By admin
I have no idea what the movie ” Throw Mama off the Train”was all about, but I did put my mama on a plane this weekend. This past weekend was all about making mama’s everywhere happy. We spent Saturday morning attending my niece Kevi’s graduation from Agnes Scott College in Decatur. Then we spent the rest of the day with my mother before putting mama on the plane to spend Mother’s Day with my sister in Miami.
Yesterday, in spite of a torrential downpour that would have made Noah nervous, we had an incredible service at GP. It was one of those days that the Holy Spirit decided to bless us with His presence in a very special way. As I sat and listened to all the names of students who were graduating with my niece on Saturday and as I thought about my own mother’s sacrifices made for me and my sisters I came to the conclusion, parenting is definitely not for wimps!
Just ask Moses parents Jochebed and Amram. A struggling young family, 2 small children and a new born son to raise is challenging enough but to make matters worse their nation’s leader, Pharaoh, ordered the murder of all new born boys! But Moses parents recognizing he was special, Exodus 2:2, did what believers have always done when forced to obey a law that contradicted God’s law, they obeyed God!
The Bible tells us when Moses parents could no longer keep him a secret they took a basket, placed Moses in the basket and placed the basket in the Nile river. I know this sounds extreme in our world today but Moses parents had done all they could do, now it was up to God to care for their child.
As a parent I believe no matter how much we may try to protect our children, even at the risk of embarrassing or smothering them, their comes a time when we have to place that child in a “basket”. That basket may be a school bus, it may involve dropping them off at college, it may be watching them graduate from college to begin life on their own. Your basket could be when they say “I do”. “Then Moses mother placed the basket among the reeds along the bank of the Nile and his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.”
As a parent I can tell you that you never stop “watching” to see what God is going to do with your child. As for Moses, God orchestrated events so that the same Pharaoh who wanted him dead also had a daughter who just happened to be bathing in the river as the basket carrying baby Moses floated by. As she went to sneak a peek inside it was as if God had the baby cry on cue, what lady could resist. You know the rest of the story, Moses was claimed and named and best part of all his mother not only got to raise and care for him but got paid to do it! Wow, only God!
By admin
The past week has been all about celebrating the Orange, Orange Crush. I’m not talking about the drink, which I love, or the song by R.E.M., which I also love, I am talking about cheer leading. Let me explain, our daughter Emma lives, sleeps, and breathes cheer leading. She has cheered competitively since elementary school. She has also cheered throughout high school. If you have never been to a cheer competition be forewarned, it’s not pom poms and rah,rah rah. This is serious business, and if you think the athletes are intense wait til you see some of the parents!
I frequently kid Emma that cheer leading isn’t a real sport but anyone who has ever seen a competition knows how grueling and intense those few moments on the mat can be. Emma’s sacrifice and dedication paid off this past weekend. She and her teammates who make up Stingray”s Orange Crush won 1st place at the World competition for competitive cheer. This was no small accomplishment and to say we are all proud is an understatement. Great job girls!
By admin
Today, April 24th, is a very special day for me. Today is my birthday!!! Before anyone thinks I am extremely vain or lonely I’m not talking about the day I was born but I am referring to the day I was born again. I was physically born, I’m told, in Griffin Georgia. Even though I was there I don’t remember anything about that day. I was born again on April 24th 1980 at New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville Georgia. Thirty two years latter I remember everything about that night!
I remember where I sat, in the balcony like a good baptist teenager.
I remember who I sat with, my friend Tony Hughes who finally got me to go to church with him after many unsuccessful attempts.
I remember, for the most part, how I looked. Long hair, platforms, my signature white shirt and white pants.
I remember there was music, not my kind of music at that time, no RUSH, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin,or Stones. A group called The Cruise Family sang, not exactly rock n roll.
I remeber who spoke, Richard Hogue, and then the man who would have a most profound impact on my life, my pastor Ike Reighard.
I can remember how I felt, a little nervous but most of all like something was missing in my life. Though I couldn’t tell you what was preached on I can tell you from the moment the service started I felt as though God was speaking to me and that He was the only other One in that building. His presence was so real to me that when the preacher asked people to get up out of their seats and come down to the front of the church I sat back down! That’s right, I knew I needed to give my life to Christ but I didn’t think I could take that long walk by myself. Thankfully a girl from my school, Debra Cross, came and sat beside me and offered to go with me.
A deacon in the church, Grady Stone, led me in a prayer to ask Christ to forgive me of my sins and come into my life and take control. That moment I didn’t know theology, I certainly wasn’t a bible scholar or a religious person but I knew something real happened to me. Something that left me with a feeling I had never experienced before, I felt clean. As I began to meet others who went to to that church I can remember feeling an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance.
The next day this change that had taken place the night before was still present. My desires and goals began to change. That was 32 years ago today! By no means did that experience make me a perfect person, just ask anyone who knows me. There have been many highs and many more lows. I have traveled at times down roads I never would have imagined but 2 things have remained unchanged, God, and the fact that I have never been the same since that night.
