Do you remember where you were on 9-11?  I do.  In 2001, I was enrolled at Brewton-Parker College pursuing a political science, er . . . psychology, I mean communications, wait . . . a history, nevermind . . . a teaching degree, (yes I really changed my major that much), and was driving to school from Hazlehurst.  My earliest class started around 8 AM and I woke up late that morning.  I might could have made the class and have been just a few minutes late, but I decided to take my time and skip it altogether.  I ended up getting to school closer to 9 AM.  I didn't have another class till close to 10 AM so I walked over to the student center to get some crackers and waste some time.  When I walked in, the TV was tuned to the news and one plane had already hit the towers.  There were people crying and not a sound was heard other than sobbing.  I walked into the room and sat down just to see the second plane hit the tower live.  I felt so sick to my stomach.  I sat there for what felt like years staring at the screen realizing that America, my home, had just been attacked and thousands of people just died.  You may remember the uncomfortable and unknowing camera angles that accidentally captured individuals jumping from the towers to their deaths.  As I kept watching, I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I turned and saw my Political Science professor whose class I had just skipped.  As I prepared to offer an excuse and an apology, he shook his head and let me know it wasn't important considering what was going on.

Feelings of sorrow were replaced with feelings of rage.  Who were these people and had they any clue what they just did?  In the face of tragedy, time stood still, racism ceased, sexual orientation didn't matter.  All that mattered was that we were Americans, brothers and sisters bound together by nationality and history.  No atheists or agnostics dared bemoan the constant expressions of our need for God.  Speeches were given and prayers were sent up pleading for God's mercy, forgiveness, help, and defense.  There were no SNL skits making fun of Jesus.   We were united.  We heard the phrase, "United we stand.  Divided we fall" on a continual basis.  It was understood that whatever our differences were, they would have to take a backseat as we faced our enemy.  Congress moved quickly to declare war and there wasn't a sound heard against going to war.  No doubt there were those against it, but they either thought better of saying anything or were washed out by the push of those ready to defend the country and the loss of life.  

Churches were flooded as people received Christ and rededicated their lives to Him.  Church attendance spiked around the country in every denomination.  An awakening began to take place in the spiritual realm of our country.  Church denominations quit fighting each other for a short time.  Doctrinal issues were overlooked as churches sought to unite to show solidarity and to provide shelter to the many souls looking for answers and salvation.  

But something happened.  As the war drudged forward and as victory seemed out of reach, we forgot the cost and we begin to split apart again.  We suddenly didn't want to allow people to pray to Christ at reoccurring memorials at Ground Zero.  A Muslim mosque began being talked about in efforts to have it built right down the block from Ground Zero.  Racism resurfaced.  Liberalism versus conservatism became normal political wars again and the church attendance declined.  Churches began squabbling again and doctrinal issues that divide took precedent over what we had in common.  This has continued to where we are today in America.  Christianity on a national level across denomination lines is declining as a whole while other religions (Islam, Mormonism) are on the rise.  Nationally, more churches are closing than opening and the average congregation sits around 75 plus or minus 25.

While I could certainly continue writing of the problems with American culture in the face of 9-11, the point I want to make is that of the church.  The church faces her own 9-11 and has been doing so from the beginning of time.  Satan invaded the Garden of Eden and caused death, in fact, mass death.  Adam's sin brought death to all of humanity.  The original sin brought disease, pain, toiling, sorrow, and death to all mankind.  From that time since, God has been raising up men and women to preach His Gospel message and to proclaim the day of the Lord.  The greatest example ever set was that of Jesus Christ who left Heaven to come to earth to be born in a manger, hunted, detested, ridiculed, rejected, and ultimately killed to show the way, the truth, and the life.  His resurrection sealed Satan's defeat and He empowered His disciples and those early church founders in Acts to take the world by storm.  The church of Acts blew up to over 5000 plus in just a few weeks' time and has been growing ever since.  However, Christianity's history hasn't always been so kind as the Bible was used to excuse gross negligence and hatred.  Some of this has come back to bite Christianity and we see some of the backlash even today.  The famous Ghandi said of Christianity, "I very much like and could believe in Jesus Christ.  It's His followers that I have issue with."  

I'm proud to be part of a community that has a very active Ministerial Association.  It's the first such community that I've been a part of that has this entity in operation.  The PMA is made up of three Pentecostal churches, two Baptist churches, two Methodist churches, one Lutheran church, one Presbyterian church, and one Catholic church.  Others attend from time to time, but overall this is the faithful few.  Now one doesn't need a theological degree to know that the three Pentecostal pastors differ in a few things with the two Baptist pastors.  It's also very obvious to anyone who knows history that the Catholic pastor and Lutheran pastor certainly have odds theologically (Martin Luther and the Reformation anyone).  But in almost four and a half years of pastoring in Perry and being a part of this group, I've watched as we have all formed a bond of friendship and camaraderie.  We certainly wouldn't be able to completely agree on our doctrinal and theological points, but as it was said in our meeting today, the important thing is our group has been built around what we agree on, not what we disagree with.  And this is vitally important.

