Greetings disciple (who has been called to make further disciples),

I believe I have mentioned this in passing within the past two months, but I have recently been mulling on a thought: mission vs. missions.  The latter has the connotation of “doing missions”, while the former could best be thought of as living “on mission”.  Think of missions (not just a plural) as projects, out-reach events, and trips.  Think about missionaries; most of us are thinking about professional missionaries, getting paid (way too little), theologically trained, and serving “on the mission field” in some far-away place.  It is good and helpful to consider these things.

However, here’s a stumble we can experience if we aren’t careful: missions is out there.  A trip to some other place; a project is over there; an out-reach event is in a different place than where we are currently.  The “mission field” assumes another country, or another state.  Walnut Cove is a mission field too, and we’re here in it!  We don’t need to take a trip, we can do missions right here!  Heck, for that matter, we don’t even need to have projects or out-reach events.  We can just live our lives as missionaries wherever we go and whatever we do.  After all, when Pastor A.J. preaches on Matthew 28 (the Great Commission), he tells us we are called to make disciples by going, by baptizing, and by teaching; I remember him say that we can be “going” to school, or to the grocery store, or to work, or the bank, or the ball game.  Just tonight in bible study he quoted Charles H. Spurgeon as saying “every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter”.

So which is it, is a missionary me, living my life here in Stokes County, or is a missionary a man or woman living in a foreign country?  Both!  Bear with me, there is a point coming, I promise!  We are all called to be ministers/servants; we are all called to be missionaries.  You have a moral obligation to be a disciple, who makes disciples.  This assumes a willingness to participate in evangelism, sharing the great Good News with lost people who need to experience the salvation of Jesus.  This can be done along the way in your day-to-day life; this can also be done in strategic events/programs/projects/trips/etc.  Either way, it requires intentionality to be a missionary.  Whether on a trip, or participating in a local project within our church family, or just living day-to-day with your co-workers or class-mates or neighbors, we must be intentional if we ever want to evangelize and disciple anyone.

Missions helps us cultivate this intentionality.  Many of you can attest, that participating in a trip can focus us to pray, study scripture, prepare ourselves to maximize our efforts for Kingdom impact.  Really, we ought to live our lives every day in that mind-set.  In many of my experiences, I have learned things on a mission trip that serve as a learning laboratory, practices and principles that we can apply here in North Carolina.

Let me warn you against making either of two grave mistakes.  First, do not view missions with an “over there” mind-set.  Don’t view missions as a special occasion thing.  We should live an “on mission” life style all day, every day.  Second, do not focus so much on living the missionary life style each day that you devalue strategic trips and partnerships.  Yes, we have plenty of lost people here in Walnut Cove, we certainly don’t have to go to a far away land to evangelize and make disciples, but Acts 1:8 calls us to have an “ends of the earth” heart behind missions.  Matthew 28 calls us to make disciples of “all the nations (or ethnic groups)”.

By living a missionary life day-to-day, we allow God to reveal and hone our gifts.  This cultivates within us a desire to exercise these gifts in a strategic way, working together to maximize our impact.  We should do mission projects in and around our church.  We should build partnerships; we are using the Acts 1:8 model of concentric circles.  We are working to strengthen partnerships here in “Jerusalem”, around our “Judea”, out into “Samaria”, and to the “ends of the earth”.  As we discover, and strengthen, and solidify our partnerships in each of these circles, God will call us to better equip ourselves, and give, and pray, and go.  All of these things will focus us on maximizing Kingdom impact, seeing souls saved and lives changed.  This, in turn, will underscore our need to live day-to-day “on mission” with great intentionality.  Thinking about “doing missions” is helpful for our church corporately, and helpful for us individually.  Thinking about living “on mission” is helpful, individually and corporately too.  Thinking about one can help us better appreciate the other.  Just pondering the idea of mission vs. missions forces us into a “both and” mentality.  I hope a spark may ignite in your heart as it has been in mind in recent months!  Let’s each be missionaries, together!

Is your life a channel of blessing;
is the love of God flowing through you;
are you telling the lost of the Savior;
are you ready His service to do?
--A.J.

Greetings followers of Jesus!

Last month, I attempted to shoot across your “bow” with some probing questions about why you’re here, a part of this church family.  Though consumerism is not in and of itself an evil thing, it would be incredibly dangerous if it proved to be the long and short of why we’re here.  This month, I want to continue to push the “why” thought.  If indeed you’re here because you have been profoundly changed by a personal relationship with Jesus, don’t you want others to hear and respond to the Good News too?

I have been working in recent months on building a “missions menu” for our church.  My goal is to have that published and available for circulation by the end of September.  In working through this project, I have been reading about missions (with a S at the end) vs. living “on mission”.  I know, I haven’t even defined either term, but suffice it (for this month) to think of these as flip-sides of the same coin, feeding one another.  Both apply to the church corporately.  Both apply to individual believers.  As I mentioned a few Sundays ago, do you love your neighbor so little, as to sit back and let them whistle their way into hell?

