Bellingrath Gardens Last Week

. We took a trip to Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile AL last week.  It was a nice day trip, and it was good for us to get away for the day.  We like to go there about two times a year when different flowers are in bloom.

That's her.... the girl that still makes my liver quiver.

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Garden

Tomatoes we've put up from the garden. Plus, the sign indicates who rules the roost.

July 4th, just before the Fireworks

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Meal on the River in a Pontoon Boat

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Being Questioned

Two of the people in this picture are members of PCC.... One is packin, and the other is answering questions. :-)

FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)

Everyone in this picture, except one, is a member of PCC.  It was a good to bump into these FWC officers on the water.  We had a nice visit.

Blueberry Festival, Brewton AL

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Sunday Mind Dump - July 8, 2012

Kerith – the cutting place.

We learned about that today in the message.  God took Elijah to a place of hiding after his public confrontation with the wicked king Ahab. 

The place was called Kerith.  It was a ravine in the wilderness.  The word Kerith means to cut off or cut down.  It was in this dreary place that Elijah found himself cut off from the outside world and utterly alone…. but alone with God.

Elijah starts out with a public ministry, then bam!  God tells him to go hide.

Kerith represents the hidden life that no one sees but God.  It’s your prayer closet.  It’s the Sabbath of rest.  Call it what you will – quiet time, solitude, rest, retreat, no internet, no Facebook, cut off from the outside world – everyone needs it. 

This Quakers used to call it "soul making."

This is how God replenishes your soul and does a work within you before He can do a greater work through you.

Think about how challenging it must have been for Elijah.  He has pronounced a drought – a drought brought about by his own prayers – and rather than getting to hang around and see what happens, God takes him to Kerith and cuts him off from all involvement and activities that would have been stimulating to him.

Kerith is the death of our plans.

Kerith is a place of obscurity… a place of dreary duty that no one sees.  It’s being unnoticed, unknown, and uncelebrated.  It’s the place that delivers us from the “empty praises” of men.

Kerith is learning to do without.  It’s being stripped of friends, love, and companionship.  It makes us content with God.

Kerith is the place that makes us useful for God.

The ravens fed Elijah while he was in Kerith. It was a job for the birds.  Ravens were unclean animals, yet God used them to sustain the prophet.  God can even use unclean vessels to accomplish His purposes.

The brook eventually ran dry.  The same God who gives water can withhold water.  It’s His sovereign right.

Our human feelings tell us that once God has given us something, He should never take it away.

• i.e., Once God gives us a job… He should never take that job away.
• Once God gives us a spouse… He should never take that spouse away.
• Once God gives us a child… He should never take that child away.
• Once God has given us a ministry… He should never take that ministry from us.

But God doesn’t base His decisions on human feelings.  They are based on His sovereign purposes. 

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

The will of God will cause you problems.  Elijah went to the place God told him to go and was doing what God told him to do…. yet, the stream still ran dry.

A dried up brook is often a sign of God’s approval of your life, not His disappointment.

God wasn’t angry with Elijah when the stream ran dry.  On the contrary, He was pleased with Elijah and was preparing him for a greater work.

Attendance was very strong today.

A few families came in after service started and had to be escorted down to the front row just  to find a seat!

The music was good.

I played bass guitar again because our regular bass player was out of town.  Really enjoyed it.

Mike C. played drums because our regular drummer was out of town too – and he did an exceptional job.  BTW, he came to church after working a night shift.  He’s been without sleep for 36 hours.  Real trooper.  Appreciate his dedication.

I don’t think he came to hear my sermon…. I thnk he just wanted to play drums that bad.  :-) 

The fellowship dinner after church was great!  The room was filled to capacity.  Lots of good food.   More than enough.  Rhonda R. and Lynda P. were the hosts for section 2 and pulled the event together very nicely.  I really enjoyed visiting with so many people.  Everyone did a good job of cleaning up afterwards too.

Next week is section 3’s turn.  Invite your friends to join us.

I really enjoyed the offertory today – Blessed Assurance.  It was played well and sung well.  Very inspiring.  Even the young people are enjoying the hymns that we have been doing for the last few months.

There are a lot of good comments on Facebook about todays service.

A number of families were out of town this week – pleasure trips.  That’s a good thing.  I think every person/family who is part of the PCC family should take a weekend get-away on a regular basis.  It’s healthy for you, your family, and your spiritual life.  Besides, after you clear the cobwebs out of your mind you are able to serve better when you get back.

One family went to Port St. Joe for fishing, scalloping, and water recreation.  Sounds like a good trip.

