Category: Family

Sabbatical Journey #4 – Away

by Dale, posted in 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting, Christian Living, Family, Prayer, Renewal, Sabbatical, Uncategorized, Worship

Well, summer is over.  What did you do for your vacation with family or just your spouse or with some friends?  Disney?  The beach?  The mountains? Did you take any day trips?  How about a recreational excursion?  What planning went into your time away?   What was the result of your vacation?  Any take-aways?

Vacations can be a huge refreshment that can leave many wonderful memories, provide a break from your daily routine, and give some much needed rest. Interesting enough, sometimes when you return home, you need another week to just recoup from your vacation (Lol).

Question:  When was the last time you took a spiritual vacation?  No, I do not mean running away or taking a vacation from the Lord, but a planned set of days and location where you and/or family go to grow your relationship with Jesus Christ?  Have you ever taken such a trip?

This sabbatical was so extremely helpful spiritually.  My wife and I spent most of our mornings at home, on the front or back porch, reading, praying, studying, journaling, and listening.  Some days I would travel to the lake, or a secluded mountain top, or a quiet stream and spend my time letting God teach me and whittle away at my heart.

Perhaps you could spend one day a quarter at a place like Fairhaven Ministries, Roan Mountain, TN, and give that whole day to just meeting with the Lord.  Pack your lunch, take your books, and go hide away with the Lord. You, too, could find that lake, stream, mountain top or other secluded area.

Another great opportunity would be to attend Family Camp at a place like The Wilds in Brevard, NC.  There you would have time to get alone with the Lord; time for just you and your spouse to study and pray together; and opportunities to meet together as a family.  The preaching services, music, and workshops would draw you and your whole family closer to the Lord.  And a side note, I promise you would not spend as much on this vacation as you would for the same amount time, motel, and meals as you would at Disney.  And, your whole family will come home stronger in their walk with Christ than if they had spent a week at Disney. (By the way, I’m not hatin’ on Disney. Just sayin’. . .)

So, when you plan for your vacations and get-aways for the months ahead, how about planning some time to get alone with the Lord?  You will never regret it.

Mark 1:35 – And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Luke 6:12 – In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

Seeing Double

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Family, Parenting

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Once-a-month, our church serves the homeless a lunch meal in downtown Johnson City, TN, at the Melting Pot.  One of the blessings of this journey to and from town is being accompanied by a young teen boy who attends our church and lives near us.  I love to watch him because when I do, I am seeing double.  Double?  Yes, his father.  His dad is a faithful servant of the Lord, a “full-blown” engineer at a local plant, an intentional man, one who runs from anything that would even give the impression of feminine, and dearly loves his family.  When I watch his 13 year old son, I see a young man thinking like his dad, walking like his dad, dressing like his dad, talking like his dad, and . . . I am not surprised.  He is also the firstborn and looks up to his dad.

When someone looks at you, who do they see?  Paul said it so well in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.  How natural it is for children to act like their parents and other family members because of their natural birth and so much time spent in their presence.  How really natural it should be for those of us who have had a spiritual birth (John 3:1-17) to imitate Christ because He lives in us, and we spend time with Him in prayer, in worship, in singing, and in the memorization and meditation of the Word of God.

Colossians 1:27 – Christ in you, the hope of glory.

2 Corinthians 3:18- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Truth is, only when a dad is imitating Christ should he be able to say to his family, “Imitate me.”  And, our desire to be like Christ should be so genuine that it creates a thirst in our family to imitate Christ. Just as exposure to the sun makes people acknowledge your tan, our exposure to the Son, Jesus Christ, should cause others to recognize Who we are imitating, Who means the most to us, and Who we are seeking first (Matthew 6:33).

Are the folks around you seeing double?

You must abide in Christ in heaven before you can descend with heavenly ability to act for Him down here. The great secret of all blessing is to come from the Lord.  Most Christians go to Him. (A. J. Gordon)

The Making of a Man

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Evangelism, Family, God's Word, Marriage, Men, Parenting, Prayer

Last Tuesday’s blog was the first entry in the weekly series entitled, “The Making of a Man.”  As I said in that blog post, January 6, my heart’s desire is to see us be genuine, Spirit-filled, Christlike, servant leaders . . . men of God.  Obviously, to do so, we MUST be in the Word of God on a daily basis reading the Word and letting it read us.  Also, I mentioned that oft-repeated statement, “Leaders are readers.”  So, in today’s post, I want to share some book titles that have impacted me in my relationship with Christ, my wife, my children, my ministry and life in general.  Many of these books can still be purchased in book form, or as many of us do today, you can get the Kindle edition.  Men, let’s read the Bible first, and then let’s read other good books so we can be made a man of God!

Disciplines of a Godly Man, R. Kent Hughes

“The Christian leader’s vision of God makes all the difference in his life” (p.163).  I have read this book several times and have even used it with deacons and men’s meetings.

