The Contact Lens and the Heavy Load

A friend sent me the following story in an e-mail. I've labelled it "The Contact Lens and the Heavy Load" It was especially poignant for me since I have been confronted with a number of medical problems over the last several months. None of them were life threatening but they kept me feeling pretty poorly, hence the lack of recent postings on this blog. This was too good not to share:

Brenda was almost halfway to the top of the tremendous granite cliff. She was standing on a ledge where she was taking a breather during this, her first rock climb. As she rested there, the safety rope snapped against her eye and knocked out her contact lens. "Great", she thought. "Here I am on a rock ledge, hundreds of feet from the bottom and hundreds of feet to the top of this cliff, and now my sight is blurry." She looked and looked, hoping that somehow it had landed on the ledge. But it just wasn't there. She felt the panic rising in her, so she began praying. She prayed for calm, and she prayed that she may find her contact lens.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but it was not to be found. Although she was calm now that she was at the top, she was saddened because she could not clearly see across the range of mountains. She thought of the bible verse "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Later, when they had hiked down the trail to the bottom of the cliff they met another party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?" Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across a twig on the face of the rock, carrying it!

The story doesn't end there. Brenda's father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a cartoon of an ant lugging that contact lens with the caption, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would do all of us some good to say, "God, I don't know why You want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if You want me to carry it, I will." God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Yes, I do love GOD. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day Without Him, I am nothing, but with Him....I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

AMEN!

Rain, Rain, Glorious Rain!

Thanks be to God for the rain!

I just wanted to publicly thank God for the rain he blessed us with on Thursday and Friday. I "recorded" 1.7 inches of rain at my house in Peachtree City and according to my unofficial records, this is the largest two-day total here since August.

I thought I'd share some passages from Scripture about rain:

LEVITICUS 26:3-4 "If you will follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit."

2 CHRONICLES 7:13-14 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locust to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if My people. who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn form their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

MATTHEW 5:44-45 "But I tell you: Love you enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in Heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous."

My thoughts include that I should be careful not to think that God made it rain because I was righteous, but I also know that he wants me to be obedient, humble, and repentant and to love my enemies and to pray for those who persecute me. I think it's a great idea to pray for rain, too. I do not know if that will end the drought, since God is sovereign, but it couldn't hurt to do the will of the Father! Amen.

Hurry, Men, Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!

Okay, guys, here it is the day before Valentine's Day and time to do something (anything?) to remember your sweetheart!

At a minimum, make sure you give your wife (Single men read: girlfriend) a card. If you want to show her an extra, special touch, make her a card.

When it come's to giving a gift, here's some things to avoid: A vacuum cleaner, toaster oven, or waffle iron. In short, generally avoid most things that plug in or require her to do any kind of house work. Even if she begs you for a hair dryer, electric curlers, or a food processor, there are probably better choices.

I went to my resident expert, Jane, and asked her for a list of suggetions. I'm pretty sure we should trust her on this. Here's her list:

• Candy
• Flowers (RED says LOVE)
• Jewelry (Jane says this is "always a winner," but see my comments below.)
• A Gift Certificate to a SPA.

When deciding how much to spend on a gift, neither the husband nor the wife should should be to eager to bust the family budget out of generosity or out of unreasonable expectations. I personally dislike advertisements that use a tag like "I deserve it" or "I'm worth it."

So, here's the bottom line: Definitely do something for your sweetie for Valentine's Day, but also have the wisdom to show restraint.

Prayer Summit Results

I spent Monday through Wednesday at the Prayer Summit in Toccoa, Georgia, sponsored by "Mission Jesus" (soon to be known as "UNITE! Atlanta Southwest", as we attmept to broaden the scope of the organization.) It was a Great time with GOD and with 19 other brothers, many of whom are pastors and ministry workers in the Fayette County area. We spent three days praising God in song, studying selected passages of Scripture, and praying. The fellowship was terrific, once again confirming for me what Promise Keepers co-founders Coach Bill McCartney and Dave Wardell frequently said, "When men get together in the Name of Jesus Christ, something special happens."

I do not remember a time when I personally felt so close to God, which brings me to my next point. It is important to deliberately carve out time in your schedule to spend some quality time with God.

I'm excited about the relationships that were established and fortified during the Prayer Summit and the commitments that were made, notably to increase our efforts to build unity in the body of Christ in this area.

News from Promise Keepers

I spent last Friday and Saturday at Camp Kaleo near Forsyth, Georgia with Hal Taylor, the Eastern Regional Filed Director for Promise Keepers and some of the other Ambassador Field Directors and Ambassadors from Georgia.

