Heroes – The Sunday School Answer  

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Next week I plan on doing some posts on heroes. So, in the way of introduction I want to give the Sunday school answer. The old joke is that the teacher asked the children, “What animal is small and gray with a bushy tail, lives in trees, and likes to eat nuts?” After several moments one of the young Sunday school attenders raised his hand and said, “Teacher, I know the answer is supposed to be Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.”

Since no hero, living or dead, real or fictitious, can compare with my biggest hero, I decided to introduce the series with Him.

My biggest hero is Jesus. Why? Again the Sunday school answer: because He saved me. But it goes beyond that. Jesus Christ is the kind of hero that has been shaking up the world simply because of His existence. Forget the miracles—turning water into wine, healing the sick, calming the storm with a word, raising the dead—and look at who He really is. He disturbed the religious leaders by pointing out the inconsistencies in their practices, He baffled the intellectuals by asking simple questions, He turned the world upside down, and is still doing it today.

Jesus is my pick as the greatest of all heroes because He is God in person, love in action, righteousness in practice, grace in reality, and mercy in fact.

Start thinking now—who are your heroes? Why? Sound off now and log in next week to see mine.

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Bitterness  

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bit·ter (bĭt'ər) adj. bit·ter·er, bit·ter·est

  1. Having or being a taste that is sharp, acrid, and unpleasant.
  2. Causing a sharply unpleasant, painful, or stinging sensation; harsh: enveloped in bitter cold; a bitter wind.
  3. Difficult or distasteful to accept, admit, or bear: the bitter truth; bitter sorrow.
  4. Proceeding from or exhibiting strong animosity: a bitter struggle; bitter foes.
  5. Resulting from or expressive of severe grief, anguish, or disappointment: cried bitter tears.
  6. Marked by resentment or cynicism: "He was already a bitter elderly man with a gray face" (John Dos Passos). {from American Heritage Dictionary}


Any way you slice it, bitterness is something that we don’t really want. The funny thing is: we continually allow ourselves to be bitter. The longer we stew in our bitter state, the bitterer we become. The bitterer we become, the less we realize that we are bitter. First our hearts, then our minds, and finally our entire beings shrivel up into a bitter little pill that is oh most difficult to swallow.

While we seem to be immune to our own bitterness, we quickly can identify those around us who are bitter. So, think about that bitter person you know. Really, think about them. Ask yourself, is that me? If it is, take steps. Identify that about which you are bitter, remove it from your life. If you cannot remove it the re-evaluate, “Is this really something (someone) to be bitter about?” More often than not the answer is no. So, stop it, drop it, refocus on that which makes you better, not bitter.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Blog  

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I have mirrored this blog on WordPress. It is a test. I've noticed several other bloggers switching over to WordPress for their blogs, I thought I'd give it a try. Take a look and give me some feedback (here and/or there) to let me know what you think. Which site looks better? Which one do you prefer? The site is called Loom & Wheel Words. Click on the link and tell me what you think. For now, Book 'em Benj-O will stay where it is.

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If You Missed It  

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As a result of an emergency in our services (God is working always), I was only able to complete one point of my sermon. The topic was “Second Chances” reminding us all that we have opportunity after opportunity to say Yes to Jesus. He makes it clear that those second chances are His determination and not ours. We are never to stop sharing until our mortality wins out. At the same time, it is when mortality wins out that the second chances cease altogether.

For those who simply must complete all the blanks I am including the completed worksheet for you:

Take Advantage of Second Chances
Jonah 3:1-10

I. God desires for believers to serve him.
1. Who is a believer?
2. How do we serve him?
3. When do we serve him?
4. Why do we serve him?

II. God desires for people to hear the message.
1. The content of the message.
2. The complexity of the message.
3. The core of the message.

III. God desires for people to know him.
1. The reprobate.
2. The good old boy.
3. The saint.

If you want to fill in the spaces, come see me, I’d be glad to finish the sermon.

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Eim Notshur Yett  

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Some years ago, I was introduced to clowning ministry. I was told as I developed my alter ego that he should have a name. By the end of the session, everyone had a name but me. My response: “I’m not sure yet.” And it stuck. It also became a part of my work as a clown — I can’t be sure about anything, but people can be sure of something. Jesus loves you!

