Christmas in January!

I’m getting my Christmas present at the end of January… and it is worth the wait! His name is Caleb. Katie, Mary and Meredith will be making the journey in January to bring Caleb to his new home! Thanks for all your prayers!!

New Series on Christmas Begins this Sunday

In preparation for our new series beginning this Sunday, Russ Holt wrote the following. I loved it and wanted to share it with you...

As we approach this Christmas season, we have an opportunity to also examine our views and perspectives of Christmas. We often think of angels, antlers, a baby, baking, bells, Bethlehem, Blitzen, bows, boxes, calling birds (four of them), candles, candy canes, cards, cattle, caroling, chimneys, Comet, cookies, Cupid, Dasher, Dancer, decorations, Donner, drummer boys, drummers (twelve drumming ones), drums, egg nog, elves, evergreens, family, feasts, festivities, fireplaces, fragrances, Frankincense, French hens (in threes), Frosty the snowman, fruitcake, garland, geese (six laying ones), gifts, gold, golden rings (five of them), greetings, the Grinch, Herod, holly, holidays, icicles, inns, invitations, It's a Wonderful Life, ivy, jingle bells, jolly things, Joseph, kings, ladies dancing (all nine of them), leaping lords (ten of them), letters, lights, lists, maids (eight of them busily milking), a manger, mall traffic, Mary, mistletoe, myrrh, nativity, Noel, the North Pole, Nutcracker, night (silent ones, and holy ones), ornaments, parades, parties, partridges (especially in pear trees), peace (especially on earth), pipers (eleven piping ones), poinsettias, Prancer, presents, quilts, red, reindeer (especially Rudolph), ribbons, Santa, Scrooge, shepherds, sleighs, snow, songs, spirits, a star, St. Nicholas, stockings, swans (seven swimming ones), toys, tinsel, trees, trimmings, turkey, turtle doves (in twos), underneath the [mistletoe, tree, stars], visits, a virgin, visions (especially of dancing sugar-plums), Vixen, wise men, wrapping paper, wreaths, X-Mas, yuletide, Zion, and Zzzzzz's.

With all of this, how much do we really think about what happened? The only begotten Son of God, Himself God, humbled himself to become man -- fully man -- so that we might have life, abundantly. He did not come as anyone who have expected -- not in a kingly procession with pomp and circumstance; but, rather, he came as a baby, born of a virgin, and laid in a feeding trough in an animal shed. If we are not careful, the trappings will cause us to miss the Christ of Christmas. Join us in December as we rethink Christmas with a fresh look at Luke chapters 1 and 2.

Sunday Reflections

We had a very special day on Sunday. Judd and his team led us through some great hymns. Stephen Humphries, who won the national competition for hammer dulcimer added a great dynamic to the acoustical guitars. Jeremy preached a challenging message on “Obey.”

Let’s be honest… when we read some of the stories of the Old Testament, they can challenge us in our faith and our understanding of God. The passage that Jeremy used in 1 Samuel 15 would cause some to question, “Why is God so cruel in demanding complete annihilation of the Amalekite nation?”

Here are a few observations:

• God does not have to explain Himself. He answers to no one. He does not have an advisory team. He is not part of an accountability team. He is GOD!
• When the Bible does not make sense to us, there is usually more to the story. Jeremy helped us to see the real history of the Amalekites. They were vicious, blood-thirsty and ruthless to their core.
• Maybe God had already sent many prophets to the Amalekites to call them to repentance. We know from Jonah’s story that God sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach repentance… and they had a similar reputation of cruelty as the Amalekites.
• In fact, God had actually waited for many centuries for the Amalekites to get the act together. One author states it this way, “God never acted precipitously against them (the Amalekites); his grace and mercy waited to see if they would repent and turn from their headlong plummet into self-destruction.” (See a more complete quote at the bottom of this blog)
• A question I must ask myself, “Does God have the right to do as He pleases; as He sees fit?” Simple answer: Absolutely! God is holy and righteous. God is just.
• The bottom line question that I took away from Jeremy’s message, “Am I obedient to God’s commands no matter what the cost?” God is not asking for my approval or even for my understanding. He is, however, expecting my obedience.

“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NLT)

What has God been asking of you lately? What area are you not obeying?

If you missed Sunday, go to www.gatewaybc.com and listen to Jeremy’s message!


Additional Quote:
Why was God so opposed to the Amalekites? When the Israelites were struggling through the desert toward Canaan, the Amalekites picked off the weak, sick and elderly at the end of the line of marchers and brutally murdered these stragglers. Warned Moses, “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God” (Deut 25:17–18).

Some commentators note that the Amalekites were not merely plundering or disputing who owned what territories; they were attacking God’s chosen people to discredit the living God. Some trace the Amalekites’ adamant hostility all through the Old Testament, including the most savage butchery of all in Haman’s proclamation that all Jews throughout the Persian Empire could be massacred on a certain day (Esther 3:8–11). Many make a case that Haman was an Amalekite. His actions then would ultimately reveal this nation’s deep hatred for God, manifested toward the people through whom God had chosen to bless the whole world. (Hard Sayings of the Bible: Kaiser, Davids, Bruce, Brauch, p. 206)

For Men Only - Part Two

I am following up my last blog concerning lust with a copy of a recent writing by James Emery White, the Senior Pastor of Mecklenburg Church in Charlotte, NC. His comments are dead on. If you want to minister to other men, pass this along to every man, young man, teenage guy that you know... they need to read this.

******

Is Porn Really That Big of a Deal?

When it comes to porn, the question facing many men is simple: is it really wrong? Is it really that big of a deal? I mean, it’s just an image on a screen. It’s not someone I know (so it’s not lust, right?), or someone I’m having an actual affair with, so I’m still faithful to my wife. It’s just sexual release, like masturbation, and we all know that masturbation is not condemned in the Bible. It’s not even mentioned. And isn’t sex a good thing, so what’s wrong in watching it happen? I’m just admiring beauty. And besides, I’m single, so what do you expect me to do with all this pent-up sexual energy? It seems like a safe release until I am married.

I’ve heard all of this, and more, from men.

So is it really that big of a deal?

Yes, and here’s why:

It is sexual sin. Jesus made it clear that when we give in to lust, it is akin the act itself. It makes no difference whether you know the person or not; lust is not tied to relationship.

It is addictive. The ubiquitous nature of porn is new to our culture, and to human sexuality, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it is highly addictive in nature. As a result, it can not only begin to dominate a life, but can demand ever-increasing levels of exposure and ever-increasing degrees of experience to continue to stimulate.

It is degrading to women. In pornography, women are treated as objects. They are not fulfilling God’s dream for their life as His precious daughter, nor are they fulfilling His design for sexual expression and fulfillment. You are watching a woman who is being sinned against, treated in a way that is contemptible to her heavenly father (whether she sees it or not – and the fact that many may not only adds to its tragic nature).

It leads to other sins. Studies are beginning to show that the effects of porn on men is more than temporary sexual stimulation: as they see women treated as objects, they begin to treat women that way. They become more sexually aggressive, leading to date rapes and expected “hook-ups.”

It harms your relationship with your current, or future, spouse. It is absolutely bogus to say that watching porn enhances a sexual life. Instead, it cheapens it. Porn quickly becomes a substitute for sexual intimacy with your spouse.

It desensitizes your soul. Sin of any kind desensitizes your spiritual life. Continued exposure to a sin such as pornography is like shooting novocaine into your soul. It deadens you and grieves the Holy Spirit in your life, forcing Him to withdraw His utmost filling in a way that diminishes His power and presence in your life.

It distorts sex. “You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act,” wrote C.S. Lewis, “that is, to watch a girl undress on the stage. Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let every one see, just before the lights went out, that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon, would you not think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food? And would not anyone who had grown up in a different world think there was some equally queer about the state of the sex instinct among us?”

I’m a pastor. I talk with men who are dealing with the spiritual torment and guilt of engaging in a sin while trying to rationalize it away; I talk with men who are having to fight it as an addiction; I talk with men who are finding it is leading them to a warped view of women; I talk with men who are experiencing it’s direct path to other sins; I talk with men who are seeing its assault on their marriage; I talk with men who are trying to awaken their souls from its deadening grip; I talk with men who have distorted views of what sex is about.

