Pause

Last October I ran my first 5K in long time.  I spent weeks training for this run; therefore, I fully expected to do well.  Unfortunately, I did not live up to my expectations. My goal was to be able to run the whole distance, but I was unable to do it.  I also wanted to run it within 32 minutes. Instead, I finished in 38 minutes.  The only goal I met-and I am proud of it-was to run a 5k. So, one out of three goals isn't bad.  

One thing did catch my attention during the race. There was a young lady who passed me during the race.  About every 3 minutes, she would stop running, and walk for another minute, and then run again.  She repeated this the whole race.  I thought that I would eventually pass her, and finish the race long before she did.  I thought wrong.  Her stopping and running enabled her to finish the race several minutes before me. Her taking time to pause during her run did not slow her down, but actually sped up her pace and time.

I learned a valuable life principle from this young lady.  Life is a marathon, and we would do well to pause occasionally. The Lord created this principle when he established the Sabbath.  Most of us are way to busy; therefore, we really need to pause.  When we take regular periods to rest, we will find that they are very useful interruptions.  They will give us time to refuel our relationship with the Lord.  It will renew us physically, intellectually, and emotionally.  In addition, it will give us time to aim our efforts more accurately.   Take some time to pause.

“The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle” — The Value of a Masculine Ministry

“The Frank and Manly Mr. Ryle” — The Value of a Masculine Ministry

The Ultimate Standard

One of my passions is discipleship.  I am fortunate to be working with 6 guys at this time. Two of those guys are in high school.  In my last study with the two students we learned about the characteristics of God.  I challenged one of the students, Collin Battaglia, to write a song or a poem based upon what he learned about God.  Below is his response to the challenge.   

The Ultimate Standard

What is perfect, what is blessed?
Only in God can this rest.
What is freedom, what is pure?
Only one can ensure.
If it's the King you want to know,
Search his word and closer you'll grow.

And moments are here and then they're gone,
But he sees them all in one.
Still, we ponder the gift called time,
And how the sun continues to shine.
His presence binds everything tight.
The hourglass, the atoms, and the light.

God is the source if unending love,
And of countless blessings from above.
God is the source of consuming wrath, to all sin and the disobedient path.
God is the standard of righteous and just,
So it's in his word that I will trust.

For who could be more wise?
And against him, who could rise?
For who could be more faithful, more true,
Than the one who created me and you,
Than the one who sent a sacrifice, that we may see,
The type of men we're called to be.

Collin Battaglia 

The Secret Struggles of Many Pastors

I came across this interesting blog post by Ron Edmondson.  I have taken his 10 Secrets of Most Senior Pastors and posted them below.  I'm calling them secret struggles.  I would encourage you to go and read his blog in its entirety.  I would also encourage you to pray for your pastor and his family.  

Here are 10 “secrets” about many senior pastors:

• Leading from this position is overwhelming at times. We know Christ is ultimately in charge, but we also know it often seems everyone looks to us to have all the answers.
• People tell the senior pastor all kinds of things about what is happening in their life or in the lives of others…many we would rather not know sometimes…and sometimes the weight of others problems we carry is enormous.
• Most pastors walk with a degree of uncertainty, which keeps us in prayer, but also makes us question our abilities at times. It makes depression common for many senior pastors. (Need a Biblical example…see 1 Kings 19)
• Many senior pastors fear the possibility of failing in their role, so they thrive on the encouragement and prayers of others.
• Sometimes we allow insecurity to cause us to become overprotective of our reputation and our position.
• We face the same temptations and occasional spiritual dryness as everyone else. This means we need accountability, but are often afraid to seek it.
• Our spouse is sometimes the loneliest person in the church and often feels extreme pressure to live up to unrealistic expectations.
• Loneliness can exist for all leaders and many pastors suffer from it.
• We seldom know who we can trust, which is why we become guarded and appear hard to get to know. Most senior pastors have been burned by someone they once trusted.
• We suspect the staff , church leaders and congregation sometimes talks about us behind our back.

FSBC: A Christmas Greeting

 

Luke 2:11

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord”

I love this time of the year.  It always boggles my mind to think that out of the 199,987,707,791 babies born in history of the world, one of those babies was the Son of God, the Savior of the world.  