If it is true that a divided front will always falter in war, then it is no wonder why Christianity is faltering in face of our enemy.  Matthew 16 tells us that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church and in knowing that we know the church will ultimately be victorious, but this doesn't mean we aren't taking our unnecessary lumps and bruises.  In fact what we do find is a command to be like Christ and do the ministry of Christ.  There is only so much one church can do, but a group of nine churches can do infinitely more.  I believe we must start celebrating what we have in common in Christianity and stop focusing on where we are different.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting churches stop preaching their doctrines for the sake of a kumbaya feeling.  On the contrary, God didn't make us robots to all think alike.  Many of the New Testament scriptures are very open to interpretation and as such, we all have to walk out our own salvation with fear and trembling and in context with the whole Bible.  I've learned that just because I completely believe something to be one way, it doesn't mean it's complete truth.  In fact the Word of God is too powerful, too mighty, too great to truly be completely 100% understood by any mortal man.  When any man or denomination draws a line in the sand and claims they are the only ones with the truth, they are inevitably claiming that everyone else is a liar.  Just in my 31 years of living, there are things I once thought of as absolute truth that I've since found out I was wrong about.  There have been a few other things that I thought were certainly up for grabs only to find out in my own study that I believe them to be absolute.  So no denomination or Christian has the market cornered on truth.  Jesus is the way, TRUTH, and life.  Jesus is God.  If any man thinks He has God figured out, scripture says that man is a fool.

Again, I'm not suggesting we stop teaching and preaching our doctrines.  Indeed some great men have went before us that truly believe 100% in a certain interpretation of the Bible.  I'm proud to be Church of God because I believe it to be the most correct interpretation of the Bible in terms of doctrine and theology.  Other good Christian people are part of the Baptist church and they believe the doctrine and theology of John Calvin and others to be the most correct version of scripture.  The truth is we have to be true to our convictions and to ourselves.  I would be a liar if I claimed to believe in the doctrine of the Church of God and that of Pentecost and preached something different.  The problem you see is not our preaching of our doctrines as much as it is our preaching of exclusiveness which alienates and demonizes everyone, including other Christians, who do not believe the Bible the same way we do.  In doing so, we inevitably cut off the reinforcements God may have just lined up to help us in our time of need.  The truth is there will be Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans, and other Christian denominations in Heaven.  I'm convinced we may just be shocked at who makes it and who doesn't if we could ultimately know.  On the flip side, there will Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Lutherans, and other "Christians" in hell for eternity as well.  

You see the thing that binds us together is our belief in Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, the only begotten of the Father, the sacrifice for sin, the Suffering Servant and the Redeeming Savior.  We believe He was born of a virgin, never sinned, died, and was resurrected.  We believe He ascended to the Father and that He's coming back again.  We have all of that in common and according to scripture and the church of Acts, this all we must have down to make it to Heaven.  We must believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him.  If that is the case, why do we fight so much against each other?  If all of Christianity truly had a united front on issues like abortion, gay marriage, child abuse, teen pregnancy, importance of the family, and community revival, don't you think we could turn the tide?  There are no shortages of atheists, agnostics, and unbelievers who find themselves "offended" at the mention of Christ or at the possibility of their "right" being infringed upon.  They successfully have mounted attacks against our Biblical beliefs and our great country's Biblical foundations.  They are winning many of these wars.  Meanwhile Pentecostals don't want to be around Baptists and Methodists are offended by Presbyterians.  

Like the rabbit and turtle pictured above couldn't be more different, the church is much the same.  One thing both the rabbit and the turtle have in common is their desire to eat lettuce.  That one desire brought those two animals together to share a meal.  What would happen . . . what could happen if churches across local communities would set aside their doctrinal differences, focus on what they have in common, and promote Jesus Christ?  I believe we would see revival like our country has never known.  If it's ever needed it's now!  With the influx of false religions in America today and liberalism on the rise threatening to snuff out what made America great, churches can't afford to sit behind their doctrinal commitments and pray.  We must unite.  

That scripture in Matthew 16?  You know the one about the gates of hell not prevailing against the church?  Before Jesus finishes His discourse, He tells Peter and ultimately the church that whatever is loosed and bound in heaven will be reciprocated on earth.  So here's a call for the church, the bride of Christ, to unite as one body (1 Cor. 12) and tackle and confront these battles coming against God's people and His creation.  Don't let go of your doctrines which make you distinct.  Be true to your convictions and beliefs.  But by all means, be truer still to the reason and rationale of Christianity: the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

There were some things we used to could expect American citizens to know and understand.  If you have seen any of Jay Leno's "Jaywalking" excerpts from his late night show, you will quickly realize that those expectations are going unmet.  Granted some individuals may simply be hamming it up for the camera and I might could completely agree with that and be alright if I didn't see signs of it all around me.  From the working class to the politician, we are constantly making comments and assumptions that have absolutely nothing to do with America or her Constitution and history.  One of the most famous blunders is the "law of separation of church and state."  Did you know that there is no such law, nor is there anything in the Constitution about this.  Where did it come from then?  Thomas Jefferson penned a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association and made the statement.  Of course he based his statement on the Constitutional law that America would not have an official religion.  The Constitutional law is stated with the obvious purpose that the rest of the Constitution was written for:  to maintain a limited role for government in the private and religious affairs of its citizens.  Read the Constitution and you'll see it was written to keep America from becoming a monarchy and kingdom like the first Americans fled from.  When we are able to rightly understand the purpose and desire of men like George Washington, who refused to continue serving as President though the whole nation wanted him to due to his fear that America would become a monarchy, and John Adams who proclaimed the Bible to be the foundation for America, then we understand that the Constitution was not written to exclude the Bible.  It was written from the Bible.

