When I was a young man, I was somewhat pudgy (some would say chunky, still others said, “Fat!”). My appearance was something that was a constant source of grief for me. I was made fun of and even at times would lash out in anger at others.

I learned later in life that the pain I suffered at the hands of others because of my appearance made me tremendously insecure about a great many things in my life. I would take a simple look by someone as an insult. I was afraid to go certain places like the gym, the pool, and other places where I stood the chance to be laughed at or scorned. And any comment from anyone about me could be misconstrued to be an open slam directed straight at me.

As I have grown older, however, I am learning (and I’ve not yet arrived) and even improving on having a greater security about my life. I have learned that my self-worth is not about outward appearances. My worth is based in the one I follow and the one who has saved me. Forgiveness of sin and the grace of God has set me free.

One thing I’ve learned is that when I am offended by something someone else says or does, it is really my choice to do so. The old phrase, “You made me mad” is really a misnomer. The truth of that phrase should read, “I allowed you to make me mad.” Offense is always a choice!

That doesn’t mean we don’t get hurt or offended sometimes. It does mean that when those offenses come, as followers of Christ, we have security enough to have confidence in Jesus to take care of us. My choice to not allow my feelings to show in a negative way is not a strength I possess on my own. It is a gift of and one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

I claim no special measure of the Spirit, just the confidence in knowing that He is ever present with me and I do not have to choose the wrong things.

Read the following passage and give some one-word descriptions and an explanation of what following Christ involves. I’ll get the ball rolling.

Matthew 28:18-20 has been called by some, “Jesus’ Marching Orders.”  It is Matthew’s account of the great commission.  It is clear from this text that Jesus wants us to be “making disciples.”  Are we doing that?

This question has been prompted in my mind by an article I recently read in Wineskins Magazine. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to read it.  You can click here to go directly to the article by Wade Hodges.  It is titled “Unintentional Nondiscipleship.” His basic argument is that the bad news is we are not making disciples (generally speaking) but the good news is we’re not really trying.  Be forewarned about this article and this BLOG.  Neither of us have the answers, just some thought provoking questions.

It has really made me think about our own situation at Creekside.  We are a very loving, open minded fellowship of Christ-followers.  We don’t focus on the issues that take our mind off of Jesus as the center.  We trying to reach out to the community in loving ways.  Our leadership is shepherding.  Our people are forgiving and willing to look at others through the eyes of Jesus.  We have developed as a theme, “Love God, Love Others, and Serve.”  Please don’t hear me saying we are the perfect church.  We have much to improve, but it really is a loving group of people and I feel very blessed being where I am.  I’m not even insinuating that we are not making disciples.  It’s just his article has brought the question to the front of my mind.

I think that part of this question in my mind stems from a lack of real understanding of what a disciple is.  We seem to answer the question, “Who is a disciple?” in very generic terms like  “Christian,” “follower of Christ,”  or “one who does what Jesus said to do.”  Those answers are all technically correct, but they seem to fall short of specifics.

If we are making disciples, then what are we making and how are they making a difference in this world? What is your church family doing to make disciples  in your communities?   Am I asking the wrong question?  Is this answerable?

Ellen and I are coming up on the first goal of our new lifestyle change. This Friday marks one month of consistent exercise. We’ve done some kind of cardio exercise for at least thirty minutes a day at least five days a week. It is awesome to see a goal set and actually made for a change. If nothing else, I’ve learned that it really is within me that I CAN do this. I just have to make up my mind.

The next step begins Monday. We add strength training twice a week to our weekly exercise and the really hard part–changing eating habits. According to our plan we have to give up whatever our main struggle with food is. We’ve both agreed that our main struggle is sugar and junk foods. They have to go.

What’s great about this is, I can now walk up my steps at home and not feel worn completely out.  I don’t see any results in the mirror yet, but it’s going to come.

Our commitment is one day at a time. We are trying to set monthly goals, but you can’t live tomorrow today and for today, we are doing great with this. Please keep praying for us.

Yesterday was Sunday and most Sundays start quite normally with my anticipation of a gathering with my church family at Creekside.  Our worship time is a highlight of my week.  Gathering to listen to what God has to say to us from His word in class is always interesting and a growth time for us.

Sunday I arrived at the usual early morning hour to get ready for praise team practice.  I get the microphones set and the computer ready for projection.  There’s always the last minute “straightening” of the chairs.  I’m just that way about aesthetics.

