The Journey

What do you think of when you hear the word "gospel"? 

music?

good news?

street preachers?

For many of us, these words come to mind.

For many, the gospel is also associated with the good news that Jesus died on a cross so that we can go to be with Jesus in heaven after we die. 

But I contend that the gospel is so much more than leaving earth at some point in the future. 

In face, much of Jesus' and the Bible's message is focused not on leaving earth to go to heaven someday, but on heaven coming to earth now!

That is to say, God cares about what happens on earth, and so should we!

Would you like to hear more about heaven on earth?

Click here for my sermon on the Gospel and Heaven Coming to Earth.

When driving, I am the kind of guy who follows all the rules.  (well ... most of the rules)  I like to think of myself as someone who has regard for others while out on the road, making sure that we are all being safe and fair as we drive from point A to point B.

The other day I was driving down the access road.  There was a double white line on my left, which according to my drivers ed memory, means that you aren't supposed to cross.  Patiently going behind a slower driver, I was waiting for the double white line to turn into stripes, so I could then get over and get on the freeway.

But ... there was this guy behind me who, with total disregard for the "double white line" rule, cut into the left lane and passed me.

And a remnant of my old self - my self-righteous anger - cried out in judgment and anger, "it's not fair"! 

Actually, the inner voice of anger was screaming other things, but the jist of the inner scream was "it's not fair"!

This, of course was a trivial and harmless incident.  But such is not always the case.  We have all been victims of unfairness at times, and sometimes the unfairness seems overwhelming. 

What do we do with the unfairness of life? 

This is a big question, and I wont attempt to answer it in full in this post.  But I do believe this: the power of resurrection is greater than teh power of death ... the power of justice is greater than the power of injustice ... the power of healing is greater than the power of pain.

The church is a people who place our ultimate hope in God and his redemption of the world.  There will come a day when suffering and unfairness no longer exist for those who are in Christ.  And the healing that we anticipate will more than compensate for the suffering we may experience.

Until then, we look a the cross of Jesus Christ.  It is unfair that a righteous man would die for a sinner like me.  It is unfair that God would give his life as a way of displaying his love for the world.  It is unfair that I would have access to his grace and an inheritance in his kingdom.

Praise God that it is unfair!

Grace and peace,
Pastor Bailey

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of flying to Pensacola, Florida to baptize Sienna Gonyo, born in April.  Upon arriving to Pensacola, I learned that President Obama was in town because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 

When I arrived at my hotel that evening, police had placed a 2 block security perimeter around the building.  It was then that I knew I was staying in the same hotel as the President.  The whole experience was surreal. 

After clearing a checkpoint and then going through a metal detector, I finally checked in and made my way to the room.

The next morning I waited for my cab in the lobby.  I noticed that the lobby was vacant except for a few government workers, the police, and the secret service.  Even hotel employees were not around. 

A secret service agent escorted me to the front room of the lobby. 

After about 20 minutes, President Obama walked through the lobby of the hotel.  I saw him twice - through 2 different hallways.  The first time he had his coat over his shoulder.  The second time he stopped to check his phone, then exited through double doors. 

Though I was the only "non-security" person in the lobby, I didn't say anything to President Obama (I was warned not to by the police). 

A few minutes later security was breaking the metal detector down.  Secret service was leaving, and 6 men with sniper rifles exited right out the front door.

This was quite an experience.  What are the odds that the only night I stayed in Pensacola the President would be there?  What are the odds that I would even have a hotel room instead of staying with my friends Michael and Tabitha?   What are the odds that out of hundreds of hotels I was in the same one as Obama?  And what are the odds that I would be the only guest in the lobby when he walked through? 

Coincedence?  Some would say.  However, I believe that in His sovereignty God often puts us in the right places at the right times.

The whole experience showed me that God can place someone right in the middle of the greatest opportunities.  Had He given me a message to speak to the President, I am sure our Lord would have made a way for it to be delivered.

Where (or with whom) may God place you today?  What may He be up to through you?

After all the buzz, I went about my work, caught my cab, and baptized a baby into the kingdom of God.  I was reminded of how God has and continues to work through our church to minister to the Gonyo family, and how because of our church their lives are different.  I thought about how God had placed them in our lives at the right place and the right time. 

Again, who is God placing in your life today?   How might He want to bring you into the presence of others to bless them?

Grace and peace,

Pastor Bailey

Last month my oldest son was having a play day at his school.  I decided to go and hang out with his class for a while. 

I have gotten to know some of his classmates over the past year.  Some of them have active fathers in their lives, and some of them dont. 

When I arrived on this particular day, some of the kids recognized me as "Dayton's dad" and ran to me and began to jump on me and grab my arms, etc.

I was thinking about how long it had been since some of these kids had showered [you know how elementary schools smell :-) ]  Anyway, while I was originally repulsed by sweaty aggressive kids trying to climb me like a tree, my judgment turned to compassion when the following thought hit me...

"The kids jumping on me are the ones without fathers.  They are missing out on the play-like and safe aggression that every boy needs."  In other words, they need somebody to jump on.  They need a dad ... or at least a dad-figure." 

My son's Kindergarten class is representative of our community.  Many kids don't have a father-figure who is involved in their lives.

Check out these stats*: 

Children without fathers are:

• 5x more likely to live in poverty
• 5x more likely to commit crime
• 9x more likely to drop out of school
• 20x more likely to end up in prison

Teen girls without father are:

• 2x mroe likely to be involved in sexual activity
• 7x more likely to get pregnant in adolescence

An estimated 1 of 3 American households are single-parent mother only homes.  This puts a great strain on single-moms to raise children and pay bills.   

Yet, there is hope.  Writer Donald Miller says that "the only institution that can do something about this is the church." 

The Bible says that God is a Father to the fatherless ... that God sets the lonely in families.  It also says that God comes to the aid of the widow (single mom).  (Ps 68:5-6)

I wonder if God is calling our church to participate with Him in being "fathers to the fatherless".  This could be temporary, as in the case of deployed dads.  Or this could be long-term, as in the case of single parent families. 

How might God be calling us to be the extended family for these families?

Would you pray about this with me? 

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Randa and I love to watch the TV show "Parenthood".  The show is based on 4 grown up siblings who live in the same town and have children.

Each of the siblings have different personalities and encounter different challenges. 

I like the show because I related to some of the parents' situations.  I can also, see what might be coming down the road for us as  parents of future teenagers!

However, the most compelling part of the show is that all the siblings live in the same town.  Consequentially, they "do life" together.

I believe that God made us to have extended families as communities within which we can live life. 

Unfortunately most of us live 100's or 1000's of miles from our brothers, sisters, and parents. 

Therefore, single moms need extended families.
Therefore, military families with deployed moms or dads need extended families.
Therefore, nuclear families far from "home" need extended families.
Therefore, people with dysfunctional biological families need extended families. 
Therefore, people who move to Abilene, even if for a few years, need extended families.
Therefore, people whose grandchildren are 500 miles away need extended families.
Therefore, college students far from home need extended families.
Therefore, children without a close father or mother need extended families.
Therefore, familes where mom or dad is working out of town often need extended families.

Therefore, we all need an extended family.

Jesus said, "Whoever does the will of my father is my family."

We are the church. 

We are created by Jesus to be family to one another.

The desire of my heart is that we continue to become a healthy and loving extended family who "do life" together.