Did you see it? That is, the Person of the Year selected by Time magazine’s editors? Each year Time picks the person they believe has had the greatest impact during the past year. The Protester gets that distinction for 2011. Time writer Rick Stengel:

“Everywhere this year, people have complained about the failure of traditional leadership and the fecklessness of institutions. Politicians cannot look beyond the next election, and they refuse to make hard choices. That's one reason we did not select an individual this year. But leadership has come from the bottom of the pyramid, not the top. For capturing and highlighting a global sense of restless promise, for upending governments and conventional wisdom, for combining the oldest of techniques with the newest of technologies to shine a light on human dignity and, finally, for steering the planet on a more democratic though sometimes more dangerous path for the 21st century, the Protester is TIME's 2011 Person of the Year.”

While protests have taken place around the globe, we have heard mostly about Occupy Wall Street. According to the Time article, it was fueled by ‘…three acute and overlapping money crises-tanked economy, systemic financial recklessness, (and) gigantic public debt-' I’ll leave it to you to debate the accuracy of that for yourself. What I would call attention to is that the article pointed out that the protesters were ‘disproportionately young, middle class and educated.’

Young people now, as always, have wanted a cause. Today, it is being expressed in the form of protest. In many places in the world, protesting how a government operates results in a sever response that can and in fact did, cause death. In the U.S. the response of the government is, to say the least, much more tolerable. Nonetheless, there was a widespread willingness to come together to protest what was seen as greed. (For the record, I do not agree with their premise or their actions.)

It does make me wonder-what if Christian young people stood together against the devil and his onslaught against the church? What if Christian young people stood together in protest against what the devil is seeking to do to their peers with alcohol and drugs? What if they protested against the devil and ‘stood’ against him on their knees in fervent prayer? Let me tell you, I think they are!

I for one am very encouraged by this generation of Christian youth and young adults. They are, among other things, ready and willing to go to some of the most difficult places on earth to proclaim the gospel. They are passionate in worship, devoted in Bible study, faithful in church, and desirous of authentic revival.

I want to be more faithful to pray for them and to encourage them for they truly are making the greatest impact!

Your Thoughts?

I am reading David Platt’s book Radical for the second time. I read a lot and don’t often read a book twice, but this book is special. I just finished re-reading chapter five, where the main point is about discipleship. If you could thumb through my copy of this book, you would notice that I have underlined and put stars by much in this chapter. For me, underlining something means that it stands out to me and a star is kind of like a wow moment.

If you have not read this book, I highly encourage you to invest the time in doing so. I believe mining in this book will yield many nuggets of gold. Not wanting to spoil that pleasure for you, I will avoid the details of the chapter and simply challenge you to consider some questions that I am probing in my own life.

If disciple making is such an obvious command from our Lord; if a Christian’s growth in grace is tied inextricably to the investment of others; if all of our programs and methods and creative strategies are yielding such few observable and lasting results-why in the world are we so slow to embrace what Jesus said to do? What prevents us from developing relationships that are intentional and purposeful in making disciples?

Do you have thoughts on this? If so, I for one would be interested in reading them. Click on the comment at the end of this article and share your thougths that will not only benefit me but other readers as well. In the mean time, who are you investing in? Who are you trying to disciple? Who are you ‘going’ to for the purpose of sharing the gospel? Who are you helping connect with the church with ‘baptism’ as that initial step? Who are you ‘teaching’?

Pastor Chuck

Fall Festival Fun

Until Sunday

    

Each year on October 31 we host a Fall Festival. I love this event! I love getting to meet different people and seeing children having fun playing games and getting candy. So many positive and good things stood out this year.  In addition to what I have already mentioned about meeting people and the children, allow me to mention a few others that made for such a great night.

·         We had people on our campus from at least five different nations.

·         We had many guest.

·         We served a meal to our church family and members of our community.

·         We heard some great music from our praise team.

·         We had many willing hands to serve in many different ways.

·         We shared the gospel eight different times with those who participated in the hay ride.

If you served in any capacity, thank you! If you were a guest to Woolsey Baptist Church, thanks for coming and please come again. Thanks to Sarah Vessell, our Children’s Ministry Leader for putting together a great event.

Pastor Chuck

How Are You Doing in Your Growth?

How do you measure church growth? Numerical measurements are certainly valid. People that say numbers do not matter when it comes to church growth cannot say the same in most other areas. In the world of academics, a number is the difference between passing and failing. How important is the blood pressure number or temperature number to the physician? Sports teams are in first or last place based upon the number of wins and losses. However effective numerical measurements are in determining church growth, growth within the church is determined by different measurements.

First, a clarification is needed. Growth within the church is growth taking place in the lives of those who make up the church. It is theologically known as sanctification. It is progressive and comes faster for some than others. Several factors relate to this growth that is not within the scope of this blog. For simplification, suffice it to say that growth within the church is growth toward Christian maturity. One of the marks of this growth is when a Christian begins to share the gospel with others. It is taking the good news to others. It is being a disciple maker. It is seeking to reproduce.

