Textbook Preaching...

Wow, its been a while, huh? Well, the month of August was wild because on the 4th of the month, Josiah started back to school. Yeah, really! It was like - what happened to summer? School got out, we went to Myrtle Beach for 10 days, came back and jumped into Vacation Bible School, then had some events at church in July, and the next thing I know, that big yellow thing is rolling up and swallowing up my baby boy. We had all kinds of plans for doing stuff - but there simply wasn't enough time. The schools here are only out for two months, so that "break" goes by fast. We do get two weeks in October, and then in the spring another two weeks. But, to be honest, I think I'd rather have a few more weeks in the summer.

Anyway, the month of August ended on a great note. A local Baptist Church sponsored a Bible conference that featured five really good speakers and some great worship. Two of the speakers were professors from Southern Seminary (one was also my pastor at Ninth and O Baptist in Louisville -Go Dr. Cook!). The other two speakers were younger guys - one a pastor from here in H'burg and the other (a former classmate) from Tennessee. The fifth was a guy I had never heard before, a TALL guy from Lexington named Patrick Whyte. Every one of these guys honored the Lord and proclaimed messages that challenged and convicted the hearts of those in attendance.

One message was very special because it was a sermon that should be recorded and used as teaching material for young preachers everywhere. Dr. Hershael York preached a textbook sermon on how to use illustrations. I have always appreciated Dr. York's preaching - I think I'd have to say he is one of my top three favorite preachers. He has an ability to just to take the text and make it more real and practical than you have ever understood it to be before, always staying true to what author was trying to communicate. On Monday night he took Colossians 2-3 apart and we looked at them in ways I'd never thought of. Most of all I was amazed at how he used his illustrations and stories NOT just to make a point clear, but to transition the sermon from point to point. They were word pictures that you could identify with, and stories that made you laugh. But, they did much more than that - they acted like bridges, taking you from place to place, point to point in seemless fashion. Seriously, you just don't want the sermon to end. The next day at lunch, several of the pastors who were at the conference all commented on that same thing.

Some say that Biblical preaching is dead. I heartily disagree. We just need preachers who can take the Word of God and proclaim it in a way that reveals its power and beauty. Thanks, Dr. York, Dr. Cook, Dave, Justin and Patrick. This hungry heart was satisfied. Preach on!

I Think it's About Grace.....

My sermon text for this weekend is Matthew 22:1-14. Its the parable of the Wedding Banquet. The first part of the parable is broken down into three invitations. The first was made prior to the beginning of the story (v3 - "those who were invited"). The second was the "call" to tell them everything was now ready(v2). Finally, when those who were initially invited chose to reject the invitation, a third invitation is made to those in the streets, "both bad and good" (v10). There is a ton of great material there in those ten verses - stuff I could talk about for hours. The arrogance (or ignorance) of people who blew off an invitation to the wedding of the son of a king is beyond words. I understand that in Jesus' day, to do so was terribly unwise. I guess the response of the King to their actions was not that surprising to the original audience. But, beyond the invitations, what intrigues me (and probably Jesus' hearers) is the interaction between the King and the guest (vs11-13).

Here is a guy who DID respond to the invitation, and he ends up in "outer darkness." What is up with that? The text says that his failure was that he "had no wedding garment" (v11), and when questioned about it, he was "speechless" (v12). Seems a little harsh, doesn't it? Some commentators say that the host of a wedding banquet would hand out wedding garments to the guests and apparently this guy refused, thinking his own clothing was sufficient. They liken the putting on of the wedding garments to receiving God's righteousness. D.A. Carson, a New Testament scholar that I highly respect, thinks that position can't be supported. He notes that whatever the reason, the guest in question simply wasn't prepared and that lack of preparation was seen as a serious failure by the king. (See EBC, Vol 6. Carson's work on Matthew is worth the price of the whole volume!)

I think these last five verses carry the weight of the whole parable. I believe the point is, entrance into the Kingdom of God isn't about just accepting the invitation. Its about HOW you accept the invitation. You see, those who in pride, ignorance, or arrogance, flat rejected the invitation (and brutalized the king's servants) rightly brought judgment upon themselves. But judgment also came to one of the men who accepted the invitation... because he wasn't dressed right.

I think the issue is grace. He didn't recognize it.

Those who were invited last, were out on the street. They weren't anyone, or anything special. They were "both bad and good." The truth is, they didn't deserve to be invited any more than the original invitees. The only reason they were invited was because of the grace of the king. In their humility and gratitude for the invitation, you would think they would have done whatever was needed to reflect how thankful they were to be there - even wearing a wedding garment. But apparently, this one guy didn't think it was that special. By not wearing the wedding garment, he was revealing the level of his gratitude for the invitation. He accepted the invite, but didn't recognize his unworthiness to even receive it. When the king saw that lack of gratitude, the man was tied up and tossed out into darkness.

