Life Sunday

Tomorrow, Life in Christ will observe Life Sunday.  In my message I'll share a bit about my time serving on the board of directors of the Pregnancy Center and Clinic of the Low Country, based on Hilton Head Island, SC.  As I worked on the message I enjoyed reflecting on the time I spent with the director, Dr. Vera Bailey.  She was a charismatic and effective leader and would not let anything stop her from helping a young woman who had decided to carry her baby to term.  Dr. Bailey would find funds, medical care, places to live and just about anything the expectant mother needed.  She was also a person who trusted in Jesus' forgiveness and salvation and was a very effective witness for the faith.

There will be a worship service this evening at 5 pm with Deacon Jerry Klink preaching.  Tomorrow, two services are scheduled - 8 am and 11 am - and Bible classes for all ages will meet at 9:30 am.  So, join us this weekend for worship at LICL!

A prayer for pastors

Lord God, You have placed me in Your Church as a bishop and pastor. You see how unfit I am to fulfill this great and responsible Office, and had it not been for Your wisdom and guidance I would long since have brought everything to destruction.  Therefore, do I cry to You.  Most willingly do I desire and conform my mouth and heart to Your service.  I desire to teach the people, and long continually to be taught Your Word. Deign to use me as Your workman, dear Lord.  Only do not forsake me, for if You forsake me, I, alone, shall bring all to nothing. Amen.

Martin Luther (1483-1546)

I love the brutal honesty and heartfelt sincerity of this prayer.  Without God's help, the leading by the Spirit and the guidance of the Word, no pastor can successfully serve the flock to whom he has been called.  Luther gets it and sets the perfect example for the rest of us who desire to be the Lord's workmen. I love this prayer.

Upon what is your focus?

Here's a thought to ponder...

We, as humans, tend to self-destruct when we are focused on just ourselves.

From "Imagine 5:16," page 133

Top 10 Church Petty Arguments

Author and church consultant, Thom Rainer, recently did a survey of the kinds of petty arguments churches had experienced.  Some of them are real doozies! I whittled the list down to ten.  Here you go...

10) Argument over the appropriate length of the worship pastor's beard

9) A 45 minute heated argument over the type of filing cabinet to purchase: black or brown; two, three or four drawers

8) A deacon accusing another deacon of sending an anonymous letter, and deciding to settle the matter in the parking lot

7) Fight over whether or not to build a children's playground or to use the land for a cemetery

6) A church dispute of whether or not to install restroom stall dividers in the women's restroom

5) A dispute over whether the worship leader should have his shoes on during the service

4) A big church argument over the discovery that the church budget was off 10 cents.  Someone finally gave a dime to settle the issue

3) Business meeting argument about whether the church should purchase a weed eater or not.  It took two business meetings to resolve it

2) Arguments over what type of green beans the church should serve

1) Major conflict when the youth borrowed a Crockpot that had not been used for years

Does the devil rub his grubby little hands with glee over these kinds of incidents.  You bet! When the church is fighting over filing cabinets, weed eaters or Crockpots then the church is completely distracted from its mission of baptizing and teaching the lost, the searching and the hurting.  How many people walk out of those kinds of meetings and say, "If this is what the church is like, I don't need it!"

May the Lord save the church from its inclination to "major in the minors" of congregational life. May nothing get in the way of being "witnesses" of our Lord's forgiveness and salvation.  Until Jesus comes again, we've got work to do! God lead us in that work and bless that work, for Jesus' sake.

A manly insight

If you are planning to host a Super Bowl party, you should get the old standby - potato chips - but you should also, for nutritional balance, put out a bowl of carrot sticks. If you have no carrot sticks, you can use pine cones or used electrical fuses, because nobody will eat them anyway. This is no time for nutritional balance: this is the Super Bowl!

Dave Barry

Crosses, crosses everywhere

A little over a year ago I was in St. Louis at the Missouri Synod headquarters for some training.  During a break we were invited to see Synodical President Matthew Harrison's office.  Very impressive.  He has a collection of crosses that were given as gifts or collected during his many travels. He also has an amazing collection of books.  I tried not to be too jealous.

Yes, it's wet outside but...

It will be dry and warm and comfy this weekend for worship at LICL.  Join us today at 5 pm or tomorrow at 8 and 11 am.  Sunday school for all ages and Bible class for adults too.  Hope to see you this weekend at Life in Christ!