There is an old warning about the “bareness of busyness.” Well, I have had a busy week or more, but it hasn’t been barren!
The recent Bible conference in Plant City, Florida was an outstanding time. We were in a new location this year, moving from the Orlando area to the Tampa area. The facility was the best venue we have had in the past two decades! We didn’t know how attendance would hold up with the new location, but it was fine.
The brethren in Florida continue to demonstrate the spiritual growth and maturity that grace edification brings. It continues to be a really bright spot for the message of grace. And these guys can really preach the Word! When the messages get up on the web, I’ll link to them so you can enjoy the good preaching. We had folks in attendance from a wide variety of states—for example, one couple came from Minnesota (they first learned about right division through our TV program on DirectTV). This would be a great meeting to make in ’08.
While in Florida, Cynthia and I stayed a couple extra days with David and Stacy to spend time with our youngest two grandchildren. Nathan (2 years old) and Bryant (1 year) are doing well, growing and developing their own personalities. Like their dad, their biggest problem is being kin to their father—whose lineage goes all the way back to Adam (Rom. 5:12). We are praying they will get saved at an early age.
I had the opportunity to plan golf with Larry, Tim and Hal on Monday. Larry and Tim are real golfers; Hal and I are sort of on the “duffer” side. But Hal has been practicing and he had the hole of the day. After a really big drive, he drove the green across a rather large pond and then made the put for birdie. I was glad I was riding in his cart! Larry was glad they weren’t wagering anything on the hole. That evening I spoke for Pastor Fred Bekemeyer at his Monday night Bible study. Had a great time finishing the study on Gideon.
I also had an opportunity to go boat riding out of Tampa on Tuesday. But—when my wife heard about it, she “suggested” I would rather spend the day with the boys. It was, naturally, a much better choice. That evening Fred Bekemeyer’s nephew Andrew, who works for the Orlando Magic, offered us tickets to the game against the Mavericks. Honestly, I hadn’t been to a basket ball game since my own sons graduated High school. For me, it is about as interesting as watching paint dry. We went anyway, figuring it was a “once in a lifetime” sort of thing. Fred, his brother Jonathan (another pastor friend I hadn’t seen in several year’s) and I watched the Mav’s really put a beating on the Magic, but I must confess that it was really interesting being there in person. I could easily become a regular….sort of scary. Anyway, I noticed on the news Thursday that the Mavericks played the Chicago Bulls Wednesday. The Bulls won.
At noon on Wednesday I spoke at the Community Bible Church’s noon Bible study. We got home Wednesday evening just before midnight. Thursday I did radio—our regular weekly program for Chicago, four more for the weekly school stations and ten for Daily Bible Time. That was a long day. We get hundreds of contacts each month from the radio and TV programs. A lady called while I was gone exclaiming how excited she was about learning the message of grace. She had given over $50,000 to her church while her own children were going without necessities, just so she could pay her tithe. Learning that she was free from such extortionary bondage had her so thrilled she could hardly contain herself as she talked to Debbie on the phone. Those are the blessings that make the long hours worthwhile.
We had the Lord’s Supper at church on Sunday. We have come to observe the Lord’s Table in a rather different and unique way. Rather than have a little service after the regular service, we actually have a meal together. I am going to post a brief study on this on our web site if you are interest in the doctrinal thinking behind this. You can also listen to the message explaining what we do entitled, “Rethinking The Lord’s Supper.” It has turned into a really wonderful time of fellowship for our congregation. Our attendance has been good, even when I am gone. With Alex preaching, it’s like folks don’t even notice I’m not there!
Anyway, that about catches up on last week. This week has been more catch up and pastoral duties. Lots of folks are sick lately; so many are hurting. I have long said that folks don’t come in the door whole. They come in broken, burdened, bruised and bewildered. But the gospel of grace and the Word rightly divided have the answer. God doesn’t want our perfection—if had wanted perfection, He would have stayed in heaven! He provides perfection for us in Christ Jesus. What He wants from us is our trust. It’s our faith, resting in an intelligent understanding of His Word to us, that releases the power of the life of Christ in us so it can live out through us for His glory. That’s the GraceLife!
By the way, I was especially encouraged to begin this blog through the influence of a friend in Florida, Pastor Glen Caneel. Glen is a graduate of Grace School of the Bible and is leading a genuinely forward-looking new church in Plantation, Florida. He has his own blog you should check out. Tell him I sent you!g
Oh, and I can’t forget: Go Bears!
Maranatha!
Arjay
No comments:
Post a Comment