Happy Birthday America!
Adapted by Larry d. Wright
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! You will be 232 years old on Friday! That’s a long time for a nation to remain free, but when you examine history, you’re just an infant among the nations. Nations like Egypt, China, Japan, Rome, or even Greece had much longer histories but they were not so free.HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! You have a rich spiritual history that continues to influence the world today.
· My County, ‘Tis of Thee was written by a Baptist minister, Samuel Francis Smith.· The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by a Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy.· The words “In God We Trust” are traced to the efforts of Rev. W.R. Watkinson.
· Rev. John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! You’re entire history has spanned only 4 generations but your impact on the world is a testimony for the freedom of every person and an appeal for human rights! When Thomas Jefferson died, Abraham Lincoln was a young man of 17. When Lincoln was assassinated, Woodrow Wilson was a boy of 8. By the time the nation mourned the death of President Wilson, Ronald Reagan was a boy of 12.Even though you have a short history, God has richly blessed you. You are the richest nation in the world. Your natural resources are still the greatest of all nations but your wealth is not your lands and resources. It is your people.HAPPY
BIRTHDAY AMERICA! I pray that you have learned valuable lessons from your past successes and mistakes. American patriots shed their blood so you can walk into the future a much wiser nation.
· You began by breaking free from British shackles.· You survived a brutal civil war that nearly cost you your national soul.· You fought and won against two foreign enemies on soil not your own because you believed that fascism was evil. · You stood against Communist aggression in Korea and Viet Nam.· You have drawn a line in the sand against militant Islamic fascism that will stop short of nothing less than world domination.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! You are a great nation with a great history. When you were very young, the famous French political philosopher, Alexis deToucqueville visited your shores to learn the secret which enabled a handful of people to defeat the mighty British Empire. He traveled across your vast land from shore to shore, looking for greatness in your harbors and rivers, your fertile fields and boundless forests. He studied your schools, your military, your Congress, your Constitution—but still he could not find the secret. It was not until he went into your churches and heard your pulpits “aflame with righteousness” that he found the answer. When he returned to Europe, he wrote this caveat: “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Your greatness is a result of God’s goodness and your generosity in sharing His blessings. You have given untold millions in aid to the impoverished countries of the world. You have sent missionaries to the ends of the earth to feed hungry bodies and starving souls. When tragedy or disaster strikes, you are the first to arrive with help.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! The noble lady of liberty in New York harbor, a gift from the French, stands proudly with her flame lifted high for all to see. She inspires even those of us who were born within your borders as she symbolizes freedom and democracy. The line from the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus inscribed on a plaque at the base of the statue advertises your invitation to anyone who longs to be free: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Your flag waves proudly in the free air—a symbol of all that makes you great. She may grace the sky at a ball game, political rally, concert or worship service or when she drapes the coffin of a patriot she instills pride and pleasure in the hearts of a grateful nation.
Enjoy your birthday AMERICA! I pray that you will be blessed by the Author of freedom and the Giver of redemption. And I pray that you will live to celebrate many more birthdays in the future. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Praying In the Spirit
Praying In the Spirit
By Larry d. Wright
Prayer is both a natural and unnatural process. It is natural for a child to cry to their Father but there are times when even a child does not know what to say. Words fail to rise to the surface of our lips and even when they do, they seem inadequate.
In "Letters to Malcolm" (p.70), C.S Lewis reflects this dilemma as he quotes some anonymous lines:
“I seek in myself the things I hoped to say,
But, lo! My wells are dry.
Then, seeing me empty, you forsake
The listener’s role and through
My dumb lips breathe and into utterance wake
The thoughts I never knew.”
There are times when a prayer in our heart finds great difficulty arriving at our lips. Oh, the pain of dry wells! Good News! You do not need to articulate your needs and desires for God to know them since He knows the status and desires of your heart at every moment. Prayers that are not uttered do not go unnoticed from Him. David declared, “All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9)
However, God is so interested that you articulate your prayers that He will help you in your weakness. Paul declared, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:26-27)
Good News! The Holy Spirit, who is God, will help you pray! However, He will not do this without complete cooperation from you. He will not overpower your flesh but work through you when you align your life with Him. Praying in the Spirit happens when your surrender is so complete that He can think His thoughts through you, express His desires through you and He can speak words through you.
Thomas R. Kelly in "A Testament of Devotion" describes this process with great eloquence:” There comes a time when prayer pours forth in volumes and originality such as we cannot create. It rolls through us like a mighty tide. Our prayers are mingled with a vaster word, a Word that at one time was made flesh. We pray, and yet it is not we who pray, but a Greater who prays in us…All we can say is, Prayer is taking place, and I am given to be in the orbit.” (p.45)
Prayer that takes you to another orbit because it is birthed and borne by the Spirit, that, friend, is Praying in the Spirit!
By Larry d. Wright
Prayer is both a natural and unnatural process. It is natural for a child to cry to their Father but there are times when even a child does not know what to say. Words fail to rise to the surface of our lips and even when they do, they seem inadequate.
In "Letters to Malcolm" (p.70), C.S Lewis reflects this dilemma as he quotes some anonymous lines:
“I seek in myself the things I hoped to say,
But, lo! My wells are dry.
Then, seeing me empty, you forsake
The listener’s role and through
My dumb lips breathe and into utterance wake
The thoughts I never knew.”
There are times when a prayer in our heart finds great difficulty arriving at our lips. Oh, the pain of dry wells! Good News! You do not need to articulate your needs and desires for God to know them since He knows the status and desires of your heart at every moment. Prayers that are not uttered do not go unnoticed from Him. David declared, “All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.” (Psalm 38:9)
However, God is so interested that you articulate your prayers that He will help you in your weakness. Paul declared, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:26-27)
Good News! The Holy Spirit, who is God, will help you pray! However, He will not do this without complete cooperation from you. He will not overpower your flesh but work through you when you align your life with Him. Praying in the Spirit happens when your surrender is so complete that He can think His thoughts through you, express His desires through you and He can speak words through you.
Thomas R. Kelly in "A Testament of Devotion" describes this process with great eloquence:” There comes a time when prayer pours forth in volumes and originality such as we cannot create. It rolls through us like a mighty tide. Our prayers are mingled with a vaster word, a Word that at one time was made flesh. We pray, and yet it is not we who pray, but a Greater who prays in us…All we can say is, Prayer is taking place, and I am given to be in the orbit.” (p.45)
Prayer that takes you to another orbit because it is birthed and borne by the Spirit, that, friend, is Praying in the Spirit!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Homeland Security
Homeland Security
By Larry d. Wright
Just a few years ago our land was attach by terrorist. Until then the term homeland security had no meaning whatsoever. But all that changed on September 11, 2001. The devastation that we saw when two jet airliners brought down the twin towers in New York City and another plane crashed into the Pentagon killing thousands of people brought the concept of homeland security to the forefront.
Not only is our homeland under the threat of a vicious enemy also our homes are under attack as well. The most powerful resource we have to protect our homeland and our homes is PRAYER! We need men and women to meet the challenge with prayer.
What makes an ordinary obscure person a powerful weapon in the hands of God? Prayer!
Prayer is coming into the presence of God; it is entering the throne room of the KING of kings and LORD of lords; it is communicating with the creator of the world; it is bringing our questions to the one who has the answers; it is connecting our lives with the ALL knowing, ALL present and ALL powerful KING of kings. Prayer is coming near to God.
Charles Spurgeon said, "Prayers are the believer’s weapons of war. When the battle is too hard for us, we call in our great ally, who, as it were lies in ambush until faith gives the signal by crying out, ARISE oh LORD!"
Prayer can do anything that God can do because prayer involves God in the problems of man. Prayer literally unleashes the power of God. It is the slender nerve attached to the muscles of an omnipotent God.
Elijah was a man, a man passionate in prayer. He prayed the word of God into natural reality because he prayed with faith. Elijah impacted a nation through prayer because God honors this kind of praying.
Other Men Who Prayed Specifically
Job prayed for the purity of his kids. (Job 1:1-5) He prayed, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”
Abraham prayed for the future spouse of his kids. In Genesis chapter 24 we see Abraham, who at the time was a very old man, praying for God to provided a godly wife for his son. A beautiful love story resulted.
Jacob prayed for God to Bless the Future of his children. Genesis 48 records the story of an aging Jacob gathering his son Joseph and His two grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh so he could pray and bless them. “May God, the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life, and the angel who has kept me from harm – may he bless these boys. May they preserve my name and the names of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac. And may they become a mighty nation.” (15-16)
David prayed that his son’s desire would be to obey God. David prayed for His son Solomon the following prayer: “Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, decrees and principles, and to build this Temple, for which I have made all these preparations.”(1 Chronicles 29:19)We need to pray that our children will have a strong and consuming desire to obey ALL the commands of God.
We have become way too comfortable and assume too much! May we regain the desire for availing, fervent prayer! May we follow the instructions of Jesus and pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Earnest prayer moves God out of heaven and into earth! Biblical prayer secures our homeland.
By Larry d. Wright
Just a few years ago our land was attach by terrorist. Until then the term homeland security had no meaning whatsoever. But all that changed on September 11, 2001. The devastation that we saw when two jet airliners brought down the twin towers in New York City and another plane crashed into the Pentagon killing thousands of people brought the concept of homeland security to the forefront.
