Church Graveyards

Russell Moore has written an interesting article entitled "Should we miss our church graveyards?"

If you have time, it is worth reading.



--Mark

The Weather Channel is Never Wrong

Shortly after getting married and moving to Chattanooga, my wife and I began looking for a church that we could join and get involved in. After seeing the broadcast of Brainerd Baptist's worship service a few times, we decided that we would visit on the following Sunday.

We looked up the time of the morning worship service on the web site so that we would be there in plenty of time.

Sunday morning came and we got up and started getting ready to leave as normal. As we were getting ready I turned the TV on to the Weather Channel to see what the weather was going to be like. Everything was as normal except I noticed that the clock in the bottom corner of the screen was an hour ahead of what our living room clock displayed. I thought to myself that the time difference seemed strange, but continued getting ready.

I went upstairs and mentioned to my wife that it was weird for the Weather Channel clock to be wrong. Moments later, we realized that it was not 9:45 but 10:45 and we had completely forgotten to change our clocks the previous night for Daylight Savings Time.

Needless to say, we did not make it to Brainerd Baptist that morning; although we did make it (somewhat late) to a church that was much closer to our apartment.

I share this story to say, Daylight Savings Time begins this weekend. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour on Saturday night.

(We later visited Brainerd, got involved in a Bible Study class and joined the church a few months later)

--Mark

The Church and The Big Give

I don't know what you do on Sunday nights but our family's tradition is to come home from church and make biscuits and eggs for dinner. After we eat dinner we usually end up watching (and probably crying during) Extreme Makeover Home Edition. No one knows how to tell a story better than those guys. Well tonight a new show debuted called Oprah's Big Give. This show is similar to Extreme Makeover in that the hook is helping someone who is in a difficult situation simply for the sake of generosity. In an effort of full disclosure, I must confess I am skeptical of anything associated with Oprah because of the new age religion she espouses and the following she has but I wanted to watch this show to see what it was like...

The show is great! Each team of two people was given $5,000 and the name of a person who needs help. Each team competes to see who can "help" the most. Together the teams raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in 5 days towards helping by organizing fund raisers, getting communities together, etc.

Here's the question I want to ask... "Where is the church on this one?" I love the show and the people that are being helped but why can't the church get creative like this in it's efforts to give? In my humble opinion we seem to do a lot of talking about taking the gospel to everyone but the church has lost it's platform in the world. The community could care less what the church has to say until they know how much the church cares. We've got the most important message anyone could hear and we've been commissioned to share it so we should be real good at finding ways to gain an audience.

I love the creativity of the show and think we can learn something from it. Come on church...let's see what we can do!

--Collin

God of Chattanooga

I am sitting here in my office and God just spoke directly to me! No, not like that...but through a song. As I lead at the BX and the Gathering, God allows me to rub shoulders with literally thousands of people who do not know him yet. Now in generations past (even recent ones) we could just gathering them all up and have a preacher preach heaven is sweet and hell is hot and many would receive the grace that God offers. But these days people seem harder, more religious but callous and uncaring. I know this may seem harsh but I wonder some times if there is still hope for Chattanooga. Is it so religious that people can't find God? Can God really move in Chattanooga to the point that we move from being known for our volunteer and non-profit efforts to being known for our love for Christ?

Then I heard this song and cried..."greater things are still to be done in this city"!

You’re the God of this city
You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation
You are

You’re the light in this darkness
You’re the hope to the hopeless
You’re the peace to the restless
You are

For there is no-one like our God
There is no-one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things have still to be done here

You’re the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You’re the King above all Kings
You are

You’re the strength in our weakness
You’re the love to the broken
You’re the joy in the sadness
You are

For there is no-one like our God
There is no-one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things have still to be done here

Here's a link to this song by Blue Tree and sung by Chris Tomlin.

--Collin

Podcasting and Sermon Audio

Sermon Audio from Dr. Land is now available on our website. You may download messages individually or may subscribe via iTunes. For more information visit the sermon audio page of our website.

Mere Christianity

In his sermon on Sunday Morning Dr. Land quoted from and recommended the book Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. I read it several years ago and have found it helpful to consult a few times since then.

Here is the quote that Dr. Land shared:


"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing that we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the things that Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on a level with the man who says that he is a poached egg--or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God."

C. S. Lewis from Mere Christianity

--Mark

Pray without Ceasing

As I was preparing for Power Source tomorrow night I came across this article that I found helpful. In the article John MacArthur explains what it means to pray without ceasing (from 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Here is the full article: Pray Without Ceasing

Here is a brief quote:

"To “pray without ceasing” refers to recurring prayer, not nonstop talking. Prayer is to be a way of life — you’re to be continually in an attitude of prayer. It is living in continual God-consciousness, where everything you see and experience becomes a kind of prayer, lived in deep awareness of and surrender to Him. It should be instant and intimate communication — not unlike that which we enjoy with our best friend."


