn't strong and didn't have a booming serve.  He won points by having solid ground strokes and running down every ball that came across the net.  He is also a dedicated follower of Christ, which is even more reason to like him.

But I needed to hear that quote on Friday because my day was a grind.  There was very little joy to it and every thing seemed to go wrong or slow.  The day started by taking my truck to the shop only to find out it had blown a head gasket.  They would have to keep it in the shop and it would cost around $1,000, which I don't have lying around.  I thought they were just going to have to change the water pump, but that hope died when I saw the mix of oil and water.  I had put my bike in the back of the truck, so I peddled to back to work.  At work, instead of being able to focus on what I needed, I had to divert energy for another project.  I will put this as nicely as possible:  This project was a project I was asked to do and involved other churches.  Several of those churches had not done what they were supposed to do and others were changing at the last minute.  So most of my work day was spent on this project which should have taken only thirty minutes had churches done what they said they would do.  Finally, I was ready to go home, which meant another bike ride.  The peddle home is usually much more enjoyable because there are more hills to go down than up and the uphills are very slow grades.  I notice that the air in my tires are low, which will slow me down.  Then as I get on the bike, I begin to ride into a stiff head wind, which was in my face the entire trip back.  It was just a grind.  There was no fun to it.  Just grinding away to get it done.  There were other things that happened during that Friday which added to the grind, but you get my drift.

Have you ever had days that were just a grind.  You kept going because you needed to keep going, not because you were having fun?  Had all things been equal, you would have quit.  But you kept going for whatever reason.  When the day finally ended, you were exhausted and ready to go to bed know that whatever happened tomorrow would not compare to what happened to today.

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but often our walk with Christ is a grind.  Following Jesus seems to add to our responsibility or the demand for excellence.  We bought into the notion that if we gave our lives to Jesus, everything would be much better and easier.  We didn't know that He would bring difficulties into our lives or convict us of sin so we could be more like Jesus.  These troubles usually come in sets and appear to be waiting for just the right moment to pounce on us.  All of a sudden, everything seems to be hindering our faith or pulling us away from Jesus.  Life becomes a grind.  Making the time in the morning to be alone with God...a grind.  Keeping focused on prayer throughout the day...a grind.  Living a life of integrity...a grind.  Giving to others who only want to take...a grind.  Even spending time with our family...a grind.

 

Don't feel bad if you are in the grind, because that appears to be the model for our faith.  Think about Abraham, leaving his family and going on a journey so a land that God had not pinpointed for him...a grind.  Dealing with his wayward nephew, Lot...a grind.  Receiving a promise from God but not having a child to inherit the promise...a grind.  How about Moses?  Forty years on the back side of the desert tending sheep..a grind.  Facing Pharaoh ten times in a row...a grind.  Leading the Hebrews in the wilderness for forty years...a grind.  Then he didn't even get to enter the Promised Land.  The prophets sharing God's message with God's people who didn't want to hear it...a grind.  Jesus spending three years training twelve guys who just didn't get it...a grind.  Jesus going to the cross even though He had done nothing wrong..a grind.  The Apostles trying to teach the church while having to go to prison...a grind.  Paul going all over the world telling others about Jesus and being beaten, stoned, hated and rejected...a grind.

                                             

I have come to the conclusion that God loves grinders.  He rarely calls the incredibly talented and gifted because it is too easy to them to rely on themselves.  He calls those who are grinders.  The ones who will keep going even when there is difficulty and opposition.  He wants men and women who are in it for the long haul.  He wants those who are going to keep plugging along, even though they are discouraged or frustrated or confused by what is happening.  He wants grinders.  Read the Bible through the lens of a grinder and you will see how God always calls the grinders, rarely the flash in the pan kind of guys.  Folks with all the skill and talent often end up like Samson or King Saul.  Folks who have little talent but a heart for the Lord end up impacting eternity like King David or Zaccheus.  Think about the men Jesus called as His first disciples.  The only one with any natural talent was Judas and look what happened to him.  His first four Apostles were fishermen - Men who knew what it was like to fish all day, catch nothing and then get up the next morning to do it again.  Grinders.  The greatest complement paid to the Apostles is in Acts 4:13,' When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."  The people were amazed by these grinders and the only common thread was that they had been with Jesus.

