Life Defining Moments

It has been a long time since I have written, and I have been through many life defining moments, one being the death of my mother in September. She was one of a kind, and she went to out precious eternal home surrounded by love, sung into heaven by my daughter Alana and my sister Jane. I could never write enough about how this event has impacted my life...in fact, I'm not sure I really know all of how it has effected me.
My daughter has had a life defining moment. In February she won the title of Miss University of Mobile and will be in Miss Alabama in June. We know that God is going to use this in her life to teach her many things....He has already done that, and some of the lessons are not easy ones to learn. We are very proud of her.
And even now, I know there are more life defining moments ahead. God is teaching me so much about humility, and is using this passage in my life, James 4:7-10 "So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he will be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet." Verse 10 in the NIV version says "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." I am trusting God's word tonight as tomorrow approaches....

The night before school starts back....

It is hard to believe I have not written on this for 8 months. It's also impossible for me to say all that has happened, and I wonder if anyone reads this anyway. We recently returned from a great beach retreat where our students were challenged to reach out to those who need Christ, pray for them, and speak to them, a 3 day challenge. I am praying tonight that God will use the 70+ students who accepted this challenge to help reach people for him and change their schools.
This summer our theme was THE IDENTITY PROJECT as we tried to help students discover who they are in Christ by focusing on the fruits of the spirit. If you are reading this, how are you doing in those areas....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control, and one other one I can't think of...it's late as I write....tomorrow I have a daughter that starts 10th grade, one that starts 3rd grade, and one who has already begun her sophomore year of college. WHERE does the time go? Will you pray for my mother, Frances? She is not doing well and it's hard to watch her these days. I know God is in control, He has been teaching me that all year long. God is at work in my life, teaching me so much these last hot days of summer. Life is precious....our daughter Alana's pastor's wife, Tammy Litton in Mobile, Alabama was killed in a car accident this week, and she was our age. Every day is a gift, but we treat each day as if we deserve to live it. If you are reading this, stop and thank God for the people he has placed in your life, because believe me, they will not always be there. It's hard to say goodbye....
Keep Believing!

A NEW YEAR

It is Jan. 8 07...I wonder if anyone reads this anymore...I doubt it, but if you do, thanks for doing so. I might reprint the address in our church youth group's newsletter tomorrow. The beginning of a new year, and the end of an old, has always been a BIG time of reflection for me...I remember sitting in a room full of slides years ago when I lived in Florence reliving the year as I prepared for the New Year's Eve service. Now, it's all done on computer, and I don't even do the final presentation anymore. This year, the video that my friend Earl produced was extra good. I wish more people had seen in New Year's Eve, but that's OK, I'm NOT bitter...I'm really not, and I'm thankful to the students and parents who came to see it and be a part of the Lord's supper service that I think is the best way to end the year. Anyway....last week I had a very tough day on Jan. 3, but Sunday morning as I drove to church God reminded me of what happened on Jan. 2...it was a great day, as our friend from Dillon's Successful Afterschool Sites came to be with us and our new building, now a year old, was filled with kids from very different backgrounds coming together, to have fun and hear God's word proclaimed. It was something I had prayed for. Another prayer I had was answered today. I'm not real good with doing games with young people, like fun games that teach a lesson...I will NEVER be a person that plays games with people, but unfortunately that is tough sometimes....anway, I remember praying not long ago for God to bring someone alongside me that can use games to teach real spiritual lessons, and He answered that today, I think. I talked with a young man named Kane, and I think he's going to be a great asset to our student ministry here, and he likes to plan and organize games that have a purpose. This past week God also taught me that I need to call on others to pray TOGETHER more....as Christians, I believe we don't do that enough, and we all know prayer is what holds us together. We need to hear each other voicing our prayers to God, it helps us know each other better, but it requires us to be open and real. If you are reading this, will you pray for our group going to Gatlinburg this week-end? There are friendships that need to be healed, friendships that need to be deepened, life memories that need to be made. My group is already divided into prayer groups and I hope all the leaders of those groups are really praying for their group members. The DR has been on my mind today as well as we prepare to return there on March 30...God always does great things in my life when I go there to serve...go to www.marshadavidson.blog.com to read about our friend Marsha's ministry there. I will be calling on our students Wednesday night to make committments for the new year. I'm committed to calling people to pray together more. In our church, that is essential as we search for a new pastor. I think that one of the most important things I do on Sundays is to pray with people at the alter, something I have done since I was a little boy, going to the alter. In Acts 1, it talks about people meeting together CONTINUALLY for prayer. I encourage you to get with your Christian brothers and sisters and pour out your heart to God...I know that I need to do more of that. This new year started out great, then a storm came, but as an old song I know says, God will outlast your storm, and I believe that. I hope you do too! We need to keep pressing on, and doing and BEING what God has called us to do and be, the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

