Daniel Garnett's blog

The Joy Of Being On Mission For Jesus!

Mission House Cancun, Mexico

I consider one of the greatest privileges in the Christian life to be the opportunity we have to be a part of fulfilling the Great Commission as given to us in the New Testament, not only here locally and nationally, but also throughout the known world where the gospel is rarely heard.  As a matter of fact, one of the greatest joys for me, outside of a saving relationship in Jesus Christ, is the joy of going to other parts of the world and sharing the message of Jesus with those who have never heard.    

Now to be honest with you, this joy I speak of above has not always been a reality for me in my Christian pilgrimage.  There was a time during my youthful days when I lived with a sense of fear that God would call me to go to a foreign land one day to share the gospel with people I could not even communicate with.  Mission trips both locally and nationally had been no problem for me, but never had I given thought to the possibility that God might would have me go somewhere outside the United States in order to be an ambassador for the Lord Jesus.  

That is until I entered the seminary program I attended at Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn, Alabama, which was one of the extension programs off of the The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  When I signed on with this seminary program back in the spring of 2002 I really didn't have a choice as to whether or not I was going to a foreign land because part of the requirements for graduating was that we devote one summer to the North American Mission Board and the other summer to the International Mission Board.  Therefore, in the summer of 2004, my wife and I packed our bags and spent some 17 hours on three different planes in order to arrive in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya for eight weeks.

Since that wonderful and amazing experience, the Lord has put a desire within our hearts for the nations and any time He opens the door for us to be a part of a mission trip to another part of the world we want to join in.  Not only have I had the opportunity to go to Mombasa, Kenya, but I have also had the opportunity to go to Riobamba, Ecuador and now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  And each time I go I always come back with a renewed sense of zeal to not only continue to go to other parts of the world to share the message of Jesus, but to also take others with me in order that they might experience the joy there is in making disciples of Jesus Christ in all the nations.  As a matter of fact, I believe many of our churches would be changed if more and more people would commit to go to a foreign land to be used of God among the different people groups that exist throughout the world.  Never have I seen nor heard anyone who has come back from an international mission trip complain about their experience.  However, the testimonies I usually hear are ones of a changed life and a deeper walk with the Lord.

Just last week I had the opportunity to see what God is doing throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.  The joy I received from this trip was from the opportunities we had to venture out into some of the rural villages to see the potential there is in getting the message of Jesus to these people who have never truly heard.  I am grateful for the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Mallary Baptist Association and the vision they have to put time and money into these areas that desperately need to be infiltrated with the gospel message.  I believe, in many ways, these people are more open to the gospel message than the people are here back in the states.  They are hungry for something to bring them purpose in life and we have the opportunity to share that something with them.  And I don't know about you, but that excites me!  

Words Are Simply Just Not Enough!

Marriage Rings

It is unfortunate that in this day and age we have diluted the sacredness of marriage by often treating it as an institution we have created to fit our wants and needs and not as an institution God created in eternity past when he created the first man and first woman and brought them together in an covenant relationship with one another.  Our secular humanist society has decided to define marriage in their own terms and has thus destroyed in many ways the wonderful picture marriage portrays of Christ and His bride, the church.  We have made marriage one of convenience instead of one of commitment and have forgotten the meaning behind the words we speak to our spouse on the day we stand before him or her, and ultimately before Almighty God, and declare "till death do us part."  It is alarming to me today at the number of marriages that are ending in divorce, not only in the secular world, but within the church as well.  We have forgotten that God clearly says in His Word, "I hate divorce."  

Throughout the past couple of days, the sacredness of marriage has been wonderfully displayed within the the life of our little church here in Albany, Georgia.  Although one occasion I will share with you is a rather sad occasion, at the same time I believe it helps us to see that marriage is more than just words we speak on our wedding day.  It is a commitment we are making to one another and ultimately to God to be faithful to the one He has brought into our lives.