Not only is our homeland under the threat of a vicious enemy also our homes are under attack as well. The most powerful resource we have to protect our homeland and our homes is PRAYER! We need men and women to meet the challenge with prayer.
What makes an ordinary obscure person a powerful weapon in the hands of God? Prayer!
Prayer is coming into the presence of God; it is entering the throne room of the KING of kings and LORD of lords; it is communicating with the creator of the world; it is bringing our questions to the one who has the answers; it is connecting our lives with the ALL knowing, ALL present and ALL powerful KING of kings. Prayer is coming near to God.
Charles Spurgeon said, "Prayers are the believer’s weapons of war. When the battle is too hard for us, we call in our great ally, who, as it were lies in ambush until faith gives the signal by crying out, ARISE oh LORD!"
Prayer can do anything that God can do because prayer involves God in the problems of man. Prayer literally unleashes the power of God. It is the slender nerve attached to the muscles of an omnipotent God.
Elijah was a man, a man passionate in prayer. He prayed the word of God into natural reality because he prayed with faith. Elijah impacted a nation through prayer because God honors this kind of praying.
Other Men Who Prayed Specifically
Job prayed for the purity of his kids. (Job 1:1-5) He prayed, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.”
Abraham prayed for the future spouse of his kids. In Genesis chapter 24 we see Abraham, who at the time was a very old man, praying for God to provided a godly wife for his son. A beautiful love story resulted.
Jacob prayed for God to Bless the Future of his children. Genesis 48 records the story of an aging Jacob gathering his son Joseph and His two grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh so he could pray and bless them. “May God, the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life, and the angel who has kept me from harm – may he bless these boys. May they preserve my name and the names of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac. And may they become a mighty nation.” (15-16)
David prayed that his son’s desire would be to obey God. David prayed for His son Solomon the following prayer: “Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, decrees and principles, and to build this Temple, for which I have made all these preparations.”(1 Chronicles 29:19)We need to pray that our children will have a strong and consuming desire to obey ALL the commands of God.
We have become way too comfortable and assume too much! May we regain the desire for availing, fervent prayer! May we follow the instructions of Jesus and pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Earnest prayer moves God out of heaven and into earth! Biblical prayer secures our homeland.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Pseudo Spirituality
Pseudo Spirituality
By Larry d. Wright
In an issue of Newsweek magazine several studies claimed that America is a spiritual nation. One example cited in the survey claims that 64% of Americans say that they pray every day. Sociologist Alan Wolfe of Boston College suggests that the current spiritual searching is really about the empowerment of the self: “Rather than being about a god who commands you, it’s about finding a religion that empowers you.”
Albert Mohler weighs in on the point by saying, “The impression left by the total package is of a nation that increasingly embraces soft and self-centered forms of spirituality even as it rejects more demanding forms of belief…they see spirituality as a means of self-development…they want to get in touch with the universe and with their inner selves, but are not particularly concerned to know what the Creator would demand of them.” (www.crosswalk.com)
A Christianity Today poll found that half of all Americans believe in extrasensory perception. One of every four professing Christians believes in clairvoyance, and almost half in psychic healing. 25% believe the movement of the stars governs the affairs of men and women.
Browse any bookstore and you will find titles such as “New Age Spirituality”; “Do It Yourself Religion”; “The Higher Path”; “Self-Esteem and Enlightenment.” What might initially have appeared as simply a new trend has become a more dominant cultural shift that some call ‘postmodern spirituality.’ This new spirituality is reflected in countless popular books and through the philosophies of those who tend to draw upon an eastern worldview and esoteric mysticism. Spirituality without Jesus sells; but is it real? Is God simply a higher dimension reached by an inner journey to the soul? Is it true that “the more you love yourself, the greater your connection with God, the Spirit, Divine Source, or whatever you call God?” Can there be true spirituality without Jesus?
I say “No!” New Age Spirituality, or as I call it Pseudo Spirituality, sells so well because people are hungry for meaning and spiritual significance. God has placed an eternal longing in the heart of His creation that can only be satisfied by Him. Still man-made religion is popular because it does not humble sinners or place any demands of holiness upon them.
Many today recognize a whole new level of popularization of Pseudo Spirituality through the influence of Oprah Winfrey. “Oprah Winfrey has risen to a new level of guru. She’s no longer just a successful talk-show host worth $1.4 billion, according to Forbes’ most recent estimate. Over the past year Winfrey has emerged as a spiritual leader for the new millennium.” "She’s a really hip and materialistic Mother Teresa," says Kathryn Lofton, a professor at Reed College in Portland, who has written two papers analyzing the religious aspects of Winfrey. "Oprah has emerged as a symbolic figurehead of spirituality." (USA Today, article by John Jalsevac March 7, 2008)
In her words Oprah said, “The new spirituality is that you are your own best authority as you work to know and love yourself, you discover how to live a more spiritual life. While Christianity is a valid way to achieve high states of spirituality, it must not be considered a unique way, or a correct way."
In considering the cultural trend towards being freed from the old paths in pursuit of new spirituality, we do well to recall George Orwell’s words:
“For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had foreseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake: the thing at the bottom was not a bed of roses after all; it was a cesspool full of barbed wire. . . It appears that amputation of the soul isn’t just a simple surgical job, like having your appendix out. The wound has a tendency to go septic.” (George Orwell , Notes on the Way)
By Larry d. Wright
In an issue of Newsweek magazine several studies claimed that America is a spiritual nation. One example cited in the survey claims that 64% of Americans say that they pray every day. Sociologist Alan Wolfe of Boston College suggests that the current spiritual searching is really about the empowerment of the self: “Rather than being about a god who commands you, it’s about finding a religion that empowers you.”
Albert Mohler weighs in on the point by saying, “The impression left by the total package is of a nation that increasingly embraces soft and self-centered forms of spirituality even as it rejects more demanding forms of belief…they see spirituality as a means of self-development…they want to get in touch with the universe and with their inner selves, but are not particularly concerned to know what the Creator would demand of them.” (www.crosswalk.com)
A Christianity Today poll found that half of all Americans believe in extrasensory perception. One of every four professing Christians believes in clairvoyance, and almost half in psychic healing. 25% believe the movement of the stars governs the affairs of men and women.
Browse any bookstore and you will find titles such as “New Age Spirituality”; “Do It Yourself Religion”; “The Higher Path”; “Self-Esteem and Enlightenment.” What might initially have appeared as simply a new trend has become a more dominant cultural shift that some call ‘postmodern spirituality.’ This new spirituality is reflected in countless popular books and through the philosophies of those who tend to draw upon an eastern worldview and esoteric mysticism. Spirituality without Jesus sells; but is it real? Is God simply a higher dimension reached by an inner journey to the soul? Is it true that “the more you love yourself, the greater your connection with God, the Spirit, Divine Source, or whatever you call God?” Can there be true spirituality without Jesus?
I say “No!” New Age Spirituality, or as I call it Pseudo Spirituality, sells so well because people are hungry for meaning and spiritual significance. God has placed an eternal longing in the heart of His creation that can only be satisfied by Him. Still man-made religion is popular because it does not humble sinners or place any demands of holiness upon them.
Many today recognize a whole new level of popularization of Pseudo Spirituality through the influence of Oprah Winfrey. “Oprah Winfrey has risen to a new level of guru. She’s no longer just a successful talk-show host worth $1.4 billion, according to Forbes’ most recent estimate. Over the past year Winfrey has emerged as a spiritual leader for the new millennium.” "She’s a really hip and materialistic Mother Teresa," says Kathryn Lofton, a professor at Reed College in Portland, who has written two papers analyzing the religious aspects of Winfrey. "Oprah has emerged as a symbolic figurehead of spirituality." (USA Today, article by John Jalsevac March 7, 2008)
In her words Oprah said, “The new spirituality is that you are your own best authority as you work to know and love yourself, you discover how to live a more spiritual life. While Christianity is a valid way to achieve high states of spirituality, it must not be considered a unique way, or a correct way."
In considering the cultural trend towards being freed from the old paths in pursuit of new spirituality, we do well to recall George Orwell’s words:
“For two hundred years we had sawed and sawed and sawed at the branch we were sitting on. And in the end, much more suddenly than anyone had foreseen, our efforts were rewarded, and down we came. But unfortunately there had been a little mistake: the thing at the bottom was not a bed of roses after all; it was a cesspool full of barbed wire. . . It appears that amputation of the soul isn’t just a simple surgical job, like having your appendix out. The wound has a tendency to go septic.” (George Orwell , Notes on the Way)
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Mission Bridge
The Mission Bridge
By Larry d. Wright
Are you ready for a real surprise? The words mission, missions, missionary or my favorite word missional are not found in the Bible. The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance goes from missed to mist and the word mission is conspicuously absent. I find that fact surprising but it doesn’t trouble me.
I believe there is a clear reason why the word missions is not found in the Bible. The Bible is not a book about systematic theology but a journal of the theology of missions in action. The Bible is the record of God in action accomplishing salvation for all mankind. Actually, the Bible ascribes only one intention to God: to redeem and restore mankind. We capture that intention with the word missions.
If you want to know what beats in the heart of God, it is missions. I love what one person said, “God had only one Son, and He made Him a missionary.” Jesus Himself said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) The last command from His lips expressed the desire of His heart. The first two letters of gospel spell “Go!”