End of summer and a new beginning

Thanks to Taylor Martin and others who asked me to update this blog....so much has happend these past few months it is hard to know where to begin. Last Saturday was a huge milestone in our lives, as we moved our daughter into her dorm room at the University of Mobile...I know people at my church are tired of hearing about this move, and I try not to talk about it too much, yet I am so appreciative when people let us know they have been praying for us and for Alana, too. She seems to be enjoying life in the deep south, and of course we miss her. Yet, I am excited for the opportunities she will have at what seems to be a very special place. We are very thankful for a great roommate for her, Laura Ashley Ingram, and her wonderful family. This is a new beginning for her, and it is a new beginning for me in ways that I can't begin to explain. I believe God has some great things ahead for us in our student ministry at LBC. This past week through the death of 3 teens in our community I have been reminded again how precious life is, and how we need to "make the most of every opportunity" as Paul writes in Colossians. If you are a student at LBC reading this, please remember that God can use YOU to make a difference...we can't just accept teen drinking as "normal" behavior, because it can and does lead to death. YOU can influence your friends and help them make right decisions, and it starts with the decisions that YOU make. I have been reading today about things happening in the Dominican Republic where we have worked before, and ask you to pray for our friend there, Ingrid, who has been having some health issues. God has brought the things I have learned in the DR to my mind this week, which has helped me realize that our air conditioning unit blowing up is something I really don't need to worry about! He will meet our needs, and how could I complain about being hot when our friends in the DR do not have homes like we do and are so content! This was the busiest summer of my life, I think, and very rewarding. New things are ahead for us and I am excited about what God is going to show us and do in and through our lives. A part of us is now serving God in Mobile, Alabama I am thankful for that, and look forward to how he is going to use us here in Lexington.....KEEP BELIEVING!
John

It's been a long time since January

Someone wrote to me recently and said it had been awhile since I had written....ya think so? Well you would be correct. These past 4 month have been so busy....Alana's college decision has been made...Univ. of Mobile...9 hours away. So much to do to get ready for all that. You know, your life is filled with alot of drama when you have 4 girls in your house. We had an awesome time in the Dominican Republic. Beautiful sights, beautiful people, a great team to work with....so much is on my mind now, it's hard to know where to start. So I won't write too much...I'm tired....yea, that's the best description of where I am right now in my life...tired of red tape, tired of worrying, just plain tired. But God gives me his word to keep me going....He says "I will give you rest". I look at the next few months and don't see much rest, but I know I have to rest in him. He is the one who knows me best....so many people really don't understand me, but does anyone really understand anyone else? I'm not real sure.....I don't really try to understand people anymore, they are too confusing and weird. I'm glad God tells us to love people, not understand people. We need to see people as God sees them, and sometimes that is not easy to do...it's late at night, can you tell? I get tired for writng newsletters all the time, newsletters I don't think people really read, but we have to use something to let people know what's going on, don't we? Tonight I was so proud of my daughter. I am blessed with 3 amazing children not to mention an amazing wife....these past 4 months have been hard in many ways....I have been reminded that ministry is not about buildings, it's about people. So many changes are coming in the next few months that I feel overwhelmed at times, but we keep on going.....we are not called to understand, we are called to love. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you LOVE one another", not if you understand one another, right? Do we really know each other, or do we just go through the motions, day by day, week by week, minute by minute? Very few people really know me, and I probably really know very few people....life gets too busy some times, and we get tired. Lord, I need to rest in you.
God bless you....if you could hear my Dominican friends say that phrase you would never forget it, and you would never take it for granted again.....God bless you.....
Keep Believing!
John