With this in mind, I want to continue to mull through some items publicly.  As always, if you have opinions, or passions, or thoughts about anything below, my door is open to you.  I would love nothing more than discuss these things with you.  As I percolate, I hope you see what I have seen, recently, about strong biblical leadership within the Church.

Though there are a few rare exceptions, our Deacons meet monthly.  I meet with them; occasionally, others meet with them too (committee chairs, our Financial Secretary, etc.) when we have particular issues to discuss.  Deacons’ meetings cover LOTS of items, from financial stewardship and “business items” to prayer concerns, pastoral care of the flock, and strategic planning.  Some months, the bulk of our time is spent on “ash and trash issues (Col. Cohn’s Army term)”; other months, we get to discuss the spiritual health of our congregation and its members.  In April, our agenda was relatively thin, and we had the freedom to discuss more important matters than “ash and trash” business: missions!!

We talked about our current irons in the fire: the adoption of Heritage Apartments, partnership with East Stokes Outreach Ministry, partnership with The Pregnancy Network, partnership with the Back Yard Bible club in Germanton, on-going efforts to rebuild in the mountains, and Hope Kitchen (I already fear this list is not exhaustive).  We talked for 30 seconds about the logistics of the “Kitchen” side of that ministry, and about 15 minutes about the “Hope” side of that ministry.  The pressing question that we’ve all been mulling: how can we take the existing vehicle of Hope Kitchen, leveraging relationships and building upon it, and “dial up the spiritual temperature” of serving our neighbors in need within a 10-mile radius of 415 Summit Street?  Can we train our delivery drivers in more overt evangelism; do we collect requests from our neighbors and follow-up to potentially meet more needs; do we go deeper with the existing list; do we go broader by networking and growing the list; do we partner together with other churches to go twice per month?  These are all ways to bring this ministry to a spiritual “boil” in the months/years ahead.

In addition to chewing on how to better serve and love our neighbors locally, we prayed about potential missions partnerships.  Many of us remember the great partnership we had through the North American Mission Board in Vermont, from 2012 through 2018.  Do we do that again; do we do something similar in another locale; do we investigate opportunities through existing networks?  I am unapologetically in favor of having a “Samaria” partnership (within an eight-hour drive or so) and an “ends of the earth” partnership abroad (Acts 1:8).  I am so thankful that we have so many high-quality “Jerusalem” and “Judea” partnerships already (after all, I am building a menu!).  One of our Deacons, whose Rolodex is thick, has made some contacts in a Caribbean nation.  We heard about what that opportunity could involve, and prayed that God would give us wisdom as we discern this, and asked God to either slam this door in our face or blow it open for us to walk through.

I am so profoundly grateful that THESE are the things being discussed in YOUR Deacons’ meetings.  These are the things our church needs to be discussing.  These are the kinds of things that ought to be on all of our minds.  If we are going to be a refuge that makes and sends disciples, we need to be growing and equipping one another as carriers of the Good News, such that we can carry it where God is leading us to carry it (by the way, this may be a corporate effort with teams and ministry groups, but this may also involve individual callings/efforts).  Not only am I profoundly thankful for this being what we discussed (fear not, we have never neglected the “ash and trash” too), I am also profoundly thankful for those discussing it.  I had a pretty good idea already what was in the hearts of these Deacons, but it was so refreshing to hear from their hearts in that April meeting.  THIS is the kind of leader our church needs; this is the kind of leader God’s Kingdom needs!  May God bless us as we raise up a new generation of leaders whose hearts are like this!  Over the past decade, we have nearly completely shed the use of “board”.  To be clear, our Deacons do not serve as a Board of Directors, nor do they want to.  They want to “deac”, in the biblical sense; they are first and foremost servants, servants of the flock, and servants of Jesus.  I have many peers who do not enjoy Deacons’ meetings; I tell them how much I love ours, and why.  Join me, join your Deacons, join your staff, in praying over these matters, that God would reveal to us where He’d have us to go.  May we follow His leadership, and be the proclaimers of the Good News that He calls us all to be!

O God of might, o Son of light, o Holy Spirit sweet,
Thy Church expand ‘til all shall stand at Jesus’ pierc-ed feet;
let all who once Thy Son disowned, rejoice to see Him now enthroned,
yet while one straying soul there be, send me, o Lord, send me!
--A.J.

Hello fellow disciples of Jesus!

Let’s talk about tariffs!  No, I kid; you ought to know well by now, how strongly I loathe political issues diluting the Good News we proclaim to one another and our neighbors.  Given the current monetary and fiscal climates in our country, I have been reminded in recent days of some of the principles I learned in one of my macro-economics classes (at the greatest university in the history of the world!), and sheer heft of American consumerism.  I remember my professor comparing our country to a vacuum cleaner, able to suck up anything and everything from across the globe.  Apparently (in his opinion) the buying power of American markets was so strong, other countries would suffer economic hardship more quickly and more intensely than we ever will, because of our willingness and desire to purchase stuff, lots and lots of stuff.