Yesterday about midway through the praise team practice, I received a phone call from Ellen.  She knows we practice during that time and a call from her is unusual.  As I suspected there was not so good news.  Danielle was having a cluster of seizures.  That’s where one “staring spell” after another happens to the point that she can’t function.  Ellen and Tabitha missed Bible class to take care of her, giving her medication and time to get over it.  They came to the worship hour and I was glad she was able to be there.  We had an awesome hour and a half of singing, praying, communion.  All ending with my lesson.

In the afternoon, we gathered to help one of our single sisters move her household.  We had a great crew and the job got done within a couple of hours.  That’s quick and we’re not even professionals.

The day continued as we gathered for a surprise birthday party for the twins.   They thought we were gathering for a teen night.  We really got them.  The kids opened gifts and sang karaoke songs.  It was a blast.  I especially enjoyed the boys’ rendition of Shania Twain’s “Man I Feel Like A Woman.”  Verrrrry funny.

So what started out as a very tough day turned out to be a very good day.  It reminds me of that saying, “You never know what a day will bring.”  James 4:13-15 says, “Some of you say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.’  But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away. So you should say, ‘If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that.’” We must never take life for granted or that every moment off every day is going to go like we like.  We just must trust God.

It really started 16 years ago last night. In that year, June 28 fell on a Sunday night. Ellen was carrying our twins. We had tried and tried to keep them from coming early, but they would have none of that. On the 28th, Ellen called me at church and I came home and took her to the hospital. They tried a couple of attempts to stop her labor causing her some pretty intense problems. After giving up on that, they allowed her to continue what was to be inevitable. About 5:16 and 5:21 the next morning, she gave birth to our twins.

Brandon was born first. Though at the time of his birth everything seemed normal and healthy, we would find out very soon that his lungs were not developed enough. After Brandon came, the doctors discovered that Britney was breach and they tried to turn her. She was not going to allow that to happen so she was born in that fashion. When she came, the doctors immediately carried her to a table and began working with her. She was not breathing at all. It was the longest minute of our lives! The doctors and nurses were saying, “Come on little girl, breathe!” The kept repeating it. We were all in tears, from doctors to nurses to mom and dad. Then she coughed and started crying. It was the sweetest baby cry ever!

That was not the end of their traumatic entrance into this world. They were born at about 34 weeks. That’s about 6 weeks too early. Neither of their lungs were developed enough. They were immediately flown to Huntsville, Neo-Natal ICU. They would spend the first two weeks of their little lives there. I know that had to be the hardest thing Ellen had to do to that point in her life. She lay in the hospital bed and listened to the med-flight helicopter take off from the roof of that hospital.

We owe such a debt of gratitude to those doctors and nurses in both hospitals for doing the right things by our babies. Brandon actually came home first and Britney followed a week later. Though Britney had more trouble getting here, Brandon had the most trouble developing his lungs (as is the case most of the time with boys).  Because of Brandon’s weight he was able to come home first.  Britney was still about a pound short of her weight goal when they let her come home.  Just a note of interest–Brandon weighed 5 lbs 8 ozs and lost down to 4lbs 10ozs.  Britney weighed 4lbs 2ozs and lost down to 3 lbs 12 ozs.  They were so tiny.

Today they are healthy sixteen year old kiddos!! We love them very much. They have accomplished much in their short lives. Both were baptized the same night. Britney said, “We were born together the first time and now we will be born again together.” Awesome! They both have been part of the Muscle Shoals Band program–Brandon on drums and Britney on the color guard. They both have excelled as athletes. They both played in the Dixie World Series. Britney’s team, coached by yours truly, was the first girls team in our city to ever win a girls softball game in a World Series in the 11-12 year old division. Brandon’s team nearly won the World Series in 2005. Arkansas beat us in the championship.

I guess the greatest thing about the twins is that they are. I mean just having them in our lives is a blessing from heaven. When God decided to surprise us with a baby, He did so with two babies and we could not be more proud!! They have grown up to be wonderful teens. I look forward to seeing what it is that God has in store for them in the future as they mature, we trust, into adulthood.

Happy sweet sixteen Britney and Brandon!!

Oh, by the way, pray for Ellen and me. They both passed their driver’s test in school and will get their license tomorrow. My prayer life is about to take another upturn into high gear.

Our Bible School is going great. We continue to have a wonderful spirit prevail. The children are off the chain with their love of singing and dancing. I often wonder what Sunday mornings would look like if worship was like that. Children are so uninhibited and open with how they feel about things. it’s just wonderful.