This past Sunday night after our evening time of worship, we threw a surprise wedding anniversary party for a couple who has been faithful to our church for many years and has worked tirelessly to aid in the ministry of the church.  However, this wasn't just any old wedding anniversary.  This was their 50th wedding anniversary and I thought we as a church should celebrate this momentous occasion with them and use it as an opportunity to display to others that marriage is a commitment of our undying love to one another.  What a blessing it was for us to celebrate with this couple 50 years of marriage as they have remained committed to the marriage relationship despite the hardships they have faced along the way.  We need to take every opportunity we can today to celebrate the institution of marriage because there are those out there who are seeking to obliterate it altogether.

The other occasion, which I believe greatly demonstrates the sacredness of marriage, comes from a 92-year-old man in our church who just buried his third wife today.  No, he hasn't been married three times because the other two have ended in divorce.  He has been married three times because just like the wife he buried today, he had to watch the other two suffer and die right before his eyes.  Here is a man who has not only saw his first wife suffer and die after many years of marriage.  He not only saw his second wife suffer and die after many years of marriage.  But he also saw his third wife suffer and die after 10 years of marriage and the wonderful part about all three was the simple fact that he remained committed to all three and took care of them himself until they went home to be with the Lord.  He was a man who was committed to being the husband God had called him to be in sickness and in health.

When it comes to marriage, words are simply just not enough.  It takes commitment and it takes hard work and God knows I have a long way to being the man my wife needs me to be, but it is my prayer that I will remain committed to her and to my children until the Lord calls us home.  Marriages are in disarray today.  Families are in disarray today.  And if we don't recover the sacredness of marriage and the sacredness of the family then we are just going to continue to head down the slippery slope of rebellion against an Almighty God who is full of love but who has to bring judgment upon sin just as well.  

America's Got Talent, Christians Have Gifts!

America's Got Talent

One of the many talent shows my family enjoys watching these days is America's Got Talent, which allows its participants from all across the country to display their talents, whatever they may be, in front of three judges with the hopes of ultimately winning a million dollars and having their own headline show in the entertainment capital of the world called Las Vegas.  Although there have been times when I have had to turn it off due to some performances that were not morally up to par by the standards we have set in our homes, for the most part they have been wholesome and very entertaining to watch.

There is no doubt people all across America are full of God-given talent, although many do not recognize their talents as been given to them by God.  And you always have those among the crowds who use their God-given talents in a way that is obviously not the way God intended for them to use them.  Nonetheless, we have enjoyed the opportunity to watch people from all walks of life display their talent before untold millions of people throughout this nation.

Talents are abilities we are born with and are able to develop as we mature in age and work on bettering them as we go along.  However, there is something that those who belong to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ have that no one is born with and no one can obtain on their own and they are spiritual gifts.  One of the neat aspects of the universal church is that we have all been given spiritual gifts to be used in ministering to others and building up the body of Christ.

My fear today is that we do not adequately emphasize the necessity of determining our spiritual gift(s) and then seeking to use them within the local church as God would have us to do.  Paul was clear to tell the church in Corinth that "to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given through the Spirit..." (1 Corinthians 12:7,8).  He wanted these Christians to understand the uniqueness of being gifted through the Holy Spirit of God and the importance of using those gifts for the building up of the body of Christ.

It is not that we as Christians are somehow better than the rest of American's throughout the country, it is just that not only do we as Christians have talents just like any other created being, we also have gifts we are to use within the local body of believers for the purpose of glorifying God in everything we do.  Using the gift(s) that have been given to us is part of the privilege we have in serving in the body of Christ.  Spiritual gifts are what enable the body of Christ work together for the ultimate purpose of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ among a unregenerate people.

People use talents within the church just like they do in the secular world all the time and I, for one, am grateful for those who bring their talents within the local church setting and use them for the glory of God.  But talents are not the only thing used within the church because they can only do so much.  Within the church we have spiritual gifts that have been given to those who have truly professed faith in Christ and they use them, not for their own benefit, bur for the benefit of the church and the work of the kingdom of God.  And what a blessing it is for me as a pastor to watch others use the gifts God has given them.