It works, and works well with children (when they’re not afraid of clowns).

How about you? Are there creative ways that you’ve used to be awitness for Christ?

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Mulligans  

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I love the game of golf. The rule I love best is not really a rule, but a practice. Namely, the practice of being allowed to replay one shot per hole without penalty. The practice is called a Mulligan. It’s a do-over, a second chance to repair damage done by a bad swing. Of course in golf, the Mulligan rule would only be helpful to me if I were allowed to replay one shot per shot without penalty.

We love do-overs, don’t we? Students enter the classroom asking the teacher, “When’s the re-test going to be?” before the original test is even distributed. We are a society that thrives on second chances. So much so, that when we have made an utter mess of things, we proclaim, “Third time’s the charm” and prepare to go again.

God understands this about us, and is patient even beyond our own capacity to be patient. He disciplines His children (whom He loves), then offers another opportunity to get it right. He did it with Jonah, He can do it for us as well. What a great God!

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Bring Out Your Irish  

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Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. Today is a day when children who don't wear green get pinched, and adults (at least in America) generally tend to make fools of themselves (I suppose that this is in practice for April 1). Are we really paying homage to the patron saint of Ireland when we do this? If you want to see an authentic explanation of the day check out this article.


Enjoy the day, but remember that it's about faith, not green beer.

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Devotional Project  

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Certainly we are being rather local, but our hope is that the thoughts that develop and find their way to the new blog will be inspiring to everyone. I'm speaking of a new project developed by the ministers of our small town. The major project is to be a devotional booklet that will be available to any who want it. Plans are in the work to publish the booklet for distribution in November. It will be entitled 30 Days of Thanksgiving. The desire is to gather short devotional thoughts that will be inspirational and Christian in nature and focus on the local flavor of our community. My hope is that beyond the local appeal there might be others who will be inspired by the selections in the book.


The outcropping of that idea is to have an on-going devotional blog. The blog has an address -- Mulberry Moments. We will officially be accepting submissions from our congregants starting Easter, and collecting submissions for the booklet through the end of May. Other submissions will come to the local pastors of Mulberry Grove who will have opportunity to post them on the weblog. I hope in the next few weeks to have examples of what we are looking for posted on the blog.


If you live in and around Mulberry Grove, IL, I would invite you to begin preparing a submission to give to one of the local pastors. If you live outside our area, I invite you to check out the blog and/or the upcoming devotional, offer critique that would be helpful in our endeavor, and pray with us as we see where this project leads us.

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Looking Up from the Deep Down  

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It was truly a blessing to have missionary Darrel Hathcock in our church last Sunday. His words about the on-going work in Belarus as well as his challenge to each of us to be missionaries where we are was inspiring.

In respect to that, we learn the same kinds of lessons from Jonah. Perhaps they are not always the lessons that we desire to learn, nor do they come in the way we desire them. Sometimes it is required for us to find ourselves in the darkness of despair before we are ready to serve God in the capacity that He has envisioned. I would venture to admit that usually it is because we are too busy trying to serve Him in the way WE have envisioned.

Let’s take time before we reach bottom to adjust our vision from ourselves to God that we may serve Him more fully today.

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BEWARE!!!!!  

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Today is the Ides of March. Superstitious people believe that bad things will happen on this day. Why? Because Julius Caesar was assassinated on this day in ancient Rome, and according to Shakespeare's version of the event, the Caesar had been warned by a fortune-teller that something evil would happen on this day. So "Beware the Ides of March!"

Have a nice day.

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If I Only Had a Brain  

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Your Brain is Purple

Of all the brain types, yours is the most idealistic.
You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.
Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.


So, here's another fun quiz to tantalize those cells. What color is your brain?

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What Happens When God Calls?  

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Below are some lyrics to a song that has been a favorite of mine for years. As I prepare sermons on the book of Jonah, I'm reminded that sometimes we forget that God's purpose is not to trip us up, nor to flabbergast us, but instead it is to bring us to Him, and as He does so, to bring others to Him as well.