If you want to know the hope of mankind, it is missions. Without the gospel, man is helpless and hopeless.
The story is told of an agnostic professor who visited the Fiji Islands. The professor remarked to an elderly chief, “You are a great leader, but it is a pity you have been victimized by those Christian missionaries. No one believes the Bible anymore. People are tired of the story of Christ dying on cross for the sins of mankind. We know better now. I am sorry you were manipulated to accept their story.”
The old chief’s eyes flashed with passion as he answered, “See that great rock over there? On it we smashed the heads of our victims. Notice the furnace next to it? In that oven we used to roast the bodies of our victims. If it wasn’t for the love of those missionaries and the message they brought that changed us from cannibals to Christians, you would our next supper.”
If you want to know the health of the church, it is missions. The orders of our Commander-n-Chief make our mission clear: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” There is an important premise we should never forget: Christ alone can save the world, but Christ cannot save the world alone. He has chosen to use us.
First Baptist Church has no reason to exist apart from the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. His command gave birth to our existence. It defines our reason to exist and clarifies our mission. Simply, the mission of the church is missions.
When God loved, He loved the world. When the Father gave His Son, He gave His Son for the world. When the Son died, He died for the world. God’s vision is the world. Our mission is to build a bridge from Florence, Alabama to reach the world.
There is a bridge across Panther Creek in Western Kentucky built by the United States government. It was a source of pride and a symbol of recovery. Today the bridge looks as new as the day in which it was built because it bares only the weight of itself. There is no road leading to it or from it.
I suggest that a bridge that does not carry traffic is not a bridge. It is a structure with no appropriate name. And a church that is not missional is group of people but not a church.
Coca-Cola has a motto that is posted in the company headquarters that explains their incredible success. It reads: THINK GLOBALLY, BUT ACT LOCALLY. Long before Coca-Cola was a dream, Jesus said, “Begin in Florence and don’t stop until you have reached the end of the earth.” That is the Mission Bridge.
By Larry d. Wright
Are you ready for a real surprise? The words mission, missions, missionary or my favorite word missional are not found in the Bible. The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance goes from missed to mist and the word mission is conspicuously absent. I find that fact surprising but it doesn’t trouble me.
I believe there is a clear reason why the word missions is not found in the Bible. The Bible is not a book about systematic theology but a journal of the theology of missions in action. The Bible is the record of God in action accomplishing salvation for all mankind. Actually, the Bible ascribes only one intention to God: to redeem and restore mankind. We capture that intention with the word missions.
If you want to know what beats in the heart of God, it is missions. I love what one person said, “God had only one Son, and He made Him a missionary.” Jesus Himself said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) The last command from His lips expressed the desire of His heart. The first two letters of gospel spell “Go!”
If you want to know the hope of mankind, it is missions. Without the gospel, man is helpless and hopeless.
The story is told of an agnostic professor who visited the Fiji Islands. The professor remarked to an elderly chief, “You are a great leader, but it is a pity you have been victimized by those Christian missionaries. No one believes the Bible anymore. People are tired of the story of Christ dying on cross for the sins of mankind. We know better now. I am sorry you were manipulated to accept their story.”
The old chief’s eyes flashed with passion as he answered, “See that great rock over there? On it we smashed the heads of our victims. Notice the furnace next to it? In that oven we used to roast the bodies of our victims. If it wasn’t for the love of those missionaries and the message they brought that changed us from cannibals to Christians, you would our next supper.”
If you want to know the health of the church, it is missions. The orders of our Commander-n-Chief make our mission clear: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” There is an important premise we should never forget: Christ alone can save the world, but Christ cannot save the world alone. He has chosen to use us.
First Baptist Church has no reason to exist apart from the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. His command gave birth to our existence. It defines our reason to exist and clarifies our mission. Simply, the mission of the church is missions.
When God loved, He loved the world. When the Father gave His Son, He gave His Son for the world. When the Son died, He died for the world. God’s vision is the world. Our mission is to build a bridge from Florence, Alabama to reach the world.
There is a bridge across Panther Creek in Western Kentucky built by the United States government. It was a source of pride and a symbol of recovery. Today the bridge looks as new as the day in which it was built because it bares only the weight of itself. There is no road leading to it or from it.
I suggest that a bridge that does not carry traffic is not a bridge. It is a structure with no appropriate name. And a church that is not missional is group of people but not a church.
Coca-Cola has a motto that is posted in the company headquarters that explains their incredible success. It reads: THINK GLOBALLY, BUT ACT LOCALLY. Long before Coca-Cola was a dream, Jesus said, “Begin in Florence and don’t stop until you have reached the end of the earth.” That is the Mission Bridge.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The Fire of the Lord
The Fire of the Lord
By Larry d. Wright
“Then the fire of the LORD fell…”
In one of His most controversial statements Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth.” There are times in the Scripture in which fire is a symbol of judgment but in the vast majority of references fire is used to illustrate God’s divine presence. The context of His words makes it clear that this is the meaning behind His words, “I have come to bring fire.”
In this unusual statement of Jesus the fire He is speaking of is not literal fire but a spiritual symbol. He is speaking of the burning, exciting, dynamic presence of God in the lives of people. The fire that illuminates His dazzling presence, generates unlimited power, burns away the dross and impurities and attracts people to Him. That is the Fire of God.
In the scriptures, God sometimes revealed Himself through a physical representation; this is called a theophany. Fire is the most common theophany. There are several definitive statements about God in the Bible: God is Holy; God is Light; God is Love; God is Spirit. Fire is used as a symbol of God. God is not fire–He is like fire–and the Scriptures use it to symbolize His awesome presence.
When God appeared to Moses He spoke out of the flame of a burning bush. Later, on Mt. Sinai, God appeared to all the Israelites as a fire on the mountain. Exodus 24:17 says, “To the Israelites, the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire.” What a sight that must have been!
There is something awesome and scary about fire, no wonder God chose to use fires as a theophany. Later, when Moses built the Tabernacle, they made the first sacrifice in the Holy of Holies. God again revealed Himself by fire. Leviticus 9:24 says, “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering ... And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face-down.”
On Mt Carmel the prophet Elijah prayed “Then the fire of God fell” consuming the sacrifice and licking up the water in the trenches around the altar. The people fell on their faces and declared, “The Lord He is God!”
When God’s fire comes to the hearts of men and women their spirits are freed from the awful bondage of idolatry. When God’s fire comes, the enemy will be destroyed. That is why we should pray, “O, Lord ---send the fire. Your fire. Send your consuming, changing, restoring, victorious fire!”
We sing about the Fire of God in many of our hymns. I love to sing, "Lord, as of old at Pentecost thou didst thy power display, with cleansing, purifying flame, descend on us today. Lord, send the old time power, the Pentecostal power! Thy floodgates of blessings on us thor open wide! Lord, send the old time power, the Pentcostal power, that sinners be converted and thy name glorified!" There is a song I have known for years that says, “Oh, Lord, you’re beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me. O Lord, please light the fire, which once burned bright and clear, replace the lamp of my first love, that burned with holy fear.”
Oh, may our PRAYER be heard, “Lord, send your fire! May we sense and know Your burning, exciting, dynamic presence in our lives and among Your people.”
By Larry d. Wright
“Then the fire of the LORD fell…”
In one of His most controversial statements Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth.” There are times in the Scripture in which fire is a symbol of judgment but in the vast majority of references fire is used to illustrate God’s divine presence. The context of His words makes it clear that this is the meaning behind His words, “I have come to bring fire.”
In this unusual statement of Jesus the fire He is speaking of is not literal fire but a spiritual symbol. He is speaking of the burning, exciting, dynamic presence of God in the lives of people. The fire that illuminates His dazzling presence, generates unlimited power, burns away the dross and impurities and attracts people to Him. That is the Fire of God.
In the scriptures, God sometimes revealed Himself through a physical representation; this is called a theophany. Fire is the most common theophany. There are several definitive statements about God in the Bible: God is Holy; God is Light; God is Love; God is Spirit. Fire is used as a symbol of God. God is not fire–He is like fire–and the Scriptures use it to symbolize His awesome presence.
When God appeared to Moses He spoke out of the flame of a burning bush. Later, on Mt. Sinai, God appeared to all the Israelites as a fire on the mountain. Exodus 24:17 says, “To the Israelites, the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire.” What a sight that must have been!
There is something awesome and scary about fire, no wonder God chose to use fires as a theophany. Later, when Moses built the Tabernacle, they made the first sacrifice in the Holy of Holies. God again revealed Himself by fire. Leviticus 9:24 says, “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering ... And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face-down.”
On Mt Carmel the prophet Elijah prayed “Then the fire of God fell” consuming the sacrifice and licking up the water in the trenches around the altar. The people fell on their faces and declared, “The Lord He is God!”
When God’s fire comes to the hearts of men and women their spirits are freed from the awful bondage of idolatry. When God’s fire comes, the enemy will be destroyed. That is why we should pray, “O, Lord ---send the fire. Your fire. Send your consuming, changing, restoring, victorious fire!”
