Pastoral Thoughts
In the month of December there is a certain feeling "in the air." I'd say this feeling comes from a long history of December being a month where the usual business, tasks, and aspirations of the year are taken off "center stage" and replaced for a short time with something else. The things that take center stage are spending quality time with family and friends and partaking in traditions like drinking eggnog, giving gifts, and decorating the home. The December tradition of focusing on these things brings real joy into our lives, for friendship - real friendship - is our heart's true desire. This life is not about making a lot of money. It's not about fun parties. It's not about being cooler or smarter than those around you. It's definitely not about getting your way. And it's not even about having great physical health. Life has nothing to do with our January through November mentalities. Rather, this life is about friendship. It's about quality time and good activities which nurture the joy that comes through being appreciated and appreciating others. For all of us, I hope, Decembers past have given us a taste of this.
In the Christian tradition we hold this conviction about the centrality of friendship in a particular way. It is being part of the family of God and the friendships therein that bring joy in its natural form. And not only joy, but also a deep, abiding and pure hope. For while quality time and good activities we have, they are disturbed by the January through November" world that still has a hold on us. And so our hope is in the One who has come and will come again, the One who will take the beauty of this season and bring it to maturity. The certain feeling that comes with December then, we say, is just a distant sense of the future. And as such it is a gift to be enjoyed.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Pastoral Thoughts:
Recently I have been thinking about mission statements. Like many groups, Christian-based organizations often have mission statements. For example, ABCUSA's is "Serving as the hands and feet of Christ." The seminary I graduaed form, with boldness has the mission statement, "To advance Christ's Kingdom in every sphere of life by equippin Church leaders to think theologically, engage globally and live biblically." LBC has something like a mission statement. Our constitution states that the "purpose of this organization" is to "(a) win people to a personal allegiance to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, (b) train them in Christian living and develop Christian character, (c) help spread the gospel of Christ."
I like all of these statements. They speak well to our convictions and remind us why we are here. But the broad picture they paint is not only a strength, but also a weakness. How do we today "win people to a personal allegiance to Jesus Christ," "train in Christian living," "spread the gospel?" This is not a question that has a simple, singular, and time-proven answer. For we today live in a world that is not what is was a generation or two ago. And as Americans, the majority of our culture is "post-Christian." This can be seen very clearly. One illustration: go to a bookstore and look for the Bibles. You will not only find the Holy Bible but many other kinds. Let's naarrrow our eamples to the so-called "food bibles." You will find: The Cook's Bible, Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible, The Cake Bible, The Healthy Juicer's Bible, just to name a few.
These titles may first strike us as funny but they also point to a very serious matter. We are part of a society which no longer treats the word "Bible" as distinct (let alone as a designator of what is holy.) The word "Bible" is publicly (ab)used for financial profit and the exultation of the culinary arts. And our society is fine with it. One thinks of the Apostle Paul's words to the Philippians, "their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." (3:19)
How are we to carry out our mission/purpose statement in such a world? First, as God's people, we have to know the Bible as well. And second, but just as important, we have to be "wise as serpents" (Matthew 10:16). It is our duty and privilege to be keen toward the newness and difference of the present times. In a post-Christian society, God's Word sits right next to The Cake Bible on the bookshelf. What is it that we can do to help people bypass grabbing the book with all he pretty pictures and, instead, grasp the Word of Truth?
Yours, Brooks
Recently I have been thinking about mission statements. Like many groups, Christian-based organizations often have mission statements. For example, ABCUSA's is "Serving as the hands and feet of Christ." The seminary I graduaed form, with boldness has the mission statement, "To advance Christ's Kingdom in every sphere of life by equippin Church leaders to think theologically, engage globally and live biblically." LBC has something like a mission statement. Our constitution states that the "purpose of this organization" is to "(a) win people to a personal allegiance to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, (b) train them in Christian living and develop Christian character, (c) help spread the gospel of Christ."