One of the best and worst things that ever happened to Christianity was its acceptance and mandatory practice during Emperor Constantine's rule.  For the first time Christians were no longer being slaughtered for their faith.  The days of Nero the terrible were over and a new day had dawned.  But was this what Christianity was about?  Jesus clearly stated that His Kingdom was not of this world.  His message was that of serving one another, the first being last, and love for all people.  It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  What resulted from Christianity being the official religion of the empire was the Crusades and the Dark Ages.  Instead of inviting people to know Christ, people were jailed, tortured, and killed if they didn't accept Christ.  This was not Jesus' way.  The problem rested in the government identifying and exercising its own interpretation of Christianity.  Many of our founding fathers were students of history and no doubt saw the mess made by the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire.  They had also experienced the hardship and issues with the Church of England themselves.  Christianity in its empirical days was a fight between papal politics and reformation thinking.  Why one story is told of a woman disagreeing with the course of action of the local political leader and after having shouted something, she walked into the forest.  Meanwhile a storm came upon her city and lightning struck and burned down some houses.  When the lady returned from her stroll in nature, she was arrested and charged as a witch.  The people and magistrates claimed she had caused the storm to gather and burn down houses.  After torturing her during constant interrogations, she finally agreed with their claims and she was burned at the stake.  This is the result of Christianity being an official religion unfortunately.  When it is the official religion, the head of such a state then gets to determine how it is applied and interpreted.  If you ask many people today, Christianity has never completely recovered from those days.

The founding fathers had no desire to see this replicated in America and thus clearly established the Christian belief of God for America, but also clearly established the freedom for every individual to worship as he or she chooses without fear of persecution or retribution from the state.  Many people can't connect those dots however and so they will read a phrase, make a judgment, and speak as if they hold four doctorates in wisdom.  Our founding fathers were very clear that the Bible and especially the Ten Commandments was the basis for much of our law and foundation.  When we lose sight of the Bible and its lessons, we lose sight of how this nation was started.  Those offended by seeing Christ depicted in public places would fall over dead from offence if they ever really stopped and read the Constitution because you can't read our founding documents and not see God in them.  

Abraham Lincoln said, "The philosophy in the classroom in one generation will be the philosophy of politics in the next."  In 1963, official prayer was taken out of school.  In 1973, Roe v. Wade was passed and legalized abortion which started a brand new holocaust of unborn children.  My generation and those a little before me grew up without that prayer and with the results of Roe v. Wade and all the cultural phenomenon that followed.  Is it any wonder that less than 7% of my generation claims to have any commitment to a local church and Christ?  Is it any wonder that it's my generation leading the way in the "Occupy" protests?  Is it any wonder that it's my generation and the one below mine that Hollywood producers are claiming are clamoring for more TV sitcoms displaying homosexuality and abortion as normal everyday run of the mill things?  And is it any wonder that without my generation's vote, President Obama would have never got into office.  My generation led the charge and turned out to vote in droves unlike most any other election.  We lost a generation and we're still losing generations in the church. We've lost the truth of the Word and our politics and behaviors are showing it.  

The ultimate reason?  We're Bible illiterate.  Our kids are Bible illiterate.  You used to be safe in assuming that people knew about Noah and the flood, Jonah and the whale, Jesus and the five thousand, Jesus and the cross, and the writings of Paul.  That's no longer the case.  

So what does this have to do with a Bible class in public school?  Well it's obvious that my generation and those under me need the Bible and unfortunately the church isn't as effective as it once was.  In school, you have a captive audience.  Oh I know, there are laws that mandate that a teacher can't use his or her class time to espouse his or her religious beliefs and that's true and just.  However, if you are a Christian like me, then you understand that power of Hebrews 4:12 (at least I'm assuming you do).  This verse tells us that the Bible is alive and it has the ability to get inside of us and change us all by itself.  This means that whether I preach a sermon from it or teach a theological or doctrinal position from it, the Bible is still true, alive, and digging down deep inside of us.  However, if I'm teaching the many theories of Creation out of Genesis 1 and not teaching any one theory as the Gospel truth, the Bible is still true, alive, and digging down deep in us.  Teaching the Bible doesn't have to be spiritual, but at the same time the Bible can't help but to be alive and bring a difference.  Some 50 counties in Georgia have started Bible electives since State Senator Tommie Williams passed a law allowing this in 2006.  Georgia was the first state in America to pass such a law.  Many states have followed with Arizona on docket now. The law states the Bible is to be taught as history and literature which it certainly includes.  Budget cuts and the economy have caused some of these counties to stop their classes considering the cost of books and a teacher.  However, I hope to have a fix for that in Houston County and particularly in Perry.

I've just mailed a letter off to our Superintendent requesting his consideration for a Bible elective class.  While money may be an issue in many counties and school systems, I'm of the belief that it doesn't have to be so in Perry.  For one, I believe there are enough churches and citizens that would gladly help buy textbooks for students desiring to take a class in the Bible at the local high school.  Secondly, no extra teacher salary has to be involved.  First there may already be someone on staff at the school who could teach this class and would gladly do so.  If not however, I will gladly volunteer to teach the class.  How?  Well here's my college degree coming in handy.  I graduated in 2003 from Brewton-Parker College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education (7th-12th grades).  I'm a certified teacher in Georgia in the fields of history, behavioral science, political science, geography, and economics.  If the textbooks can come at little to no cost and a teacher is available for little to no cost, then a major issue causing concern with the elective in many Georgia counties is nonexistent.  

There's so much more I could say, but I'll leave it here for now.  All I can say is that I'm going to do my part, if it's by myself, to bring God back into the forefront of America and culture.  Our students need Christ.  Our families need Christ.  Our nation needs Christ.  Jesus not only wanted us to compel the people to come into the House of God, but He also set the example of going to where they were.  At some point the church has to quit expecting the lost to come to church all on their own, and we've got to meet them where they are.  The loss may come, but if the saved go out, the loss will be reached. I think taking the Bible to the high schools would be a great start.  So the letter is mailed and we'll see what happens from here.  If you support this measure, I'd love to hear from you.  