We sing about the Fire of God in many of our hymns. I love to sing, "Lord, as of old at Pentecost thou didst thy power display, with cleansing, purifying flame, descend on us today. Lord, send the old time power, the Pentecostal power! Thy floodgates of blessings on us thor open wide! Lord, send the old time power, the Pentcostal power, that sinners be converted and thy name glorified!" There is a song I have known for years that says, “Oh, Lord, you’re beautiful. Your face is all I seek. For when your eyes are on this child, your grace abounds to me. O Lord, please light the fire, which once burned bright and clear, replace the lamp of my first love, that burned with holy fear.”
Oh, may our PRAYER be heard, “Lord, send your fire! May we sense and know Your burning, exciting, dynamic presence in our lives and among Your people.”
Monday, April 7, 2008
Mission Banquet invitation
To receive your invitation to attend a MISSION BANQUET on Thursday, April 17th @ Florence Golf & Country Club, EMAIL me at ldwright@fbcflorence.com or call 256.764.4921.
The meal is FREE and you will hear a TIME (www.timeministries.com) team from Huntsville, Alabama share about their work around the world.
The meal is FREE and you will hear a TIME (www.timeministries.com) team from Huntsville, Alabama share about their work around the world.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The Cycle of Life
The Cycle of Life
By Larry d. Wright
The writer of Ecclesiastes poetically states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
On Monday morning while traveling to Gatlinburg I learned that the youngest son of radio comedian Rick Burgess of the “Rick and Bubba Show” sadly died in a tragic accident. On Thursday morning I listened to the co-host of the show Bubba Bussey explain how his youngest son prayed to receive Jesus Christ into his life. One son temporarily lost, another son eternally gained as a brother. Such is the cycle of life.
I arrived in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains to find them dressed in their bleak winter attire. The last time Debby and I retreated to the mountains it was spring and the hills were alive with life and outfitted in a lush color of green, the hills dotted with beautiful mountain flowers. Such is the cycle of life.
In my years serving as a pastor I have conducted a funeral and officiated a wedding on the same day. I have walked into one hospital room to comfort a family loosing a member to cancer then moments later walked into another room to experience the joy of a couple who welcomed a new life into their family. Such is the cycle of life.
Actually, while writing this article I was interrupted. I discovered that our family pet cat had died and between these two paragraphs I buried a faithful and funny friend who brought many laughs, joys and moments of happiness into our lives. Today he brought tears. Such is the cycle of life.
So Solomon wrote, “There is…a time to be born and a time to die….a time to mourn and a time to dance…” Obviously, what he did not warn us about is the realistic truth: sometimes the distance between the two is very small. That is what makes life so painful. Sometimes the distance between birth and death, mourning and dancing is excruciatingly short. Such is the cycle of life.
Solomon offers some practical wisdom concerning how to cope with the cycle of life: “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has placed eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning.” I am to find beauty and purpose in God’s creations. I am to realize that I am a pilgrim on this planet for a temporary sojourn and my real home is elsewhere. I must accept God’s bigness, the mysteries of life and refuse to play the “What if…” game.
Only then will I value the cycle of life.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The God of Something New
The God of Something New
By Larry d. Wright
The prophet Isaiah declared: “This is what the LORD says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (43:16-19) [underlining mine for emphasis]
Most everyone agrees today that the modern church is not making an impact on the culture around her. This is true in part because the church has become too much like the world as ancient Israel became like the Canaanites in the occupied land. However, the disagreement is sharp when discussion turns to the solution. Is REVIVAL the answer to what ails the church? I personally feel that many most pastors and church leaders do NOT comprehend the complexity and severity of the current church predicament. They do understand that the church is lethargic and not healthy and believe that something needs to be done. The disease in the church is more serious than most leaders realize. Many think the church is sick with something akin to the flu, having caught the germs because of close contact with the world, and thus what she needs is a good dose of revival to recover.
So, I raise the question, “Is the prescription for the church’s condition REVIVAL?”
I have come to the somewhat controversial conclusion that REVIVAL IS NOT THE ANSWER! Or, I will say more clearly, not the old paradigm of revival we have known in the past. What God plans to do in the future is so new and radical that it would not fit our customary definition of “revival.”
This may seem a like a strange comment to make since I have hoped, prayed and preached for revival for many years. I am a student of the history of revival and a strong proponent for the need of renewal in the church and awakening in the land. Why have I reached this conclusion? I have come to this conclusion because revival, as we know it, is an old wineskin that cannot contain the NEW wine of what God plans to do. What God plans to do is as new and different as the church was NEW compared to the nation of Israel as a people of God. Please understand that I believe that God still desires to do a work in His people, the church, but the work He will do in the future is entirely NEW. Looking BACKWARD to old paradigm revivals certainly can be inspirational, however many sincere leaders look to the past and old patterns of revival as models for instruction. I feel this is a mistake! The fundamental principles of divine activity are changeless, but the outward shape of that activity changes according to a divine blueprint.
Some well-meaning men, who long to see God do a work in the church, are actually preventing God from working because they are promoting and expecting a duplication of something in the PAST. I am convinced that will NOT happen! I personally believe that God has no intentions of reviving the old church but He intends to restructure something new out of the old. “Renewal” means to bring something back to its former condition or state.” The word “revive” means to restore or put back what has been depleted or used.
Isaiah’s words to Israel were, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” As I studied these words of Isaiah, I discovered that the verb translated as “make” here really means “to turn something into something else.” So the Lord is not saying that He will make rivers in the desert, but that He will turn the desert into rivers. He will transform the desert into something entirely new, namely, rivers.
I believe these words are as appropriate today as when they were first written. We have a problem with the past. We are anchored to the past and there is an ocean side of God that needs to be explored! Why should this surprise us? God has always revealed NEW and exciting ways to know Him. He sent a baby born in a stable not a deliverer like Moses, Samson, Joshua, or Gideon. It doesn’t get in newer than that! Still, because the people of Israel were tied to the past, they fought and rejected that which was new. They could not see God’s NEW way (Jesus) of accomplishing redemption because they were focused on the PAST way: Temple sacrifices, a mighty deliverer like Moses, or prophet like Isaiah.
The word I feel the Lord has revealed to me about the REVIVAL of tomorrow, which is in reality something so totally NEW that we will need to come up with a new name, is captured in the following sentences. These “words of revelation” came to me from the Lord over a period of several years.
It will be a process, not a point in time (not an event).
It will be like a dynamo (flowing and continuous), not like dynamite (a powerful explosion).
The focus will not be on manifestations but transformation.
It will happen in the marketplace, not in the church.
It will not cause people to go to church, but cause people to be the Church.
It will not appear to be religious.
Therefore, because of points 4, 5, 6, it will be opposed by most religious leaders.
While people wait for it to happen, it will be happening.
By Larry d. Wright
The prophet Isaiah declared: “This is what the LORD says—he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (43:16-19) [underlining mine for emphasis]
Most everyone agrees today that the modern church is not making an impact on the culture around her. This is true in part because the church has become too much like the world as ancient Israel became like the Canaanites in the occupied land. However, the disagreement is sharp when discussion turns to the solution. Is REVIVAL the answer to what ails the church? I personally feel that many most pastors and church leaders do NOT comprehend the complexity and severity of the current church predicament. They do understand that the church is lethargic and not healthy and believe that something needs to be done. The disease in the church is more serious than most leaders realize. Many think the church is sick with something akin to the flu, having caught the germs because of close contact with the world, and thus what she needs is a good dose of revival to recover.
So, I raise the question, “Is the prescription for the church’s condition REVIVAL?”
I have come to the somewhat controversial conclusion that REVIVAL IS NOT THE ANSWER! Or, I will say more clearly, not the old paradigm of revival we have known in the past. What God plans to do in the future is so new and radical that it would not fit our customary definition of “revival.”
This may seem a like a strange comment to make since I have hoped, prayed and preached for revival for many years. I am a student of the history of revival and a strong proponent for the need of renewal in the church and awakening in the land. Why have I reached this conclusion? I have come to this conclusion because revival, as we know it, is an old wineskin that cannot contain the NEW wine of what God plans to do. What God plans to do is as new and different as the church was NEW compared to the nation of Israel as a people of God. Please understand that I believe that God still desires to do a work in His people, the church, but the work He will do in the future is entirely NEW. Looking BACKWARD to old paradigm revivals certainly can be inspirational, however many sincere leaders look to the past and old patterns of revival as models for instruction. I feel this is a mistake! The fundamental principles of divine activity are changeless, but the outward shape of that activity changes according to a divine blueprint.
Some well-meaning men, who long to see God do a work in the church, are actually preventing God from working because they are promoting and expecting a duplication of something in the PAST. I am convinced that will NOT happen! I personally believe that God has no intentions of reviving the old church but He intends to restructure something new out of the old. “Renewal” means to bring something back to its former condition or state.” The word “revive” means to restore or put back what has been depleted or used.
Isaiah’s words to Israel were, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” As I studied these words of Isaiah, I discovered that the verb translated as “make” here really means “to turn something into something else.” So the Lord is not saying that He will make rivers in the desert, but that He will turn the desert into rivers. He will transform the desert into something entirely new, namely, rivers.
I believe these words are as appropriate today as when they were first written. We have a problem with the past. We are anchored to the past and there is an ocean side of God that needs to be explored! Why should this surprise us? God has always revealed NEW and exciting ways to know Him. He sent a baby born in a stable not a deliverer like Moses, Samson, Joshua, or Gideon. It doesn’t get in newer than that! Still, because the people of Israel were tied to the past, they fought and rejected that which was new. They could not see God’s NEW way (Jesus) of accomplishing redemption because they were focused on the PAST way: Temple sacrifices, a mighty deliverer like Moses, or prophet like Isaiah.