Disciplines – Kindle Edition

 

The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, Hans Finzel

“Top-flight leaders really aren’t born, they learn by trial and error.” (p.18)

“My greatest fear is that our best days were our past days.  I loathe the thought that we should fade into irrelevance” (p.71).

Top Ten Mistakes – Kindle Edition

 

The Masculine Mandate:  God’s Calling to Men, Richard D. Phillips

“It is virtually impossible to find a man greatly used by God who is not strongly devoted to prayer.” (p. 39)

“God intends for man to have a [wife] who bears God’s image along with man, and who with man can look upward to God and live for Him.” (p. 58)

Chapter Five, “Man as Shepherd-Lord,” is an excellent read.

Masculine Mandate – Kindle Edition

 

Power Through Prayer, E.M. Bounds

Here’s a little book that every man of God must read!!  A classic.

Power Through Prayer – Kindle Edition

 

There are many, many others, but these are just a few.  I’ll share more in later posts.  Men, let’s take the challenge to read, to share, to grow, and to make a difference for Christ wherever we live!

Blogging in 2015

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Evangelism, Family, Marriage, Men, Pastoring

As I mentioned yesterday, a special thanks to everyone for reading this blog.  My heart is to simply use this medium of the internet to share things that I love about life and ministry.  Hence, I am refining this blog to cover certain topics each day of the week that I hope will edify and encourage; that will lead to biblical change; that glorify God; and that will show that life is worth living because of Christ.

So, be looking next week for the following:

To the People in the Pews (Mondays) This will be a follow-up to the messages I preach on Sundays with the purpose of helping my congregation make the needed application and taking the next right step in wisdom.

The Making of a Man (Tuesdays) I have such a burden to see men be the spiritual leaders at home, church, work and recreation; to win over sin; to be men of the Word; to be gospel-centered and gospel-communicators.

Marriage Matters (Wednesdays) Being married for over 33 years does not make me an expert on this subject.  I simply love being married, believe it to be the best thing next to my own personal salvation, and am very concerned about the lack of strong marriages in our world today.  Hence, I’ll be sharing all kinds of tips to make marriage a blessing instead of a dread.  Marriage matters to God; He created it.  He has an awesome plan to make it work for His glory and our good . . . and to be fun!

This-N-That (Thursdays) Here’s a day to share various things on my heart about life in general.

Friday’s Findings (Fridays)  I’ll continue to share links to good articles, tell you about a good book or resource, share music, and various other things that I trust will be of interest to you.

Looking forward to 2015 and all that the Lord has in store for us of which may be the year of His return in the clouds (John 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).  Therefore moving forward, let not your heart be troubled (14:1) and comfort one another with these words (4:18).

Cat-Fights and Conflicts

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Discipleship, Family, Marriage, Parenting

My wife and I had just left the veterinarian’s office with our cat, Liza Jane, safely tucked in a towel and content in my wife’s arms. Despite the trauma of two shots and a cold table to lie on, she was in purr-mode.  I had earlier announced to Denise that I would go across the street to the dry cleaners.  As I drove past a car parked near the row of stores, I saw two individuals tussling in the front seat.  I thought for a moment they were just having a bit of good-natured fun.  I parked right in front of the cleaners, got out, and then saw there was nothing good-natured about this situation.  Here was a girl in her 20’s and a woman in her late 50’s-early 60’s havin’ at it!  Hay-makers were being thrown, hair was being pulled, profanity was being slurred, and the older woman was prevailing.   I walked over and commanded them to stop, or I would call the police.  Finally, they ceased their foolishness. I really didn’t count on leaving the vet’s office to see a real live “cat-fight!” Once I had their attention, I began to share the gospel with them, to which the young girl said in an angry, loud voice, “I am a Christian!” which was echoed by the older woman as well.  Wow!  Really?

This was such a sad scene.  I told my wife on our way back to the country, “This is how many, many people across America handle their problems—fighting, arguing, name-calling, and raising their voices at each other.”  Sadly this includes husbands, wives, children, family members, co-workers, drivers, football players, etc.  My heart breaks to think of what really goes on behind the closed curtained windows of so many homes in our land as well as other places.

Where does this come from?  As in every case of life, you have to go to the Word of God for the answer.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:1-3).

Have you ever been in a conflict?  Have you ever dealt with unmet expectations?  Have you been wronged, mistreated, in a fight, in a marital conflict, in a church misunderstanding, in a shoving match, in a family dispute, had someone cut you off in traffic, etc?  I plead with you to take some time and work your way through this linked study seen below.  As you dig into the Word and answer the questions, you will see the root of the issue, understand the remedy and see how to make biblical changes through the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God.

Getting To the Heart of Conflict

The heart of every issue is an issue of the heart.  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Searching my own heart, grateful for my sweet wife, and . . . petting Liza Jane.

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Camping, Christian Living, Family, Giving, Marriage, Men, Parenting, Uncategorized

Being Content with Saying No to Truly Good Opportunities –Here is an excellent read from Randy Alcorn that would help all of us who struggle with saying “no” to good things in our lives, especially those of us who are perpetual “doers.”

