Isn't it Ironic?

Life is full of little ironies – if you don’t let them slip past you. 

As a church, we just celebrated our 50^th Anniversary.  It was by all accounts a GLORIOUS day.  Great stuff in the morning service: great worship, baptisms, testimony and a “look back over our shoulder” at where we have come from.   Yet, we GET IT that we still have much work to be done.  We have to FINISH the job of the Great Commission.  We AREN”T done – indeed, there is much work yet to be done.   Let’s be faithful. 

The choir and orchestra let us in a GREAT time of tremendous worship on Sunday night.  I personally told Pastor Rob what a blessing it was to me.  We experienced great and genuine worship in the presence of the Lord.  No one was performing, no one was “showing off” their talents or skills – it was all pure WORSHIP of the Lord Jesus.  It was tremendous. 

Here’s the irony – yesterday (Monday), I was sitting in a meeting of the International Mission Board's Trustees.  The IMB is our convention’s international missionary-sending agency.  One day I'm worshipping with my great church, talking, praying, preaching and singing about the need to continue our mission to win the world to Jesus, and the next day, I'm sitting with Southern Baptist leaders from all over our country talking about………our mission to win the world to Jesus.    That’s cool.

It’s great to be a part of a GREAT church that understands and accepts her role in the Great Commission.   It’s GREAT to be a part of a denomination that understands and accepts her role in that Great Commission.

Great partnership

Great fellowship

Great obedience

Great followship

Great calling

Great challenge

Great opportunity

Great ministry

 

Great irony.

 

The need to answer the call to the Great Commission is ………everywhere.     How true.

Celebrations and Divine Appointments

It has been way too long since I last blogged.

LuAnne and I are so happy for Hank and Dawn Garner. Baby Ashlyn is HERE!! She’s early, so she has to spend a few days in NICU. But we're trusting the Lord that she’ll be fine. I'm happy for the whole family.

I've been talking and praying lots for our upcoming 50th Anniversary as a church this Sunday, September 7. For some, it will be an incredible trip down memory lane. For others (many of you) it’s a chance to see where we have come from and what God has done in the past. These are certainly neat stories and awesome testimonies of God’s faithfulness. McGregor has a rich history of godly men and women doing whatever it takes to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ, and I know we'll all be blessed to honor God for their service and sacrifice. It’s going to be a GREAT day!!

God has brought several people into my path with some real needs. Many of our people are in need of jobs and financial security. Yet, all of this seems to be a great opportunity for God to do amazing things in people’s lives. The key is we have to walk faithfully with the Lord. As believers, we have so many chances to be a witness and a help to hurting folks.

I’m praying for our people to share Jesus as God gives us the chance.

Ask God to give you a chance to do exactly that. Share what God has done for you, in saving you and blessing you. So many need that and the fields are ripe unto harvest. You are the key. Tell others what Christ has done for you. God will give you the opportunity and the words. Be available. Be usable. Be blessed as you share.

Tell me about those divine opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Leave a comment on this blog or send me an e-mail.

We had a great day at church yesterday. God is so good.

Yet, my heart is very heavy. The Minister of Music at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida died suddenly of a heart attack Saturday night. This is the same church family that recently lost their pastor in a plane accident. Pastor Forrest Pollock died only three months ago, and now this great church has to deal with the death of Simeon Nix. I knew Simeon as a great man who loved the Lord and loved to lead in worship. He was a huge man, with a huge voice and a big smile and an even bigger heart. A big "teddy bear" type, full of joy and love. He will be greatly missed.
Join me in praying once again for this church family.

Like so many at this time of year, our daughter, Kayla, has left for college. LuAnne drove her up to Liberty this past weekend, and she starts school on Monday. She is a great young lady with a sweet heart for the Lord. Many of you know her primarily as a singer. I know her as my baby. Pray for her to be a light for Christ at school. Pray for her and Jordan as they prepare for their life together.

Our 50th Anniversary as a church is less than three weeks away. Awesome.

God is good, all the time!!

Home Again

LuAnne, Heather and the two kids, Kayla, and I just got back from a whole week in Los Angeles visiting Alan and Brycie. Unfortunately, Andrew wasn't able to go with us.
It was AWESOME. We have such a good and relaxing time of doing………nothing or whatever.

Our goal was just to spend time with Alan and Brycie “on their turf” and to see the sights they call “home.”
That’s exactly what we did. We chilled at their apartment, went to beautiful Newport Beach (unbelievable!!), drove around the houses of the rich and famous (and in many ways, sad!!)
There, we saw the houses of J.Lo, Andrew Spelling (all 125 bedrooms!!??), Samuel L. Jackson and others.

More fun than that was the whole family going to church together at Saddleback Church. Even still, I missed McGregor. I can’t wait for Sunday – every Sunday!!

