Yesterday (7/28/11) I had my first opportunity to meet with and hear Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Sheriff Judd was speaking to pastors in our area at a local gathering. I came away impressed with the commitments and viewpoints of this man. He was obviously committed to securing safety and justice for all the citizens of Polk County. He seemed to be sincerely committed to following the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Christian Scriptures in his personal life. Sheriff Judd also impressed me because he knew that the solution to the problem of crime and societal sins go beyond what the government can offer. They are ordained by God to be a part of to solution (Romans 13:1-7), but as Sheriff Judd noted so are churches. I came away grateful for such apparent godly leadership in our Sheriff’s Office during these challenging times.
Yet as I reflected upon this meeting I was reminded of other godly leaders in our Police and Fire Rescue Departments at the county and city levels. Earlier this summer our church had the privilege of hosting a service and luncheon for new Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez. The service including words of tribute and challenge and then the new chief was sworn in. I had heard from some officers that they appreciated the character and work of Chief Velasquez as he worked his way up the ranks. They were hopeful about the direction of the police force on his respectable leadership. As I have come to know more about Chief Velasquez I understand he also shares a faith commitment to Christ. For his new leadership in Lake Wales we should be grateful.
Then, of course, there are the dear brothers in our church who offer leadership at the highest levels of Fire Rescue in our city and county. Jerry Brown is our Lake Wales Fire Chief and David Cash is the Chief of Fire Rescue for Polk County. Both are godly laymen who actively serve in our church. David has a reputation at the county level for quiet efficiency and selfless leadership. Another county official told me of how David inspires confidence of those under his leadership by his calm demeanor, clear thinking, and attention to detail. They told of how he’s been seen on days off sprucing up flower beds at a county fire station with other volunteers. Now that is servant leadership.
Lake Wales Fire Rescue Chief Brown also has a sterling reputation for his character and leadership. Jerry gladly tells of how he reluctantly ended up as fire chief in Lake Wales. He did not want the position, yet the Lord overruled Jerry years ago and thrust him into his position. As Chief he has earned the respect of his personnel and other city officials by being approachable, wise, and thorough. Perhaps you saw the article in the Lake Wales News this summer that told of a leadership group that Jerry convened. Jerry coordinated with Chief Velasquez to take all their upper leadership through a book on leadership written by Pastor Andy Stanley. Jerry had become familiar with that resource through some mentoring breakfast meetings we had with some of the young men of First Baptist Church. Jerry became convinced by the Spirit of God that the book could inspire the leaders of these departments to better leadership. So after much prayer Jerry shared his plan with the others and all bought into it. They all read and discussed the leadership concepts and supporting Biblical material over five meetings. Of course, seeing such leadership was great source of encouragement to me. For while many of you may have seen Jerry lead in our church as a deacon, you may not know how he also seeks to live out his faith in the workplace. I am so honored that Chief Brown and Chief Cash call First Baptist their church home and that it is evident to those who work around them that their faith in Jesus is real.
So I am filled with gratitude for the leadership God has put in these positions at our city and county levels. We are uniquely blessed! As a small way of recognized the blessing these men and all those that serve beside them in their forces are to our community we will be having a special service at First Baptist Church to acknowledge them on September 11, 2011. Yes, that day also marks the 10 year anniversary of the heroic efforts Fire Rescue, Police officers, and ordinary citizens made in response to the terrorist attacks of that day. We will be calling that day–A Day To Remember. We’ve invited leadership and all personnel from these four forces mentioned to be with us at FBC for that 10:30 AM Worship Service. We will honor them and pray for them. Some of them may address our congregation. Through it all we will express gratitude to God for these public servants who risk their lives for our safety day after day. Plan now to join us that day and invite and police of fire rescue personnel you know of to be our honored guest that day. Of course, you don’t need to wait until then to be grateful to God for them and for the godly leadership He’s uniquely place within their ranks in our community.
Grateful for ALL God’s blessings!
Pastor Scott
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
ANT OR SLUG?
“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise.” Proverbs 6:6
I have always loved this verse. I think it is a great one to quote your teenage children when they prefer to stay in an air-conditioned house playing or reading when there is yard-work to be done. Hey, it is a great verse to quote to myself when I feel unmotivated to do that yard-work. However, it is probably not a good one to quote your spouse to stir them toward yard-work or house-work!