We need to think about this in our evangelistic efforts. Salvation (entering the Kingdom) is, according to Jesus, more than just "accepting" the the invitation (see v14). It is more than just walking an isle, or raising your hand, or getting baptized. It is about understanding how unworthy (sinful) we are to even be offered such a gift, and then responding by clothing ourselves in broken hearted gratitude, humility, and worship.

It is about recognizing grace. Amazing grace.

Twenty-five...

On this day, twenty-five years ago, Sue Cartwright made an incredible promise. She said, before God and witnesses, that she would go with me wherever I went, and stay with me through good times and bad times. I have to believe she's lived up to her end of the bargain! I have taken my New Jersey girl all over the nation - North Dakota, Alaska, Oregon, and Kentucky. Mind you, none of the places we lived in these states were, or are, particularly glamorous. The homes she has lived in (with or without plumbing!), the things she has learned to do (cut moose, gut salmon, split wood), the jobs she has held (hotel clerk, hospital admin, teacher's aid, clinic staff, daycare worker), the difficulties she has endured (putting up with a global, neurotic, emotionally challenged husband/pastor) have made me realize just how strong she really is. She has, and continues to amaze me with her character, her passion, and her sense of timing. She says the most profound things at just the right moment. Sometimes, it is in her silence that I hear her most clearly. Is she perfect? No. She would be the first to tell you that wasn't true. She knows her weaknesses and faults better than anyone, and struggles with them daily. She isn't perfect, just perfect for me.

For twenty-five years I have never had to worry about her commitment to me or our family, because she is first and foremost committed to her Lord. I am a truly blessed man. God has given me more than just a wife. He has given me a friend, a partner, a lover, a confidant, and a precious treasure that is beyond ability to measure. What more could I ask the Lord for? Well, I guess, for twenty-five more!

Hey you. It's me. Thank you for being everything God knew I would need! I love you.

Hope in Rural Ministry

I know, it's been a long gap between posts. Sorry. We've were pretty busy in May with Mother's Day, and baptisms - I got to baptize my youngest son, Josiah - and Memorial Day concerts, and bar-b-ques, and getting ready for our vacation to Myrtle Beach.... it was nutz. But, the vacation came and went way too fast. We spent a week at a condo in North Myrtle Beach and really enjoyed the beauty, power, and vastness of the sea. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it? The ocean, yeah, that is big. Me, well, I'm kind of small. But God is bigger than the ocean, and He is big enough to take care of me. One thing that struck me was a little girl that was being held by her daddy as he walked from the sand into the water. The father wanted to put the little girl down in the water and she fought like crazy to stay in her daddy's arms. She didn't mind being in the waves as long her daddy was carrying her, but she didn't want to be in the waves alone. I thought about how God has promised to carry us through all the "waves" of life. He won't put us down and leave us to face the fury alone. Thanks, Lord, for Your love.

But, to the point -and title- of this post. Sue, Josiah, and I were out working in our garden this afternoon, staking up the tomatos and beans. I pulled about a dozen radishes and brought them into the house to wash them. I realized that in my hands were more than just radishes. They were hope. You see, that piece of land where my garden is had not been productive in years. The last time it was used as a garden was at least five years ago. That ground had not brought forth anything but weeds for a long time. But, it was turned over, and good seeds were planted, and those seeds were watered, and now there was produce. Rural ministers - like me - need to remember the promise of God in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." In church ministry, it seems like there are always "weeds to pull," and sometimes it is overwhelming, and it seems like you'll never get'em all. But God doesn't say He won't do anything untill ALL the weeds are pulled. He just says, "Keep planting good seeds, and keep watering and working, and there will be produce. That is my promise." So, those aren't just a bunch 0f radishes. To me, they are a bunch of hope.

A Smile from Meghan...

This post is kind of a follow-up to "A Song for Melody." Melody passed into the arms of her Lord after a long and courageous fight with cancer on April 27th. The funeral was yesterday in Somerset, KY and God saw fit to keep the rain away until later in the day. All in all it went as well as funerals can go I guess. I did not give the message, but I spoke a little about how strong Melody was and how her faith sustained her. Her family asked if I could sing the old hymn, "Till the Storm Passes By" because I had sung that for Melody just a day before she was taken to the hospital for the last time, and she really enjoyed it. I was honored to help them by doing that.