I like all of these statements. They speak well to our convictions and remind us why we are here. But the broad picture they paint is not only a strength, but also a weakness. How do we today "win people to a personal allegiance to Jesus Christ," "train in Christian living," "spread the gospel?" This is not a question that has a simple, singular, and time-proven answer. For we today live in a world that is not what is was a generation or two ago. And as Americans, the majority of our culture is "post-Christian." This can be seen very clearly. One illustration: go to a bookstore and look for the Bibles. You will not only find the Holy Bible but many other kinds. Let's naarrrow our eamples to the so-called "food bibles." You will find: The Cook's Bible, Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible, The Cake Bible, The Healthy Juicer's Bible, just to name a few.
These titles may first strike us as funny but they also point to a very serious matter. We are part of a society which no longer treats the word "Bible" as distinct (let alone as a designator of what is holy.) The word "Bible" is publicly (ab)used for financial profit and the exultation of the culinary arts. And our society is fine with it. One thinks of the Apostle Paul's words to the Philippians, "their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." (3:19)
How are we to carry out our mission/purpose statement in such a world? First, as God's people, we have to know the Bible as well. And second, but just as important, we have to be "wise as serpents" (Matthew 10:16). It is our duty and privilege to be keen toward the newness and difference of the present times. In a post-Christian society, God's Word sits right next to The Cake Bible on the bookshelf. What is it that we can do to help people bypass grabbing the book with all he pretty pictures and, instead, grasp the Word of Truth?
Yours, Brooks
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
In high school, I watched the clock which sat high upon the wall at the front of the classroom. During the last class period of the day, I was especially attentive to its movements. When the fastest(and therefore, clearly, the wisest) hand made its last lap around and consequently, the minute hand jerked and settled over the 9, Father Time's daily miracle was complete. It was 1:45 pm. The school bell burst forth, its loud ring declaring my freedom and giving my formless and empty mind shape and purpose. We students streamed from those classrooms, the clocks fading away behind us, and upon breaking through the last door, there was light and it was good.
During the sermons these past two months we have been looking at the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians. One thing that stands out to me is the apostle's call to rejoice. Christians are to be joyful people. The Philippians are urged to see that being joyful is not only a future hope, but to be a present personal experience. And so Paul exhorts them: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)
It took time, but the Lord eventually showed me (and still has to remind me now and then) that joy is not dependent upon the position of the clock's hands. We can spend our whole lives looking at the clock and calendar, putting our hope in the power of the school bell and its equivalents, but for those who are in Christ, no amount of time is to be wished away. It is not an accident that we are where we are. With this in mind, it might serve many (or all) of us to remember that old Sunday School song: "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made." Today is the day. The Lord is powerful and good. Let us rejoice.
Yours, Brooks
During the sermons these past two months we have been looking at the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians. One thing that stands out to me is the apostle's call to rejoice. Christians are to be joyful people. The Philippians are urged to see that being joyful is not only a future hope, but to be a present personal experience. And so Paul exhorts them: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)
It took time, but the Lord eventually showed me (and still has to remind me now and then) that joy is not dependent upon the position of the clock's hands. We can spend our whole lives looking at the clock and calendar, putting our hope in the power of the school bell and its equivalents, but for those who are in Christ, no amount of time is to be wished away. It is not an accident that we are where we are. With this in mind, it might serve many (or all) of us to remember that old Sunday School song: "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made." Today is the day. The Lord is powerful and good. Let us rejoice.
Yours, Brooks
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
June, 2013
Stephen Fowl, a professor of theology at Loyola College in Maryland, writes that as Christians have to "shift our notions of love away from the overly romantic and sentimentalized versions of love so common in our current culture. Instead we should see love as a 'habit.' Love needs to become an established disposition within us." I think this is good guidance from Professor Fowl. A prevalent assumption in our day is that love is a matter of the heart. But, all the more, love is a matter of the will; love is first and foremost about active commitment. Only secondarily is it about passive feelings.
