I have not written in a week because of family visiting, a son graduating, and another one getting married. A new post will be up soon.
Blessings
Pastor Sanes
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Church News
What a powerful Sunday we had this past week. Great attendance in the morning services (271), and a powerful move of God in both services.
Graduates I remind you again to watch out for Teddy.
T-Teachers--As you attend college you will have teachers that will teach theory as fact, such as evolution. So watch out for Teddy.
E-Expenses--You will have to buy books, pay fees, dues, and so forth. You will be applying for student loans and credit cards. Be careful about your obligations, and watch out for Teddy.
D-Dates--Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Watch out for Teddy.
D-Drugs--College campuses are rampant with drugs; they are a dead-end street. Watch out for Teddy.
Y-You--You are the only one determine when you will pray, read the Bible, and study the Word. You are the only one that can attend worship services and get involved with the family of God. Watch out for Teddy.
Proverbs 3:6 tells us to "Acknowledge Him in all of our ways, and He will direct our paths."
So we must acknowledge Him before our teachers, as we pay our expenses, as we plan our dates; we acknowledge Him by rejecting drugs, and keeping ourselves disciplined to pray, read, study, and attend the house of worship.
Graduates I remind you again to watch out for Teddy.
T-Teachers--As you attend college you will have teachers that will teach theory as fact, such as evolution. So watch out for Teddy.
E-Expenses--You will have to buy books, pay fees, dues, and so forth. You will be applying for student loans and credit cards. Be careful about your obligations, and watch out for Teddy.
D-Dates--Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Watch out for Teddy.
D-Drugs--College campuses are rampant with drugs; they are a dead-end street. Watch out for Teddy.
Y-You--You are the only one determine when you will pray, read the Bible, and study the Word. You are the only one that can attend worship services and get involved with the family of God. Watch out for Teddy.
Proverbs 3:6 tells us to "Acknowledge Him in all of our ways, and He will direct our paths."
So we must acknowledge Him before our teachers, as we pay our expenses, as we plan our dates; we acknowledge Him by rejecting drugs, and keeping ourselves disciplined to pray, read, study, and attend the house of worship.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Graduation Sunday
This Sunday morning we will be honoring our graduates for this great achievement they have attained. I can hardly believe it, but it's true: "I'm old enough for my third child to walk across the stage and receive his diploma."
It seems like just a few weeks ago that I was returning from Bulloch Memorial Hospital in Statesboro, Ga. the proud father of this cute baby boy. The only things that have changed is time and the way we both look in the mirror. He has grown into this handsome you man climbing the hill of life. On the other hand, his graduation lets me know that I have reached the top of the hill of life, and have started down the back side. The Word of God is true--"Life if but a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."
We at the Harbor are extremely proud of all of our graduates: Bill Fowler, A.J. Sanes, Jack Smock III, Will Smith, Kristen Shanahan, Sierra Smith, Logan Shedd, Amanda Harvel, and Rebecca Hodges. Among these graduates three have distinquished themselves as "Honor Graduates": Will Smith, Kristen Shanahan, and Sierra Smith.
Once again I encourage you to hear the Words of the Lord as you embark upon life. His Word says: "In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths."
The message Sunday will be "Where Do We Go From Here?"
Blessings!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Becoming A World Christian
Becoming a World Christian
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” These are the words of Luke in the first chapter of Acts concerning becoming a world Christian.
It is assumed that all of us who call ourselves Christian have a basic understanding of what it means to be a Christian. However, I have found that I often get into trouble when I begin to make assumptions; especially when it comes to what someone may or may not know about the bible. Therefore, the formal definition of “Christian” is simply: “one who professes a belief in Jesus Christ or follows the religion that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus.” In the simplest sense you might say that a Christian is one who is Christ-like. This now brings us to the question that is at hand. What does it mean to be a “World Christian”?
In order for us to understand what it means to be a World Christian I would like for us to take a look at three perspectives. First, a historical perspective, so that we might look back and remember our beginnings, and consider how we have arrived at the place we are today relative to world missions; secondly, a current perspective, that we might take a look around to see and consider our present state of world missions. Finally, a futuristic perspective that we might look ahead in anticipation of the things that are to come.