During Melody's final days at the hospital, I was finally introduced to Meghan, her daughter. She had put her faith in Jesus at our little church some years back before I arrived, along with her mom. Meghan is a student at Western KY University, and was missing her last couple of weeks of classes to be by her mom's bedside. She stayed right there, holding her hand, rubbing her arms, and talking to her dad. Even though she was hurting deeply, she did not cry much. She would occasionally leave the room to get a pop and talk with many of her friends that were there too. Melody treated them all like her daughters, and they all loved her like she was their mom. For the most part, however, Meghan stayed right there.

During the funeral service, the family played a song by Brad Paisley, "When I get Where I am Going." The chorus includes the words,

"But when I get where I'm going, And I see my maker's face

I'll stand forever in the light Of His amazing grace

Yeah when I get where I'm going There'll be only happy tears.

I will shed the sins and struggles I have carried all these years.

And I'll leave my heart wide open, I will love and have no fear.

Yeah when I get where I'm going

Don't cry for me down here."

I happened to look over at Meghan just as those words were sung, and she looked at me. We held each other's gaze for a few seconds, and then out of what I am sure was a heart heavy with loss - she smiled at me. It was a smile that reflected her understanding that her mom was no longer fighting cancer, and she was in a much, much, better place. The long day was worthwhile if only just for that.

Celebrating Love and Friendship

Today is the 26th wedding anniversary of two of the best people in the world. Lance and Linda Richey (Linda is on the outside left, and Lance is on the outside right) were married on April 8th, 1983 in Aviano, Italy. The friendship Sue and I have with these two goes way back to a time when we were all in Europe together; Lance, Sue, and I were stationed at an Air Force base there in Aviano, and Linda was a missionary in a nearby city. Lance was my mentor, friend, and even though he was only two years older than me, he was my "Paul." He spent time with me, prayed with me, talked about the Lord with me, took me on ministry visits, and generally laid the spiritual foundation for much of what God has made of me today. It is no exaggeration to say that his influence in my life was huge. I thank God for him and his continued faithful friendship.

Lance and Linda got engaged, and when he asked me to be his best-man I was honored more than anyone would have believed. Linda, who was close friends with Sue, asked her to be her maid of honor, and there we all were on that April afternoon at the Aviano AB Chapel, witnessing the beginning of something beautiful. A little over a year later, in June of 1984, Lance and Linda were our attendants when we got married in North Dakota.

Over 27 years of friendship have gone by. We have been separated by thousands of miles, but have never been out of touch. Even though we lived on opposite sides of the nation, we have gone through job changes, the highs and lows of raising kids, moves, and good times and bad times together. The phone calls were often way too long, and the rare times we were together were way too short. Now that we live in KY and they live in NC, we can see each other more often but the visits still don't seem to be long enough. When I graduated from seminary, they came out to celebrate with us - what a precious gift! When we are together we laugh, cry, pray, drink coffee, talk about Jesus, eat, and laugh and cry some more. It is beautiful, and in my mind, the definition of what true fellowship and friendship is.

So, congrats to you, Lance and Linda! We pray that we will celebrate many, many, more anniversaries, and that we will enjoy many, many more years of our love and friendship. Ciao!

It Goes By Too Fast...

Last Saturday, Sue and I were going through some old photos from way back. I mean, WAY BACK when we living in Alaska and Oregon. Our intent was to weed out the duplicates, and throw away those pictures that you can't remember why you took them (you know what I mean). Anyway, as I was looking at some of the pictures of Andrew and Rachel when they were little, I realized in a new way what my parents always said to me..."Time goes by so fast."

It seems that just a few years ago we were teaching them how to ride bikes, and reading the Chronicles of Narnia to them. Wasn't it just a while ago that Andrew was earning his first Sparky award at AWANA? Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that Rachel got her first kitten? That hike up to Lookout Mt. - that wasn't that long ago, was it? Where did all that time go? What hit me the hardest was - I'll never have those days again. It makes me wonder if what I said to them was worthwhile, and if what we did together made any difference to them. Will their memories of their growing up years be fond ones, or sad ones?

Andrew and Rachel are both young adults now. Rachel lives and works on her own in Louisville. She has her own apartment and car. We help her a little by letting her come down and do her laundry, but other than that she is fully independent and doing pretty well as far as we can tell. Andrew shares an apartment with some other EKU students in Richmond, KY, and works and goes to college. He's grown into a responsible young man that any mom and dad would be proud of. Both of them are learning that life is not easy, but that God is always good. I pray for them every day and ask the Lord to keep drawing them closer to Himself. Outside of a few fatherly exhortations on the phone, that is about all I can do now.

When I put Josiah to bed that night, it was different. I hugged him and prayed with him and breathed in the smell of his freshly washed hair and just asked the Lord to help me enjoy being his dad. Because pretty soon he'll be out on his own too and all I'll have is pictures to remind me of these days. This time will go by too fast.