Colleen and I are grateful to LBC for making our arrival and welcome a warm and joyful experience. When we pulled into the parsonage driveway for the first time with our U-Haul, we found ourselves stepping out into the unfamiliar. But the unfamiliar began to be driven out when many from the church soon pulled in behind us and with smiles and greetings helped us unpack the whole truck. Throughout our first month here the unfamiliar has continued to recede with our involvement in the church community and by meeting others in the Lamoine community. We are thankful for the love of God we have found here, a love which is active, which is caring; a love that causes us now to pull into the parsonage driveway and say, "We're home"
Yours,
Brooks and Colleen Linde
Stephen Fowl, a professor of theology at Loyola College in Maryland, writes that as Christians have to "shift our notions of love away from the overly romantic and sentimentalized versions of love so common in our current culture. Instead we should see love as a 'habit.' Love needs to become an established disposition within us." I think this is good guidance from Professor Fowl. A prevalent assumption in our day is that love is a matter of the heart. But, all the more, love is a matter of the will; love is first and foremost about active commitment. Only secondarily is it about passive feelings.
Colleen and I are grateful to LBC for making our arrival and welcome a warm and joyful experience. When we pulled into the parsonage driveway for the first time with our U-Haul, we found ourselves stepping out into the unfamiliar. But the unfamiliar began to be driven out when many from the church soon pulled in behind us and with smiles and greetings helped us unpack the whole truck. Throughout our first month here the unfamiliar has continued to recede with our involvement in the church community and by meeting others in the Lamoine community. We are thankful for the love of God we have found here, a love which is active, which is caring; a love that causes us now to pull into the parsonage driveway and say, "We're home"
Yours,
Brooks and Colleen Linde
Saturday, June 1, 2013
56 New padded folding chairs are here . If you would like to contribute, please mark your check or envelope. Cost is $30 per chair.
There is a summer sign up sheet at the front of the church for "coffee hour" refreshments after church. Volunteer alone or with a friend if you would like this chance to socialize.
There is a summer sign up sheet at the front of the church for "coffee hour" refreshments after church. Volunteer alone or with a friend if you would like this chance to socialize.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
LOST
By:
Stephen Hills
I went years
thinking my good works
were sending
me to that place.
I didn’t
know that it meant nothing
without
having faith.
I thought I
was wise enough
to know who
was evil and who was going to hell.
I didn’t
realize I was one of them
until that
day I fell.
I believed
God was our Creator
and I knew He
was there.
I just didn’t
do anything with it -
I didn’t
really care.
I didn’t
need God back then.
I was doing
just fine all on my own.
But life can
change in a split second
and
everything can be gone.
He could have
let me go that day,
but I
wouldn’t have been with Him.
Instead He
gave me a second chance
and for that
I will be grateful until the end.
Back then the
Bible meant nothing to me.
It was just a
book that religious people read.
Now that my
eyes have been opened,
I know it is
the only way my soul can be fed.
I can do
nothing on my own.
I am just an
ordinary man.
But with the
power of God
I can do
anything He says I can.
Someday I
will be in Heaven
and I will
learn the rest of the story.
But until
then I will remain here on earth
sharing God’s
glory
--------------------------------------------------------------------
GOD IS
THERE
By:
Stephen Hills
God is there
morning,
noon, and night.
God is there
with us
When we do
wrong or when we do right.
God was there
during our birth
And
throughout all of our life,
God made man
to be a
husband and for woman to be his wife.
God is there
when times are tough
and when
things are going good.
God is there
always
Like He
promised He would.
God is there
waiting patiently
for us to
hear His voice.
God is there
watching
over all of
His girls and boys.
God is there
when we are happy
And He is
there when we are sad.
God is there
for us to worship
whole
heartedly -He is not a temporary fad.
God was there
when they
crucified the Son of Man.
God was there
on the third
day
when Jesus
rose just as He planned.
God is there
when we are
jealous, angry, or when we complain.
God is there
for us always
and that will never change.
God is there
to forgive us
if we have faith in His one and only Son,
God makes
this wonderful gift available
God will not
be with those who fail to believe
that Jesus
died for our sins.