A Call For Reexamination: A Challenge To Families & Church Leaders Alike!

Family Driven Faith

I am not sure about you, but when I read that evangelical churches are losing somewhere around 75% of teenagers between the time they graduate high school and complete their first year of college; when I read that among this same group of teenagers the rate of those who hold to a biblical worldview is under 10 percent; when I read that Thom Rainer and his research team with LifeWay Christian Resources say that "If our research approximates eternal realities, nearly one-half of all church members may not be Christians"; when I read statistics such as these, there is definitely a red flag that pops up in my mind and an alarm that begins sound very loudly.  

For quite some time now, in the back of my mind, I have often wondered what has gone wrong among the evangelical world today when we see so many children who are forsaking the faith they grew up with during the most formidable years of their life.  What causes them to leave the church when they leave home?  What is the church doing wrong to lose some many of the next generation that could make a huge impact on the kingdom of God.  What is going wrong in the home today that so many parents are ending up with wayward sons and daughters.  All these questions and more have been floating around seeking in vain to find some answers to them, until perhaps now.

Voddie Baucham's book, "Family Driven Faith," is a book I wished I could get into the hands of every Christian family and every evangelical church leader today as I believe he sounds the clarion call for a radical paradigm shift that needs to take place among our churches and among our families.  I must warn you though, what he has to say in this book goes against the formulation that many of us have been brought up with as Christians and there will be many who will disagree with what he has to say because it is so counter-cultural to our society and, unfortunately, to many of our churches today.  But what he has to say is something that I sincerely believe we as Christian families and evangelical church leaders in this day and time really need to examine and mull over because what we are doing as of right now is definitely not working.

Do you realize we have more books on the family than we have every had in human history and the family is in the worst shape than it has ever been?  Do you realize we have more books on church growth than we have ever had and our churches are in the worst shape they have every been?  Do you realize that we have more books on children's ministry and youth ministry than we have ever had and we are losing them at a rate we have never experienced before.  No, this is not something that is easy to swallow, but this is something that we should not throw caution to the wind to because if things don't change we are going to continue to lose generation after generation that could be used to radically transform our society through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Please don't misunderstand me here.  I do not have the answers and I by no means claim to be an expert in these areas.  I am still relatively new in the ministry and I am still in the beginning stages of parenthood.  I am one who just happens to believe that Voddie Baucham may be on to something here as he sounds the alarm loud and clear for our churches and families in their pursuit to raise godly children in this day and time.  I want to challenge you to read this book with an open heart and a open mind.  I want to challenge you to step out of the norm and sound the trumpet for the next generation because of our right now it currently takes two Christian families in one generation to get a single Christian into the next.  As Voddie Baucham said, "Houston, we have a problem."  I want to challenge you to reexamine what you give priority to when it comes to the church and to the family.  Finally, I want to challenge you to allow God to work in your heart concerning this matter and be obedient to what He would have you to do to change the current cycle we find ourselves in.  

When God Is At Work!

God At Work

When it comes to the Christian life and to the local church, we can often hear some version of the phrase "God is at work!"  Whether there is something escalating in an individual's life who is a follower of Christ, or whether it is taking place within a local body of believers, there is no doubt we get excited when we hear someone boldly and enthusiastically proclaim the words "God is at work!"  For me personally, I often use the phrase "God is up to something big" when I sense God doing a much needed work in my life and/or within the church.

Just the other day I wrote an open letter to the dear folks of Beacon Baptist Church for anyone to see and get there hands on because I wanted to share my heart with them in a way I have never done before.  Often times I feel I can communicate better with people when I can sit down at my desk and dictate on a piece a paper a message I am wanting to get across to others when I normally wouldn't have the opportunity to do so in any other fashion.  In this particular letter I just opened my heart to the people to share with them how I sensed what God is up to in the life of our church.  He is definitely doing a great work among us and it is exciting to see others get excited about what God is doing.