American consumerism can be a beautiful thing.  If you create a “thing” that meets a need (or want), market your “thing” to the right people, and make enough of your “thing” to sell to the people who want it, you can build a business, feed your family, and even retire comfortably.  Very few countries can provide the opportunities of such economic liberty, like we can.  Our consumerism can be a powerful thing, as I have already articulated.  Our consumerism can also be a dangerous thing, extremely dangerous…

-Why are you a member of First Baptist Church?
-What do you get out of it?
-Why do you come on Sunday mornings?
-Why should you bring your children, or invite your friends and neighbors?

These questions are not good or bad, they are morally neutral.  They are just questions.  It’s not wrong to have answers to these questions; depending upon the answers I get, I may be inclined to ask a different series of questions, however.  Only a fool would argue that we receive no personal benefit from being a part of a church family – we better!!  Given the nature of high-quality relationships, we may even stand to gain in social circles or business ventures.  There is nothing wrong with those things being a happy side-effect of being part of a church family.  If what we get OUT OF church drives our answers though, we have missed an important thing about being part of a church family.

Not only is it not wrong to answer these questions, neither is it wrong to ask these questions as a church hoping to gain more guests and members over time.  We should consider what we have to offer, and offer it well.  For crying out loud, our major emphasis this year is FirstImpressions (everyone should thank Karen Hicks for her leadership in this ministry)!  Identifying our strengths and gifts, leaning into these, and working to leverage these as we build relationships is a good exercise for any church.  Knowing our weaknesses is helpful too.  Are there glaring things, needing our attention to strengthen, or do we need to get healthier in some area?  Another good question for our consideration.

These questions have a place in assessing things across our church, or any church.  These questions, however, if we are not careful, can become mis-placed into an incredibly unhealthy priority.  If sheer attractionism drives our decision-making, that is not good.  If our good desire to have guests, becomes a false god of church growth, it is not good.  If, in attempts to become more attractive to non-believers (and for sure, we should become more attractive to non-Christians), we water-down the truths we declare in song, or weaken our preaching to an ear-tickling endeavor, or waffle upon what sin is, or capitulate to secular culture, this is very, very bad indeed.
 
Are Americans consumers?  Yes.  Are lost sinners around Walnut Cove suffering from a consumeristic mind-set?  Yes.  Are these the same people we are actively striving to reach with the love of Jesus?  Yes.  Should we think strategically about how to better attract those consumers?  Yes.  Are we willing to make some changes in an effort to better accommodate our guests?  Yes.  Are we willing to compromise on the truths of our faith to get there?  Emphatically NO!

Are you an American consumer?  Yes (on behalf of Food Lion, I thank you).  Are you here because our Sanctuary is the prettiest (we all know it is)?  Are you here because our music is the best (no one can out-sing our Choir)?  Are you here because we have the best children’s ministry (SONquest is)?  Are you here because of my preaching (you have better options, believe me)?  Are you here because you are building your Rolodex (does anyone have a Rolodex anymore)?

Are you here because your heart has been absolutely wrecked by the grace of Jesus, and you can’t not gather to lift high His name?  Are you here because you hunger and thirst for His righteousness, and have a visceral need to ingest the Word of God, studying and ruminating and applying it?  Are you here because you are attempting to obey Jesus new mandate (the evening before He was crucified) to love one another?  Are you here to love others and be loved by one another?  Are you here to take, or are you here to give?  Are you here to give of your time, talents, and treasures, knowing that you have received more from God that you can ever hope to give?  Are you here to join us on mission?  Are you here to love and serve our neighbors?  Are you here to join us in making disciples, as we go, as we baptize, and as we teach (Matthew 28:19-20)?  In the months ahead, I will unpack some of these thoughts further, but I want this to be a shot across the bow, forcing you to think through and pray about why we’re here.  I hope you agree with me: let’s repent for having been here at various points in the past, for selfish reasons; let’s push our personal agendas and preferences to the back burner; let’s commit ourselves to being here to serve (knowing that we too will be served along the way).  Why are you here?  I am glad you’re here!

Thou, my everlasting portion, more than friend or life to me,
all along my pilgrim’s journey, Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure, nor for fame my prayer shall be;
gladly will I toil and suffer, only let me walk with Thee!
--A.J.

Up from the grave He arose,

with a mighty triumph over His foes; He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with His saints to reign; He arose, He arose, hallelujah Christ arose!!  There are certain songs that we sing around Resurrection Sunday each year.  Some of these (like “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”) clearly belong around the feast/festival of the Resurrection on the calendar each year.  Others, in my opinion, are fair game to be sung any and every Sunday.  Not everyone shares this opinion with me, but not everyone can be right all the time, haha!  In Acts 19:7, Paul was in the middle of his third missionary journey.  We read that “we (including Dr. Luke)” reached the town of Troas.  “On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread.”  Scholars debate what bread they were breaking; it could have been a “love feast” (Jude 12) where the church shared a common meal and experienced fellowship.  It could also have been a very explicit reference to observing the Lord’s Supper; it’s also likely that sharing in the Lord’s Supper was part of a larger meal together.  Either way, we know that the church of Troas was gathering to share in brotherly fellowship.  We also read that they heard from Paul.  Was he “preaching”, or was it a round-table discussion?  Either way, like any good preacher, “he extended his message until midnight”!