The verse is addressed to a sluggard, which is a word to describe a habitually lazy person. Webster’s dictionary would offer as synonyms words like deadbeat, idler, loafer, slouch, lazybones, couch potato, or slug. You get the picture don’t you?
Now that last synonym is interesting because most often a slug refers to long worm-like creature closely related to a snail, without the evident shell. Slugs are technically gastropods and are found in most parts of the world where there is a reasonable supply of moisture. They are certainly slow-moving creatures.
Now I am not entirely sure which term developed first, the sluggard or the slug, but you can see how the terms are closely related. My hunch is the term sluggard was developed after the word slug in order to refer to humans who were slow-moving. These were people who seemed to move nowhere and do nothing. Obviously, it was not a kind comparison.
In contrast to the sluggard, or slug, we find Proverbs 6 offer up the ant as an example of hard-working industriousness. Now some would likely consider the comparison of a human to an ant to also be insulting. After all, ants are so small, they serve as food for other insects, and their lives seem meaningless as they are so easily trampled underfoot.
However, through Proverbs 6:6-11 God wisely reminds us of the great example of hard work ants really are. The verses tell of how the ant plans ahead by storing up food. Ants are also notable for their strength, with an individual ant carrying from up to 5 to 25 times its bodyweight depending on the species. Of course, there are many other amazing attributes ants have that are worth imitating, such as their cooperative efforts. These ways of the ant are worthy of consideration for sluggards and all of us. It is even suggested to the sluggard that wisdom could be the result of considering the hard-working ways of the ant. So in the end it seems that being compared to an ant may not be so bad after all. It certainly would beat being called a slug or a sluggard.
This coming Wednesday, July 20, you can come to First Baptist at 6:00 p.m. and hear some of our high school students share about the mission trip they recently went on to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. The one thing I have heard the adults who went on that trip say was how hard our students worked. They will share with you on Wednesday all the physical labor they did, how they led a Vacation Bible School there for 40-some children they loved on, and how they cooked all their own meals. Pastor Matt, Pastor Charles, and Cindy Polston have raved on how this was the most unified, well-behaved, loving, and hard-working team of students they have ever seen. Cindy said they even worked through their break times to get projects done, pausing only to get some fluids in them. Clearly, this team was made up of ants, not slugs!
So come on out this Wednesday as some of them and a couple who went to Brazil all share about what God in their lives as they served the Lord with all their might. I think you will be encouraged to hear of the faith and character of these students. Perhaps as we consider their ways all present will be inspired to work like ants for the kingdom of God!
Working toward wisdom!
Pastor Scott
I have always loved this verse. I think it is a great one to quote your teenage children when they prefer to stay in an air-conditioned house playing or reading when there is yard-work to be done. Hey, it is a great verse to quote to myself when I feel unmotivated to do that yard-work. However, it is probably not a good one to quote your spouse to stir them toward yard-work or house-work!
The verse is addressed to a sluggard, which is a word to describe a habitually lazy person. Webster’s dictionary would offer as synonyms words like deadbeat, idler, loafer, slouch, lazybones, couch potato, or slug. You get the picture don’t you?
Now that last synonym is interesting because most often a slug refers to long worm-like creature closely related to a snail, without the evident shell. Slugs are technically gastropods and are found in most parts of the world where there is a reasonable supply of moisture. They are certainly slow-moving creatures.
Now I am not entirely sure which term developed first, the sluggard or the slug, but you can see how the terms are closely related. My hunch is the term sluggard was developed after the word slug in order to refer to humans who were slow-moving. These were people who seemed to move nowhere and do nothing. Obviously, it was not a kind comparison.
In contrast to the sluggard, or slug, we find Proverbs 6 offer up the ant as an example of hard-working industriousness. Now some would likely consider the comparison of a human to an ant to also be insulting. After all, ants are so small, they serve as food for other insects, and their lives seem meaningless as they are so easily trampled underfoot.
However, through Proverbs 6:6-11 God wisely reminds us of the great example of hard work ants really are. The verses tell of how the ant plans ahead by storing up food. Ants are also notable for their strength, with an individual ant carrying from up to 5 to 25 times its bodyweight depending on the species. Of course, there are many other amazing attributes ants have that are worth imitating, such as their cooperative efforts. These ways of the ant are worthy of consideration for sluggards and all of us. It is even suggested to the sluggard that wisdom could be the result of considering the hard-working ways of the ant. So in the end it seems that being compared to an ant may not be so bad after all. It certainly would beat being called a slug or a sluggard.