A Historical Perspective- as we look back I would like to bring some things to our remembrance concerning the passion for missions that existed in our church in the early days. R.M. Evans had such a passion for missions (Bahamas) that he and his wife sold all of their possessions and bought a wagon and team of mules. They drove this team to Miami, Florida where they sold them and bought tickets to the Bahamas. On January 4, 1910 Evans and his wife became the first missionaries to be sent abroad by the Church of God.
Another wonderful example from the historical perspective is that of William J. Seymour, the famed pastor of the Azusa Street Mission. While he was pastoring in Houston, he met Charles Fox Parham. Parham was already teaching the full blown Pentecostal experience. Shortly after meeting Parham, Seymour was invited to preach in Los Angeles at the Azusa Street Mission. It was said that Seymour was given a one-way ticket by Parham; for he never returned to Houston. For the rest of his life he lived in Los Angeles; it is there that he pastored, he lived, and he died. But men and women have been sent around the world because of the fire that burned at Azusa Street. This fire brought with it a desire to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.
This is what Acts 1:8 was talking about when it said, “To the farthest parts of the earth”. I believe that this is further evidenced by the way God arranged the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It was a day where there were “devout Jews from every nation under the heaven were residing in Jerusalem”. They were there because of the feast of Pentecost, and it was on this day that God poured out His Holy Spirit upon those believers in the upper room, in fulfillment of Joel 2:28. I believe that God had the world in mind when He arranged it this way.
Perhaps these men were to carry the fire back to their own countries as Spirit-filled missionaries. Now because of the power that came with the infilling of the Holy Spirit they could truly be World Christians.
One only needs to look at the Old Testament and see the compassion that God had for the city of Nineveh. He sent Jonah, the reluctant missionary to a city that he didn’t want to go to, that he might preach repentance and judgment unto them. Here I believe that God taught this missionary a lesson about what it means to be a World Christian. See, it is more than just looking after our own concerns in our own countries. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and He desires that all men everywhere come to repentance. He desires that no man perish, but that all would have eternal life; that is why He sent His Son to die; that we might live.
The apostle Peter, a man that was no doubt a Christian, however, he was very close-minded about the mission of God to reach all people everywhere, until seeing a vision one day (Acts 10); a vision that would change his outlook forever. I believe that it was after this vision that Peter began to become a “World Christian”. Listen to his words to Cornelius: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or ritually unclean. Therefore when you sent for me, I came without any objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity have been remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’ Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. So now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.”
It was the Apostle Paul that traveled extensively preaching the gospel everywhere he went; declaring that he did not want to build on another man’s foundation, thus implying that he would carry the gospel where it had never been heard before. In Acts 16 Paul saw a vision of a man beckoning him to come to Macedonia, saying, “We need your help!” After seeing this vision Paul concluded that it was the will of God to preach the gospel in Macedonia. This is yet another indicator of the apostle being a “World Christian”.
A Current Perspective- as we look around the scenery of the mission field has changed significantly over the last couple of hundred years. A little more than a century ago people in this country (USA) lived in rural areas; Augustus Cerillo states: “The United States was born in the country and has moved to the city.” Due to automation and industrialization coupled with the technological revolution, America has been urbanized. Today 75 percent of all Americans reside in urban areas according to the Census Bureau. Timothy Monsma has declared: “Cities are the new frontier of Christian Missions.” So if we are going to reap a harvest in these last days, we will have to learn how to evangelize the cities.
Another fact to consider, a hundred years ago America was sending missionaries to third world countries to preach the gospel, and we are still doing this today. However, while we have carried the gospel around the world, our own homeland has by and large forgotten God. Jesus asked the question: “What is a man profited if he gains the whole world and lose his own soul?” I wonder if we in America have reached the Majority World, but have lost our own homeland. America is now, at least arguably, the third largest mission field in the world.
