Like Minded

When a church keeps the main thing the main thing there will be like minded-ness! When Jesus is the center of everything and becomes the life giving force for the church, the people -- God's children will begin to focus in that direction -- HIS direction.

There are so many different kinds of people in the church. This diversity is one of the most beautiful things about the body of Christ. It takes all of us....our gifts and talents.

There are so many different opinions in the church. Opinions are good. Those different kinds of people will approach ministry from different directions. I will offer a different perspective than someone else. It's good.

How in the world can all of us become like-minded?

The Bible says that we have the "mind of Christ." (Philippians 2:5)

Like mindedness is a gift from God. We can all have it if we pray for it. Paul prayed this prayer in Romans 15:5:

Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus. (Romans 15:5)

We are members of the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the church. We have the mind of Christ. May we seek HIM first with all of our hearts.

Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing

Last night after I came home from the prayer group and settled in to write in this blog I decided to get the DVD of my trial sermon and watch it. Until last night I had not listened to or watched the sermon. The title of the message was "Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing."

The gist of the message is for the church to be centered on Jesus and not budgets, programs and traditions. As I listened to the message I realized that I needed to share that message again somehow. As I prayed about what to do the Lord showed me that I should show "sound bites" each Sunday before the service or even as a part of the service. The purpose: to remind the church for whom and for what they voted on that HOT Sunday morning in August!

I want to follow the leadership of God and remain true to the promises and truths that I shared on that exciting day in my life!

Over the next few BLOG entries I will be sharing some of the points of the message. For those of you who are members of our church.....remember this is what you voted for!

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Tonight -- January 28th at around 7:00 p.m. in Sylacauga, Alabama -- something wonderful happened. The sweet aroma of prayer was going up to our heavenly Father on the north side of town, the south side of town, the east side of town and the western side of town.

I was a prayer group leader tonight for our "God Can Prayer Groups." There were 3 people in my group and in some homes there were as many 18 people gathering to pray.

• We prayed for our church staff ministers
• We prayed for our support staff
• We prayed for our deacons
• We prayed for UNITY and REVIVAL
• We prayed for our city
• We prayed for those who do not know Jesus

I am picturing God at around 7:00 p.m. tonight! I know He was smiling. I was too!

I cannot wait to see what God will do in the hearts of those who prayed.

Living in the Past or Moving On!?

I love the prophet Isaiah! This gifted prophet of God definately was not afraid of "telling it like it is." Last time on THE BRANCH I mentioned Isaiah 43. Today God showed me something profound as I continued reading in this great chapter in the Word of God. Isaiah 43:18-19 says:

18 “ Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

Why can't we just move on -- stop living in the past. The Lord clearly teaches in the scriptures that we should not live in the past. Consider the truths of the focus passage for today.

• Don't dwell on the past because God wants to do something new in our lives everyday.
• God will make a way for His will to be accomplished.

I have seen this truth in my life more times than I can count. Recently I was thinking about something that happened to me in a former church. I was hurt deeply. It was a terrible time in my life. As I re-lived those terrible memories I started to have the same feelings and emotions. I even "teared up" for a few minutes. I realized at that moment that what I was doing was not productive!!! God immediately reminded me that Romans 8:28 is real -- He can take all things and work them for my good...and HE did! I am a much more mature believer today because of that tough time in my life. God made a way. READ: Proverbs 3:5-6.

Did you see what it said?

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart and stop trying to figure everything out.
• God will direct you path -- this means that God will literally clear the way for the future!

Are you dwelling in the past? Move on!!! You can't change what has already happened, but God can change your today!!!

Through the water and fire...

Tonight in our service I continued our study in Psalm 91. This exciting scripture leads us throughout the scripture. As I shared with my church family tonight, the Old Testament is the best commentary on the New Testament and vice-versa. As I taught on the ability to “walk without fear” I shared the truth of Isaiah 43. Let me share it with you today --

Isaiah 43

The Redeemer of Israel

1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:

“ Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Here are some of the basic truths in this passage which are so obvious:

• God created us
• God redeemed us
• God knows your name
• God will be with you through deep waters (trouble)
• God will protect you in the fire (desperate times and hopelessness)
• God is God

Now with those basic truths – why should we be fearful? Think about it!

Sorry So Long....

I am sorry I have been away from the blog for a few days. I have had alot going on in my life.

This past weekend was filled with family activities. My daughter came over from Georgia to visit. We celebrated her 31st birthday. I cannot believe that 31 year ago my little girl was born. What is even more difficult to comprehend is that she has five beautiful kids of her own. She is still my little girl, though! Friday we took my mother in law to the doctor and immediately went to Georgia to see Mattie, my oldest granddaughter play her final basketball game. She played for a few minutes, but it was great seeing her and mostly just being there for her. She had called me personally and asked me to come to the game. Clay and Candi met us at the game and we all went to Chic Fil A for dinner. It was great being together again. I am missing all of them tremendously.

