Changes in Latitude: Graduation Time

First up is Kyle who graduated with the highest honors from Faulkner University…

Next was Cole who received a certificate of completion and walked with his class.

He was so proud and managed to shake all the dignitaries hands on stage…

John & Maggy's Pain

I cannot imagine or quite grasp how deep the pain and hurt of John & Maggy Dobbs. Today, their 18 year old son, John Robert Dobbs, was killed in a horrible and tragic accident. And the world is a dimmer place.

John and I became college roommates when he was 17 and I was 18. We have been the best of friends for over half of our lives. Maggy is a distance cousin and she never held that against me.

Over the years our lives and families have been intertwined. Living only thirty minutes a part during the last ten years allowed our different ministries to be combined at times as we served the same goal of seeing God’s Kingdom grow and thrive here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

John Robert was a fantastic young man with a bright future. He will be missed by all who knew him.

May God grant John and Maggy and the rest of the family the relief, comfort and peace they so desperately need.

I love you!

Les, Jr.

John & Maggy’s Pain

I cannot imagine or quite grasp how deep the pain and hurt of John & Maggy Dobbs. Today, their 18 year old son, John Robert Dobbs, was killed in a horrible and tragic accident. And the world is a dimmer place.

John and I became college roommates when he was 17 and I was 18. We have been the best of friends for over half of our lives. Maggy is a distance cousin and she never held that against me.

Over the years our lives and families have been intertwined. Living only thirty minutes a part during the last ten years allowed our different ministries to be combined at times as we served the same goal of seeing God’s Kingdom grow and thrive here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

John Robert was a fantastic young man with a bright future. He will be missed by all who knew him.

May God grant John and Maggy and the rest of the family the relief, comfort and peace they so desperately need.

I love you!

Les, Jr.

And I Can't Find My Way Home!

Although they each had their own particular story, these men still had something to prove, still had things yet to be accomplished musically. And so in 1969, Blind Faith was born.

If you don’t know the story, Blind Faith was an English rock band, a super group whose members were Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. You may not know the names of Baker or Grech, but Clapton and Winwood are living legends.

Unfortunately, Blind Faith was only together for one year—they only produced one album of the same name. In many ways, the band’s demise was a product of the superstardom attained by its members even before the forming of this particular band.

I was reminded recently of Blind Faith because of a song played on some TV show or movie we watched. I couldn’t tell you for all the gold in Ft. Knox what we were watching, but I was instantly grabbed anew by the song.

It’s an ironic twist that a group called Blind Faith would sing about not being able to find their way home… 

Come down off your throne
and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.

You are the reason
I’ve been waiting so long.
Somebody holds the key.

 But I’m near the end and
I just ain’t got the time
And I’m wasted and
I can’t find my way home.

 Come down on your own
and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.

You are the reason
I’ve been waiting all these years.
Somebody holds the key.

 Chorus

But I can’t find my way home.
But I can’t find my way home.
But I can’t find my way home.
But I can’t find my way home.
Still I can’t find my way home,
And I ain’t done nothing wrong,
But I can’t find my way home.

by Steve Winwood

I wonder how many Christians are in the same spot. I wonder how many non-Christians are right there with them.

The most common definition of faith is straight out of the biblical witness. Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Nothing in that verse says anything at all about being blind. There is evidence for God all around us. Romans 1 is a strong hint that we were created with knowledge of God.

I may not be able to see everything there is to see and know about God, but I have enough. Yes, I have enough faith to not go at this life blind.

And yet, so many—even Christians—can’t seem to find their way home.

It‘s not for a lack of trying.

Some of us see the way home through tradition.

Or through a certain mindset.

Or maybe even through a particular frame of reference.

Each of those may have their own value, but they ultimately fail whenever they become the focus instead of the focus being on Jesus Christ.

I have worshiped with churches that were the pinnacle of modern technology. I have worshipped with churches that could do no more than stand on the side of a mountain and pass a grape soda can and a cold tortilla around for communion. In both places, the focus had to be on Jesus.

And that is never blind faith.

We need to be reminded again and again of what is truly important. While we struggle with having Jesus as our focus–while we whine and moan and bicker about methodology, we are surrounded by folks who can’t find their way home.

These worshippers are bowing at the altars of materialism, sexual pleasure, alcohol, drugs, etc, and they are striving with all their might to find their way home on a road that will only lead them to destruction.

So, can we do something in a different manner—that doesn’t violate any clearly taught scripture–at the Orange Grove Church of Christ?

If it helps people focus on Jesus and see…if it helps them see what is real and which way leads home, then yes.

Gladly.

Will I personally always be comfortable with the different? Not a chance, but I am willing to compromise– not doctrine, not faith, not Jesus–but my comfort zone.

May God help us help all those who are struggling because they can’t find their way home!

Les, Jr. 

And I Can’t Find My Way Home!