In the New Testament letters, we find that this gathering on the “first day of the week” became a norm across the Church.  Why?  Because, on “the first day of the week (John 20:1)”, Jesus emptied His own grave!!  For two millennia, Christians have referred to Sunday as “the Lord’s Day”, because that’s the day that made the Good News good.  We could debate the appropriateness of “Good Friday”; it was a day that brought good to mankind, but it most certainly was not a good day for Jesus.  Sunday, however, was a good day by any standard!  It was that day, when sin/death was finally defeated, once and for all!  The Good News, without the resurrection of King Jesus, is just News.  So, it’s the Lord’s Day, and very early on in the New Testament, it became the pattern of the Church to gather on the Lord’s Day to worship together.

I have a friend who has been struggling to reconcile the Old Testament instructions regarding a sabbath day and the New Testament pattern of worship on the Lord’s Day.  To be clear, the principle of a sabbath pre-dates the Old Covenant (Law).  Instructions for food were given in Exodus 16, and they were modeled after the pattern established by the Creator in Genesis 1.  Many of the rules and regulations surrounding sabbath observance are found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, but the idea of rest and worship clearly comes before the Law is received.  If you want to make your day of rest and worship the “sixth day”, as in Saturday, feel free to do so.  We could also debate which day of the week should start the week and what calendar we ought to use, but I digress.  The key here, for us as followers of Jesus, is to take to heart the beauty of the gift of rest, and to rightly practice a life-style of worship.  After all, in Mark 2:27, Jesus reminds the Pharisees that “the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath.”  Honor God in your home, let your conscience be your guide, and allow for fellow brethren to charitably disagree.

As for our church, so long as I am a pastor here, we shall gather on the Lord’s Day, and lift high the name of Jesus in praise!  We know that He fulfilled the Law and all it’s commands; we know that because of the ministry of our great High Priest, we are not bound to the Law.  We will continue to strive to better appreciate God’s gift of rest; we will continue to strive to better observe a sabbath (regardless of day), accepting God’s gift of rest.  We will continue to exercise worship as a lift-style, and we will celebrate the resurrection of the Christ, each and every Lord’s Day!

Christ the Lord is risen today, sons of men and angels say,
raise your joys and triumphs high, sing ye heavens, and earth reply:
allelujah!
--A.J.

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;

I want Thee forever to ransom my soul; break down every idol, cast out every foe; now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.  Boy, what a prayer!  I do love singing songs that are direct prayers to God.  I enjoy songs of high praise, declaring who God is.  I enjoy songs that lift my heart, and get me excited about Jesus.  I enjoy songs that tell about the depth and breadth of our sin, and that “His Mercy is More”!  Songs get me excited; some cause me to tap my toe.  Rodney Ashburn gets a kick out of me stomping my foot really hard in some songs; maybe it can be felt all the way in the third row of the Choir’s loft.  Songs can cause our souls to be flooded with passion.

I like secular songs too.  Growing up in the band, we played lots of 1970s rock and roll songs; it resulted in some unnecessary bonding with my parents!  My favorite songs are the ones you sing when you are sad.  There are tons of non-Christian songs that can soothe a hurting soul; there is even a whole category of “break up songs”.  Songs like “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and “Rock Of Ages, Cleft for Me” and “It Is Well with My Soul” are helpful to me.  They bring comfort to me when my soul simply needs to cry out to God.  They remind me that He is in control, He is constant and unwavering, and He loves me more than I deserve.

The evening of February 16, we hosted our local Ministerial Association’s quarterly community-wide service.  During that service, we sang seven congregational songs.  Three of them, were hymns from our hymnal; one of those was “so old it’s new” to some people and the other two were common in hymnals across denominational lines.  Two of the seven songs used an accompaniment track through our audio system; one was a medley of 30-year-old songs, while “Goodness of God” was just written in 2019.  The two remaining songs had Ms. Leigh playing on the piano, but are too new to be in the hymnal; one is commonly known across denominational lines; the other I had to introduce, because I assumed that most churches wouldn’t know it yet.  In the most recent meeting of our Ministerial Association, we discussed the eclectic mix of songs in that worship service.  We talked about Ms. Leigh’s excellent accompaniment, we liked our use of technology, but most importantly, we talked about how old stuff and new stuff can all help us lift our hearts to God.

That’s our goal every Sunday.  Whether you like the current song or not, I hope you’ll like the next one.  There are some weak lyrics out there; and I am careful to make sure all of our songs are theologically sound, but the tune and the style are secondary to me.  Our goal is to lift our hearts to God, and we aim to have our music facilitate that as much as possible.