                                                              

Please understand, our culture favors the sprinters rather than the grinders.  We worship celebrities who have done little more than sing, dance, act, hit or throw a ball.  If I were to ask you who is the best quarterback in the NFL today, most people in American would mention Peyton Manning, Drew Bress or Tom Brady.  It would be easy to have that conversation.  BUT if I were to ask, who is the best offensive lineman in the NFL, only the dedicated fans would be able to have a conversation and knowledge of that position.  But without good offensive linemen, the greatest quarterback is only a tackling dummy for the defense.  How about this:  Who won the 100 meters dash in the last Olympics?  Most people would know it was Usain Bolt.  But if I asked who won the marathon, very few people would be able to name Stephen Kiprotic.  I had to look up the winner because I had no idea.  We value the sprinters, not the marathoners.  We value the flash and dash, not the diligent and hard worker.  One of the reasons America is in such difficult financial straits is because Congress authorized Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make loans to people who would never be able to pay those loans back.  Many people bought homes they could not afford.  Rather than buying a small home, gaining equity then buying a larger home, young couples decided to buy the home they would like twenty years down the line.  Our country has a $17 trillion deficit because people want the government to take care of their needs and willingly take the "freebies" being offered.  So don't follow the leading of culture.  If you do, your marriage will end in divorce, your kids will be estranged from you and you will float from job to job.

      

 

Being a grinder doesn't always insure a "happy" ending.  My truck is still in the shop and will still take $1,000 to be repaired.  That's going to set up back financially a little bit.  I still had to ride my bike to work today, going up two major hills.  I am still trying to get those churches to step up and do what they said they would do.  I'm having to bum rides off people because we only have one vehicle.  I have other work that needs to get done and need to have a 20 hour work day to get it all done.  So I'm still grinding.  Don't buy into the lie that if you grind for a little while, everything will work out perfectly.  You may be grinding for a looooong time!

God is looking for grinders because, in the end, the grinders impact eternity.  The sprinters come and go, but the grinders can be counted on to stand firm when others fall.  So if you are grinding today, let me encourage you to keep grinding.  In the end, it will always be worth it.

Signing Up for Exemptions

The Affordable Care Act is coming and it is causing quite a bit of panic.  From elected officials to health officials to owners of businesses, there is fear about the impact of Obamacare.  I try to read a lot of news from a variety of spectrums and I have struggled to find anyone who is genuinely happy with this mandate.  Perhaps, most telling about this law is how many people are trying to get exemptions.  Did you know that over 700 businesses already have an exemption?  If you would like to see the list, here is a link http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2900475/posts, although I doubt you will have the time for it.  Even more disheartening is the fact that although Congress and their staff will have to enter the insurance exchanges, they will have a large percentage of their premiums paid by the US Tax payers.  If our president really wants to know how good and effective this law is, he should allow any America to sign up to be exempt from it.  My guess is, there wouldn't be a whole lot of Americans lining up to join this new monstrosity.  The same probably goes for Social Security.  If Americans were given the choice to opt out, quite a few would sign up.  Of course, our elected officials are already exempt from Social Security, so they have no fear about the system being broke.

 

As always, this is not a political commentary, just stating the obvious.  The most obvious point to these laws are that those who enacted them are exempt from them.  If these laws are so good, shouldn't they apply to every American without any exemptions...elected officials included?  This is the "Do as I say, not as I do" philosophy.  No wonder Americans have no faith in their government to accomplish anything meaningful.  Too much not practicing what they preach.  This is the ultimate level of hypocrisy and most Americans are disgusted by this.  Lawmakers keep exacting their pound of flesh from the tax-payers, while fattening themselves on these very laws.

