Pastor's Blog

 

I'm am convinced that failure to share your faith - for whatever reasons - will limit God's blessings in your life. I want better for me and for you. So would you join me for an excellent evangelism training coming up in October? SAVE THESE DATES!

 

October 3 at 11:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.

October 13 at 7:00 P.M.

October 17 at 11:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.

 

Danny Johnson, association missionary for Pulaski Baptist Association, will lead us through five sessions of "Every Believer a Witness" by Dennis Nunn. I hope you will plan to be at CRBC for these important training sessions. I know God will bless you when you learn to share your faith.

 

Saturdays are great days for garage sales. People put everything they own that they no longer want or need and put signs at all the nearby intersections letting people know about the sale. Then strangers come by and pick through it buying what they need or want.

 

I just put some left-over building materials on Craigslist. Never even looked at Craigslist.com but someone in the know recommended using the site. He said we should be able to sell the products quickly and at a good price because people needing products like what we have for sale will be looking at the site.

 

EBAY is a cool site. I bought a camera there. Even bought a car. And sold some things, too. It's easy, the prices are good, and it's fun. EBAY is one of the most visited sites on the web.

 

We get the Sunday paper and I usually look through the ads for electronics and sporting goods. Sometimes I find something I want and I buy it.

 

Why does everyone go to such effort to promote their sales? Because promotion works. Should the church promote agressively? I think so. We can use most advertising outlets that businesses use. But the most important way to promote the church - and the gospel - is for satisfied customers (members, Christians!) to tell others about it.

 

As you and I make it a priority to tell others about Jesus and as the church uses media to let the public know about what we are doing, others will be attracted. We want them to come to church. We want them to be part of Bible study. We want them to worship with us. We want them to participate in our activities. But most importantly, we want them to know Christ.

 

So let's spread the word!

Almost all the students are back in school. We still have a few college students and home school students that have not yet started the school year, but most are back to the familiar routine of waking up early - but just in time - and rushing through breakfast. Then it's off to the bus stop or it's a made dash to the drop off zone at the school.

 

I read one high school senior's Facebook post yesterday. "My senior year is totally ruined." It was the first day of school. What could happen on the first day that would totally ruin the entire year? Maybe she was being a bit overdramatic!

 

Back to school time seems to settle our lives a little. And it seems to settle the inconsistency in church attendance, participation, and support. CRBC certainly needs consistency in these areas. That must occur before growth can take place.

 

Here is a truth we all need to learn that we probably won't find in a school textbook. When you take a break from the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, fellowship, ministry, and worship, your walk with God will suffer. When Christians are not walking closely with the Lord, the church to which they belong also suffers.

 

We are all in this together so I challenge you to walk closely with the Lord for your sake and for ours. For the next few weeks, I am preaching about the basics we beleive in. I'm sure you'll benefit from hearing the messages. See you Sunday!

I guess all the children and youth will be back in school by the end of next week. Summer is always a great time to go on family outings and enjoy the fun in the sun. I hope you have had a wonderful summer break. And thank you for your faithfulness to CRBC during these summer months. Many times a church will see a drop in attendance, participation, and support during the break but you have be faithful.

 

Now is the time for us to renew our commitment to the church through service and support. I challenge each Bible study class to reach out to every person in their class - active or inactive - with the invitation to be here each Sunday. I challenge each person to invite an unchurched person to join them in worship each week. I challenge each family that is not currently bringing a tithe into God's house for God's work to begin. I challenge you to select at least one ministry of our church at plug in.

 

We don't mind challenging our children to a renewed commitment to their studies at this time of year. Let's answer the call to renewed commitment to our church, too.

We need a speed limit on the changing of seasons. Summer must be doing 110! In a 45! Actually, summer is my least favorite season because I don't like the hot weather. But the reason I lament the quick passing of summer is that the summer activities with the family and the church are almost over. June and July were packed full; I went from one thing to the next - switching ages groups almost every week. If we could have April temperatures to go alone with the June and July schedule decorated with a little of October's color and served with the warmth of November and December...now that's something to shout about!

 

August brings a couple of events coordinating with Back-to--School. One is the Cross Road Kids Back2School Water Party on Sunday, August 15. After the morning service, we'll have lunch and then play water games for a couple of hours. It should be a great time and I promise to stay off the Slip N Slide.

 

The other event is our Sunday Morning Bible Study Promotion Day. On Sunday, August 22, all those who have surpassed the age limit for their current classes will move their new classes for Bible study. This is primarily a tradition observed by children and youth. Adults will not be forced to graduate up! August 22 will be a great day to come to Sunday Morning Bible Study and bring your whole family and a few friends.

 

Another calendar item to mention is the monthly business meeting. Actually, we no longer have monthly business meetings but instead have quarterly business meetings. These meetings will be on the first Sunday of February, May, August, and November following the evening worship service. Since I had already planned vacation that included the first Sunday of August, we adjusted the schedule so that the first Quarterly Business Meeting will be Sunday, August 8.

 

We made the change in the business meeting schedule to allow for continuity on Wednesday nights with our Bible studies and mission groups. We will continue to provide monthly financial reports by the second Sunday of each month. I'll try to remind you each month.

 

Alright! Buckle up and hang on. Just a few more days of summer vacation!