I have a front-row seat to how it’s impacting their lives. I don’t need to wait for a host of studies. I’m in a living laboratory. So don’t tell me it’s no big deal.

I know the men who can prove you wrong.

James Emery White


Sources

For help with pornography, as well as accountability software, visit www.xxxchurch.com.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Sunday Reflections

We had a great day at Gateway yesterday. Jesus Christ was lifted up in multiple ways:

• Baptized nine new believers!!
• Cory and Judd lead us in worshipping the Lord… fantastic in all three services.
• The Choir lifted up the Lord with great music.
• Great attendance in all three services.
• David brought a challenging message in our 3rd message of the Worship Series.
• I look forward to bringing the final message in this series on Sunday. We will close the series with communion.

Our Holiday Hospitality Dinner was amazing:

• Highest attendance ever for our Ladies Night Out! Way to go ladies!!!
• Added 10 extra tables… could not add any more due to space.
• Had 50 ladies on a waiting list.
• Multiple comments that the food was the best ever – BIG thanks to Linda and her team!!
• Anne MacCallum, as usual, was amazing with her music and voice.
• Meredith Brock was incredible with her stirring testimony. (Okay, so I am very partial… but everyone agrees with me on this one.)
• Two ladies prayed to receive Christ – that never gets old.
• Many indicated an interest in learning more about Jesus Christ. (Pray that they will respond to the Gospel when we follow up with them!!!)

It Never, Never, Never Stops!

One of the residual effects of my car accident is tinnitus (ringing in the ears). My physician told me that my concussion may have caused this. It’s been strong, loud, and many times piercing in its high pitch. I sleep only a few hours a night due to the ringing. It easily wakes me up. So this past week, I was sent to a Neurologist. In the ear that has the ringing, the neurologist found some dried blood deep in my ear and a great deal of irritation around the ear drum. He believes the damage was caused by the accident. An MRI is being done to make sure none of my wiring has been crossed. Now we all know that my wires have been crossed for a long time… so nothing new. He also gave me something to help with the sleeping.

He asked me, “How long were you unconscious when the wreck occurred?” I said, “None at all.” Then he asked, “Well, how do you know? You had amnesia.” I thought about his question and then replied, “I guess I really don’t know…” He made me laugh. “You are really messing with my head…” Then again, he is a neurologist.

I am finding that in life God uses almost every situation that happens to me as a teaching moment of a spiritual truth. If you look for it, you can find a God-truth in each of your situations. And when you find the God-truth… well, it will radically change how you view your circumstances.

When God did not heal Paul from his “thorn in the flesh” God taught him great truths by not answering Paul’s continual prayer.

“So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7b-9 (NLT)

Why would God allow Satan to torment Paul? For a great reason… if Paul became a prideful person, the power of Christ would no longer work through him. God would stop using him. Paul had plenty to brag about. He had great seeds for success that could quickly grow into thorns of pride.

God wants to grow you and me into Christ-likeness. He wants us to learn humility. Was Christ humble?

Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:7-8

So yes, Christ was humble. And God wants you and me to be like Him. So what is God teaching me with my “thorn in the ears”? Well, I have learned that when I don’t focus on the ringing; when I ignore it, I don’t hear it. Yes, it’s still there. Yes it is still loud, but I just don’t hear it. But when I think about it (like right now as I write this) the ringing is very loud and piercing. It seems to grow in its loudness. It is annoying and distracting… and can even be depressing.

Temptation is like that. It always there… “crouching like a lion waiting to devour.” Temptation is all around you. The temptation to gossip; lie; cheat; ignore the Holy Spirit’s promptings; fulfill the desires of the flesh, be driven by fear, hatred, selfishness, to mistreat, misuse, judge, to be prideful, arrogant, stubborn… you name it, it is always near by.

So here is one last lesson that I am learning from the tinnitus. When I focus on the temptations that are always around me, they become more intense. My focus on them increases the power of the temptations! I give the temptation a greater opportunity to draw me closer; to defeat me. So I have a choice…do I concentrate on the temptation or do I choose to “focus on the author and finisher of my faith?”

Flee from your temptation… stop thinking about it, focusing on it, empowering it. The spiritual power to resist comes from a posture of humility. Not false humility, but one that understands that if it were not for the grace of God, you and I could and would quickly fall into sin.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:10

Remember, just like the ringing, temptation is always there. You get to decide whether you focus on it or not. Choose to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chuck Swindoll's Ten Lifetime Leadership Lessons

Chuck Swindoll, one of my heroes, was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at Catalyst recently. He brought a great message. He offered the following lessons he has learned from a lifetime of ministry (nearly 50 years). Every minister should learn from this man's life:

1. It’s lonely to lead. Leadership involves tough decisions. The tougher the decision, the lonelier it is.
2. It’s dangerous to succeed. I’m most concerned for those who aren’t even 30 and are very gifted and successful. Sometimes God uses someone right out of youth, but usually he uses leaders who have been crushed. (this is a word that got my attention...)
3. It’s hardest at home. No one ever told me this in Seminary.
4. It’s essential to be real. If there’s one realm where phoniness is common, it’s among leaders. Stay real.
5. It’s painful to obey. The Lord will direct you to do some things that won’t be your choice. Invariably you will give up what you want to do for the cross.
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary. (helps to explain the word crush!)
7. Attitude is more important than actions. Your family may not have told you: some of you are hard to be around. A bad attitude overshadows good actions.
8. Integrity eclipses image. Today we highlight image. But it’s what you’re doing behind the scenes that matters.
9. God’s way is better than my way.
10. Christlikeness begins and ends with humility.

Thanks Chuck Swindoll for ministering to me over the years!

Sunday Reflections

What a great spirit in worship on Sunday. Thanks for singing with your heart to our Lord.

I am so proud of you, Gateway, for your response to the challenge to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Compassion said the normal response is 3 to 5% of those who are in attendance will sponsor a child. We had one of the highest responses ever -- over 15%! That does not include those who were already sponsoring a child or those of you who sponsored a child online. It also doesn’t count the many of you who signed up yesterday to sponsor a child. You did awesome. Your generosity will make a difference in the lives of so many children. Thank you!

• Remember our Harvest Festival this Friday night. It’s a great time to invite a friend and neighbor. The kids are going to love it... even the adults love it.
• Thanks for praying for me this past week while I was on my spiritual retreat. I will share more with you in the near future about my time alone with God. But let me share for the moment that He has me very excited about His plans for Gateway. I believe we are going to see a fresh pouring out of His Spirit in our fellowship... so let's get ready for all the He has for us! Let's decide that we want to see those far from Christ to come to know Him as Lord and Savior!
• This Sunday we began a four Sunday series on Worship. Our worship team has been working diligently on this series. Jeremy Kingsley will lead in our first message. I always look forward to hearing Jeremy.
• Come with your hearts expectant on Sunday. I look forward to seeing you!

My Big Adventure – Learning the difference between Facts, Faith & Feelings

I’m a firm believer that every twelfth-grade guy needs a big adventure before he heads off to college. That’s why each spring I take some of Gateway’s twelfth-grade guys on a big adventure. This year we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cedar Point Amusement Park and the Dayton Airshow. The preceding years I have taken them to NYC to visit our church plant and tour the city. It’s always a great adventure!

Now imagine this. You are in the 12th grade, you are 17 years-old, and you get this crazy idea that to a teenager seems perfectly rational. You ask your mom and step-father if you can rent a plane so that you and your three best friends can fly from High Point, NC to Washington DC to “hang out.”

Now imagine that not only did your mom say yes, but the parents of your three best friends said yes. That means eight rational, sober, non-drug users, had a good nights sleep adults, made a conscience decision to let their four sons crawl into a four-seat Cessna 172 airplane and fly to the Nation’s Capital with a 17 year-old pilot who has had his license for only 5 months!

You are probably thinking – “Not in this life time!” Most parents wouldn’t even let their sons drive on such a trip.

Well, that was me back in 1971. I’m on the far left; then Doug, Jimmy and Mike.

The photo was taken early on the morning of December 29th, 1971. After doing the preflight of the plane, fuel check, weather check, filed the flight plan, we crawled into the plane. Before I started the engine, we had a prayer for a safe flight. I always did that. On this particular day, it was a really good thing that I had prayed.

