Blessed by Others

I have been thinking about how very thankful I am that God has placed so many people around me to help me in my walk.  He touches me often through my wife, daughters, parents, other family and many friends and acquaintances.  I am utterly amazed.  Just chatting with friends (in person or via email, text or phone) or even when a preschooler asks me, "Pastor Kevin, what does God look like?" I experience Him fresh and new.  Sitting down and reading books and devotionals are a blessing too.  Thank you, God, for how you help deepen my walk with You through so many people!

Here is a sampling of a devotion that blessed me today by Richard Rohr: 
"Don't waste the next years of your life being against anybody, anything, any group, any supposed sin, or any institution.  Just go ahead and do it better yourself.  It's so common sense when you hear it.  As Mohandas Gandhi put it, 'Be the change you hope to see in the world.' And the church!"

God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin

Is your church indispensable in your community?

"The question that church leaders need to ask is not, 'How can we get more people to come to church?' We've been asking that question since the numbers starting turning down in the 1970's. All our solutions together haven't turned the tide of declining church attendance.
Throw in all the mega churches, all the church-growth seminars, all the church marketing, the millions spent on programs and the kitchen sink, and the result is the same: people continue to stay away from church in droves."

In an article written for Ethics Daily.com, (click here to read it) Chuck Warnock, pastor of Chatham Baptist Church in Chatham, Virginia, discusses the challenge to make our churches indispensable to our communities. He brings up some good questions which each church will have to answer through their own work with God.
I first saw the article on an email from my friend, Keith Herron. I thought it might make for a good read. I hope you enjoy it.

God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin

Parking lot on 60 Minutes

Because of meetings, I didn't get to see it live, but the parking lot of Centerville Baptist Church was on the CBS News show 60 Minutes this past Sunday. View the 60 minutes story at http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5362297n . It is a story about coal ash and its harmful effects. For anyone that doesn't know, there is a golf course that was built just down the road and they used coal ash to help add hills and contour to the land because it is very flat here. The coal ash has leached harmful chemicals into the water supply and almost all of the houses south and east of the golf course are on wells. The city of Chesapeake put a water distribution station in the parking lot of the church and Leslie Stahl did some interviews here back in August.

As we think about our Christian walk along side this kind of tragedy, I hope we can learn that God's creation is not just something we can use up, consume as we want. We are the stewards and we need to do that job careully and with an attitude of worship. When we don't, it has grave consequences for us all.

I am glad we are able to host the water distribution station, I just wish we could do more.

God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin

Brian McLaren on New Baptists

If you haven't heard of or read Brian McLaren yet, this might not make any difference to you. Brian is a pastor/teacher/writer/speaker that is helping some folks in the church really think about where we are and where we are going. Here are his comments from his blog yesterday:

The new Baptists . . .
I'm in North Carolina today, speaking to the folks at Campbell University (home of the camels!). The good people of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will be strongly represented today - a group I am tremendously impressed with and optimistic about. Many have damaged the good name of Baptist in the recent years, but these folks represent a different spirit and are moving toward a better future.

Thanks Brian for recognizing a difference in us. I am excited about the future God has for us also. Keep up the good work CBF!
God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin

Week of Prayer #5

I have waited to give my last report on the week of prayer. I wanted to see some of the responses and what might be happening. Most folks seem to recognize that they need more time in prayer, focused on God. We have some folks that would like to have a weekly time at the church for this. Others thought that we should have this special week a couple of times each year. I cannot say that any major new directions have been revealed yet, but there is the glow of His presence that is here. On a personal note, I am able to better recognize when I am struggling with "flesh and blood" instead of seeking out the real battle with "powers and principalities". Over all, things went great and I am just waiting on God to do what He wants next! Thanks for the prayer time!

God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin

Pray some more

I don't know if anyone really reads this, but if you do and you happen not to know about it I wanted to ask you to pray for my friend, Mark. He is having surgery today on a 6mm brain tumor. He is a great guy that loves the Lord. It is interesting that I have been praying every day this week at 5:30 AM, because Mark and I prayed together for 2 years. We would meet early in the morning, often times in my office, and we had some good times. I had been thinking about those times a lot, then we found out he had this surgery. Mark was even so gracious and loving that he called me this morning before the surgery. What a guy!

Also, my friend Dan is driving back to Missouri on his motorcycle. A lot to pray about traveling over 1200 miles on a motorcycle. Thanks for the visit Dan!

God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin

Week of Prayer #4

God is awesome! It has bee great to see all the different folks that have come to the prayer times and to have the opportunity for just a little bit of interactions with one another in a way that we would not normally have. It is important to build up (edify) one another and help each other stand against the flaming darts of the evil one. Unfortunately the evil one is already trying to make difficulties in my life and come against all the good work that has been going on in me during this week of prayer, but my brothers and sisters in Christ are helping me stand against that and find my way through it. Thank you and may all praise go to God! Let's keep up the good work for one more day.
God be with you on the Journey!
Kevin