Without a doubt, the Legacy Campmeeting exceeded my hopes for the event.  As already mentioned, I didn't really know what to expect and in that case, exceeding hopes and expectations is obviously easier, but I found myself enjoying the services, the singing, the preaching, and the fellowship.  I was able to meet some new people and thoroughly enjoyed the conversations.  The singing took me back to my early childhood and my first two churches I served in ministry with (Towns Church of God and Bell St. Church of God).  I'll be the first to say that I love music and I'm a big fan of contemporary music, but some of the old classics still ring true today.  I'm not a huge proponent of the Red Back Hymnal in its entirety per say.  Some of the songs in the hymnal I'm not so sure are even theologically sound at the end of the day.  And many other songs in the hymn book seem to have one thing in mind and that was being in Heaven.  While there's nothing wrong with that at all and we all should be looking forward to that, I have to say that the prevailing theme of getting to Heaven can sometimes cause us to lose sight of our jobs here on earth as given by Christ while we wait and anticipate His return.  No doubt, I want to see Jesus and can't wait to spend eternity with Him, but I don't think we bring God any glory by merely standing, twiddling our thumbs, and staring into the sky while the Great Commission goes uncompleted and thousands die without a Savior around us.  Surely, this is not the intent of those songs, but it undoubtedly became the mindset of many that I've witnessed.  Having said that, you can't overlook the classics of "There is Power in the Blood, Heaven's Jubilee, Oh I Want to See Him," and "He Set Me Free."  Other older songs we sang this week not in the hymnal included, "Because He Lives, We Shall Wear a Robe and Crown, Holy Ground, Something About that Name," and "Surely the Presence."  I hope we never lose sight of these songs and their meanings.  As one person said this week, "Those songs have meat on them."

Undoubtedly though there is a stigma against some of these songs and even the preachers of yesteryear.  It's become a war of cultures and styles.  Instead of harmoniously worshiping and striving together, many churches and people require an either / or approach.  Many times this is done in the name of reaching a new generation.  That generation is my generation and the one below me.  No doubt, my generation and the one after me needs to be reached.  If statistics are even remotely correct, they are scary.  Only 4% to 7% of my generation are actively involved in a church.  Less than that are involved from the generation behind me.  This is the future of the church we're talking about.  Without these generations, there will be no church.  So reaching them and doing whatever it takes short of sin and compromise has to be a must.  Having said that, we can't sacrifice the older generation, our heritage, and foundations for the sake of reaching a new generation.  In fact, reaching a new generation without the foundation of an older generation spells disaster.  In Exodus, we see what happened to Israel when there arose a Pharaoh who knew nothing of Joseph.  In Judges 1, we see the results of a generation rising up in Israel that knew nothing of the wonders God performed in the wilderness among their forefathers.  And in America today, we see the results of a generation leading the way who knows little to nothing about our Christian heritage as a nation and what the Word of God says and doesn't say.  In fact, it's Paul that encouraged Timothy to blend the old and the young for the purpose of discipleship and growth.  

As I attended the services this week, a troubling thought penetrated my mindset and it won't leave me alone.  As I looked out each night, we hardly had anyone come under the age of 45 to these services.  For my church people who were able to come and didn't, I'm extremely disappointed in you.  I was embarrassed to have these great men of God which totaled approximately 200 years of faithful Christian service come and preach to a half empty sanctuary.  Forget styles and schedules for a moment.  They deserve our respect.  Before we find our excuses of why we couldn't come, I have to say that people find time to do whatever they want to do.  Being too tired from work usually doesn't result in telling your children that they aren't going to their ball game during the week, but it happens when talking about church.  Don't get me wrong, there are real legitimate reasons why some people didn't attend the Legacy Campmeeting, but many chose not to come at all including on Sunday night when there were no ball games, etc. for reasons that will never make sense to me.  

We have a heart problem.  We can't hope to build a great church in our community, region, state, or nation if we choose not to respect and honor our heritage and those who paved the way for us today.  We can't hope to make an impact if we've made ourselves to be so busy that we can't give God a couple of hours of our time to be in His house to honor His men and to be blessed by their wisdom and anointing.  You see I looked out among the congregation and saw the same individuals who come to Kids Krusades, prayer meetings, sings, dinners (and usually work the kitchen at these events), VBS's, and community events.  Ironically with all the push for my generation and the one after me being the future of the church, it's the older generation that is still holding high the standards, visions, and plans of the church.  While many churches can't get families to bring their children to a kids' event, an older generation comes and volunteers having no children or sometimes even grandchildren in the age group the activity represents.  And for the most part they do it without complaining.  Oh sure, there are those individuals who are so stuck on yesteryear that they attack every new song, new style, new activity, and new way that doesn't line up perfectly with their line of thinking.  And for every older individual you can find that behaves that way, I can find you one, if not more than one, in my generation or below that has the same mentality about other things.  You see, it is this heart problem that causes the divide.  It's those who claim the infallibility of the scriptures the loudest that completely disregard Paul's call to the Galatians that we are to strive for unity instead of criticism, judgment, and partiality.  It's those who scream the loudest about taking God out of America that do their part in furthering the secular agenda by refusing to get involved in their local church and become active supporters of Christian ministry outside their own household.

See I've really grown tired, especially after this week, of hearing how the older generation had their day and it's time for a new generation.  You see I can't speak for every church, but as for our church, if our older generation decided to quit attending, quit giving, and quit supporting the church activities, we'd have to close the doors.  In my church of 150 regular and semi-regular attendees, our older generation (55+) accounts for a little more than 2/3 of the giving and half if not more of the volunteering.  Meanwhile able bodied younger families are hit and miss based on the weather, the recreation department, the holiday (Cupcake Day? Come on!), job, school, or whatever.  In church demographics across the board, the "church hoppers" tend to be my generation whereas the older generation typically puts down roots come hell or high water.  It's my generation that leaves churches when they don't get their way and they'll "shop" for a new one.  Meanwhile an older generation buckles in and rides out the storm and seeks the mature pathway.  Forgive my blanket characterization because I realize this is not true across the board.  There are exceptions and I've met many of them and have had, and do have many in my church.  But any student of church history and present day culture and generations will agree, times have created a different mentality about church, God, and country.  