In the early days the pioneers of missions were driven by, and motivated by the power of the Holy Spirit. When they were filled with the Spirit they felt called to “go and tell”, and they became evangels of truth. They had the return of the Lord constantly on their minds; they knew they had to work while it was day, because night was coming. This passion for the return of the Lord drove them to sell houses, land, and personal possessions to do the work of the Lord until He comes. I wonder now, where has this passion gone? It seems to me that we have lost sight of the return of the Lord. We are so busy doing our own things, even church things, that we fail to realize that time is running out, and Jesus really is coming back for His people.
If we really believe that Jesus is coming soon we will act like it by becoming a “World Christian”. Could it be that we have prospered so much in this country now that we feel like we don’t need God anymore? I wonder if this may be the reason we are seeing unprecedented growth in the Pentecostal ranks among third world countries; especially among those who are extremely poor; yet we are declining in this country. We had better shake ourselves and wake up to realize that we are living in the last days. Therefore we must renew our passion for the lost of this country and the world. We cannot renew it ourselves; it will only happen when we have a true revival of the heart; then and only then, we will become a “World Christians” who are concerned about the lost of this world.
A Futuristic Perspective- taking a look ahead. What if we preach the gospel to others and evangelize the world, yet ourselves become a cast-away? According to statistical data, 88 percent of the Assemblies of God and 75 percent of the Church of God’s membership reside outside of this country. They live in what is called the “Majority World”. This tells me that there is a lot of work to do right here in the homeland.
According to Dr. Grant McClung, in his book “Globalbeliever.com” he gives us four reasons four hope concerning the future of world missions. According to McClung, God is giving us “New Places” that we have never gone before, and this is evident if you check out the Church of God World Missions website (http://www.cogwm.org/). God is giving us “New People”; un-reached peoples who do not have a church operating and proclaiming the gospel in their land. God is giving us “New Personnel” that are widely diverse, multiethnic, and transnational, and these are emerging as the latest breed of Pentecostal missionaries. Finally, God is giving us “New Power”. It’s really not new, says McClung, but it is experienced in new and different ways.
In order for us to truly become World Christians we have to become concerned with more than just what we can see around us. The largest group of un-reached people in the world live in what is called the 10/40 window; we don’t see them because they are “out of sight, out of mind”. This window is from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator and almost two-thirds of the world’s population lives here. Most of the people that live here earn less than five-hundred dollars a year. According to Bryant Myers of World Vision, “The poor are lost, and the lost are poor.”
In the light of this, we have taken a look back to remember, we have taken a look around to see where we are, and finally, we have taken a look ahead that we may plan properly for the future of world missions and evangelization. With this said, I would like to challenge you, not to be a Christian, but to be a “World Christian”.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” These are the words of Luke in the first chapter of Acts concerning becoming a world Christian.
It is assumed that all of us who call ourselves Christian have a basic understanding of what it means to be a Christian. However, I have found that I often get into trouble when I begin to make assumptions; especially when it comes to what someone may or may not know about the bible. Therefore, the formal definition of “Christian” is simply: “one who professes a belief in Jesus Christ or follows the religion that is based on the life and teachings of Jesus.” In the simplest sense you might say that a Christian is one who is Christ-like. This now brings us to the question that is at hand. What does it mean to be a “World Christian”?
In order for us to understand what it means to be a World Christian I would like for us to take a look at three perspectives. First, a historical perspective, so that we might look back and remember our beginnings, and consider how we have arrived at the place we are today relative to world missions; secondly, a current perspective, that we might take a look around to see and consider our present state of world missions. Finally, a futuristic perspective that we might look ahead in anticipation of the things that are to come.
A Historical Perspective- as we look back I would like to bring some things to our remembrance concerning the passion for missions that existed in our church in the early days. R.M. Evans had such a passion for missions (Bahamas) that he and his wife sold all of their possessions and bought a wagon and team of mules. They drove this team to Miami, Florida where they sold them and bought tickets to the Bahamas. On January 4, 1910 Evans and his wife became the first missionaries to be sent abroad by the Church of God.
Another wonderful example from the historical perspective is that of William J. Seymour, the famed pastor of the Azusa Street Mission. While he was pastoring in Houston, he met Charles Fox Parham. Parham was already teaching the full blown Pentecostal experience. Shortly after meeting Parham, Seymour was invited to preach in Los Angeles at the Azusa Street Mission. It was said that Seymour was given a one-way ticket by Parham; for he never returned to Houston. For the rest of his life he lived in Los Angeles; it is there that he pastored, he lived, and he died. But men and women have been sent around the world because of the fire that burned at Azusa Street. This fire brought with it a desire to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.
