New Sermon series

Saturday nights are always "quirky." But after having been sickly for a couple days to where I was even wondering if I would get to preach tomorrow, I am excited that I am for several reasons.

Number one. It is always a joy to preach God's Word. That's what God called me to over 35 years ago - to be a preacher. When I study, contemplate and shift through for my people, that is always exciting.

Number two. I'm beginning tomorrow with Romans 6. We started Romans in 2005 going through Romans 1-5 and stopping for a rest in June of last year. Now, we start back. A little later than I had anticipated, but nevertheless perfect in God's timing. Romans 6-7-8 are the three greatest chapters back-to-back in the Bible. I have entitled this study "Protection from Spiritual Identity Theft."

Number three. To once again encounter the power of the Word of God in proclamation. I enjoy preaching no matter where, when or from what portion of Scripture. But my greatest love is a verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter exposition. There is just power and edification in that approach that can not be found anywhere else.

That is true in my own private life. I read different devotions and Scriptures, but the greatest impact on my spiritual life has been when I have been studying a prolonged passage of Scripture, topic or book.

I believe a church is best fed by the same procedures. I do not mean to be disparagingly toward anyone, but for me this type of preaching just seems to help us more readily "grow in full maturity."

The big issue today is not the inerrancy of Scripture, but the sufficiency of Scripture. It is sufficient for all of life.

John MacArthur recently said of the Word, "God's Word becomes the anchor of our life. Our hiding place. Our counselor. Our teacher. Our shield. our lantern. Our reference point. Our measuring stick. No one has ever been saved apart from it, and no one has ever grown to spiritual maturity apart from the Holy Spirit working through it."

I pray I am digging deeper than I ever have and I pray you are as well. I love it more today than ever before. Can't wait til tomorrow.

Elite Eight

In my original bracket, only UCLA and Xavier is the bracket that I still have going completely and I picked UCLA to win it all, so I'll go with UCLA over Xavier.

North Carolina over Louisville (will be a close game and could be an upset here)

Memphis over Texas (Memphis looked awesome the first half against Michigan St. and I think they are playing with a chip on their shoulder - watch out).

Kansas over Davidson (I have not picked Davidson in any of these upsets and I've been burned, but I'm still going against Davidson). Did anyone pick Davidson to the Elite Eight?

Sweet 16 picks

Have I told you how much I love this time of the year. Upsets...Davidson, Western Kentucky. WOW.

Well, here go my pics for the Sweet 16.

Thursday games:
North Carolina over Washington St
Louisville over Tennessee (ok, my bracket has Tennessee winning, but after watching Louisville and Tennessee both from the seventh row last week in Birmingham, I'm sorry to pick against Bobby, Barry, Greg and other orange fans (and to pick against my own bracket), but I just think Louisville is playing very well and are very hot.

UCLA over Western Kentucky (I have UCLA winning it all, I can't pick them now)
Xavier over West Virginia (this is going to be a good game)

Friday games:
Stanford over Texas (there is something about Stanford that I like)
Memphis over Michigan St
Kansas over Villanova
Wisconsin over Davidson

Easter weekend

Always Easter is a special time of worship and celebration. Our choir did a mini-musical that was well done and led us in celebration. I had the priviledge of preaching the simple gospel Sunday and to proclaim that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again.

During our L.I.F.E. Groups we are studying "The Baptist Faith and Message" and this past Sunday we looked at the doctrine of Jesus Christ. What a blessing to do so on Easter Sunday.

We were delighted to welcome four new members into our fellowship. These four had ackowledged that they were believers, had been baptized and were in agreement with our church covenant and wished to enter into covenant with us. We are always grateful when God brings us new people. We welcome Bobby Gibson, Nathan Alred, Michael and Penny Camp.

We expressed our love and appreciation to Tom and Pam Carrigan for thier team ministry among us for the past 13 months. We will miss them but certainly wish them God's best.

I got to spend time over the weekend with our sons enjoying college basketball. What a life!!!

Trying to help a young girl with cancer

My son, Keith, teaches PE at John Jones Elementary School in Rainbow City, AL (Gadsden). The PE teachers are attempting to raise $1,000 for a young student who has cancer. To learn more about this, Click here or go to http://main.acsevents.org/goto/thepeteachers.