I experienced something I would say was completely unforeseen and tragic in its own right earlier this year.  In February, I lost my Papa as he passed away and went home to see Jesus.  I remember going home and seeing him just last Christmas just about 6 weeks before he would pass away, and he asked me the question he would always ask, "Skeet, how's the church doing?"  I'd give him the reports and talk about the way God had blessed us and he'd smile really big and tell me how proud he was of me.  My parents would tell me how he would ask about me and the church on a regular basis.  He mentioned to me several times that if his health wasn't what it was and my church was somehow closer, he'd love to come and visit and here me preach.  See he liked my church without ever having attended it, partly, if not majorly, because the church was pastored by his grandson.  The other part was that he seemed to really enjoy hearing about all that God was doing as it reminded him of some times gone by.  Maybe it's driving around like I do in his old truck, the same truck I sat in as a kid when we'd go to the grocery store when spending the night with him.  Maybe it's sentiment as I look at my pictures of me and him in my office.  Whatever it is, I've thought especially this week on whether my Papa would merely like my church if he attended on a regular basis, or if he would enjoy it.  See there's a difference.  There are things I like and then there are things I enjoy.  I like watching sports, but I enjoy watching the Braves.  I like chicken strips, but I really enjoy Zaxby's.  So the question, is my church set up in such a way that my Papa would enjoy it and feel he had a place in it?  That's a tough question.  The answer to that question obviously doesn't apply to my Papa today because he's in the presence of Jesus, but it does apply to those who are around his age.

I watched this week as an older generation lit up with excitement and enthusiasm as we sang those old songs that reminded them of when they were saved or when God performed a miracle in their lives.  I watched those retired pastors preach with everything in them to a half empty church but they preached like it would be their last sermon.  They were on fire and excited.  Bro. Carlton Ring put off heart surgery at his own doctor's warnings just so he could come preach and somebody somewhere had better things to do . . . We're believing for his complete healing by the way!  Bro. Lowell Smith had a medical test scheduled the morning after he preached on Monday and he came ready and excited to be preaching for the first time in months if not longer.  I saw tears in his eyes several times over the week as he thanked me for letting him come and preach and enjoy the music.  Bro. Jesse Ogden almost died earlier this year with his own heart problem and yet he came at a moment's notice and preached a Word that everyone, young and old, needed to hear.  I received a word I desperately needed.  He drove an hour and a half one way on 4 days' notice for the opportunity to preach.  Bro. Sam Creamer stopped his message twice to thank me for letting him preach one more time amidst tears.  Thousands will line up to be at Turner Field at the end of this season to send off Chipper Jones, one of the greatest third basement and switch hitters to ever play the game, and I hope to be one of them.  But only a small few came to send off a mighty man of God as he quiet possibly officially closed his preaching ministry.  Somewhere our priorities are out of place.

I'm left filled to the overflowing with joy unspeakable from this past week.  God showed me so much and obviously gave me a word that I'll never forget.  I'll never forget the excitement and the heartfelt gratitude I experienced from these men of God who were given an opportunity to proclaim the Word of God from the pulpit.  The Bible says to give honor to whom honor is due.  These men deserve double honor as do the older generations in our churches.  If not for them, there would be no churches for a younger generation to complain about, make empty promises to, and stay home from.  In fact without this older generation, many of us wouldn't even be saved for they were and still are in some cases, the Sunday School teachers, Children's workers, and prayer warriors who bombarded hell until our souls were saved.  

I'll never forget this week and the things I've seen.  One thing's for sure, our church will be making some changes.  I've always thought of my ministry as being one that could reach across generational lines.  I've always done my best respect my heritage and those who have gone before me.  I believe our church has sought to do that as well on a small scale.  However, we're going to be ramping that up to a large scale focus from this point forward.  We won't stop our pursuit of the younger generations.  We can't.  Our future depends on it.  But we will work extremely hard to make sure our pursuit of the younger generations doesn't take place at the expense of the older generations who basically support, attend, fund, and prayerfully and faithfully commit to the future of the local church.

What an amazing event . . . It's funny how God does things.  Many times when we're searching for answers or wondering what to do and what not to do next, we have a tendency to predispose ourselves to how and when God will answer us.  Sometimes we're guilty of already thinking we know the right answers to our situations and predicaments, but in a moment's notice, it can all change.

When God spoke to me to put this event together, I didn't completely know what to expect.  I'd never heard of this being done before, though I'm not claiming I'm the original by any means.  I just knew that God spoke to me to put this together to honor the great men of God who blazed the trail before us and also to reignite something in our church and individual lives.  How all this was going to take place, I wasn't sure.  I certainly wasn't sure what the services would turn out to be.  I wasn't sure if they would be attended and supported.  I just knew God led me to do this and I'm so very grateful that He did.  Having said all that, this is my blog with my thoughts and my thoughts only.  This means that what I'm going to say and write doesn't necessarily reflect the overall opinion of the church or the people in it.  I wanted to make that declaration first and foremost before I go any further.

