“No One Else is Willing to Come Out Here”

I’m still processing all God did among us in West Africa.  In some ways, this was the hardest mission trip I have ever been on in the fact of the conditions and what it takes to get there.  In other ways, it was the easiest in that it was very simple in theory.  Our primary objective was to share the gospel.

When speaking to our partnering missionary, I told him how difficult it was to get to him.  I had to fly across the world.  Then drive across the country.  Then walk across the desert.  Then, I was where he wanted me.  He said, “This is frontline missions.  There’s a reason your church was the last one to visit me months ago.  No one else is willing to come out here.  It’s too far.  Too hard.”

It was interesting to find out that out of the 18 summer volunteers serving with them this summer, 6 of them are from North Side, 3 are from Brook Hills (David Platt’s church), and the rest are from different locations.  Out of all the Southern Baptist churches, only 2 “radical” churches (sorry for the pun) are willing to encourage their students to go there.  And that is the reason why we must continue to go.

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The Hatred of the World

Today was such a special day at North Side after 2 weeks away.  I was overwhelmed at our church on mission.  The whole day was intertwined with God’s activity with our people as they reach others for Christ.

We started with celebrating Suzanna Edwards, a rising freshman at North Greenville, who displays a heart for missions.  We then got to hear and see our collegiate missionaries speak to us in 2 different languages – so proud of them!  Ben and I then led worship from the floor with nothing but what we had last week as we led worship in West Africa for a bunch of missionaries.  The acoustic, djembe, and congregation were so wonderful as we celebrated Jesus and connected with His Church around the world.  As we commissioned our Shake-n-Shine missionaries, we had Aubin Payne, a former Shake-n-Shine camper pray over our counselors and the impact they will have on children this week.

And we were just getting started!

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Pray in Secret

Jesus instructed his followers that when they pray, they are to pray in secret. Read Matthew 6:6 and see how he tells his followers to pray specifically.

But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

In what manner does Jesus want us to pray?  He wants us to pray in secret.

If we follow this instruction, what did Jesus promise?  He will actually reward us?!  What do you think that could mean?

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Back from Africa

I got back last night with these 3 fine gentlemen from a 10-day excursion to Africa. There is so much to say. Where do I even begin? Here’s the short of it:

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“Psalm 117” & “Selah #2” – Storytellers

“Praise the Lord, all the nations, exalt Him all peoples.  For His lovingkindess is great towards us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting.  Praise the Lord.”  -Psalm 117

I wanted to share another story behind the song from one of the tracks off of our “Enter His Gates” album (You can get your copy of the album at the church or on iTunes).  Tracks 8-9 are the “Psalm 117” suite.  My torn up guitar got a beating on this track as we had a great time arranging and recording this song.

It’s titled “Psalm 117” because it is completely taken from Scripture.  All songs I write are based on Scripture, when it works, I like to just sing Scripture without any extra (how could I say it any better?!).

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Greater is He

In following Christ, you will encounter a certain type of opposition with people whose approval you might seek as you go forward. In addition to that conflict, you will also experience forces that are adamantly against you and your progress.

Every person who ever tried to fight a noble cause experienced great opposition.

Jesus stated that the enemy comes to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). He wants to destroy every aspect of you and your fight.

If you are trying to unite your family, he will try to steal your joy by resistance in family members. If you are trying to mobilize the men in your church to lead, he will attempt to kill your drive to go forward. If you are trying to seek justice for people in unfortunate situations, he will set his efforts towards destroying any progress that you made. He will come with all the fury of Hell, make no mistake about it.

But he doesn’t have to win.

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Friends of God

We planned today’s worship service all around the idea of being a friend of God and all that entails.  In addition to some great worship songs that share that truth, we were thrilled to have Jeff’s son-in-law, Scott Hill, in town to preach for us.  They are in the prep stage of serving as IMB missionaries.

Today’s worship list:

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Sermon Clip: “Jesus Wants the Rose”

I always want to expose you to some great teaching.  Matt Chandler, is the Pastor of the Village Church, author, speaker, and survivor from a recent brain tumor.  Enjoy this clip from Matt Chandler from a Desiring God Conference and his powerful declaration that “Jesus Wants the Rose.”

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Strategic Parenting

My children are different.  I love them equally, but I father them differently.  Mario is definitely different from Luigi.  They are both very different from Princess Toadstool (sorry, don’t have that costume just yet). I discipline differently.  While certain techniques I use might be the same, each one has to be corrected differently to get …

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“King of Kings” – Storytellers

“King of kings and Lord of lords, You reign, every creature in heaven and earth will proclaim the greatness of our God.”

I wanted to share another story behind the song from one of the tracks off of our “Enter His Gates” album (You can get your copy of the album at the church or on iTunes).  Track #7 is “King of Kings” and my lovely bride sang the lead on this song.

The reason why the image for this post is the back of Amanda’s head with Baby Gloria draped over her shoulder is because this is how she recorded the majority of her vocal.

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