It's easy to pick on our government because it is an easy target.  Too many lawyers as elected officials and not enough common sense will do it every time.  But the point of this blog is for those of us claiming to follow Jesus.  I think the world is tired of the hypocrisy of the Church.  Jesus at the end of the sermon on the mount says, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it".  Too many in the church live like this isn't a reality.  They go along with whatever is culturally acceptable and expedient, even misusing the Bible to justify their compromises.  The world looks at us and they see nothing inviting about our lives.  We have the same divorce rate, cohabitation, single pregnancies, cheating, lying, cussing, trashing dressing, etc. as the rest of the world.  Even more than that, they see our critical spirit, defeatism, bitterness, unresolved anger and lack of purpose.  They see our hypocrisy and avoid any meaningful discussion with us.  The Bible draws the line in the sand for our heart and behavior, but we keep moving the line or the impact of crossing the line.  So rather than pick on our elected officials, we should probably pray for them.  Rather than try to fit in with our culture, we should prepare to be mistreated for living a holy life.  Rather than grip and complain about all that is wrong in the world, we should reflect hope and grace.  Rather than crush those who oppose us, we should show grace and forgiveness.  Maybe we should stop looking for exemptions to holy living and focus on the testimony that arises from such living. 

The Best Advertisement

On Sunday, September 15th, Hillcrest Baptist Church participated in the El Sobrante Stroll.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Stroll, it is a 1/4 mile long block party on San Pablo Dam Road.  The El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce sponsors the event and closes that 1/4 mile stretch of the road.  Businesses and vendors can rent spaces at the Stroll to sell their products or interact with the community.  At our booth, we had a game for the kids (The Labyrinth), a craft table and welcome table with candy, church information, flyers, etc.  This year's Stroll seemed to be smaller than in the past, but there were probably still over 10,000 people in attendance.  The weather was perfect and we had plenty of church members show up to work our booth.

While I was at our booth, a lady came by trying to sell our church on advertising in the Valley Yellow Pages.  As she began her sales pitch, I cut her off because we are not going to advertise with them, so I didn't want to waste her time.  We don't have the financial resources, plus I don't think that would be the best way to advertise.  So I began to think about what is the best way for a church to advertise.  I have seen some churches in our area advertise in "The Marketplace", a local monthly magazine.  Most of these printed ads point out how boring other churches are and how exciting their churches are.  I'm not sure if I really want to put down other churches to make our church look better.  Other churches advertise in the newspaper.  Some may advertise on television.  Others may use billboards.  Others maybe use mailers.  Others may use the Internet, Facebook or other social media.  I thought about the times our church has used these different methods and the results they have brought.  Usually, they bring people who are already saved, but not satisfied with their church.  I have found that they will get involved in the church as long as our church is the "happening" thing.  Then they will move on to another church where they can get their next spiritual fix.

Then I thought about the Jesus method of advertising and came to the conclusion that the best way a church can advertise is utilizing the two methods Jesus told us to implement.  Method #1 - The Share Method:  This method is based on Matthew 28:9-20, where Jesus told His disciples to GO and make disciples.  It is also based on Matthew 10 when Jesus sends His own disciples out into the towns/cities having them share about the Kingdom of God.  This method means we go out into the community rather than trying to bring the community to us.  We connect with them where they live and interact with them on their ground.  This means we end up getting our hands and feet dirty.  We get to know people, talk with them and invite them to come to Jesus.  As we go to work, to school or live in our neighborhood, we intentionally get to know people and connect with them.  As we do this, God will open doors for us to share His salvation with them.  Most churches using secular mediums to advertise are inviting the community to come to church. There is nothing wrong or sinful with inviting someone to church.  We should be doing this daily.  But a church which is not proactively out in the community is a church which is simply growing by shuffling the deck of Christians in the community into their building.  The Share Method is uncomfortable for us because we are risking rejection or abuse as we attempt to connect people with Christ.  Yet, this is the method Jesus utilized and trained His disciples to utilize.

