I've Been Scolded and Will Re-Open My Blog

Life has been busier than I ever dreamed possible, so I let go of the things I thought weren't as important. One of those things was this blog, but I have been repeatedly scolded and realize that more people were reading than I realized. After reading, they were praying, so I am reopening my blog and promise to do a better job keeping it updated.

You may be asking, "What kept you so busy?" Pastors only work 1 day per week... :-)
- I've been serving as a pastor.
- Last school year I also wore the hat of school Headmaster. (I'll tell you why at another time.) We have hired a new headmaster and there is no doubt that God sent him our way!
- I'm serving as a chaplain for Hospice.
- I'm still serving on the Board of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce.
- I'm the Vice-Moderator for the Carolinas Baptist Bible Fellowship.
- I'm Chairman and co-founder of the Carolina Family Planning Centers. A pro-life group starting crisis pregnancy care centers across SC. Our goal is to open 5 this fall.
- We just took our oldest daughter to college.
- Our middle daughter is a high-school senior.
- We took a family vacation.
- And the list literally goes on...

I'll share more about each of these and give you some Sunday updates in the days ahead. Thanks for reading and for your prayers. God is doing some GREAT things and we are still seeing people starting personal relationships with Christ! PRAY... PRAY... PRAY!!!!!!

Sunday Summary

WOW! Yesterday's services were truly God led and God designed. Let me explain what I mean. I am an extremely organized person and like to plan ahead. I usually have my sermon topics /texts lined up a year in advance. For whatever reason, this year, I am moving a week at a time. I've been contuing a series on worship and yesterday's title was, "Worship Defeats the Enemy." Ron's congregational set matched the theme. Heather's solo matched the theme. The teen drama fit hand-in-glove to the theme. I was absolutely overwhelmed to see how God orchestrated that service. I've had a bad cold for the past several days and my voice has been very rough, but it gave me no trouble during the message. After the message... I could hardly talk. God is so good!

We closed the morning service by singing. We sang for approximately ten minutes and just praised and worshipped the name of our Lord. People were at the altar, some knelt in their seats, and others were wiping the tears from their faces. God's Spirit was moving!

There were other good things that happened yesterday, but I'm just going to stop there and encourage you to defeat the enemy by praising the Lord! He is able!

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Opening Soon

Several years ago, I felt God leading our church to begin the process of opening a crisis pregnancy center in Hartsville. We worked with Care-Net to begin the process and God brought a dear nurse alongside to help us. We were moving quickly, until it was time to establish a Board of Directors. Realizing that the center would have to reach people all across our city, I began reaching out to a variety of pastors and community leaders. We hit a wall as people were willing to "help," but didn't want the responsibility of serving on a board.

I knew God wanted us to open a center in Hartsville, but I couldn't understand why He wouldn't provide the people. I didn't understand what God was doing -- until just recently! I believe God was just preparing our hearts for something that was BIGGER than we could have ever imagined. Through a series of circumstances, God brought new pastors into local churches and caused our paths to cross with a wonderful group of people & pastors in the Florence area, who were working on opening a crisis pregnancy center.

NOW... the plans are to open FOUR centers! They will be located in Florence, Hartsville, Darlington, and Lake City. God has provided the Board, a director, doctors, graphics personnel, willing volunteers, facilities in all four locations, and even two ultrasound machines! Now all we need is financial support, but that is no problem for God.

If you are interested in finding out how you can get involved as a volunteer, supporter, etc.; join us for the community interest meeting on Monday, March 30 at 7:00pm at the Florence Library. I hope to see you there!

Sunday Summary - ECS Day

This past Sunday was our annual Emmanuel Christian School day! Since ECS is one of if not the largest ministry of EBC, we like to highlight the school for annually for our church family. Believe it or not, there are some who have attended EBC for decades and still haven't caught the vision for Christian education. So... we're still trying to help them along.