I have always been intrigued by the phrase "God is at work" because I often wonder if we truly understand what we mean when we proclaim such a phrase before others.  What do we mean when we say "God is at work?"  Do we really know what He is up to?  Does this mean that God hasn't been working in our lives in the past, both individually and corporately?  When are we going to fully realize exactly what God is doing?  These are just some of the questions that often come to the forefront of my mind when I use or hear some version of the phrase "God is at work."

When we are really able to get to the heart of the issue, I believe what we are trying to communicate to one another is that God is doing something in our lives that we are not able to adequately explain to one another through mere words.  And that is usually the case any time God does a work in our lives and in the church.  I also believe what we are trying to communicate is that we are looking forward to what He is going to do in the future and we want others to join on the exciting adventure.  At least this is what I sense in my life personally and in the life of the church.  Now I don't believe this necessarily means that God hasn't been at work in and around our lives before now.  I believe God is always up to something, we just haven't had the eyes to see, if you will, what that "something" is.  However, I believe the bottom line question is whether or not we are going to get on board with what He is wanting to accomplish among us.  And it is when we take that step of faith and follow after God's will for our lives and for the church that we really begin to sense that "God is up to something big."

With the aforementioned in mind, I am excited to tell you today that I sincerely believe "God is at work" in my life and in the life of Beacon Baptist Church as we both have taken some steps of faith to allow God to accomplish what He wants to accomplish in our midst.  And I believe it is only when we step out of the way and let God be God, if you will, that we can come to this point in our lives when we really sense God is up to something great.  No doubt there are times in our lives personally, and within the local church as a whole, when the work of God may seem dormant on our end, but those just may be the times when God is preparing us for the great work He is about to do.  

I can assure you that I have been on both sides of the equation and the greatest lesson I can share with you today that I have had to learn the hard way, quite frankly, is that God has never called us to be successful.  No, He has called us to be faithful.  I am afraid we often times get hung up on, especially as leaders in the church, this worldly idea of success.  If we have a big church, if we are well known among our piers, if we have certain titles to our names, if we can speak before large crowds, etc., then we can say we have been pretty successful in our lives.  However, I sincerely believe one can have all those accolades and still be far from the heart of God and success in His eyes.  If use the world's ideas as a measuring stick for success, then we must say that Jeremiah was an utter failure since he preached for so many years yet never saw one single convert.  But we all know that is far from the truth.  Jeremiah was faithful to the task God had given him and successful in His eyes.  God's desire for you and I today is simply to remain faithful to the task which He has given us to accomplish as followers of Christ in this world.  So let's be faithful, let's stand firm, let's move forward for the cause of Christ and watch "God at work."

Yes, I Am For Health Care Reform!

Health Care

There is no doubt our country is in dire need of health care reform as we find ourselves in one of the most critical junctures in our nation's history, probably the most critical juncture you and I have ever witnessed in our lifetime.  Contrary to what we hope and long for, we find ourselves sliding down a slippery slope of desperation and destitution and unless something changes soon we will have slid so far down the slope that we are unable to return, if we are not there already.  Our overall state of health is far from the point of improving in this country.  No, it is literally deteriorating right before our eyes as we find ourselves worse off than we did 5, 10, 15 years ago.

Now the kind of health care reform I am referencing here is not some kind of physical health care reform where we allow the government to come in and take control of the health care system, which I believe will only make matters worse.  All one has to do is to take a look at the country's around us who, as of this present moment, have a government run health care system and the overall health of these people is far from improving in these nations. By many accounts, it is only getting worse because people cannot get the adequate health care they need.  It is scary to think about the very real possibility of living in a land where we are told who can receive adequate health care and who can not, while those in national government positions have the right to opt out of this kind of plan and get their own private health care plan.  

However, I am not here to deal with the fact that our government is looking at completely reforming our health care system.  No, the kind of health care reform I am seeking to elaborate on here is a spiritual health care reform.  You see, I believe our problem in this nation far outweighs any kind of physical problem we may have.  I believe our problem in this nation today is a spiritual problem, one in which we desperately need a reformation of the soul through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  History only proves for us that those people groups and nations who surrender their lives to Jesus Christ are the ones who see an improvement in the overall way of life.  Why?  Because only Jesus has the power to change a life, not some kind of government program.  