There is one other method, but it is a secondary method.  Method #2 is the Care Method.  In John 13:35, He says, "By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."  This method gets a little tricky because it means we have to show agape love to the entire body of Christ - And there are some people in the body of Christ we may not get along with very well.  So, we have to throw off all prejudices and genuinely love others in the Church.  When someone sees us interacting with our church family, they should be amazed at the depth of love and commitment we have to each other.  If they come to our booth at the Stroll, they should immediately sense a deep love.  When they come to our church, they should see God's love being expressed in practical ways.  This method is costly to us personally, because we must let God remove our ego, need to be right and human tendency to find fault.  This method can't be faked.  Only Jesus can give us this kind of love.  Yet, this is what our culture is so deeply missing.  We have lots of ways to communicate with texts, Facebook, e-mails, Twitter and a host of other mediums.  But we have a very low level of love being expressed and felt today.  People are connected with the world, yet deeply isolated and alone.  This method will take a lot of energy and time, but is a tremendous opportunity for the Church today.

So I won't ask Hillcrest Baptist Church to advertise in the Valley Yellow Pages.  BUT I will ask us to reach out to the community and let our lives and love be an advertisement for Jesus.  As you can see by the photos above, the Stroll allowed us to connect utilizing both methods.  We distributed over 130 invitations to TeamKid, distributed over 75 church flyers, gave out 30 evangelistic tracts in Spanish and English, had over 200 children make a craft, had at least 200 people play the Labyrinth and connected with many in our community.  The Stroll was a wonderful way for us to employ the methods Jesus gave us.  So what about you?  What are you doing, personally, to teach out with the Share Method?  What are you doing, personally, to advertise Jesus with the Care Method?  This is the best advertisement available to the church.  What are you advertising?

Too Quick

This morning, my nephew (Allen) who lives in Randleman, North Carolina started his first day of his Senior year in high school.  This is the same kid who when I first got to see him as a baby, he screamed and started crying.  As a four year old, this is the same kids I threw a plastic baseball to him and it drilled him in the chest.  This is the same kid I taught how to play video games and gave him his first video game console (THE original Play Station).  This is the same kid who I would make cry when we played basketball because I would always block his shot.  This is the same kid who would get excited when Uncle Ted was coming to town because that meant Cheerwine slushies.  He would stay with us at my Mom's house when we were in town.  We would go to museums, parks, the zoo and so many other adventures.  Less than two years ago, he got his driver's license and is no longer dependent on whether Uncle Ted can pick him up when I am in town.  He has his own wheels and his own life.  He will be graduating this Spring and heading off to collage.  He is now taller than me, heavier than me, faster than me, can block my shot, but he's not cuter than me nor grayer than me.  It seems like just a few minutes ago, his parents were trying to get me to change his diapers (an attempt which failed).  It seems like yesterday, he would hold my hand when we walked through parking lots and count on me to have unlimited cash for the many adventures we experienced.  In November, he will legally be a man and he has major decisions ahead of him.  Once he leaves for college, I may not get to see him when we go to back to North Carolina or only see him briefly because he has a life with obligations, his own commitments and has his own path to choose.  I hope and pray he will always make time for his Uncle Ted, but I understand what has happened in his life now.  June will be here before I blink and I will watch him walk across that stage to get his diploma.  There is a part of me that is thrilled with the incredible man he has become, but there is a part of me that sadly misses the child he once was.  (If you think I am a little melancholy now, wait until my kids start graduating from high school).  No matter what we think, life moves on way to quickly.  In one moment, changing diapers, in the next moment driving off to college.  Too quick!!  Too quick!!