Soon I will be taking some time off.  I’m unplugging.  No phone.  No computers.  No social media.  And nobody who has a phone.  I need to find a palm tree on a beach.

And while I’m gone, someone else can preach for me.

The secret to good leadership is finding people who are talented and gifted and then empowering them to do the best they can.

I was carrying a heavy burden today.  I put my best poker face on.  And still it was a great day at PCC.  The bitter always comes with the sweet.

I think I would like another trip to the mountains this fall.

My garden will be tilled under in the next day or two.  Only the squash, peppers, and field peas remain.  I’ll be planting cool weather vegetables in the fall.

A friend of mine is going fishing for red snapper tomorrow.  Another friend went last week and tore them up.   

My next door neighbors moved to Dallas Texas a few years ago.  I heard they are homesick and want to come back to the area.  I asked why.  Because they miss being close to the water.  That’ why.

A fishing trip is in my near future.  I’ve got the fever for some red drum, flounder, and mullet.

It’s great living in Florida when you take advantage of the outdoor recreational opportunities. 

And oh yeah, now that basketball season is finally over, football season is just around the corner.

Margin and Why it Matters

Margin is the blank space on a sheet of paper.  The margins along the outside edge of the paper, like in your Bible, is what keeps everything where it’s supposed to be.  And we need margin in two areas of our lives.

1.  Margin with our Time.  When my schedule is too jammed I don’t have time to think, to rest, for my family, or for myself.  Furthermore, I don’t have time for unexpected circumstances that may arise.  A jammed schedule with no margin increases stress too.  If your schedule runs your life, you will feel crowded and overwhelmed.  Sometimes the wisest thing to do is say “no.”  Every open slot does not have to be filled.

2.  Margin with Money.  Think about people who spend everything they make – or more than they make – with nothing in reserve.  They don’t  save. That’s a very stressful place to live because when you’re up to your eyeballs in debt, there can’t be a ripple on the lake or you’ll go under.

WHY MARGIN MATTERS

1. It’s harder to take risks without margin.  If you have financial margin and a great opportunity comes along, you’re in a better position.

2.  It’s hard to relax without margin.  If your schedule is too full, you won’t be able to relax.  Moving from one thing to another, without space in between, takes a toll on your body and spirit.

3.  It’s harder to serve God without margin.  Ultimately, the reason for having plenty of margin in your finances and schedule is to create enough space to respond to God.  If you're not spending everything you make, you can be more generous to God’s causes.  When you have more time in your schedule, you can do things when God says “go.”  Putting margin in your life isn’t about trusting in yourself – it’s about positioning yourself to be a better servant of God.

Sunday Mind Dump - July 1, 2012

What a great day, I mean GREAT day at PCC.

Attendance was strong, the A/C was super cold, the band nailed it, and the message was in my sweet spot.

As an added bonus we had dinner on the grounds.  It was good to hang back and fellowship with so many people.

Best part is that we get to do it three more weeks in a row.

Dottie Wheelus and her team did an exceptional job planning and hosting the event for their section.

Today we talked about Baal worship, the goddess Asherah, Elijah’s boldness, being unequally yoked with unbelievers, and the power of prayer.  The picture posted here is a good depiction of Elijah’s confrontation with Ahab and Jezebel.

I think people found the part about Baal and Asherah to be the most interesting part.  All the CDs flew off the shelf within 10 minutes of putting them out.

The similarities of Baal worship in Elijah’s time with America today are eerily similar.  I might write about Baalism in America on my blog this week.

Love this new series.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately.  Bought three new books last week.  Can’t seem to get enough.

Going fishing tomorrow.  Hope to catch a lot of mullet with cast nets and a couple of red drum on my rod & reel.

Got a funeral on Thursday.

It’s going to be a busy week.

My garden is about spent.  Only the field peas and squash are still going strong.  I will be tilling everything under in the next week or two.  I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment from gardening this year.

I think the best kinds of friends are those who don’t care that I look like a bum when they come over to my house.

3 out of every 5 guys named Bubba will be injured this week setting off illegal fireworks.

I’ll be playing bass guitar next Sunday.  Our regular bassist will be out of town.  We might be playing the song “Light the Fire Again.”  Great song. 

We’re also playing “Days of Elijah.”  Perfect song for this current series.

I got sunburned last week so bad that I have blisters on my stomach.  I haven’t done anything like that since I was in high school.  Pretty dumb.

I left the garden hose on the other day in my back yard and it ran for five hours.  Even dumber.

I also left the garden hose on at my garden, the hose busted in the sun, and the water ran for two days!  Dumb and dumber!

I guess I need someone to lay hands on me and shake some sense back into my noggin :-)