I have two very important important pieces of information to pass on to you:

1. It's official. Atlanta will have a 2008 Promise Keepers Conference on August 1-2. Details about times and speakers will be forthcoming but registration is now available on the PK web site -- www.promisekeepers.org.

2. As Promise Keepers continues to expand its field ministry, Georgia is about to be the first state in the country to fill the position of State Field Director. Our soon to be official Director is Glen Wise from Warner-Robins. Glen has been serving as an Ambassador Field Director (AFD) for that area. State Directors and AFDs will soon be added to the PK website to make it easier for churches and men to contact the PK volunteers nearest to them.

Revival tonight and tomorrow night at Little Vine Baptist Church

Little Vine Baptist Church (Reverend Steven Coleman, Pastor) in Tyrone will hold a new year "Restoration" REVIVAL, (tonight and tomorrow night) Thursday and Friday, January 24th and 25th at 7:30 PM.

Thursday's Revivalist is Pastor Dudley of Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.

Friday's Revivalist will be Pastor Walker of Just Jesus Word of God Church.

DIRECTIONS: Little Vine Baptist Church is located at 115 Handley Road., at the corner of Tyrone Road, just east of the BP station which at the corner of Tyrone road and GA Highway 74. The church phone is (770) 487-4686.

Little Vine is a welcoming African-American church. Reverend Coleman and his congregation are eager to build relationships with other churches in this area. Come get revived and help us Build Biblical Bridges of Brotherhood!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Questions

Today is the day set aside to honor the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. Whatever your personal view of the man, I believe that we could ask a number of questions.

How would Dr. King himself like to have been remembered? Founder and first President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Noble Peace Prize winner, Civil Rights Leader, Medal of Freedom recipient, great orator, Congressional, Gold Medal recipient? I remember seeing Andrew Young interviewed a few years ago and he said that, first and foremost, that Dr. King thought of himself as a Pastor.

Have you ever Googled Martin Luther King, Jr.? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. As a mentioned in a previous blog, the I Have a Dream speech is not to be missed.

After all these years don’t we wonder if things would be different if Dr. King were still alive? Would we be better off?

Is Dr. King's dream still alive? I think it is and one of the reasons I think that is the number of observances that occur each year in many locations across the nation.

Can we really get along? If we concentrate on our past I fear we will despair. If we look at the present, we may very well become discouraged. However, if we look at the glorious future we have together in Jesus Christ, we just might find the hope we need. I mean regardless of your skin tone, as Christians our Lord and Savior gives us the very sure hope of reaching Heaven. Can you imagine anything other than complete harmony among all we meet there? Don’t you think that our Father in Heaven wishes that we would get along in the here and now? We may have changed the laws (and rightly so) and politics, but our best hope for unity always has been and always will be Jesus Christ!

What price are you willing to pay for unity? Dr. King used to say that the 11:00 o’clock hour on Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America. Almost forty years after his death, that has not changed much. So what can you do? You can get out of the box you are in, that’s what. For all of us this means stopping stereotyping groups of people. For some Whites, it will mean repenting of the institution of slavery and a history of injustice. For some Blacks, it will clearly mean letting go of your anger and stopping trying to hold all white people hostage for what happened in the past.

Where do we go from here? How about visiting a church with a congregation that’s different than your own? Sure, it may seem uncomfortable at first, but I know from firsthand experience that it’s worth it. Watch the Faith page and the Happenings page on http://www.fayettefrontpage.com/ as well as local newspapers for special events at area churches. Plan to attend.


Show yourself faithful. Don’t be afraid to be different. After all, you are representing Jesus Christ and His unifying love (See JOHN 17). Let’s try to get to know more of our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Why Should You Go to the MLK Parade?

Why Should We Go to the MLK Parade and Program This Saturday?

There is a Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance scheduled for Saturday, January 19, 2008 in Fayetteville. The Parade begins at 11:00 AM from Fayette County High School on Tiger Trail. The Program follows in Sam’s Auditorium.

Here are some good reasons why I think we should attend:

1. Rev. Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech delivered in August 28, 1963. (To see the full video of the speech, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk&eurl=http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Key excerpts from that speech:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths, to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together’."


(Almost 45 years after the speech and nearly 40 years after Rev. King’s assassination on April 4,1968, in spite of the of the gains that have been made, we still have not fully realized his God-given vision for brotherhood in America. I pray that each of us will examine ourselves and see what we can do to make it a reality.)