He Didn't Bring Us This Far to Leave Us
Words and music: Phil Johnson © 1978 BMG MusicLead: Dale Underwood

Chorus 1:
He didn't bring us this far to leave us
He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown
He didn't build His home in us to move away
He didn't lift us up to let us down

There are some promises in a letter
Written a long, long time ago
They're not getting older, they're getting better
Because He still wants us to know

Chorus 2:
He didn't bring us this far to leave us
He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown
He didn't build His home in us to move away
He didn't lift us up to let us down (to let us down, let us down)
He didn't lift us up to let us down

I read those promises in His letter
And now I claim them for my own
Filling my heart and making life better
And I just wanted you to know

Repeat Chorus 2

Never use the word defeat
Claim His promises, every one of them
And every spoken word He'll hear
Because we're everything to Him

Repeat Chorus 2

He didn't lift us up to let us down

What do you think? Are you familiar with this old CCM standby? Is it new to you? Tell me what you think.

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Scary Test  

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Aren't I glad I ain't scary?

You Are Not Scary

Everyone loves you. Isn't that sweet?

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Daylight Savings(?) Time  

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It's here -- and I'm so proud to be saving daylight. I don't understand (of course, I wasn't around to ask) how we are really saving any time. The sun will shine longer during the spring and summer whether I change my clock or not. But here I go changing my clocks again.

I think that it wouldn't be so bad if I weren't the pastor of a church and Congress hadn't decided to make the move over a Saturday night. This throws people off a little and they miss church because of it.

I guess I'll adjust again. I just wish that, since we're saving daylight, we could earn a little interest to apply to the winter months. Isn't that how savings is supposed to work?

What about you? DST, love it, hate it, wouldn't want to be it? Share your thoughts.

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Another Way of Shameless Self-Promotion  

Posted by Benjie

If you're a blogger, you want your thoughts to get noticed. One of the great ways to do this is to link up to a blog list. This can sometimes be cumbersome, but I've found the way to get my blog "out there" and it was as easy as pie.

The site is called A Links Blog, and all you have to do to get listed is to request it in a comment. They'd love for you to link them to your blog, too. Another plus -- besides getting your name out there is that it's a way to find other blogs that you might be interested in reading.

Give them a try, just click here or on the link to the side.

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Who Woulda Thunk It?  

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According to the radio call in contest on the Christian radio station, the one food that most people say they couldn't live without if they were stranded on a desert island is --- PIZZA!!!
It seems to make sense. Pizza includes all the food groups. I'd just want a cold Dr Pepper to wash it down with.
So, what about it? If you were stranded on a desert island, what food could you not live without?

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In Like a Lion  

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The old saying goes, "In like a lion, out like a lamb." March is living up to its reputation so far. We had heavy, heavy winds to bring the month to bear on us. Now we will wait to see how the months walks out. While we wait, I thought I'd ponder the lion.


King of the jungle is one of the respects that we know him. Why? It's not that he is the largest cat -- that distinction goes to the tiger. I think it's because he's regal in his bearing and fearsome in his demeanor. Look at the references we have to lions to choose from.


Aslan. C.S. Lewis chose a lion to be the central figure in his collections of books about a fantastical land. He is dangerous, and makes us nervous to think about. Mr. Beaver had it right in his assessment, "Safe? . . . Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good." And this leads me to the one that Aslan represents.


The Lion of Judah. Jesus is the King, the Lion of Judah. He's the one who roars and then lays down with the lamb.


In my study recently I learned something that caused me to understand why lions are so big in our minds in representing an awsome king.

"Does a lion roar in the thicket when he has no prey? Does he growl in his den when he has caught nothing?" (Amos 3:4)

The lion's habit is to roar in order to frighten, paralyze, and pounce on his prey. He does so to let the prey know that he is there, and that he should be feard. After he has dragged the victim back to the den to provide for the cubs, after all have feasted on the kill, the lion growls with satisfaction.


Is he safe? Of course he isn't, but he's king.