This is what Acts 1:8 was talking about when it said, “To the farthest parts of the earth”. I believe that this is further evidenced by the way God arranged the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. It was a day where there were “devout Jews from every nation under the heaven were residing in Jerusalem”. They were there because of the feast of Pentecost, and it was on this day that God poured out His Holy Spirit upon those believers in the upper room, in fulfillment of Joel 2:28. I believe that God had the world in mind when He arranged it this way.
Perhaps these men were to carry the fire back to their own countries as Spirit-filled missionaries. Now because of the power that came with the infilling of the Holy Spirit they could truly be World Christians.
One only needs to look at the Old Testament and see the compassion that God had for the city of Nineveh. He sent Jonah, the reluctant missionary to a city that he didn’t want to go to, that he might preach repentance and judgment unto them. Here I believe that God taught this missionary a lesson about what it means to be a World Christian. See, it is more than just looking after our own concerns in our own countries. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and He desires that all men everywhere come to repentance. He desires that no man perish, but that all would have eternal life; that is why He sent His Son to die; that we might live.
The apostle Peter, a man that was no doubt a Christian, however, he was very close-minded about the mission of God to reach all people everywhere, until seeing a vision one day (Acts 10); a vision that would change his outlook forever. I believe that it was after this vision that Peter began to become a “World Christian”. Listen to his words to Cornelius: “You know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, yet God has shown me that I should call no person defiled or ritually unclean. Therefore when you sent for me, I came without any objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my house, and suddenly a man in shining clothing stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity have been remembered before God. Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’ Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. So now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.”
It was the Apostle Paul that traveled extensively preaching the gospel everywhere he went; declaring that he did not want to build on another man’s foundation, thus implying that he would carry the gospel where it had never been heard before. In Acts 16 Paul saw a vision of a man beckoning him to come to Macedonia, saying, “We need your help!” After seeing this vision Paul concluded that it was the will of God to preach the gospel in Macedonia. This is yet another indicator of the apostle being a “World Christian”.
A Current Perspective- as we look around the scenery of the mission field has changed significantly over the last couple of hundred years. A little more than a century ago people in this country (USA) lived in rural areas; Augustus Cerillo states: “The United States was born in the country and has moved to the city.” Due to automation and industrialization coupled with the technological revolution, America has been urbanized. Today 75 percent of all Americans reside in urban areas according to the Census Bureau. Timothy Monsma has declared: “Cities are the new frontier of Christian Missions.” So if we are going to reap a harvest in these last days, we will have to learn how to evangelize the cities.
Another fact to consider, a hundred years ago America was sending missionaries to third world countries to preach the gospel, and we are still doing this today. However, while we have carried the gospel around the world, our own homeland has by and large forgotten God. Jesus asked the question: “What is a man profited if he gains the whole world and lose his own soul?” I wonder if we in America have reached the Majority World, but have lost our own homeland. America is now, at least arguably, the third largest mission field in the world.
In the early days the pioneers of missions were driven by, and motivated by the power of the Holy Spirit. When they were filled with the Spirit they felt called to “go and tell”, and they became evangels of truth. They had the return of the Lord constantly on their minds; they knew they had to work while it was day, because night was coming. This passion for the return of the Lord drove them to sell houses, land, and personal possessions to do the work of the Lord until He comes. I wonder now, where has this passion gone? It seems to me that we have lost sight of the return of the Lord. We are so busy doing our own things, even church things, that we fail to realize that time is running out, and Jesus really is coming back for His people.
If we really believe that Jesus is coming soon we will act like it by becoming a “World Christian”. Could it be that we have prospered so much in this country now that we feel like we don’t need God anymore? I wonder if this may be the reason we are seeing unprecedented growth in the Pentecostal ranks among third world countries; especially among those who are extremely poor; yet we are declining in this country. We had better shake ourselves and wake up to realize that we are living in the last days. Therefore we must renew our passion for the lost of this country and the world. We cannot renew it ourselves; it will only happen when we have a true revival of the heart; then and only then, we will become a “World Christians” who are concerned about the lost of this world.