The word I feel the Lord has revealed to me about the REVIVAL of tomorrow, which is in reality something so totally NEW that we will need to come up with a new name, is captured in the following sentences. These “words of revelation” came to me from the Lord over a period of several years.
It will be a process, not a point in time (not an event).
It will be like a dynamo (flowing and continuous), not like dynamite (a powerful explosion).
The focus will not be on manifestations but transformation.
It will happen in the marketplace, not in the church.
It will not cause people to go to church, but cause people to be the Church.
It will not appear to be religious.
Therefore, because of points 4, 5, 6, it will be opposed by most religious leaders.
While people wait for it to happen, it will be happening.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
God Had A Plan!
God Had A Plan
By Larry d. Wright
“Nothing under God’s control is ever out of control.”
Charles Swindoll
Pain. Problems. Persecution.
The frustrating thing about life is that it is so hard to manage. There are few things that we actually control in life. We cruise along enjoying the ride then, like breaking on an invisible patch of black ice, we spin out of control. Sickness and suffering arrive unannounced like an intruding thief. Problems and pain scream so loud that all other sounds are silenced.
Health erodes. Hurt happens. Heart attacks arrive!
Bob Benson says, “When life caves in, you do not need reasons; you need comfort. You do not need some answers; you need someone. And Jesus does not come to us with an explanation. He comes to us with His presence.” That is what the makes the difference. His presence. His powerful presence!
Hosanna. Hurray. Hallelujah!
The last week of Jesus earthly life started out marvelous. The beginning of the end commenced with, "The whole city was moved." Sunday was like an earthquake rocking the foundations of the city. The populace posed, "Who is this?" The multitudes announced, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” The air was filled with shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David" and "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." Hands raised high. Palm branches swinging. It was a triumphant procession. That was Sunday.
Arrest. Accusation. Agony!
But the tide quickly turned. Friday was like a tsunami with all the forces of evil flooding the hearts of sinful men. Acclamation turned to accusation, then arrest, and then the agony of death. His followers fled as the prophet Zechariah foretold, "I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered". What happened to Sunday? Why are things spinning out of control by Friday?
From the perspective of the world, the death of Jesus Christ was either a massive mistake or a horrible hoax. From the view on the ground, the cross was an example of a world gone mad; a planet out of control. Look above. What about the view from heaven?
Architect. Anguish. Atonement.
The cross had an Architect! Who? Was it the mad mob, the ridiculous Romans or the jealous Jews? Who? Paul said, “GOD was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:19) In one of the most puzzling verses in the Bible, the prophet Isaiah revealed, “Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.” (53:10)
The Architect of the cross was God Himself! And the cross reveals God had a plan. Granted, there was madness in the cross but God had a magnificent plan. We see evil personified but God wrought redemption. At the cross we see mankind at its worse but we see God at His best.
Out of the chaos, cosmos arises. From the darkness a Light shines. From the death a resurrection breaks forth! From the hurt, a shout of “Hallelujah” can be heard! Indeed, “Nothing under God’s control is ever out of control.” Look at the cross and you will see.
God had a plan!
By Larry d. Wright
“Nothing under God’s control is ever out of control.”
Charles Swindoll
Pain. Problems. Persecution.
The frustrating thing about life is that it is so hard to manage. There are few things that we actually control in life. We cruise along enjoying the ride then, like breaking on an invisible patch of black ice, we spin out of control. Sickness and suffering arrive unannounced like an intruding thief. Problems and pain scream so loud that all other sounds are silenced.
Health erodes. Hurt happens. Heart attacks arrive!
Bob Benson says, “When life caves in, you do not need reasons; you need comfort. You do not need some answers; you need someone. And Jesus does not come to us with an explanation. He comes to us with His presence.” That is what the makes the difference. His presence. His powerful presence!
Hosanna. Hurray. Hallelujah!
The last week of Jesus earthly life started out marvelous. The beginning of the end commenced with, "The whole city was moved." Sunday was like an earthquake rocking the foundations of the city. The populace posed, "Who is this?" The multitudes announced, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” The air was filled with shouts of "Hosanna to the Son of David" and "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord." Hands raised high. Palm branches swinging. It was a triumphant procession. That was Sunday.
Arrest. Accusation. Agony!
But the tide quickly turned. Friday was like a tsunami with all the forces of evil flooding the hearts of sinful men. Acclamation turned to accusation, then arrest, and then the agony of death. His followers fled as the prophet Zechariah foretold, "I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered". What happened to Sunday? Why are things spinning out of control by Friday?
From the perspective of the world, the death of Jesus Christ was either a massive mistake or a horrible hoax. From the view on the ground, the cross was an example of a world gone mad; a planet out of control. Look above. What about the view from heaven?
Architect. Anguish. Atonement.
The cross had an Architect! Who? Was it the mad mob, the ridiculous Romans or the jealous Jews? Who? Paul said, “GOD was, in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:19) In one of the most puzzling verses in the Bible, the prophet Isaiah revealed, “Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.” (53:10)
The Architect of the cross was God Himself! And the cross reveals God had a plan. Granted, there was madness in the cross but God had a magnificent plan. We see evil personified but God wrought redemption. At the cross we see mankind at its worse but we see God at His best.
Out of the chaos, cosmos arises. From the darkness a Light shines. From the death a resurrection breaks forth! From the hurt, a shout of “Hallelujah” can be heard! Indeed, “Nothing under God’s control is ever out of control.” Look at the cross and you will see.
God had a plan!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Tool Shed Christians
Tool Shed Christians
by Larry d. Wright
I remember hearing an African-American preacher named Fred Samson share a personal story from his past about the summer days he experienced as a boy. His grandparents lived on a farm in the country and he would flee from city life to a very different world. His granddad would wake him about 4:00 AM and with the dim light of a lantern they would walk a familiar path to the barn. Upon arriving they milked several cows, fed the livestock, slopped the hogs, broadcast feed for the chickens and gathered eggs. They delivered their fresh produce to the kitchen then returned to the woodpile where they chopped and stacked firewood until the bell rank. They washed their hands and faces then promptly found a seat at the kitchen table where a hearty country breakfast awaited them. Eggs. Grits. Fresh milk. Cathead biscuits. Molasses. Smoked bacon. Red-eye gravy. It was a feast!
After breakfast Fred would fall back into bed full and exhausted only to be shaken by his grandfather once again. “Get up boy! It’s time to go to work.” Fred protested, “Work! We have been working all morning.” It was then he learned a lesson from his granddad he never forgot. “Son, everything you do in the house, around the house and for the house are chores. The work is in the fields.”
I am afraid that much we call “the work of the Lord” is nothing more than chores. Chores are important but when they keep us from working in the fields where the real harvest awaits, then something is wrong. Paul W. Powell, in his book The Complete Disciple, agrees.
"Many churches today remind me of a laboring crew trying to gather in a harvest while they sit in the tool shed. They go to the tool shed every Sunday and they study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and then get up and go home. Then they come back that night, study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and go home again. They comeback Wednesday night, and again study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and get up and go home. They do this week in and week out, year in and year out, and nobody ever goes out into the fields to gather in the harvest.”
Certainly no one denies the fact that chores are essential. Sharpening tools and improving skills are mandatory. However, these vital tasks should never keep us from working in the fields where the harvest awaits our presence. Our Lord knew the difference between chores and work in the field. He knew when to withdraw and when to engage. Someone calculated that the gospel writers record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogue and 122 were with people in the mainstream of life. Perhaps that is why Jesus said “to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:37-38)
Lieutenant Clebe McLeary lost his arms, an eye, an ear and half his face in Vietnam. Twenty-four surgeries later his face was rebuilt. The men under his command gave him a plaque inscribed with these words: “In this world of give and take, there are so few who are willing to give what it takes.”Are you among the willing? In a world of give and take, the Lord of the harvest is still looking for those who are willing to give what it takes.
by Larry d. Wright
I remember hearing an African-American preacher named Fred Samson share a personal story from his past about the summer days he experienced as a boy. His grandparents lived on a farm in the country and he would flee from city life to a very different world. His granddad would wake him about 4:00 AM and with the dim light of a lantern they would walk a familiar path to the barn. Upon arriving they milked several cows, fed the livestock, slopped the hogs, broadcast feed for the chickens and gathered eggs. They delivered their fresh produce to the kitchen then returned to the woodpile where they chopped and stacked firewood until the bell rank. They washed their hands and faces then promptly found a seat at the kitchen table where a hearty country breakfast awaited them. Eggs. Grits. Fresh milk. Cathead biscuits. Molasses. Smoked bacon. Red-eye gravy. It was a feast!
After breakfast Fred would fall back into bed full and exhausted only to be shaken by his grandfather once again. “Get up boy! It’s time to go to work.” Fred protested, “Work! We have been working all morning.” It was then he learned a lesson from his granddad he never forgot. “Son, everything you do in the house, around the house and for the house are chores. The work is in the fields.”
I am afraid that much we call “the work of the Lord” is nothing more than chores. Chores are important but when they keep us from working in the fields where the real harvest awaits, then something is wrong. Paul W. Powell, in his book The Complete Disciple, agrees.