If you would like to donate, you may do so at the web site.

Thanks in advance for your help.

He's Still Alive

My Saviour is still alive. He's not old, helpless, tired or struggling. He is what He's always been and will always be what He's always been.

Round 2 picks

Tampa once was a beatiful city clarmouring for visitors. Not anymore. Its UPSET city - WOW you can you believe what happened yesterday in Tampa. It sure "upset" me all the way to Alabama.

While I did miss several games in the first round (Michigan St, Siena, San Diego, W. Kentucky, Villanova, and others), the good news is that only two of my Sweet 16 teams are gone (Vanderbilt and Conn.). Thanks Tampa.

Here are my second round picks:
Notre Dame over Washington St
Stanford over Marquette
Pitt over Michigan St (this is the second time in a row I've picked against MSU)
Kansas over UNLV
Wisconsic over Kansas St
UCLA over Texas A&M
Duke over West Virginia
Xavier over Purdue (tough one to pick)
UNC over Arkansas
Louisville over Oklahoma
Tennessee over Butler (unless Tenn plays like it did yesterday, then Butler will beat them)
Villanova over Siena (I didn't pick either one of these two to be here)
Georgetown over Davidson
Memphis over Miss. St
Texas over Miami
San Diego over W. Kent (I don't know either team that well so I'm picking the team that had the biggest upset yesterday). Thanks Tampa.

Thursday and Friday picks

I think all of my enemies (I mean friends) have made their picks in our bracket groups so they can't steal my picks.

These four days are the best in all of sports - yes better than the bowls around New Year's and better than the NFL.

East Regional:
UNC over Mt. St. Marys
Arkansas over Indiana (if the Hoosiers of the past three weeks show up)
Notre Dame over George Mason
Washington State over Winthrop
IN BIRMINGHAM where I will be tomorrow, the Lord willing (I have my tickets)
Oklahoma over St. Jospehs (this one is tough)
Louisville over Boise State
Butler over South Alabama
Tennesse over American (am I pulling against the US there?)

Midwest Regional:
Kansas over Portland St
Kent St over UNLV (upset)
Clemson over Villanova
Vanderbilt over Siena
USC over Kansas St
Wisconsin over Cal St Fullerton
Davidson over Gonzaga (another upset)
Georgetown over UMBC

South Regionals:
Memphis over UT Arlington
Miss. St over Oregon
Temple over Michigan St (my 12 over 5 upset)
Pittsburg over Oral Roberts
Marquette over Kentucky
Stanford over Cornell
Miami, FL over St. Mary's
Texas over Austin Peay

West Regionals:
UCLA over Miss. Valley St
BYU over Texas A & M
Drake over W. Kentucky
Connecticut over San Diego
Purdue over Baylor (The Big, Bad, Baptist, Baylor Bears)
Xavier over Georgia
West Virginia over Arizona
Duke over Belmont

Two statements:
1. You can't accuse me of having a SEC bias becuase I picked Georgia and Kentucky to lose.
2. You can't accuse me of having a Baptist bias becuase I picked Baylor and Belmont to lose.

I will pick again for the second round on Saturday.

Catching Up

We had a wonderful Sunday with Dr. Marcus Warner. Marcus is the son of Dr. Timothy Warner who was not able to come due to the illness of his wife, but we were wonderfully blessed and brought four powerful messages on our identity in Christ and a Biblical worldview.

The staff had a good lunch for Bro. Tom yesterday and this is his last week with us. We are going to miss he and Pam. Sunday is their last day with us.

This is one of the best weekends for sports in the whole year - yes, better than Super Bowl or Alabama/Auburn football. March Madness - I will share my picks for the weekend here tomorrow but I can't do it today because some of my friends who I am competing against will see my picks and steal my wisdom (haha). So I will post in the morning.

Another reason this is a GREAT weekend is I HAVE TICKETS TO THE FIRST ROUND IN BIRMINGHAM for the Friday games. My dear preacher friend, Bro. Don Graham, will meet me there as well as my son, Keith. I can't wait to see Tennessee, Butler, Louisville, and St. Joseph's. (No, that is not my picks - or is it?)

