Good Time With Friends

Yesterday, being Memorial Day, was a time of remembering and hanging out with some good friends.  We were invited by some of our faith family to come over and enjoy some good eating and swimming.  We excitedly accepted the invitation.  All day, I was looking forward to going over there and hanging out with this family.

When 4pm rolled around, we began the never boring task of getting our three boys together and heading over to this fellowship.  We were welcomed with open arms and didn’t take long to make a splash as the temps were edging close to 100. As we swam, more and more people showed up bringing goodies and smiles.  It was a great time around that pool as the conversations carried on and memories were made.

It was as this wonderful afternoon was winding down that it struck me: this is why fellowship is so important in the church. If we just get together to sing some songs and listen to a sermon once or twice a week, can we really call ourselves a family?  Can we really say that we are living in “community” (which is what the definition of fellowship is in the Bible) if we aren’t living life together with one another?  This is an area that we are looking to build up and make a major priority within our faith family at New Life Fellowship. If we are going to be all that Christ has called us to be, we have to build one another up in community (Ephesians 4:25-32).

What do you do with your local church family to build community?

 

The Church

At New Life Fellowship where I serve as Lead Pastor, we have started a new series called “Ekklesia.” For those who do not know, ekklesia is a Greek term that is commonly translated “church” in the New Testament. We are going through this series and examining what the New Testament has to say about the church.

I am really enjoying the studying that is going into this series. I am encouraged by our congregation because they really want to do this thing right. Pretty much all of our congregation has been part of a local church for a good portion of their lives. As we examine the Scriptures, we are seeing that the plan that God put in place is much more simple than we often make it.

It amazes me how many churches think that they have to be doing every program under the sun or they are not serving the Lord. If we (the local churches together, not just one) are the Body of Christ, why does one local congregation think they need to do it all? Where is the body? I do not have anything against programs in themselves. I have a problem when the program runs the church instead of the other way around. I have encouraged our congregation that we will have some programs going, but only those that help us accomplish our mission and no program is above being changed or even axed.

When you think about the local church, what comes to mind? How do programs help/hurt the work that your local church does in your community?

 

What English Translation of the Bible Do You Use?.

This was a question that was posed to me by one of the sweet people in the congregation where I serve as pastor. It’s a good question. I knew that coming into this position that there would be various English translations used by different members of our congregation. My assumptions were correct. I’ve seen that some translations used by the congregation are: KJV, NIV, NLT, NASB, NKJV.

I love the fact that we have a translation of the Scriptures in our language where we can see what God’s Word says to us. I am so thankful to the Reformers of old who fought so hard to get the Bible into the language of the common people. Today, we have numerous English translations… sometimes it seems like too many.

I thought that I would share here the main translations that I use and why.

• The Holman Christian Standard. This is the primary translation I have been using for the past year now. I use it for personal study and to preach from. It is one of the newest English translations, but it has some great things about it. It uses a “word for word” type translation from the original languages, but where it is difficult to do that clearly, it uses a thought for thought. It combines the best of both translation types. It is very easy to read. One little thing that I appreciate about it is that it capitalizes any and every reference to God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). This helps sometimes when pronouns are used to distinguish whom each is talking about in the text. It does word some of the texts that one may have memorized from another translation differently than those previous ones, but the true meaning of the text is not changed but clarified.
• The New American Standard. I really like this translation because it is probably the most literal of all English translations. This was a giant crutch to me as I was studying Greek in seminary. One drawback to this translation because it is so literal (word-for-word from the original languages) is that sometimes the sentence structure is strange. It is definitely not the easiest to just read throughout. If you are looking for the closest to what the original authors wrote, this is your translation.
• The New Living Translation. I came across this translation while working in student ministry and found it to be the best for those who may have never read the Bible before. It uses a “thought-for-thought” format of translation to provide a much easier readable translation than “word-for-word”. This is one that I will often switch to for my personal devotions when I do not want to necessarily dig deep, but just hear the Word clearly.

There are other translations that I have used and recommended to people such as the English Standard Version (ESV), NKJV, and NIV 1984 edition (though this edition is no longer being printed). The important thing that we must see is that people are diving in and reading God’s Word. Does the translation matter? I say yes. One must examine the translation and make sure that it is accurate to the original text or else they can be led to believe that the Bible says things it never has.

What translation of the Bible do you read and why?

 

God’s Not Dead

The Newsboys’ latest hit song has blown up the air waves of Christian music (as well as it should) with the message that “God’s Not Dead!”  My two oldest sons will stop whatever they are doing and begin singing along with the great words of this great song.  You don’t know how good it makes this daddy feel to hear his sons singing the truth that Jesus is very much alive today!

If you have not heard it, I have found the official video for the song and posted it below.  I encourage you to watch, listen, and pass it along! See if you can guess the “guest voice” that shows up about 3:00.

 

Pray For the Crowe Family

As I sit here getting ready for bed, I am so excited to see my oldest son tomorrow.  He has spent the past weekend at his aunt and uncle’s house.  This was the first time that he has stayed away from home (other than with grandparents).  I was very proud of him that he didn’t call home because he was away from Mommy and Daddy.  Part of me is sad for that very same reason.

At the same time that I’m so excited about getting to see my son, I am also deeply saddened for a family that I know: the Crowe family.  I met the dad (John David) while I was a youth pastor in Madison, Alabama.  He had

a great band that did a thing for us one time.  I talked with now and then as our paths crossed (mainly through common friends).

The last time I spoke with John David, I was talking into a phone from the waiting room of a hospital in Birmingham.  I was praying along with him for his child, Noah.  Noah was there for treatment of a brain tumor.  It was one of the hardest “visits” I have had to make because Noah was just a couple of months younger than my oldest son.

I got word today that little Noah had left this world and ran into the arms of Jesus.  He is no longer having to deal with the pain of the brain tumor nor the ways in which it was affecting his little body.  While he is no longer suffering, his parents are having to pick up these pieces, lay them in the hands of Jesus, and trust Him to put them back together.

I have not had the opportunity to speak with John David or Jess (his wife) since hearing the news, but I’m sure that they appreciate all the prayers for them during this time. There is information about a memorial service that will be held on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at 6pm at Friendship United Methodist Church in Athens, AL.  More details of that service and a link to watch live for those who cannot attend can be found at www.prayfornoah.com.

Please remember this family in your prayers.