When our Choir prays on Wednesday evenings, we often pray for those of you sitting in the pews, listening to our efforts.  Our prayer is that you are not just passively listening to others sing.  Our prayer is that your heart is stirred, and that you are active participants in worship, whether you are singing or not.  “I can’t sing well” you might say.  Save it!  Do you get a note or two wrong; did you mess up the rhythm?  Who cares!?!  The only audience we perform for, is an audience of One.  Was there joy in your voice as you lift high the name of Jesus?  Were you excited to declare profound biblical truth out loud?  Did you throw your head back and lift your hands up?  Did you stand in stunned silence, in awe and wonder at who He is?  Are these outward expressions a reflection of a heart that has been given to God in praise?  That’s what matters!

Aren’t you thankful for the gift of music and what it does for your soul?  It helps us express our joy, or pain.  It assists us when we just need to cry out to God.  It makes us happy; it comforts us in times of grief.  Just instrumental music is beautiful, but the songs we sing, cause us to lift our voices directly to God.  They allow us to declare to one another who He is and what He does.  As thankful as I am for the gift of music, I am all the more thankful for the truths worth declaring: in word and in deed and in song!

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause; I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame.  I’d father be true to His holy name
than to be a king of a vast domain, or be held in sin’s dread sway.
I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.
--A.J.

O, the weather outside is frightful,

The fire is so delightful!  Since, we’ve no place to go, let it snow; let it snow; let it snow!!  I recognize that I am writing this to you on a day when the high temperature is 57° F., but in recent days it has indeed been cold, freezing cold.  I can look out the window of the office that still feels weird to call “mine”, and see snow that fell on January 10.  I can only hope everyone has taken precaution in recent weeks to avoid burst water pipes in their homes.  I also hope that everyone has remained warm within their homes.  I think we’ve all worn more articles of clothing than normal; perhaps some of us have fire-places (with gas logs?), or wood stoves, or we’ve had many a cup of cocoa or coffee or tea just to keep cozy in these temperatures.  In recent days, I have become acutely aware of those who struggle to remain warm.  Some of our neighbors have wood burning heat, and have struggled to afford wood.  Some of our [elderly] neighbors can’t put their thermostats much higher than 60° if they want to be able to purchase their prescription drugs this month.

Just within the past few days, I have learned that over in King, people are being invited to a “warming station”.  It breaks my heart to know that any of our neighbors, ever, struggle to keep warm.  Does Walnut Cove need a “warming station”?  If so, what role to we as a church (corporately) play in blessing our community in this way?  …in other ways?

In recent months, we have discussed a missions strategy as a church family.  We have been praying, collectively, asking God to reveal where He is calling us to go to reach “the nations” as the Great Commission tells.  Acts 1:8 calls us to the “ends of the earth”; which “end” is our “end”?  Do we own [the lostness of] a people group that has never before heard the name of Jesus?  Do we partner with a missionary in a particular place long term?  Do we invest in an international and/or an American and/or a regional partnership over 5, or 7, or 12 years?

Just this-past month, I made my gift to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for the 2024-25 year.  I am SO grateful for the tremendous work of our International Mission Board.  As I gave, I was reminded that we in the church “hold the rope” for our missionaries that go “over the ledge” even when we can’t; I am so glad to do so.  At the same time, I was challenged by the Holy Spirit: am I JUST going to throw money at missions, or am I willing to go too?  If we are going to invest long-term in broader missions (international or not), and the New Testament makes abundantly clear that we should, it ASSUMES that we are living on mission here at home every day.  Are we giving (dollars or time) to the efforts of our church?  Good, thank you!  Are we also willing to go and make disciples, right here in Stokes County?

What are we, corporately, doing to serve and love our neighbors better?  What are we doing, individually, to serve and love our neighbors?  Are we being faithful disciples – followers – of Jesus?  Are we abiding in Him; are we walking with Him daily?  Do we look a bit more like Him today, than we did yesterday?  As disciples, are we going – to school or work, to the bank or the grocery store, across the street, home to be with relatives, intentionally or unintentionally, near or far – to make disciples?  As John Wesley wrote about his own conversion experience: his heart was “strangely warmed” while reading.  Are others warmer because they got to be with you today?  Are bodies, and souls, warmer as a result of our faithful witness?  Are we loving, and serving, and blessing others as disciples, who go and make disciples?

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
and help me to make a complete sacrifice;
I give up myself, and whatever I know,
now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow,
--A.J.

Greetings dear friends!

I write to you on Tuesday, December 24 (fear not, the Eve hasn’t begun yet), and I just got my shopping complete.  I have been behind the curve for over a week now.  After a busy working weekend, I took a lazy Monday off, only to wake up with a 103°F fever on Tuesday.  After taking what felt like half a bottle of Tylenol, I felt a bit better on Wednesday, but after the encouragement of everyone in our staff meeting, I stayed home instead of attending Treat Night.  I was so guilty missing out on our children’s program, but that night is when my throat began to burn, and I discovered white nodules on my tonsils.  Thursday, I was diagnosed with streptococcus and began taking an anti-biotic.  The doctor told me that I should be non-contagious by Saturday morning, and that I may be able to sing by this week, to which I thought “well, we’ll see about that”.

