Mother's Day 2008

Yesterday we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Mother's Day in the United States. At North Raleigh we honored all Moms. I enjoyed a pastor's moment with the children as I encouraged then to tell their moms they love them, and then show it by their actions. The sermon I preached was directed to everyone who has been affected by Motherhood. I address the message to everyone who HAS a mother, HAD a mother, IS a mother, is MARRIED to a mother or knows a mother.


At Hudgens' Haven here in Raleigh our granddaughter Alyse came for a visit over the weekend. Sharron and I had a wonderful time with her. It is amazing to watch her grow physically as she now walks around as a toddler. Her personality continues to develop as she demonstrates her preferences and makes known her likes and dislikes. We loved it when she comes to visit. It brings great joy into our lives.

She had her first visit to the nursery at North Raleigh this past Sunday. Sharron had planned to take her to our nursery but it did become necessary when I stood to make the announcements and she began to call "Papa". We love Alyse.
Our daughters: Danielle and Stephanie and our son-in-law Josh came to be with us for Sunday afternoon. We went out for an early dinner; to avoid the busiest day on the year at restaurants. When we placed our order it was time for Sharron to open her Mother's Day cards. She opened one from Stephanie and Josh, and then one from Alyse. She saved the card I gave her for last - so she then opened the card from Danielle. With that, we all broke out in laughter. It has been some time since we saw the "twin" action from our girls.

You guessed it! They gave Sharron the exact same card! It just a reminder of how Danielle and Stephanie are so uniquely different, yet in so many ways alike. We love them both so much.

I stated yesterday that worry is a part of being a mother. We always worry about the ones we love. Genuine concern, empathy and regard is always important to have for others. It is important that we not allow our worry to consume us and become the focal point of life. Here are words of encouragement to consider:

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful that happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7 Message)

These, my friends, are truly trustworhty sayings.

PS Here is a video I thought about showing as a tribute to all moms - but I had others. But this is to say thanks to all moms. ENJOY:

Ready to get wet for Jesus?

On Sunday May 4th we celebrated the baptism of 5 people at North Raleigh! There were four children and one adult that was baptized by Pastor Brittany Cottle. I preached a message about the importance of baptism.

Each candidate attended a baptism class on the previous Wednesday night. They were taught what the Bible says about baptism and asked the simple question: Are you ready to get wet for Jesus?

Before each candidate was baptized we paused to hear their written testimonies. I thought you would enjoy these:

Esther: I have been a Christian for more than 9 years and I accepted Christ as my Savior in this church. I was baptized as a baby and for me, today's baptism is a chance to embrace my original baptism, to publicly acknowledge my love for the Lord and to show everyone that all of my trust and all of my faith are in the Lord. The Lord is faithful and greatly to be praised!

David: It all started saying prayers one night with my mom. After that, I decided to let Jesus into my heart. My mom agreed with me so I prayed a holy prayer. I said I was a sinner and I asked Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. After that, I felt really fabulous and totally refreshed.

PS. I was 7 when I let Jesus into my heart. It was March 8, 2007, so now I know I have been a Christian for more than a year.

Rachel: I feel awesome. Jesus can help us every day. He can help me not be scared. I pray to Jesus and He speaks to me. Thank you for the Holy Bible. Thank you for being in my heart.

Glady: God- I trust God - He makes me haqqy (happy)!

Ethan: I want to get baptized today because I love Jesus. I want everyone to know that I love Jesus. Every night when I go to bed I ask Jesus to be in my heart and be in my family's hearts too. I ask Him to wash all the dirt out of my heart so that people can see the treasure there. I think everybody should ask Jesus in their hearts. I like to tell my friends about Jesus but sometimes they don't listen. I wish everyone would love Jesus. I want to thank Gramma Gail for teaching me about Jesus in my Sunday School class. She lets us ask questions about Jesus if we don;t understand and she helps me understand more. I also want to thank Pastor Brittany for teaching me about baptism. I just want everyone to know that I love Jesus!

For each candidate, after brushing the tears from her eyes, Pastor Brittany would ask the question: "Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your life for the forgiveness of sin?" Each answered "Yes" Then they were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. With that - the congregation at NRN broke out in cheers and applause as we celebrated these public testimonies of God saving power and grace at work!

Sunday was an awesome day at NRN!

This is your Father your dealing with

Today we are preparing for several special events as the church. Tomorrow - May 1, 2008 is the National Day of Prayer. Everyone is invited to the join us in the Worship Center at North Raleigh at noon for a time of prayer. We will join with millions of people across the country for this event.

Several years ago I had the privilege to be in the Rose Garden at the White House and personally observe President Ronald Reagan sign the proclamation for the National Day of Prayer. I plan to share my insights about that experience and some other unique presentations to draw us into a time of prayer beginning at noon on Thursday.

Here is a message from Shirley Dobson - Chairperson of the National Day of Prayer Task force:

These words challendged me this morning in my time alone with God.

Matthew 6:7-13 from The Message:

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,

Reveal who you are.

Set the world right;

Do what's best— as above, so below.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

You're in charge!

You can do anything you want!

You're ablaze in beauty!

Yes. Yes. Yes."

Tonight Pastor Brittany Cottle and I are teaching a Baptism Class. We are planning to baptize new believers during the worship service this coming Sunday. This is NOT what we plan to share about being baptised:

The Lord is my strength and shield

Today was our last staff meeting with Pastors Drew and Kevin. Our time today ended with a staff lunch at On the Border. In attendance with me was Pastor Drew, Pastor Kevin and Julie, Becky, Donna and Karen.



I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Drew and Kevin for serving on the pastoral staff with me at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene.