A Futuristic Perspective- taking a look ahead. What if we preach the gospel to others and evangelize the world, yet ourselves become a cast-away? According to statistical data, 88 percent of the Assemblies of God and 75 percent of the Church of God’s membership reside outside of this country. They live in what is called the “Majority World”. This tells me that there is a lot of work to do right here in the homeland.
According to Dr. Grant McClung, in his book “Globalbeliever.com” he gives us four reasons four hope concerning the future of world missions. According to McClung, God is giving us “New Places” that we have never gone before, and this is evident if you check out the Church of God World Missions website (http://www.cogwm.org/). God is giving us “New People”; un-reached peoples who do not have a church operating and proclaiming the gospel in their land. God is giving us “New Personnel” that are widely diverse, multiethnic, and transnational, and these are emerging as the latest breed of Pentecostal missionaries. Finally, God is giving us “New Power”. It’s really not new, says McClung, but it is experienced in new and different ways.
In order for us to truly become World Christians we have to become concerned with more than just what we can see around us. The largest group of un-reached people in the world live in what is called the 10/40 window; we don’t see them because they are “out of sight, out of mind”. This window is from 10 degrees to 40 degrees north of the equator and almost two-thirds of the world’s population lives here. Most of the people that live here earn less than five-hundred dollars a year. According to Bryant Myers of World Vision, “The poor are lost, and the lost are poor.”
In the light of this, we have taken a look back to remember, we have taken a look around to see where we are, and finally, we have taken a look ahead that we may plan properly for the future of world missions and evangelization. With this said, I would like to challenge you, not to be a Christian, but to be a “World Christian”.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Excellence in the Kingdom
Excellence defined is: "the state, quality, or condition of excelling". To excel is to surpass were you were, or to do better than you've done. It is a state of getting better all the time. Certainly, life will have its ups and downs, but you should have a trend line that shows improvement over the years.
Some good questions to ask to check up on your excellence:
1. Am I closer to God than I was this time last year?
2. Am I more dedicated than I was a year ago?
3. Am I more disciplined than I was last year?
Let's examine excellence as it relates to Devotion, Dedication, and Discipleship.
I. Devotion: How is my personal relationship with God? Do I pray everyday and spend time with Him, or is that only a Sunday event? Am I busy doing things for God, yet guilty of not spending quality time with Him? Everyone of us have to be careful of this one, especially those who are constantly doing kingdom work. It is easy to confuse "busy kingdom work" with "quality time" with God, but it is not the same.
I have struggled in this area myself, and it's easy to justify your actions by saying: "I'm busy doing God's work", but the truth is "if we don't spend time with Him, reading His Word, praying, and listening for Him to speak to us; we can NEVER be the leader that He wants us to be.
II. Dedication: is complete and whole-hearted devotion. Above I spoke of devotion to God, here I will speak of dedication to His body, the church. The first thing to note is that your dedication to the church will never be any deeper than your devotion to God. Your dedication to the church grows out of your devotion to God. He is the life-spring of all the good you will ever do.
In the light of what was just said: How is my dedication to His body? Do I attend as I should? Do I make excuses to be absent from His house when in reality I could be there? How is my giving? Am I tithing and giving as I should, or do I find myself using God's money for other things?
These are simple questions, but if answered honestly they will indicate our true level of dedication. Since our dedication grows out of our devotion, there may be a problem with our relationship with the Lord if our dedication is not what it should be.
III. Discipleship: A word that is akin to discipline. So it is reasonable for us to ask ourselves if we are more or less disciplined than we were a year ago. If we are seeking excellence in discipleship we should be in a constant state of learning. Although we will never reach the place where we know it all; we should be constantly learning more.
To be discipled one must avail themselves to the teachings of another. They must surrender to the coaching of a mentor; they must spend time with, and around the One they are following after. They must read and study about the One they are following after. They must assemble together with the family of the One they are following after. Are we doing this as we should?