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New Blog for Books  

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In the past I've been known to tout a book now and again. Why? Because I like books. I like books for my work--reading to help me study for my sermons and such. I like books for recreation--I'm partial to mysteries and westerns (especially those set in Texas). I've set up a new blog to review books as I read them. Some of the books I'll review will be those I read for ministry, some will be those I read to relax, and I may even review some of those I read to my children--you never can tell. If you're interested in reading the book reviews and maybe commenting on the books or the reviews check it out at Book 'em Benj-O another blog brought to you by blogger and google.

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Three Words  

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Before you cry that I'm getting all mushy on you (and it's not even Valentine's Day), it isn't those three words. We'll start with the easy word:

  • Mission -- In this day and age, people, organizations, even families are encouraged to develop a mission statement, define what it is you will do--in your personal as well as professional life. A mission is that which gives you direction. It is an assignment or goal. It is the mission of the church to grow closer to God while introducing others to Him in the process.
  • Missionary -- A person with a special assignment, who is "on mission" is known as a missionary. In the life of my church, missionaries have long been placed high on a pedestal as something special. When I served our denomination as a missionary, I discovered that missionaries were typical people with typical feelings and flaws. What I learned though was that along with the special assignment to reach people with the Gospel message came an acute awarness of the task before us. Even as a pastor, I was not nearly as aware of the great need around me until I had seen the world through missionary eyes. Now I strive to remember that since I have a mission to bring people closer to God, I am a missionary whether I move across the national borders into a foreign country or not.
  • Missional -- Ah, here is a new word. It has developed over the last several years to combat a complacency that has plagued many Southern Baptist Churches. (I talk about SBC churches because that's where I am. You may want to examine your own church to see if the comments apply.) Over the years, because missions and missionary work were at the core of being of the Southern Baptist Convention and churches cooperating with her, the idea of being "Mission-Minded" became rather popular. What grew out of this desire was the practice of being mission-minded by giving generously to special offerings designed to raise funds for mission activity at home and abroad. It included the active participation of the ladies of the church in missions education (for all ages). These things are good, but often keep churches from moving out of mission-mindedness into becoming missional. So what is this, "missional," about which I am speaking? It is the deliberate application of the mission to the life of the missionary (locally as well as abroad) in the arena of the church with the express purpose of moving closer to completing the mission. Do we give to the special offerings? Yes! Do we learn about missions? Yes! Do we pray for the missionaries? By all means! But the missional church moves beyond this, the missional believer makes the mission his life, not his hobby.
Three words: Mission, Missionary, Missional. How do they apply to you?

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Back On-line  

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It's been three months, but the fine folks at Kaskaskia Baptist Association (who host our church website) have finally (please, please, please) worked out the kinks that have been knocking our church website off-line. Give us a couple of days and we should have all the Christmas advertising updated. I'm told that when our webmaster gets the updating finished you will be able to enjoy a dial-up or high-speed version (with lots of flash). We'd love to have you visit, just click here, or on the banner.

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Welcome to the Web  

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Harmony Baptist Church is located outside Palestine, Texas. My father, Thomas Potter is the pastor, and now they are located on the worldwide web. Check them out here.

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Happy Birthday, TEXAS!  

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Today is the anniversary of Texas (my home state) independence. On this date (March 2) in 1836, Texas became an independent republic. History records the battles that started, inflamed and finished the road to independence and the subsequent politics that moved her to statehood. Happy Birthday, Texas!

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Murder Among the OWLS -- Bill Crider  

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I finally got to read the latest in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes murder mystery series. This is novel number 14 in the series for veteran award-winner Bill Crider. I've lost count of all the short stories Rhodes has a part in. Again, Crider does not disappoint. Strolling (or driving) through Blacklin County is a hoot in this new tale of murder and deceit.
Helen Harris' cat shows up on Rhodes' doorstep leading up to the discovery of Mrs. Harris' body. The apparent accidental death turns out to be murder and leads our hero all over the county chasing friends, relatives, and rumors as he discovers who killed this active retired teacher who is a member, among other clubs, of the local OWLS (Old Women's Literary Society).
Filled with his normal cast of colorful characters and dry wit, mystery lovers will want to check this book out. Crider is on mark again with this latest edition in the Dan Rhodes saga.

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