So we were heading to our big adventure in DC. All the check points were exactly where they were supposed to be. It was a beautiful day with unlimited visibility. Little did I know that the big adventure would begin before we reached DC.

One of the guys asked, “So how are we getting from the airport to downtown DC?” “I have no idea, but something will work out.” was my confident response. There was a quiet moment in the plane. “So where are we spending the night?” “Well, I think we can stay with this girl I met last year at a flying event. I wrote her about us coming to Washington.” It got quiet again.

After convincing my friends that they can trust me, it suddenly hit me, I’m not really sure where I am! This was long before GPS. One of the guys asked “How much longer? I need to go to the bathroom.” After a really long pause, I finally said, “I’m not sure. I have to figure out where we are.” It was dead quiet.

This is when the lesson began in learning the difference between faith in facts or faith in feelings. A pilot has to trust his instruments, not his feelings, especially if you get disoriented. Your feelings can tell you one thing, while the plane is doing something completely different. The air had been very rough and I was attempting to find a smoother altitude for the guys. I was soon flying by feelings, not facts. I was focused on the rough air and not my navigational instruments. I was putting my trust in what I thought was the right course instead of keeping a trusting eye on the instrument panel.

For the safety of my three friends, I had to set aside my ego. I began looking for a place to land in order to get my bearings. How embarrassing! I noticed some pasture land that looked like it had a dirt air strip running in the middle. That was good enough for me. I had learned to fly at a very small airport, so landing on a small, short dirt field was second nature to me.

I checked for other airplane traffic and headed in for a landing, no sweat. There were also no buildings, no phones, no nothing. My three friends bailed out one side of the plane and went straight for a line of trees to answer the call of Mother Nature.

As I got out of the plane, I saw a guy in his car at the end of the field. I walked over to him and with all the confidence I could muster I asked, “Do you know which way Washington is?” Without judging, or at least not to my face, he said, “let me get my road map.” We studied the road map on the hood of his car along side of my flight map. “I see where I made a mistake. I know where I am now. Thanks!” With the four of us back in the plane and all of the cows off the runway, we took to the air with new confidence. We were only 20 minutes away from the airport I was looking for. Potomac Airfield (PG Airpark back then) was just southwest of Andrews Air Force Base and directly south of Washington.

I can only imagine the conversation that man had with his wife at dinner that night! I gave him something to talk about for the rest of his life. “Did I tell you about the time these four teenagers flying an airplane landed in a field and asked me how to get to DC?”

Twenty minutes later, we landed at Potomac Airfield. Okay, I found the airport, now I need to find a ride for the four of us. As I walked into the airport lounge, standing right in front of me was Mike Brooks. We both immediately recognized each other. Mike was my age and we had met a year ago at a flying event. He lived in the area and was hanging out at the airport. We talked for a moment. I asked him, “How far is it to downtown?” “About 20 or 30 minutes,” he said. So I made a deal with him. “I will take you up and let you fly my plane if you drive us to DC.” Done deal.

We ran around DC seeing the sights. It was awesome. We laughed and enjoyed every moment. Later that day I called my other friend – which I had met only once. She had already made arrangements for housing and was coming to pick us up near the Washington Monument. She had also made plans to get a group of her friends together, and they had a party for us! Way cool.

After the party we headed to another friend’s house to spend the night. Now get this, the only available bed for us was a king-size water bed. Image 4 teenage guys on a king-size water bed (or maybe you don’t want to imagine that). We laughed all night long.

We woke up early the next morning with bad news on the weather. There would be some strong winds and storms hitting the east coast, so we would have an even rougher ride home. No sweat.

Another recently made friend drove us back to the airport. We jumped into the plane and soon we were heading home.

The winds were tough. One of the guys was watching the interstate below us. He said, “Don, I think the cars are passing us.” “No way,” I said. But he was right. I called the weather station on my radio and discovered that we were flying into 50 knot headwind, but it was smooth air. So if you are flying 120 and heading into a headwind of 50, your ground speed is 70… so cars were passing us!

On the return trip home, I trusted my flight instruments completely. I set aside all my feelings. I made course corrections for crosswinds. After avoiding much of the thunderstorms, we landed safely at Midway Airport in High Point, NC. When the wheels touched the runway, we all began singing Handle’s Hallelujah chorus… awesome trip!

Everyday you have a choice. You can put your faith in the facts of God’s Word or you can put your faith in your feelings. Your feelings can be deceptive because of your ever-changing circumstances. Your feelings can be unreliable. Your feelings can contradict the truth of God’s Word. But your feelings do not negate the truth of God’s Word. Choose to put your FAITH in the FACTS of God’s Word. You will find that your FEELINGS will eventually catch up.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

JESUS: “Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” John 14:21

Sunday’s Reflections – ReThink Compassion

Awesome day of worship.

• Cory and Judd do an excellent job in leading us into the presence of God each week.
• The choir blessed us today.
• Reggie Boan challenged us with his testimony of his personal involvement with Compassion International.

Of the 6.7 billion people that live on this planet:

1. 1.1 billion have little or no access to water
2. 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation
3. 1 billion people use 80% of the world’s resources
4. The USA accounts for 4.6% of the world’s population and we consume 33% of the world’s resources.
5. There are 2.2 billion children in the world
6. 1 billion children lives in poverty
7. 25,000 children die each day due to poverty

I challenged you to make a difference by considering:

1. Sponsoring a child through Compassion International – we will have packets next Sunday.
2. Become a Foster Parent – there are 443 foster children in Lexington and Richland Counties with only 207 foster homes to serve them.
3. Adopt a child in the United States or Internationally.
4. There are 143 million children that need to be adopted world-wide
5. There are 100,000 children in the United States waiting to be adopted.
   
   Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27 (NLT)

My First Leadership Lesson

In 1971, I was elected president of our service club in high school – the Junior Jaycees. We had formed the club a year earlier when I was a junior. Like most schools, “service club” was code for “party club.” The only service projects actually being done was cleaning up after the parties!

There was a gang of us in high school who did not drink plus we actually wanted to do service projects. So we formed a new club with a major rule. You could not use alcohol or drugs – at any time or at any place. Students responded.

Service clubs were limited to 50 students. We quickly had 50 students. Also, we were the only club that had a long waiting list of students who wanted in. Our club was soon the “cool” group to be part of. Athletes, preppies, band members, smart students… we attracted all kinds. We even accepted some of the nerds! (I think that is how I got in.) The teachers and school administration respected us and appreciated our stance.

Our nickname was the wombats. Why? I have no idea. A wombat is a small Australian bear that we assumed was vicious… but I don’t think so. I saw one while in Australia a few years ago – not too impressed.

There were times we had to confront guys in our group… we even had to remove a few. But for the most part, all the guys enjoyed the accountability and appreciated being a part of a safe group of guys.

There was one thing that did make us like all the other clubs, we had initiation week. We would choose our allotted students… then we would… well, let’s just say that we made sure they earned the right to be a part of our group. The last night of initiation week was on Friday. There were various names for this night… none that I can share. We were out most of the night. It was usually more talk than action. We would cover the guys in a bunch of yucky, smelly, homemade stuff… make them do stupid things… made them do things for us… but other than that it was pretty mild. We soon got bored of the pranks and just sat around a fire-pit and laughed.

The night was over and we headed home. As I pulled up to my house (remember this was long before cell phones) my mother was waiting at the door. She said, “One of your guys is hurt and is at the hospital. You need to get over there.” I could tell she was worried.

As I arrived at the ER I saw a dad that I knew. He came up to me and asked what happened. I said, “I’m totally in the dark, but I will find out.” He told me that his son had 3rd degree burns on his back. My heart sunk and my mind raced.

I talked to some of the guys who were in the waiting room. They told me that a few of our guys had taken three of the pledges to the lake. They decided to have their own little initiation separate from the rest of the group. They poured some really smelly, homemade concoction on the students and then had them get into the lake to wash off. When one of the students hit the water, he began to scream. “My back is burning! My back is burning!!”

They rushed him to the hospital. The physician found that he had 3rd degree burns about the size of a grapefruit on his back. It was not good. He would later have plastic surgery and a skin graft to repair the area.

The dad said, “Don, I don’t blame you because you were not there.” I said, “But I am responsible because I am the leader of the group. I will find out who did this and what they did.”

