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What Happened on This Date?

September 24, 2010 in Celebration, Family, Personal Stuff, The Church, The Summit in Green, Thoughts, Unspecific Ramblings with 1 Comment

This weekend will mark my twelfth year working at Canton Baptist Temple.  Looking back through the years, I have learned so much about myself, others, church, and my relationship with God.  There have been many good times and numerous struggles, but I don’t regret one moment.  Even though my wife never planned on marrying  a pastor (I wooed her), I believe she has been everything I could have ever wanted and we have shared countless memories of our experience at CBT and, now, The Summit in Green.  Sometimes I think people like her better than me!  I cannot say enough good things about my two kids.  I hope they know how proud I am of them.  I hope they are proud of me.

I would like to thank all of you who have become our friends and have allowed us to share in your lives.  I pray that God would continue to use all of us to reach out to people who are far from God so that they can experience hope, the forgiveness of God, and a changed life.  I know that God has something special in store for our future!

Vintage Faith

July 20, 2008 in Celebration, True Stories with 0 Comments

For the last couple days our family has been watching re-runs of an old show that was on TV when I was young. At first, I wasn’t sure if my kids would like the thirty-minute throwback from the late 80’s but to my surprise, they think it is hilarious and keep asking to watch more episodes. For me, the show brings back memories of being a kid and even sitting with my own family around the television watching the same sitcom. In a weird sort of way, I was glad my kids liked it because it was something I enjoyed…and still do. Even though I watched this show for the first time twenty years ago, it became new to me again when I heard Ty and Lexi laughing and repeating the same comedic phrases as the main character. I used to do the same thing.

There is always something truly empowering when another person newly discovers something which you experienced many years ago. I have had the opportunity to be involved in church ministry for the last decade and there have been very few moments of regret (some frustrations, though). One of the things which still empowers me is when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ and they experience what I experienced many years ago. There are times when I forget how it felt to first realize that God loved me so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment I deserved for breaking God’s law. However, when I am able to have a part in an individual’s newfound faith, it brings to life my own memories.