Before you read too much into ECS day, realize that I am committed to ALL quality education that benefits students. People attend our church who are teachers in our public school system and other private schools in our area. I am 100% supportive of them and realize that ECS is not for everyone. In addition, I have served our community in roles as a Board member of a faith based initiative and concerned volunteer that have benefited our public education system. So, I believe in Christian education, but I never criticize teachers or students who are not part of ECS.

ECS day was well attended and our teachers and students made us proud!

• Michael opened the service with a song. He is a finalist for a music scholarship at Liberty University, so pray for him.
• Our elementary choir was amazing and it's no wonder they received such high marks at the SCACS competitions on Friday. Thanks Greta for the work that you put into those children. Great job kids!
• Catherine recognized many of our students who placed the State competitions in music, art, and academic competitions. Angelica won "Best in Show" for her art piece!
• Jimmy recognized the accomplishments of our varsity girls and varsity boys basketball teams. Our boys team served as our ushers!
• Teresa shared a testimony that helped us focus on what Christian education is all about and how God led her to ECS over 20 years ago!
• Heather led the people of God into the presence of God through congregational worship. I was proud for parents to see the spiritual depth of the people teaching their children on a daily basis.
• In addition, these other teachers were part of today's praise team: Paige, Brian, Libby, and Greta.
• Student vocalists included Michael, Bridgette, and Brooke. Brooke is only in 7th grade, but she got a spontaneous standing ovation! Way to go girl!
• Lisa and Kelly... wow! There is no doubt that your song was a divine selection. We didn't talk beforehand, but your song tied in perfectly with my sermon.
• Today's sermon continued with the theme of worship and hopefully helped people to trust God just a little bit more.

Lord, thanks for allowing EBC to be the home of ECS, for allowing me to be part of it, and for giving the vision for ECS to those who have gone before. It is a privilege to partner with parents in the educational process for the children. It is also a privilege to teach academics; but also to prepare students for life and help them to develop a Christian world-view.

Sunday Summary

I've been chastised for not updating my blog, but it's just been extremely busy. I'm encouraged by how many of our church family are beginning to use this as an additional opportunity to hear what is going on weekly at EBC. Last week, one of our members had to travel out of town on business and missed the Sunday services. He commented on how much he missed the services and has never felt this way before... in any church. He said that he called his wife at the time the service usually ends, just so he could hear what God did today.

So, since I've been derelict in my updates, please allow me to give a quick update and bring you up to speed on what happened last week.

• 1 saved, 1 baptized, and 7 new members added to the church.
• Continued series on worship with message entitled, "Worship Requires Your Whole Heart."
• Text was Luke 7 and compared Simon the Pharisee to the woman who poured the ointment on Jesus feet, washed His feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. WOW! What a reminder that Pharisees simply what Jesus to sit at their table, but real worshippers want to sit at Jesus' feet.
• Karen... Great job with your song! I truly believe it helped people connect with the story.

For all that takes place at EBC... "To God be the glory, GREAT things He has done!"

Sunday Summary

This morning was cold outside, but our church family extended warm hearts to many who were visiting in our services today. It was good to have the visitors, as we have many who are battling illnesses. God did some wonderful things are Emmanuel again this week

• We had a child saved this past Wednesday and one lined up to be baptized next Sunday. David is doing a great job with our kids!

• Cindy, the young lady who was saved last Sunday, was baptized and joined our church family today! She also brought her sister to church today!


• Five babies/children were dedicated to the Lord today. Realizing these children are gifts from God, their parents followed the example of Hannah and dedicated them back to God. They committed to raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord! Our church committed to come along side these parents and to provide godly examples from the nursery through the youth department as these children grow. We also prayed for their salvation and fulfillment of the purpose for which God created them.


• I continued the series on worship. We have discussed the distractions to worship, the problem with worshipping worship, the benefits of worshipping God, and today we examined the reason we worship.


• This morning, God led 7 adults to become part of our church family. He continues to bring some incredibly godly people into the fellowship of our church and I'm eagerly anticipating what He's getting ready to do at Emmanuel.


