On my mind today

Proverbs 27:17 - "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." That's the idea behind CBC's new men's ministry we're calling "Iron Men." As men, we've been taught we don't need anyone. It's a lie! As men we've been taught not to rely on anyone. It's a lie! As men, we've been told we can stand forever on our own. It's a lie! It's a frightening thing to consider how many men are confused about what manhood means. Our hope is that we can work that ought together under the banner of Christ. We're launching our new ministry on Sunday night, Nov 8 doing something most of us would do anyway - eat and watch the Cowboys play football! They're playing the Eagles that night on NBC. Although it wasn't my idea, I heartily endorsed it! We'll meet in the Fishin' Hole (the Youth Building). If you're not a Cowboy fan, you can play pool, ping-pong or foosball. Anyway you stack it, it's ...

I love going to church on Wednesdays! If you've never been (or can't get here), let me tell you about it. Our format on Wednesdays is decidedly casual. We meet in the chapel. We'll pray for the needs on the prayer list and then discuss whatever our topic is for the night. Whereas on Sundays it's much more formal and lecture-type, Wednesdays are much more free-flowing and gentle. Coming on Wednesdays is something I've always done as a means of "topping off the tank" between Sundays. Even as a pastor, however, I find I still need that fellowship and love that you can only find when the church meets together. Put it down - Wednesday nights are cool!

My bad - I know it's been two weeks since I've been here. Let's just say the Lord has blessed my life with many opportunities for serving Him! - Welcome John and Kelly Sandoval, our newest CBC members! We're thrilled the Lord has brought you here! We'll get you into a small group and connect you with the right people to make sure CBC really is home for you like it has become for us! - I did Jacksonville College chapel this morning. It was rainy. It was early. It was miserable! Except inside! :-) Thanks to Tam Clark, dean at JC, and Sheryl Hanna, asst. choral director at JC, and the wonderful student body, it was a great way to begin the week. - A sad "see you later" is in store for us this week. Tim Zednick, our technical director at CBC, is leaving us this week. Sunday is his last day with us. We'll honor him appropriately Sunday. Please pray for him as he begins this transition. He'll be moving to First Baptist Church in Lewisville ...

For those who weren't here yesterday morning, I asked for prayer for our friends the Edwards family and the family of First Baptist Church in Corsicana. Dr. David Edwards, pastor of FBC, was tragically killed in a two-vehicle accident near Hubbard. (Here's a link to the full story ). David lived a full life and leaves behind a powerful legacy of God's faithfulness, compassion and vision for reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is survived by his wife, Lyndy, three children and a loving church. David came to Corsicana in 2006, just about the same time I was finishing PhD work. The Lord's timing was impeccable. I thought I was headed for teaching, but in David, I found a man with equal credentials (he earned a PhD as well) who was serving the people of God by pastoring. In many ways, his influence in my life became a turning point. I had never really considered pastoring as a vocation until that point. He spoke of changed lives, altered destinies ...

We begin, as I always like to, with a hearty welcome to our newest members! Welcome Lex Ticer, Jack and Melinda Lewis and the Ansley family! We're thrilled the Lord has brought each of you to be a part of our fellowship! We're going to welcome you to Central by saying what we always say: "Welcome HOME!" - Our first of two Deacon messages - "Deacons and why they deac!" - was a blessing for me as I got ready for yesterday. You won't want to miss this Sunday. We've got a skit to emphasize how a deacon is supposed to look and act (assuming we can get all of our actors well!). - Sunday School is a GREAT way to get to know people at Central! If you're new to us or are planning to visit, plan to come to to Sunday School. Remember - the church is the church only when there are people inside her walls! The people ARE the Church! - It's true we were down yesterday with the heavy rain we had. But it's amazing to me what people will get out ...

I want to ask you to pray for some specifics today. - Kelly Traylor, Cherokee County Commissioner and a deacon at CBC, lost his mother today. She had been ill, then bounced back, but the Lord called her home today. The unexpected passing of anyone is difficult, but even more so for someone so beloved. Please pray for Kelly and his family during this difficult season of life. - My great-uncle, Ben Hudson, went home to be with the Lord yesterday. Ben had been in poor health for some time. Thus, it was in the mercy of the Lord that the Lord let Ben come home. We appreciate your prayers as we prepare to lay this godly servant of the Lord to rest. - We have MANY in the J-ville area who are sick. No matter what the disease, it's making its way around town, through the schools and wreaking havoc in its wake. Pray for those who are sick. "Cast all your cares on Him, for it matters to Him concerning you" (1 Peter 5:7). It's a comfort to me to realize the God of all th...