"Many churches today remind me of a laboring crew trying to gather in a harvest while they sit in the tool shed. They go to the tool shed every Sunday and they study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and then get up and go home. Then they come back that night, study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and go home again. They comeback Wednesday night, and again study bigger and better methods of agriculture, sharpen their hoes, grease their tractors, and get up and go home. They do this week in and week out, year in and year out, and nobody ever goes out into the fields to gather in the harvest.”
Certainly no one denies the fact that chores are essential. Sharpening tools and improving skills are mandatory. However, these vital tasks should never keep us from working in the fields where the harvest awaits our presence. Our Lord knew the difference between chores and work in the field. He knew when to withdraw and when to engage. Someone calculated that the gospel writers record 132 contacts that Jesus had with people. Six were in the Temple, four in the synagogue and 122 were with people in the mainstream of life. Perhaps that is why Jesus said “to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:37-38)
Lieutenant Clebe McLeary lost his arms, an eye, an ear and half his face in Vietnam. Twenty-four surgeries later his face was rebuilt. The men under his command gave him a plaque inscribed with these words: “In this world of give and take, there are so few who are willing to give what it takes.”Are you among the willing? In a world of give and take, the Lord of the harvest is still looking for those who are willing to give what it takes.
Monday, February 4, 2008
LeadersBuildingLeaders
My New Web Page Is Up and Running!
I am pleased to announce that My New Web Page Is Up and Running!
LeadersBuildingLeaders is online and running. Well, actually it is more like baby steps but as hikers are fond of saying: "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Please visit www.leadersbuildingleaders.com to see those tiny steps. New resources and tools will be added almost daily so please visit often.
The purpose of LeadersBuildingLeaders is threefold:
1. To provide RESOURCES for those in ministry to help them fulfill their calling.
2. To provide ENCOURAGMENT & INSPIRATION for servant leaders who are leading congregations.
3. To provide a SPACE for dots to connect so that mentor-protege relationships can develop; connections that will help eliminate isolation and eventual ministry failures.
Please invite others to check out the page and let me know what you thing.
I am pleased to announce that My New Web Page Is Up and Running!
LeadersBuildingLeaders is online and running. Well, actually it is more like baby steps but as hikers are fond of saying: "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Please visit www.leadersbuildingleaders.com to see those tiny steps. New resources and tools will be added almost daily so please visit often.
The purpose of LeadersBuildingLeaders is threefold:
1. To provide RESOURCES for those in ministry to help them fulfill their calling.
2. To provide ENCOURAGMENT & INSPIRATION for servant leaders who are leading congregations.
3. To provide a SPACE for dots to connect so that mentor-protege relationships can develop; connections that will help eliminate isolation and eventual ministry failures.
Please invite others to check out the page and let me know what you thing.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Recommendation from a Hiker
Recommendation from a Hiker
By Larry d. Wright
Whenever and wherever hikers meet their conversation soon centers around the coolest gear on the market and personal recommendations that can make the hike safe and enjoyable. As a hiker who enjoys the beauty of the outdoors, I am interested in any new gadget that will keep me from getting lost. I need someone to guide me on the trail.
That’s what I like about Jesus! Personally, I have made the decision to follow Him because He is the perfect guide for life. In fact, I am so satisfied that I have no hesitation in recommending Him to everyone as the guide to follow in life and eternity. One of His most outstanding claims was “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.”
Jesus is the perfect guide because He knows where He is going and how to safely guide His followers to their earthly and eternal destiny. What are His qualifications? Jesus walked on earth and offered His life as a sacrifice to become a personal GPS for everyone who has lost their way.
Jesus said, “I am the way” because He offers the way out. Life can be messy and as confusing as a maze. Our sin and selfishness causes us to walk in circles and encounter dead ends. We need a way out of the mess and maze of life. Jesus is that way. Sin did not defeat or frustrate Him so He knows the way out of the mess.
I recommend Jesus as the guide for your life because He also offers the way in. In fact, He is the only person who offers a way to be rightly related to God and enjoy rightness in life. The real purpose and pleasure of life is to know God and enjoy Him forever. He said, “No man can come to the Father except by me.” You cannot get to the heavenly Father by your own efforts. You need a guide and Jesus is the only guide who knows the way.
Jesus is the perfect guide because He knows the way up or should I say, “the way home.” He said, “In my Fathers house are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you.” This life is temporary and the wise person makes preparation for eternity. I recommend Jesus!
By Larry d. Wright
Whenever and wherever hikers meet their conversation soon centers around the coolest gear on the market and personal recommendations that can make the hike safe and enjoyable. As a hiker who enjoys the beauty of the outdoors, I am interested in any new gadget that will keep me from getting lost. I need someone to guide me on the trail.
That’s what I like about Jesus! Personally, I have made the decision to follow Him because He is the perfect guide for life. In fact, I am so satisfied that I have no hesitation in recommending Him to everyone as the guide to follow in life and eternity. One of His most outstanding claims was “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me.”
Jesus is the perfect guide because He knows where He is going and how to safely guide His followers to their earthly and eternal destiny. What are His qualifications? Jesus walked on earth and offered His life as a sacrifice to become a personal GPS for everyone who has lost their way.
Jesus said, “I am the way” because He offers the way out. Life can be messy and as confusing as a maze. Our sin and selfishness causes us to walk in circles and encounter dead ends. We need a way out of the mess and maze of life. Jesus is that way. Sin did not defeat or frustrate Him so He knows the way out of the mess.
I recommend Jesus as the guide for your life because He also offers the way in. In fact, He is the only person who offers a way to be rightly related to God and enjoy rightness in life. The real purpose and pleasure of life is to know God and enjoy Him forever. He said, “No man can come to the Father except by me.” You cannot get to the heavenly Father by your own efforts. You need a guide and Jesus is the only guide who knows the way.
Jesus is the perfect guide because He knows the way up or should I say, “the way home.” He said, “In my Fathers house are many dwelling places…I go to prepare a place for you.” This life is temporary and the wise person makes preparation for eternity. I recommend Jesus!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Why I Am A Political Conserative
Why I Am A Political Conservative
By Larry d. Wright
Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh seems determined to make the beliefs and ideas of Ronald Reagan the litmus test to define conservatism but I have a better idea. I highly respect the person and politics of Ronald Regan and clearly wish we had another such statesman on the political arena today! Professional politicians weary me! However, the roots of conservatism go back beyond the days of the late President Reagan. So, why stop at Reagan to find the political roots of conservatism?
The great Abraham Lincoln had ten guidelines by which he lived his life and governed a troubled nation. These beliefs had a profound affect upon his life to the day he died and these principles influenced America in a positive way. These 10 guidelines capture the heart of why I am a political conservative and the exact opposite of these ten points define liberalism.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot lift the wage earned by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of men by inciting class hatred.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
(Source: Glenn Bland, Legend of the Golden Scrolls, p. 112.)
By Larry d. Wright
Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh seems determined to make the beliefs and ideas of Ronald Reagan the litmus test to define conservatism but I have a better idea. I highly respect the person and politics of Ronald Regan and clearly wish we had another such statesman on the political arena today! Professional politicians weary me! However, the roots of conservatism go back beyond the days of the late President Reagan. So, why stop at Reagan to find the political roots of conservatism?
The great Abraham Lincoln had ten guidelines by which he lived his life and governed a troubled nation. These beliefs had a profound affect upon his life to the day he died and these principles influenced America in a positive way. These 10 guidelines capture the heart of why I am a political conservative and the exact opposite of these ten points define liberalism.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot lift the wage earned by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of men by inciting class hatred.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
(Source: Glenn Bland, Legend of the Golden Scrolls, p. 112.)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Cycle of Life
The Cycle of Life
By Larry d. Wright
The writer of Ecclesiastes poetically states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
On Monday morning while traveling to Gatlinburg I learned that the youngest son of radio comedian Rick Burgess of the “Rick and Bubba Show” sadly died in a tragic accident. You can view the video of Ricks message at his sons funeral by clicking on the links to the right. Start at the top and view all three parts. On Thursday morning I listened to the co-host of the show Bubba Bussey explain how his youngest son prayed to receive Jesus Christ into his life. One son temporarily lost, another son gained as a brother. Such is the cycle of life.
I arrived in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains to find them dressed in their bleak winter attire. The last time Debby and I retreated to the mountains it was spring and the hills were alive with life and outfitted in a lush color of green, the hills dotted with beautiful mountain flowers. Such is the cycle of life.
In my years serving as a pastor I have conducted a funeral and officiated a wedding on the same day. I have walked into one hospital room to comfort a family loosing a member to cancer then moments later walked into another room to experience the joy of a couple who welcomed a new life into their family. Such is the cycle of life.
Actually, while writing this article I was interrupted. I discovered that our family pet cat had died and between these two paragraphs I buried a faithful and funny friend who brought many laughs, joys and moments of happiness into our lives. Today he brought tears. Such is the cycle of life.
So Solomon wrote, “There is…a time to be born and a time to die….a time to mourn and a time to dance…” Obviously, what he did not warn us about is the realistic truth: sometimes the distance between the two is very small. That is what makes life so painful. Sometimes the distance between birth and death, mourning and dancing is excruciatingly short. Such is the cycle of life.