 

 

This past Sunday, Annette Blevins shared an incredible testimony with us.  She shared about her heart attack and the surgery she had.  she also shared about how she used to go 90 miles per hour (She's down to 82 mphs now).  What stuck in my mind was just her thought about how quick life passes.  We aren't going to be here forever.  We had better make the most of our time on earth because it will pass too quickly.  One minute, we are giving our lives to Jesus, the next minute we are meeting Him in Heaven.  The pace of life doesn't slow down.  The danger is that we get so busy living life, the we miss the multitude of opportunities God gives us to impact eternity.  When everything is said and done, only those things done to honor God will matter.  We can get so caught up in the daily mundane living, working, paying bills, etc. that we forget to have our eyes open for the good God could do through us.  Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, "Just as man is destined to die once and after that face the judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many."  We have one shot at time, not multiple chances.  We need to faithfully follow Christ today so we can impact eternity.  There is someone who needs your assistance today.  There is someone who needs good news today.  There is someone whose life you can change with just a smile or comforting word.  Will you do good today and seek to magnify Jesus?  Those opportunities pass too quickly.

This Fall, my 30th college reunion takes place on November 2nd at Wingate University.  It seems like yesterday, I was attending Wingate COLLEGE (Not university).  It seems like yesterday, I was saying good-bye to my roommate (Randy) and close friends in my suite (David, Jim, Jack and Tom).  It seems like just yesterday I was receiving my BA in Human Services from Dr. Corts.  It seems like just yesterday I was pondering my next step in life of moving to Louisville to work on my Master's degree from Southern Seminary.  It seems like just yesterday I was walking my parents through my Wingate hangouts and introducing them to my friends and professors.  It seems like just yesterday, my hair was dark brown without any gray, I had no wrinkles and no age spots!  I look back and I think..."Too quick!  Too quick".  I pray that Allen will make the most of his final year of high school because it will pass too quick.  More than that I pray that we will make the most for Christ because it will pass to quick.

Most Popular

In 1947, the fans of Major League Baseball were first given the opportunity to vote for the starting position players in that game.  This was a way for MLB to return the game to the fans and fans have been voting ever since.  I remember going to the 7-11 as a kid to get a ballot and vote for my favorite players.  You could get a punch card for free, punch the card beside your favorite player and mail it in.  This was pretty cool for me since I grew up in North Carolina which had no professional team.  The first time I ever voted, I made sure to vote for every Baltimore Orioles player, then I mailed me card.  This year, I was able to vote via the Internet and was allowed to vote up to 20 times.  No, I didn't only vote for Orioles players, although they  did get most of my votes.  This year, Chris “Crush” Davis of the Baltimore Orioles finished first with 8,272,243 fan votes to edge Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, who had 8,013,874.  He still would have won without my 20 votes, but I helped make him the leading vote-getter this year.  He would have gotten my vote any way since he gave a bat to my son at last years' Baltimore-Oakland baseball game.

School will be starting for many this week, as our kids go back to school being promoted to the next grade.  I remember moving from James Y. Joyner Elementary School to Mendenhall Junior High School and then from Mendenhall to Walter Hines Page High School.  The beginning of those two years were filled with anxiety and hope.  It was the opportunity to meet new friends and find your place.  I was surprised at how quickly the "popular" group rose up from among us every day students who had no chance to be popular.  I was always fascinated by that because I never was popular at school.  I had my group of friends and I was at peace with that, but there was often this thought wandering in my mind wondering what it would be like to be a part of that group.  I actually tried to slide into the that group through a back-door connection with a neighborhood friend, but it took too much work to keep up with the latest trends.

Our kids are going to face that same type of pressure in the next few weeks.  They all want to be liked and no one wants to be the outcast.  Even if a kid acts like they enjoy being the brunt of the jokes, they really don't like it.  Some of our kids will be tempted to do foolish things to get people to like them.  They will compromise and make bad choices to get on certain people's good side.  Of course, we as adults do the same thing.  We desperately want to fit in, so we go along with what everyone else is saying and doing.  We don't want to be looked at as the oddball or the fool.  So we go along with co-workers who are cooking the books or we accept weak theology or we jump in on the joking.  The need to be liked and accepted is universal and affects us all.

