Click below for the Loving God...Loving Others 40 Day Devotion
September 6th, 2011

http://www.ridgedalebaptist.org/downloads/40daydevotionalforwebsiteRBC2011.pdf  

Posted by   |  0 Comment(s)  |  Leave a Comment

Be Mission Minded
May 4th, 2011

My across the street neighbor, Glenn, had a huge tree fall on his house and cars. He and his wife are okay, but their cars are totaled and their house has quite a bit of damage. They’re a little bit older and many times in the past, and many times this week I have told him that if they need anything at all, just call me.

Today, at about 7:30am, he called me. He said that rain was coming in and he wanted to cover up a portion of his roof where his attic was exposed. He said he would do it, but his doctor wouldn’t let him. I said, “Well if your doctor is there, get him to do it!”

Okay, I didn’t say, but I was thinking it. Why? Because I’m afraid of heights. Not just kind of, or just a little bit, but freak out and grab you and possibly pee my pants afraid of heights. But I couldn’t tell Glenn that because all week I kept saying, “If you need anything, anything at all, just call me.” I never said “Anything at all except things higher than 10 feet,” so I couldn’t add that qualifier now, could I?

So I put on some old jeans and a tshirt (I figured if I peed my pants I didn’t want it to be my work pants) and I went on over. “I really appreciate you coming over to help me,” he said right away as if he could sense me about to bolt at any second. “No problem,” I lied.

We went around back and he said, “My son has my good ladder, but this one will probably hold up okay.” No joke, he said that. That is NOT what you want to hear when you are hesitant to climb on the ladder anyway. I looked at the old, wooden, missing-a-couple-of-rungs ladder and I threw up in my mouth a little. He said, “Here, let me hand you the tarp and a hammer and a jar of roofing nails.” And I said okay thinking Well at least I can use this tarp as a makeshift parachute when this ladder collapses.

Long story short I got the tarp up where Glenn wanted it and got off the roof without dying. When I went back home Ashley said, “I saw you up on the roof, you did great; it didn’t look like you were scared at all.”

“Thanks,” I said, knowing she was probably just trying to make me feel better.

“Is the tarp waterproof?” she asked.

“Yes, it’s waterproof.”

“Are you sure,” she asked again, “I mean, how do you know?”

“It’s waterproof, trust me,” I said. “I’ve got to go take a quick shower.”

“But you already took a shower… oh wait… is it because you got sweaty?”

“Uhhh, yeah… it’s because I got sweaty,” I said not wanting to talk anymore about how I knew it was waterproof or why I needed another shower.

The moral of the story is this: Your days are filled with opportunities to be missional if you just look for them. They won’t always be “fun” or even be comfortable, but you’ll live through them and God will be glorified because of them, and while watching Dancing with the Stars and going on trips to see plays is fun, it’s not the reason we’re here. The reason we are here is to share the love of Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that He might be glorified through our lives and known more in our community and around the world.

Being Mission Minded is as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1)      Find someone in need,

2)      Help them as much as you can,

3)      Give God all the credit.

Posted by   |  0 Comment(s)  |  Leave a Comment

Lovebirds
April 12th, 2011

         Back in Marlow, the term “lovebirds” was applied (negatively) to people who were showing too much display of affection in public. I had no idea that the primary meaning of the word referred to a pair of parrots, multi-colored, native to Africa. The unique thing about these real “lovebirds” is that they bond to one another and to their owner in a most unusual way.

          I recently drove my wife to the hair salon. While she was doing her thing, I went to the local Dunkin’ Donuts and did my thing! I sat outside to enjoy the beautiful sunshine in spite of the heavy pollen count. Halfway through my cup of coffee, I saw two birds sitting on the table beside me. At the same table there was a woman working with her computer. Assuming that the birds had escaped their cage and been attracted to pieces of donuts on the patio, I asked the woman, “Are those your birds?” Almost before she could answer, I asked a second question, “Won’t they fly away?” “Oh, no.” she said calmly. “They’re lovebirds. They’re bonded to each other and to me.” The woman later went to retrieve something from her car – the birds stayed on the table. A family with five lively children walked by and the birds stayed on the table.

          The words of Jesus came to my mind and overwhelmed me: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish (John 10:27-28). The question I asked myself is, “Am I that bonded to Jesus?” Maybe we should ask ourselves that question more often.

Posted by   |  0 Comment(s)  |  Leave a Comment