Snow Angels

Well, we woke up yesturday to the first snow of the season here in the Panhandle.  It was cold outside and the snow began to fall about midday and didn't stop until almost dark.  We ended up with about 3" or so.  Well, enough about the weather.

Last week I started meeting with the various ministries of the Church to discuss the new changes that are coming in January.  Everyone is so excited about the new structure and ready to contribute to the work.  It makes me proud to be their pastor.  In the midst of all the excitement there is also a darkness.  Obviously the devil is not going to be happy with the new structure or the excitement of the Church.  So we are fighting spiritual battles along the way.  That's what happens when you go to war.

I have also been counselling many of my leaders that have fallen into a state of anxioty for a lack of a better word; depression would be to strong a word.  They are feeling the preasure of growth from the Lord and are being stretched in their faith and in thier walk for the Lord.  The flesh is a curious animal.  There are times when we want to grow with the Lord and so we make the changes that are necessary to get what we want.  But, there are time when the Lord wants us to change or demands that we grow and change for the task in which he has called us, and our flesh is not ready or doesn't want to make these changes.  So we fight it.  We don't know why we are fighting it, but we do.  Sometime even when we know and are excited about the changes that are coming.  The difference is it wasn't our decision to make the change.  Change was thrust upon us, and we don't like being told what to do, so, we fight it.  What I have learned is that it is better to trust the Lord and allow him to make the changes and bring the direction that he wants for our lives no matter how painful and unwanted the changes might be.  The bottom line is simple: we don't have a clue what we need or when we need it. We must learn to trust the Lord and let him mold us into the image of his dear Son.  In doing so, we can accomplish the task that has been set before us and run the race for the glory of God. 

Naturally when God is doing things that we have never done before reality begins to set in, and we start feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility.  It reminds me of Moses as God came to him on the backside of the desert and told him to He was going to deliver His people and he was sending Moses to Pharoh to demand the relese of his people.  Moses' response was much like ours.  Who am I that I should go before Pharoh and deliver this people.  We want to take on the job of the supernatural and that is overwhelming everytime, because that is impossible for us to do.  We must remember that God does the impossible and uses his people to do it.  There is a big difference between the two.  God is doing the Work, and I am just along for the ride.

Black Thursday, Friday, & Saturday

When we moved to Borger we moved away from all our family.  Mom & Dad are 17 hours East.  Kim's mom & dad are 8 hours to the North.  We tried traveling at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we found it to be too expensive and too taxing on us.  So we made the decision to stay home for Thanksgiving and travel over Christmas.  This seems to work out just fine we have had family come and be with us on Thanksgiving which is just an added bonus. 
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We don't normaly do a lot of Christmas shopping on Black Friday so, it has just become a lazy day for us to sleep in or maybe put up Christmas decorations  but nothing to tiring.  Thanksgiving night Kim and I were sitting watching TV when we heard that Walmart had just opened and begun their black Friday sales.  I look at her and she looked at me and I said you wanta go?  and She replied, "Why not?"  The girls were downstars playing board games with their friends and we told them we would be back in a bit.  So off we went.  When we pulled up in the parking lot at Walmart my mouth literally fell open.  I had never seen som many cars in this parking lot.  I had to park four stores down in the strip mall just to find a place.  So off we go into the craziness that is called Walmart.  We didn't go in looking for anything but it turns out that we got some really good deals.

After a late moring on Friday we picked up Shawn and Mickey Dunigan and headed to Amarillo for our second dose of crasy.  And again we ended up coming out really well on things on our list.  God was good to us (as always).  We spend the whole afternoon shopping and having a good time.  Talking over dinner about the wonderful things going on at the Church and how excited we are for the new year to start.  We finally pulled in the drive way about 8:30 p.m. 

Thoughts of the Family

I have been having some new, strange and wonderful thoughts as I enter into this season of thanksgiving and also this new era of Fellowship Baptist Church.  I remember when I was 18; young and alive and ready to make my own way.  I always had a good home life but for some reason I was ready to get out from under the family and do my own thing.  I have always been pretty independent or aragant depending on how you look at it or how old you are.  So I left the family never to return but for short visits.  Here is my new thought.  Through my experiences with God and Church and the meditation is God's Word, I find that God has made us to function together.  Every institution of God (Family, Government, and Church) has always been based on the fact that people are meant to be together.  I look at families in the Bible and I see sons that stay home and help to raise and support the family.  I look in other countries and the idea is that home is with the family.  You can go to Egypt today and see 3 and 4 generations living under the same roof.  Even if the children go off to school and what not, they always come home and help the family once more. 

So, what's the conclusion to the very obvious thoughts?  Simply that maybe, we have messed up one of the greatest strengths that God has given us.  Unity in the family.  A very natural togetherness that should carry us through the hard times and never leave us alone.  But, in our araogence we have left our families and become individuals that are supposed to weather all the storms of life on our own, and in the process have made ourselves shipwrecked in the sea of life; hoping that someone will come along and save us from our individualness and give us a since of belonging.  Why did we ever leave?  Why are we pushing our kids out to do it all on their own?  Why must we reinvent the wheel with every generation instead of using the wisdom of our fathers. 

I look at our Church and I see that we have become a life boat for people that have become shipwrecked and are desiring to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.  But isn't the Church just a picture of what the family is supposed to be?  No wonder we have to start all over with the Gospel in every generation.  The family unit is broken down with every son that is born because he is a freeloader if he stays home.  Now, I'm not one for laziness (that's a whole different blog) but I do beleive the family should be tighter, closer, sharing, and caring for one another.  That we might grow farther than our ancesters and smarter because we were spared from the stupidity of our youth, and protected by the ones that know better.  But we are content to throw our young into the deepend and yell, "Sink or Swim!" with no instruction or guidence.  Sometimes they swim and sometimes they sink.  Is that acceptable.  I don't know.  Maybe I had to much turkey yesterday and it is clouding my vision, or maybe I'm just getting older and can see clearer in spite of the dimming of my eyes. 

Love your family this holiday season.  Draw close to them.  Love them.  Teach them.  Guide them.  There is always a storm on the horizon, but there is safty amidst family and friends.