First, the services.  Wow!  God showed up each and every night.  Every speaker unknowingly preached a similar theme, night in and night out.  That theme was God's grace, power, and a return to trusting the Word and the Spirit in the days in which we live.  Every message preached confirmed what God has been saying to our church for sometime now.  In fact, some of the messages actually were verbatim what I preached last Saturday night and Sunday morning.  I can't tell you how good it felt to receive this confirmation that what God has had me preach is without a doubt for our church and community and is a message that crosses generational gaps.  Bro. Carlton Ring preached Sunday night on being a truth teller and not a truth suppressor.  In the world in which we live, we must stand up for truth as Paul exhorted the church to do in Romans 1.  The church has to remember where God brought us from in doing ministry in today's world.  We're not superior to anyone.  We're just saved and have a hope and a message.  Bro. Lowell Smith preached Monday night about the need for the power of God to awaken us to ministry and to return to the days of miracles.  He proclaimed strongly that we must quit judging one another and condemning one another both in and outside the church.  Our job is to preach the Gospel, not judge.  What a great reminder of the church's mission!  Tuesday night, Bro. Jesse Ogden preached a tremendous message on the need to live life in the Spirit and how the power and miracles have not ceased, but instead are very active in the people of God who will seek Him with their whole hearts.  We need to know why we do the things we do and seek to please Christ above all else.  Last, Bro. Sam Creamer preached what he proclaimed to probably be his last message ever with reminding the church that there were three things in which there was no substitute for:  salvation (you can't earn it and there's no other way except Jesus), the baptism of the Holy Ghost (must have the power of God to make it today), and the anointing (it breaks the yoke of bondage over our lives).  Bro. Sam being able to stand in the pulpit and preach is a miracle in and of itself and I'm proud that we were able to be a part of the bookend to this great ministry from this great man of God.  

I was blessed tremendously in each and every service, but something happened Tuesday night in the altars I won't ever forget.  Bro. Ogden asked for all who wanted more of God to come to the altar and just begin to speak our praise and request to the Lord.  As I stood in the altar, I was battling several emotions (I'll talk about these in part 2 of this blog).  And as I stood there, I began thinking of these men and their families and how they had committed the better part of their lifetimes to serving the Lord without fail.  I thought about myself and began repenting of everything in me that wasn't pleasing to the Lord.  I began praying and asking God to forgive me for failing Him and not always representing Him as I should and to forgive me for not being a good pastor like He needed me to be.  About that time, Bro. Ogden came down from the stage and spoke a message in tongues to me and then interpreted it.  Mind you, I was praying in my head so no one knew what I was saying.  He interpreted the message and said, "Ryan, God called you when you were a child and you accepted that call and you have been faithful in it.  He has kept you and He has used you greatly.  He is well pleased with you, but this is not all that your ministry is to be.  He is about to give you a refreshing of strength to move forward in your calling and your ministry will reach the masses and many will be saved and changed.  God is refreshing you to do something new in you."

I was in awe.  I began to breakdown.  Here I was beating myself for being so horrible and not good enough, and God's word to me was that He is well pleased with me.  At first, I wanted to reject it.  How could God be pleased with me?  I'm nothing.  I fall short more than I should.  I'm erratic sometimes in spiritual disciplines.  Sometimes I'm guilty of getting ahead of God and worse, allowing my anger to overcome me.  The church isn't growing as fast I want it to.  How could God be pleased with me.  But as I prayed and pondered the words even longer, I felt the sweetest presence of the Lord come over me and I could hear Him speaking to me directly, "I love you Ryan.  I am very pleased with you.  Keep trusting me and I'll see you through."  I needed this more than anything.  I'm pretty hard on myself most of the time and as confident as I may seem to many, I struggle with a need for affirmation.  Facing what I've faced in four and a half years of pastoral ministry alone, I have found myself close to burn out on multiple occasions and at my rope's end at other times.  Questions of why and what certainly plague me more often than they should, but to know through it all, God is well pleased with me . . . . Thank you Jesus.

I certainly need a refreshing and I'm feeling it for sure.  What the new thing is that God is going to be doing in my ministry, I'm not sure, but I'm excited for it.  More later . . .

What is a Legacy Campmeeting?  Well, I'm not really sure how to answer that because I'm not 100% sure.  It's the first time I've done something like this.  I'm sure it's been done before, but I haven't heard of it being done recently.  

Either way, it was certainly a God thing.  Rev. Carlton Ring has done my taxes for me ever since I got into the ministry.  As a pastor, he also does my church's tax forms.  After going to see him in late January / early February, we began talking as we normally do about church, politics, and family.  As I was telling him about what God was doing in our church, I saw an excitement come over him.  He began talking about the need for us to find ourselves face down before God again seeking Him for revival, souls saved, people filled with the Spirit, delivered, and healed.  I listened as he spoke with passion about his desire.  When he finished I told him it sounded like he had a few more sermons left in him.  What he said floored me.  He responded, "No one really wants to hear an old man."  That broke my heart.  For one, I know Bro. Carlton and consider him to be a godly man who loves his family, country, and church.  Second, in the moment I heard him say that, the Lord spoke to me and said, "Many of my men and women think this."  The conversation shifted to the taxes at hand, but my heart was stirred.  Upon finishing the taxes, I told Bro. Carlton that I would be happy for him to come preach at my church.  As only the old timers' would say, he responded, "Don't just ask me to come Ryan.  I'd love to come, but you pray about it first and if God speaks to you to have me come, I'll come and be ready to preach the Word."  This attitude is so different than what seems to be prevailing in many circles now.  In a day where as a pastor, I receive phone calls asking to come and preach at my church, here is a man of God only agreeing to come preach at my church if God tells me to call him.  I will stop to say that I'm not against advertisement and I understand evangelists, singing groups, and others have to put themselves out there, but it can go overboard.  Bro. Carlton's approach was certainly refreshing.