This coming Wednesday, July 20, you can come to First Baptist at 6:00 p.m. and hear some of our high school students share about the mission trip they recently went on to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. The one thing I have heard the adults who went on that trip say was how hard our students worked. They will share with you on Wednesday all the physical labor they did, how they led a Vacation Bible School there for 40-some children they loved on, and how they cooked all their own meals. Pastor Matt, Pastor Charles, and Cindy Polston have raved on how this was the most unified, well-behaved, loving, and hard-working team of students they have ever seen. Cindy said they even worked through their break times to get projects done, pausing only to get some fluids in them. Clearly, this team was made up of ants, not slugs!
So come on out this Wednesday as some of them and a couple who went to Brazil all share about what God in their lives as they served the Lord with all their might. I think you will be encouraged to hear of the faith and character of these students. Perhaps as we consider their ways all present will be inspired to work like ants for the kingdom of God!
Working toward wisdom!
Pastor Scott
Thursday, July 7, 2011
VALUING TRUTH & CHILDREN
It has been somewhat surprising for me to see how upset and outraged people have been at the Casey Anthony verdict. It surprises me not because I believe that the reaction of the American public is inappropriate. Rather, it surprisingly encourages me because this reaction shows that the American public still seems to value the truth and children.
Before you chastise be for becoming cynical about the state of our nation consider this. First, we have had recent scandals at two of our nation’s premier universities, the University of Southern California and The Ohio State University. Central to these disturbing scandals is that they involved lying and deceit by football players, reputable coaches, school officials, and others. Second, there has been a variety of business scandals involving deception and fraud, as in the case with Bernie Madoff. Current labor disputes in various industries include posturing and misrepresentation designed to dictate the impressions of the public. Third, perjury, in courts of law, is becoming commonplace. There is an increasing back-log of perjury cases that threaten to clog up the legal system. Then in the backdrop there is the deceit involved in political campaigns, the steroid scandal in sports, or even within the religious realm. While preparing for my message this week I have been reading about a lecture given by Dr. James Stewart this spring entitled The Epidemic of Lying in America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff. Dr. Stewart, who is a Pulitzer Prize winner and professor of Journalism at Columbia University, paints a bleak picture of truth-telling in America.
For this reason I was actually heartened by the American public’s reaction to the Casey Anthony verdict. People were upset because they felt the TRUTH did not come out. They felt all the evidence pointed toward a guilty verdict, though the jury did not find it to do so beyond a reasonable doubt. They were upset with the prosecution and with the judicial process because they felt the truth did not win out in this case. Of course, I think they were most upset because this mother got away with lying and the murder of her own precious child.
Perhaps I am misreading the reaction, but mixed in there I hope I also see compassion toward the victim in this case—two year-old Caylee Anthony. It seems many feel her life was unjustly and violently taken from her by the one who should be caring for her most dearly. It seems this violent perversion of the maternal role is offensive to even the hard-hearted. Yes, Americans still value children. We believe they should be loved and cared for by their parents. Their lives are precious and inviolable. Thus, the murder of a child seems to be as heinous a crime as there is. So though this case that has not had any redeeming features to it at all, I can at least take something positive from America’s reaction to the verdict.
This Sunday I will share from Matthew 5 about Broken Vows and Truthfulness. During this message you will hear how Jesus was emphasizing how much he valued truth. Also on Monday we begin our 2011 Vacation Bible School. VBS is one way we, as a church, show we love and value children. It is also a way some children come to know Jesus by faith nearly every year. Our workers have been going all out preparing the lessons and learning environments for this week the children of our community enjoy so much. If you are serving in it I want to say how I appreciate your labor and that of our directors, Jennifer Simpson and Missy Boyte. If you are not serving, I invite you to pray for VBS every day this week. Further, I hope you will join us on Thursday (no regular Wednesday activities!) for the VBS Musical at 6 pm in our Worship Center. Let’s continue to value the children we do have in our church and community by offering them a wonderful VBS this year!
Striving to value what the Lord values!