I used extra soap and a longer wash cycle on the nasty clothes we brought back from camp. Smelly! Now everything Riley and I took to wear at Siloam is washed, folded, and put away. Still waiting for a blanket and two floor mats to dry hanging on the rail on the deck.

 

We had a great week at Arkansas Baptist Assembly - better known as Siloam. This was the first year I have attended the children's park at Siloam. All the years I took groups from Center Ridge, I went with the youth group to their side of the camp. I really love the children's park. These kids are going in to 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. That's a good age group for me! We really connect and have fun.

 

Thanks to all of you at CRBC for allowing me the chance to go. And thanks for sending your kids. Each one is unique and special. I had a good chance to get to know them a little better. That's one of the great things about camp.

 

CRBC hasn't been to a camp like Siloam in over 15 years. When I became  your pastor in 2006 I began a process that has taken over three years to put into action. Since camp had not been a priority for so long, I had to really push to get something started among students and adults. None of our youth (7th-12th graders) have ever been to camp and really don't want to. I tried getting them to go the first Summer but that didn't work out - no interest. Tried again the second year with the same result. So I shifted to children last year but most of the children were too young to attend Siloam and the others weren't interested. This year was the magical year because we now have more kids in the age range (through new growth and naturally aging process) so we went!

 

The group was small with just 5 students. Four attended the children's camp and one attended youth camp. Three boys and two girls. Plus Gwen McCallister and me. Though a small group, it was a great group.

 

So next year will be even better. Youth leadership is on-board with the idea of going to Siloam. Five students are planning to go back next year. Plans are already underway to recruit more students fro both parks. We will likely go the same week next year due to other events already calendared for 2011. Costs should remain level.

 

Here's what you can do. If you have kids who will attend camp, start saving now. The camp will cost about $150-$175 per camper. With 12 months to save, that's not much for the spiritual and relational benefit your child will receive.

 

We will need one or two other adults to go next year, depending on the size of the group. You will not regret giving a week of your personal time and vacation time to this. Yes, you'll get hot and sweaty. Yes, you'll sleep very little. But you'll impact the lives of our students in marvelous ways. And you'll get something out of the camp, too. I promise!

 

Start praying now that CRBC will be able to take lost kids to camp. I am confident all our group this year is saved because I helped lead them to Christ and baptized them. Saved kids get a lot out of camp, no doubt. It's important that we take our own CRBC kids to camp. But we are also responsible to witness to all the kids in our community and to do all we can to help them know Christ. Siloam is a great place for that because one of the camp's main goals is to see lost kids get saved. And that happens every night of camp at Siloam. So pray for lost kids to go to camp with us. Every year, most of them come home saved.

 

Plan to be in church on Sunday, August 8. The kids who went to camp will be there to share with you their experiences at Siloam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that July is here I think a report of summer activity is appropriate.

 

We celebrated the 39th anniversary of the founding of our church on June 6. The Lord has accomplished much over the years and I believe he has even greater things in store for us. Let me encourage you to support your church as never before and to participate as much as possible. The church exists to bring glory to Jesus Christ as we help believers mature in their walk with the Lord and share the truth of the gospel with those who do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

 

I attended the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando earlier in June. I traveled with a group of pastors from central Arkansas. The drive was over 15 hours each way but we had a great time. Fellowship with other pastors is a great. The convention was historic. We voted overwhelmingly to adopt the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Recommendations that will steer our churches toward a greater emphasis on reaching lost people around the world. I heard wonderful preaching and worship.

 

Thirteen 1st-6th graders and one van driver (me) attended the PBA Day Camp. The week included trips to Gator Park, Playtime Pizza, Jump Zone, and Splash Zone. Lots of fun! Our kids love to have fun and the Day Camp is a great way to do it. The cost is only $35 per child. What a bargain!

 

VBS just ended yesterday. Although Angie Andrews (director) couldn't be there because she is recovering from surgery, she did a wonderful job preparing our church for the week. Almost all the director's work is done before VBS starts so Angie was able to do everything we needed. Almost twenty adults volunteered to help during the week and each one of you deserve so much thanks and appreciation. Families in our church and community shared 59 children with us! Our volunteers taught them about Jesus, planted seeds of salvation, and expressed love to each one of them.

 

This is a great time of year even though the schedule is full and fast-paced. I hope I can keep up the rest of the summer!

Jesus said that simply calling him "Lord" is not what makes a person a Christian. Instead, a person who does Jesus says to do is a Christian. So what is it that Jesus says to do?

 

Jesus said we must repent of our sin. He also said to "sin no more." Too many people feel sorry for sinning (or for getting caught sinning) but don't really repent If you repent you turn from your sin and stay away from it. That's not easy and you can't do it alone. In fact, you aren't expected to do it alone. God's Spirit lives within you if you are a Christian and he will help you with your sin problem. He will change your desires and help you stand firm against temptation.

 

Jesus said we must follow him. Instead of following someone else. Instead of following your own plans. Following Jesus means you give up your agenda and adopt his agenda. Does your agenda lead you to the throne of God? Didn't think so. But don't feel bad, nobody's agenda leads to God. Only God's agenda does that. So you have to adopt his agenda and reject your own.

 

Jesus says more but these two are a good place to start. Don't just call him "Lord, Lord," let him be your Lord!