I left his office and sat in my car and as soon as I sat down the Lord spoke to me again and said, "One day that will be you should I tarry."  I began to cry as I thought about how I feel now not hardly being able to wait to preach again or to do ministry and lead my church in the community day after day and to know that should the Lord tarry, at some point I'll have to give that up due to my age and the limitations that tend to come with it.  I'll still have the same desires and drive I'm sure, but I won't have the outlet to do it.  I asked the Lord what I could do, and the Legacy Campmeeting was birthed in my heart and will now be an annual event at Free Point Church.  I'm not sure how many will come.  I'm not sure what will be said about it.  I just know it's a God thing.  Our men and women who blazed the trail before us in ministry deserve our utmost respect and admiration.  They didn't do everything right, but neither do we.  What can't be questioned however is there love for God and their church.  In many ways, the pastorate has become a glamorous position.  With modern technology, a good sized church can make for a nice position.  But many of our retired men and women don't know anything of that padded lifestyle.  They were Pentecostal before it was popular and all over TV.  They sacrificed and endured and God used them mightily.  And as I look at the state of our country and the Christian church today, we need to be reminded of those old sacred pathways of prayer, fasting, worship, and scripture that are tried and true and are dwindling in the modern church.  We need to return to the basics of our faith.  It's my belief that this will happen during this meeting and it will be a constant reminder to us year after year.  If you can't tell, I'm excited!

So with that being said, we have a great line up.  Sunday night, Bro. Carlton is starting the week off at 6 PM.  I've already shared with you how I know Bro. Carlton.  I first knew of him through his brother in law, Rev. Jesse Ogden, who is a spiritual father and mentor for me.  He was my pastor when I was a teenager and I received my call to ministry under his ministry and with his confirmation. I would later work for him and enjoyed my time with him greatly.  Bro. Ogden was definitely on my short list to be a part of this event but due to some recent health problems, I'll have him headlining it next year!  (I hope you're reading this Bro. Ogden!)

Monday night, Rev. Lowell Smith is preaching for us.  Bro. Smith's son currently pastors my home church of Hazlehurst Church of God.  I met Bro. Smith a few years back when he came to one of our Sunday night special services.  We talked before service and I felt an immediate connection with him.  Talking with him after service, he was such a tremendous encouragement to me.  He encouraged me to keep preaching the Word and to not change a thing and that in due season God would enlarge my ministry and the church and he couldn't wait to see it.  I responded with thanking him for all of his years of service to the Lord.  When I started putting this event together, he immediately came to mind.

Tuesday night, Rev. Richard Lewis is preaching for us.  I've always called him Mr. Lewis because before I knew he was a Church of God preacher, I knew him as my 7th grade social studies teacher.  I could tell something different about Mr. Lewis when I first met him at the beginning of the school year and I tried hard to make him proud with my work.  I had no idea what a profound impact he would have in my life.  During my 7th grade year, I felt led to start a Bible Club at the school.  We had Y Club and Beta Club, but no Bible Club.  My idea was a weekly early morning meeting for prayer and devotion.  I spoke to the office about it and was told I would need a teacher to sponsor it.  Mr. Lewis immediately came to mind and upon talking to him, the ball got rolling and the first ever Bible Club at Jeff Davis Junior High School was started.  I ran it throughout my 7th and 8th grade years as Mr. Lewis remained the sponsor and we met in his classroom on Thursday mornings at 7:15.  Upon moving up to High School, Mr. Lewis helped keep the Bible Club going by trying to find new students to run it.  I believe it ran steady all the way until he retired from teaching.  Mr. Lewis and I never went to the same church but I know God put him in my pathway.  He was the first person outside of my local church and family that saw the call of God on my life and fostered it and sowed into it.  I owe a great deal to him today.

Wednesday night, Rev. Sam Creamer is preaching for us.  I've been knowing Bro. Sam most all my life.  He and his family lived just a block or so away from me growing up.  The Creamers ended up coming to my home church from pastoring during Bro. Ogden's tenure and it was then that I met Russ.  He was 8 years older than me at the time, but we hit it off anyway playing church softball.  Eventually I'd go to work for him and now he works for me!  How's that for karma . . . (just kidding!)  I remember enjoying hearing Bro. Sam preach as a kid.  When the anointing would hit him, he looked as if he would explode and the glory of God would come down all around.  I'm excited to get to hear him one more time.

When I called each of these men, I was so blessed.  I about cried after hanging up the phone each time.  The excitement they had when I asked them to come and preach and be a part of this event humbled me and broke me.  Each time I hung up the phone, I was taken back to that moment sitting in front of Bro. Carlton's accounting office in Jesup.  Some have said that these men are old and their preaching won't be what it used to be.  To that I'd say that those individuals are shallow in the spiritual walk with the Lord and don't understand the anointing.  The anointing quickens, strengthens, and empowers.  Coincidentally, if one or more of these men can't preach as they would like to due to their health, I know that God is going to honor, bless, anoint, and quicken their message to the hearers and we will be blessed for honoring these men and their families.  We're going to do some old campmeeting style songs and pull out some hymnals and really honor our heritage.  The Bible says to give honor where honor is due and at Free Point, we are very much about looking forward and taking new ground, but we also know where we came from and want to give honor to those who paved the way for our church and many other churches to exist.

So make your plans to be part of our 1st Annual Legacy Campmeeting beginning Sunday night and running through Wednesday night.  It's going to be an amazing time!  Tell someone about it and get ready for a great move of God!

No, I haven't forgotten how to log on to the internet or my own church's website.  It's been a few weeks since I've blogged about anything but books.  And it's not that it matters to the four of you that read the blog, but I thought I'd give an explanation for the absence and a look ahead at hopefully a reinvigorated writing schedule.