• Please continue to pray for our missionary Ken Best who continues to battle parasites. Our church prayed for you this morning Ken.


• This morning, I announced to our church that we will be helping to start 3 crisis pregnancy care centers within the next year. They will be in Hartsville, Darlington, and Florence. Pray for God to raise up volunteers and the finances needed to launch this ministry.

• We observed communion tonight. I used 1 Cor. 11:17-34 as our text. It gives a great reminder about unity, equality, and service within the church. It also reminds us of Christ's sufferings that were required for our salvation. I'm always moved by the opportunity to "serve" the Lord's Supper to our Deacons.

• Joseph continued our study in Genesis tonight by covering chapters 32-34. Wow! He was flying!

• Finally, join us in praying for Emmanuel Christian School. We have 100% of our teachers/faculty stating their intentions to return for 2009-2010. Our pre-enrollment is running approximately 40 ahead of years past, we have a great candidate for our new Headmaster, and ECS Day is coming March 8.

Sunday Summary

This morning's message continued with thoughts on worship. I opened Psalm 103, which is full of "benefits" or reasons why God is worthy of our worship. If anyone left our service without be excited about God... they were either unsaved, backslidden, or physically dead! God IS worthy of our worship!

Following the message, a young woman responded to the invitation and invited Jesus to be her Lord and Savior! She was invited by a friend who loved her enough to care about her soul. She plans to take the step of baptism next Sunday. Congratulations Cindy and welcome to the family of God!

We started our service with 5 baptisms. The Jordan's were saved just 2 weeks ago and the Powell's were introduced to Emmanuel by their godly employers. Their daughter was saved during Judgement House 2008 and the parents were previously saved, but today took the step of baptism. It was exciting to have three family members in the baptistry at once! These 5 also decided to join the fellowship of Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Each year on the Sunday closest to Valentines Day, our church incorporates a Marriage Recommitment time into our morning service. We invite couples to come to the altar, join hands, and renew their marriage vows. We give them a certificate that they sign and display as a reminder of their recommitment to each other and before our Lord. Today, we had couples across the front and down the aisles taking part in this service.

In keeping with the Valentines / Couples theme, tonight we showed the movie Fireproof. Our teens and singles provided the childcare, so all couples could participate in the movie. Interesting, when the film was duplicated on DVD, there were problems with the DVDs skipping. When we bought the rights to show the film (Yes... we did it legally!), the company noted the problem and sent an extra DVD that was a recent duplication. Both DVD's skipped during the showing and both skipped the MOST IMPORTANT SCENE! It was the scene regarding salvation. Call it a coincidence... BUT I think it was spiritual warfare!

Today was another exciting day in the Lord's House and I just can't believe He keeps blessing and using us like He does! We are in a very "small" town with 114 churches, yet God is still allowing us to make an eternal impact. Thank you, Lord!

Sunday Summary

I told you previously that people wait with great anticipation to see what God is going to do in the services of Emmanuel. Today was another good reminder and it really is hard to believe that any church in such a small town can have so many exciting things happening on a regular basis. Let me share a few with you...

• This week, we had 2 people saved and both plan to be baptized next Sunday.

• We also have a family that recently moved to our area that will be baptized next Sunday and they plan to make EBC their church home.

• Tonight, a young boy walked up to me and handed me a note. It said, "I want to be baptized." We talked about baptism and I introduced him to our Children's Pastor, who also talked to him. It's exciting to see children taking spiritual steps. David also focused the Children's Church message on explaining why we give an invitation. Many children responded and some godly adults were there to deal with each need.

• I continued the sermon series on Worship and pointed out how many people have started worshipping worship, rather than worshipping God. Too often, it is the "style" of worship that divides a church. People argue over songs with Christ-centered lyrics, then get in the car and listen to Country, Hip-Hop, etc. That's ridiculous! Church-goers argue over what they like and don't like in church, then go watch some movie with profanity, vulgarity, nudity, and alot of other "tease"' in there. It's no wonder the unsaved world thinks we're crazy. Some in our churches are!