I love what Jesus said about a certain woman in Luke chapter 7. We are never told her name just that she had a reputation for being a sinner. In verse 47 Jesus tells us the woman loved much because she had been forgiven much, “But he who has been forgiven little loves little“. Then and now I have so many reasons to love Him and so much to be thankful for!
The question I want to leave with anyone who reads these words is simply this, How many birthdays do you have? If the answer is 2, when was your 2nd birthday? How did it happen, how did you change and when was the last time you shared your reason to celebrate with somebody else?
By admin
“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, The Lord did not appear to you? Then the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand?” Exodus 4:1-2
The last couple of weeks have been some of the busiest I have ever experienced at gracepointe, obviously demonstrated by my lack of recent blogs. God has been doing some amazing things at GP and in the life of my family. The Lord has given specific answers to prayers in such a way that only He can get the credit. God has given my son an amazing opportunity and my daughter Jessica was accepted into dental school. Today was truly a great day at GP.
Last week we started a new series on leadership “In times like these”. Today we continued our study of the leadership principles of Moses. If you think about it, Moses was the quintessential leader. He was very human, a man who struggled with anger, depression and fear, not to mention some business about a murder back in Egypt he would just as soon forget. Moses was reluctant to say the least. He gave God one excuse after another bringing God to the point of anger. Yet God used Moses to lead His people through the biggest relocation in history, no small or easy task.
Imagination seems to come easy for children. A stick can very easily become a sword or a ray gun in the hand of a child at play. Unfortunately as we get older we grow up and we don’t have time to play anymore. As we cease playing we also dream less. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Jesus urges His followers to allow their faith to emulate children.
When God called Moses to leave the comfort of the dessert and go back to Egypt and tell Pharaoh God says let my people go, Moses needed some reassurance. God simply asks Moses “What do you have in your hand ?” Moses response was obvious “a staff”, a stick, a 3-6 foot piece of wood that Moses probably used in some way everyday for the last 40 years, nothing special. Yet when Moses placed the stick in God’s hand something amazing happened and continued to happen.
As Moses prepared to leave his predictable ordinary life of tending sheep and return to become the shepherd of God’s people, the same people who had already rejected Moses, God asks Him one question, “What do you have in your hands?” Think about your own vision and dreams, what is it going to take to get you there? Ask yourself the same question God asked Moses, “What do you have in your hands?” What you see may not look like much until you place what’s in your hands in the hands of God, now watch what happens!
By admin
Robin Williams said Spring is nature’s way of saying “Let’s Party”. I don’t know what kind of party he had in mind but Spring has been particularly beautiful this year. Every where you look creation is celebrating, the signs of new life and new growth are everywhere!
Kelly and I have been content this Spring Break to hang out at home and get some work done while enjoying some time together. I don’t know when Spring Break began to coincide with Easter but it seems , at least for Paulding County, that the biggest celebration for the church takes place when many people are out of town. Fortunately this year Easter is at the end not the beginning of the week. I can honestly say I have never been more excited about a message God has given me than the one for this weekend.
“The Rest of the Story“ will be the theme of our worship celebration this Easter. Shana has prepared an exciting offering of praise and worship for our Lord and Wendy along with Tina have lots of surprises in store for the children. I hope you will join us this Sunday at Shelton Elementary School 1531 Cedarcrest Road in Dallas, 10am for the celebration! Or as Robin Williams would say, “Let’s Party”!
By admin
This past weekend for the most part was fun and enjoyable. Emma took off for the “Redneck Riviera” to spend spring break which left me and Kelly with some good time just the two of us. After taking care of some responsibilities, we enjoyed a great lunch at Fox’s BBQ in Atlanta on Friday. Saturday we had a great time with Trey and then we settled in for a quiet evening at home.
Yesterday I shared the second message in our series “The Cross”, focusing on Matthew 16:24, where Jesus said,“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. I don’t believe our Lord could have made it any more simple. In fact, Jesus said the decision to become one of His disciples really just boils down to 3 things, denial, death and a daily decision to follow Christ, Luke 9:23.
Those words seem, at least to me simple, but are far from ever being easy. To deny self and to die to self on a daily basis is never an easy or comfortable process, but neither was what Jesus faced on the cross for us. As we celebrate this week it is so easy to forget the pain and agony that Christ endured on our behalf. His suffering made this week a time to celebrate a risen Lord and not a memorial for a dead religious leader. And yet in spite of the pain and shame of the cross, He went. In Luke 9:51 as Jesus began to turn His focus toward the cross we read that “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem”.
The cross for Christ not only meant the ultimate sacrifice but also is a demonstration of absolute focus. Jesus would not let anything or anyone distract or detour Him from His mission. When it comes to that kind of sacrifice and intense focus I’m sure you would join me in saying “I have a long way to go“, but today is a new day and a new opportunity to follow His example by denying self, taking up my cross and following Him.