Pastor Scott
P.S. June was a very difficult month for our church financially. We barely were able to “make our payroll” and are now behind in some of our financial commitments. We know our seasonal guests are gone and also many of our year-round members vacationed. May I please urge you to continue to give to the Lord your tithes and offerings, as able, even when vacationing this summer. If God has especially blessed you in the financial realm would you prayerfully consider a special gift in July so we can not make our budget and bills in July and possibly even catch-up for what happened in June. If you are unable to give additionally, please pray fervently that God provides for the church during these lean summer months.
Before you chastise be for becoming cynical about the state of our nation consider this. First, we have had recent scandals at two of our nation’s premier universities, the University of Southern California and The Ohio State University. Central to these disturbing scandals is that they involved lying and deceit by football players, reputable coaches, school officials, and others. Second, there has been a variety of business scandals involving deception and fraud, as in the case with Bernie Madoff. Current labor disputes in various industries include posturing and misrepresentation designed to dictate the impressions of the public. Third, perjury, in courts of law, is becoming commonplace. There is an increasing back-log of perjury cases that threaten to clog up the legal system. Then in the backdrop there is the deceit involved in political campaigns, the steroid scandal in sports, or even within the religious realm. While preparing for my message this week I have been reading about a lecture given by Dr. James Stewart this spring entitled The Epidemic of Lying in America: From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff. Dr. Stewart, who is a Pulitzer Prize winner and professor of Journalism at Columbia University, paints a bleak picture of truth-telling in America.
For this reason I was actually heartened by the American public’s reaction to the Casey Anthony verdict. People were upset because they felt the TRUTH did not come out. They felt all the evidence pointed toward a guilty verdict, though the jury did not find it to do so beyond a reasonable doubt. They were upset with the prosecution and with the judicial process because they felt the truth did not win out in this case. Of course, I think they were most upset because this mother got away with lying and the murder of her own precious child.
Perhaps I am misreading the reaction, but mixed in there I hope I also see compassion toward the victim in this case—two year-old Caylee Anthony. It seems many feel her life was unjustly and violently taken from her by the one who should be caring for her most dearly. It seems this violent perversion of the maternal role is offensive to even the hard-hearted. Yes, Americans still value children. We believe they should be loved and cared for by their parents. Their lives are precious and inviolable. Thus, the murder of a child seems to be as heinous a crime as there is. So though this case that has not had any redeeming features to it at all, I can at least take something positive from America’s reaction to the verdict.
This Sunday I will share from Matthew 5 about Broken Vows and Truthfulness. During this message you will hear how Jesus was emphasizing how much he valued truth. Also on Monday we begin our 2011 Vacation Bible School. VBS is one way we, as a church, show we love and value children. It is also a way some children come to know Jesus by faith nearly every year. Our workers have been going all out preparing the lessons and learning environments for this week the children of our community enjoy so much. If you are serving in it I want to say how I appreciate your labor and that of our directors, Jennifer Simpson and Missy Boyte. If you are not serving, I invite you to pray for VBS every day this week. Further, I hope you will join us on Thursday (no regular Wednesday activities!) for the VBS Musical at 6 pm in our Worship Center. Let’s continue to value the children we do have in our church and community by offering them a wonderful VBS this year!
Striving to value what the Lord values!
Pastor Scott
P.S. June was a very difficult month for our church financially. We barely were able to “make our payroll” and are now behind in some of our financial commitments. We know our seasonal guests are gone and also many of our year-round members vacationed. May I please urge you to continue to give to the Lord your tithes and offerings, as able, even when vacationing this summer. If God has especially blessed you in the financial realm would you prayerfully consider a special gift in July so we can not make our budget and bills in July and possibly even catch-up for what happened in June. If you are unable to give additionally, please pray fervently that God provides for the church during these lean summer months.
Friday, July 1, 2011
FREELY OPEN DOORS
Brazil, like America, is a land of many freedoms. This thought came to me as I returned from Brazil earlier this week as we approached Independence Day in the USA. We had total freedom to proclaim Christ in Casa Branca, Brazil. There was no fear of police, governmental authorities, spies, or of members of a certain political party, as I have experienced elsewhere in the world. We could freely come and go into homes of people who gladly welcomed us in to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We were able to gather together dozens of youth after one of our sports clinics and openly speak of salvation through Jesus Christ to them. During each half-time of a youth soccer tournament we co-sponsored with a government entity we were invited to share personal testimonies about our faith in Christ. Coaches gathered both teams to listen attentively. Additionally, the mission team members from our church were able to spontaneously engage in evangelistic conversations with Brazilians who were standing alongside the soccer field during the tournament. We found these parents, relatives, friends, and players willing and eager to direct their attention away from the soccer and onto the good news of Jesus, which we presented through a booklet proven to be effective in Brazil.