I got our guys together who were at the scene. I asked them what happen. Everyone told the same story. It seemed that one of the guys brought some stuff from home, he poured it on this one particular pledge. We later found out that he didn’t like the pledge and had singled him out. “Do you know what you put into it?” I asked. “No.” he said. “Well let’s go to your house and you show me.” When we went to his house, he began pulling out all this stuff he had put together… then he pulled out one container that I couldn’t believe. “This is Drano! You put this in?” “Yes,” he said. I could not believe it! I don’t remember all the names I called him, but somewhere in that process I said, “Don’t you know that Drano is activated with water?” The original Drano was made up of small crystals. You would put the crystals into a clogged drain then add water to active the solution. The smell was horrible. When the pledge got into the lake, the water activated the Drano and began burning him. The more he washed it off, the more it burned.

An ill-conceived, stupid, practical joke gone very bad. No charges were brought by the parents. They were very forgiving towards the club and me. They realized it was a single student who perpetrated the attack on their son. The conversation that would take place would be between the two sets of parents.

But our High School principal was a different story. He held me responsible and pulled the charter of our club for a year. I could appreciate his position, but I did try to convince him he should not punish an entire group because of one individual. In reality he was probably trying to avoid a lawsuit. He did the right thing in order to protect the school.

Funny thing though… we were stubborn. We decided to continue as a club just not at school and not school sponsored. The principal agreed that he could not stop us. We continued to do community projects. That next spring, the unofficial Junior Jaycees Wombats received the “Service Club of the Year” award by the High School Student Council.

Just a few years ago, I got a phone call. It was the guy who had been burned. He kept up with me over the years through mutual friends. He was in Columbia on business and wanted to visit. We had a great time together. We laughed about High School. We talked about our friends. We talked about his faith. And we talked about that fateful initiation night. He had made a decision to let it motivate him, not defeat him. “Let me see your scar,” I said. He didn’t hesitate. He pulled up his shirt and there it was. It was still the size of a grapefruit. He had more plastic surgery procedures, but it would always be a big, ugly scar.

Funny ending… he works as a fire prevention consultant! And he loves his job. I laugh every time I think about it.

So what did I learn? I learned that when you are the leader… you are responsible. I feel this even more as pastor of Gateway. I know that one day I will stand before a Holy God and give an account of my role as leader of this wonderful church. That’s why I must make sure we are asking ourselves the right question… are we fulfilling God’s purpose and plans for Gateway? In the end, that is all that matters.

Totally Out of Control – a Great Place to Be!

It had been a long day. I left early last week on Tuesday morning to drive south of Raleigh, NC to visit an inmate in prison. We spent more than an hour together talking about life, the Bible, and Jesus… it was a good visit.

Then I headed to the Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem to visit a church member who had just come out of surgery for a very serious form of cancer. Which, by the way, the doctors have now declared her cancer-free from a form of cancer that has no cure! It is a God thing!!

After visiting, praying, and meeting other family members… I headed to my car. I had told them that it was just a few miles away at Old Salem where I first kissed Mary. She was attending Governor’s School… I think the historical marker is still there!

I was driving west on Interstate 40 heading towards I-77 which would lead me home. I had just passed exit 182 outside of Winston-Salem. The signs told me that there was road work ahead and to be prepared to slow down. For just a moment I thought about taking an exit to find a way around the construction. The traffic slowed to 35 miles per hour. It didn’t look like it would be too bad.

I was paying very close attention to the car in front of me. I didn’t look in my rear view mirror, which was a good thing. Otherwise I would have seen the car coming towards me at 85 miles per hour making no attempt to slow down. A 24-year-old was talking on his cell phone to his girlfriend. He did not realize that the traffic had slowed considerably. If I had seen the oncoming vehicle, I would have stiffened every muscle preparing for the impending impact because I had no route of escape. That body reaction would have increased my injuries many fold.

Instead, I was simply looking ahead. I heard the initial impact… but was not sure what had happened. After my Ford Explorer spun around two times, it hit the guard rail facing into the east bound traffic which was about 30 feet away. I’m very thankful for the person who invented guard rails… and seat belts!

I do remember feeling completely at peace and calm. I felt no jarring or banging. I knew I was out of control, but at the same time everything was under control. Later, at the hospital, I was praying and thanking God for protecting me. He told me that he had placed a team of angels around me during the accident. I believe Him! That explains the calmness I felt the protection I had. Other than a bump on my head, there was zero pain.

I remember someone coming to my car. I have no idea what they said, but I think I did what they told me to do. I got out of my car. I saw that the car in front of me had been hit as well… either by me while I was spinning or by the other car. There was an older couple in the car. I asked them if they were okay.

Then all of a sudden it occurred to me that I had no idea where I was and why I was there. I didn’t know what day it was or what I had been doing for the past 24 hours. “Why am I standing in the middle of the interstate? Why is the back of my car gone?” Someone told me where I was. “So why am I in North Carolina?” My next thought was, “My brother, Elliott, is a Captain with the High Point Fire Department. He is the closest family member.” I called him. “Hey. I’ve been in a wreck on I-40. Can you come?” “Be there in a moment,” he said. Ten minutes passed and I was still confused. I called my brother again. “Did I call you earlier?” He said, “Yes and I am on my way.” “That’s great, because I don’t remember calling you.” He told me later that after the second call he drove much faster to get to me.

I called Mary. Her first words were, “I’m talking to Molly, I will call you right back.” I simply said okay. Mary was talking to her sister about her dad. He was having some serious health issues and Mary was getting an update. If I had said “I’m in trouble,” she would have given me full attention. But at that moment, I didn’t even remember being in a wreck, so I didn’t say anything. She felt horrible when she found out what was going on… but it was not her fault. I wasn’t able to communicate anything. (We are working on a new system of communication!)

Okay… I’m in North Carolina. My brother is on his way. So why am I here? Where have I been all day? I could not remember anything. About that time an EMT asked me if I was okay. “I don’t know. I know who I am, but I don’t know why I am here.” He asked, “Do you know what day it is?” “No,” I admitted with great embarrassment. They took my blood pressure… it was high. “Do you want to go to the hospital?” he asked. “I’m fine,” I said. Remember, I’m a guy and we don’t like to admit we need anything… (I think that the “male ego” was a little joke by God on man.) The EMT said, “Sign here that you don’t want to go to the hospital.” I signed and they moved to the others.

Why I did the following, I have no idea, but it made a difference. I was sitting on the guard rail in the middle of the interstate. I took out my Blackberry and began twittering. That sent instant texts to cell phones and Facebook. I thought if I could start writing about what is happening my memory would come back. I began to tell people what was happening. Within in five minutes I received over 50 text messages and multiple phone calls. I didn’t answer the phone because I was too confused. But the peace that overwhelmed me was reassuring… people were praying! Over the next 30 minutes I had more than 100 text messages and phone calls. More peace and calmness!

The people in the car ahead of me told me that they saw everything. They saw the car coming; they saw my car spin twice; they saw their car get hit by the other car. The police said I was going 35 mph and the at-fault car hit me at 85 mph.

I looked across the road and saw my brother. He talked to the fire fighters and made his way to me. I knew I would be okay. “You okay?” “I’m not sure. I can’t remember anything.” “Where is the EMT?” he asked. “They left.” He got mad. “You need to go the hospital. I’m not taking any risk.” “Fine with me,” I said.

Somewhere in all that process, I gathered all my stuff out of the car and put it into a garbage bag. I have no idea where I got the bag from. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be driving that car again. “Is it totaled?” I asked the wrecker guy as he was pulling my car onto his tow truck. “Oh yeah,” he said.

I noticed that the driver seat was completely flat and the back of my driver’s seat was laying into the back seat. “How did that happen?” I wondered.

I finally talked to Mary. “Are you going to the hospital?” she asked. “I’m okay, I don’t need to go.” “YOU ARE GOING TO THE HOSPITAL,” she informed me. “I can tell by your voice that something is wrong.”

Elliott got me to his car. We drove the five minutes back to Baptist Hospital. We walked into the ER. It was packed. I was taken to triage. I was with a nurse for five minutes. They took me straight to an examination room and within a few minutes I had my first exam by a physician. “I think you are okay, but let me talk to someone else.” A few minutes later he came back with another physician. He examined me. I still don’t remember much from the day. “I think we should do a CAT scan. Do you want to do that?” He knew I was a pastor and I said “You don’t tell me how to preach and I won’t tell you how to practice medicine.” He laughed and said we would do the scan.