Finally, if we are striving for excellence we will devote more of our time to God. In turn we will dedicate more time to His body, the church. By doing this we show that we are His disciples indeed.
Blessings!
Some good questions to ask to check up on your excellence:
1. Am I closer to God than I was this time last year?
2. Am I more dedicated than I was a year ago?
3. Am I more disciplined than I was last year?
Let's examine excellence as it relates to Devotion, Dedication, and Discipleship.
I. Devotion: How is my personal relationship with God? Do I pray everyday and spend time with Him, or is that only a Sunday event? Am I busy doing things for God, yet guilty of not spending quality time with Him? Everyone of us have to be careful of this one, especially those who are constantly doing kingdom work. It is easy to confuse "busy kingdom work" with "quality time" with God, but it is not the same.
I have struggled in this area myself, and it's easy to justify your actions by saying: "I'm busy doing God's work", but the truth is "if we don't spend time with Him, reading His Word, praying, and listening for Him to speak to us; we can NEVER be the leader that He wants us to be.
II. Dedication: is complete and whole-hearted devotion. Above I spoke of devotion to God, here I will speak of dedication to His body, the church. The first thing to note is that your dedication to the church will never be any deeper than your devotion to God. Your dedication to the church grows out of your devotion to God. He is the life-spring of all the good you will ever do.
In the light of what was just said: How is my dedication to His body? Do I attend as I should? Do I make excuses to be absent from His house when in reality I could be there? How is my giving? Am I tithing and giving as I should, or do I find myself using God's money for other things?
These are simple questions, but if answered honestly they will indicate our true level of dedication. Since our dedication grows out of our devotion, there may be a problem with our relationship with the Lord if our dedication is not what it should be.
III. Discipleship: A word that is akin to discipline. So it is reasonable for us to ask ourselves if we are more or less disciplined than we were a year ago. If we are seeking excellence in discipleship we should be in a constant state of learning. Although we will never reach the place where we know it all; we should be constantly learning more.
To be discipled one must avail themselves to the teachings of another. They must surrender to the coaching of a mentor; they must spend time with, and around the One they are following after. They must read and study about the One they are following after. They must assemble together with the family of the One they are following after. Are we doing this as we should?
Finally, if we are striving for excellence we will devote more of our time to God. In turn we will dedicate more time to His body, the church. By doing this we show that we are His disciples indeed.
Blessings!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Skydiving
As most of you know I am an avid skydiver. It all started about six year ago when I was at the St. Mary's Airport for "Wings Over Camden", an event designed to introduce children and the community to aviation. There were free airplane rides for the kids and lots of food and fun. But what caught my attention was the parachutes in the sky.
I had always wanted to jump from an airplane since childhood. I can remember watching Superman and thinking: "if I only had a cape like that, I could fly too". So I went and got mom's biggest towel. I tied it around my neck and I was set, or so I thought. I ran hard from one side of the porch to the other and dove right off. Needless to say I was not superman, and I did not fly. I took a 5' plunge to the dirt. I found out that day that the cape wouldn't work, but it did not stop me from dreaming about flying.
I grew up near Ft. Benning, Ga which is home of the Army's Airborne School. I had been to the jump towers and had saw their training apparatuses, but had never had the opportunity to jump. That was about to change.
As I approached the St. Mary's Airport that day my eyes were glued to the sky as Glenn Bangs flew his canopy over St. Mary's with the American Flag in tow. Bobby Owens, owner of Skydive St. Mary's at that time asked me, "Pastor, when are you going to jump?" At the moment I was looking at a picture of President Bush (41) in free fall with an Army Golden Knight. I told her jokingly that I would jump today, if I could jump with that man. The one jumping with the president. She responded: hang on just a minute. She disappeared for an moment then returned saying: "He said to give him about 45 min to repack, etc."
Glenn Bangs was the man that had jumped twice with the president Bush (41), and was towing the American Flag earlier that day. He would also be the one that I would be attached to as I took my first plunge from 11,000 feet. I comforted myself by reasoning that: "If he was trusted to jump with the President of the United States, I would probably be alright.
