Articles

YOU ARE TOO KIND

During Pastor Appreciation last Sunday all I could think of was "You are too kind." I guess I've picked that expression up from British works. Reflecting over this past Sunday's Pastor Appreciation, I continue to think of this congregation, "You're too kind." The Hurst family was overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love and kindness in the words, cards, expressions, gifts, and hugs from the folk of Union Pentecostal Church last Sunday. Nothing was a token expression. Everything was an heartfelt abundant expression. I know great pastors that do not receive such kindness from their churches. This affirms what I already know; all you did on Pastor Appreciation Sunday says far more about what kind of church you all are than it does about what kind of pastor you have. Some were concerned all the lauded love would give me a big head. Well, first of all, being a Hurst male, I have always literally, physically, had a big head. It runs in the family. Secondly, thinking of all you did does not result in my having a big head, but in my seeing your big hearts. I want to thank the Board and all the organizers and planners. Thanks to all the cooks, decorators, and those that set up and cleaned up. Thanks to the trio for the special song. Thanks to those who made the media presentation. Thanks for every spoken personal word, every card, every note, every gift, every expression. We love you guys. You are too kind!

Ministry, Work, and Glow In The Dark

"Ministry, Work, and Glow In The Dark Just this week someone asked me ""What exactly is ministry?"" Well, one thing I'm sure it's not, though many assume it is, is an opportunity in the spotlight for a person to showcase and demonstrate his talent and ability and receive attention and applause from people. If I had to give an off the cuff definition of ministry, I would say that it is work that accomplishes something that needs to be done. If work is what ministry is, then there was a lot of ministry going on last week at UPC during Glow In The Dark. People worked for weeks in preparation, but last week it was almost around the clock work. All those people doing all that work was motivated by the desire to change someone's eternity. So many did so much, it is hard to mention it all but... Thanks to Sis. Ruth for a year's worth of work on and planning for Glow In The Dark. Thanks to the cast. Thanks to those who spent hours cooking. Thanks to the prop makers, decorators, voice providers, sound & tech operators. Thanks to the game operators and servers. Thanks to the transporters. Thanks to those who set up and tore down the stage and helped clean. Thanks to those who provided candy and cash for the outreach. Thanks for all those who supported Glow in the Dark with their attendance. Thanks to a church which sees the importance of reaching out beyond the four walls. A testimony says thank you best of all. ""As we prayed before Glow in the Dark began, tears rolled down my cheeks. If it wasn't for outreach, I have no idea where I would be. It's what got me where I am today. Now, I'm helping others get to where I am in outreach. Makes me joyous! I'm so glad that I [got] to take part in it this year! And I'm thankful for a church who ministers to people at a young age, no matter where they come from!""

A DEBT WE CAN'T PAY BUT CAN TRY

Abe Lincoln got himself up to the ears in debt, and Mr. Lincoln was a tall man. He had entered a business venture with a friend. Soon, through faults of both partners the business went under and the creditors came calling. Mr. Lincoln was honest and up-front. He went to his creditors and, in his words, he told them, "if they would let me alone I would give them all I could earn over my living, as fast as I could earn it." It took Mr. Lincoln seventeen years to make the final payment on what he called the "national debt." (National Debt-let's not even go there.) However, we have a debt, that no matter how hard we work at it, we will never get paid. But, we keep trying out of gratitude. Our debt is a debt of love. We owe everything we have and are to the love of God. We owe Him the price of His life. We pay our debt by giving to others as God gave to us. Now, we probably won't be called upon to put our head on the chopping block for a brother, though, perhaps, we should be willing to; so we should be more than willing to give something a whole lot less sacrificial--our goods; "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?," (1John 3:17). If we can see a fellow Christian in need and do not respond with our material possessions, we are making no effort to pay on our debt of love. We have an opportunity to show our gratitude of our debt having been paid. Always in our annual Thanksgiving Service we give in a special offering to show our gratitude of all God has given us. This year at the Thanksgiving Service we will with the offering help pay the freight on a container of goods and/or help with items to be sent to the orphanage in Haiti. For a Thanksgiving/Christmas project, we will be collecting items to fill the container for Haiti. What an opportunity to pay on our debt of love.