The pastors at CLBA have also had to turn in their brackets so I have already picked all the way through the championship and had to online with my friends. But here, I will pick weekend by weekend - I won't look quite as foolish that way.

Resurrection Sunday is coming!! Tonight, we are having a farewell fellowship for Tom and Pam and are going to do a service of remembrance around the tables. I can't wait.

Changes announced for our Conference

Due to the sickness of Mrs. Warner, Dr. Timothy Warner will only be able to be with us for ONE DAY (this Sunday, March 16) for our “Spiritual Eyeglass Conference: Seeing with a Biblical Worldview.” I have added an additional teaching time to maximum the day so the new schedule will be teaching at 9:00, 10:15, 6:00 and 7:00. AWANA will meet at 5:00 concluding by 6:00. All sessions previously scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday have been cancelled.

Stop Dating the Church

Nancy Lee DeMoss is one lady that I know can preach and teach God’s Word with power, passion and purity. I daily receive her transcripts of her teachings. In her archives, I discovered these ten questions taken from Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris. These are ten questions you need to ask before joining a church or determining if this church is for you:

1. Is this church where God's Word is faithfully taught? (2 Tim. 3:16)
2. Is this a church where sound doctrine matters? (Acts 2:42; 2 Tim 4:3-4)
3. Is this a church in which the gospel is cherished and clearly proclaimed?
4. Is this a church committed to reaching non-Christians with the gospel? (Matt. 28:18-20)
5. Is this a church whose leaders are characterized by humility and integrity? (I Tim 3)
6. Is this a church where people strive to live by God's Word? (James 1:22)
7. Is this a church where I can find and cultivate godly relationships?
8. Is this a church where members are challenged to serve? (Eph. 4:12)
9. Is this a church that is willing to kick me out? (I Cor. 5:2; 2 Cor. 2)
10. Is this a church I'm willing to join "as is" with enthusiasm and faith in God?

Authority, Accountability, Affirmation and Acceptance

You know of my appreciation for the ministry of Neil Anderson. Yesterday's "Daily in Christ" email printed below is just one of the reasons:

Romans 15:7 Accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God

There are four concepts we deal with as parents in communicating with our children: authority, accountability, affirmation and acceptance. We usually line them up this way:

We exert our parental authority over them. We demand that they be accountable to us. When they respond to our authority and comply by being accountable, we affirm them. When they put together a positive track record of affirmative behaviors, we convey our love and acceptance.

The reason we have such difficulty communicating with our children is that we have it all backward. Look at God's approach to us as His children. At which end of the list does our heavenly Father start? He starts by expressing His love and acceptance (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Our children won't care how much we know until they know how much we care. Paul instructs us to "accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God" (Romans 15:7).

When your child shares something personal with you, what is he looking for initially? Not a lecture, not a list of rules he must obey, but acceptance and affirmation. "Tell me I'm all right," he begs. "Give me some love and hope."

When you know that you are unconditionally loved and accepted by God and affirmed in your identity as His child, you voluntarily submit to His authority and hold yourself accountable to Him. Similarly, when your child knows that you love him and accept him regardless of his failures, he will feel safe sharing his problems with you and responding to the direction you give.
Children who know they are loved are free to be themselves, free to grow, and free to be the people God wants them to be.

Prayer:
Lord, I know I can't be a perfect parent, but help me trust You day by day to be the affirming, accepting parent You want me to be.

To receive Neil Anderson’s daily emails like this, go to www.crosswalk.com/devotionals sign up for “Daily in Christ” by Neil Anderson.

An interesting letter to Senator Obama

This has been floating around the internet the last two days. It is an open letter "The Audacity of Hope: A Second-Generational Query" by Sherif Girgis of Dover, Deleware, is a senior philosophy major at Princeton University and a 2008 Rhodes Scholar. Read it here.

Revival in Jena, LA

FIRST-PERSON: Jena revival
heads into week 4
By John L. Yeats

JENA, La. (BP)--If you have not heard, the Lord is doing something extraordinary in Jena, La., population 2,971. This is the same southern forestry town where old prejudices cropped up in a local school and then were exploited by the national media and celebrities such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. On Sept. 20 of last year, an estimated 20,000 people from out of town marched in the streets of the community.

