Category Archives: Shepherding

Shepherding

You’re Invited

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Imagine reaching into your mailbox and finding a fancy invitation. The worn envelop suggests the letter has traveled a long way. There’s no return address, but your full name is written on the front. Curious, you rip it open and discover a perfectly handwritten note with gold-embossed lining. Then, you glance to the bottom and realize it is signed by … God himself! Essentially, that’s what God does in Isaiah 55. He sends you a personal invitation.

The chapter begins with an offer that sounds just too good to be true:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!” 

What? Food for free? Wine and milk at no price? What kind of supermarket is this? In these verses, the prophet Isaiah is using a figure of speech. He says that people in this world are thirsty for joy. They are hungry for happiness. But only God can satisfy, and His love is absolutely free.

Then in verse 2 God asks,

“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”

 People are always chasing after something new, looking for something – or someone – that will make us happy. Maybe it’s a different job, or a bigger TV, or a newer smart phone. Others turn to alcohol, or sex, or drugs to numb the pain and experience just a few minutes of escape. But none of these fill the emptiness in our souls. To borrow the words of Mick Jagger, “I can’t get no satisfaction.”

So what is the answer to our quest for joy? Is this just another fairy tale, like the lost city of El Dorado? Not at all. God knows only He can satisfy our deepest needs and desires. And in verses 6-7, he invites you to turn to Jesus with a humble heart:

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Have you trusted in Christ while He may be found? Isaiah 55 invites you to experience that joy today.

This article first appeared in today’s edition of our local newspaper, The Hi Desert Star

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Shepherding

Pastor’s Update

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Here’s a church update I shared at last Sunday’s quarterly business meeting…

“Keep Up the Good Work!” These are words every worker wants to hear. Or, as Paul told the Thessalonians, “You have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing…But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more” (1 Thess. 4:9-10). So let me encourage you, First Southern Baptist, to keep excelling in ministry. Keep excelling in your love, in your growth, in your service, in your discernment, in your joy, in your attention to the Word, and in your evangelism.

Ryan Hodson and I had the privilege of attending The 40thannual Shepherd’s Conference in Sun Valley on March 7-9, 2013. Together with 4,000 other pastors and elders, we sang, listened to the preaching of the Word, and enjoyed great times of fellowship. During our time, we were amazed at the glory of Christ and humbled at our duty to serve Him. Thank you for making this trip possible so we can come back refreshed and better equipped to minister to all of you.
Our church leaders have recently been discussing our Sunday School or “Life Groups” ministry. Currently, our attendance is hovering around 25 each week with few or no children. But we believe this ministry has great potential and could become a key component of our long-term discipleship strategy at First Southern.  With many of you traveling up to forty minutes one way to attend church, we know our weekly time together is limited. So we are looking for ways to make Life Groups a vibrant ministry that you will want to take part in. 
Details are still coming together, but we are talking and praying about moving to the “Gospel Project” curriculum produced by Lifeway. Some of the benefits of this program are its cross-centered approach to the Scriptures, excellent teacher resources, and a comprehensive, three-year lesson plan for children, youth, and adults. Stay tuned for more details in the months ahead!
Shepherding

Children in the Worship Service

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I’ve noticed that many parents in our church are now keeping their kids with them for the entire Sunday morning worship service. I admire this decision and love to see families worshiping together (especially by the time kids enter grade school).

Parents, if you’re looking for ways to keep your kids engaged in the worship service, here are some helpful articles:

For everyone else, thank you for your patience at the little disruptions along the way. Parenting is hard work! When a child gets noisy or seems squirmy, just smile and pray for them. Rejoice that they are in God’s house and that Mom and Dad are trying to train them right. If you’re sitting near a family with young children, see if you can be of any help. Maybe even offer to rock the baby or pick up that crayon off the floor.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” (Mk. 10:14). What a privilege to nurture young children in the faith. In a way, these kids are the most important guests at our church on Sunday morning. For they are the next generation who will serve God, long after the rest of us are gone.

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Shepherding

Four Soils

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It’s been c-c-cold in January. But spring is in the air! And in about six more weeks, it will be time for spring planting.
For our family, gardening is just a fun hobby to enjoy some fresh air, get our hands dirty, and feast on a few home-grown vegetables. But for most people in Jesus’ day, farming was a way of life. It’s no wonder, then, that so many of Jesus’ stories involved agriculture.
One of the most famous parables in the Bible is about a farmer who went out to his field to plant. Jesus mentions four kinds of soil (which describe four kinds of people). Notice how each soil reacts differently to the seed (which represents the Word of God).
The first soil was packed hard from years of foot traffic. Not your ideal place to grow crops. “Some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them” (Matthew 13:4). Jesus says this soil pictures people who hear God’s word, but can’t understand it (verse 19). They yawn. They laugh. They scratch their heads. Then Satan distracts them with other things that seem far more important.
The second soil was rocky, like much of our desert. “Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose, they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away” (vv. 5-6). These people receive God’s word joyfully at first. Perhaps they even get baptized and start attending church. But like a passing fad or well-intentioned New Year’s Resolution, they give up as soon as things get tough and people begin to mock (v. 21).
The third soil was full of weeds and thistles. “Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them” (v. 7). These people show early potential, but are slowly choked out by the worries of life and the empty promises of money (v. 22). Those who chase after money, toys, and pleasure end up selling their souls for something that can never satisfy. But thankfully, there is one more kind of soil… 
The fourth soil was “good soil and produced grain – some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (v. 8). Jesus urges all of us to become this kind of soil – where God’s Word is heard, understood, and planted deeply into our hearts. Such people will humble themselves, trust in God’s Son, and begin a life of growing obedience to Jesus Christ.
Four soils. Four kinds of people. Which one are you?
This article first appeared in our 
local newspaper, the Hi Desert Star 
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Shepherding

Time For a Heart Check

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Time for a quick heart check to begin the new year. No, not with an EKG or CT scan. Just a simple question to diagnose our spiritual heart condition. Here it is:

How’s your joy? 

Just pause and think about that for a moment. Would you describe yourself as a truly joyful person? How about your attitude? Your words? Your Facebook updates? What would your spouse say? Friends? Kids?

A new USA Today/Gallup poll says there is an increasing pessimism in our country. About 50% of Americans now fear the country’s best years are behind us.

It may take more effort in 2013 to rejoice. But we as Christians still have plenty of reason to remain joyful! In fact, the apostle Paul commanded the Thessalonians (a city full of spiritual darkness and persecution) to “rejoice always” (1 Thess. 1:16-18).

 So here’s a little ‘prescription medication’ to get that heart back in shape, rejoicing always. Meditate on these verses and be encouraged:

Psalm 13:5–6 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
John 16:22–24 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
1 Peter 1:4–9 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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