Thanks for all your prayers for my kids and their happiness. They are indeed one of God’s greatest blessings to Lu and me.

I’m rested, ready, and raring to go – see you Sunday!!!

It's been a crazy few days. My family, almost all of them, enjoyed nine days of vacation together. In so many ways it was awesome. Me and LuAnne, Heather, Andrew and their two kids, Aidan and Riley, Kayla – we have a blast. Wish Jordan, our son-in-law to be could have joined us but he has this job thing that keeps him pretty tied down (he’s the summer intern for Russell Howard??!!) Of course, really missed Alan and Brycie. They couldn’t make it because of jobs too.
Another blessing from this trip was that I got to spend almost a full week at the home of my dad with my sister, Helen Ruth. She and I have a very easy, uncomplicated, warm, healthy relationship. Only thing is, we just rarely see each other. We talk and email frequently, we just never get to hang out together. My kids love her kids (when they get to be together – but that isn’t very often either) and her daughter, Amber, was there too. She is recently engaged so she and Kayla had lots to talk about. Also, they watched Heather try to manage two kids under the age of two, and that had a pretty significant impact on their “family planning.”
Dad is doing OK. He just turned 80 in June and is facing the typical things that our wonderful parents that age face. I love my dad – I hate to see him become forgetful.

Today, we had the great but sad honor of hosting the funeral of a young police officer in Fort Myers Police Department who was shot and killed in the line of duty on Thursday night. Officer Andrew Widman was not a member of McGregor, but he was a missionary before joining the police force. The family's guest pastor stood in our pulpit and gave all three thousand attendees the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was carried live and uninterrupted on NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS affiliates in Fort Myers, as well as live online through McGregor's website.

Kayla and Jordan have set the date – July 18, 2009. Mark it on your calendars. Jordan sang this past Sunday and did an incredible job. He has an amazing voice and a heart that loves Jesus to match. His plan is to match. They are very happy.

Summer is going good at McGregor. I plan to go to youth camp next week to spend some quality time with the students. Can’t wait.
Then, the following week, we’re heading to California to spend some time with Alan and Brycie. Can’t wait for that.

God is good, life is good. People need Jesus – so, I gotta go.

Vacating

I'm a "Type-A" person: high strung, wound tight, ADHD, Choleric type of guy.  That means I don't unwind very often or very well.  It goes against my grain.  But I'm working at it.

LuAnne, Kayla, and I went by and picked up Heather and Aidan and newborn Rylee and headed to the beach.

We joined about 45 other members of LuAnne's family for a family reunion at Gulf Shores, Alabama.  Andrew joined us the next day.  Unfortunately, Alan and Brycie couldn't make it - I miss my son terribly and so wish he and Brycie could be here.

We will leave the beach and head to Spartanburg (my home city) to see my dad and his wife.  Big bonus - my sister and her daughter will be there too.  Can't wait !!

I'm trying hard to relax, unwind and "chill" - I'm working on it.  You know, "refilling the tank," so to speak.

Ok, truthfully, I'm ready to come home.  I missed being at church for the God and Country service and last Sunday.  But I'm trying - to unwind.  I'm working on it - really.  I feel slightly less wound tight.  I feel only wound sorta tight.  There - is that better??

I'm going to need a vacation from my vacation.  This trying to relax is hard work.

Headlines

I have so many things to be thankful for today -

BIG NEWS - VBS was a smashing success. God did what only God can do. Great, great VBS, largest in many years (1298 registered), most salvation decisions in many years (92), 12 already baptized on Friday night. We had a large group of guests (444) to follow up with concerning their salvation and church membership, hundreds of awesome volunteers - to God be the Glory - VBS was awesome!!!

BIGGER NEWS - There's a great spirit in our church right now, even during difficult times. Our economic situation here in SW Florida still is affecting many families. It seems like I hear each week of more families struggling with jobs and finances. Keep praying for these folks and for our church as we work diligently strive to be faithful with God's tithes and offerings. Let me remind YOU to be faithful as you give especially in the Chapter Three giving area. Our budget giving is doing acceptably yet our Chapter Three giving continues to struggle.

BIGGEST NEWS (at least for my family) - our daughter KAYLA is ENGAGED!!!!!!

Jordan Grizzard "popped the question" to Kayla on Friday night and she said "YES" (very quickly I might add)!!!

LuAnne and I are so excited about our new son-in-law. Jordan is a worship/music major at Liberty University. He is in Sounds of Liberty, their premier music group and is a tremendous vocalist (can we say "duets"?!?!)

He is a wonderful Christian young man, and we look forward to adding him to our family. Please pray for Jordan and Kayla as they make plans for their lives together.

As always, I am blessed beyond words to pastor the greatest church on the planet.

God is good - all the time.........