One thing I’m really enjoying is the spirit of cooperation between Creekside and Macedonia. I’m so appreciative for a sister congregation who will spend the kind of time and energy that Macedonia is doing at Creekside. I am thrill with how our people at Creekside are showing up and working hard. The work load is shared. The love is strong between us. I look forward to our relations in the future.

One more thing: Tonight Ellen experienced a peak moment with our nephew’s young son. He ran up to Ellen after the night was over and exclaimed, “Look, we made baby Jesus tonight.” I don’t know if it was a drawing or what, but this is a child who hasn’t been to a church or Jesus related function probably more than five times in his life. Thank you God that you placed in our hearts the idea to have this event! If that little boy learns about Jesus, it was worth all the hard work. Praise God!!

We started our Family Bible School tonight. We call it “Family” Bible School because it’s for the whole family.  We had lots of people. We didn’t count, but preacher count was about 150 or so. We had lots of singing, a great lesson about creation and an event called the bubble. I hope to publish some pictures this week, but you should see this thing.

Basically it’s a huge plastic bubble kept inflated by squirrel fans. Our theme is: Into The Bible. We are talking about Creation (tonight), followed by Jonah, the Manger, and Heaven. Inside the bubble it is decorated appropriately to the theme for the night. Tonight the folks witnessed the expulsion from Eden. Tomorrow night will be into the belly of the great fish! Should be awesome.

Anyway, please pray for our efforts. I pray God brings us lots of children. We especially thank the Macedonia congregation for helping us with this!! We look forward to the rest o the week.

I just finished a book that is really inspiring.  The book is called “Never Say Diet” by Chantel Hobbs.  Ellen and I were just browsing a book store.  I found it interesting to see a book about diet in the Christian section.  This book was right next to “UnChristian” (another good one by the way).  That seemed odd to me.  Anyway, I picked it up and read a couple of pages and I was hooked.  It took only a few days to have this one finished.  This lady lost 200 pounds and did it healthily and is keeping it off.

I found out why it was in the Christian section.  She writes the book from a Christian perspective.  She tells of her decision to pray about her health.  God placed on her heart to work at it and she trusted Him for help.  That’s a real “nutshell” story of her decision, but I couldn’t stop reading.  In fact, the book would be inspirational for any number of problem areas in our lives because it’s a book about trusting God to help us out of a tough plight and doing what it takes to make necessary changes in our lives in order to “do our best for Him.”

It’s very unusual for me to read a book of more than 200 pages in just 3 or 4 days.  That tells you how inspirational it was.  Pray for me as I try and work this plan.  I’ve tried almost everything else to get in shape and I usually don’t announce things like this for fear of failure, but I’m going try this.  It’s going to take a lot of time, but it’s going to be worth it.  It seems very sensible and I sure like the idea of ditching dieting for the rest of my life.

Check it out at www.chantelhobbs.com.

I am amazed at the talent that God has given his people.  The Bible says, (1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NCV)  “There are different kinds of gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. {5} There are different ways to serve but the same Lord to serve. {6} And there are different ways that God works through people but the same God. God works in all of us in everything we do. {7} Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person, for the common good.”

What is the “common good?”  I’m going to step out on a limb here and say that the common good is that which glorifies God and builds the kingdom.  Now, before I step up on a soap box about this, I want to make a disclaimer.  I understand that our gifts can be used both in and out of a church building.  I don’t want to pretend that all of our gifts have to be used within what we call “church.”  However, I have a sobering question for each of us.  To what degree are we using our gift or gifts toward the common good within the church?

I mean really people!  Can God be happy about our excitement in using our gifts when we only use them outside the church?  Why can’t we see the need within the church family to use what God has given us in order to help the church grow in spirit and in number.

Here are some examples of what I’m talking about.  If a person has the gift of persuasion and only uses that gift to sell cars, clothes, cameras, or cakes, is he fully using that gifts.  Why not persuade people concerning the good news?  If a person is really good at using money, why not use those smarts to help the church financially.  If a person teaches in a public school, but won’t lift a hand to teach Jesus to others in the church, is that fully using that gift?  You name the gift and many times, you’ll find people who will readily and with fervor and zeal use that gift at work or play, but won’t help in the kingdom.

I don’t know about where you attend worship, but at Creekside, we always need folks to stand and serve.  There is so much to do and so few who will sacrifice the time, effort, energy, or whatever it takes to do it.

Consider just how serious we are about the kingdom of Jesus.  We need workers to rise up and serve God within and without the walls of the church building.  When are we going to take this seriously?