I say all these things not to engender pity or sympathy, because there are many who have had health issues much more critical than mine of late.  I say these things, because I want to high-light several people that have very intentionally gone out of their way to make my life easier, just so that I can have a little less stress and a little more time to rest and recuperate.  Pastor Pat told me in staff meeting on December 18 that he would go ahead and prepare a sermon so that I didn’t have to preach.  Tuesday, Rodney Ashburn and crew relieved me of any Treat assembly responsibility.  Wednesday, Braydon and Pat released me of any responsibility as Treat Night was executed.  Saturday, Braydon handled re-assembling the Choir Loft so that I didn’t have to.  Sunday afternoon, Lisa Ore owned serving hot cider to the Choir after our rehearsal.  Monday, Pastor Pat, Mark Moore, Lee Smith, and Ronald Watts handled delivering the lion’s share of our left-over Treats to our elderly shut-in members.  Each and every one of these people went out of their way to do something, simply so that I didn’t have to do it.

It is an incredibly humbling thing to be laid up physically.  I don’t get very sick, very often, but from time to time it is as if God sits me down in order to get my attention.  Many of you know that I am a bit of a control freak, and I say it’s a humbling experience because for God to so acutely remind me that I am a weak, frail creature goes hand in hand with a reminder that is an all-sovereign Creator, and that He doesn’t need me to be in control (of my health, or anything else).

I am further humbled, and filled with gratitude for all these folks who actively removed responsibilities from my “plate”.  Yes, I know our Deacons enjoy visiting with our shut-ins; yes, I know that Pat loves to preach; yes, I know that people enjoy assembling Treat bags, but many of these people very intentionally did these things simply to be a blessing to me.  I am so thankful to these folks, and all those who have been praying for my stress and my body.  Finally, I am encouraged and reminded that we have such smart, capable people who can do anything.  Pastor Jim used to teach me about the “hit by a bus” preparation; he would always remind me that [God forbid] something tragic happened to him, save preaching and teaching, everything in our church would continue to function perfectly.  God continues to convict this control freak that it would take a rather poor leader to make more things dependent upon him, when he ought to just let people do what God has gifted them to do.  In other words, First Baptist Church doesn’t need me; she needs God, and she has gifted leaders who can manage things just fine when I am sick.  This is an encouraging thing to me, and a liberating thing.  Through this, God has reminded me to devote myself to the things only I can do; in so doing, I’ll be an even stronger leader, and our church will be even healthier!  Well, it’s time for my next pill.  Aren’t we thankful for God’s lessons, even when we’re lying in a sick bed?

Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand;
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light;
take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.
--A.J.

Salutations brethren,

Thanksgiving Day is a favorite of mine.  As an American, I know we have much for which to be thankful.  I think it’s wonderful that our country observes such a day, but it should serve as a reminder that for the follower of Jesus, every day should be a day where we give thanks to God.  If you are one of “those people” on Friday, I will pray for you.  I look forward to a couple of days off (during which I’ll write a sermon), but I am a bit nervous about what follows on my calendar.  We’ll have Hope Kitchen on Saturday, November 30.  Sunday afternoon, December 1, we will go to Heritage Apartments.  Monday evening, December 2, we will have our annual Firemen’s Supper.  Wednesday morning, Thursday afternoon/evening, and Saturday, December 4/5/7, we will execute our location of the Toy Store.  Wednesday evening, December 4, will be a V.B.S. night for SONquest.  I eagerly await a nap on Sunday afternoon, December 8; from that point, I’ll have two-and-a-half weeks to get my shopping done.  Thankfully, things will calm down for me after December 8, because we will have Treat Night on December 18 and the Candle-light Service on Sunday evening, December 22.

Some of you may have a bit less ink spilled in your calendar than I do, but I feel confident that others of you have jam-packed schedules that are even fuller than mine.  Some of you know how much I love my ‘ba humbug’ hat; if you have your car radio tuned to 99.5fm WMAG, I can’t in good conscience ride with you, and the decor makes me break out in hives.  I am convinced that our culture makes things more stressful than they need to be.  Between special events, and extra chores, and heightened expectations, tensions run high.  Some people are at their worst during this time of the year – please don’t give anyone reason to think this of you.  For others, these are particularly hard days each year; hearts are heavy as we contemplate who isn’t at the dinner table this time around.  Let’s all take a deep breath, slow down where we can, so that we can treat one another with patience and grace.

