From the Pastor for September 7, 2008

Our Pastor with one of the boys from our church at Bogg Springs Camp in Arkansas.

From the Pastor:
(Revelation 3:9) Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Jesus is pleased to vindicate His children. The preaching of the Gospel is foolishness to the men of this world; but to those who believe, it is the power of God unto salvation. I heard a man on the radio a few years ago vehemently denying the existence of God. He was absolutely convinced that there was no God at all. He further stated that men do not have a soul. It is unfortunate that there are many people who do not believe in God. There are some that say they believe in God but by their actions they deny His existence. John records in our text that there will come a time when we shall see such men bow down, right there in front of us, and worship the Lord God. (Romans 14:11) For it is written, [As] I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. One day I will see this man whose voice I heard on the radio. When I see him he will be on his knees worshiping God. I hope that between now and then he will come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. If he does not repent he will be force to bow and acknowledge that there is a God indeed. Take heart child of God for you may be counted foolish by this present world but in the world to come men shall see how much God has loved you!

From the Pastor for August 31, 2008

This picture is of our pastor and his wife during their dating days. This picture was taken just a few days before their engagement on August 25, 1973.

From the Pastor:
(Song of Solomon 2:1) I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
Acceptance is a thing that is desired and needed by every human being. People need to be loved. This verse is not spoken in pride but is a statement of delight. The young lady who speaks here expresses her elation at the fact that someone thinks that she is the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys.
I remember during our dating months the first time that I heard that Janie thought I was “so handsome.” No one had ever felt that way about me before. I suddenly became the rose of Sharon to someone and it made my heart fill with joy. My grandkids think that I am something wonderful and they are so excited every time they get to come to my house and see me. I am to them the rose of Sharon. It is nice to love and to be loved.
The best love of all is the love of Christ. His love for us is more important than any other. He looked down through time and loved us so much that He came into the world to give His life a ransom for us.
Whether we ever have the love of any other human being or not we have the love of the greatest person who ever walked on the earth. He made us and He loves us. He wants to do great things for us and through us. We need to share His love with those around us. We need to love one another with that same love with which He loved us.

From the Pastor for August 24, 2008

The picture is of our pastor and his wife and mother and father. It was taken at his graduation from Seminary in 2003.

From the Pastor:
John 11:4 “This sickness is not unto death.”
Week before last I was sick for four days. I ran a low grade fever and did not feel well. I never felt that my illness was life threatening. There are many names on our prayer list of people who are suffering from various illnesses. From the story of Lazarus and our Lord’s words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. The word “unto” in this verse is a great comfort for it contains the ultimate restraint from which sickness can not break free. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the ultimate end of this particular sickness. In all sickness, the Lord says to the waves of pain, “Hitherto shall ye go, but no further.” God's purpose in our sick times is not to destroy us but to instruct us and bring glory to His name. Let us be encouraged by the following:
1. We may be encouraged when we consider that the limit of our sicknesses is comprehensive, covering every aspect of it. God in His providence has limited the length, the intensity, the repetition, and effects of all our sicknesses. Each throbbing pain we feel is decreed, each sleepless hour predestined, each relapse commanded, each moment of depression foreknown, and each sanctifying result ordained of God. Nothing great or small escapes the ruling hand of the One who made man's tongue and numbers the hairs of our head.
2. We may be encouraged to know that this limit is wisely adjusted to suit our strength, to accomplish the divinely set purpose, and to match the grace of God which is sufficient for our every trial. Afflictions come but when they do each blow they deliver is carefully and accurately measured. God who made no mistakes in creating the heavens and the earth, commits no errors in measuring out the cure of our ailments that beset the soul and body. It is not possible for us to suffer too much nor be relieved too late.
3. We may be encouraged to know that the limit is tenderly appointed. “He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.” A mother’s heart cries, “Spare my child”; but no mother is more compassionate than our gracious God.

From the Pastor for August 17, 2008

The picture is of Bro. Paul Clark at the Messenger meeting of the American Baptist Association.

From the Pastor:
Job 29:2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
Many Christians look back on the past with pleasure, while regarding the present with dissatisfaction. They look back upon the days which have passed which they spent communing with the Lord as being the sweetest and the best they have ever known. Their present circumstance, like that of Job in this text, may be gloomy and devoid of the glory of the past. Once they lived near to Jesus, but now they feel that they have wandered from him, and they say, “O that I were as in months past!” They complain that they have not present peace of mind, or that, as was the case with Job, those who surround them have no connection with the Lord of Glory. Christians may say, due to present circumstance, that they and those around them have not so much zeal for God’s glory. The causes of this sad state of things are varied. It may arise through a comparative neglect of prayer, for a neglected of private prayer is the beginning of most spiritual decline. Or it may be the result of idolatry. The heart and mind have been occupied with something else, more than with God; the affections have been set on the things of earth, instead of the things of heaven. In the case of Job, his longing to be as he was in months past was not due to these at all but to the workings of Satan and Job's so called friends. Christian, if you are not now as you “were as in months past,” do not rest satisfied with wishing for a return of former happiness, but go at once to seek your Master, and tell him your sad state. Ask his grace and strength to help you to walk more closely with him; humble yourself before him, and he will lift you.

From the Pastor for Sunday August 10, 2008

The pictture is of our pastor and his wife at the Texas Baptist Institute Alumni banquet.

From the Pastor: PERSIS
(Rom 16:12) Salute Tryphena and Tryphosa, who labour in the Lord. Salute the beloved Persis, which laboured much in the Lord.
The names mentioned in this verse are feminine in the Greek language. It is to be understood that these were women. It is said of the first two that they labor in the Lord. This means that they worked and that their work was Godly work. Work done in the Lord is done for the Lord. These had no doubt done many good and kind deeds. They had helped the sick. They had helped the poor. They had helped widows and orphans. These acts of kindness were done because of the love that they had for the Lord and they did them for His honor and glory. Women such as these help the cause of Christ. These two ladies labored in the Lord.
Persis also labored in the Lord but it is said of her that she labored MUCH in the Lord. There are some who are able to do more work in the Lord than others. The Lord has, perhaps, put them in such a circumstance that they are able to work long hours for the Lord. The Lord may have given to Persis the talent or ability to do things that not every woman could do. Some women can sew better than others. Some cook better than others. Some teach better than others. She used her talents for the Lord. She may or may not have had children of her own. A woman who is raising children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is laboring in the Lord. To raise godly children is to labor in the Lord. The virtuous woman as described by Solomon is one who takes good care of her family and home. She is to be praised for she labors in the Lord. She is doing the work the Lord has put her on earth to do. Women truly are a vital part in the work of the Lord.
Men, let us learn from these women. May it be said of us that we labored much in the Lord.