It turned out to be a wonderful jump. I will never forget the scariest four-letter word I've ever heard. It's not what you may think. As the pilot turns on jump run he/she will usually turn and say "2 minutes". That's when you know it's real. In two minutes you will be leaving the security of this airplane. At the end of the two minutes the pilot barks out the word "Door"; it's the sacriest four-letter word you'll ever hear. The door is then opened and you feel and hear the wind.
Once the door was opened you take a look outside, turn and put your feet on the step, then it's "Ready-Set-Go". As soon as you leave the plane everything seems better, but after free-falling for a while you start to wonder when this thing is going to open. We opened the parachute at 5000 feet and had about 4-5 minute parachute ride after the 45 second free-fall. Then a picture perfect landing and I was hooked.
Now I have almost 300 skydives. The most memorable ones are jumping with my children. I have jumped with all of them. Adam completed jump school shortly after I did and we have jumped together over 100 times in various locations from various aircraft.
I jump regularly with Adam, Eddie Martinez, Mark Presley, and Dan Dickson. We have had over 30 people from the church jump since I started six years ago. If you have any interest give me a call, or visit http://www.thejumpingplace.com/ .
I had always wanted to jump from an airplane since childhood. I can remember watching Superman and thinking: "if I only had a cape like that, I could fly too". So I went and got mom's biggest towel. I tied it around my neck and I was set, or so I thought. I ran hard from one side of the porch to the other and dove right off. Needless to say I was not superman, and I did not fly. I took a 5' plunge to the dirt. I found out that day that the cape wouldn't work, but it did not stop me from dreaming about flying.
I grew up near Ft. Benning, Ga which is home of the Army's Airborne School. I had been to the jump towers and had saw their training apparatuses, but had never had the opportunity to jump. That was about to change.
As I approached the St. Mary's Airport that day my eyes were glued to the sky as Glenn Bangs flew his canopy over St. Mary's with the American Flag in tow. Bobby Owens, owner of Skydive St. Mary's at that time asked me, "Pastor, when are you going to jump?" At the moment I was looking at a picture of President Bush (41) in free fall with an Army Golden Knight. I told her jokingly that I would jump today, if I could jump with that man. The one jumping with the president. She responded: hang on just a minute. She disappeared for an moment then returned saying: "He said to give him about 45 min to repack, etc."
Glenn Bangs was the man that had jumped twice with the president Bush (41), and was towing the American Flag earlier that day. He would also be the one that I would be attached to as I took my first plunge from 11,000 feet. I comforted myself by reasoning that: "If he was trusted to jump with the President of the United States, I would probably be alright.
It turned out to be a wonderful jump. I will never forget the scariest four-letter word I've ever heard. It's not what you may think. As the pilot turns on jump run he/she will usually turn and say "2 minutes". That's when you know it's real. In two minutes you will be leaving the security of this airplane. At the end of the two minutes the pilot barks out the word "Door"; it's the sacriest four-letter word you'll ever hear. The door is then opened and you feel and hear the wind.
Once the door was opened you take a look outside, turn and put your feet on the step, then it's "Ready-Set-Go". As soon as you leave the plane everything seems better, but after free-falling for a while you start to wonder when this thing is going to open. We opened the parachute at 5000 feet and had about 4-5 minute parachute ride after the 45 second free-fall. Then a picture perfect landing and I was hooked.
Now I have almost 300 skydives. The most memorable ones are jumping with my children. I have jumped with all of them. Adam completed jump school shortly after I did and we have jumped together over 100 times in various locations from various aircraft.
I jump regularly with Adam, Eddie Martinez, Mark Presley, and Dan Dickson. We have had over 30 people from the church jump since I started six years ago. If you have any interest give me a call, or visit http://www.thejumpingplace.com/ .
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Church News
1. Kelly is recovering quite well from her gallbladder surgery yesterday. Of course it helped her today to learn that Karlee is having a girl. On a mother's hunch she had already bought several little girl outfits, now she is dying to go shopping with Karlee for the baby; I've got a feeling this will speed her recovery process up a bit.Karlee and Todd broke the news to us by buying a cake with white icing and yellow writing that said: "It's A", then we were to cut the cake and the icing between the layers would tell what she was having. Just as we were about to cut the cake Karlee was so exciting talking about the baby, she said: "The doctor said 'She's' doing fine". I just looked up and laughed. She said, I can't believe we went to all this trouble to have this cake made, and then I told you just before you cut the cake. Well, the cake was good anyway, and it was a beautiful way to tell us.