Although they each had their own particular story, these men still had something to prove, still had things yet to be accomplished musically. And so in 1969, Blind Faith was born.

If you don’t know the story, Blind Faith was an English rock band, a super group whose members were Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and Ric Grech. You may not know the names of Baker or Grech, but Clapton and Winwood are living legends.

Unfortunately, Blind Faith was only together for one year—they only produced one album of the same name. In many ways, the band’s demise was a product of the superstardom attained by its members even before the forming of this particular band.

I was reminded recently of Blind Faith because of a song played on some TV show or movie we watched. I couldn’t tell you for all the gold in Ft. Knox what we were watching, but I was instantly grabbed anew by the song.

It’s an ironic twist that a group called Blind Faith would sing about not being able to find their way home… 

Come down off your throne
and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.

You are the reason
I’ve been waiting so long.
Somebody holds the key.

 But I’m near the end and
I just ain’t got the time
And I’m wasted and
I can’t find my way home.

 Come down on your own
and leave your body alone.
Somebody must change.

You are the reason
I’ve been waiting all these years.
Somebody holds the key.

 Chorus

But I can’t find my way home.
But I can’t find my way home.
But I can’t find my way home.
But I can’t find my way home.
Still I can’t find my way home,
And I ain’t done nothing wrong,
But I can’t find my way home.

by Steve Winwood

I wonder how many Christians are in the same spot. I wonder how many non-Christians are right there with them.

The most common definition of faith is straight out of the biblical witness. Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Nothing in that verse says anything at all about being blind. There is evidence for God all around us. Romans 1 is a strong hint that we were created with knowledge of God.

I may not be able to see everything there is to see and know about God, but I have enough. Yes, I have enough faith to not go at this life blind.

And yet, so many—even Christians—can’t seem to find their way home.

It‘s not for a lack of trying.

Some of us see the way home through tradition.

Or through a certain mindset.

Or maybe even through a particular frame of reference.

Each of those may have their own value, but they ultimately fail whenever they become the focus instead of the focus being on Jesus Christ.

I have worshiped with churches that were the pinnacle of modern technology. I have worshipped with churches that could do no more than stand on the side of a mountain and pass a grape soda can and a cold tortilla around for communion. In both places, the focus had to be on Jesus.

And that is never blind faith.

We need to be reminded again and again of what is truly important. While we struggle with having Jesus as our focus–while we whine and moan and bicker about methodology, we are surrounded by folks who can’t find their way home.

These worshippers are bowing at the altars of materialism, sexual pleasure, alcohol, drugs, etc, and they are striving with all their might to find their way home on a road that will only lead them to destruction.

So, can we do something in a different manner—that doesn’t violate any clearly taught scripture–at the Orange Grove Church of Christ?

If it helps people focus on Jesus and see…if it helps them see what is real and which way leads home, then yes.

Gladly.

Will I personally always be comfortable with the different? Not a chance, but I am willing to compromise– not doctrine, not faith, not Jesus–but my comfort zone.

May God help us help all those who are struggling because they can’t find their way home!

Les, Jr. 

Wow

I am reading from a couple of interesting books: Unleashing the Potential of the Smaller Church and Releasing the Power of the Smaller Church. Both are compilations of articles and ideas frompeople whom have worked most of their ministry lives in churches under 200 in attendance-all of the featured writers come from Restoration churches of which we are a part. In the first book, I found the following quotes:

What do you think would happen if leaders and volunteers in smaller churches all across North America agreed on a simple plan–to transform their communities for Jesus Christ? What if the folks in your church agreed to stick together, to love each other like family, and to do whatever it takes to carry out that simple plan?

Wow!

And then there was this:

95 percent of the people in America who become Christians do so before the age of twenty-five. Think about that. If we don’t reach people with the gospel before they reach the age of twenty-five, we are going to miss 95 percent of them.

Why aren’t we very evangelistic anymore? That is what so many people are asking. Why aren’t churches growing more? Maybe the answer is simple-we aren’t reaching young people…

When I look at outreach methods, events, and programs in the smaller church, most seem to be designed for people older than twenty-five. If that is true, we are only going after 5 percent of the open people when it comes to evangelism. I certainly want older people to be saved (I like people my age), but the truth is that most people my age and older have already made decisions one way or another. Should we still try and reach them? Absolutely. But what are we doing about the young?

…To be evangelistic today, we have to communicate the gospel in ways that young people actually hear. Young people need a voice in how we minister and worship if we are going to be serious about reaching their peers. And those of us who are older will have to decide whether we will allow change for the sake of the mission.

Wow again.

Change for the sake of the mission? you better believe it. That’s what paul meant when he said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (NIV)

Finally, one last brief quote: "it’s hard to be the ’salt of the earth’ if you are confined to the saltshaker."

How about bringing some Wow! into your walk of faith?

Les, Jr.