I don't know if you have noticed lately or not, but the more our government tries to step in and right the ship, if you will, in this nation and improve who we are as a people, the worse it gets.  Now, don't get me wrong here.  We do need government and our government has done some wonderful things throughout our history to improve our way of living, such as the freedom we enjoy today.  However, when it comes to morality, well, as the old saying goes, "You cannot legislate morality."  And when the morals in a society falter, so goes the nation along with it.  Just take a look at the communist run nations of yesterday and today who believed with all their hearts that communism would bring about this kind of Utopian society, but instead it has only led to an oppressed society where they all live in this state of fear.

I am of the belief that we need to move past the point of asking God to bless America and, instead, we need to ask God to have mercy on America because His blessings have already been abundant.  Why should He continue to bless us anyway after we have so decidedly turned our backs on Him?  Who would have thought 30 years ago that prayer and the Bible would no longer be in schools, that the 10 commandments would be taken out of our government places, that we would proudly laud the freedom of choice for a mother to abort her baby, that we would be sanctioning the marriage of homosexual couples, that we would have a president who says America is no longer a Christian nation, etc?  Why did advocates of all these aforementioned realities want them to take place?  Well, simply because they were of the opinion that it would make our country a better place to live.  Well, It shouldn't take much for us to realize that society as a whole has far from improved in the last 30 years.  If it has, then why has the sale of guns literally sky rocketed over the past few months?  And this is just one example.

So, I believe the need of the hour is a spiritual reform.  One in which we cry out in repentance before an Almighty, Holy, Righteous, Just and Sovereign God and plead with Him to bring us back to the place where our founding fathers had us to begin with, which was a Christian nation established on Christian principles.  Don't believe me?  Well, the next time you are in Washington D.C., just take a stroll to the Washington Monument and first take a look at the aluminum capstone where you will find the Latin phrase Laus Deo, engraved, which means "Praise be to God."  Then take a stroll up the stars where you will find lining the walls of the stairwell biblical phrases such as "Holiness to the Lord," "Search the Scriptures," and "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it."  These are just a few of the biblical and Christian principles that can be found adorning the many buildings and monuments throughout our nation's capital.  And it is my prayer that God will grant us the mercy and grace to go back to these timeless truths that led us to become the nation we are today.   

A Scripture Verse That Plagues Me & A Video That Inspires Me!

Here lately there has been a verse in the Bible that has plagued me by coming to my attention more times than it normally has in the past.  I have a wonderful desire to be a man of the Book, which entails being obedient to all that we read in the Scriptures, but the more I study the Scriptures the more I am aware that I have a long ways to travel in being the steward of God's Word He desires me to be.  With that in mind, I want to share a verse with you that I wonder how often we as Christians here in America truly seek to fulfill.  James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (ESV).  I believe we are pretty good at taking care of our widows and that most of our churches do a wonderful job at looking after those who have lost a spouse and find themselves alone.  But it is the part about visiting and looking after the orphans and also keeping "oneself unstained from the world" that I am unsure about.  The latter of the two I am not going to deal with at this time, although I believe we need to take a serious look as to whether or not we are keeping ourselves unstained from the world in which we find ourselves in.

I have to be honest with you here.  I am not sure if I have ever taken the time to visit orphans in their distress.  I know there have been times when I have sent money to some organization such as World Vision or Samaritan's Purse who is set up to take care of orphans in different parts of the world, but I can't honestly say that I have pursued any kind of opportunity to actually visit orphans and minister to them.  Why?  I simply don't know.    