So now we patiently await the arrival of Regan Lee Gay; she is due October 4th. Karlee reminded me that she will be here in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
2. Mother's Day is this Sunday and we have a wonderful day planned. Mom's, you will not want to miss this special day. All mother's will receive a special gift from the Harbor. There will be special music and a message for our mom's. Thanks to Josh and Ashley for heading up this event.
3. Please remember that you can download the survery forms, fill them out and bring them with you to church. We have processed nearly all forms and will hand them out Sunday. We can also email them to you as an attachment if you would prefer. Based on your results, you will see what area you can best serve in. I will have a list of the jobs and teams in the foyer on Sunday.
Blessing!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sermon Nuggets--Sunday 5-2-10
We had a great time in both morning services yesterday. I preached a powerful message on the compromises that Satan offers us today in order to keep us from worshipping God. These compromises were first offered by Pharaoh to Moses.
Moses had went to Pharaoh and demanded that he release the Children of Israel that they might go into the wilderness to worship God. Pharoah's first offer of compromise was:
Moses had went to Pharaoh and demanded that he release the Children of Israel that they might go into the wilderness to worship God. Pharoah's first offer of compromise was:
1. You can worship, but worship in the land (Egypt). Egypt is a representation of the world. Pharaoh was saying: "You can worship God right here in Egypt". Isn't that what the world is telling people today? You don't have to go to church, you can just worship God right here at home. While this is true, it does not release us from gathering together for public worship. The writer of Hebrews tells us: "Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day of the Lord approaching" (Heb 10:25)
2. You can go, but don't go far. Isn't this what the world is telling us? If you must go to church, just go Sunday morning, show face, and get back to your weekend. Don't get too involved. Don't become a holy roller, or Bible thumper. In other words, do just enough to appease the conscience so you can sleep at night.
3. You can go, but you must leave your children. This is one that is extremely subtle. Who wouldn't want a babysitter so we could go enjoy ourselves without the rug-rats? Pharaoh knew that they would have to return to Egypt for their children. They would still be kept under his hand. Also, consider who would be raising the children while the parents were go to worship. It would be Egypt, the world. But isn't this what is happening when parents leave their children at home while they come to church? The children are left to their own imaginations. Imagine that!
- Note: I am not saying that people do not care for their children because most people certainly do. We make sure they are educated, we look after their dental and medical needs. We pay attention to their emotional and social needs as well. We enroll them in sports, dance, karate, drama, etc. For Example...
- Suppose it is Sunday morning and little Johnny wakes up and its raining outside. Mom says, Johnny, we better not go to church today; you might catch a cold. But if the weather persist until Monday morning it's a different story. On Monday she will say, "Johnny, get out of that bed, you have a bus to catch. You have school today."
- What this mom has said sublimely is: "Your education and learning is extremely important, but God and the church is of little importance. I ask you. What good is education and learning if your child stands before God lost? The last compromise offered by Pharaoh was...
4. You can go, but leave your flocks and herds here in Egypt. The flocks and herds represented their livelihood. They were their only means of working to make a living, therefore; Pharaoh knew they would have to return to Egypt. They couldn't worship God too long, because their flocks and herds; their means of exchange and livelihood were still in Egypt. This is exactly what the devil tells us to do today: "Leave your flocks and herds in Egypt", this is your money, your means, and your livelihood. By offering this compromise Satan knows you will return for your possessions.
- The answer is: "It all belongs to God", so when I come to worship Him, I come with all I am. I bring my money. I bring my children. I go as far in worship as I choose to go. I refuse to be bound in Egypt (the world).
- The bottom line; we must reject compromise in any form. You cannot make concessions with the devil and still win.
If you are interested in getting the cd of this message please contact the church at: theharborworshipcenter@yahoo.com
Blessings!
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