Labels: General

• David
• Jonah
• The woman caught in adultery
• Peter
• Paul
• The prodigal son
• Me and You

You're never to far from God for another fresh start. You may have struck out so many times you can't remember, but the God of the second chance wants to give you another fresh start. You don't need to refuse to eat or climb a flag pole. The good news is today is "Opening Day" in your life. You just need to throw out the first pitch to God and let Him do the rest. He is the God of the second chance.

So what is one of your favorite "second chance" stories?

Labels: Baseball, Forgiveness, God

David said this about God in Psalm 139, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Can I hide from God? No. And when I find out just how good He is, why would I want to?

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If you want to read a short version of the story of Christoper McCandless you can read “Death of an Innocent," published by Outside magazine.

Labels: Death, God

Labels: General

1. If you consider the church roll the Lambs book of Life.
   


2. If you're disgusted by the moral filth that is playing out of your own VCR/DVD player.



3. If you think Christianity is about rules rather than relationship.



4. If you think any church that has experienced growth must be watering down the Gospel.



5. If you rebuke the visiting preacher for not wearing a tie when he was in the pulpit.



6. If you won't let your kids watch "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" because there's a witch in the movie.



7. If you only see what is wrong in others and never what is right.



8. If you feel it's your spiritual job to "fix" other people, because you only see what's wrong in others and never what's right. If you're so obsessed with traditions and religion that you miss that it's all about Jesus.



9. If you accept only the KJV as authorized because it's the version that Paul & Silas carried.



10. If you're more concerned with who's waiting on the table and what they're wearing, than focusing on the sacrifice & death of Jesus Christ.

What can you add to this list?

Labels: Hypocrites, Top Ten List

1 - It's God's grace, and He can give it to anyone He chooses.

2 - I am what I am by His grace.

3 - I'm saved by His grace, so why wouldn't I want to share the story with others.

Two texts to follow in this lesson are 2 Samuel 9 and Romans 8:38-39.

Here's the lesson if you want to listen (God's Grace -vs- Our Crippledness)

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Got a chance to eat at the Deuce for Sunday lunch yesterday. Yum. Our favorite place to eat. Thought I'd include a couple of pictures so you can see what you're missing. (Thanks Rickey for the lunch!)

So if you had a choice for "Sunday dinner," would it be buffet or sit and be served? Would you pick Mexican, Chinese, Italian or American food?

Labels: God, Grace, Sermon Link

As I read this story it reminded me that God often works in the world in unexpected places and unlikely people. We never know where we're going to meet God. God is a God of surprises, and we are blessed to be called into this adventure of faith. The realm of God is a place of radical grace and boundary-breaking inclusion. It is a place where there are no outsiders, where we reach out to all regardless of color, status and gender. The church IS a place for those the world calls "weirdos." The kingdom is a place where we do not erect boundaries and walls, but provide a place of healing. We're called into a community in which the circle is expanding ever wider, to welcome all of God's children and learn to live ever deeper in love and compassion. This is the good news! This is the church! This is God!

Labels: Campolo, Church, homeless

Labels: His Needs Her Needs, Marriage

Let me introduce you to some of my new heroes. They are called AIM students. AIM stands for Adventures In Missions (AIM), and I love these people.

AIM is an apprentice missions program for college-age young people and is located in Lubbock, Texas. When a college-age young person goes to AIM they spend the first eight months studying God's Word and training for the field experience. After eight months in Lubbock those students spend a minimum of 14 months on a foreign or domestic mission field (and up to 22 months, depending on each student's choice).

For the first 4 days of this week, we had 70 of these AIM students and sponsors in Childress with us. They stayed with our church families. And while here they did community work. They served, and they worked. Along the way, they blessed us.

The local paper came out and took pictures and did a story on them. Some of the things we did around town were: Scrape & repaint the Rotary Bowl (a large picnic area) at City Park, and they picked up trash at City Park and around the community. They reworked the flower beds at the parks and football stadium. They mowed and cleaned up around some senior citizen’s homes and other things too. We also got a chance to have a cookout and take in a local Childress Bobcat baseball game.

This group of young people are about a month away from leaving for their mission term. They will be going to places like... Albania, Australia, Brazil, Peru, France, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States.

If you want to know more about AIM you can see their website at http://www.aimsunset.org/

You can also see more pictures of our AIM work camp here at "work camp pictures."

For those involved with the AIM program who are reading this: We hated to see you go. You reminded us of our Heavenly Father. You could sing like angels and serve like Jesus. We loved your hearts. But I'll be honest, I'm glad you left ... you made me tired trying to keep up with you! :)

We love you, we'll pray for you, and yes, you are our heroes!

Blessings, ~Trey

Labels: Missionaries, Morgan Family

Labels: Video

2. Tell them there is a dress code, that they need a tie, need to wear pants, need to take off their cap or need to dress up more.