I finished up the Spring semester for my Masters classes in clinical counseling last week.  That feels so amazing to type that and then read it . . . again . . . and again . . . and again . . . and you get the point.  I absolutely look forward to graduating with my Masters and pursuing some things further, but it is extremely time consuming.  Nine hours of Masters classes ended up requiring 14 books to be read, most in their entirety, and then papers to be written or discussions to be posted concerning them.  Some of the books I completed and at least somewhat enjoyed, I listed.  Of course, it wouldn't be Masters classes without paper writing.  Oh and I know.  I mention writing papers and many people say things like, "Oh that should be easy for you since you like to write and are pretty good at it."  See the key thing about my writing is its writing I want to do and about things I enjoy or have a passion for.  It's also a blog, not a research paper.  Now I don't try to write fluff on here and call it truth by any means, but at the same time, I'm not about to start providing footnotes to my thoughts or researched knowledge.  That obviously takes longer.  So after the last couple of weeks of writing a combined almost 100 pages of seminary papers, I've been stuck in breakdown in an attempt to reacquire my brainwaves, life, and schedule.  So far so good.

Billie and I got away to Chattanooga last week for the first time without Rylee.  I have to say that was tough.  I missed her terribly but it was also good to just be with Billie again.  It was the first time we've spent two days and nights together completely alone in over 14 months.  It was overdue.  We stayed aboard the Delta Queen which is a steamboat parked on the Tennessee River right in downtown Chattanooga.  It's obviously not operational anymore, but they've kept it historical and allow people to stay on the boat.  Our room could have fit in my church office three times.  It was small.  We walked in and met the sink and the bed.  The bathroom for the room was so small that the toilet had to be turned diagonally to fit.  A+ on keeping things historic Delta Queen . . . It was a great experience though honestly.  We went to a Chattanooga Lookouts game.  The Lookouts are the AA Baseball affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  It was a cool experience.  They had two NASCAR drivers there for Faith & Family Night at the park and we got some autographs, but truth be told, the guys acted like they were freshmen in high school who finally got to hear their name over the PA system.  I was a little disappointed.  We spent the rest of the time up in Tennessee shopping at the mall, eating at Shoney's (my favorite!), walking through Downtown, and riding the Incline Railroad.  Great little trip!

We came back in time for me to help with an event put on by the Chaplaincy at Perry Hospital on Thursday morning and have an Elders meeting with the church on Thursday night.  The meeting at night went great.  There's a lot of really good stuff coming up at Free Point.  I'm so excited about our future!

Friday I went to Hawkinsville to have lunch with a pastor who has worked to establish a Christian Learning Center in their county.  I got tons of information and have to admit that I'm a little overwhelmed, but the possibilities are amazing!  More info coming on this soon.  I'm working hard to finding a way to either get a Bible class into the high schools here in Houston Country / Perry or to either establish a Christian Learning Center.  It's going to be an awesome thing if we can pull it together.  It's a lot of work for sure, but look around our country and world . . . If there's ever been a time that we needed to expose a generation to Christ and the Bible, it's now!

Saturday, we held our first annual Carey Roberts Memorial Golf Tournament at Perry Country Club.  What an amazing event!  We ended up clearing almost $2000 on the tournament and everyone had a great time.  My foursome finished last with a score of 84 or 13 over par.  I was extremely proud!  I really didn't think we'd play that good.  My team consisted of me of course, Brad Luke, Tony Gable, and Russ Creamer.  And considering that the four of us together had logged collectively 4 times playing golf in about a year, with two (Russ and Tony) not having played in about  5 years, I'll take that score.  I had my drive working really well.  On hole #7, there was a longest drive competition and I actually drove the ball farther than the individual who won.  The problem?  It ended up in the water about 35 yards past the marker.  Oh well.  In my head, I won . . . Now if I could only get a trophy . . . 

Of course Saturday didn't end up all so well.  Shortly before finishing the round of golf, I started feeling sick and upon getting done, it hit me hard.  What progressed was about 24 hours of throwing up and fever with chills and aches.  By the end of Saturday night, I gave it to Rylee and Billie.  Happy Mother's Day!

We were pretty much all on the mend for Mother's Day but Billie and Rylee weren't able to go to church.  I probably shouldn't have because today is really the first day I've felt somewhat normal. (Ok, make your jokes here . . .)

So that's been the span of the last few weeks.  It's been crazy and it doesn't look to be slowing down for us anytime soon.  This week is packed and next week we start our first annual Legacy Campmeeting at the church where we're bringing in four retired ministers to preach from Sunday night to Wednesday night.  We're going to honor those who blazed the trail before us and have them impart their wisdom and experiences to a new and older generation at the same time!  Then it's Date Night on Friday and it's a Primetimers trip to Warm Springs on Saturday.  We finish out the month with a week of fasting as we continue our 40 days of fasting throughout 2012.  We did 21 as a church in January.  We'll do 7 more in May and early June.  

The summer hits and our schedule is jam packed.  God has given me some opportunities I'm really excited about.  The first week of June is Campmeeting.  The second week of June is VBS at the church and the last week of June, I'm preaching a Youth Revival at Oakview Church of God in Donalsonville, GA.  Billie and I will actually be back in Donalsonville where we got married for our 7 year anniversary.  In July, we're headed up to the Washington DC area to do a Kids Krusade and for me to preach.  Later in July, we're headed down to Orlando for the Church of God General Assembly and in August we're headed back to Daytona Beach for a getaway from it all!  My plan is to start on my first book, "Snake Bit," very soon and hopefully have it finished by the time the summer ends.  I've got a good break before Masters classes begin again in August so now's the time to jump on it.

So the world keeps turning and I keep moving.  So much to do, so little time to do it in.  My only prayer is that God blesses my efforts and continues to keep His amazing hand upon me, my family, and my amazing church.    Tomorrow, I'm off to Cochran to speak at a Seniors' Luncheon and then maybe I'll write a little something on here.  We'll see.

God bless!