A LEADER WE DON'T DESERVE

Where and how the conclusion got into my thinking, I don't know; but, at some point it seemed evident to me that in a form of government where our leaders are democratically elected, we end up with the leaders we truly deserve. To be sure there are some exceptions to that rule-exceptions that usually are the result of awakenings among God's people to pray for their nation. Yet, generally, democratically electing our leaders, we get the ones that we deserve; we get the ones that reflect the majority. The leaders, thus chosen, reveal where the people who elected them are. In our system, people choose leaders they feel reflect their values, and, often, leaders they think will give them what they want. Surrendering to Christ, we receive a leader we don't deserve. We don't deserve such a Savior, Deliverer, Friend, Lord, King, God. He doesn't reflect who we are but what we can be. He doesn't give us what we want, but what we need. Often, we Americans elect leaders thinking only of the short term effects of their leadership on our lives. We choose leaders who, we feel, will bring about the short term changes that will positively affect us. Few look to the future and vote for a leader they feel will be good for the future, for their children and grandchildren. When we surrender to Christ, we understand that we have a leader who is good for the future, not just ours but our children's and grandchildren's, and, yet, He is good for us right now. Following Jesus, we truly have a Leader we don't deserve.

JESUS IS ALIVE AND I KNOW HIM

You probably are the same, but I like things simplified, boiled down, in a nutshell. That is why my mind riveted on one writer's recommendation on how to be an effective witness for Christ. It was so simple yet so powerful, and, I believe, would be so effective. Most Christians really want to share their faith and care deeply about seeing the lost saved. They just don't feel like they know how. They don't know how to approach someone and what to say. This writer's suggestion was this: "Just tell them, 'Jesus is alive and I know Him.'" I found myself saying, "That's it! So powerful, yet so simple." The "Jesus is alive" is such a powerful, astounding, declaration that its life-giving positivism and sound of triumph must solicit a responding question, "You believe Jesus is alive?" What an opportunity to share the Gospel. The "I know Him" begs to be asked, "How? How do you know Him? How did you come to know Him? What is it like to know Him." To say, "Jesus is alive, and I know Him." isn't just a gimmick, a sales technique. It is the truth-given you really do know Him. The "Jesus is alive," is unqualifiedly, undeniably true. The variable is, and only you can answer this, do you truly know Him. "Jesus is alive" is not only True, it is the Gospel, the good news. It is the report that saves people. It is the report that changes lives. Whether or not the unbeliever believes it, whether or not the believer can explain it all, it still is True. This Truth has set countless folks free. Why not try this as the Holy Spirit provides the opportunity. "Jesus is alive, and I know Him." We don't need theological debates, apologetic lectures, a ten step procedure. We just need to share the Gospel in a nutshell coupled with our personal testimony: "Jesus is alive and I know Him."

DID THEY JUST VOTE GOD OUT?

In disbelief I watched a vote whether or not to reinsert "God" and "Jerusalem" back into one of America's political party's official platform. It was an "aye," "nay" vote. Although the chair tried to hide it, consternation showed on his face when it was evident that the motion hadn't passed. He called for a revote, "aye," "nay." At least via camera audio, it seemed to me that the "nays" were loudest. Unsure, a third time the chair called for the vote. Again, it sounded to me the "nays" carried. I was asking myself, "Did they just vote God out?" At that point the chair gaveled the motion passed. Many were understandably upset. The vote required a two-thirds majority. At best the called out vote would have been 50-50. In reality, many people of the convention desired to vote "God" and "Jerusalem" out of their party's platform even though the party leaders said the vote reinstated the words. Their loud "boos" after the motion had been declared passed evidenced their true intent. God has been voted down, voted out, voted off. I wondered what He must think of that. It reminds me of an evangelist who used to tell of a time when some members called for a church meeting to try to vote him out of the pastorate. He told how, when he began the meeting, he said something like, "This meeting has been called to vote on me as pastor. Before we vote on me as pastor, I wanted to vote on you as members." With that, he began to write members' names on the chalk board with a "yes" or "no" beside their name. What must people have felt voting on God? Of course, people vote on God all the time. They vote him in or out of their lives, in or out of their homes, in or out of their decisions. What if they contemplated how God is voting on us? Are we in or out? God casted His vote for us by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. If we accept by faith that sacrifice, His vote for us is "yes." If we reject His gift, we vote "no." In voting on God, we are actually voting on ourselves. A vote against God is a vote against one's self.