A group that has really challenged me with this critical passage we find in the Scriptures is Together For Life.  For some reason, God has brought the attention of this group to the forefront of my mind, along with Dr. Russell Moore's new book "Adopted For Life," which they are sending me a copy of to read.  I want to encourage you, if you haven't already, to take a look at their video above and allow James 1:27 to really become a part of your life.  Their website also provides some wonderful information when it comes to ministering to orphans all across the world.  Their is a link on the left side of this page that you can click on to provide you with some information on an upcoming conference they are going to be holding.  I really encourage you to check it out if God leads you to do so.  

Michelle and I have often talked about adopting before simply because God has put a love in our hearts, not only for our own children, but for children in other parts of the world that seemingly have no chance because they have been left as orphans.  This became a reality for us when during the summer of 2004 we had the opportunity to live for eight weeks in Mombasa, Kenya, which is on the eastern coast of Africa.  There we saw many children who had been neglected and were left to fend for themselves on the streets.  We tried to help them when we could, but there was only so much we could do with the little time we had there.  But God did give us a love for these children and for children in other parts of the world and maybe one day He will open the door for us to adopt and give a child the chance he or she may never thought they would have.   

I just can't help but believe that God's heart aches over the millions of orphans across this world who seemingly have no chance as a result of the sin infested world in which we live in.  If God is concerned about these orphans, don't you think you and I should be as well?  God may not be calling you to adopt, but perhaps there is something you and I can do to be a part of what James calls "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father."  This is just another way you and I can leave our mark on the Kingdom of God for the glory of God.        

A Look At VBS From The Flip Side Of Things!

Crocodile Dock 2009

I love being a part of Vacation Bible School's these days.  What a blessing it is to be a pastor of a local group of believers and see all of the hard work that is filtrated into making VBS a wonderful experience for the children.  That is not to say, however, that I didn't love them when I was growing up in the home and my mom and dad made me go to as many as I could to get me out of the house, which I am grateful for.  To be honest with you though, I asked to go to most of them.

As I reflect back on my youthful days and the many VBS's I attended down through the years, I can still recall many of the wonderful experiences I had at the different churches and the many friends I was able to make along the way as well.  I can also remember the many times I heard the gospel presented in various ways and can still somewhat vaguely see some of the other children making the most critical decision one could ever make in their life, and that is placing one's faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  This critical decision I made, by the grace of God, at the age of 6 while sitting in my parent's living room on a Sunday afternoon.  I would really love to know how many people have come to faith in Christ through the plethora of VBS's that have been conducted since it was created many years ago.  Maybe when we get to heaven God will allow us to see all those who were impacted for eternity through a VBS they attended.

But I want to get back to the whole pastoring aspect of VBS.  What a joy it was for me tonight to be able to present the gospel to the many children we had sitting on the pews listening to what I had to say.  As I was sharing the gospel with these children, there was a tremendous sense of joy and fulfillment that welled up inside of me as I realized that what I am doing will hopefully make an eternal impact upon the life of one of these children who are sitting and listening to me.  And who knows, they in turn could one day grow up and make a tremendous impact on the kingdom of God.  It is times like these that definitely make being a pastor a worthwhile experience. 

As I was leaving the church for the evening, my chairman of deacons was helping me get everything shut off and locked up until tomorrow, and I mentioned to him that I am glad we only have VBS once a year because quite a bit of work has to be put into them and by the end of the week we are all exhausted.  He quickly agreed with me as to how exhausting they are, but then he said, "You know, I would be willing to do it every week if we could continue to bring in all these children we have had this week."  Well, my bubble was busted at that moment and I didn't feel quite as spiritual as I did just a second ago.  While it certainly would be an exhausting experience, having them would definitely be worthwhile since we would expose these children to the gospel on a weekly basis.

I was listening to a message the other day in my office and the pastor who was preaching told the people that we are losing 75-80% of our young people when they get out of high school and go on to college.  And to add to that, I believe it is by the time a young person reaches the age of 18 that the percentage of them becoming a follower of Christ reduces drastically.  Therefore, we need to be exposing these kids to the gospel as much as we can and obviously be helping them become better disciples of Christ than we already are so that we will not continue losing them when they become an adult and get out in the real world.