2. Reverend Ed Johnson, Senior Pastor of Flat Rock African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Chairman of the MLK Parade, and my good brother in Christ. Let me add the following Pastors and their congregations: Reverend Jerome Drakeford, Pastor at Flint Ridge Baptist Church and President of the Fayette County Christian Fellowship; Reverend Eddie Thomas, Senior Pastor of Edgefield Baptist Church and President of the Fayette Area Ministers Alliance; Reverend Melvin Ware of Mount Olive Baptist Church, Reverend Deborah Turman of Merrill Chapel United Methodist Church, Reverend Belinda McCastle of New Hope United Methodist Church, Reverend Milton Reeves of Rising Starr Baptist Church, Reverend O. L. Wood of Hartford United Methodist church, Reverend Eyvonne Whitman of Holly Grove African Methodist Episcopal Church, Reverend Dwight Elder of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Reverend W. Anthony Guthrie of Wilk’s Grove Baptist Church, Reverend Steven Coleman of Little Vine Baptist Church, Reverend Elbert Jenkins of New Song Community Church, Reverend Smith Atwater of Unity Christian Church, Reverend Jerome Dukes of Community Fellowship Christian Center International, Reverend Howard Creecy, Jr. of Olivet Baptist Church of Christ, and Reverend Fred Downing of The Branches Community Church. (I know each of these Pastors personally and I can tell you that they all are eager to build unity in the Fayette area body of Christ. You can make a statement of agreement just by showing up!)

3. PROMISE KEEPERS' Promise #2 which states that “A promise keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity.” (In the Fayette area we are calling this effort Building Biblical Bridges of Brotherhood. Wouldn't you like to be part of it?)

4. The local NAACP activities are more like church services than political events. (I've attended three of the last four MLK Parades and the past two Freedom Fund Banquets. I was pleasantly surprised to hear how many times the Name of Jesus Christ was lifted up!.)

Once again, Reverend Fred Downing of the Branches Community Church (www.thebranchescc.org) has provided a poem; This time, to celebrate the start of another God-given year (colors added for emphasis). May we all see 2008 as the gift it is!

HAPPY NEW YEAR © Frederick D. Downing


Happy New Year is the annual cry
As the New Year says hello
And the old year says goodbye

Most people are grateful to see another year
Some face it with hope
Some face it with fear

What will you do with this divine gift
Will your life be Christ centered
Or will your life simply drift

Is God pleased with the things you do in this life
Do you share joy and love
Or cause misery and strife

God desires that we grow more like Christ each year
That’s why He gave us power, love and a sound mind
And not a spirit of fear

Let’s honor the Lord with holy boldness, not fear
If we are obedient to His Word
It will be a Happy New Year


Frederick D. Downing

As Christmas approaches, I thought you might enjoy the following quote from President Calvin Coolidge:

Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.— Calvin Coolidge

The Church: Battleship or Cruise Ship?

At the Friday morning Log House Bible Study for men, we are working our way through John Eldredge's book EPIC, using the companion video series. In this morning's lesson Eldredge cautioned us to remember the reality of Satan in "the epic story" in which we find ourselves. One man posed penetrating question, "Is the Church a battleship that we have converted to a cruise ship?" Have we so little regard for the Enemy that we have set about to make the time on the ocean comfortable? When trouble comes, do we resort to rearranging the deck chairs? (adding new programs?) If we do encounter the Enemy and a battle is inevitable, will anyone remember how to fire the guns?

Coach Bill McCartney, one of the founders of Promise Keepers and former President of PK (Dr. Tom Fortson has been the President for almost four years now), once said that one of the most serious problems affecting the Church was that "we are in a war but most men are not at war!" How about you? Are you at war? If you are not, then you can be sure that others as well as yourself are at risk.

What to do? Well, as any good military leader knows, troops need to be organized, trained, and equipped and they need a chain of command (competent leadership). It would be utterly foolish to enter the battle alone, which is why you need your (band of) brothers (fellow warriors) to be next to you. The training and equipping comes through discipleship and spiritual disciplines, including prayer and Bible study. Don't go before you are ready, but get yourself and others ready, put yourselves under the leadership of the Lord, and then go! Then when the Enemy confronts you, you'll know how to fire the guns!

OCTOBER IS CLERGY APPRECIATION MONTH

OCTOBER is Clergy Appreciation Month (as if they needed a month in which we should show them our appreciation!)

1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-13a instructs us, "Now we urge you, brothers to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in highest regard because of their work."