3. Let them hear you gripe about everything from the sermon, to the song leader, to the song selection.

4. Don't ask them if there is any thing they need or if there is anything you can pray about for them.

5. Have the preacher not be prepared.

6. Sing only old slow songs and do it with no life, feeling, heart or meaning. You know like, "Tis so sweet to rust in Jesus."

7. Have the preacher preach about why everyone else is going to hell. And have him name names if he can.

8. Embarrass them by calling to much attention to them. You know, make the stand up and do the wave or wear party hats.

9. Completely ignore them like they are not there. Don't greet them, welcome them or say hello to them.

10. Have a worship service that morning that has only a funeral type atmosphere. We're not there to celebrate anything, unless you count the resurrection, your salvation, your hope, your blessings, your ...

* So, what are some other ones I missed?

Labels: Top Ten List

Two reasons I need to slow down ...

1 - For the purpose of reflection. Busyness is the arch enemy of spiritual growth. I need to be spending time in reflection with God. I need to spend some time doing what others would call "wasting some time." I don't always have to run, go, buy, help, serve, sign up ... sometimes I need to pray, "Slow me down, Lord."

2 - For the purpose of enjoyment. I believe there is room in my theology for enjoying things that are fun. Part of the value of "slowing down" is rediscovering what leisure is all about (1 Timothy 6:17). I need to enjoy my wife, my children and the things God has blessed me with.

Oran Crain wrote: "Slow me down, Lord. Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift; That there is more to life than increasing it's speed. Let me look upward into the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew great and strong because it grew slowly and well."

I believe with all my heart God takes no delight in seeing His children operating on the ragged edge.

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I'm thankful that my family and I had a chance to sneak off last Thursday - Saturday to the Henderson ranch. The house was empty. No one was around for miles. There was no television and no phone. It was a breath of fresh air. We played games, rode four-wheelers, fed the cows and horses (had one try and come in the house with us), fished, talked and sat around and did absolutely nothing. It felt good. Real good.

Thank you Henderson's for sharing and allowing us to get away. Here's a few pictures of our fun if you want to take a look (click here).

Labels: Faith, Family, God

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." ~ James 1:2-3

When hard times come have you every questioned your faith? I have. In fact in my lifetime, my faith has been under fire more than once. I've asked God questions like...

"Why did they have to die?"
"Why am I the one with cancer?"
"When, O Lord, will you answer my prayer?"
"Why me?"

As I look back on those tough times, I know I've grown spiritually from these difficult times. But how do we hold on? What can I sink my "spiritual roots" in that will help me to not to blow over during this storm of my faith? How can I hold strong when my faith is under fire?

Sunday's sermon - "Faith Under Fire" ... if you want to follow along or if you need a good 20 minute nap. (This is Part 2 to last weeks sermon "When God Doesn't Make Sense")

PS - Caution ... I found out last week I have an accent :)

Labels: Faith, Sermon Link

Labels: Children, Parenting

• God
• The person the minister is involved with
• The minister
• The families of both parties
• The minister's wife
• The other person's spouse
• The minister's children
• The other person's children
• The church
• Our testimony & witness for Christ
• Our faith & trust

When a sexual offense occurs, we have a number of issues to deal with.

• The spiritual, mental, and emotional health of the victim/other person and their family.
• Maintaining the unity of the marriages and families involved, both the minister's and the victim's/other person.
• The health of the church.
• Developing an attitude of confession and repentance on the part of the persons involved.
• The restoration of a growing relationship with Christ.
• Restoration to fellowship and acceptance in the Body of Christ.

For restoration to take place it takes such things as confrontation, confession, repentance, personal counseling, marriage or family counseling, and accountability groups.

What's a church to do and not do?

1. Don't think the plan to fix this is fire the preacher and sweep the event under the rug. You can't pretend like it never happened. Allow the members to speak about what's on their heart.
2. Be willing to forgive. This will be a test of the church's ability to forgive. If they understand God's ability to forgive them, then they'll be able to forgive others. Also, understand that when I say forgive, it doesn't mean you condone or agree with what has been done. It will take a while (a long while) for a church to put it behind them.
3. Be concerned about the souls of the individuals. Spiritual restoration is the goal, not how quickly can you get this problem behind you.

What's a minister, youth minister, elder or leader to do to keep this from happening?

1. Be Aware. Every minister needs to realize they are always at risk to cross that boundary into the forbidden zone every day. Never counsel alone or be alone with another person of the opposite sex. (1 Corinthians 10:12)
2. Know warning signs and be aware of your boundaries.
3. Accountability. Be accountable to someone. If you're married, be accountable to your wife. Tell her where you've been, where you're going and who will be there. If you're single, be accountable to another minister.

I really didn't plan for this post to answer a lot of questions, but more to spark our comments and thoughts that we post. In that, I know we will be able to find some things we can use.

So, want to share some thoughts with us ?