Early today, one of our members excitedly told me of recently speaking to a friend about Jesus. To their utter astonishment, the person had very little understanding of even the basics of the Christian faith. In sharing with this person about Christ, there was no response. Yet, it was not long until the person being told about Jesus actually sought out another Christian that had the opportunity to lead them to Christ.

How do you measure church growth? One good place to start with is growth within the church. One of the marks of church health is reproduction. By the way, how are you doing in your growth?

A Picture of Love

Earlier this week I made two pastoral visits. I don’t always get to make such visits with my wife but this week we did and that made it all the more special. Our visits were to two couples, both in the same nursing home. In these two situations, it was the wife who was in the nursing home. They were there for different reasons and for different lengths of time but both had one significant common denominator- husbands that adored and loved their wives. Between the two couples, there was easily over 100 years of marriage. They had no doubt weathered some of life’s storms and enjoyed some of its mountain peaks of joy together. They spoke of children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Age had not diminished their love.

Men, I have to tell you that these two fellows gave a great demonstration of what love looks like. Whatever you age, consider a few of the lessons I observed.

• Love serves


• Love comes


• Love sticks


• Love sits


• Love leads


• Love follows


• Love reminisces


• Love touches


• Love pushes


• Love reads


• Love longs


• Love hurts

Think about it; I know I will.
Pastor Chuck

9/11 and Show and Tell

We are approaching the tenth anniversary of the terrorists’ attacks of September 11, 2001. Most reading this will never forget that terrible day. You remember where you were and what you were doing when the events of that beautiful fall morning changed our lives. Hearing that our nation was under attack was surreal. Most looked on to television sets or listened to radios completely stunned, unsure of what to say or do.

Reflecting back, I remember those first responders that gave their lives in rescue efforts. I remember those who perished in the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I remember those that perished on the planes that were used as weapons. I remember those that died in the plane crash in rural Pennsylvania in their sacrificial and heroic efforts as they managed to take back control of the plane that was likely headed for a direct hit on the U.S Capitol or the Whitehouse. I remember the courage and compassion of President Bush as he spoke to the nation. I appreciate and greatly value the men and women of law enforcement today that seek to keep us safe in our homeland. I am indebted to the men and women of our armed forces for their diligence in the fight against terrorism.

But, how are we to respond to these events ten years later? Is it more patriotism that we need? Let me be clear, I love America! I love to sing our National Anthem and proudly stand with my hand over my heart whenever I hear it. I am moved when I hear God Bless America or America the Beautiful. I love to hear Lee Greenwood sing God Bless the U.S.A. I am proud of our military and thankful for all who seek to preserve our freedoms. Although it can be an inconvenience, I am thankful for the efforts and good work of the TSA as they detect dangerous items or fraudulent travel documents in airports. While I am patriotic and love our great nation, patriotism is not our most urgent need as we approach 9/11.

How will the church respond as we move toward this historic date? Do we reject those who call themselves Muslims? Not if we are serious about following Christ; not if we are serious about the Great Commission. Muslims are not people to be hated. The gospel is good news for all the people of the earth. The promise to Abraham “…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” was ultimately fulfilled in Christ. It took the church awhile to understand the full implications of the gospel but eventually they too came to understand that the good news was for all people. So, how does the church respond as we move toward 9/11?

One way we can respond is in learning more about Muslims and befriending them with a view toward sharing the gospel. They, like everybody else, have souls and need to hear the good news that we can know God and have eternal life not by our works but by His grace and faith in Christ alone.

If Christ were walking this earth today, what do you think He would do? By the way, we are the ‘body of Christ.’ We are His hands and feet. Think about it; how are you going to respond to Muslims as the anniversary of 9/11 approaches? What if you prayed for them? What if you befriended them? May God by His grace enable us use this upcoming anniversary of 9/11 to show and tell the gospel.

Pastor Chuck

Money Matters

The American economy is in trouble. Daily reminders are abundant. We cannot go to a news source without being reminded of it. Radio talk show host and their callers all have their opinions. Most of us paid little or no attention to The Federal National Mortgage Association or ‘Fannie Mae’ until we started to see that the real estate industry was headed for seriously hard times. Home foreclosures started to become all too common and unemployment numbers steadily rose. It was not long before churches started to feel the pinch of this with a decrease in giving. While politicians in Washington continue to debate this issue, how should a Christian respond?

Let’s focus on the individual Christian by considering where we stand on the matter of money and particularly debt. John Morgan, in an article entitled Financial Integrity, makes the following observations about how to get out of debt:

• · Transfer ownership of everything you have to God.
• · On the first day of every week, return an offering to the Lord as a reminder that all we have belongs to Him. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
• · Stop all spending that is not absolutely essential.
• · Stop all new indebtedness immediately.
• · Put all extra income into debt retirement.
• · Sell all depreciating items for which you are now in debt and replace with a less expensive item if necessary.
• · Closely examine food costs and cut at least fifteen percent off your food bill.
• · Do things yourself that you are presently paying others to do.
• · Set a challenging goal for debt retirement and make any sacrifice to reach your goal.
• · Make getting out of debt a family effort.

It is time to stop complaining about Washington and the White House and get our house in order. The steps above, if taken seriously and done with a committed effort can make a difference. Look them over again. What would happen if you made such a commitment?

Think about it.

Pastor Chuck