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Showing posts from April, 2009

"The 'Blessing' of Abortion"

From World Magazine: "Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done." That was the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale in 2007, repetitiously inciting her disciples to be not just pro-choice but fanatically pro-abortion. This is significant because, according to standard journalistic stylebooks, Ragsdale does not exist. We're told that pro-choice folks don't like abortion; they're just trying to help a woman facing tragedy. Read the rest of the story here .

Sunday Night Reflections

God really moved in this morning's service. It was great to see people respond to God's touch in their lives. Jesus is coming back. There's no time to waste. One more week of the "Do You Believe" series, and then--Mother's Day! Are you devoted to prayer, or do you just dabble in it? Sundays wear me out. But it's a good tired. Not sure what that means, but it seems to fit here. Praying for all you SRCers this week. Have a great week!

Dr. Joel Gregory

Several years ago (in the 80s and 90s) when Lillian's grandparents were still around, we would take an annual summer trip to spend a few days with them in Rockport. It was always an enjoyable trip and stay for us. Lillian's grandfather was a long-time Baptist deacon, and he subscribed to the Baptist Standard, the weekly magazine of the Texas Baptists. Lillian's grandmother would save the magazine every week so that I could read a year's worth of issues on our summer trip. Almost as soon as we arrived in Rockport (after we ate her tamales), she would remind me that the magazines were waiting for me. I'd have Bethany put them in order by date, and I'd sit in a comfortable chair and start reading. It's amazing what I learned about Texas Baptists from that magazine. One of the preachers I remember reading about in the Standard was Joel Gregory, who was considered an up-and-coming preacher among Southern Baptists. Every since then, I somewhat followed his pr

Sunday Night Reflections

I'm back! I took a one-week sabbatical from blogging, partly because I was overwhelmed with my schedule this past week, and partly because I just wanted to spend less time blogging and reading blogs than I normally do. As much as I enjoy blogging, I enjoyed the break. We had two great services today. There was such a powerful sense of God's presence in both services. I was especially encouraged at the Evening Service. God is truly calling us to devote ourselves to prayer. I made a commitment in tonight's service to memorize scripture this week. I'm excited about the challenge. I've got an app on my Treo that will help me. Thank God for technology. I'm dead tired! Good night!

Super Bowl

I read a comment by a pastor (on a blog or Twitter--I forget exactly where) in which he referred to Easter as the Super Bowl of the church. In other words, it's the biggest Sunday of the year. I think I understand what he's saying. The resurrection of Jesus is what validates our faith. Easter is a celebration of the single most important event in all of history! I love Sundays in general, but I really love to celebrate Easter. Another reason why Easter is so big is that we have a unique opportunity to invite people to church. Sadly enough, there are still many people who don't really understand the significance of Easter, but they may know enough to know of the tradition of going to church on that day. Consequently, they may be open to an invitation to go to church on Easter. So, in a way, this Sunday is our Super Bowl Sunday. Let's not squander this opportunity. We've prayed and invited friends. Now let's go for the win!

Free pics!

This Easter at Solid Rock Church, all the children in attendance will have their pictures taken individually, and we will give this picture to their parents. The 4x6 picture will be a just small gift from Solid Rock Church. So dress up the kids, and tell them to smile for the camera!

Countdown to Easter

As we approach Easter Sunday, I find myself feeling a strange combination of excitement and heaviness at the same time. I’m excited because I love the Easter season. I love to celebrate what Jesus did on the cross, and how he overcame sin and death by rising from the dead. I’m also excited because I know that Easter presents an opportunity for us to reach out to friends who don’t know God by inviting them to come to church with us on Easter. As we have seen the past two Sunday nights, the statistics on Americans’ receptivity to invitations to attend church scream at us that we should be bold in inviting our friends! But I’m also grieved when I think of how many people there are in the various networks in our lives that are far from God. How can we possibly reach them all? The task seems overwhelming in terms of sheer numbers alone, but more so when we realize that many of them are not the least bit interested in surrendering their lives to the Lord. Where do we start? We s

My Save 5

As we draw closer to Easter, I want to call all SRCers to a week of prayer for those that have been invited to celebrate Easter at Solid Rock Church. For those of you that turned in My Save 5 card, be assured that I will join you in interceding for the people on your list. Let's pray fervently and diligently that they will respond to your invitations, and that their hearts will be open to God's Word and to His Holy Spirit. I'm excited about Easter. God is going to do great things!

Asleep in the Light

Keith Green wrote and recorded a song about how "the world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can't fight 'cause it's asleep in the light." What an indictment that is against the church if we are so concerned about God blessing us that we ignore the needs of the people around us who are living quiet lives of desperation because they don't know God. These are people who may not even realize they need God, but they know they need something to bring the joy and peace into their lives that is so elusive for them. Truly, we need to intensify our prayer for people who are looking for answers. And we need to step up and tell them about Jesus' love. And we need to be bold and invite them to go to church with us so that they may hear a clear explanation of the gospel. Be bold in intercessory prayer, and be bold in inviting people to Solid Rock Church for Easter. Do the kneework and the legwork.