I don't know about you, but I am very thankful for wonderful tools in the church today like VBS.  They certainly are not the answer for our churches and their spiritual vitality.  I believe the answer is not in a program or strategy, but in the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, that is not to say that the Holy Spirit will not use something like VBS that focuses on the Word of God and teaches these children some of the great truths of the faith.  May God continue to be glorified as we seek to reach out to children and their families.

Why Does God Allow Us To Go Through Times Of Desperation?

The Power Of Desperation

The question, "Why does a loving God allow us to go through times of desperation?", or ones similar to this one, has been a question that has plagued many in Christendom down through the years.  Perhaps all of us have had times in our lives where we journeyed through some kind of trial or tribulation and found ourselves in a time of desperation.  And we all have been intrigued as to why God would allow one of his followers to experience times like these, especially when there is no sin to be found in our lives that was deserving of some type of discipline.  

The obvious example we have of a situation like this in the Bible is the awesome story of Job.  Here was a righteous man of God who had it all and God allowed Satan to put Job to the test by taking everything from him, including his family, save his wife, for the hopes that Job would just want to curse God and die.  If there was ever a person who found themselves in a desperate situation, it had to to be Job.  It even got so bad for him that his closest friends began accusing him of some kind of sin in his life that would bring about all this unwanted calamity upon Him.  However, Job knew deep down in his heart that there was no sin to be found and in the end he proved faithful unto God and God ended up blessing Job with more abundance than he had to begin with.  But why?  Why did God allow Job to go through this time of desperation in his life?  Why does God allow His people to go through what seems like to us harsh and variable trials in our lives?

Perhaps Michael Catt sums it up best in the introduction of his new book "The Power of Desperation" when he says, "Brokenness is not something we sign up for.  It's not the elective we choose in order to get an easy grade.  But it is a necessity if we are going to be useful to the Master.  Like it or not, it is when we are broken that we are made whole.  When we are weak, He is strong.  In the darkest hour He shines the brightest.  In the pit we find the bottom is solid ground."  What a wonderful truth this is for you and I, especially in the day and time we find ourselves in.

As a pastor I am often around people who find themselves in times of trials and tribulations, or desperate situations.  There are always the usual questions that come with these moments in our lives.  Why would God allow something like this to happen to me?  Does God still love me?  Will there be any good to come out of this situation?  Am I going to survive this period of my life?  And the questions just continue to pile up.  Therefore, how do you answer questions like these?  Where do you turn to find a source of comfort and peace in the midst of the storm.  Well, the only place I know to turn to is the Word of God, which is where Michael Catt takes us all throughout his book as his uses example after example from the Scriptures of those who found themselves in desperate situations.

Catt goes on to say, "God may have you at a rock with no water, a desert with no bread, and a river with no bridge.  He hasn't led you there to destroy you but to ultimately bless you with a new revelation of Himself.  If you are there, learn the lessons, let God humble you, and don't fall into the trap of complaining about where you are.  Christ has led you there to teach you things you would never learn otherwise.  Focus on the unchanging Christ whose love is inexhaustible and whose arm never grows tired."  Why does God allow us to go through times of desperation?  Perhaps one of the greatest reasons is to bring us to a place of brokenness to where the only place we have to look is unto Him.  Is it fun?  By no means!  Do we go searching for these times?  Absolutely not!  But if and when, and I believe it is more of a matter of when, we find ourselves in these times of desperation, I believe we can rest assured that God is wanting to take us to a level with Him that we have never been before.  So don't run.  Trust in the sufficiency and supply of God to carry you through times like these, even though it may seem very dark at times.

 

 

Southern Baptist's Seek To "Love Loud" In Louisville This Year!

SBC 2009

As Southern Baptist's gathered in Louisville this year to celebrate another year of cooperation and seek ways we might improve on what God has blessed us with, we were encouraged as messengers and attendees during the convention to "Love Loud" in a world that desperately needs to not only hear about the love of Jesus, but also to have it displayed before them in a practical manner.  In a society that seamlessly is spinning out of control morally and economically, there are many around us each day who are searching for a love that this world is unable to offer them.  It is my sincere prayer that we will except the challenge to "Love Loud" for the glory of God in these pivotal days before us.