- Welcome Jacques and Temica Gooden, our newest members! We're thrilled to have you with us! It's not often we have people join at the BEGINNING of the service, but special people demand special arrangements. (For those who didn't hear it earlier, Temica's work schedule requires her presence before the end of worship, thus we made the special arrangements. - Special thanks to Doug and Tim for their hard work in the technical arena yesterday - I asked a LOT and they delivered! Thanks fellas! Here's the video I used yesterday if you want to see it again. - I was blessed by those of you who came to worship yesterday! I never bother to count, but we had a full house again. - We'll finish our "How Great is Our God" series this Sunday with "A worship service of ONE!" Whereas yesterday we talked about how BIG God is, this Sunday we'll talk about how intimate our relationship can be! - Believe it or not, this Sunday will be our one month ...

Sunday will mark our one month anniversary at CBC! It's been awesome! I love what I've seen and heard from each of you! I think this is the greatest church in the world and I'm so pumped I get to be a part of it, (much less serve as pastor!)! So here's what we're going to do with this new series. We're going to find out why YOU love CBC and what being a part of Jesus' kingdom here has meant to you. In order to do that, I need some volunteers. If you're interested in helping me there, drop me a note at the email address at the top of the page. I'd love to hear from you!

Occasionally, I'll post things here I've found researching for Sundays but can't find a home for in a message. I usually won't explain how or why I found the item I've placed here, but usually, I found it funny or unusual enough to let you have a shot at. This time, however, a little explanation is due. One of the illustrations I'll be using Sunday is about God's view of us. One of my favorite pictures of this comes from Joyce Landorf's book Balcony People . They love us, regardless of our performance. Leaning over the rail, they applaud our every move and do so with passion and enthusiasm. The video I've posted here is sort of the inverse of that. While Statler and Waldorf are balcony people, their snide remarks, while often hillarious, are inverse of God's methodology for us. Enjoy this trip back to Muppet land!

I got a call last night from my dear brother James Lankford. Two weeks ago, I shared with you about his decision to run for U.S. Congress. Now, he's deep in its throes. Fundraising, shaking hands, asking people for their vote - you know the plan. While you might think it odd for a minister to be running for Congress (esp given the nasty nature of Washington politics), bear in mind that his decision was hardly entered into lightly. It's one a long time in the making and one he did not enter into unadvisedly. Therefore, I humbly ask for your prayers for James, Cindy and their two daughters as they begin this long journey. There's much work to do and many obstacles to overcome. One person told me although they supported James' decision, they didn't think he stood much of a chance. To that, I responded that my God "can do immeasurably more than I ask or even imagine" (Ephesians 3:20-21). Since God is the author of our lives, only He can write the sto...

I made it through the rain home last night and back again this morning. Although we needed the rain desperately, I'm glad to see the sun peaking through today! Or at least I was this morning before our internet service went down! I'm glad to see it back! - I tend to think of the first Sunday after Labor Day as the first Sunday of the church year. What a great start we had! - A great thanks to Steve Edwards for his exceptional work in putting on our "Fireproof" movie night last weekend. A great night of pizza and a powerful movie! If you haven't seen it, let us know. We'll get you a copy to view! - Thanks to our LLL (Live Longer and Like it!) Ministry last night. We had a wonderful fellowship after worship last night - even if we did run out of food! Now that's the kind of problem I like to have! It means people are there and they are happy (all those who got food are anyway! :-) ). - I'm always on the lookout for ministry oppotunities and stu...

You remember how on Sunday I said "Some days are bigger than others"? The truth is I've been keeping a secret for a deeply trusted friend. While I was beginning here Sunday, he was about to begin the weirdest journey of our lives. Meet my friend James Lankford. That's Cindy, his lovely bride, and Hannah, their oldest daughter. They have another daughter, Jordan, as well. They live in Edmond, Oklahoma. James and I have been friends for close to 20 years now. We came to Southwestern Seminary together in 1990. You ever met someone and it's like a long-lost brother? That's how James and I felt. We've served the Lord together through Youth Evangelism and through church ministry. He has a passion for ministry and an even greater passion for people. I've found him to be a man who can be trusted implicitly without fear of reprisal. We were in each other's weddings and have carried our friendship forward despite the distance between us. About a...

One of the things I enjoy most is the study of the Bible. Whether it's for use now or studying the ancients versions of it, my heart beats fast for it. The picture you see at left is the portion of a papyrus version of 1 Peter. It was only recently discovered. For those who say Biblical study is boring, I say you're not doing it right! Here's a link to the site where you can read more about it and learn more about the fascinating world of New Testament studies. Let me know what you think!

