Faithfulness



"Faithfulness is the key that unlocks the door of unattained blessings."

All through the Bible we see God's blessings on those that remained faithful regardless of their circumstance or inspite of their situation.
Noah was blessed by God for his faithful obedience in building an Ark that took over a 100 years with not 1 soul being saved besides his family. Joseph spent most of his young adult life going through trials and tribulations just because he stood faithful for God. David wasn't tall, but he was faithful!
Can we go to the New Testament and speak of Stephen; a just man, full of the Holy Ghost who just faithfully preached Christ and for that, he was stoned. In 1 Corinthians 4:2 it says, Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
The stories could go on and on...God blesses faithfulness! Ability is not the answer, talent is not the way, personality is not the cure, but faithfully showing up to answer God's call, now that will open the flood gates of blessings on a life commited to service for the Saviour.
We must be like Paul who was faithful until the end...he had finishing grace. He didn't quit if it got tough. He didn't quit if it he was sick. He didn't quit when no one listened. Paul remained faithful up to the time his life was taken and he entered Heaven's gates. In II Timothy 4:1-8 it says,  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Even at the end of his life he was encouraging others to be faithful. Don't quit! Make full proof of thy ministry and most of all PREACH THE WORD! 

Renewing Old Acquaintances

Traveling back east brought an opportunity to renew old aquaintances with family and friends. Living so far away from home brings an added burden to keep in touch with the ones you love. In the hustle and bustle of ministry it is good to take the time to reminisce your early years especially when your age is getting closer to the century mark than ever before. We attended my parents 50th Year Wedding Anniversary Celebration in Atlanta and saw friends and family that we haven't seen in years. What a wonderful time we had! At Hilton Head our family, as we have for many years, enjoyed a relaxing week on the beach, bike riding, and RITAS Ice Shop and late night walks by the ocean. In Birmingham we spent time with old friends from so long ago...back when Kim and I were just beginning to like each other. That has been about 30 years! Then in Hot Springs we stayed with family and attended Gospel Light Baptist Church where Eric Capaci is the pastor. There, we saw lots of old friends from my days of ministry in Arkansas. Couples we grew up with while serving God. All this has brought back many happy memories of how good God has been over the years. I can't help but to praise the Lord for His goodness and grace to me and my family!  

God's Grace in God's People

Today is the first day in over a week that the sun is shining bright. People are out and about taking advantage of these warm temperatures (low 50's) and this morning I put on my sunglasses to do some work outside and the brightness was almost bothersome. Its like the Altus Ice Storm never happened. The only evidence of the storm are the fallen trees and the muddy ground. Many are still without electricity and we pray earnestly for the safety of those who are working around the clock to restore the power grid to Altus and the surrounding communities.
It never ceases to amaze me how in the midst of trials and tribulations the grace of God shines through like the bright sun. Last Sunday morning with blankets in hand our people met for a cold morning service without lights and with no heat. What amazed me is that inspite of their discomfort their faces were aglow showing God's grace was alive and well in their lives. The service was a blessing and time spent in a cold church house was well worth the effort it took to attend.
On Wednesday the power came on at the church and we called every available member that there was going to be a fellowship service that night beginning at 6PM. People brought food to cook and snacks that they had available. We sang, gave testimonies, (war stories) brought a challenge from God's Word, and stayed together in fellowship encouraging one another in the Lord. Some didn't even leave until around 11PM. What a blessing it was to see the joy that only God can bring in the lives of those who call Him by name and enjoy His grace in the midst of the storm.
Many are still without power and brothers and sisters in Christ are busy assisting those in need with generators, money, and tree cutting and removal. PTL for christians who care! Some, it will take weeks before their power is restored...but God is faithful and His people are kind and that is how grace is given and received day by day and trial by trial.
I PRAISE THE LORD for the members of Tabernacle Baptist Church who has shown the light of God's grace so bright that this preacher needs sunglasses to see.
This little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine... 
 

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

I just returned from a short walk this cloudy and cool morning. Looking up at the sky and seeing the clouds move quickly to the east in preparation for the coming storm begining sometime late this afternoon or early evening.The temperature will drop to below freezing and we are expecting rain mixed with sleet and even some snow. Personally I like snow, but NOT sleety, rainy, yuky weather!
People are beginning to prepare by filling up their gas tanks, storing up food, and batting down the hatches. This would be a wise thing because alot of Oklahomians are not used to this type of weather and struggle to get around. Please pray for the elderly and others in need that they might be safe and stay warm!
This brings me to to my morning thought...As christians, we cannot expect every day to be a sunny day. Storms come and storms go, but what stays the same...The shelter in the time of storm! I have a fire place and I plan on using it alot in the next couple of days even if the electricity goes out, I'll be able to stay warm. I like my fire place! I like how it feels and I like how it works...its so manly! lol Even if its cold outside my home will always be warm!
My home is my shelter; my God is my shelter! A shelter in the time of storm...When the winds blow and the rain falls in our daily lives we have a place to go to be safe and to stay warm. God lets storms come, but He always provides a place of shelter for those that seek it. How comforting to know that inspite of this life's weather our God loves us enough and cares for us the most to keep us safe and protected!
Stay warm this week...a storm is coming, but God is here!   

Using Technology

In a world full of new ways to communicate it might seem a little scarey to the average person, (like me) but new is not always bad. It must pass the mustard of God's Word and it must be useful for me as well as for the ministry that God has called me too. I'm learning ever so slowly, but praying that the Lord can use this new technology to reach souls and to communicate with fellow christians through exhortation and information that can be made available. Looking forward to going where no man (thats me) has gone before. lol 

God's Blessings

It has been awhile since I have blogged, but the days have flown by so quickly. We just finished our Stewardship Conference with Dr. J.C. House and it was a blessing to have him share with us his wisdom that he has gleaned from God's Word. One of the purposes of the conference was to present the need for raising an offering to remodel alot of the inside of our facilities. In the last four years we have been able to do so many wonderful things to make God's house more presentable to the people who serve faithfully here and for the visitors who attend weekly.

I can say that God blessed us with a gracious offering and more anticipated to come in or be promised. Preparations are already in the works with the auditorium being painted beginning next Monday and the new P.A. equipment arriving in a few days to be installed in the next two weeks. Praise the Lord for faithful members! within a month one of them will be re-appolstering all the platform chairs, all the pews, and the usher's and foyer chairs. The first of June we will begin work on the new Spanish auditorium and classroom space. God is sure good inspite of us sometimes.

This week my wife and I had the privlege of attending the Oklahoma's Preachers Fellowship hosted by Chris Austin and the Lighthouse Baptist Church of Lawton. What a great meeting! Pastor Harrell preached a stirring message Monday night about PREACHING the WORD! Tuesday Pastor Lindsey preached a heart-felt message about trials and how God triumphs over them and Brother Gaddis challenged us in Personal Spiritual Development which is essential for every man of God who serves in ministry. GREAT MEETING!!

As I type our IT man (short for computer nerd lol) is busy installing our new office computers. He has been very busy these last few weeks getting everything ready for when we remodel the offices. Thanks Bro. Tom!

God is GOOD, God is GREAT! even in trials or in triumphs. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!!