A Prayer From the Valley of Vision

If others deem my faith folly,
my meekness infirmity,
my zeal madness,
my hope delusion,
my actions hypocrisy,
may I rejoice to suffer for Thy name.
As I pursue my heavenly journey by Thy grace,
let me be known as a man with no aim but that of a burning desire for Thee,
and the good and salvation of my fellow men.

Light Into Darkness

LIGHT INTO DARKNESS BIBLE CONFERENCE
April 27-29, 2012
Harvey Baptist Church
Stephenville, TX


 We are praying that God will revive us and send a great spiritual awakening through this gathering.  We are blessed to have a wonderful schedule of speakers including Dr. Jimmy Draper, Ed Ethridge, Jeff Campbell, and Richmond Goolsby.  God-honoring music will be led by Wes James in this special time together as we seek to take the glorious light of the gospel into the darkness of this world.  Please join us for this very special time and please call 254-965-4368 or 254-434-7444 if you have any questions.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven!
Please click on the images below for information.

More Love To Thee

I have light enough to see my darkness,
sensibility enough to feel the hardness of my heart,
spirituality enough to mourn my want of a heavenly mind;
but I might have had more,
I ought to have had more,
Thou hast always placed before me an infinite holiness,
and I have not taken it.
O recall me to Thyself, and enable me to feel my first love!

- The Valley of Vision

What God Can See

What we can see is so limited.  We can see what is before us but we glance over the intimacy of it all.  The creation which surrounds us is filled with wonder as the birds sing praises to the glory of God and the sun burns brightly with a magnificence that barely reflects the splendor of the heavenly King.  People stand before us and we carry on with conversation but we rarely look deep enough to see what is within.  The pain of the many burdens we bear weighs down the inner man.  We feel it in ourselves but do we have eyes to see it in others?  The glory of God is all around us.  The light of His presence encompasses our daily lives but we must be still to see it.  The word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  There is so much more we can see in the depth of His word if we will just stop and meditate upon it.  O that He might show us the “exceeding riches of His grace” (Eph. 2:7) and that we would know and preach the “unsearchable riches of Christ”!  The psalmist cries out, “O LORD, how great are your works!  Your thoughts are very deep.”  If we will ever know His thoughts we must go deep, and this means we must be still and take the time to dig.  If we will be firmly grounded in the love of Christ we will be able to know His “width and length and depth and height” (Eph. 3:18).  “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Rom. 11:33)  There is so much more to life that God sees.  There is so much more wisdom available for us.  So much more knowledge within our grasp.  So much more of the riches of His grace in which we can walk.  If we would only be still and know that He is God, then we will see more of what God sees.  Jesus describes the lilies of the field as being more arrayed with splendor than even Solomon in all of his glory (Matt. 6:29).  Solomon knew riches untold and wealth beyond measure.  We look at a flower in a field and it seems so simple, so plain.  But when Jesus looks at a flower He sees such a grand complexity that it’s splendor outshines all of the wealth in the world.  God can see so much more than we, but we can see more if we will look unto Thee.

Preaching Not For Personal Acclaim But For Christ's Glory

In his book "Christ-Centered Preaching" Bryan Chapell offers some very helpful words regarding the use of illustrations in preaching.  Not only would I wholeheartedly recommend this book but I consider it one of the greatest contributions to the field of homiletics.  Regarding the "wrong reasons to illustrate" he writes:
"Preachers who illustrate primarily to entertain ultimately destroy the foundation of their messages.  An entertainment ethic creates shallow congregations and hollow pulpits.  People who attend such a church are implicitly taught that their own desires and sensations are to be the objects of their worship.  Such people learn to evaluate the success of a sermon not by the conviction of spirit it brings but by the lightness of heart it offers.  This shallow expectation is matched by the hollowness of purpose behind the pulpit: personal acclaim.  Such preaching inevitably fails over time.  Congregations realize that no one always entertains well.  They grow to resent the manipulation of their emotions in a world in need of deep spiritual discernment.  Though the dynamic may take years to unfold, ministries that compromise truth for appeal lose their allure."

Many times preachers are frustrated with the self-centeredness of their congregation and they fail to realize that through their own self-centered preaching they have contributed to that which creates greatest frustration in their own lives.  It is good to be reminded that the goal of preaching God's word is not to be well liked but to declare God's truth.  There is a subtle desire in us all to be well received but let us not forget the preaching of Jeremiah, Paul, and of course, Jesus.  Cross-centered preaching may or may not cost you your life but it will at times cost you some popularity.