Longing for the past

Today I have been remembering another time in my life, when my girls were little and we lived in the lowcountry of SC, in a place called Beaufort...last night a movie was on TV called "The Water is Wide" and it took place in an area close to Beaufort. When I lived there, there was an old lady who used to say "Once you get the sand of Beaufort between your toes, you'll come back"...It has been 13 years since we left there....Laura Grace was a baby and Alana was getting ready to start kindergarten...WHERE has the time gone? Now they are young ladies and we have a 6 year old! There is so much about timing in life that I don't understand, and probably never will. I am thankful for the journey we have been on so far, and thankful for where I am now, but there are days when I wish I could jump in a time machine and go back and just relive some of the great moments in my life in the places where we have lived, and this was one of those days. This weekend one of my former youth from Beaufort asked me to do her wedding in October...even though we move, we still can stay connected with others. Even when our relationships change we can still be available and be there for people who have touched our lives and vice versa. I think some of what I am feeling has to do with going through THE SENIOR YEAR....where is that little girl that used to jump in my lap and brought joy to everyone who met her...she still around, doing the same thing (except NOT jumping in my lap, her little sister Jillian STILL does that, thank goodness)...I think she still bring joy to those she meets...when Alana was a little girl in Beaufort and we would introduce her to people they would almost always say "What a beautiful name"...it is that, and it means "bright, beautiful, and fair" in case you ever wondered...that's why we named her what we did.....oh, the Beaufort days, the bugs, the sun, running to the beach for the afternoon, my first trip to Waterbury, CT, great kids, fun times...I have to remember something that a man here in Lexington says..."The best is yet to come."...I'm not real sure about that now, because I've some great times in the past...but we can't live there, we have to move on, and live with the memories. As I used to tell the kids in Beaufort all the time "you can never go back"...and that's true, you never can.

10 years ago today

On this day in 1996 my life was changed by the death of a young 16 year old named TJ Spurling...he was killed by a patrol car who hit him and a friend. The patrolman was taking a book of tickets to another patrolman who needed some...I will never forget his mom asking me to sing "Keep Believing" at his funeral, and it was also his mom who had asked me a few months earlier "John, when do young people fall in love with Jesus?" Those are things that stick with you. TJ's life and death remind me that every day is important, and every young person that walks through the doors of our church is important, a unique creation of God's. TJ was not someone that was there every time the door was open (we worked at FBC Florence, SC at this time), but I knew that he knew the Lord, and have no doubt about where he is now. Last night I shared this story with about 80 young people, as I have done every year since his death. I promised his mom that his ministry would live long after him, and I believe that it has. If you are reading this, remember that your life is important and that God wants to use your life.
Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. She is not feeling too good these days, so please pray for her. She will be 78 years old. This is a week of life and death and important memories for me, as I wrote before. I wish more people would read this so that they would know my heart. We say we care about each other, but how much of ourselves do we really share with others? I know that there are things I keep to myself, and I miss those who have been in my life before who I was able to share openly with, but I also know that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Jesus, thank you for always being there for us no matter what, for listening, for guiding, for placing people in our lives when we need them. I pray that you will somehow use these words to help people know that you have created them for a purpose, that you want to use their lives and that you want them to know your heart.
How do we know the heart of God? Maybe one of those ways is to really get to know each other better. We are not promised tomorrow....what have you done today, who have you listened to today? Make each day count....get to know other people, really know them. I need to work on that myself...
Keep Believing!
John