God will have
tears in his eyes
for all the
lost souls Satan wins.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free
Will
By:
Stephen Hills
Free will is
a gift from God,
that we will
never lose.
He
desperately wants us to love Him
and He allows
us to choose.
If we didn’t
have the choice,
we would
never know that He
is so good.
It wouldn’t
be real any other way
and this
God
understood.
Not everyone
chooses Him
and that
saddens God very much.
Some people
deny Him
because God
can’t be seen or touched.
God has the power
to make us do
what He wants.
He can make
us obey
Instead
He decided to
earn our love -
to Him there
was no other way.
He was
willing to sacrifice many
when He gave
us that power.
God so loves
us,
He will save
us even -
on our last
hour.
Don’t take
what God gave us for granted.
You may find
yourself on the other side,
I’m going
to follow Jesus
and when I
die,
Heaven is
where I will reside.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temptation
By:
Stephen Hills
Satin makes
it easy,
He tempts us
day and night.
God will not
let him have us,
without a
Spiritual fight.
Many material
things on earth
can easily be
earned.
Those things
mean nothing
and someday
will be burned.
What is of
value
we cannot
see.
It is the
Spirit of God
that lives
inside you and me.
Don’t be a
fool and give in to
the wants of
your flesh.
Denying
yourself from those things
is part of
the test.
Your pride
here on earth
can keep you
from the Lord,
being humble
and faithful is what He adores.
The answer is
simple
and is
available to all -
Follow Jesus
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
COMING SOON - POEMS FROM STEVE HILL ...
There are two items we would like to share with you in our final "epistle" as your Interim Ministry Team: Invitation and Appreciation.
Invitation: We invite you to attend some of the special Lenten season services:
Wed., March 13, 7 PM an East Area Assoc. mid-week lenten service at Lamoine Baptist Church. Guest speaker Rev. Matt Burden, Pastor of 2nd Baptist Church in Calais.
During Lent, we have been looking at our Lord's autobiographical assertions contained in "I AM" statements.
We hope you will join us.
Palm Sunday, March 24, 10:30 AM worship "I am the King of the Jews"
Maundy Thursday, March 28, 7 PM service of Communion and Tenabrae
Easter Sunday, March 31
6 AM Sunrise Service at Lamoine Beach
7 AM Easter Breakfast at the Church
10:30 AM Morning worship
"I am the Resurrection and the Life"
Appreciation: We are deeply grateful to the Lamoine Baptist Church family for the privilege of being part of this church's ministry for what will be eighteen months.
Thanks a million for all your prayers, suupport, encouragement and faithfulness.
May God continue to bless this church family and ministry and your new pastor and his wife as they join you in May.
Cordiallly in Him,
Foster and Mary Jane Williams
There are two items we would like to share with you in our final "epistle" as your Interim Ministry Team: Invitation and Appreciation.
Invitation: We invite you to attend some of the special Lenten season services:
Wed., March 13, 7 PM an East Area Assoc. mid-week lenten service at Lamoine Baptist Church. Guest speaker Rev. Matt Burden, Pastor of 2nd Baptist Church in Calais.
During Lent, we have been looking at our Lord's autobiographical assertions contained in "I AM" statements.
We hope you will join us.
Palm Sunday, March 24, 10:30 AM worship "I am the King of the Jews"
Maundy Thursday, March 28, 7 PM service of Communion and Tenabrae
Easter Sunday, March 31
6 AM Sunrise Service at Lamoine Beach
7 AM Easter Breakfast at the Church
10:30 AM Morning worship
"I am the Resurrection and the Life"
Appreciation: We are deeply grateful to the Lamoine Baptist Church family for the privilege of being part of this church's ministry for what will be eighteen months.
Thanks a million for all your prayers, suupport, encouragement and faithfulness.
May God continue to bless this church family and ministry and your new pastor and his wife as they join you in May.
Cordiallly in Him,
Foster and Mary Jane Williams
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