On Sunday evening, March 9, the community will start its fourth week of revival services. The meetings, now being held in the Jena High School gymnasium, are bringing together more people from the community than any church auditorium in the area can handle.

The location seems ironic. More than one person has asked, "Isn't that the high school where all the troubles started that wounded this town?"

God often uses such things to confound those who see themselves as wise. On Feb. 17, the pastorless Midway Baptist Church started a "normal" spring revival meeting and, in answer to prayer, the Holy Spirit moved in power. Led by their interim pastor, Bill Robertson, confession of sin, worship, prayer and seeking forgiveness has become the "new normal" for this church.
Every service, people are surrendering their lives to Christ and the majority of them are adults. The Jena community buzzes with the news about the meetings and people are reaching out to each other across racial lines in love and prayer.

During the first week, the crowds at Midway included African American pastor Jimmy Young and many of the congregants of the L and A Baptist Church. Pastor Young was asked to preach the first Friday night service. The crowd had grown from 200 at the beginning of the week to more than 300.

The following Sunday night, the start of the second week, the African American congregation, L and A Baptist Church, joined with the Midway congregation to seek God and to worship. The crowd had grown from 300 to 400 by the end of the second week. In every service that week, adults were coming to Christ. On Wednesday evening, 22 people were baptized and 15 of them were adults. People continued to confess sin, ask for forgiveness, make restitution and call out to God for the unsaved in the Jena community.

Midway leaders believed God was leading the revival into a third week but they did not have enough room to accommodate those who were coming. The interim pastor of Midway was scheduled to be out of town, so he asked the interim pastor of the East Jena Baptist Church, which has a larger auditorium, to host the meeting.

By the middle of the third week, the crowd, now at the East Jena church building, grew to more than 700. Chairs were in the aisles. The response of the people was much like the response during the first two weeks. Adults were leading the way as they surrendered their lives to Christ and students were quickly behind them. Confession of sin and repentance punctuated the hour-long invitations. No one seemed to want the services to end.

On Tuesday evening, March 4, the altar was full and people were trusting Christ before the preaching began. At the invitation time, the altar filled again with seniors and young adults alike, bowing and calling out to the Lord.

Leaders of another church in town, Temple Baptist, were heard asking forgiveness of the East Jena church leaders. Almost 70 years ago, Temple Baptist was formed by a split from the East Jena congregation.

"This is the movement of God's Spirit," East Jena interim pastor John Hebert said. "It's not the preaching. I think all Bill Robertson, the interim at Midway or Jimmy Young, the African American pastor, or I would need to do is stand and read John 3:16, extend the invitation and people would be saved.

Hebert said he watched a woman come to the altar, kneel, pray a while and return to her seat. "Then I could see the power of God change her countenance," Hebert said. "She quickly moved again to the aisle and back to the altar sobbing in repentance and surrendering her life to Christ."

Ten people received Christ Tuesday evening and 10 more on Wednesday evening. This is not something humans can prefabricate or manipulate. All the glory belongs to God. God is stirring this place.

Leaders from the First Baptist Church in Jena and other congregations, Anglo and African American, have participated and are asking their churches to join the Sunday evening service at the high school gymnasium. The gym can seat approximately 1,100. There is some concern that if the Lord continues to move as He has in the past three weeks and the crowd continues to grow, there isn't a larger place in Jena to accommodate the people.

Our God knows the true mosaic of the Jena community and wants to heal its wounds. He is using brokenness and much prayer to launch the fresh winds of revival. The Jena Christian leaders have responded to the Spirit with an unselfish attitude. They simply desire to cooperate with the movement of God's Spirit. They ask Southern Baptists who hunger for a movement of God's Spirit to join them in prayer for this fourth week of revival meetings.

