Second Baptist Baytown

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Psalm 90:2

During spring break, I was blessed to get to drive from Baytown all the way to the Rocky Mountains for three days of skiing.  (18 hours in the car actually goes by quicker than you think when you are anticipating getting to view the beauty of God’s creation.)

And while I really enjoy the fun and exercise of snow skiing, I can tell you without hesitation, that the best thing about my trip was the view from the very top of the mountain each day as we got off the chair lift.  We skied Monarch Mountain, which sits right on top of the Continental Divide, and the beauty is stunning!  It was as if God breathed freshness into my heart each day and whispered to me, “I am here...I created this...for your enjoyment...but for MY glory.”

But the passage listed above also is an incredible reminder that God was God BEFORE Monarch Mountain was created...God was God BEFORE the earth ever came to be...God was God BEFORE human eyes ever saw the Rainforest...the Grand Canyon...the Redwood Forrest...the Beautiful Oceans...or any other place of wonder on this planet.  BEFORE all of earth’s beauty was ever created... God WAS...and IS!

It’s comforting to know that we serve the God who is not bound by time...or human hands...or even our ideas of what beauty is or should be.  Simply said...We serve the True and Living God...the Alpha and Omega...the One who created all things...and He deserves ALL honor and praise for anything good that we see...or say...or do.

“...For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45b

Inspector: Mr. Stafford...I can’t pass this vehicle.

Me: Why not?  I don’t understand.  Everything’s running fine.

Inspector: Well, your “Check Engine” light is on.  It’s an automatic “Fail.”

Me: Oh, I know...I know.  It came on a few months ago. I stopped looking at it after a while.  The car has been driving fine...no problems at all.

Inspector: Yes sir. I understand, but that light indicates that something is wrong with your emissions’ systems and you are going to have to address what’s going on INSIDE the engine before I can put a “Pass Inspection” sticker on the OUTSIDE.

Me: O.k. Thanks so much. I’ll get it checked out.  I guess that it’s been on so long with no real problems, I just assumed that it was no big deal.

Spiritual Lesson: I am often the last one to know (or admit) that I have things happening on the INSIDE of my life that are affecting what is happening on the OUTSIDE...or even worse...I can begin to ignore the warning signs of something that I need to address.

The bottom line is this...The Holy Spirit wants to change us every single day to become more like Jesus Christ in our thoughts, actions, attitudes and speech.  And the key to “life change” for anyone who is a Christian is a willingness to deal with what’s going on INSIDE of us so that the world can see Jesus on the OUTSIDE of us.

By the way...the inspector was right. There was a problem that a mechanic (and some money) were able to fix. The wallet is lighter...but I passed inspection for another year!

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14

We started a new sermon series last weekend based on the idea that we only have so many minutes (525,600 to be exact) in a given year, and we are to make the most of the time that God has given us.

The Bible tells us in James that our lives are like a “mist” or a “vapor.”  Translation...we are “short timers” on planet earth and we need to make every moment count for our Creator.  We have been placed on this planet to do two things... Love God...and Love People.

During this Christmas season and into the new year, we are going to be challenging our entire church to make the most of the minutes that you’ve been given be doing a few key things:

Become “Radically Generous” (Do something for someone who can not pay you back in any way.)

Become a “Radical Giver” (Recalibrate your heart to remind yourself that everything you have belongs to God...it is not yours...it’s His...to be used for His Kingdom...and His Glory.)

Become “Radically Relational” (Step out of your comfort zone to develop a new relationship.  Maybe it’s time to invite someone over to dinner or for coffee that is not in your “regular” friend set?)

Become “Radically Contagious with the Gospel” (Understand why the manger matters and why this season of Christmas changed the world forever. Celebrate fully the birth of Jesus Christ this season!)

I am excited about this sermon series, but, my few minutes of your attention are now over.  What will you do with the remaining minutes you have in this day?

"You chew on Scripture day and night." Psalm 1:1-2 (The Message)

Phone call from Laurie, my wife, this past Wednesday night as she returned home from carpooling our teenage girls and their friends to church youth event...

Wife:  Honey...I've got something I need to tell you.

Me:  Ok...what is it, dear?

Wife: Lily (our precious Black Lab Dog) ate your preaching Bible tonight.

Me:  What did you say?!!

Wife:  I'm sorry honey.  Lily ate your Bible that was on the counter...she chewed it to pieces while I was gone.

Me:  Well, she's either very excited about God's Word and wanted to ingest it...we are not feeding her enough.  I guess I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Not many people can say that the "dog ate their homework" and be actually telling the truth.  But I can.  Lily, our Lab that we love, totally devoured my preaching Bible earlier this week and it threw me for a loop. 

The bad news is...I lost a Bible that my family had just given me a couple of months ago for my birthday that was very special to me because of some of the personal notes and inscriptions that were in it. 

The good news is...even though Lily ate my Bible that I use on a daily basis...I have plenty more Bibles that are all filled with the richness of God's truth and grace.

As for Lily...I have decided to show some grace to her as well.  I believe that she was hungering for the Word at home, so to speak.  Which begs the question for you and me...How long has it been since you've hungered for God's Word so much that you were willing to do anything to receive it?