While I was waiting for the scan, a nurse came in. “Are you Mack Brock?” “Yes.” She shook her head and said, “Let me look at your wrist identification. We have you classified wrong,” she said as she left the room. Elliott looked at my id. “They have you listed as a black female.” We laughed. The nurse returned to change my id bracelet. I told Elliott, “I’m going to have fun with this. This will let everyone know I’m okay.” So I twittered the news. I noticed on my phone that I had another 100 messages. I had messages from friends all over the country. I love technology.

The physician reported to me “You have a concussion with amnesia. Your memory will come back and you will be fine.” A third physician came in to give me one final check. They were awesome.

Mary was on her way, so Elliott took me half way to meet her. Elliott told her that he was finally glad that he was able to take care of his big brother. It was reassuring that he was there. It took a great deal of pressure off of Mary as well.

Well, I’ve been examined three times since being home. I still have some fuzziness and trouble concentrating… but all is well. God has been very good to me. I have to take a short break from preaching because of the inability to concentrate.

God taught me that the reason I was calm during the wreck was that the outcome did not matter. If I survived, then I get to remain with my family and friends. If I did not survive the wreck, then I get to be with Jesus in heaven. It was a win-win situation.

As for my brain, I am claiming Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

I need God to renew my mind. This kind of work is done by the Holy Spirit as we become consistent in our study and meditation on Scripture and through prayer. So my prescription for recovery is to take a break from the internet, television and movies, and give my full focus on God’s word and prayer.

Let me say again, thank you for the outpouring of your love and prayers this past week.

I love you!

A Labor Day That Lived Up To Its Name

So I think my wife deceived me. She convinced me that Labor Day was actually a day set aside to have a contest to see how much work you can get done in a 12 hour period. AND I FELL FOR IT! For some reason I could not sleep Sunday night. Great day at church; wonderful worship; loved preaching Galatians 5; had lunch with great friends… but for some reason I just could not go to sleep. Maybe it was the thought of 83 year old Jerry Lewis staying up all night for his kid’s telethon. (I use to watch it every year.) Imagine… he has collected over $1.5 billion dollars since he began the telethon.

Anyway, after not sleeping most of the night, we were in the yard by 9:00 on Monday morning and we finished at 9:00 that night. We cleared the area between the road and back yard; measured for the line of the fence along the back; cut down trees; pulled down thorny vines from other trees; dug holes; placed timber for the fence; moved concrete bags that had harden from our lovely humidity; busted up the hard concrete with a mallet to make it usable; set the post; somewhere in all that we split a subway sandwich; Mary went to rehearsal at the church; then we closed off the day by moving 2 large pallets of 8 foot 2 X 4’s from the garage to the back yard. If there was a contest – then we won… and I want my prize!

One bright moment… we had two baby squirrels playing on our back deck. They were not afraid and came right to me… and no we are not making them pets.

During the day, God reminded of some truths in his word.

First were the thorny vines. They covered the trees along the road in our back yard. When you first see a vine growing, it is a small vine just a few inches long with a few leaves; not much to it and certainly nothing to take serious. But left unchecked it will quickly make its way up the tallest tree… and it will invite all of its siblings and cousins to climb along. It was not easy removing those things. My legs and arms look like I got into a fight with Edward Scissorhands. I did get some cool cuts on my legs. One looks like the mark of Zorro. Then there is the triangle and an upside down 7. (I know I’ve got a weird sense of humor.)

Sin is like that. It may start out harmless and small, but it will soon overwhelm your life. It will affect everything. Once it has weaved itself into your thoughts and your behavior – it affects those around you. It’s not easily removed and sometimes takes the help of others… maybe you have the scars that prove this to be true.

The other truth was revealed through a couple of baby squirrels. As I was going to get a drink, this very small squirrel was looking for something to drink on our porch. As I approached, he wasn’t nervous, nor did it run off. In fact, it crawled right towards me. I got a saucer of water and he got his fill. Soon his sibling showed up. Then I remembered… last Thursday, we found a dead squirrel at the bottom of the tree the babies were in. So they are probably orphaned. God reminded me that if He is aware of even the smallest of his creatures, certainly he is aware of my needs.

(Jesus) What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. Matt. 10:29

(God) I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine. Psalm 50:11

Soaring with the Eagles

I flew my first glider when I was 16 years old. I will never forget the drive to Chester, SC to a glider school located at the airport. It was amazing. After an orientation by the instructor and the pre-flight check of the glider, I crawled into the front seat – the instructor into the back. A tow-line that looked like a ski rope was attached to the tail of the tow-plane was also attached to the nose of the glider. After getting the slack out of the tow-line and checking my controls, I gave a signal to the line-boy who held my wings level. He signaled the pilot of the tow-plane. He began his take-off run. After about 20 yards, the line-boy was able to let go of the wing since the glider had enough lift under the wings to stay level.

Within just a few moments, I was 10 feet off the ground. WOW!!! It was thrilling. I had just gotten my driver’s license and now I’m flying a glider. The instructor taught me how to stay within the “box” behind the tow-plane. After a series of turns, we made our way to 3,500 feet. Then it happened. I pulled the big red knob in the center of my instrument console. The rope disconnected from the glider; the tow plane dove down to the left and I took a steep turn to the right. After having my flight determined by the tow-plane, I was now free to fly as I desired. It was freeing, exhilarating, and very quiet. All I heard was the air rushing over my canopy and wings.

Because there is no engine in a glider, forces of nature have the primary affect on the flight. One force – gravity – pulls you back to earth. The glider began its decent. Within 20 minutes I would be back on the ground. However, I did have an alternative. I could find a thermal. A thermal is like a tall smoke stack of warm air that is rising from the ground. If you find one you can make tight turns within the column of warm air and the heat will cause the glider to rise. When you gain the altitude you desire, you simply fly out of the thermal. If you can continue to find thermals, you could literally keep a glider in the air all day.

The thing about thermals is they can be very bumpy. That is one of the many clues that you have found one. You feel the disruption of air around the glider. But unless you are willing to go through the bumps, you will never get the altitude.

Another clue I look for is a hawk or an eagle. If I spot one in a tight circle, there is a chance he has found a thermal and is seeking to gain altitude. Once when the kids were very young, we were visiting Mary’s brother on Signal Mountain in Tennessee. As we stood at a cliff looking over the city of Chattanooga, I spotted an eagle about a hundred feet below us. He was circling. I told the kids “Watch this eagle. I bet he will circle; never flap his wings; and will soon be higher than we are.” Sure enough, just as if we had planned it, the eagle stayed in a tight circle and quickly rose to hundreds of feet above us – he didn’t flap his wings once! Then he tilted his wings, flew out of the thermal and headed off into another direction. Amazing.

My glider flying and that eagle reminded of this verse:
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

We have reached our two year mark on our new campus. What I thought would be easy has been hard and what I thought would be hard has been easy. Go figure. We have seen many dear friends make their way to other fellowships. (I was told by countless pastors and consultants that this would happen.) I know many of you have been hurt as your friends have left. I have hurt. Even though I knew it was coming, it still hurt. I was their pastor and I loved them… I still do. Being a relational person made it sting even more.

However, I had to be obedient to the Lord. I answer to Him and Him alone. I have no doubts that we are heading in the right direction. Although I will confess that I have not executed everything correctly, I have no doubts of God’s vision for Gateway. He has planted us into a sea of people who do not know Him.

But when you go through some bumpy air while flying… you don’t ever get out of the plane! You keep flying and let the Lord give you the lift you need under your wings. When you are flying at 35,000 feet in an airliner and you run into some very bumpy air… you stay in your seat, tighten your seat belt and trust the pilot! Well, I have put my trust in the Lord.

In the last two years, over 200 people have joined our team. As you have, they have bought into the vision for this church. We have baptized ninety-five new believers. We have many more waiting for baptism. God is great!

I want to thank the Gateway family for believing in our Lord and the vision He has given Gateway. I want to thank the Gateway family for believing in me as your pastor and your leader. Your prayers, kind words, and notes of encouragement bless me more than you will ever know. Never, never, never stop praying for me!