Here's where we need to come back to the Bible and the life of Christ.  If you take a moment to read Matthew 21:6-11 27:15-26, you will see the true colors of the crowd.  Jesus on one day is the conquering hero, loved and adored by all.  The next week, He is the pariah who needs to be crucified.  The work we use is "fickle".  The crowd will cheer you one minute and boo you the next.  We need to make sure our kids know and remember this as they begin the new school year.  It is imperative that they build lasting friendships with people who can be trusted rather than seeking a superficial acceptance by those who want to control.  We need to make sure they know that God is more concerned about their faith in Him than the approval of others.  They need to know that God loves them so much He sent His only son to take their place on the cross.  He values them, so they can be at peace in who they are.  We need to encourage our children to be rebels and go against the flow of the pagan culture in which they are living.  The best way we can do this:  Do it ourselves.  That's right, model this lifestyle for our kids.  If they see us living to please God rather than others, they will be more inclined to do the same.  If they see us being rebels against the pagan culture, they will realize this rebellion is a good and healthy thing.  

If you were to ask me which of my classmates at Mendenhall or at Page was voted "Most Popular", I couldn't tell you.  However, if you were to ask me who were my real friends and helped me through some of my most difficult days in my teen years, I can easily rattle of those names.  The same will hold true for our children if we teach them that being faithful is more important than being popular.

Trust or Panic

In II Kings 5, we see the account of Naaman the leper and his healing.  It wasn't an easy healing because it brought pressure on Israel.  You see, Naaman was the general of the armies of Aram, which was an enemy of Israel.  So when Naaman comes to Israel with a note from the king of Aram asking that Naaman be healed, the King of Israel panics.  He believes this is an attempt by Aram to start a war with Israel.  He correctly states, "Am I God?".  His reaction to this opportunity is to freak out and panic.  Contrast his response with that of Elisha.  Elisha knows that this is an opportunity from God.  So even though the King doesn't trust God, Elisha does.  Two different responses to the same situation:  One is a reaction of faith in God, the other a reaction to faith in self.  One sees this as an opportunity for God to reveal Himself, the other sees this as an opportunity to lose what he values the most.  One is a reaction of trust, the other a reaction of fear.

 

God will bring these same types of situations to bear upon our lives.  He loves us so much that He will be us in traumatic situations.  These circumstances are beyond our control and are given to test our faith.  Just like metal is purified by heat, our faith will be purified by trials.  So do not be surprised by what is happening in your life right now.  These things have happened, not because God has abandoned you, but God wants you to have an Elisha response.  He wants us to view this particular situation as a time for God to shine.  This is an opportunity for family and friends to see that God really is God.  BUT for that to happen, we must approach it with Godfidence (This is confidence in God).  Godfidence allows us to remain calm in the most dire of circumstances.  Godfindence gives us strength to minister to others when our circumstances are unsettled.  Godfidence allows us to thank God before He has cleared up the situation.  Godfidence allows us to turn to God, rather than a beer, a friend or a bad temper.  