THE CHAIN IS GONE

My wife has always told me that it is cruel to keep a dog on a chain. It is more economical, though, than building a pen. I've never forgotten the experience with one beagle I had tethered in the back yard. I'd bought one of those screw in stakes that allows the chained dog to go full circle. As the dog paced at the end of the chain, he wore a circle of brown in the green grass. One could easily tell the length of his chain. It was evident where the green of the grass stopped and the brown of the dirt began. The dog too became accustom to how long his chain was. He knew how far he could stretch. He knew the green at the edge of his circle was unreachable. One day I unhooked the chain from his collar. Back and forth he continued to pace at the circumference of the circle, never attempting to go any further. Not one foot did he try to place on the green grass. He was so accustomed to being chained that even when released his behavior was still that of one chained. Jesus has set us free. The trick of the devil is for us to still live as if we were still chained. In fact, the devil will tell us that we cannot live otherwise. That we cannot live in spiritual liberty. That we cannot reach the green grass of the overcoming life. But the devil is a liar. Christ has made us free. It is time to step out of the brown circle of bondage into the green grass of liberty. Finally, the dog realized that the chain was gone and off he went into the grass. We in Christ also need to realize that the chain is gone.

Drink Lots of Fluid

It has become a constant drip-no pun intended. With this summer's heat wave constantly we are told, "Stay hydrated," or "Drink lots of fluids." The newscaster, the weather forecaster, the trip adviser, the coach, the camp counselor, in print, on the TV, on the radio, on the internet, over and over we've heard it "Drink lots of fluids." "Stay hydrated." When I go to the bank, as the teller hands me my receipt and says, "Have a good day, now?" I almost expect her to follow with "And drink of lots of fluid." At Wal-mart as the clerk hands me my change, hearing her, "Thank-you," I'm just sure I will then hear, "Stay hydrated." It has been that constant. I know that it is good advice. However, somehow, I wonder who would not know that when they are hot, dry, thirsty and sweating gallons that they don't need a drink. I guess there are some. It's certainly that way spiritually. There are many who are thirsting to death and don't seem to realize they need a spiritual drink. Jesus promises that there is not only a drink that will hydrate our souls but does far more. As we partake, not only are the deep tissues of our soul satisfied, but the experience begins to overflow from our lives to help and meet the needs of others. He promised, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:37-38). No dehydration. No stagnant pools. Only clear, rushing water from which to drink, that, once partaken, not only floods our soul, it gushes out to others. Thus, I'll join the chorus: "Drink lots. Stay hydrated." But, I'm speaking spiritually. I can also say, "Get the river. Let it flow. Let it come rushing out."

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY AND THE BIBLE

One of the remaining evidences of light in our dark world is pulling open a drawer in a hotel room and seeing a Gideon Bible. Just to see it is like pushing aside the drapes and letting sunshine into the dark room. This week I read that one hotel is going to replace all its room's Gideon Bibles with the current bestseller, Fifty Shades of Grey. The reason given was that some people are offended by the presence of the Gideon Bible in their room and, besides, "no one reads the Bibles anyway." I'm sure most have heard that Fifty Shades of Grey is a book, simply put, about sexual perversion. From the reviews, it appears that it is not even well written. Reading the article, I first wondered if any one considered that some one might be offended by the presence of Fifty Shades of Grey. If the Bible offends someone, it goes. If something like Fifty Shades of Grey offends someone, that someone just needs to be enlightened, cultured, and come out of the religious dark ages. Secondly, I mused that whatever its title, the book Fifty Shades of Grey is really just one dark hue of black. The hotel's switching out the Bible for Fifty Shades of Grey was a trading the light for the darkness. Any who now opens the drawer in the hotel room will be opening themselves to the dark. Third, the assumption that no one is reading the Bible and everybody is reading or wants to read Fifty Shades of Grey is simply not true. People are reading the Bible. And not just Christians. Many people have no desire to read the novel. Why settle for a shade of gray when one can have the light? And, besides, guess which is the all time best-seller.