Snow... Snow... Ice

I can't believe it... nearly 8" of snow at our house! That's the most we've seen since moving to SC. Our family had a blast riding our knee board up and down the street behind a golf cart, and of course we built snowmen, had a snowball fight, and made snow angels in a few pristine yards! Last night I drove our Jeep to pickup one of Lindsay's friends who was spending the night. The roads were already icy and what had been cleared earlier in the day, had been replaced by several additional inches of snow and freezing rain was adding the final layer.

Schools and businesses were closed and temps aren't supposed to get much above freezing this week. Limited road equipment due to limited annual snowfall is going to make this a long week, but I hope everyone took advantage of spending some quality time with family. We played in the snow outside, sat around the fireplace playing games inside, and built some family memories that will last for many years to come.

The most amazing thing to me is that we had beautiful weather on Sunday! If we are going to have rain, snow, sleet, or hail... it seems to happen on Sundays. This past Sunday we had beautiful weather as Justin preached in the morning and Milton Frazier in the evening. I wasn't the preacher, so my family rode to church together and even sat together during the service. It was strange, but wonderful. We even had our oldest daughter home from college to top it all off.

Cruising the Caribbean

Flora and I just returned from an 8 day cruise in the Caribbean on the Norwegian Epic. It was an incredible ship! Some dear friends made this possible and it was a wonderful, relaxing, and rejuvenating experience as we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. In addition to the great food, entertainment, and all of the other great aspects of a cruise; one of my favorite teachers, Dr. David Jeremiah with Turning Point Ministries, led daily services. There was also teaching by Phil Waldrep, and concerts by Sheila Walsh, Charles Billingsley, and the Hoppers. We had a great time! I turned my phone off during the cruise to avoid the outrageous roaming charges and just tried to relax; but throughout the cruise, Flora and I would see people who reminded us of friends from back home... we couldn't get our church family off our minds.

The cruise left from Miami and we visited St. Martin/Maarten, St. Thomas, St. John, and Nassau,Bahamas. Some other friends had a relative in St. John and set up a wonderful day for us to tour the island then spend beach time at Caneel Bay Resort where we enjoyed snorkeling in the beautiful Caribbean waters. It was like swimming in an aquarium! Flora and I both agreed that was our favorite day.

An extra special part of this experience was spending two days before the cruise with my parents. Not only did they provide free parking and free shuttle service to the port, but we also enjoyed time eating, golfing, and shopping together. It was just good to be with them for a few days. They just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past June!

So, in 24 hours... supper in Nassau, breakfast in Miami, lunch in Florida, the supper in South Carolina. From Caribbean beaches to the Sandhills. From shorts and flip-flops to sweatshirts and heavy coats. That sounds weird, but that was how we spent our last 24 hours -- and it was WONDERFUL! Thank you, again, to those who made this trip possible, and to our pastoral staff for being so reliable that we didn't have to worry about a thing while we were gone.

Sunday Summary 12.26 - Snow Day!

Last night, the weather forecast was for 70% chance of snow. "Should we cancel the church services or not?" was the question. Every other time we've canceled, the snow didn't come or the roads were clear. This morning we awoke to find several inches of snow on the ground and it was still falling. I drove to church and the roads were wet, but really fine and no ice. So, I figured if a Florida boy could manage it, we would still offer the service for those who would choose to come. Realizing that it takes about 2,000 gallons of water to baptize a Baptist and only 2 drops of rain to keep them home from church... I didn't know what to expect; but we had a great crowd!

The day started with a surprise 25th wedding reception for my wife and I. Our girls worked with Stacie to invite the church family to come celebrate with us. The number of people that came out early on a snowy day, the cards, and the gifts made us feel so loved. Thank you to everyone who attended.

During the morning service, there were about 150 people present and it was a different "feel," but it was neat to see so many people brave the elements to come worship the Lord. After church, we had a great snowball fight that included almost everyone. Jacob got snow packed in his ear by a side shot... Joey was hit in the back of the head... Scott and the Curry family displayed their experience in snowball throwing... Dan was holding his snowball under some water (is that legal?)... Philip and Mayelin were enjoying snow after returning from FL... Jake locked his parents out of the van... and when I threw a snowball at David, he moved and let it hit his wife (oops).

We had a great family day celebrating, worshipping, and playing together. For those who couldn't make it, you were missed and we hope to see you next Sunday.

Christmas Eve Service

Our annual Christmas Eve service has become one of my favorite services and seems to be growing each year. This year, approximately 350 people joined us for this special service which included both traditional and spiritual Christmas carols, our Kidz Praiz choir, children's handbell choir, the reading of the Christmas story, and communion. We had many guests and it was exciting to see so many of our folks bringing their family members and using this service as the launch to their Christmas celebration.

I brought a brief devotion prior to communion reminding everyone about what we are celebrating and how long the world had waited for God's promised Gift. While we remember and celebrate Jesus' birth annually; there was approximately a 4,000 year waiting period from the first prophecy until Jesus arrived. Just imagine the excitement of the people who had been hearing, anticipating, and anxiously waiting for the Messiah to come. I hope we celebrate Christmas with the same enthusiasm and don't lose Jesus somewhere amongst the wrapping paper, Christmas leftovers, or football games.

25th Anniversary

It's hard to believe, but today, Flora and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary! December 20, 1985 we were married at Belmont Baptist Church just outside Atlanta, GA. It was the little church that my wife attended during college, but it has since grown and relocated to a beautiful new building right on I-20. The old building was destroyed, but the memories remain. Flora made her dress, our friends hosted the reception, and another friend took our pictures (the same pictures that our kids laugh at and ask who is standing with mom). Dr. Jack Baskin performed the ceremony and our family and friends were all present. We didn't spend a lot of money (we didn't have a lot of money), but we both loved the Lord, loved each other, and dreamed of the plans that God had for us.