While in America we share the same legal freedom to proclaim the gospel as we had in Brazil, our mission team commented that evening that very rarely would anyone ever exercise that freedom. We discussed how you could never do what we did among the crowd at the soccer tournament. Factors inhibiting that free expression included our fears and the expectation of indifference or even irritation at what would be perceived as an intrusive interruption. So ironically, while we are as legally free to talk about Jesus here in America as we are in Brazil we find ourselves not sharing as freely of Christ as we could be. I guess partly because people also feel free to tell us to “get lost” or “I’m not interested in hearing that” or “I already know that stuff, so please….” But is that response by some an adequate reason to forfeit our freedom to speak about the difference Christ makes in our lives?
I wonder if we cannot find more culturally appropriate ways to share the gospel here in America with greater freedom than we do currently. I wonder if we could not sponsor a soccer tournament here in Lake Wales where we could then freely share personal testimonies at half-time. I wonder if parents and children in our community might not come out for a free sports clinic where coaches could share of their faith in Jesus. Maybe Americans would not respond with immediate faith in Christ as so many Brazilians do. Maybe Americans won’t invite us into their homes to spend 30 minutes talking about gospel of Jesus Christ. But, maybe there are unexplored avenues of gospel-sowing and sharing than we are not freely pursuing. Maybe we have more freedoms than we walk in by faith.
This 4th of July weekend let us thank God for the freedoms we continue to enjoy in America, and as believers for the freedom that is ours in Christ. This will be a featured theme in our worship at FBCLW this Sunday. But also, let us also prayerfully think about, discuss and act upon ways we may better utilize the freedom we have in our town and nation to share the good news of Jesus.
In Colossians 4:3 Paul asked the believers in Collosae to pray for him. He wrote: “…Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison….” Ironically, none of us are in prison. We are free men and women! So in a very real sense the doors are open for us to share the Word. We have what Paul prayed for! Therefore, may we freely walk through each open door in Brazil, America, and wherever the Lord sets our feet.
Glad to be wholly free!
Pastor Scott
While in America we share the same legal freedom to proclaim the gospel as we had in Brazil, our mission team commented that evening that very rarely would anyone ever exercise that freedom. We discussed how you could never do what we did among the crowd at the soccer tournament. Factors inhibiting that free expression included our fears and the expectation of indifference or even irritation at what would be perceived as an intrusive interruption. So ironically, while we are as legally free to talk about Jesus here in America as we are in Brazil we find ourselves not sharing as freely of Christ as we could be. I guess partly because people also feel free to tell us to “get lost” or “I’m not interested in hearing that” or “I already know that stuff, so please….” But is that response by some an adequate reason to forfeit our freedom to speak about the difference Christ makes in our lives?
I wonder if we cannot find more culturally appropriate ways to share the gospel here in America with greater freedom than we do currently. I wonder if we could not sponsor a soccer tournament here in Lake Wales where we could then freely share personal testimonies at half-time. I wonder if parents and children in our community might not come out for a free sports clinic where coaches could share of their faith in Jesus. Maybe Americans would not respond with immediate faith in Christ as so many Brazilians do. Maybe Americans won’t invite us into their homes to spend 30 minutes talking about gospel of Jesus Christ. But, maybe there are unexplored avenues of gospel-sowing and sharing than we are not freely pursuing. Maybe we have more freedoms than we walk in by faith.
This 4th of July weekend let us thank God for the freedoms we continue to enjoy in America, and as believers for the freedom that is ours in Christ. This will be a featured theme in our worship at FBCLW this Sunday. But also, let us also prayerfully think about, discuss and act upon ways we may better utilize the freedom we have in our town and nation to share the good news of Jesus.
In Colossians 4:3 Paul asked the believers in Collosae to pray for him. He wrote: “…Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison….” Ironically, none of us are in prison. We are free men and women! So in a very real sense the doors are open for us to share the Word. We have what Paul prayed for! Therefore, may we freely walk through each open door in Brazil, America, and wherever the Lord sets our feet.
Glad to be wholly free!
Pastor Scott
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