Four Stewardship Habits to Teach Your Children – Parents, please read and apply!  In a “give me, give me, take, take, entitlement world,” your children need to know God’s plans and priorities.

A Word About Men & Marriage – “Gentlemen: You are not boys. Women are not objects. Christ is most assuredly King.”

One of the Reasons I Have Always Loved Coming Home for Over 33 Years – My wife’s blog post from yesterday.

The Wilds – One of the best ministries on the planet since 1969!!

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Family, Marriage, Men, Parenting, Renewal

As always, here’s a list of links found through the week that may be of help to you to instruct, encourage, strengthen and/or bring a chuckle to your day.

The Needed Couples Retreat – Here’s some thoughts about the need for couples retreats as well as addressing some possible objections.  Anyone recognize the water falls?

What the Election Reveals About Us – An excellent post in view of Tuesday’s national elections.

Doing Hard Things – Every older teen and college & career guy/gal needs to read this.  Excellent, biblical advice for our day!   I linked this during the week on my Facebook page.  Parents, make sure you read it and your teens read it.  Perhaps, read it together at supper.

Why Every Christian Needs a Church Home

The Manhunt – One of my favorite Andy Griffith episodes.  Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Thank you so much for reading my blog.  I am truly grateful that you take the time to do so.  These writing and links are from my heart.  If I can encourage you, point you to Christ, help you, strengthen you, or just put a smile on your face, this blog has been successful.  Thanks for reading!!

Trick or Truth

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Evangelism, Family, Halloween, Parenting

The first time I can remember observing Halloween, I was five years old. How excited I was to wear my Yogi Bear costume, knock on our neighbor’s doors, receive candy, and then go eat candy! To me it was a simple evening of clean enjoyment. My parents made it that way. Instead of making an issue out of it, they just made sure it was an evening given to what was right.

Much has changed in 50 years. That’s why I am sharing two very well-written articles on the subject of Halloween. The balanced approach of John MacArthur’s writing is informative, practical, and spot on. David Mathis’ article adds to the first, but turns our thoughts in a direction that will make us think and hopefully understand, “The gospel changes everything!” Please be sure to read each article in its entirety.

Christians and Halloween – John MacArthur

Sent Into the Harvest – Halloween On Mission – David Mathis

I’m sure you will handle Halloween as you believe is right before the Lord. These two articles say what is in my heart, give the basic reasons for what we do at Boones Creek Bible Church, and why, if I am able (due to recent surgery) will be going door-to-door to GIVE out GOSPEL tracts and a GIFT to my neighbors. Oh, by the way, if you are wondering, I’ve grown out of my Yogi Bear costume. 🙂

 

Friday’s Findings

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Church, Family, Parenting, Pastoring, Trials

Why I Stand With the Five Houston Pastors – Paul Chappell’s spot-on post about the sermons subpoena in Houston.

Christian Guide for Reading the News – Zach Franklin gives us a redemptive way to read to all the bad news in the world in print and through social media.

Millennials Want Something Real, Not Just Hashtags and Twitter

Why You May Be Tempted To Neglect Your Church – Encouragement and insight on the need of getting back on the team!

Five Bad Substitutes For Discipline – Excellent counsel for parents!

Red Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance – A classic.  I remember watching him when I was young.

A Godly Heritage

by Dale, posted in Christian Living, Family

Yesterday I was reminded of two men that have impacted my life in great ways.  The first was my own father.  Having received a Facebook notification, I saw a picture of my dad standing beside newlyweds of which he had performed their wedding.  There he stood in his suit looking sharp and stately as always.  What memories that picture brought to my mind.  He has been celebrating in the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ for nearly twelve years. How grateful for a dad who loved “his Jesus,” preached the Word, cared deeply for lost souls, was faithful to my mom and a great provider for her, was a hard worker, prayed passionately, was a giver, loved his siblings and their families, and was a mentor and dear friend to me.   He was shorter in height than me, but he stood tall in my eyes.  How grateful I am today for the godly heritage of my dad.

The second man is my father-in-law.  Yesterday while chatting with him and my mother-in-law via Skype, I was reminded again of what has made him so dear to me.  His personality is one of a quiet demeanor. Even his voice is soft.  As a man “in the background,” he has loomed large as a servant and a giver.  He is always looking out for Mom, his girls, and his grandkids.  You never leave their house without some Ale-8’s, cookies, bottle of water, coffee, etc.  He is always looking for ways to serve you while you are in their home.  He loves sports, UK Wildcats, and southern gospel music.  Every time we visit, those subjects are dear to us.  He and I have enjoyed many concerts over the years preparing our hearts for the day of eternal praise and worship.  He is also a man of a tender heart.  He is having a surgical procedure done today, so before we ended our conversation, we had prayed together.  When we were finished, he had tears in his eyes.  I have seen those tears several times in joy and sorrow; in church, at home, at southern gospel concerts, at our daughter’s funeral, or before we leave to go home, and we gather in the kitchen for prayer.  How grateful I am for the godly heritage of my father-in-law.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:1-6)