Saturday we woke up to snow! We braced for 3 to 6 inches but only got about 1 or 2. The student at FBCS were having their Dnow weekend. We went to the ball fields for the biggest snow ball fight I have ever seen. It was great!

On Monday, Sam and I went to the lake and cleared the bank going down to the lake. I just about died. I busted my head and just about passed out. I am so out of shape!

Over the next few days, I am praying that God is going to show me some great truths to write in this blog. I have been so excited to see the counter go higher. It is exciting to see that people really care what I write!

In Christ Alone~

Busy Day

I have not had time to write much about anything today. I have been busy today working on sermon, visiting two of our homebound men and planning our church staff retreat, 175th church history and making lists for future projects.

In the next couple of days, I plan to write what God has shown me about struggling in my Christian walk.

Friday will be spent taking my mother in law to the doctor, driving ot GA to check on my house that is for sale, seeing my granddaughter (Mattie) play in her final basketball game this year and as usual, loading and unloading my car.

Keep checking back to see what God is doing in my life!
Tim

The Exchanged Life

J. Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China for 51 years. In a letter to his sister, Amelia, in 1869 he talked of a great revelation from God. He shared how he struggled with the Christian life and how holiness seemed always to elude him. The more he tried, the more he struggled. (More on this in another blog!)

It was when he truly realized the "rest" found only in our identification with Christ through faith that the "joy flowed."

The same thing happened to me in 1999. When Christ accepted me and I accepted Him a "great exchange" took place. I traded my life for His. I traded my struggles for His rest. I became a "brand new creation" drawing my life from the life of Christ IN me!

I love the exchanged life! It is a life of grace, joy, peace, productivity and yes...rest!

Tied to the Dock -- NO!!!

"Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself - begin to have spiritual discernment." Oswald Chambers

When First Baptist Church Sylacauga contacted me about becoming the pastor, I resisted. I prayed so much about that decision. Through the process, God began to put great truth in my path. The quote from Oswald Chambers was one such truth.

I could stay tied to the dock and never experience the adventure, depth and excitement of following God or I could launch out, trust God and allow Him to take me places I have never been before! I chose to launch out and follow God's will.

Here we are in Sylacauga, Alabama. God is moving and I am excited to be here.

I am currently praying about vision for the church. God is revealing some exciting things for the future. These are big dreams and visions.

I am so glad that I am not tied to the dock!!!! Oh Lord, fill my sails and let's go!

What It Means to Live in God's Amazing Grace!!

God's GRACE is an importantto me!! It is a constant theme in my preaching/teaching.

The following statements reflect what it means to live in God's grace. Ther is great power that results from exchanging your life for the life of Christ in and through you:
· **It means serving God because He has fully and permanently accepted us through Jesus Christ, not because we want to gain His acceptance or become more pleasing to Him through our works.
· **It means motivating Christians to live out of love and thankfulness, rather than guilt and duty.
· **It means believing firmly in Biblical absolutes and trusting in the life of Christ within to enable us to live by those absolutes, but rejecting attempts to legislate the Christian life through human rules.
· **It means unconditionally accepting people at their current level of spiritual growth and development without condoning their sin, just as God does, then encouraging them to grow in an atmosphere of grace.
· **It means creating an environment of honesty and transparency that models God's love and acceptance; not ignoring or approving a person's sin, but loving people in spite of their sin with a goal of bringing them to truth about it.
· **It means placing the primary emphasis of the Christian life on inner motivations rather than outward behaviors, believing that when inner motivations are right, the right outward behavior will follow.
· **It means refusing to deny or minimize the pain that comes into our lives because of our own sins and failures or the sins and failures of others; rather, it means viewing pain as a means of bringing us to an experience of God's grace and life.
·** It means following the relational style of Jesus, who accepted and forgave sinful, lost people, even though they may have failed miserably, then through truth and love led them to a better life in Him.
· **It means interpreting the Biblical commands as describing a mode of life befitting someone who has already been accepted by God, not as laws that bring us more merit with God.
· **It means resting IN the life of Christ and operating from our new identity in Him, not in our own strength, but His.

I love a good quote......

Several years ago a friend of mine gave me a few CD's by Major Ian Thomas. Major Thomas is the founder of Torchbearer's International. (England) The following quote was from one of those teaching CD's.

Godliness is not the consequence of your capacity to imitate God, but the consequence of His capacity to reproduce himself in you.
Major Ian Thomas

God wants so much more for me than I could ever understand. There have been so many times in my life that I have "tried" so hard to live a Godly, holy life. It has been during those times that I have grown wearly of living the Christian life. It was only after I understood Major Ian Thomas's statement and applied it to my life that I could live in the "rest" of being "in Christ" and "Christ in me."