I have seen a number of surveys about pastors over the last 10 or 12 years that indicate that in any given year, up to half of all pastors seriously consider leaving the ministry. I believe this can be trace back directly to their congregations, particularly the men, not respecting, supporting, or encouraging these pastors. It's become popular in some churches to call the pastor by his (or her) first name. It does sound humble for a pastor to say, "I'm not anyone special. Please, just call me by my first name." Unfortunately, this can lead to the perception that the pastor is "just one of the guys." The problem is that this is not Biblical. The pastor is special because he is called by God and appointed to oversee a local church. Pastors are also tasked with preaching the Word of God, which distinguishes them from the rest of the church.

Pastors are not perfect, but do not be too hasty to criticise them. Here's a rule of thumb: You should spend at least twice as much time praying for your pastor as criticising them. My guess is that that will lead to much less criticism and much more empathy (appreciation, support, and encouragement) for your pastor. For those of you who wonder how to begin to pray for your pastor, start with these areas:

1. Pray for you pastor's protection from attacks from any and all sources. This includes praying for his family, too!
2. Pray for his safety, health, and rich and abundant time in study and in prayer.
3. Pray that your pastor would "boldly preach the Word of God."
4. Pray that the Lord would "bless the work of" your pastor's hands.

My prayer for each pastor is that they will be respected, supported, and encouraged by members of their congregation. If you want to make your pastor's day, walk boldly up to him and tell him that you are praying for them. See if he doesn't act like he's appreciated.

Remember that showing appreciation for your pastor is really a year-round opportunity, not just for October.

Out of the Boat?

Perhaps you have read or at least heard of John Ortberg’s book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat. It’s a good one, and I highly recommend it.

The story of Peter leaving the safety of the boat to walk on the water toward Jesus was the inspiration for the name of the men’s a Capella group from Peachtree City Untied Methodist Church. Out of the Boat performed Sunday at Grace Evangelical Church at the Fayette County Christian Fellowship’s Fifth Sunday Celebration. Their music was a big hit and they shared their testimony about how forming the group and then performing was an out of the boat experience for them.

Sunday was an out of the boat experience for me, also, as it was definitely the largest gathering at which I have ever spoken. It was definitely several steps beyond the normal men's retreats or men’s breakfasts where I have spoken in the past.

I don’t know what out of the boat experience God has in mind for you, but when you are faced with it, I hope that you will have enough courage to take the step of faith required. In His divine wisdom He chooses to work in and through us for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Stand in the Gap 2007

On Saturday, October 6, 2007 there will be a special event for men in Washington, DC: Stand In the Gap 2007. Learn more at http://www.standinthegap2007.org/

This is the ten year reunion of the historic 1997 PROMISE KEEPER gathering in which an estimated 1.3 million men assembled to repent and seek God's face on the Mall. I know that a number of you were at that event and may be interested in this year's event as well.

The 2007 event is not a PROMISE KEEPERS event since PROMISE KEEPERS felt that the 1997 Stand In The Gap was a one time call of God for the PROMISE KEEPER ministry. However, it is endorsed by the National Coalition of Men's Ministries (NCMM), of which Promise Keepers is a part. Got that?

Stepping Up to Be a Man in the Eyes of the Lord.

The Fayette County Christian Fellowship's (FCCF) Fifth Sunday Celebration is scheduled for 2:30 PM, Sunday, September 30, 2007 at Grace Evangelical Church. Grace Evangelical Church is located off GA Highway 54 at 164 Flat Creek Trail. Directions and a map are availble at http://www.gracechurchfayette.org/directions.htm.

What is the FCCF? The FCCF is a group of churches that have joined together to foster principals of unity and faith within Fayette County. "The mission of the FCCF is to serve as a catalyst in spearheading spiritual revival in the lives of The Fayette County community of faith. This association will reach beyond denominational, cultural, economic, and racial divides to embrace the concept of love as demonstrated and practiced by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

We are still seeking volunteers to sing with the Praise Team and or Combined Men's Choir for that event. Drop me an e-mail if you are interested in singing: kroessig4@aol.com.

The theme will be "Stepping Up to Be a Man in the Eyes of The LORD." The service will be led by men, and yours truly will be the speaker. I would personally like your support, but even more importantly, I hope you'll attend because your want to help build unity in the local body of Christ! As many of you know Promise #6 states: A promise keeper is committed to crossing racial and denominational lines to demonstrate the power of biblical unity. Locally, we are calling this Building Biblical Bridges of Brotherhood (see prior blog on BBBB).

Ladies are encouraged to attend to support the men. (I'll have a word for the ladies, too.)

Come and see!