--Mark

One Year Blogging Anniversary

As of this week have been blogging for one year.

Here are a few posts that you may have missed:

• "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow..." by Ruthie

• Persecution by Lee

• Someone Is Always Watching by Ryan

• The American Dream and a Wasted Life by Collin

• Walking through the hospital by Curtis

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

This morning in both the Celebration service and The Gathering we focused on the sanctity of human life.

Keeping with this emphasis tonight Collin sang "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" by Matt Redman as the offering was being collected. The song is based on Psalm 139, which Dr. Land shared with us this morning.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

So fearfully and wonderfully made,
How could they say there is no God?
Reminded every breath that I take,
It´s by Your hand I have been formed
So what am I going to do with this life You gave me?
What could I do but live for Your praise?

You gave me this breath,
And You gave me this strength,
And every day I´ll live to obey You.
With all of my heart,
With all of my soul;
Let every breath I´m breathing display You God.

There´s elegance in all you create
Your grand designs leave us amazed.
The wonders of the way we´ve been made
Speak of Your power, tell of Your grace.
So what am I going to do with this life You gave me?
What could I do but live for Your praise?

So what am I going to do with this life You gave me?
What am I going to do with this life?
What I am I going to do in these days You´ve ordained?
What am I going to do with this life?

As the words of the song were shown on the screen tonight I was challenged by these lines that are repeated multiple times, "So what am I going to do with this life You gave me?, What could I do but live for Your praise?"

The lines from the song reminded me of Psalm 139:13-16

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."

and Psalm 139:23-24

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"

Because we were created in the image of God for a specific purpose, it matters how we live and how we use the life that He has given us. Because we were fearfully and wonderfully made by God, it matters whether we live to bring glory to God or live for ourselves.

May we uphold the sanctity of human life as we live to praise God with everything He has created us to be.

The song is from the CD "Beautiful News" which you can buy here or download here in iTunes.

--Mark

Upward Basketball

Today at the BX Brainerd kicked off the 2008 season of Upward Basketball.

Having never been involved with Upward Basketball before, I was not quite sure what to expect. I was amazed at the number of people that were involved and the way that Gus Hernandez and Lee Shipley kept things running smoothly.

Here are a few pictures:

--Mark

Polishing God's Monuments

This week I finished reading Polishing God's Monuments by Jim Andrews. Andrews is a pastor whose daughter and son-in-law have suffered terribly through one trial after another (mostly related to several serious health problems that they have faced). The chapters of the book alternate between letters to his congregation that describe the suffering his family endured and a discussion about how his family has learned to deal biblically with the suffering that they have faced.


Here are a few encouraging quotes:

"Whenever the mystery of our present experience of God obliterates any sign on our immediate horizon that God is who he claims to be, we need to hunker down under the umbrella of those trophies in our past. A "monumental" faith is able to look forward with confidence because it looks backward to the past. It discounts the baffling mysteries of present circumstances because it finds reassurance in his historical works, his uncompromising character, and his unchanging promises."


"Monumental faith is a faith trained to look away from the confusion of the moment to find security and confidence in the past evidences of God's character and faithfulness."


As I read this book I was reminded of Psalm 77. In it the author reflects on how he has chosen to deal with God's temporary silence to his cry for help. Here is what he concludes:


10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

--Psalm 77:10-15

May we look back at God's past faithfulness as we wait patiently for Him to act according to His divine plan in our lives.



--Mark

HAPPY NEW YEAR

As I mentioned in Sunday's service, the New Year is a great time for an introspective look at one's self. But, it's not enough to just look back, the apostle Paul encouraged us to "press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." (Phil. 3:12)

I'm also reminded by Nehemiah 10:28-31, specifically verse 29, that God's people made an oath, vowing to follow God. They went so far as to say that if they failed, they would accept the curse.

[They] entered into . . . an oath to walk in God's Law, . . . and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord (Nehemiah 10:29).

While our New Year's resolutions aren't always as serious as this, we should soberly consider our walk with the Lord and admit that any resolutions to follow God is not a casual, fleeting thought. We should consider our spiritual growth; and then, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, pursue our own set of personal declarations wholeheartedly.

In so doing, examine yourself. Acknowledge if you are growing in grace or simply going through the motions of "doing church." Then, consider these four areas and how they might help you be a self-feeding follower of the Lord Jesus in 2008.

1. Sunday Bible Study Participation
2. Worship Attendance
3. Discipleship Involvement
4. Corporate Prayer through PowerSource

Finally, act on your resolutions!

"Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17)

I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

--George

The preceding post was originally sent out Thursday, January 3rd, 2008 as a part of Brainerd Baptist's email newsletter (The BBC Mail). If you would like to sign up to receive future messages delivered directly to your inbox, click here and enter your email address.