Author: Dale

Raised in the south, I have a passionate love for the Lord, my wife, my daughters, my son-in-laws, my grandsons, preaching the Word of God, pastoring people, discipleship, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, Clemson Tigers football, running the Tweetsie Trail, and hiking through the awesome TN/NC/VA mountains!!

What Are You Praying For Your Children?

by Dale, posted in Family

You want a blessing?  Come to our church and watch the precious children as they sing and quote Scripture on Sunday morning or watch them play their instruments for an offertory or see them gathered on the floor for Pastor’s Pals or watch them run eagerly to FrontLine Club.  What an opportunity we have in front of us!

Parents and grandparents, I encourage you to watch this brief video.  Then, would each of you begin to fervently pray as suggested by Dr. Rogers?  We are training and preparing the next generation.  Let’s make sure we are praying correctly.

Praying For Your Children

All of Us Ministering Together For the Gospel

by Dale, posted in Church

Today is an exciting day for me as a pastor, father-in-law, and mentor!  This past Sunday, our church voted 98% to bring on my new son-in-law as our youth leader, and they start tonight!  Denise and I raised our daughters to leave home and serve the Lord.  We never expected that either one of them would serve alongside us in the same ministry at the same time.  Our prayer has been that by the time they were married, the Lord would give them clear direction as to where they were to serve. God in His mercy and grace has answered our heart’s cry.  How grateful I am for this opportunity.  More than anything, I am looking forward to seeing Andrew’s heart for the lost and for teens being fleshed out on a daily basis.  Then added to that scene will be Alli with her God-given music ability and her love for the teen girls matched up with her new husband to serve our awesome God!

Please join me in prayer for Andrew and Alli as they adjust to marriage and ministry.  May I encourage you to cheer them on and encourage them in these new adventures?  Get to know them.  Invite them to your home for fellowship.  Stop them at church and have prayer with them. We are all “under-rowers” in the ministry for Christ and the gospel.  Let’s team up, disciple, and make a difference for God’s glory!!  A tweet I read yesterday puts it all in perspective, “We may have a part to play in God’s grand story, but the play is not about us.”

I Want To Be a Part of That Culture!

by Dale, posted in Church, Discipleship, Evangelism

While standing at the gas pumps yesterday, I heard a voice calling out my name.  I turned to see a new believer coming my way. She spoke and then went around to the other side of the car to talk with my wife. What caught my attention more than hearing my name was her broad smile and joyful attitude!  There is something special about new converts, new babes in Christ!  They are excited, uninhibited about their Savior, and contagious!!!  May their tribe increase!  Even as I was driving home last night listening to a sermon on the radio, I heard the preacher say, “The sign of a dead church is that it lacks evangelistic zeal. If new converts are not coming into the church, it’s only a matter of time until that church stagnates and is spiritually dead. New believers are the life-blood of the church!  We should want them.  We should pray for them.  We should embrace them. We should encourage them.”  Yes, yes, yes, and AMEN!!

Having said that, I want to share with you something I read yesterday afternoon that further ignited my heart for evangelism and new converts.  May this be true of Boones Creek Bible Church and the gospel-preaching evangelistic incubator where you are a member and serve!  Let’s want this!  Let’s pray for this!  Let’s embrace this!

I long for a church that understands that it—the local church—is the chosen and best method of evangelism. I long for a church where the Christians are so in love with Jesus that when they go about the regular time of worship, they become an image of the gospel. I long for a church that disarms with love, not entertainment, and lives out countercultural confidence in the power of the gospel. I long for a church where the greatest celebrations happen over those who share their faith, and the heroes are those who risk their reputations to evangelize.