--30--
John L. Yeats is director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention and recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Duane and Iris Blue's schedule for the Shoals in March

March 5 – Hook Street Baptist Church, George Henley, Interim Pastor
March 6 – Central Heights Baptist Church, Clint Harris, Pastor
March 7 – First Baptist Church Lexington, Earnie Taylor, Pastor
March 8-9 Underwood Baptist Church Donnie McDaniel, pastor
March 10-12 Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Jason Vinson, Pastor – (CrossRoads is joining them)
March 13 – Abundant Grace Church, Sheffield Steve Pochop, Pastor
March 14 – First Baptist Church Center Star, Ronny Jones, Pastor
March 15 – Joint breakfast meeting with Bethel Baptist Church (Bill Barlow, Pastor) and First Baptist Church, Anderson (J.D. Harrison, Pastor)
March 15 – Valley Grove Baptist Church, Greg Davis, Pastor
March 16-17 Highland Baptist Church John Brock, pastor
March 18 - Westside Baptist Church, Randy Tanner, pastor
March 19 – Spring Valley Baptist Church, John Powell, Pastor (Hatton, Mt. Moriah and New Bethel joining them)
March 20 Speaking at FCA Lexington High School 7:15-7:50 am
March 20 – Central Baptist Church, Bill Harper, Pastor
March 21-22 New Bethel Baptist Church, Greg Beasley, Pastor
March 23-25 Barton First Baptist Church, Frank Whitaker, pastor
March 26 – First Baptist Church, Cherokee Steve Slaton contact person
March 27-29 Muscle Shoals Baptist Church, Doug Farris, Pastor
March 30 AM - Florence First Baptist Church, Larry Wright, pastor
March 30 PM –April 2 Highland Park Baptist Church, Ted Vafeas, pastor

Mixed Feelings

Well, get ready for some ups-and-downs:

My heart is saddened with the resignation last night of our Music Pastor, Tom Carrigan. When I first met Tom fifteen months ago everything that drew me to him proved to be true: striving for excellency, preparedness, handling details well, cooperative spirit, second-mile efforts, good blend in music, handling our praise team and choir well, serving in office details wonderfully and creating great excitement with our children’s music.

And then Mrs. Pam has been such a blessing to our ladies in her teaching, conference planning, loving and promoting Beth Moore studies.

We are going to miss this couple for sure. But we must have faith that God will not only take care of them; but He will do the same for us.

Then the good news: What a day we had this past Sunday. It was our official ground breaking for our new building at our new property. The excitement was high and God gave us a beautiful day in here in Alabama (74 degrees – two degrees less than an all time record). Pictures will soon be available on the church’s web site.

I preached “Heritage Stones” in Joshua 4 where they produced memorial stones and said that when your children ask about them, tell them the story. I asked each family to bring a stone and to have a family talk about the significance of that stone: how God brought you to CrossRoads, what CR means to you and/or how God has provided to you for your Faith commitment to the building project.

Our families then brought the rocks forward and then all our children and youth took shovels in front of the rocks and did some “ground breaking.” It was awesome.

Pray for our church. They, like me, are experiencing the high and the low this week.

Personal notes….

I conclude my teaching tonight from “Hebrews” at the North Alabama Center for New Orleans Seminary. The class has been a delight in spite of having to deal with chapters 6 and 10 of Hebrews.

Duane and Iris Blue have arrived in the Shoals where they are going to be speaking 41 times in 32 days in 20 different churches affecting 24 churches (joint services some). I will try tomorrow to post their schedule for the month of March. They are not preachers, just “satisfied customers.” Go to www.freegiftforlife.com and hear their three-minute testimonies under “Life Stories.”

Did You Know?

Tomorrow is Groundbreaking day for us. I am excited.

It’s March! and March Madness!! CBS basketball analyst Clark Kellogg is a Christian having been converted in November 1986. He was the team chaplain for the Indiana Pacers and described being saved as “freedom and a newness of purpose I can’t explain.”

Evil Knievel died in November but was saved and baptized six months before his death at the Crystal Cathedral. Knievel said, “I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.”

Charisma magazine reported the previous two stories in their March 2008 edition. They also
featured Jackie Pullinger who has served in Hong Kong since 1966. The article quotes: “Pullinger acknowledges that at times she has considered giving up --- but only briefly. ‘I think one of the reasons people give things up is that they’re expecting to see results,’ she said. ‘That’s like ‘I put so much in, why didn’t I get so much out?’ “And that’s not how Christians live. You love people because God loved you. And you love them anyway-if you see no change, it doesn’t matter; you still do it.”

Tomorrow we begin “Week of Prayer for North American Missions.” Did you know there are 251 million unbelievers in the United States, Canada, and their territories?