Anyone who paid any kind of attention to the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention this year was well aware of the buzz that had been created by those within our convention who feel it is time we as Southern Baptist's examine the inner workings of our convention, and the entities associated with it, in order that we might be better stewards of what God has given us as a convention.  This is primarily due to the most recent news from the International Mission Board, which is having to extract missionaries off of foreign soil due to the lack of funding.  Now that the conservative resurgence is behind us and the battle for the Bible has been won, we are now being asked to consider a Great Commission Resurgence within our convention so that our focus might remain on being a great evangelical missionary sending agency.  Therefore, as was voted on by the messengers attending the convention, a Great Commission task force has been assigned to examine the structure of the convention to see if there is any restructuring that needs to be done for the purpose of allocating more funds to the IMB in order that we might not have to continue pulling missionaries off of the fields.  A decisive report will be given at next year's convention in Orlando with the possibility of some restructuring to be voted on.

Surprisingly, this year's convention was one of the better attended conventions we have had in a while, which I believe was primarily due to the aforementioned.  Perhaps another reason would be that we were celebrating the 150th anniversary of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which I was proud to be a part of being that I am an alumnus.  The reason I say it was surprising is because Louisville is not the most convention friendly cities and there were many, including myself, who thought having it in Louisville was going to be a big mistake.  And while it wasn't the best of places to have a convention, it turned out better than I thought it was going to.  With that being said, I look for next year's convention to be better attended than this year's for three reasons.  One, simply because it is in Orlando, which is perhaps the most family friendly city we have a convention.  Two, we will be voting in a new president.  Three, to hear back from the Great Commission task force and vote on any recommendations they bring forth.  I am already looking forward to it and Lord willing I will be there.   

As I continue to reflect back on our time in Louisville, I cannot help but be pleased with the overall outcome of the convention itself.  While we certainly did not agree on every matter, I did sense a spirit of unity among us that I have not sensed in a while.  Perhaps we are taking some steps in the right direction.  Perhaps we are beginning to see our great need for God to do a fresh work among us as we certainly are not where we need to be as a convention.  When baptisms are declining, churches are closing their doors, and we are having to pull missionaries off of the field, that is usually a credible indicator that something is not right.  And I believe you would be hard pressed to find someone who would say that all is well inside the camp because it certainly doesn't look like it.  There are some issues we still need to deal with and by the grace of God He will lead us to deal with these issues and press on for His glory.

We as Southern Baptist's are not a perfect bunch of people by far, but I am grateful to be a part of such a great evangelical organization such as the Southern Baptist Convention that is literally making a difference all across this world for the glory of God.  Does God need us in this day and time?  By no means.  He can certainly accomplish His purposes without Southern Baptist's.  However, I wholeheartedly believe He wants to continue to use us and we must be careful not to become self-sufficient and forget we are dependent upon a Holy God to do what we do.  The moment we become self-sufficient is the moment God removes His blessings from us.  I don't believe we are there yet, but I do believe we can easily get to that critical point if we are not careful to examine ourselves regularly.  Are we any better than the Israelites who had to wonder in the wilderness for years because they became self-sufficient and did things their way?  I don't believe we are.  We can easily make the mistake they made, but it is my prayer that we certainly avoid this possibility.

I truly believe there are some great days in store for us as Southern Baptist's.  I also believe God is raising up a new generation of godly men and women to come alongside those who have led the way for many years and eventually take over the realms and lead us to new heights.  I am excited about what God has in store for us.  I just hope and pray we can continue to learn what it means to cooperate even when that means we have to lay aside our own agendas and trust others to do what God has led them to do.  What's our greatest need of the day?  Revival!  Can it happen?  I believe so.  Therefore, may we all determine to seek God passionately in order that we might experience a supernatural move of God in the days ahead.