For The New Year...

Against the change of passing years
The crumbling stone and steel decay
And every cynic voice that jeers  
     Unchanged this simple truth will stay:
He serves God best unto life's end
Who plays the neighbor and the friend.
-Edgar Guest

Never In My 20 Plus Years

I've been going to Baptist State Convention annual meetings since I was pastor of a congregation located almost off the edge of Arkansas. I have a pastor friend, "Brother Rick," who seemed to like nothing better than "Conventioning," and always encouraged me to go with him to them. I guess old habits are hard to break.

It is nice to get away and get immersed in the news, networking, and preaching that goes on at a Baptist Convention. I see old friends, find out "Whereya at now?," and catch up on preacher talk.

I am also inspired as well as challenged by the reports and messages as they come from the convention floor.

Over the years, Southern Baptists have had plenty to fight over. Convention fights make for large conventions. I've attended the Louisiana Baptist Convention for each of the eight years I've served in the state.

But this is one convention where "I seen so many things I ain't never seen before." (Apologies to Hoyt Axton)

First, the attendance. The announced registered messengers at this year's Louisiana Baptist Convention was just over 700- less than half of the number registered just a few years ago. No controversy, (sigh) no show.

Second, I don't recall any motions being offered from the floor when time was alloted. A Baptist meeting and no one made a motion? Yes, miracles still occur. Even the resolutions, quite a sticking point in years past, sailed smoothly through the business session.

In one convention in Texas I attended, I voted on every motion and was in the majority on only two: the motion to extend time for debate, and the motion to adjourn. Hey, I have to feel I've won something.

Third, officers were handily elected- with one exception. That is a remarkable occurrence. When it came time to elect a second Vice President, there were NO nominations. No one took the floor. No line of messengers stood before the floor microphones ready to nominate and debate.

What do we do?

Mercifully, we were rescued by a messenger who finally came to a mike, was recognized, and then proceeded to nominate his son for the position. He then observed, "I don't know if he is even on the Convention Floor right now!" What 'till the boy hears what his dad just did!

How about that! Nominated after an embarrassing pause by your father, and you weren't even there. The moderator gratefully accepted the nomination and since there was no opposition, had the Executive Director place a unanimous ballot on behalf of the nominee. Now we had a new second Vice President. In years past, it seemed that virtually everyone at the convention had someone to nominate for President, Vice President, or Second Vice President. At the very least, everyone had a favorite in the race.

Not this time. There wasn't even a race.

Finally, another first for me, the avid convention goer: The annual Convention sermon scheduled to be preached by our president, Rod Masteller, on Monday evening was really not a sermon at all.

It was a message from a man with a broken heart. He literally wept as he spoke of his burden concerning the sins and hurts of our nation. He concluded by challenging us to fast at least once a week and seek God for our country's repentance and revival.

There was a sustained, holy hush over the assembled messengers. When he finished, the somber tone settled over us and we weren't sure what to do next. As he challenged us to pray, dozens of people knelt at their seats (on the concrete floor) or near the stage and prayed. The man who was to dismiss the session in prayer commented that we had just heard from a "weeping prophet."

I and my friends with me felt moved and challenged. A man had spoken out of the deep recesses of his soul and it was humbling to us all.

I've never seen that at an annual meeting of a Baptist Convention, either.

Perhaps humility, brokenness, and weeping would be a very good place to begin a new tradition at our Baptist gatherings.

All those in favor?

No, It's Not Me, Either

Barack Obama

David Holder and 6 other friendslike him.

Like

No, It's Not Me

DAVID HOLDER

Published: 11/03/2010

David Michael “Snooky” Holder, 57, of Texarkana, Texas, died Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010, at his home.

Mr. Holder was born Aug. 7, 1953, in Texarkana. He was formerly employed with Red River Army Depot, a carpenter and a Baptist.

I find the obituary striking, not only because we share the same name, but also the same hometown, birthdates in August, and are close to the same age.

I did not know him, but I do send my sympathy and prayers to his family.

Sony Walkman, R.I.P.

The Sony Walkman portable cassette player was born June 22 1979 in Tokyo, Japan. Walkman passed away October 25, 2010, being aged 31 years, 4 months, and 3 days when production ceased.

His death is due to complications produced by a proliferation of other portable music devices such as the Apple iPod. Ironically, observers believe Walkman's death was accelerated due to his own popularity.

He is survived by a descendant, the Discman, now living in Asia, and also over 220 million units representing more than 300 different models.

Though his life was brief, he made his mark in society, both in popular culture and the English language. The Oxford English Dictionary lists the term "Walkman" to describe any cassette player.

According to a family tradition, Walkman was born in order to allow Sony's chairman to listen to his opera collection on long plane flights.

At his birth, one of his parents, Akio Morita, stated, "This is the product that will satisfy those young people who want to listen to music all day. They'll take it everywhere with them, and they won't care about record functions. If we put a playback-only headphone stereo like this on the market, it'll be a hit."

Walkman's mourners recall sitting in the backseat on car trips, shutting out all distractions. One mourner, who wishes to remain anonymous, recalled jogging many long miles with Mr. Walkman firmly clipped on his waist and the thin wired foam earpads on his head. Another fan commented that her first memory of the Walkman was lying in bed at night and falling asleep with Huey Lewis and News' Fore! cassette playing Power of Love in her ears. Others recall Walkman's adolescence, when he gained auto-reverse and Dolby noise suppression.

He's BAAAACK

However, some reports insist that Walkman's death might be greatly exaggerated. Production is only ceasing in Japan, but the device will still be available in the U.S.

In other ironic news, the iPod, a distant cousin and among suspected killers, celebrated its ninth birthday on October 23 of this year.

Miss Church This Sunday!

Yes, it's true.

In his account of a revival that broke out in Western Canada, pastor Bill McLeod told how it all began: with prayer.

He said:

I began by emphasizing the Wednesday night prayer meeting. We had around twenty five people attending. I would say things like this, ’Miss Sunday morning if you have to; miss Sunday evening if you must; but never miss the prayer meeting unless you are dead,’ People began to take this seriously and the prayer meeting began to grow.

Encouraging Words

Not coincidentally, I began a new sermon series last Sunday. I call it "Giving No Ground," base on Ephesians 6:10-20. I chose that title due to the repeated emphasis in the passage on either standing or withstanding the onslaught of the enemy of the soul, the devil.

It just so "happened" that I had come to that point before our weeks of revival emphasis. I had been preaching through the book of Ephesians and stopped at 6:9. How's that for timing?

Also, I was aware that after revival, some in our church would begin to feel acute spiritual opposition and warfare. As I was researching material for this Sunday's sermon on being armed with the Lord's armor, I found these statements from George Mallone in his book, Arming For Spiritual Warfare. They are enlightening and encouraging. I post them here with the prayerful hope that they will encourage some reader as well:

When Jesus sees illness, he never treats it as something good for the person, but rather he heals it. On the other hand, when he speaks of persecution, he treats it as something necessary in the course of history, something to be endured rather than avoided (Mark 13:9-13; John 15:18-27. He commands his disciples to heal the sick (Luke 10:9; Mark 6:7-13) and to endure suffering and rejection (Matthew 5:10-12).[1]

…Every time I heard from God and obeyed his voice, I was rocking the boat- and persecution came. I now believe all of us are at our best when we are receiving some degree of opposition, especially when we are attempting to expand the kingdom of God.[2]

In other words, kingdom expansion and spiritual warfare through persecution go hand in hand.[3]

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[1] George Mallone, Arming For Spiritual Warfare, Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1991, 52.

[2] Ibid., 53.

[3] Ibid., 54.