(For more information on this subject and helpful links: Click Here)

Labels: Abuse, Preachers, Sexual Misconduct

• How do we prevent this?
• Why do some ministers fall and others do not?
• What is the churches responsibility to the person caught?
• What can the church do to heal?

Labels: Abuse, General, Sexual Misconduct

• CRIME: Even after controlling for family background variables such as mother's education level, race, family income, and number of siblings, as well as neighborhood variables such as unemployment rates and median income, boys who grew up outside of intact marriages were, on average, more than twice as likely as other boys to end up in jail.


• DRUGS & ALCOHOL: Even after controlling for the effects of gender, age, race-ethnicity, family income, and residential mobility, teens in single-parent and stepparent families were 2 times more likely to use illegal drugs compared to teens in intact, two-parent married families.


• EDUCATION: Even after controlling for differences in income, children who were born out of wedlock and either remained in a single-parent family or whose mother subsequently married had significantly poorer math and reading scores and lower levels of academic performance than children from continuously married households.


• POVERTY: Single-parent families are five times as likely to be poor as married-couple families. In 1999, 6.3 percent of married-couple families with children were living in poverty, compared to 31.8 percent of single-parent families with children.

I ran across this Top 10 List on www.fatherhood.org:

How to Be A Better Dad...

1. Respect Your Children's Mother: One of the best things a father can do for his children is to respect their mother. If you are married, keep your marriage strong and vital. If you're not married, it is still important to respect and support the mother of your children. A father and mother who respect each other, and let their children know it, provide a secure environment for them. When children see their parents respecting each other, they are more likely to feel that they are also accepted and respected.


2. Spend Time with Your Children: How a father spends his time tells his children what's important to him. If you always seem to busy for your children, they will feel neglected no matter what you say. Treasuring children often means sacrificing other things, but it is essential to spend time with your children. Kids grow up so quickly. Missed opportunities are forever lost.


3. Earn the Right to Be Heard: All too often the only time a father speaks to his children is when they have done something wrong. That's why so many children cringe when their mother says, "Your father wants to talk with you." Begin talking with your kids when they are very young so that difficult subjects will be easier to handle as they get older. Take time and listen to their ideas and problems.


4. Discipline with Love: All children need guidance and discipline, not as punishment, but to set reasonable limits. Remind your children of the consequences of their actions and provide meaningful rewards for desirable behavior. Fathers who discipline in a calm and fair manner show love for their children.


5. Be a Role Model: Fathers are role models to their kids whether they realize it or not. A girl who spends time with a loving father grows up knowing she deserves to be treated with respect by boys, and what to look for in a husband. Fathers can teach sons what is important in life by demonstrating honesty, humility and responsibility. "All the world's a stage..." and a father plays one of the most vital roles.


6. Be a Teacher: Too many fathers think teaching is something others do. But a father who teaches his children about right and wrong, and encourages them to do their best, will see his children make good choices. Involved fathers use everyday examples to help their children learn the basic lessons of life.


7. Eat Together as a Family: Sharing a meal together (breakfast, lunch or dinner) can be an important part of healthy family life. In addition to providing some structure in a busy day, it gives kids the chance to talk about what they are doing and want to do. It is also a good time for fathers to listen and give advice. Most importantly, it is a time for families to be together each day.


8. Read to Your Children: In a world where television often dominates the lives of children, it is important that fathers make the effort to read to their children. Children learn best by doing and reading, as well as seeing and hearing. Begin reading to your children when they are very young. When they are older encourage them to read on their own. Instilling your children with a love for reading is one of the best ways to ensure they will have a lifetime of personal and career growth.


9. Show Affection: Children need the security that comes from knowing they are wanted, accepted and loved by their family. Parents, especially fathers, need to feel both comfortable and willing to hug their children. Showing affection everyday is the best way to let your children know that you love them.


10. Realize that a Father's Job Is Never Done: Even after children are grown and ready to leave home, they will still look to their fathers for wisdom and advice. Whether it's continued schooling, a new job or a wedding, fathers continue to play an essential part in the lives of their children as they grow and, perhaps, marry and build their own families.

Just to sum it all up... "Be a Dad!"

Labels: Dads, Fathers, Parenting, Top Ten List

Labels: Heart

For more on "When God doesn't Make Sense" see this article "Click Here"

PS - You won't find the word "snarky" in this sermon either :)

MY SCOTTISH ACCENT: My friend Rickey hit me up a couple of weeks ago for some sermons to listen to while he's on his tractor. He said he'd be spending a lot of time plowing and needed to be challenged while he worked. Had he said he needed sleep I'd have given him some of mine, but since he wanted his toes stepped on I hooked him up with some Billy Wilson sermons. He's listened to about 9 sermons so far. I think he's loved them. I think I may have to slip one of mine in, do it in a West Texas Scottish accent and see if he notices the difference. ha

Labels: General, Sermon Link

Labels: Video

Labels: His Needs Her Needs, Marriage, Top Ten List