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Pastor's Point - January 2024

As we enter a new year, we have no way of knowing what awaits us. We cannot predict the future. People have tried throughout the years only to be embarrassed or made to look foolish. I came across a few humorous quotes that speak to the impossibility of predicting the future, and looking foolish when we try.

Gary Cooper stated in 1938…
“Gone with the Wind” is going to be the biggest flop in Hollywood history. I’m just glad Clark Gable will be the one falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.”
In May of 1940 Mahatma Gandhi said this…
“I do not consider Hitler to be as bad as he is depicted. He is showing an ability that is amazing, and he seems to be gaining his victories without much bloodshed.”
Jim Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, firing Elvis Presley after one performance, 9/25/54...
“You ain’t goin’ nowhere…son. You ought to go back to drivin’ a truck.”

These quotes are humorous and sad to me. They heighten the fact that none of us can predict the future of other people or in life in general. We have no idea what 2024 has in store for us. And I would suggest instead of trying to make predictions, or guess what is going to happen, we should keep our eyes on Jesus and trust Him to see us through the ups and downs of the new year to come.

One main way that I want to encourage our church family to keep our eyes on Jesus is to focus together on a new sermon series that I am beginning in January from the Gospel of John. The scripture that will be our theme verse will be John 12:21c which states… “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”  We are going to look at themes from each of the twenty-one chapters of John each week as we keep our eyes on Jesus in 2024.

I have seen pulpits in different churches throughout the years have this portion of this verse engraved, or affixed to the pulpit so that whenever the pastor is standing there preaching God’s Word it is a constant reminder to him that those who gather to worship on Sunday morning are not coming to see the one standing in the pulpit, they have come to see Jesus.

You see it really matters that people see Jesus because he is the only one who can save them from their sin. He is the only one who offered the perfect sacrifice of himself for those who would come to trust in Him as their Lord and Savior. And it is Jesus who can sustain us through the new year to come. We must train ourselves to keep our eyes on the only one who can take away the sin of the world. Let the words of John the Baptist ring in our ears as we consider the importance of “seeing” Jesus in the new year to come.

In John 1:29-32 John states…
²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. May God bless us in 2024 as our
hearts wish to see Jesus!!

I love you and I love being your pastor!

Student Life - January 2024

I wanted to take the time for this article to explain to you all my heart for ministry. In my last article I explained a bit of my walk and testimony leading up until now but did not dive too much into why I seek to serve in ministry. And with that being said, I would like to direct you to the end of a verse in Nehemiah. In chapter 8 verse 10, it says: "And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength". 

For most of my life, I overlooked this verse and never gave it that much attention. This was the case until I had breakfast with my family pastor from the church I attended in
college. While at a Waffle House in New Albany, I was explaining the joy I get when serving in ministry, especially during my time at Crossings Camp. I told my pastor about the amazing times where I would have long Gospel conversations with students, staffers, church leaders, and many more. These conversations gave so much life to me and I was constantly reminded at times that this is where I needed to be, and I was right where God wanted me to be. To be growing in faithful community and growing more like Christ with each interaction. Additionally, I explained to my family pastor that there were a few times where during worship at camp, just listening to the congregation of a thousand students, leaders, staffers, adults, and faithful band members worshipping our Father gave me an incredible sense of joy, happiness, and peace. It is honestly hard to explain this intense feeling into words. But it was during these worship services and intense feelings that I would jokingly call "little glimpses of Heaven". I use this analogy because, honestly, it truly feels like the gap of space between this worship service and Heaven is paper thin. And that little gaps begin to form in this paper to show us the glory of the Father and of His Kingdom. And, when I'm in these worship services and my spirit is moved this far, I am so content with life and thankful for the Gospel. It's at this time that I truly desire nothing else in life and could not imagine spending my eternity doing anything else. To try and explain this further, if this already overwhelming experience and stirring of the Spirit inside of me is available in this sinful world and limited by the fact that we are not yet able to see our Savior face to face, then could
you IMAGINE what eternity with our Savior would be like? Sign. Me. UP.

After explaining all of this to my family pastor, he just smiled as if he agreed with me and reminded me of Nehemiah 8:10. He explained to me that it’s during these conversations, worship services, or intentional time with the Father that give Him such joy! And when I had heard this, it absolutely clicked. During all of my time as a Christian and also serving in ministry, the one thing that always gave me tremendous life was the joy of the Lord! And let me tell you, now that I have experienced that joy, I'm chasing it. I hope you can hear my heart through the words on the screen here - It is not my intention nor my desire to serve in any ministry to put myself on a pedestal or for any personal gain; I serve in ministry because I believe the Lord has called me to it and because I want to serve Him with everything I have. If He called me tomorrow to become a farmer in the middle of nowhere and would never have human interaction with anyone again, as long as He remains with me as He already has promised, then I would be alright. His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

So, to bring it around full circle as I close, my heart for ministry is the joy of the Lord. The strength and joy I receive from His joy is absolutely life-giving. And it reminds me of how thankful I am for the Gospel and my eternal relationship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. And now I seek to share this heart for ministry with the church and with our student ministry. I seek to grow in relationships with our students and lead them well in this ministry, but always desire to point them to Christ and to seek an eternal relationship with Him.