The past nine months have been filled with times of transitions and challenges as well as spiritual blessings and some good times. I think we enjoyed the first pastoral "advance" within my first 30 days at the church. The events of Big Top in November, The Christmas Eve service and the Good Friday service would not have been possible without the hard work and leadership of Drew and Kevin. I will miss the interactions and the iron sharpens iron opportunities I had with Drew and Kevin.


My prayers go with them as the explore other opportunities of ministry in the days ahead. It was been a privilege to serve with them.




We were a little behind in announcing the prayer time scheduled in our Worship Center for this coming Thursday - May 1st as we join with millions of people across our country for the National Day of Prayer. I encourage those in the Triangle area that can join us from noon until 1:00pm to come for a meaningful time of prayer. Why join for a time of prayer? Take a few moments to watch this clip:

The theme verse for this year's national Day of Prayer is from the psalms of David.

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28:7 NIV

A BIG WEEKEND

This was a great weekend of ministry at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene. On Saturday we gathering in the church parking lot for the Community Yard Sale sponsored by our Women's Ministry of NRN. The turn out was fantastic. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

The children especially enjoyed the face painting provided by Danielle Shannon. The inflatables provided by our Children's Ministry were also a big hit. All the proceeds are going to assist in our benevolence ministry at NRN.

Sunday was a beautiful time of worship and celebration at NRN. As the worship experience was about to begin John Watson came to my side to share with me that several children had accepted Christ as Savior during Sunday School! Our worship experience included the baby dedication of Devon Joslin; a special time of prayer around the altars of the church for Joesph Solomon as he prepares for deployment to Iraq serving in the US Marine Corp.; then we celebrated communion together.

I preached on the topic of Discovering True Friendships. On our worship folder we printed the following: Today we conclude the two part series on "FACEBOOK: Seeking Authentic Community" as we discover the meaning of true friendships.

How can we find true friendship in this often phony, temporary world?

True friendship involves action: doing something for someone else while expecting nothing in return; sharing thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment or negative criticism. True friendship involves relationship. Many people say, "Oh, he's a good friend of mine," yet they never take time to spend time with that "good friend."

Friendship takes time: time to get to know each other, time to build shared memories, time to invest in each other's growth. Trust is essential to true friendship. We all need someone with whom we can share our lives, thoughts, feelings, and frustrations. We need to be able to share our deepest secrets with someone, without worrying that those secrets will end up on the Internet the next day! Failing to be trustworthy with those intimate secrets can destroy a friendship in a hurry.

True friendship requires certain accountability factors. Real friends encourage one another and forgive one another where there has been an offense. Genuine friendship supports during times of struggle. Friends are dependable.

God's Word tells us that a friend sticks closer than a brother, and that in order for one to be a friend, one must show themselves friendly (Proverbs 18:24). The question is: what type of friend do you desire to be? Do you need a friend? God wants to be your true friend. Are you longing for companionship? God is always with you (Hebrews 13:5). Who do you know who needs a true friend today?

God wants you to befriend others. He calls us to be His hands and feet in a world starving for true friendship.

If you would like to hear this message just click HERE

Sunday evening we held our farewell for Pastor Drew and

Adrienne Robinson - and - Pastor Kevin and Julie Todd.

There was an excellent turnout as we gathered to express our appreciation to these couples for their service and ministry to NRN. We are excited for Drew as he soon begins his ministry at Mosaic Church of the Nazarene in Washington, DC. We want to continue to encourage Kevin as he pursues his graduate degree from Duke Divinity School.

This is a time of transition and growth at NRN. New families are visiting the church each week. People are making life changing decisions. God is at work in our midst.

Several times today I quoted the words of Jeremiah 29:11 " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

These are truly TRUSTWORTHY SAYINGS...

Happy Birthday Sharron

An open letter to Sharron.

Happy birthday sweetheart. I am so sorry I am not with you today. This is only the second time I missed your birthday. I think the last time was in 1994 when I was in Russia.

Sharrie – you are a gift from God to me. I cannot imagine my life without you. You have brought such joy into my life. You are my love and my best friend. You are my life partner and cherished wife. You are a great mom to our daughters and a wonderful grammie to Alyse.

Though we are apart by miles today you are in my heart. I am privilege to be your husband and thank God every day for you. I hope today is a great day as you celebrate a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

I thought you would like a little levity on this day. Enjoy the clip below from nationally-known Christian comedian, Jeff Allen, has some pretty funny views on diet and exercise!




Now, how about comedian Jeff Allen on closet vision. Any man that's ever gotten ready to go out with his wife, only to find that "she doesn't have a thing to wear" will appreciate this!



I love you Sharron


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To know and to be known

Today was a great service at North Raleigh. As I followed up on my landmark sermon I shared part one of two on a series entitled FACEBOOK. Facebook clearly displays the need within each of us to be known and to know others. God has created us with a need to know others and be known by others and be known by God. God has designed us for intimacy with Himself and with others.

God created each of us with a longing for intimacy -- intimacy with Him. We must, therefore, come to some understanding of what He is asking of us and what He is offering. We must come to the realization that we were created to fellowship with our Creator. We need Him and He desires us. “God desires us?” Yes! He wants us, desires us. He gave the very best He had in His only begotten Son to redeem what Adam relinquished in the Garden. And He did it for intimacy. Intimacy never involves just one person. As the old adage goes, “It takes two to tango.” God has gone to great lengths to dance with mankind. From the time He walked with Adam in Eden to this day, His desire hasn’t changed. (Source: All about prayer.org)

I did my best to encourage everyone to be in a small group. I did show two :clips" with my message. Here is a clip that I did not show but found very interesting:




Some of the very first words God spoke in the Bible were "It is not good to be alone". We really do need each other. I have found it true in my perosnal life that the most significant life change takes place in small groups. Is there a good reason you are NOT in a small group?