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  Galatians 6:14

Voice of a Southern Baptist Prophet: George W. Truett

"Superficial observers and readers of the Bible are prone to find fault with the frankness of the Bible.  Why should they?  Because the Bible is history and history is expected to tell the truth.  And the Bible does tell the truth.  It paints life as it is.  It doesn't gloss over.  It doesn't misrepresent.  It doesn't omit.  It doesn't deceive.  Its one of the crowning proofs that this book is divinely edited.  The Bible is God's divinely given revelation to man."


-  George W. Truett
From the introduction of a sermon entitled, "Lessons from Esther".

Essentials In Finding A Good Church

I have conversations on a weekly basis with people who are sincerely seeking a good church home.  This is an extremely important decision and must be considered thoroughly.  Spiritual guidance and eternity are at stake.  In light of the seriousness of the discussion I would like to offer some guidelines that I would use if I were the person looking for a sound church.

1.  HOW IS GOD'S WORD HANDLED?  The church must believe in the perfect inspiration, preservation, and inerrancy of the Bible.  But not only must they believe rightly, there must be an honest effort to live rightly.  There must be an earnest effort from the man serving as pastor to preach expositionally.  Is he presenting the text?  Is he seeking to explain the text?  Is he faithful to seek accurate application from the text?  He may not be the most dynamic speaker nor the most intellectual presenter but the word of God must be handled with reverence.

2.  DO THEY EXPRESS GENUINE LOVE?  I know that every church thinks they are a loving church but often that really means they only love those they know are just like them.  There must be a welcoming presence and there must be a genuine love for those who are being damaged by sin.  I want a church that is willing to roll up some sleeves and be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Jesus loved and embraced the undesirables of society (although still requiring their repentance), so should we.

3.  IS PRAYER A PRIORITY?  As the temple of the Holy Spirit we are to be a "house of prayer".  A praying church is a staying church and a non-praying church is a straying church.  The power we need to raise our children, to love one another, to love our enemies, to love our wives as Christ loved the church, to be salt and light comes through prayer.  Prayer is an essential that must not be neglected.

4.  IS THERE PASSION FOR THE GREAT COMMISSION?  The last words Jesus gave His disciples before He ascended are the summary of what He had been teaching and the emphasis of what they (we) should be doing.  "Preach the gospel (Mk. 16:15), make disciples (Matt. 28:19), be my witnesses (Acts 1:8)" are very clear commands.  A healthy church will be seeking to grow in their involvement in missions for the sake of the lost and for the sake of God's glory.

There are other things to consider but if these four are right everything else will fall into place.  It will require some crucifixion of our preferences and not all things will be as we may like or want, but better to sacrifice some comfort in this life and be right in the next than to be entertained in this life and wrong in the next.

CONCLUSION:  Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus.  There is no perfect church.  Preferences must be placed aside at times.  Not everything will be just the way I like it.  This is actually part of the beauty of church life, that great diversity comes together by the bond of Christ's redemptive work and loves one another sacrificially.  In the midst of a consumer driven culture with way too many options on the grocery store shelves and menus with countless considerations, churches have bought in with their own marketing campaigns in order to present themselves as the church that will make all of your dreams come true.  "Great music, relevant messages, exciting children's programs, relaxed atmosphere, comfortable environment" are just a few of the claims offered in order to grab one's attention and offer a dream-fulfilling church experience.  In these days it needs to be said, "Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Jesus." (see Matt. 16:24)

Here is my marketing campaign:

• I spit when I preach and I am at times broken by sin but I thank God for the resurrected power of Jesus Christ in which there is no condemnation for all who believe.  
• Our music leader is very faithful and although he is a very gifted musician, most importantly he wholeheartedly loves Jesus.  
• Our Youth Minister loves Jesus and loves people and although he may be cool, he is not the coolest guy in town.
• We have many faithful servants of Christ who seek to share God's word with children but we are not here to entertain your children.
• The Bible has been relevant for thousands of years and will be when you and I are gone.  So learn the Bible.
• If you come to our church you will find conviction first and then comfort only as you repent and submit to God's word.
• Reverence for God is more important than your relaxation.