Twenty-five years later... seems like the blink of an eye and I better understand what James meant in James 4:14 when he said "your life is but a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away." Our three babies are now beautiful young ladies who love the Lord and we could not be any more proud of. God has blessed us far beyond what we ever imagined and we are still serving Him. Who knows what the next 25 years might hold, but I hope and pray they are as wonderful as the first 25.

9th Annual - Home for Christmas 12.12.10

This was our 9th year to offer this special service in conjunction with Hines, Norton, and Young & Young funeral homes. This was the 2nd year that Life Care Hospice participated. Together, we all reached out to those families in our community who had loved ones pass away during 2010. For the first time, I too was on that list. My grandmother passed this year at the age of 95 and it will be our first Christmas without her. The service took on a whole new meaning for me and was an encouragement to the 80+ guests that were present.

This is one of my favorite services of the year as people come together and build bridges across racial, social, economic, and denominational lines to display the love of Christ to those who are hurting. You see, while some are celebrating at Christmas... others are grieving. To show them that we care... to embrace and encourage them... to remind them of the hope found in Christ... and to help them see their loved one sitting at Jesus feet and celebrating His birthday in His presence is priceless!

I preached on "Frequently Asked Questions About Heaven" and God blessed us with 11 people praying for salvation, 8 renewing their commitment to Christ, 3 desiring information about church membership, and 2 expressing their interest in being baptized. Following the message, we read the names of the deceased, gave beautiful ornaments to the families, and prayed for them. After we dismissed, people stood around weeping, embracing, and encouraging for nearly 30 minutes. It was a good day to be in God's house, and to experience what true ministry is all about.

Hanging of the Greens

While visiting FBC Jacksonville, I heard this statement, "As the church grows larger, it must also grow smaller." With that in mind, we tried something new this year in decorating our church for Christmas. We reverted back to idea of everyone taking responsibility for decorating and turned it into a church fellowship.

Our men carried all of the decorations down from the storage area. Several of our ladies came early to do the things that a group could not do and to organize everything for those who would participate. We started the service with Christmas carols, sharing testimonies of Christmas memories, and the reading of the Christmas story. We paused to enjoy refreshments in the main lobby and to fellowship together. Folks really enjoyed that time together.

We then began to decorate. Families hung wreaths from the balcony, placed ornaments on the Christmas trees, set out nativity displays, etc. People stood around and enjoyed each other's company for nearly an hour after the decorating was complete. It was a good time and one that we will certainly do again next year!

Sunday Summary - 11.28.10

What a great day we enjoyed today! On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the attendance is usually down a little, but not today! This morning, I preached on "Receiving God's Blessings" and tied it to the story of Jacob wrestling with God. We live in a day when everyone expects "instant" blessings and almost feels "entitled" to them. We don't have to obey, respect, or honor God; He's viewed as nothing more than a cosmic vending machine that we go to when we want something.

Some considerations regarding Jacob's wrestling match with God:

• He wouldn't let go of God. Jacob wrestled all night, until he received a blessing. Blessing aren't usually instantaneous.
• He paid a price. Jacob was crippled during the event. Do we want God's blessings so much that we are willing to lose something along the way?
• He was changed by the event -- Jacob became Israel, the deceiver became the God-wrestler. Are we willing to lose our identity and become a sold-out Christ-follower?

God used this message and smiled on us today with 2 baptisms, 2 new members, and several recommitting their lives to Christ.

7th Annual - Carolina vs. Clemson Day

It happened again in 2010... Carolina vs. Clemson Day at Emmanuel Baptist Church!

• There were tailgate parties at 9:30am on the parking lots. Tents were setup, tailgates were down, breakfast foods were abundant, and footballs were being tossed back and forth.
• There was a sea of orange on one side of the church and a sea of garnet on the other. It was a church division for the right reasons and all in fun.
• There were decorations, streamers, banners, balloons, painted faces, and more.
• There was Adrian Despres, the chaplain for the Carolina Gamecocks!
• There were 600+ people present!
• There was an amazing Spirit-filled message about Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness and all who looked to it were healed.
• There were 8 people who looked to Jesus and found healing for their souls.
• There were more who recommitted themselves back to God.

Carolina vs. Clemson Day is just a tool to give people an excuse to invite their friends to church. Did you? Was an eternal destiny changed because of your effort? I'm still rejoicing with those who filled pews with family, friends, and co-workers. I'm thanking God for the lady who sent us the names of 20+ people she and her husband wanted to invite and wanted us to pray for. I'm still thanking God for what He is doing through Emmanuel Baptist Church!

Trunk or Treat Report

Say what you will, but when nearly 2,500 people hold out their hand to receive a gospel tract... I call that a small miracle! That's what happened last Sunday night at our 8th annual Trunk-or-Treat event. Over 1400 pounds of candy, over 100 volunteers, 42 trunks, inflatables, pony rides, a Christmas bus, and of course concessions were all part of this event.

Information cards were being filled out by everyone, until we said, "Let's make it optional and only ask those interested in receiving more information about Emmanuel Baptist Church or Emmanuel Christian School to fill out a card." We had over 200 people express an interest in our church and over 300 who expressed interest in our school.

One man who had been to several events around town said, you definitely have the biggest crowed, then added... "People have come to know that Emmanuel does things right." That was a tremendous compliment and reminds us that "If it bears His name, it deserves our best."

Thanks to all who were praying, helping, and contributing in any way toward this event. Now the real work begins as we try to followup with each of these who requested more information.