I want to thank the Gateway family for allowing me to build a great team of staff who believe in the vision God has given Gateway. I love working with this team!

Now let’s soar high for the Lord. Let us continue the race and not grow weary of the journey. Let’s ask God to give us hundreds of new believers this fall. Let’s believe God for that which seems impossible to us. Let’s put ALL of our trust in the LORD!!! You are going to love the view when we soar high together!

Thanks Gateway!

• On Monday our team delivered over 320 book bags to George I Pair Elementary School in West Columbia. The administration, teachers and students were more than grateful that their students will start the school year off right. Thanks to David Gold for leading this effort. Thank you for your generosity!
• Book bags and supplies were also delivered to several students at nearby elementary schools.
• Our Concert of Hope for the Homeless raised over $4400 on Saturday for the Oliver Gospel Mission. Thanks Shelly Sims for your leadership and vision! Thanks to all the volunteers of GBC!!
• God is using Nancy Counts and her team by making a difference in the lives of young students at Lake Murray Elementary and Ballentine Elementary with the Good News Club. Pray for them!

Thanks to all of you who serve as volunteers at Gateway!

Who Was So Depressed He Asked God to Take His Life?

God spoke to me recently using a devotion by Rick Warren. With Rick's permission, I am sharing his devotion with you. God bless...


“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for”. (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG)

Here’s a Bible trivia quiz: Can you name any of three men who became so depressed that each of them asked God to take his life? Answer: Moses, Elijah, and Jonah. Each of them got depressed, but for different reasons; depression is always a symptom of a deeper problem. Like a warning light on your car, depression is meant to get your attention; it shouts something is wrong! The real problem is not how you feel, but the cause of those feelings.

Here are three of the most common causes of depression:

1. Fatigue - Moses’ problem
When you try to maintain a hectic pace week after week in spite of physical and emotional exhaustion, you set yourself up for depression. Or, if you try to play God, attempting to control everything and everyone around you, depression will eventually catch up with you. In Moses’ case, the solution was to learn to delegate (Numbers 11:10–17).

2. Fear - Elijah’s problem
Whenever you swallow your anxieties, your body keeps score. Instead of focusing on your depression, ask, “What is it that I’m afraid of? What’s got me worried?” Resolve the worry and your blues will vanish, if that’s the cause. In Elijah’s situation, the antidote was to trust God to handle things out of his control (1 Kings 19:1–18).

3. Frustration - Jonah’s problem
When you don’t see a purpose behind the events of your life, when it all seems so arbitrary or hopeless or unfair, then depression strikes. Life without meaning and significance is depressing. That’s why God’s solution to Jonah’s depression was to help him see the bigger picture. Perspective is a powerful cure. When Jonah finally understood God’s purpose for his life, his depression faded.

Does life sometimes seem like an endless rat race to you? Ask God to open your eyes and help you see his purpose for your life.

God, who made you, has this to say about you:

“I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:11 TEV).

Communicating Jesus’ love in a practical way

JESUS: And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me." Matthew 25:45 (NLT)

Jesus had a heart for the poor and he had a special place in his heart for children. We have an opportunity to share the heart of Jesus with a group of children.

Back to School Supply Drive: August 9 - 23

Gateway has taken the challenge to adopt a local elementary school in West Columbia and to provide school supplies for the children. We want to encourage these students by helping them to start the school year off right. There are 320 students in the school whose families do not have the resources to purchase school supplies for many of them it is a decision between buying food or school supplies.

George I Pair Elementary School is designated as an at-risk school due to the number of children who live at or below the poverty level. Ninety-two percent of children at this school are on free or reduced lunch. This means that 92 percent of the children in this school are from a family where buying school supplies is nearly impossible. Many of the children live in single-parent homes.

This is where you come in. This Sunday you can adopt a child by stopping by the Back to School Supply Drive table located at the worship center entrance. Pick up one school supply card for each child you wish to sponsor. Purchase a back-pack and fill it with the supplies. The average cost is $20 to complete the need for one child. Return the completed back-pack to Gateway on or before August 23rd. We will deliver the supplies on Monday the 24th.

Mary found a deal at Walgreen – $10 for 2 back-packs. So we are adopting 2 children for only $30!

This past Sunday 140 children were adopted for school supplies. We have 180 more children who need to be adopted.

We have a great opportunity to communicate to the children and their families in a very small but practical way that Jesus loves them and that we want them to have a great school year. If we go over our goal, we have a second school who has requested assistance.

Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping the poor, which I have always been eager to do. Galatians 2:10 (NLT)

Blessing Others

NEWS FLASH – Our old campus is officially leased with an option to purchase by NewSpring Church of Anderson, SC. Pray that God will bless them as they reach people for Jesus!

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

While in the process of turning our former facilities over to NewSpring, we have had the privilege of blessing other ministries. Today I met a church planter from Charleston at the old GBC campus. It was so cool to be able to give him two trailers loaded with chairs for his new church. It will save the church plant more than $10,000. That’s a lot of money that can be used in other areas of ministry.

It’s been like that since we relocated to our new location.

• Last week a pastor from Rock Hill got a load of stage lights.
• A local church was given all of our choir robes. (You probably didn’t even know that we had choir robes!)
• Several churches received musical scores for their choirs.
• CIU received carpet and chairs for their studio where Dan DeLozier teaches students in his communication program.
• Our staging from the old worship center is being used by numerous church plants all over Columbia.
• The first church planted by Gateway, North Point Church, received our old portable baptistery.
• Church plants have benefited from sound system components.
• When the government changed the frequencies that wireless microphones can use which required us to purchase new receivers, we sent our old system to churches overseas through Crossover Communications International.
• Office equipment, chairs and nursery equipment was given to a church plant in North Myrtle Beach.
• A local church received office furniture.
• Refrigerators and other pieces of kitchen equipment went to a local community ministry.
• Nursery equipment is being used by another local church.
• Christmas decorations went to yet another local church.
• A refrigerator, chairs, cabinets are being used in the Live School office.
• Even a local Boy Scout Troop received carpet and chairs.

I appreciate the Spirit of God in Gateway that allows us to share with others. In reality, it’s not even ours! It belongs to the Lord. We simply are passing the blessing along to others.

Life’s Lessons Can Be Hard

My first experience with the death of someone my age was when I was 10 years old. We were members of First Baptist Church in High Point, NC. If the doors were open, we were there. Church was fun, but not for the reasons you are thinking. You see, my friends and I knew every hiding spot in the church, and FBC had some big buildings. It was an awesome place to play hide and seek and we were the masters!

There was a couple in the church named Smithenson, who served as foster parents. Although I did not have an appreciation for them at the time, I have since learned to have a deep appreciation for anyone who reaches out to children in need. The Smithensons exemplified the heart of God by loving unwanted or neglected children. The Smithensons always had a house full of kids and they were always at church. Usually, they would fit right in.

Well, it was a Wednesday night. We did our usual stuff… ate dinner, had Royal Ambassadors, then came the real reason for church – playing hide and seek.
The Smithensons had a new kid. He was my age. We had fun as usual. We ran and we played. But this night the new kid and I decided to have a wrestling match. After all, didn’t we have to decide who was the best? Wrestling was usually the “choice of weapons.” (Yes ladies, that male thing begins early in life!)

Well, I won… but in retrospect I wish I hadn’t. It really embarrassed the new kid and I was kind of mean about the whole thing. I gloated. In fact, it sort of turned into a little fight. I figured that the new kid and I would probably not become very close friends.

It was a few weeks later and we were having a RA camping trip to Camp Caraway. It was south of High Point about 30 or 40 minutes. It was a cool place… a medium size mountain, lots of hiking trails and a nice lake. We would stay in tents. Camp Caraway has since been well developed into a conference center, hotel rooms, cabins… the works.

I don’t remember why, but I decided not to go on the camping trip. (I probably was sick. In fact that may have been the time I had mono.) I still have mixed emotions about that decision.

One of the leaders of the camping trip was a guy named Cecil. Cecil was “The Man.” He was a Green Beret. In fact he was the karate instructor for Green Berets at Fort Bragg. Needless to say, he had our complete attention and we NEVER talked back. He drove a motorcycle and wore really cool boots.