It is Christ in me, living in me, living through me that will produce Godly fruit.

Galatians 2:20

Rhema

I was reading in the Word this morning and God drew me to this verse: "Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong. Your every action must done with love." 1 Corinthians 16:13

There are times when I am studying for a message and God shows me something to include in my sermon. He is usually saying something very practical for our lives. There are other times when I am reading and God shows ME something just for ME. There is a Greek word for when something like this happens. It is Rhema. It means that there is a particular word just for ME. This morning when I read 1 Corinthians 16:13, I knew that it was just for me. I immediately printed it out on a note card and taped in front of my face at my desk!!

~Be Alert
~Stand Firm in the faith
~Be brave and strong
~Every action done with love

When I read these words I immediately remembered John 15:5 which says that I CANNOT DO ANYTHING WITHOUT JESUS! It will be HIM in me and THROUGH me doing these things or I will be in trouble.

Oh, I could fake my way through my day -- believe me I have done it many times before. However, God was calling me to go deeper with Him to trust HIM more and allow HIm to do these things THROUGH me. When I surrender to the LIFE of Christ IN me these things WILL happen!!

Thanks for caring enough to read my blog today! My prayer is that you will be alert, stand firm, be brave and strong and that your every action will be done with love...the love of Christ!

The Power of God

Psalm 47

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! 2 For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth. 3 He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet. 4 He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah 5 God has gone up with a shout, The LORD with the sound of a trumpet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding. 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. 9 The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.

Our God is truly an awesome God! I give HIM PRAISE!!

A Day in Hospital-Land

Today has been a busy wonderful day. As a pastor part of my calling is to minister to the sick. Today, I had the privilege of waiting in the hospital with two families while their loved ones were having surgery.

This morning I went to St. Vincent's hospital in Birmingham to minister to Erskine and Virginia Penton while Erskine had his surgery. Just before the nurses came in to take him to surgery I had the honor of praying with them and their children who had come in for the surgery. When all was said and done, God had completely answered our prayers! The time in the waiting room was very relaxed and we were even able to laugh...ALOT! Erskine got great news concerning his surgery. God is so good!! I learned so much about the families and feel so much closer to them. I saw God move.

Later in the day I sat with the wife of a man who was having knee replacement surgery. I prayed for her as we sat together. The surgery went as planned and again, good news!

I guess my point in writing this blog is to say that I am so thankful that I am a pastor! God allows me to be with people during times of uncertainty and stress. He gives me the honor of praying with them and watching them calm down and see HIS peace take over. I AM TRULY A BLESSED MAN!!!

He is a trustworthy God!

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATHS. PROVERBS 3:5-6

God at Work.....

I am constantly amazed at how God works in my life. Lately, God has been teaching me boldness in my faith. I realize that when I received Christ, through Him I have recieved everthing I need, including faith. However, I have been challenged lately to have a bold faith.

A bold faith speaks -- bold faith calls for preaching messages that are clear, precise and to the point!

A bold faith sparks -- bold faith sparks a desire in others to live "on the edge" -- to take the road less traveled. In other words, move forward in my walk with God with a strong sense of security in my relationship with Him.

A bold faith spills -- a bold faith spills over into every part of my life. My church, my family, my relationships -- every part of my life.

It is my desire that all of our church will operate in a BOLD FAITH! When we operate in that kind of faith -- we will see God at work!

Refreshing Encounter

Debbie and I had the privilege of leading a Marriage Retreat for SonRise Baptist Church in Bowden, GA over the weekend. This wonderful church is lead by a warm and loving pastor and is full of new Christians. It was so refreshing to hear of how God is working there as they reach out to the lost and hurting people there. There was one couple at the retreat who had been married twice ---- to each other! The firs time they were married it lasted 8 years then they were divorced for 8 years and now they have been married again for 4 years. They both were saved and God restored their marriage -- refreshing!!! Another couple shared that they had been living together and his brother had gotten into this church and came to know the Lord. They started coming -- came to Christ and then knew that the right thing to do was to get married -- refreshing!

The church should be about the business of reaching to those kinds of people who are searching in the wrong places for their significance and hope! That can only come from Jesus!

As the pastor of our church I hope that God will get us out from behind those stained glass windows and that in the very near future there will be some stories like these to tell!! REFRESHING!!!

Grandkids are US

We have just gone through an incredible time during the holidays. This is the first Christmas in several years that we live a couple of hours away from them. I really miss being able to jump in the car and be at their house in about 25 minutes. Likewise, it was always nice when they would just drop in for a visit and some free snacks.