Solomon offers some practical wisdom about coping with the cycle of life: “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has placed eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning.” I am to find beauty and purpose in God’s creations. I am to realize that I am a pilgrim on this planet for a temporary sojourn and my real home is elsewhere. I must accept God’s bigness, the mysteries of life and refuse to play the “What if…” game. Only then will I value the cycle of life.
By Larry d. Wright
The writer of Ecclesiastes poetically states, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
On Monday morning while traveling to Gatlinburg I learned that the youngest son of radio comedian Rick Burgess of the “Rick and Bubba Show” sadly died in a tragic accident. You can view the video of Ricks message at his sons funeral by clicking on the links to the right. Start at the top and view all three parts. On Thursday morning I listened to the co-host of the show Bubba Bussey explain how his youngest son prayed to receive Jesus Christ into his life. One son temporarily lost, another son gained as a brother. Such is the cycle of life.
I arrived in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains to find them dressed in their bleak winter attire. The last time Debby and I retreated to the mountains it was spring and the hills were alive with life and outfitted in a lush color of green, the hills dotted with beautiful mountain flowers. Such is the cycle of life.
In my years serving as a pastor I have conducted a funeral and officiated a wedding on the same day. I have walked into one hospital room to comfort a family loosing a member to cancer then moments later walked into another room to experience the joy of a couple who welcomed a new life into their family. Such is the cycle of life.
Actually, while writing this article I was interrupted. I discovered that our family pet cat had died and between these two paragraphs I buried a faithful and funny friend who brought many laughs, joys and moments of happiness into our lives. Today he brought tears. Such is the cycle of life.
So Solomon wrote, “There is…a time to be born and a time to die….a time to mourn and a time to dance…” Obviously, what he did not warn us about is the realistic truth: sometimes the distance between the two is very small. That is what makes life so painful. Sometimes the distance between birth and death, mourning and dancing is excruciatingly short. Such is the cycle of life.
Solomon offers some practical wisdom about coping with the cycle of life: “He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has placed eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning.” I am to find beauty and purpose in God’s creations. I am to realize that I am a pilgrim on this planet for a temporary sojourn and my real home is elsewhere. I must accept God’s bigness, the mysteries of life and refuse to play the “What if…” game. Only then will I value the cycle of life.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Tribute to a Soldier
Boys To Men
by Larry d. Wright
Tommy was soldier.
He graduated from high school during a time when boys have to become men because that is what war does to a boy. He came home from Vietnam a wounded man with three purple hearts on his chest, enemy shrapnel in his body and a metal plate in his head. And those were the wounds you could see and treat.
There were other wounds buried deep beneath the surface that were invisible to the eye and almost impossible to mend. These were the wounds that ultimately killed him. It was Albert Schweitzer who once observed, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”
Men are almost always embarrassed and ashamed of their woundedness, especially when a soldier returns home to a wounded country. So they do what they are trained to do. Wounded warriors tend to ignore their wounds and treat their pain. After all, it is the pain that yells the loudest. And like many warriors do, the way he treated his pain created more pain. Addictions. Broken relationships. A cycle of pain producing more pain.
However, the way of neglected wounds is this, they always win.
I’m not sure what memories and horrow Tommy brought home from the war. All I know for sure is that he brought home himself but for most soldiers that is not enough. Most men loose something in war that requires a lifetime struggle and few recover what they loose. Although he left the land of Vietnam far in the distance, he came home to fight another war and to the very end he was a fighter. The words of Paul Simeon from “The Boxer” (1968) say it all:
“In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and in his shame
“I am leaving, I am leaving”
But the fighter still remains.”
In the land of Vietnam where life seemed cheap until death made its menacing claim, there was a phrase that became popular among the grunts. When faced with impossible orders, the death of a fellow soldier, the atrocities of yet another firefight or the insanity of fighting an unpopular war, they would say: “It don’t mean nothing!” With that phrase uttered they would bury their pain, turn their back and walk away. Burying pain beneath years of an “it don’t mean nothing” attitude has a way of becoming uncovered back in the real world where life isn’t cheap and things do matter.
I hadn’t seen or talked to Tommy in thirty years until his mother died. We talked at her graveside. Several months later I called him on his birthday and in the process I said, “Tommy, the real reason I called was to say Thank you for the sacrifices you made for your country and for people like me. I know when you came home our country didn’t seem very grateful and I’m sorry for that. And, just in case no one has ever told you: Welcome Home”. There was a deafening silence on the other end. I understood. Then he spoke, “Someone did tell me that but it’s been awhile, so Thank you.” That was our last conversation.
At his memorial service we remembered the deeds of a soldier. We pledged our allegiance to the American flag that draped his coffin and still laid claim to his life. I promised myself that I would be more grateful for men like Tommy who risk their lives to afford me mine. I promised myself to be grateful for boys who go to war and become men.
by Larry d. Wright
Tommy was soldier.
He graduated from high school during a time when boys have to become men because that is what war does to a boy. He came home from Vietnam a wounded man with three purple hearts on his chest, enemy shrapnel in his body and a metal plate in his head. And those were the wounds you could see and treat.
There were other wounds buried deep beneath the surface that were invisible to the eye and almost impossible to mend. These were the wounds that ultimately killed him. It was Albert Schweitzer who once observed, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.”
Men are almost always embarrassed and ashamed of their woundedness, especially when a soldier returns home to a wounded country. So they do what they are trained to do. Wounded warriors tend to ignore their wounds and treat their pain. After all, it is the pain that yells the loudest. And like many warriors do, the way he treated his pain created more pain. Addictions. Broken relationships. A cycle of pain producing more pain.
However, the way of neglected wounds is this, they always win.
I’m not sure what memories and horrow Tommy brought home from the war. All I know for sure is that he brought home himself but for most soldiers that is not enough. Most men loose something in war that requires a lifetime struggle and few recover what they loose. Although he left the land of Vietnam far in the distance, he came home to fight another war and to the very end he was a fighter. The words of Paul Simeon from “The Boxer” (1968) say it all:
“In the clearing stands a boxer
And a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders
Of every glove that laid him down
And cut him till he cried out
In his anger and in his shame
“I am leaving, I am leaving”
But the fighter still remains.”
In the land of Vietnam where life seemed cheap until death made its menacing claim, there was a phrase that became popular among the grunts. When faced with impossible orders, the death of a fellow soldier, the atrocities of yet another firefight or the insanity of fighting an unpopular war, they would say: “It don’t mean nothing!” With that phrase uttered they would bury their pain, turn their back and walk away. Burying pain beneath years of an “it don’t mean nothing” attitude has a way of becoming uncovered back in the real world where life isn’t cheap and things do matter.
I hadn’t seen or talked to Tommy in thirty years until his mother died. We talked at her graveside. Several months later I called him on his birthday and in the process I said, “Tommy, the real reason I called was to say Thank you for the sacrifices you made for your country and for people like me. I know when you came home our country didn’t seem very grateful and I’m sorry for that. And, just in case no one has ever told you: Welcome Home”. There was a deafening silence on the other end. I understood. Then he spoke, “Someone did tell me that but it’s been awhile, so Thank you.” That was our last conversation.
At his memorial service we remembered the deeds of a soldier. We pledged our allegiance to the American flag that draped his coffin and still laid claim to his life. I promised myself that I would be more grateful for men like Tommy who risk their lives to afford me mine. I promised myself to be grateful for boys who go to war and become men.
What Is the Gospel?
What Is the Gospel?
By Larry d. Wright
A fellow pastor, David Cofield (check out his blog @ http://www.energizingword.blogspot.com/) Crossroads Baptist Church in Elgin, was challenged by a podcast message he heard from Dr. John Sittema of Reformed Theological Seminary. The professor challenged his students to articulate the gospel in 25 words or less. David took the challenge, here is his response: “The gospel is the result and reason for man's fall will be restored by faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ.” He then passed the challenge on to me.
Here is my first response to the challenging question, “What is the gospel?”
“The gospel is God’s activity through Jesus Christ of totally restoring man to a relationship with Himself and to the life He intended before sin.” (25 words)
How would you succinctly describe the gospel? Unfortunately, after all these years, Christendom has no clear, crisp presentation concerning the message and the path to the “gospel.” Roman Catholicism presents a path that is winding, complicated and based on man’s efforts to please a loving but seemingly reluctant God. He can be convinced to offer redemption from damnation but you must try really hard to wrench salvation from His omnipotent hands. The church is the custodian of salvation and so you must stay in her good graces to be a prospect for heaven. Is that really “good news”?
Evangelical Christianity in her attempt to simplify the gospel has often done nothing but cheapened it. Example: “If you want the God of all creation to totally and radically transform your life; if you want the same God who invaded planet earth in Jesus Christ to invade your life, ‘Please raise your hand!’” We have so oversimplified the gospel that we have an army of simple-minded hand raisers who are not committed to battle for the cross! Every stream (denomination) within the kingdom (river) is convinced that the criterion they set forth is the right and noble path to eternal life. They all march under the banner of GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE but you must allow them to define both “grace” and “faith”. The church is the herald of the “good news”, which is free of course, but you must jump through certain hoops in order to qualify; to get the opportunity to raise your hand. Again, is that really “good news”?