I yearn for a culture of evangelism with brothers and sisters whose backs are up to mine in the battle, where I’m taught and I teach about what it means to share our faith; and where I see leaders in the church leading people to Jesus. I want a church where you can point to changed lives, where you can see people stand up and say, ‘When I came to this church two years ago, I didn’t know God, but now I do!’ I long to be part of a culture of evangelism like that. I bet you do, too.  (Evangelism, Mack Stiles)

How to Make Sure Your Marriage is a Delight – Part 5

by Dale, posted in Uncategorized

Tomorrow is the big day!  The one that girls dream about.  The one that seems so far away to parents of a newborn girl.  Denise and I have poured our lives into preparing our girls for the three most important days of their lifetime.  They are the day they personally would receive Christ as Savior, their wedding day, and the day they will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema, the judgment seat (2 Corinthians 5;10), and receive their rewards for what will hopefully be a “race well run;” the day they hear Christ say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25;31).

With that in mind, I share with you the absolute most important ingredient to making sure your marriage is a delight:

Delight #5 – Live the Triangle

Many years ago, I sat in a freshmen level class in college and saw for the first time a diagram that I have never forgotten and have used many times.  As Dr. Bellis was teaching about the features of a godly, Christian home, he share with us the “Triangle.” What a simple picture of what a marriage relationship should be every day.

The husband and wife, if they live their lives only on the bottom line of the triangle, living for themselves only, God is left out.  But, if they are moving closer to God each day in their own personal walk with Him, then both and husband and wife are growing closer to each other as they move toward God.  James 4:8 reminds us, Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.  The greatest joy and delight of life is being a true born again disciple of Christ through the grace gift of salvation and following Him all the days of your life!  So, as husband and wife grow in their personal relationship with Christ, they are growing in great delight with each other and their Lord!  This is true delight.  This is true joy.  It is the foundation for every other delight in life.  (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Ephesians 5:18-33; 2 Peter 3:18)

So the question is, husband and wife, what are doing right now?  Are you drawing closer to Christ, or is He being left out of your personal life? Are you reading, meditating and memorizing the Word of God?  Do you live in an attitude of prayer?  Is Christ the goal of your life?  Is He the reason you live?  Husbands, are you pointing your wife to Christ in order to prepare her for the Bema?

Knowing that Allison and Andrew are truly born again (John 1:12; Romans 10:9-13; 1 John 5:11-13), I am excited to see them take this next step.  Denise and I will be praying that they have a delightful marriage, living the triangle, so that Christ is their greatest delight!

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:4-5).

How to Make Sure Your Marriage is a Delight – Part 4

by Dale, posted in Marriage

 

So, how’s your marriage right now?  Is it a delight?  If it is, you have put much effort into building a good relationship.  You have worked hard at being the right kind of spouse and doing the right things.  Today, I want to share something else very practical that will make your marriage delightful.

Delight #4 – Stay connected

In two days, my daughter and her fiancée will recite their wedding vows.  They are taking this big step believing that this is what God has ordained, but also because they want to be together for many years to come.  They can hardly wait to live in the same house, sleep in the same bed, have the same last name (and how many of your girls got so excited about writing your married name for the first time?), etc.

But sadly for many couples, the excitement wears off and over time, a chasm comes between them.  They are no longer connected.  They don’t do things together; no more dates. They can sit in a restaurant across from each other and never say a word.  They may give each other a grunt when leaving the house.  They haven’t looked adoringly in each other’s eyes for years.

How can you stay connected?

  • Say with meaning and heart, “I love you,” everyday and several times a day.
  • Wink or look at each other with that “I’m in love with you” look.
  • Let each other know what you are doing throughout the day via texts or phone calls.
  • Never have a communication-less meal; talk to each other.
  • Leave love notes around the house.
  • Hug your wife and tell her how much you enjoyed the meal she prepared.
  • As you are going up the stairs together at home or in the store, stop and enjoy a long passionate kiss; this is fun in a department store with escalators!
  • When you are riding in the car, reach over and hold hands.
  • Put down your ipad or smartphone and spend time with each other.
  • Go to bed at the same time.
  • Read a book together.
  • Don’t grow old in your relationship; stay fresh!
  • Pray often together.
  • Touch often.
  • Don’t let your precious children come between you.
  • Make sure Mom has some adult conversation each day if she is home all day with babies and/or toddlers.

The living God, . . . giveth us richly all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).