Now on the camping trip, Cecil took the new kid in a canoe for a little ride. The rest of the guys were swimming off the dock. The kid stood up in the canoe. Cecil told him to sit down, but he didn’t. He was having too much fun. That moment of disobedience cost him his life.

Without warning the canoe flipped. It sent both of them into the water. The canoe apparently hit the kid in the head and knocked him out and he sunk to the bottom of the lake… remember, this was back in the day when we didn’t even think about life jackets.

Unfortunately, Cecil had on his boots. As he searched for the kid, his boots filled with water and began to take him under. He struggled ashore to get his boots off and immediately went back in to find the kid. All the other men were searching as well. He could not be found.

The rescue team arrived and dragged the lake. His body was found after about an hour.

I remember a picture in the paper… Cecil sitting on the side of the lake, his head in his hands leaning on top of his knees. With all of his Green Beret skills and training… he couldn’t save a 10 year old boy.

When I was told of the accident, all I could think of was the wrestling match and how I embarrassed the new kid.

At the funeral, I remember looking at him in the casket… it was the fist time I saw a dead person. It didn’t seem real. He didn’t look right. I remember the Smithensons being broken-hearted. I remember wanting to be any place but there.

After the funeral, we were driving home in the car. I sat in the back. Dad wanted to stop by his parent’s house, but Mom and I stayed in the car. I could not take it any more. I began to cry. I had never cried for someone who had died before that moment. I cried hard. Mom asked me if I was upset about the drowning. I said yes. But I didn’t dare tell her about my shame.

I didn’t understand. Why did this happen? Why wasn’t I nicer to him? Why didn’t he sit down? Why was Cecil wearing his boots? Why would God allow this to happen to a kid who already had a tough life in that his parents didn’t want him? Why him and not me? Why wasn’t I there? Could I have made a difference?

That event changed my life… it changed how I looked at people. It changed how I treated people. It changed how I cared about the unfortunate. Since the drowning, every time I see someone being picked on, I quickly step in to defend. I have loved kids every since.

I have remembered all these details of the death of a 10 year old. But there is one detail I can not remember… his name. Why have I not been able to remember the most important piece of information… his name? Maybe it hurt too much to know that I missed being nice to someone who didn’t know he had only a few weeks to live. I may never understand. I haven’t thought about it in a long time.

But what I do know is that I have a brother in Christ waiting for me in heaven… I will know his name then… we might even have a friendly wrestling match… I’m sure he will win.

God uses life events, both good and bad, to shape us and mold us. He is Lord and He is sovereign. I really can trust Him even when nothing makes sense.

What’s your story?

Sunday Worship

Let me tell you what I thought of the worship this past Sunday. Wonderful. Genuine. Heartfelt. God honoring. Passionate. His Spirit was with us. The name of Jesus was lifted high. We were drawn into His presence! This is becoming the norm for Gateway.

As I thought of your worship, I was reminded of Psalms 101.

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord. I will praise you with songs.

If that is the true desire of your worship and praise, then practice the rest of Psalm 101. Let it become the standard of your life. The following is an abbreviated version:

… I will be careful to live a blameless life. (Christ-likeness)
… I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. (Integrity begins in the home!)
… I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. (TV, movies, internet, magazines…)
… I hate all who deal crookedly. (Refuse to compromise your convictions in order to make a sale)
… I will reject perverse ideas. (Test everything by the Word of God)
… (I will) stay away from every evil. (Definition of every evil: EVERY EVIL)
… I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. (Do not participate in gossip)
… I will not endure conceit and pride. (Beginning with yourself)
… I will search for faithful people to be my companions. (Be careful who you choose to be your friends for they will influence your life)

Now go and do it… then come prepared to WORSHIP on Sunday!!!

*(words in parenthesis are my own words)

Thoughts on Sunday

I love our worship time at Gateway. I am seeing more and more individuals engaging in worship in all three services. Cory and Judd are doing a fantastic job in directing our hearts into the presence of Holy God.

I have a confession to make. It is very difficult for me to get into worship on Sunday. The simple truth is I like to talk to as many people as possible. Since Sunday morning is the one time I get to see most of you… well… I talk to one person, then another, then someone walks up to me, then I see someone else, then I notice someone new… on and on.

The problem is I don’t worship and I distract your worship… not to mention that I set a bad example for you.

So I am learning to behave myself and stay on the front row and focus on the words I am singing. If you see me get some happy feet, well, just hold your comments to yourself.

On Sunday we began our series on the Christian Declaration of Independence – Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia. A great question that comes from Galatians – whose truth are you going to listen to? Man’s or God’s? Only one truth can save…

The message of Galatians is the message of the Christian’s spiritual freedom. It’s been called the Magna Carta of spiritual liberty; the battle cry of the Reformation.

Jesus said in Matthew:

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Mt 7:13-14)

Of this verse, Oswald Chambers said:

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome. Do we so appreciate the marvelous salvation of Jesus Christ that we are our utmost for His highest? (O. Chambers. My Utmost for His Highest. Grand Rapids)

Let’s us journey together on this gloriously difficult road!

Galatians 1:11-24 this Sunday.

Never Forget – Our Freedom Came at a Price

While on vacation last week at Pawley’s Island, Mary and I had some friends in for the week from California, Mary and Harold Hunt. Mary and my Mary traveled all over the USA participating in Aspiring Women conferences. Mary Hunt was one of the main speakers and my Mary was part of the worship team. They connected and became fast friends. Harold and I decided to test out the friendship thing because of our wives. We found that we had a similar interest. We both love history.

So a few years ago, we decided to do some “dry run” vacations. We spent time in their home and they spent time in our home. Since Harold is a big Civil War buff, I took him to Charleston to see the confederate submarine Hunley. Awesome.

Our “dry runs” were a great success. So we decided to try Europe. Harold wanted to see World War II sites. Since I had traveled to many of the sites, I put together a two week trip of France, Germany and Austria. We walked along the beaches at Normandy where the D-Day invasion began. We went through German gun emplacements and stood along the cliffs of Pointe-Du-Hoc. We walked broken-hearted through Dachau, the longest running concentration camp of World War II.

We stood silently among the graves at the Normandy American Cemetery. Over 172 acres, there are 9,387 burials of US service men and women. Of this number, some 307 are unknowns. All the graves face westward towards the United States. There are three Medal of Honor winners. Two sons of President Theodore Roosevelt buried side by side – one from World War I and the other from World War II (he is the only WW I soldier buried at Normandy). In addition, there are 33 pairs of brothers buried side by side, including the Niland brothers. They were the inspiration for the movie “Saving Private Ryan.”

So now that brings us to last week at Pawley’s Island.

One day Harold and I decided to explore Georgetown, SC. I have spent very little time in Georgetown… I think it was probably the odor of the paper mill that did it for me. But we had a great day of exploring.

We checked a map guide and found that there was a church whose cemetery had graves dating back to the Revolutionary War. The Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church was build around 1750 with old brick from British ships' ballasts. Prince George Church is one of the few original church buildings in South Carolina dating to the colonial period that is still in use today.

During our Revolutionary War, the British held Georgetown and used the church as a horse stable. Between Georgetown and Charleston is the area that Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, harassed the British.

As I was walking through the cemetery, I thought of all the men and women who died for our freedom as a nation. My heart was full of deep appreciation. How is it that I can view my freedom so casually when so many gave their lives for that freedom? I must never forget those brave individuals who gave their lives creating a place called the United States of America.

As my heart turns towards the cross of Jesus, I ask the same question. How can I view my freedom in Christ so casually when Jesus gave his very life for my freedom?

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Don’t let anyone take away your freedom in Christ!

Destined for the Throne – Part Four

It has certainly been a week to remember for celebrities deaths: Ed McMahan; Farrah Fawcett; Michael Jackson; Billy Mays (“infomercial” guy). Of course Michael Jackson has dominated the news.

What was not reported in the news was that in the same week-long period, 43,197 other individuals died in the United States (US Census). Read that again: FORTY-THREE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-SEVEN people stepped into eternity… just in the United States.

This is where everyone is put on the same playing field. At the moment those 43,197 hearts stopped beating (including Michael Jackson’s), they stepped into eternity. At that moment only one question was paramount. NOT how did they die? How much money did they leave behind? How many records did they sell? Were they famous or not? Where did they live? And so on and so on. Only ONE question mattered. The one question that determines everything… what did they do with JESUS?