I love my grandkids. They bring me much joy. I have 5. Mattie is 11. Samuel is 10. Mallory is 9. Tucker is 7. Macy is 4. They all have such different personalities! God created them all so differently, yet they share common parents. I have gotten alot of good sermon material from the things they say and do.

Recently Tucker (7) got an MP3 player for Christmas from his grandmother, Bobbie. When the ear buds would not fit in his small ears, Tucker went downstairs, found the duct tape and like any good man he taked the ear buds into his ears! Amy, my daughter, told me that the duct tape was still on there and they were working on getting it off easily so that the tape does notpull his ears off in the process!! Tucker is quite the guy -- he is the consumate pessimist and I am sure that this was the worst day of his life!!!

The way you look at things really does make a huge difference in the way you respond to the events that come inot your life. If we look at things through God's perspective our lives will truly change.

Pray today and ask God to give you the correct view of your situation! God will open your eyes and you will see the truth.

Stepping Into the Unknown

The Bible teaches us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) It sounds so good and clear. It sounds so easy. It is not so easy. Many times God has clearly shown me that I am to step into the unknown. He did that when He called me to be the Pastor of First Baptist Church of Sylacauga, Alabama. I left a wonderful church in Georgia and came to a place where I literally knew only 1 person. Granted I have known her for about 8 years (she gave the pastor search committee my name) but I only saw her about 1 time per year for about 3 days when we would lead conferences together at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center. I was very apprehensive about the move, but God slowly assured me that was listening to Him and He was leading the way. I did what He said and I am so glad that I did. The blessings are flowing. The people here are wonderful and God is doing a great work among us.

I was reading in Joshua just this morning. Joshua 1-3 give account of the children of Isreal crossing over the Jordan into the promised land! It is an exciting and interesting story to read.

The instruction was given to look to the Ark of the Covenant (God's presence) and follow it into the land. It was positioned several hundred yards to the front of the crowd. It was there so that all could see that God was in front -- leading into the unknown. When the priests got to the edge of the Jordan River there was a problem. Joshua told the priest to step into the edge of the water -- they had to proceed as if the land was dry. When they did -- the water was dammed up and they walked across on dry ground! They stepped into the unknown and God in His faithfulness delivered them across the river into the promised land.

God is going to be calling FBCS to follow His presence into some unknown territory. He is calling us to a magnificent vision. I, as the pastor, must perform the same role as the priests. I must lead by example into the unknown. I must demonstrate "walking by faith and not by sight." I must keep my eyes focused on God and when I do, the crowd will follow!

Welcome to 2008 and to THE BRANCH!

Welcome to THE BRANCH!

This will be the place where I come to record my thoughts, prayers and ideas. I am calling this blog "The Branch." In John 15:5 Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (NKJV) This blog will be a place where I share what God is doing in my life as a branch. I hope you will come here regularly and see what God is doing.

Welcome 2008!

It is hard to beleive. It is hard to accept it. 2008 is here and another year has passed. As I reflect back on 2007 I am amazed at everthing that has happened this year.

• Mission trip to India
  


• 2 Week cruise to Hawaii
  


• Dealing with immorality on my church staff in Georgia
  


• Leaving my church of 10.5 years to move to First Baptist Church of Sylacauga, Alabama which involved a temporary move to Pell City while we looked for and subsequently found a house to buy.
  


• Complete renovation of the house in Sylacauga
  


• The death of Max Shelton -- Debbie's mother's husband
  


• Surgery for me
  


• Clay and Candi's wedding in July -- yes, that is them in the picture -- aren't they a handsome couple?!!!

It is no wonder that Debbie and I spent a quiet evening together on New Year's Eve. It is the way we wanted to spend it. We were in our lake house on Logan Martin Lake. Occasionally someone would shoot fireworks over the water. The reflection in the water was beautiful. I could see it from my recliner where I had spent most of the day watching TV and reading and yes, napping a few times. IT WAS GREAT!!!

To be honest, I hope 2008 is not at "eventful" as 2007. I plan to spend more time in God's Word, prayer and simple seeking of the Father. It will be during these times that God gives me the vision for my new assignment -- First Baptist Church of Sylacauga. It will be during those times that he will continue to give me my intimate relationship with Him. It will be during those times that He teaches me more about who I am IN HIM.

Last Sunday, December 30th, I preached a message called: "It's Not a Resolution, It's a Lifestyle." In that message I encouraged everyone to take each day as it comes. In order to get to January 2nd I must make it through January 1st. Each day will be a new adventure in the Lord. Each day we must live the "lifestyle" in the Spirit! (Romans 8 and Galatians 5) 2008 will be the best year of our lives if we can just understand these truths.

Remember...keep checking back to see what God is doing on "The Branch."

HAPPY 2008!!!!