As we pause, let’s also remember why we call these holy days (holi-days): because it’s during these days that we prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming of the Messiah.  If your decorations and sweaters and egg nog draw you to worship the Son, by all means, do it!  Is it possible, however, that simplifying things and toning down some of the trappings could free us up to consider giving God a bit more of our minds and hearts?  Let’s all work together to fight the temptations that cause the Lord Jesus to get lost in the fray of all the other stuff.  The Prophet Isaiah (9:6) was given a word about the Messiah: for unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.  Jesus was born, but the pre-existent eternal Son, the second person of the trinity, who became a human, was given…unto us.  Why?  So that He might live a sinless life, so that He might be uniquely qualified as an atoning sacrifice, so that He would lay down His life for our sin.  The Son was given…to die…for us.  As we consider the incarnation of the Son, let’s be moved to worship Him.  What about this season might cause you to be distracted from worshiping Him in spirit and truth?

O come, Desire of Nations, bind all peoples in one heart & mind;
bid envy, strife, & quarrels cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace,
--A.J.

Dear friends,

(If that expression is good enough for Jesus’ younger half-brother, as we read in the past month, it’s good enough for me!)  I write to you on Tuesday, October 29, and two Sundays ago we wrapped up a sermon series through the letter from Judas/Jude/Judah.  I thoroughly enjoyed that sermon series, and I hope you did too!  This-past Sunday, I began a brief (three-week; well, at this point I think it will be three Sundays; we never really know what God has in store) series reminding us of our mission statement and articulating a vision for our church moving forward.  As I articulated in the autumn of 2022, we want to lean into our values, while seeing what God would have us to see, so that we might go where God would have us to go.  I am NOT trying to reinvent anything this time around, simply keep these thoughts and principles from two years ago, fresh in our minds.  May we be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, going where He would have us to go, getting there the way He would have us to get there.

As we think about this journey together, I am flooded with excitement.  As we bear back into standard time (where we belong year-long!!) and the temperatures lower, it warms my heart to get my long sleeves back out!  On the fourth Thursday of November, our country will observe Thanksgiving Day (and if you’re a civilized human being, you’ll wait until then to put up a tree and play “that” music!!).  Over the next 10 weeks or so, my calendar will be filled with family dinners and festive gatherings, lots of poultry and ham, and many a “seasonal greeting”.  As we greet one another, and visit, sharing stories and merry making, I am always reminded of how much I have for which to be thankful.  It is good that our great country observes a Thanksgiving Day, but I shouldn’t have to remind you, that for the follower of Jesus, every day ought be a day of thanks-giving.  A dear saint in our church family (who has gone on to be with Jesus) once told me that she didn’t like the hymn Count Your Blessings; she wasn’t able to count all of hers.  I told her “that’s the point, just start”.

We, as a church family, have much for which to be thankful.  We have, perhaps, the most handsome piece of property in Walnut Cove.  On it, we have a great facility, in great shape, that far exceeds our needs.  We are debt-free and have money in the bank.  Our greatest resource (as I am so often reminded) is that of “human capital”!  We have a great staff and volunteers, ministry leaders and committees, faithful servants of God, many of whom serve quietly below even my radar.  We have received about a dozen “yellow cards” since Easter, and guests continue to bless us with their presence.  We have a New Life Center teeming with little ones and staff, many of whose families have no church home.  We have a good reputation in this county, with many of our neighbors knowing us as “the church that feeds every body at the end of the month”.  We have relationships and partners in ministry, and opportunities to make profound Kingdom impact.

As God drives us to our knees in profound thankfulness, let’s seek His face together.  Let’s seek His will for our church in the days ahead.  Let’s pray that He will show us what He wants us to see, and let’s be willing to leverage every man-hour, and square foot of real estate, and every cent in the bank, and every networking relationship we have to see souls saved and lives changed.  We want every man, woman, and child in the southeastern quarter of Stokes County to see, hear, and respond to the Good News.  O, that we would begin to count our blessings, be thankful for them, and use them to bless others.  Above all, we are thankful to have a Good News.  A Good News of salvation in Jesus’ name; a message of His gracious love for us, bearing our sins, conquering death, and giving us eternal life in its place!  This News is Good indeed; good enough to tell, good enough that we want others to hear it!  Are we telling it?

Serve YHWH with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
Enter His gates giving thanks and His courts with praise!
--A.J.

Happy New Year brethren!

I think it’s a great thing that North Carolina is a “swing state”, but I am growing exceedingly exhausted by the political advertisements on television, on our once-pretty road ways, even embedded within my pod casts!  I’m going to go [not too far] out on a limb and guess that you are growing weary of the coming election also.  I would like to kindly inform you that the dead line to register to vote in the coming federal election is Friday, October 11.  If you are eighteen years old, a citizen, and haven’t lost your right to vote as a criminal, PLEASE make sure you are registered to vote.  As citizens of God’s Kingdom, let’s be the best citizens this country has!