By admin
“You are Awesome, O God, in Your Sanctuary” Psalm 68:35. I couldn’t agree more with the Psalmist, God was truly awesome yesterday at gracepointe! Lots of old and new faces. Our folks at GP did an outstanding job turning the gym at Shelton into a place of worship. I believe each of our members would have to agree that Shelton Elementary is more suitable for us than any other location we have called home thus far.
The staff at Shelton have been great and more than helpful in making this a smooth transition. Saturday was a great day of fun and fellowship as we prepared for Sunday. Over 50 people showed up to help! Take down was done in less than an hour and the worship service went off without any glitches, except running out of chairs which was a great problem to have.
I began our new series yesterday, “The Cross”, which we will be in for the next 2 Sundays. By the way,this coming Sunday’s message is definitely the one you don’t want to miss. After worship the rest of the afternoon was spent playing wiffle ball with family, a truly awesome day!
By admin
“Come and see what God has done, how awesome are His works in man’s behalf ! Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me” Psalm 66:5&16. We have so much to say when it comes to praising our God! Worship is all about Him, giving our best for His glory in everything we do.
Today I had the opportunity to worship God with allot of other folks from gracepointe. We worshiped God by spreading mulch and gravel, cleaning bathrooms, picking up trash and doing whatever else was needed to prepare for GP‘s very first service at Shelton Elementary. I love our people at GP! They are always willing to do whatever it takes. Each and everyone of us are a story of His grace. If you have a story come and join us tomorrow morning, 10am at Shelton Elementary. If you have never met Christ join us tomorrow and let Him begin to write your own story of His grace!
By admin
On Monday, I blogged about the significance of the number seven. Now gracepointe is literally just a few hours away from a new beginning for us, as we start meeting for worship at our new home Shelton Elementary. Of coarse, I am praying that many old and new friends will join us as we seek to “Lift Him UP.” Tomorrow we will be working from 8:00am until noon getting ready for the big day. I have to say thank you to the most faithful and dedicated bunch of folks I have ever had the privilege to work with. Our folks are the best.
What makes a person choose a church? the location, programs, preaching, the people?
Last Saturday, Kelly & I went to dinner with a family who drives 70 miles one way to come to GP for worship. I must say I am humbled and amazed. Wayne and Bobbie do this each and every Sunday. I am also challenged by their dedication, would I choose to travel that far if I were in their shoes? I know most people would not. Yet alot of people wouldn’t mind traveling that far to go to an event, a mall, or a good restaurant.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus opens with a specific message for 7 specific churches. Each church was as different as night and day. One made Him sad. One church was afraid and needed to be encouraged. Two churches needed some good Heavenly Father discipline. One church was dying and didn’t even know it. One church made Jesus sick, (I wouldn’t want to be a member of the Laodicea Community Church) and one was standing at the open door of an incredible opportunity.
We might be tempted to look at our Lord’s words like a kind of a church review, yet Jesus made it very clear that He loved each and every church. Just like each of us, the churches Jesus spoke of had times of exemplary dedication and faithfulness and times of shame.
Jesus begins His message to the churches by saying He holds the churches, each one, in His hands and He walks among them, Revelation 2:1.
When Jesus was a child He chose to be with His church, His bride, and He still does. If I can offer any advice in choosing a church it would simply be to remember that the church belongs to Christ. There are many great churches today just like there were in Jesus day. I would say the choice is yours, but really that’s not true, the choice is for you and God to determine where He would bless you but also use you and your family to be a blessing to others. If your searching for Christ or a more intimate relationship with Him, start by choosing a church. If you don’t have one, I want to invite you to join us this Sunday.
By admin
The past several days have seen record breaking temperatures for metro Atlanta and some of the highest pollen counts ever. I went out yesterday morning to walk in our neighborhood and when I got back you could literally see the yellow dust of springtime all over my clothes and even my phone. Thankfully the weather forecast calls for rain the next few days. I know we need the rain but my prayer is it will be out of here by this Sunday, our first Sunday at Shelton Elementary.
Speaking of rain did you know that a rainbow has 7 colors. In Genesis chapter 9 God gave Noah the rainbow as a beautiful reminder of His covenant with the earth. In Revelation chapter 4 we are told that a rainbow encircles the throne of God. Whenever I see a rainbow I still get amazed. The beauty of a rainbow is at least for me a reminder of the creative and diverse nature of our God. In Revelation we are also told that in heaven believers from every nation, tribe, and color will be gathered together in worship of our God.
I believe that the church more than any other organization or institution is the answer for true racial harmony. My prayer for gracepopinte and all Churches is that we won’t wait for heaven to worship our God as one. I invite you to come this Sunday and join us as we worship the One and Only God our Father who created man, all colors, in His image. We have plenty of room just for you so join us this Sunday at gracepointe, where you belong!