Each day I get an email from Zondervan Publishing House, printers of the New International Version Bible. They send me a random verse per day, completely random to me although I'm sure they have some sort of plan involved. The amazing thing is how timely these verses seem to be for me. Today was a great example. Although this week has been nothing short of amazing, it's always tough starting a new gig. Having to ask such mundane questions - like "where do we keep the pens?" or "how do I mail this?" or, my personal favorite for myself, "How do I turn on the copier?" - it's a reminder that we're still getting our feet on the ground. Thus, when I opened that email this morning, I couldn't help but smile. Today's verse is Isaiah 26:3 - " You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you ." This week hasn't been trying because of my job or the people I work with - far from it. Bu...

Welcome to our friends from Central BC! Herein, you'll find my incoherency on full display! If you take time to read this with any frequency at all, you'll find my thoughts are as random as the day is long! My hope and prayer is that you'll also find something of my heart for people and ministry here. First, a word about who I am and where I plan to go. My deep desire is (1) for the love of Christ to change each of us for the sake of His kingdom; (2) for the love of Christ to change what we do and why we do it; (3) for the love of Christ to call us to worship Him for who He really is, not just what I'd like to think of Him as; (4) for the love of Christ to call us to mentor and guide other lives toward maturity in Christ; (5) for the love of Christ to bind us together in faithfulness and love as we serve Christ together. Although it's not been advertised, Steve Edwards has been gracious enough to let me have the privilege of leading tomorrow night's prayer ...

We're back. What a great time we had! It was an awesome time to spend with us before next week. A brief recap: Monday - We went to the Alamo and the Dallas Cowboys Training Camp at the Alamodome. Both super cool! While I've been to the Alamo many, many times ( I once had a job that had a significant amount of travel around the state and San Antonio was a regular stop), I never cease to be impressed by it. It stirs the love of history and Texas within me and causes me, once again, to thank God for this amazing and wonderful land in which we live. As for the Cowboys,I've long wanted to go to Training camp just for the experience. It was no disappointment! It was great to see the Cowboys up close - I'll never be able to afford seats that close at the new stadium - and the best part was it was FREE! Since we had parked downtown, we didn't even pay a parking fee! Tuesday - Literally, we did nothing. We slept late, swam in the hotel pool, ate a late lunch and ...

I'm here in my FBC office, but it's different now. All the books are gone and so are the wall-hangings. My little knick-knacks and tchotchkes are gone as well. It has been the strangest summer of my life. I would've never believed it if you had told me on Memorial Day weekend. Sunday is our last day here - it's shocking to me even now to say that. All the life and heart and soul poured out here - it's hard to reconcile all of this. And yet, in this change and the accompanying loss, there's a quiet confidence in my heart. A confidence that yes, this IS INDEED God's plan for us. I don't know why and I can't express with clarity what happens from here. For all human intents and purposes, this looks like insanity. Yet I'm fully convinced and convicted this is the plan of the Lord. To my friends at FBC Frankston: Thanks for allowing us to serve the Lord here for the last two-plus years. We're indebted to you in so many ways. Your love ...

For my friends who love puns, here are some I got today and just had to share them! I'll harass my wife with them when I get home! A CAREER IN PUNS My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate. Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe. After that, I tried to be a tailor, but I wasn't suited for it -- mainly because it was a sew-sew job. Next, I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting. Then, I tried to be a chef -- figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme. I attempted to be a deli worker; but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard. I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience. Next, was a job in a shoe factory. I tried but I couldn't fit in. I became depressed and soulful. Then there was the professional fisherma...

For those who are from our soon-to-be church home at Central BC, Jacksonville, WELCOME! This is the place for my ramblings about whatever is on my (oft-demented) mind. Now, on to what I really wanted to say. . . . Tonight, I was called as pastor of Central BC in Jacksonville by an unanimous vote of 300+. Wow. That shocked me. There's always at least one "no" in a crowd of any size. At least one person usually votes "no" to make sure it isn't unanimous. But tonight, it was. It strikes me that it's an example of the spirit of the church. I can't remember a time when I had a greater swell of emotion. The joy of being called mixed with the sadness of leaving our beloved FBC in Frankston. The anticipation of a new challenge mixed with the challenge of new opportunities. We don't know what happens next when we get there, but we know we'll be ready for it when it does come by holding the hand of the Lord. Please pray for us as we get re...

Perhaps you missed it last night - I did - but I found it this morning. Coach John Wooden was honored last night by the The Sporting News as the greatest coach in American Sports history. I'm not sure how you can measure that, but I think they choose properly. He was near retirement when I was born yet only one other coach has had the kind of influence on me that Coach Wooden has had (Coach Tom Landry). He's now 98 yrs old but still has the clarity of man much younger. Take a couple of minutes and watch the interview he did with ESPN.