• Just before this entry, I posted an article I wrote back in Feb. 2003, entitled, "What Type of Worship Does God Prefer?" I encourage you to read it slowly and carefully. At the end, you might want to join Matt Redmon in saying, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship... I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it... It's all about you, Jesus!"

• Lori showed a great video clip on worship. You can view it at http://www.tangle.com/ and it's entitled "The Gift of Worship."

• This afternoon, our adult basketball league started with 31 adults showing up and several others that plan to join in, but could not be here today. Thanks to Justin for coordinating this effort.

• Tonight, we hosted a "Night of Praise," which is a musical worship experience that included instrumentalists, soloists, groups, our adult choir, children's choirs, and congregational singing. It was a great way to culminate a day focused on worship. Thanks to everyone for the time you spent preparing.

• Thanks to Paul for sharing his testimony with our church. Paul was a flight mechanic, living in Texas, and running from God. He was riding a motorcycle, but not wearing a helmet when he hit a deer. That accident changed his life forever. Paul was in a coma for six months and God spared his life. Paul sings in our choir and is looking for how God might use his painful experience to encourage others. Paul has a great sense of humor and never meets a stranger. If you know of any person or group that Paul might be able to help, or if you know of an opportunity for him to share his testimony with others, please contact our church office and we'll link you to Paul. He wants God to use him!

• Finally, Emmanuel Christian School is also experiencing God's blessings. Our basketball teams will be heading to the playoffs, our drama department is preparing the spring play, our fine arts department is preparing for ECS Day on March 8, and our enrollment keeps climbing and is way ahead of years past -- in spite of the recession. It's good to see that families are committed to Christian education.

WHAT TYPE OF WORSHIP DOES GOD PREFER?

Yesterday, I preached part 2 in a sermon series on Worship. Included in the sermon, I read the article that follows, which I wrote back in February 2003.

Have you heard the “catch phrases” that are used to describe today’s worship services…traditional, blended, contemporary, seeker sensitive and seeker driven? Some worship services feel stiff and formal, while others have a club atmosphere. Some appear “churchy,” while others have the appearance of a Broadway show. These services are held in everything from pristine chapels to storefront buildings. In spite of the different atmospheres and meeting places, they have a common purpose – to worship God.

Have you heard the terms used to describe today’s worshipers…Senior Saints, Seekers, Boomers, Busters and Gen-X? Other terms include formal, free, rigid, and relaxed. Some of these worshipers wear suits and ties, while others wear jeans and T-shirts. Some like hymns, some like Southern Gospel and others like contemporary music. It’s amusing to hear people debate the various styles and defend their preference as the one that most impresses God. Although the worshipers are very different, the object of their worship is the same – God.

Too often, these worshipers begin to focus on their different worship styles, rather than on their common purpose. They begin to look at each other, rather than looking to God – the object of their worship. Those who are more formal in their worship wonder why the free crowd is so irreverent and lack respect in the way they approach a holy God. Those who are more free in their expression of worship wonder why the formal crowd is so dead and show no enthusiasm about their salvation. Many ask which style is right; but when given a biblical answer, the facial expressions are perplexing. People seem to be looking for someone to advocate their preferred style. So let me ask you, “Which approach to worship is the right one – formal or free, rigid or relaxed?”

Before we can answer this question, it is necessary to understand what the Bible says about worship. Consider Deuteronomy 5:7-9, Hebrews 1:6, Matthew 4:10 and Revelation 4:10, just to name a few. The Bible teaches that the object of our worship is God and that He is to be the central focus of our worship. Worship is the response of an individual as he is being transformed into Christ-likeness. It is the believer’s response of all that he is to all that God is and says and does! It carries with it the idea of submission… of one who places himself beneath another who is greater. The original Hebrew word for worship conveys the idea of a little dog humbly approaching its master and gently licking his master’s fingers. In its purest sense, worship is the submission of the human soul to its Creator.

