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.
Monday, April 7, 2008
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
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