The answer was revealed instantly. When the answer was revealed, there was great rejoicing or great moaning – instantly. There was great joy or great fear – instantly. There was uncontrollable laughter or wailing and weeping – instantly. There was rejoicing in heaven or the darkness of hell – instantly. There was a great reunion with other believers or an eternal loneliness – instantly. There was dancing on streets of gold or gnashing of teeth – instantly. There was heaven or hell – instantly.

Was there a second chance? NEVER!

Jesus said it this way – “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” Mark 8:36 (NLT)

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment… Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)

One of those 43,197 was one of our own. On Sunday afternoon, Ella Jane Reed Blake (Larry Mixson’s mother) stepped into eternity. Because of her public confession, I know that she instantly was with Jesus Christ. She was filled with rejoicing, great joy, and contagious laughter – instantly! She is dancing on streets of gold. She is surrounded by believers she knew in this life who are already in heaven. She is surrounded by people of the Bible that she has read about her entire life. She is celebrating! We will join her at the marriage ceremony with Jesus.

Are you destined for the throne? Are you ready to step into eternity? It will not matter what anyone thinks of you in this world. It will only matter what God thinks.

Was Michael Jackson a believer? Based on his past confession, he was not. However, I don’t know of any recent decisions he may have made. But what I can say without reservation that he is a believer now. You see, once you step into eternity, you will know instantly that Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and Savior of the Universe. Even if you are in hell, you will worship Him.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (hell), and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

Destined for the Throne – Part Three

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:28-30 (NLT)

Look at the progression in these verses:

• He chose us to become like his Son
• He called us to come to him
• He gave us right standing with himself
• He gave us his glory

As believers, there is a time coming that God is going to give us HIS GLORY! WOW!!! Can you fathom that? Can you wrap your mind around that? We are truly destined for his throne to share in his glory!

So what is God up to in our lives while here on earth? Is he telling us, “just have a good time and I will see you when you get home?” Or, “I trust you to make good decisions and I will let you know when you mess up?” I don’t think so. It seems obvious that God is up to something very specific in our lives --- to make us like his Son. In order to prepare for our queenly role, he wants us to be like Jesus.

I’m sure I heard this in some sermon illustration long ago. There was a sculptor chiseling a large piece of stone into a sculpture of a man. When asked “how do you know where to chisel?” he responded, “I see the finished man and chisel away anything that does not look like him.” Well, maybe that’s not exactly what he said, but you get the point.

God is looking at the finished product when he looks at us. What he sees is his son Jesus. His agenda in my life is to remove anything that does not look like Jesus! Sometimes he has to knock large chunks off, like when we have a sin in our life that has gripped us or when we have filled our lives with just stuff. Sometimes he chisels away small pieces in our lives, like when we have an attitude that is not honoring to Jesus.

Sometimes he uses very fine sandpaper to smooth away a few blemishes. I am looking forward to the very fine sandpaper because I am still getting whacked with a HUGE chisel!!! Sometimes I feel like God is going to chisel away at me until there is nothing left of me… oh wait… that’s the whole point!

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. John 3:30

God is not trying to make me a better man. God is sculpting me into the very nature and image of his perfect Son.

Are you destined for the Throne? If so, then what is being chiseled from your life today?

Destined for the Throne – Part Two

Imagine – sharing the throne of the universe with the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder God’s goal for me is to be transformed into the image of his son.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. Romans 8:28-30 (NLT)

One of the basic truths that you need to understand is God's purpose for your life. Once you understand what God is doing in your life, you'll understand why He allows difficult circumstances in your life.

R. A. Torrey called Romans 8:28 "The soft pillow for a heavy heart.”

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. Rom. 8:28

Just as a reminder, there are few things that this verse does NOT say. It does not say all things are good. It does not say all things work out the way you want. It does not say all things have a happy ending here on earth.

One of my high school friends lived in the next city over from High Point. His dad was a surgeon. I remember going to Mark’s house (his big house) one day. I walked into the kitchen where we usually sat and talked. His dad was sitting at the kitchen table… and he was doing a needlepoint! That’s right, needlepoint. A distinguished, well-known surgeon was doing needlepoint. (And this was back before needlepoint was popular.) I guess he sensed my inquisitive reaction. Actually I was looking intently at him not knowing what to say. He finally spoke up, “Don, this is how I keep my fingers nimble in order to perform delicate surgical procedures.” Okay, it made sense.

Here is what I remember about the needlepoint. On the top of the needlepoint there was a beautiful picture with bright colors and detailed images. But if you flipped it over there was nothing but jumbled threads and knots.

We are God’s needlepoint… or a better word would be tapestry. A lot of times in God's tapestry we only see the underside -- just a jumble of threads and knots. But God sees the beautiful picture that He's creating in our lives. He's working it all together. He is working it all together for our good. He is making us into the image of His son. We will probably not see the right side of our tapestry until we enter into His kingdom. It is a journey of faith to trust the one doing the stitching.

She (the church) must be trained, educated, and prepared for her queenly role. (Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 7.)

Destined for the Throne – Part One

I remember everything about my wedding day… the church was packed thirty minutes prior to the ceremony. I was the youth minister at Lawndale Baptist in Greensboro, NC and Mary grew up in the church, so everyone came. I even had a long-time friend there who had to hitchhike from Washington, DC because his car broke down on the interstate. My life has never been the same. Here is a picture of us leaving the church for our honeymoon. (Yes, I had hair and yes -- I was a stud.)

It’s been a great adventure ever since. In fact, as I walked out of the church on that Saturday afternoon on July 2, 1977, I really had no idea of the fantastic life Mary and I would have. I had no idea of the blessing of Katie and Mack. I had no idea of the exciting years of ministering together… traveling the world… touching, and being touched by many lives.

Now, knowing what a great adventure my earthly wedding and married life has been, I can not begin to imagine my eternal marriage with Jesus. My vocabulary is insufficient to express my thoughts.

Near the beginning of our marriage, I read a short little book called Destined for the Throne. It was one of those books that had a huge impact on me personally. It brought about a clearer understanding of the BIG picture. I mean the ULTIMATE picture. It caused me to think differently about EVERYTHING. Here is the main quote that caused me to rethink my life and my future:

. . . the one purpose of the universe from all eternity is the production and preparation of an Eternal Companion for the Son, called the Bride, the Lamb's Wife. Since she is to share the throne of the universe with her Divine Lover and Lord as a judicial equal, she must be trained, educated, and prepared for her queenly role. . .if one wants to know the meaning and purpose of history, he must look at the end, the final outcome, the net result. Since prophecy is history written in advance, we have history's final chapter in the Book of Revelation. . . the final and ultimate outcome and goal of events from eternity to eternity, the finished product of all the ages, is the spotless Bride of Christ, united with Him in wedded bliss at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and seated with her heavenly Bridegroom upon the throne of the universe--ruling and reigning with Him over an ever increasing and expanding Kingdom. . . (Paul E. Billheimer, Destined for the Throne, p. 7f.)

You and I as believers are going to be eternal companions for Jesus! What a mind-boggling thought!

Join me as we walk through this incredible concept together over the next few blogs.

Sunday Thoughts…

• Barry’s solo in the first service was heart stirring.
• Worship was great in all three services.
• I’m enjoying our sermon series on the Church as we explore God’s Word about His purpose for the church.
• I’m looking forward to GBC becoming a dangerous church for the Lord!
• Our keyboardist in the 2nd and 3rd service, Stephen Rutland, served his last Sunday with us. He is going to be part of a church plant in the upstate. We are excited for him. Pray for him. Great job Stephen in leading the Solemn Assembly worship.
• I love seeing so many new faces at GBC. Even though we have had some friends depart from GBC, our growth has been great.
• Our Solemn Assembly was a blessing. It’s ALWAYS a great time when God’s people get together to pray!
• Ken Cox's testimony at the Solemn Assembly was moving. Did you get your mustard seed?
• I’m reminded that Satan hates us and will seek to discourage us at ever turn.
• I’m reminded that God loves us more and we are on the winning team!
• I’m reminded that I love being your pastor! Thanks for encouraging me.
• I want to finish the race that God has before me. I want to finish the race with you!

Continue to pray for our Children’s Ministry Sports Camp. We had a great first day.