Although it would seem that real worship should bring God’s children closer to each other as they focus on their Heavenly Father, the issue of worship has and continues to divide many “believers.” Churches have bought into Satan’s lies and confusion. They prefer to focus on “how” one worships, rather than on “Who” he worships. Some “believers” have divided Christ’s body over issues of dress, musical styles, types of instruments, orders of service, times of service and less. They seem to have forgotten that God’s chosen people wore tunics, danced, lifted their hands and used a variety of instruments including drums, tambourines, cymbals, lyres, harps, flutes and more. Some Christians are arrogant enough to say that God only likes one dress style, one musical style and one Bible version… and it just so happens to be their preferred style in each of the above mentioned categories! Formal and free styles are not why we worship; rather they are just means to worship. Worship is not about what we like; it is all about Who we serve! God is the object of our worship! Stop for a moment to consider who receives glory when God’s children fight over how we worship. God is not blessed by our selfish bickering. He is not the author of confusion, so we must conclude that Satan is ecstatic over his success in dividing God’s family.

So which style, formal or free, is God’s preferred style? The answer is both! Worship involves a sense of awe, respect and reverence, as seen in Job 42:5-6; but it also involves a sense of joy, gladness and exuberance, as seen in Acts 2:46-47 and Psalm 100:4. Those from a more formal background base their style on verses such as Hebrews 12:20-29 and Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God...” Those who are more free base their style of worship on Psalm 47:1, “Clap your hands…shout unto God” and Psalm 5, “…be glad and sing for joy.” The fact is that we need both formality and freedom in our worship, if we are going to experience true, biblical worship.

One can assume that variety honors God. Just look at the variety found in the plant and animal kingdoms, and then look at the diversity He created among human beings. Examine the diversity of the disciples and those found in the genealogies of Christ. Pastor Chuck Swindoll stated, “Legalism requires that we all be alike, unified in convictions and uniform in appearance. Grace finds pleasure in our diversity, encourages individuality, and leaves room for differences of opinion.” As we consider the differences in our worship styles, realize that God does not desire that we become “cookie-cutter” Christians. The church should enjoy unity and diversity in worship. It should not only incorporate a diversity of gifts (1 Corinthians 12), but it should also tolerate a diversity of opinions (Romans 14).

Putting the issues of style aside, true worship should impact the worshiper in at least five ways. Our worship ought to inspire us to SERVE God, to LIVE for God, to GIVE to God, to SHARE God and to DESIRE God. In every case, true and authentic worship will cause us to take our eyes off of ourselves and to focus them on God. The more we focus on Him, the closer we will be drawn to Him. The less we demand that things be done in accordance to our preferences, the more we will begin to understand the truth of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” in all of its diversity. In the midst of all the diversity, the object of our worship remains the same – God and God alone! For you see, worship is NOT about us… it’s ALL about Him!

Men's Breakfast

We just finished a wonderful men's breakfast prepared by volunteers from our "Living Hope Class." Thank you Blake, Cooper, Dick, James, Jerry, Mike, Sherman, and Justin for a GREAT meal.

The theme for our Men's Ministry this year is "Bridge Building." We are focusing on bridging the generation gap, as well as, the longevity of membership gap. Today, we had attendees ranging in age from their teens to seventies and some who joined the church just weeks ago to some who had attended for over 60 years! The men introduced themselves, told us how long they attended EBC, and shared a bit a trivia about themselves. We just thought getting to know each other would be the first step toward crossing any bridge.

I used the story of Elijah passing his mantle to Elisha (1 Kings 19:11-21) as the text for our bridge building theme and left the men with these thoughts:

• Someone said, "There is no success without a successor."
• Just because a church experienced successes in the past, there is no guarantee of future success... unless we train others to do the work of the ministry.
• Older men should be looking for someone to pass their mantle to.
• Younger men should be receiving the mantle and learning from the older men.
• Both older and younger men are necessary in order to build a strong church.

We've got some godly men at EBC and I'm praying that God will lead some to develop Elijah - Elisha relationships with other men in our church. Please join me in praying for that.