As if they haven’t been already, the coming month-and-change will be extremely divisive, public discourse will be toxic, and we will have 1,001 ways to greatly tarnish our Christian witness and taint the name of Jesus if we are not incredibly careful.  If you’ll allow me, I would like to encourage you to adopt my personal rules surrounding the up-coming election.  I have set these down for myself after much prayer, and I hope you find them to be written in a spirit of humility.  First, bite your tongue and avoid at all costs the temptation to say “I can’t believe a Christian would vote for X (candidate), Y (party), or Z (ballot measure, policy, etc.)!”  Good and godly spiritual siblings may have different understandings of particular issues, applications of God’s Word, or policy priorities.  Perhaps these spiritual siblings of ours are “younger brothers/sisters”; let’s not throw a stumbling block into the path of a fellow believer, regardless of how mature they may or may not be, besmirching them and condemning their opinion.  Second, let’s avoid assuming the worst about those with whom we do not agree.  Whether the person is a fellow believer or not, let’s practice Christian charity and avoid considering them A) stupid, or B) evil.  As an extension of this charity, let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt and presume they genuinely want the betterment of our country and society.  Third, don’t take your opinion, or party, or candidate too seriously.  Be light hearted, good humored, and willing to concede points, acknowledging weaknesses in your own opinions, if you happen to be in a deep conversation about politics in the days ahead.  Fourth, if you “evangelize” a party or candidate this month, it could dilute your ability to practice genuine evangelism next month.  Remember Whose you are; take care before sullying His name, and hindering your own ability to witness (yes, this includes social media).  Fifth, maintain a biblical perspective.  Our hope is not of this world.  No one will go to heaven because the “good guy” wins in November; and even if the “bad guy” wins, God will still be on the throne.  Let’s join the Lord in the business of seeing souls saved and lives changed.  This will help us fight the temptation to view anyone or anything as a savior of anything, besides Jesus.

If you are like me, and really want to just stay home on November 05, let me remind you that local and state races tend to impact our lives more than the results of the presidential election or the Congress.  So even if you write in Jim Cohn for president, please vote for the races down the ballot.  Take a day, educate yourself about the races and the candidates, pray over these decisions, and honestly strive to honor God when you cast your ballot.  I don’t expect you all to be as big a “pin head” as I am; not everyone holds a public policy degree (from the greatest university in the history of the world!!) and nerds out the way I do about this stuff.  Neither do I expect you to value each of these things in the same way I do, but consider the following issues as you think through the complexities of your decision-making.  These are my personal top-five most important issues (in no particular order).

When I think about policies in our state or country, I always consider religious liberty as articulated in Amendment I of the [federal] Constitution.  In the age of “anti-discrimination” legislation, these kinds of regulations and rules are often thinly-veiled attempts (by people who have worldly, rather than biblical, views of gender and sexuality) to target Christians (or people of other religious convictions) from practicing our faith freely.

I also consider issues affecting the dignity of life.  I could write whole news-letter articles about these.  Though I don’t worry about things in North Carolina as Christians should in other states, physician-assisted suicide strikes at the heart of humans being made in the image of God.  I also think followers of Jesus should hope for, pray for, and work toward saving every not-yet-born baby we can, and their mothers, most of whom have not even been enlightened enough to consider abortion to be the killing of a human being.

An extension of this series of issues are those involving gender identity.  I don’t think it’s wise for us to allow (never mind promote or encourage or celebrate) children to do grave harm to their own bodies.  In several states, parents have had their rights stripped away because they would rather affirm who God made their child to be.  I pray that our officials, elected and otherwise, will work to protect children, and support parents.
 
I would not have even considered this issue twelve months ago, but over the past fifty-one weeks, I have given much consideration to our country’s foreign policy.  I unapologetically support the right of the Jewish people to have a piece of real estate somewhere to call their own.  Israel (the modern country) is the toe-hold of western civilization in a region of the globe marked by tyranny.  If our political leaders are wise, they will not try to restrain Israel from exercising its right to defend itself.  We’d also be wise to project strength, and a willingness to defend the defenseless.  When the United States displays weakness, tyranny advances, and people around the world suffer.

When I consider electing officials to represent and serve me, I also must consider their character.  Are they honest?  Do they have convictions and principles?  Do they look remotely like Jesus (very few ever have)?  Would they honor God in what they do, and how they do it?  Do they genuinely have our best interest at heart?  Do they have any inkling of humility?  Do they seem to cultivate trust and loyalty?

If you, as I am, are exhausted by political discourse and disgusted by the hatred and slander of the public square, be encouraged.  I write this not to divide us or spark debate.  I write this not to unify us around a candidate or party.  I write this to rise above the fray, maintaining perspective, and uniting us around King Jesus!  Let’s vote, despite the pitiful options we have, because as citizens of the Kingdom of God, we’re the best citizens this country has.  Let’s pray for our country, and her leaders (whether or not they are the ones we supported).  Let’s pray for the people across this great land, that souls might be saved, lives might be changed, and human flourishing might be promoted.  Let’s pray for a great revival of the Church and spiritual awakening of the lost.

America, America, God mend thine every flaw,
confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law,
--A.J.