On behalf of the Mead Family, we love you! We are grateful that God has allowed us to serve one of the great churches in Arkansas.   May your Christmas be filled with awe for Christ, and your New Year started with a fresh commitment to Christ. 

In His redeeming love,

Patrick, Christy, Abigail, Maribeth, and Caroline. 

Seek Week: A Hunger for More!

A Hunger for More

I don’t know about you, but every time I read the book of Acts, I get this feeling that something is wrong.  Not with the first century church, but with the modern church.  There is a stark difference between the two.  One has power, and the other does not. 

The early church lived in a pagan society, much worse than the one that we are living in today, yet they were able to turn the world upside down. Why? They had received power.  The Holy Spirit was upon them. 

The difference between today’s church and the first century church is not only power but Holy Spirit Power.  The reason that the early church experienced such power is prayer.  The early church was dedicated to corporate prayer.  The result of their worship-based corporate prayer was Holy Spirit Power.  

I must admit that I am not content with business as usual.  I long and hunger to see life-changing revival in my life, my family, and my church.  The only way that this will happen is through prayer.   

The Lord has impressed upon me to set aside at least a week each year for First Southern to do nothing but seek the Lord through fasting and prayer.  This will take place at the beginning of every New Year.  

The verse that he has given Seek Week 2012 is Jeremiah 29:13, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”  This verse is a wonderful promise to anyone who will seek the Lord. Therefore, we will seek the Lord through worship, prayer, and fasting.

 

Seek Week: What It’s All About

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to spend three weeks at a premiere preaching conference.  The three weeks were great, except I was separated from my new bride.  Needless to say, I was homesick; my hope was strengthened with the return home on the horizon.  

Seek Week is about our souls being homesick for God.  It is about a people who have tasted the goodness of the Lord, and want more.

We can’t be totally satisfied until the consummation of our salvation.  Until that happens, our souls should and must long for more of the fullness of God in our lives.

 

You will be challenged to pray and fast during this time.  For some, you are not sure about fasting.  Let me give you a couple of suggestions.  First, a fast can be from food, media, or activities.  The idea is that whatever you give up, you replace with prayer and worship.  For          example, let’s say I give up some of my television shows for the week (Thank the Lord for DVR). During that time, I will seek the Lord through worship and prayer.  

Second, realize the potential to change the course of history through prayer and fasting.  In the Old Testament we find Ezra leading the people of God to fast and pray for God’s protection, and the Lord heard their prayers (Ezra 8:21-31).  In the New Testament we find the early church fasting and praying.  The Lord used that time to send out Paul and Barnabas on a mission movement that changed the world (Acts 13:1-3).  Imagine the lives that can and will be changed during Seek Week 2012! 

Believe what God says! Seek Him with all your heart and you will find him.  I am excited to see what God will do in us, through us, and around us as a body of believers during and after Seek Week 2012! 

Expecting Revival,

Pastor Patrick 

Devotion: Cultivating Courage

2 Chronicles 15:7

“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

“Success is never final; failure is never fatal; it is courage that counts.”

--Winston Churchill

An active faith is a courageous faith.  In 2 Chronicles 15:1-8, we find the prophet Azariah bringing a word from the Lord to King Asa.  We glean four truths from these verses on how to cultivate courage. 

1.    Courage is cultivated by seeking the presence of God. 

“The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2a)  Courage is cultivated as we seek the Lord daily. 

2.    Courage is cultivated by fearing the discipline of God.

“If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.” (2 Chronicles 15:2b)  A healthy fear of God enables the believer to overcome an unhealthy fear of circumstances and people.  Don’t fear what man can do to you.  Fear God!

3.     Courage is cultivated by trusting the promises of God.

“As Soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage…” (2 Chronicles 15:8a)  Asa cultivated courage by trusting the promises of God.  The promises of God must be believed and trusted so that we don’t grow fearful and discouraged.   

4.    Courage is cultivated by focusing on the rewards from God. 

“But you take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.” ((2 Chronicles 15:7) God rewards those who trust his promises, seek his presence, and fear him.  God rewards faithfulness!

·      What are you facing now that requires courage? Relationship? Situation at work or school? Job opportunity?   

·      What steps do you need to take to cultivate courage this week?

·      Take some time to pray about cultivating courage in your daily walk with the Lord.  If you are going through a situation at this time, commit it to the Lord in prayer.  Share how God helps you this week with someone you know.