Sunday’s message was one of those get to the bottom of the heart messages.  We talked about what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord.  It was a piercing look at things that we might need to change if we want to walk in the fear of the Lord.  This was a message built for a response at the altar.

At the conclusion of the message, the musicians normally come to the platform, but Sonya was in the nursery with Hannah who wasn’t feeling well.  So, as before, we were going to put on some light worship music instead of having live musicians.  The CD is normally in slot 1, but I forgot that we used that slot for a special Easter song by Judy Garland.  Here comes the Altar Call Fail.  You guessed it, heads are bowed, eyes are closed and Judy Garland starts to sing about 5th avenue.  That is the first time I have ever laughed in an altar call.  Then I lost my train of thought, forgot where I was and started to pray again.  Talk about killing the moment.

Listen to the clip of the altar call:

One thing I have learned about leadership is that we should never be afraid of failure and should always learn to laugh at our mistakes.  I tend to think that God might have gotten a kick out of that as well.  If we are too serious, we will be so afraid of failure that we will beat ourselves up over our failures.

As of yesterday the Astros were the only winless time in major league baseball.  That changed today.  They finally won a game.  You might question the fact that I am an Astro’s fan.  I believe that we should be fans when teams are winners and losers.  I wouldn’t want people to leave our church just because I have a bad Sunday preaching.  But I would also hope that I don’t become like the Astro’s and have eight bad ones in a row either.  If I do, the management might think of trading me.  Oh wait, church isn’t like baseball.  But if I made 5 million a year I would understand the board taking action like that:)

Hopefully the Astro’s will begin a turnaround.  Alot of great young talent Bud Norris, Michael Bourn, Tommy Manzella and Hunter Pence.  Go Astro’s!

What if today was the day for God to turn your circumstances around?

The amazing thing about life is that things can change in a matter of seconds.  Sometimes that is good and sometimes that is bad, but let’s dwell on the good.  You may have gone to bed with burdens weighing you down.  Maybe your worries keep you awake and you wonder will God ever come through for you.  All that can change in an instant!

In reading through the Psalms I stumbled across a verse that talks about the tables turning.  Sometimes we just need God to turn the tables to our favor.

Psalm 30:11, "You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness."

This sounds good doesn’t it?  What you are facing today can be turned around.  There is nothing impossible with God!  Life certainly gets us down but it doesn’t have to keep us down.  We may fret at times but we do not have to live in fear.  We may be hurting on the inside but God wants to turn your mourning into dancing.

You may go to bed crying but you can wake up in the morning praising God for His goodness.  You never know what a new day holds.  His mercies are new every morning and joy comes in the morning. 

Life changes in an instant!  Your trials could be over before you know it.  Just trust God and let him turn your mourning into dancing.  Be of good cheer friend, God is in the turn around business.  Your turn around is right around the corner!

I welcome your thoughts on this one.  Panhandling has come a long way since I worked with the homeless:)

A large part of our American mentality is wrapped around a simple word. ME!  What’s in it for me?  What about me?  What can the church do for me?  We have been conditioned, in our culture, to look out for number 1.  After all, my happiness and comfort are the most important thing, right?

Wrong, this is not God’s mentality.  It is not all about us!  I know that is hard to swallow, so let me say it again.  IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT US!  It is about God’s Kingdom.  It is about what is best for Him and others.  Doesn’t the Bible say, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”?  What that means is that we are to be as concerned for others as we are for ourselves.

This thought resonated with me, when I was reading in the book of Isaiah.  King Hezekiah gladly welcomed envoys from Babylon (what we would normally call the enemy) and shows them his palace and all of the things that God has blessed him with.  In fact, the Bible records that Hezekiah showed them the silver, gold, precious oils, the armory and everything that was found in the storehouses.  Hezekiah’s intentions were noble I am sure;)  After all, if you were a good king you were prosperous.  So he wanted Babylon to know that he was prosperous and good. 

Isaiah then shows up at Hezekiah’s palace with a word from God. “Behold all that is in your house and everything that your father built up will be carried away to Babylon.  Some of your sons will be taken away and made eunuchs in the land of Babylon.”

Isaiah was pronouncing judgment that would take place in His son’s generation and  they would be greatly affected.  Hezekiah’s response was repentance and pleading God for mercy, think again.  His reply, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.”

What kind of father is this?  Who cares what happens to my kids as long as I have peace and security?

This is often our attitude when it comes to taking care of the next generation.  We so often want to make sure our life is just right without considering what we are doing for the generation after us.  We think, “In the church, as long as my tastes are fed, as long as we can keep it the way I like it, then why worry about the next generation?”

Friends, if the generations before us would have had Hezekiah’s attitude, there would be no church.  The generations before us left us a church.  When we are more focused on our needs than the needs of others, we become self-centered. 

My passion is to build a church for all generations.  Not just for the young but for old as well.  Not just for middle-aged, but for children as well.  Not just for married couples, but for singles as well.  Not just for white folk, but for all races as well.  This is the heart of God.

Every generation must make sacrifices to make this a reality.  The most critical thing for the church today is to realize that everyone is valuable and that we must be willing to embrace each generation.  Titus 2 tells us that the old should teach the young.  I believe our older generation should be mentoring the young generation and passing the baton to them.  In turn, the young generation might teach the older generation a few things.  If nothing else, they might make you feel younger.

Let’s not have the attitude of Hezekiah.  We must be concerned about others not just ourselves.

I was pondering today on the goodness of God.  I am blessed beyond measure.  Even when tough days come, I am amazed at the grace of God and His hand on my life.  He has blessed me with a great wife whom I am madly in love with (Sorry if that got too mushy).  I have two awesome kids who bring joy to my life.  There is never a dull moment at the Cheney house.

God has allowed me to pastor full-time and do what I love to do.  Preach the Word of God and shepherd His people.  He has given me a wonderful church family who are faithful in so many ways.  Not to mention God has allowed me to live in the Ozarks, in what I believe is one of the most beautiful places there is to live.  (I sometimes feel guilty that while missionaries are in remote places, I am in NWA) 

What an awesome God!  In the words of the Apostle Paul when he wrote to Timothy, “Because He has counted me faithful, calling me into the ministry.”  I am glad to be doing what God has called me to do.  A husband and father first, and a pastor to the greatest people in the world.