Serving Any Way That Is Needed

It has been over 26 years since I graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. By the time I graduated, I had spent some of the best years of my life. New perspectives, new relationships, new dreams and visions...all were a part of those years.

One of the best things I got to do was be pastor of Patillo Baptist Church, a church that was in a farming/ranching community. Every Saturday Cookie and I would drive about 60 miles west of Ft. Worth and spend the night in a trailer on the church property. After the Sunday evening service we would return to Ft. Worth. It was a great time to learn more skills of leadership, relating to people, preaching and other aspects of ministry. The people of Patillo were very good to us, and we believe God used us in their lives also.

I was told that only 1 in 5 guys called to be a pastor had the privilege of doing so while going to school. So how did it happen that I was one of the "lucky ones?"

One day I was passing through the education building at seminary and looked at the student placement board for job/ministry opportunities. I saw a card that said, "Needed...man to lead music and wife to play piano." I knew Cookie and I could do that. On top of that, it said we would get paid $55. Wow. We really needed that. So, we went. To make this long story short, it turned out that Patillo had an interim pastor, so they eventually asked me to come back the next week and preach and lead music. I did. In two weeks they called me to be pastor and I became a pastor on March 19, 1978, the day of our second wedding anniversary. You see, I wasn't called to "lead music," but I was called to serve. And I had determined I would do whatever I could to do just that. In return, I graduated from seminary already having been a pastor for 3 1/2 years. God was so good to me.

The picture you see is of three youth washing curtains at the home of a lady preparing for her brother's funeral. The boy on the right is Josh Clark, a 14-year-old young man from Asheville, N.C. He hauled water from a well, the only source of water for those that lived in that house. Several others were cleaning walls, windows and doing whatever they could to help the dear lady who had the day before prayed that God would send somebody to help her. God did just that. And we had students who were willing to do anything to serve. Everyone was blessed.

Don't feel that you have to be specially equipped and have a multitude of knowledge before you step out of your comfort zone to serve. More important than the particular task at hand, is your willing heart, to honor God and serve people He puts in your path. That's what Jesus did. That's what we need to do.

To begin as pastor for the first time was certainly stepping out of my comfort zone. For some students to go to Romania, or I should say, leave America for the first time, and walk the streets of a small rural village and speak to strangers through interpreters, willing to do anything to help the people, is stepping out of one's comfort zone. But there's more...

Jesus stepped out of heaven and came to earth to be born as a human. He would grow up to be ridiculed and mocked, eventually placed on a cruel cross, forsaken by His Father, and give His life, that you and I might have eternal life. Talk about stepping out of one's comfort zone...

Let's think about what we can do to serve any way that is needed. Jesus did. So should we.

In Serving We are Most Like our Savior

Since 1994 I have been conducting youth camp in Romania for one week each summer. This year was, perhaps, the greatest experience we've ever had. We had 105 teenagers from 25 different villages. Of those, 27 gave their lives to Jesus Christ.

This year we did something different. For parts of two days, we took youth into a nearby village and went door-to-door, offering to serve the people by helping them any way they needed. The response was overwhelming.

We had told the youth that they were to be back at the bus in 2 and 1/2 hours. Went I went looking for some of them, this picture is of one group that said they did not want to leave. Actually, they skipped lunch, the biggest meal, worked for almost 5 hours, and then walked back to the camp, about 3 kilometers, mostly uphill. In all, 17 youth missed lunch, walked back and were more fulfilled than they had been all week. Why? Because they had been a lot like Jesus...serving.

We live in a world where there is much emphasis on self. So many times it's all about me, myself and I. Remember it was Jesus who said we must first deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. He also taught us that He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom. He would ultimately say, "Nevertheless, not my will, but Your (the Father's) will be done."

You see the young man with blue shorts? His name is Bogdan. They young man on the right is Alex. During the week they did not come to all the sessions. It's called "skipping." They either wanted to sleep or just not participate. However, something remarkable happened to them on that last full day on Friday. They experienced the joy and fulfillment of giving one's self to help another. They joined with other guys to dig a hole that was needed for a family. They labored long and hard to make it one and a half meters deep. They did not quit until it was completed.

Later that night, one of the Romanian college students that translated for us, Mircea, came to me and said two guys wanted to come forward during the invitation I gave at the conclusion of my preaching, but they did not. He found them in their room, their hearts tender and ready to receive Christ. Mircea led them in the sinner's prayer and they committed their lives to Jesus Christ. Bogdan would later tell me that his heart was softened that day by what they did to help someone else. I know the same was true for Alex.

There will be many cares and worries in this life. Jesus told us that each day has enough trouble of its own. But if we look beyond ourselves and not only see the needs of others, but do something to meet those needs, our own problems will not be as magnified and we will feel fulfilled in a way we could not otherwise.

It's called serving. It's what Jesus modeled for us. It's what I saw students do in a small village in Romania. It's what helped to change the lives of two special young men, Bogdan and Alex. And, it will change yours. Let's make sure we are serving.

The Majesty and Glory of God

This picture was taken the last week of March, earlier this year. I spent several hours on top of a mountain, just beneath the famous Zugspitz, one of the highest peaks in all of Europe. The beauty of that place was breathtaking.

As I stood there looking across the vast reaches of Germany and Austria, I couldn't help but be reminded of how great our God is. I thought of several songs, How Great is Our God, For the Beauty of the Earth, How Great Thou Art, This is My Father's World, and several others. I thought about what God says in His Word.

Read these verses from Psalm 8:

1 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

2 From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise
because of your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,

4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?

5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

7 all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

8 the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

When I think about how faithful He has been to me and my family I am overwhelmed. Do not let the cares of this world become so besetting that you miss the fact that God knows what you are going through and that He is there for you. Take time to withdraw from the busy place and find an alone place. Listen to music that reminds you of His love. Enjoy simple pleasures by looking at the clouds, the rustling of leaves on a tree, children at play. You will see His majesty and glory everywhere, in all directions and in every situation.

In that picture, I thought that morning that I was going to the top of a mountain to ski with a friend for about 5 hours. What I got in return was a reminder of how great God is.

Isn’t that just like God?

How great is our God! Sing with me, how great is our God! And all will see, how great, how great, is our God!

New Adventures

I've never blogged until now but I'm going to give it a try. Why not?

It will be my goal to write things that inspire, encourage, and challenge. In fact, that's exactly what the Word of God says in Ephesians 4:29:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

So, I intend to take that verse seriously. I'm reminded of what Proverbs 12:18 says,

"Reckless words pierce like a sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

People are challenged on all sides, each and every day, and often find themselves weary. This happens most often from just dealing with the routine things of life. Think how one feels when they have much bigger issues added to the everyday ones. So, I intend to use this space for building people up. A novel idea, don't you think?

These are my thoughts for now.

God bless!