For those of us on the “inside” the gospel is GOOD NEWS because we sense that we are favored by God and going to heaven one day but from the perspective of those on the “outside looking in”, what we generally have to offer is “bad news!” They don’t understand our terminology or terms. Is there any wonder that the sea of restless and wandering humanity is confused? Most have abandoned all hope for eternal life because the message they get from us is this; “You must become like us to receive the gospel.” Unfortunately, they look at most of us and say, “No thank you! I will roll the dice and take a chance on hell.” That’s “bad news”, right?
Therefore, here is my second succinct response to the challenging question, “What is the gospel?”
“The gospel is God’s answer to the bad news. You can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ!” (22 words)
Accepting the challenge to concisely articulate the gospel in 25 words or less was interesting and stimulating. However, I am glad that Paul was not limited in words or creativity and therefore his answer to the question, “What is the gospel?” turned out to be the book of Romans.
By Larry d. Wright
A fellow pastor, David Cofield (check out his blog @ http://www.energizingword.blogspot.com/) Crossroads Baptist Church in Elgin, was challenged by a podcast message he heard from Dr. John Sittema of Reformed Theological Seminary. The professor challenged his students to articulate the gospel in 25 words or less. David took the challenge, here is his response: “The gospel is the result and reason for man's fall will be restored by faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ.” He then passed the challenge on to me.
Here is my first response to the challenging question, “What is the gospel?”
“The gospel is God’s activity through Jesus Christ of totally restoring man to a relationship with Himself and to the life He intended before sin.” (25 words)
How would you succinctly describe the gospel? Unfortunately, after all these years, Christendom has no clear, crisp presentation concerning the message and the path to the “gospel.” Roman Catholicism presents a path that is winding, complicated and based on man’s efforts to please a loving but seemingly reluctant God. He can be convinced to offer redemption from damnation but you must try really hard to wrench salvation from His omnipotent hands. The church is the custodian of salvation and so you must stay in her good graces to be a prospect for heaven. Is that really “good news”?
Evangelical Christianity in her attempt to simplify the gospel has often done nothing but cheapened it. Example: “If you want the God of all creation to totally and radically transform your life; if you want the same God who invaded planet earth in Jesus Christ to invade your life, ‘Please raise your hand!’” We have so oversimplified the gospel that we have an army of simple-minded hand raisers who are not committed to battle for the cross! Every stream (denomination) within the kingdom (river) is convinced that the criterion they set forth is the right and noble path to eternal life. They all march under the banner of GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE but you must allow them to define both “grace” and “faith”. The church is the herald of the “good news”, which is free of course, but you must jump through certain hoops in order to qualify; to get the opportunity to raise your hand. Again, is that really “good news”?
For those of us on the “inside” the gospel is GOOD NEWS because we sense that we are favored by God and going to heaven one day but from the perspective of those on the “outside looking in”, what we generally have to offer is “bad news!” They don’t understand our terminology or terms. Is there any wonder that the sea of restless and wandering humanity is confused? Most have abandoned all hope for eternal life because the message they get from us is this; “You must become like us to receive the gospel.” Unfortunately, they look at most of us and say, “No thank you! I will roll the dice and take a chance on hell.” That’s “bad news”, right?
Therefore, here is my second succinct response to the challenging question, “What is the gospel?”
“The gospel is God’s answer to the bad news. You can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ!” (22 words)
Accepting the challenge to concisely articulate the gospel in 25 words or less was interesting and stimulating. However, I am glad that Paul was not limited in words or creativity and therefore his answer to the question, “What is the gospel?” turned out to be the book of Romans.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Power of Small Things
The Power of Small Things
By Larry d. Wright
During the Civil War or as we in the South call it; the War of Northern Aggression, a courier on horseback was given an urgent message and told to deliver it to a general engaged in a decisive battle. The story has it that the courier never made the delivery because his horse threw a shoe. Sometime later a person penned the following words:
“For want of a nail, a shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, a horse was lost.
For want of a horse, a rider was lost.
For want of a rider, a message was lost.
For want of a message, a plan was lost.
For want of a plan, a battle was lost.
For want of a battle, a war was lost.”
Oh, the power of small things!
By Larry d. Wright
During the Civil War or as we in the South call it; the War of Northern Aggression, a courier on horseback was given an urgent message and told to deliver it to a general engaged in a decisive battle. The story has it that the courier never made the delivery because his horse threw a shoe. Sometime later a person penned the following words:
“For want of a nail, a shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, a horse was lost.
For want of a horse, a rider was lost.
For want of a rider, a message was lost.
For want of a message, a plan was lost.
For want of a plan, a battle was lost.
For want of a battle, a war was lost.”
Oh, the power of small things!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Let's Talk About The "C" Word!
Let’s Talk About the “C” Word
By Larry d. Wright
Let's Talk About the "C" Word!
Every body is talking about change these days but (at the risk of sounding like Jack Bauer) “trust me”; everybody talking about change isn’t for it! Personally, I think all the politicians are missing the real message of the populace. The average American doesn’t want to change; they want the politicians to change. They don’t want things to change in their hometown; they want things to change inside the loop in Washington, D.C. They don’t want new policies and procedures; they want new people. Voters don’t see themselves as being the problem; they see the people they elect as the problem. As a result, a lot of promises are made but nothing really changes.
Issac Newton’s First Law of Motion states: “Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon it.” A country philosopher said it like this: “Some people will change when they see the light. Others change only when they feel the heat.”
The bottom line is this: every body wants change but they want someone else to do it! People say they are all about change but what they mean is; I want my world to same the same and the rest of the world needs to change for my benefit. It is a consumer mentality that has now invaded the world of politics. If it were not so pathetic, it would be amusing, watching all the politicians grovel and grub to the fickleness of the American consumer, I mean voter.
We talk a lot about the “C” word, but seldom do it. So let me ask the hard question, “Why is it so hard for us to change?” What is it about those bad habits and negative behavior traits that keep us bound? What is it about those good habits that are hard to develop? Why is it so hard for us to change and so easy for us to remain the same? I think it is because we try so hard to change on our own willpower. This may shock some of you but Jesus Christ does not expect you to change! In fact, He knows you can not change…on your own. The life that Christ talks about is not a changed life; it’s an exchanged life. When a person makes the decision to follow Jesus Christ as a way of life then they soon discover the dynamics of what I am talking about. In an exchanged life you replace the negative with the positive. If you ever grasp this dynamic principle then it will revolutionize your life and you will be on your way to the greatest discovery ever.
Here is why CHANGE DOESN’T WORK and New Year’s Resolutions rarely succeed. When we try to change, we inevitably focus on the negative. But, in the exchanged life, you focus on the positive. See the simple difference? For instance, in the exchanged life I involve Jesus Christ in my life and He opens my eyes to new truth and possibilities.
He helps me to look beyond the human barriers and to the divine possibilities. As we stand in the threshold of a New Year, God wants you and me to look at the possibilities of this approaching year. In order to reach our potential we must throw out the old mind set that believes I cannot change and I accept a new mind set concerning the exchanged life.
There is something better than change. It is exchange! Experience the difference and you will be able to move beyond human barriers and experience divine possibilities in 2008.
By Larry d. Wright
Let's Talk About the "C" Word!
Every body is talking about change these days but (at the risk of sounding like Jack Bauer) “trust me”; everybody talking about change isn’t for it! Personally, I think all the politicians are missing the real message of the populace. The average American doesn’t want to change; they want the politicians to change. They don’t want things to change in their hometown; they want things to change inside the loop in Washington, D.C. They don’t want new policies and procedures; they want new people. Voters don’t see themselves as being the problem; they see the people they elect as the problem. As a result, a lot of promises are made but nothing really changes.
Issac Newton’s First Law of Motion states: “Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon it.” A country philosopher said it like this: “Some people will change when they see the light. Others change only when they feel the heat.”
The bottom line is this: every body wants change but they want someone else to do it! People say they are all about change but what they mean is; I want my world to same the same and the rest of the world needs to change for my benefit. It is a consumer mentality that has now invaded the world of politics. If it were not so pathetic, it would be amusing, watching all the politicians grovel and grub to the fickleness of the American consumer, I mean voter.
We talk a lot about the “C” word, but seldom do it. So let me ask the hard question, “Why is it so hard for us to change?” What is it about those bad habits and negative behavior traits that keep us bound? What is it about those good habits that are hard to develop? Why is it so hard for us to change and so easy for us to remain the same? I think it is because we try so hard to change on our own willpower. This may shock some of you but Jesus Christ does not expect you to change! In fact, He knows you can not change…on your own. The life that Christ talks about is not a changed life; it’s an exchanged life. When a person makes the decision to follow Jesus Christ as a way of life then they soon discover the dynamics of what I am talking about. In an exchanged life you replace the negative with the positive. If you ever grasp this dynamic principle then it will revolutionize your life and you will be on your way to the greatest discovery ever.
Here is why CHANGE DOESN’T WORK and New Year’s Resolutions rarely succeed. When we try to change, we inevitably focus on the negative. But, in the exchanged life, you focus on the positive. See the simple difference? For instance, in the exchanged life I involve Jesus Christ in my life and He opens my eyes to new truth and possibilities.
He helps me to look beyond the human barriers and to the divine possibilities. As we stand in the threshold of a New Year, God wants you and me to look at the possibilities of this approaching year. In order to reach our potential we must throw out the old mind set that believes I cannot change and I accept a new mind set concerning the exchanged life.
There is something better than change. It is exchange! Experience the difference and you will be able to move beyond human barriers and experience divine possibilities in 2008.
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