This passage was my morning quiet time today and just "happened" to be the passage I studied as I work through the book of II Kings.  I have some circumstances in my own life which require more Godfidence on my part.  But it also brought to mind where we are at as Hillcrest Baptist Church.  Yesterday, we voted to repair our roof before the rainy season and the damage that may happen because of our aging roof.  We voted to invest $16,400 even though we really don't have that much money.  We are stepping out in faith that God will provide.  This is a big step for our church because we really don't have any other fall back plan.  We are committed because we believe God wants us to trust Him in this.  We are barely getting by financially as it is and now we are adding to the amount we need to receive each month.  Which reaction will you have?  Will you react like the King of Israel and panic?  Will you see this large amount and be overwhelmed by it?  Will you criticize and complain?  OR will you react like Elisha and totally trust God?   Will you trust God with your own personal finances and begin to tithe?  Will you trust God and give an offering above your tithe?  Will you let people know that we are trusting God and we know He will provide.  Our faith is tested before the results ever come in...while we are still waiting and the outcome is in doubt.  Like Elijah, let's step out in faith and enjoy celebrating what God is going to do before He even does it.  For those of you who are not a part of Hillcrest Baptist Church, but would like to be a part of God's wonderful provision, you can give on-line securely by going to http://www.hillcrestbaptist.net/online_giving.html.  

I'm looking forward to the church having a corporate testimony of what God has done in providing a new roof for His church.  I am also looking forward to the testimonies of what God has done in providing for you.  So step out with Godfidence and enjoy trusting God when the situation calls for panic!

Twelve

The number twelve is an important number:

  -There are twelve months in a year

  -There are twelve numbers on the face of a clock

  -Twelve is the last year before a child becomes a teenager

  -Eggs are sold by the dozen

  -There is the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

  -Texas A & M football has the "12th man", symbolizing the impact their fans have on the game

  -In bowling, it takes 12 strikes to complete a perfect game

  -We have twelve pairs of ribs in our bodies

  -There are twelve inches in a foot

  -There are twelve face cards in a deck

  -Alcoholics Anonymous has twelve steps in its program

  -There are twelve Jewish tribes

  -Jesus had twelve Apostles

 

The number twelve also represents the number of years I have been pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Richmond, California.  Yep, twelve years ago I preached my first sermon as the pastor of this wonderful church.  Yesterday, we celebrated that as a church family.  My taste buds are still dancing from the wonderful meal we had after the service.  The ribs, chicken, lumpia, spaghetti, cornbread, Cheerwine cake, coconut creme pie, fudge, peach cobbler cake and so many more tastes are still being savored.  I had to work out extra hard this morning at the gym after eating so much.  I want to thank each of you for making yesterday so special and the cake Jewel made was incredible.  My family and I are honored to be a part of such a loving congregation.  You are far more generous than we deserve.  You make me feel like an outstanding pastor, even though I know there are tons of pastors who are much better at this than I am.  I am humbled that you can see good in me and are willing to listen to what God has to say when I stand in the pulpit.  In the past twelve years, a lot of members of Hillcrest have died or moved to other cities, so it was hard to only see a few hands of those who were here on my first Sunday.  However, it is thrilling to see how God has been adding to His Kingdom and His Church in the past twelve years.  I know He has great plans for our church, so I am trying to not get in His way.

Perhaps the highlight of my day was simply watching you respond to the Holy Spirit during our musical worship as many of you came forward to kneel at the altar and ask for God's healing.  Thank you for not being intimidated or afraid to humble yourself before the Lord.  I love being in a congregation that has a multitude of ages and ethnicities, because Heaven is filled with people from every tribe and tongue.  More than that, I am grateful to be in a congregation that passionately seeks to honor God.  You don't just talk about it on Sunday, but live it out on Mondays.  When I meet your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, it is evident that your light is shining in the world.  Thank you for giving me the freedom to preach truthfully about God's Word without having a political agenda, a personal agenda or walls built up which hinder the truth of the Bible to penetrate your life.  I talk with other pastors and see the "hoops" and expectations other pastors have from their congregations and thank God that you simply push me to follow Christ.  You have pulled along side me when I was in need or struggling.  You have called me when you thought I was hurting and have challenged me when you felt I was wrong.  Most of all, you have show the love of Christ to me and to my family.

Twelve is a wonderful number.  Twelve years have gone by too quickly.  I don't know what will happen during the next twelve years, but I pray we will continue to serve the Lord with passion, joy and consistency.