Pastor Shannon's Take

Ever been discouraged? Ever been uncertain about the present and even more uncertain about the future? Ever asked the question, "How am I going to survive this?" I know some would say "you can't do that" but let me answer the question with a question, "If God be for us then who shall be against us?"

Now think about that for just a moment. What your facing is real and it is burdensome. It may even keep you awake at night. If not losing sleep you certainly are less than productive during the day. Maybe it is a financial struggle associated with the continuing struggling economy. Maybe your marriage is not what you intended it to be when you said I do. Maybe it is the accusations of another against you. Maybe you are struggling with single life or married life or retired life...you fill in the blanks.

I have one simple profound truth that will help everyone of us deal with life. And quite honestly that's what your going through. Life is the series of events that happen to us moment by moment and day by day that make us who we are. Here's the truth: God is for you so what can stand against you? Paul wrote, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:38-39

Your "whatever" is not bigger than God! God is not only able but fully willing and devoted to bringing you through this circumstance. God has not left His post. He is still seated on the throne and even though the enemy doesn't want you to believe it, it is still true: GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE!

Blessings,
Pastor Shannon

As I write this blog I am listening to my favorite Christmas song That Spirit of Christmas by Ray Charles. You might be more familiar with the opening line in the song, "Christmas is the time of year." What is so special about Christmas? What makes Christmas the most joyous season of the year? Ray Charles causes us to consider really only two things in his historic song.

First, Christmas is the time of year for being with the ones we love. It is the time when families and friends get together and just enjoy one another. It is the time of year to enjoy Christmas plays, musicals, and contatas. It is the time of year to have fellowship around the family table. It is that time of year when we just sit around the fire and sing about Jesus. My youngest daughter Blair has been singing Christmas carols since Thanksgiving.

Second, why can't it remain all through the year, each day the same? What a great question! The spirit of Christmas is amazing. It is noticeably different. On purpose we celebrate the simple things: family, friends, events, fellowship, etc. But for whatever reason, just as the New Year turns we put away not only the Christmas decorations and the lights and ornaments but we also put away the spirit of Christmas.

I encourage you to do two things as you read this blog: 1) Listen to the song That Spirit of Christmas while you read it and 2) After Christmas, do the usual...box up the tree, the lights, the ornaments, the wrapping paper, etc. but leave the spirit of Christmas out of the box this year.

Celebrate with your family and friends all through the year.

Merry Christmas,

Pastor Shannon

Tragic is the only word to describe the events that unfolded at Fort Hood less than 2 weeks ago. I grow so tired and weary of hearing about the bad news that grabs our attention all too often. But let me say with full fervor that even in the bad news we have so much to be thankful for.

Today marks the first day of my third year as Senior Pastor of this great church. I made that very comment to a staff member this morning and their reply in jest was, "It's been a long two years." The time has flown by. I can't believe that we have been in Georgia for two years.

I am thankful that God continues to grow me and this church. I am thankful that God is building a great team of support for pastoral ministry. I am thankful that we have laid a foundation for ministry over the course of two years and am thankful that the details of the vision and strategic plan will come in this third year together. I am thankful for your patience with me as pastor and for your support. I am thankful for every person won to the Lord and every person baptized. I am thankful that you continue to support the church financially. I am thankful for the sacrifice that many have made so that we could get our property updated and well kept. The appearance of this property alone causes my heart to be so full of thanksgiving.

Well I could go on and on...you know I could! That being said, tragedy is about to strike. No, I'm not an Old Testament prophet, just a citizen of a sin stricken world. And when it strikes I will continue to be thankful for all that God has done.

Blessings,
Pastor Shannon

Did you know that a well intentioned life will be met with ill will intentioned dragons? All that is meant by that statement is that when good is present evil is lurking close by. And if we are not very careful we can be consumed by the heat of the fire breathing dragon. The attention we give and the anxiety will feel feeds the dragon.

A dragon looks to kill and destroy. When it opens its mouth, the intensity of the heat sets on fire everything in its path. To be quite honest, a dragon really can't help it. It is a fire breathing monster. Because it is a dragon it breaths fire.

And so it is with an angry man. Proverbs 29:22 says, "An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression." An angry man is like a dragon. He opens his mouth and stirs strife and brings destruction. He really doesn't give much thought as to the destruction that might take place. The angry man just stirs strife.

The dragon's breath does much more than destroy just that which is in its path. The heat is far reaching. It altars the landscape all around the path. So does the angry man. He doesn't just destroy one person; he altars the landscape well beyond a single person.

Truth be told the dragon is much better off just keeping his mouth shut...I imagine that could also be said about the angry man. But we know they won't. Fire breathing dragons will always be fire breathing dragons. Angry men will always stir up strife.

So where shall a man live among the fire breathing dragons of this world? Is there a safe place of rescue from an angry man who creates strife? Yes! Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." There is safety among the dragons.

Thank You Jesus,
Pastor Shannon

The singing group No Other Name led us in worship this past Sunday evening. Yeah I know it was listed as a concert but they did more than perform a few songs. Laura, Sam, and Chad, the members of No Other Name, led us in worship. I so enjoy being in worship with those guys.

One of my favorite songs they do is Lead You To the Cross. The lyrics tell the story of the high calling that each Christian has to point others to the cross of Christ. In a statement the goal of every Christian should be to lead others to Christ. We do that by picking up our cross and carrying it each day. The story of our life, the only task before us is to point others to the living Lord and Savior.

The truth is we are not the answer for the worlds needs. We don't have anything to offer the world and those who live in it. But we are able by the life we live to point others to the ANSWER. We are not the bread of life but we know Him. We are not the living water but we know Him. We did not die on the cross for the sin of the world but we know the One who did.

Quite simply...are you leading others to the cross by the life you live? Are you really willing to be all things to all men that by all means you might save some? Do you know why I strongly support the cause of global missions? Because in my lifetime I want to lead as many people as possible to the cross. Period!

Carrying the Cross of Christ,
Pastor Shannon

Never in my 39 years of life as a preacher's kid nor in my 12 plus years of pulpit ministry have I witnessed and observed such apathy. There is an absolute overwhelming sense of contentedness in our world, in our nation, and in our churches like never before.

I did not personally witness the period known as the Dark Ages when the church fell into government control and the Word was not readily available but I have read about it in both world and church history books. If that 1,000 year plus period is the Dark Ages then this period is the Age of Apathy. There is just an observable "I don't care" attitude in this nation and in the church.

James, the half brother of the Lord, addressed his day with this observation. He wrote, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow." (James 4:13-14) Apathy happens when we make plans for a year but not plans for today. The people of God are guilty of not redeeming the time and we are paying the price for it.

Church attendance is on decline, education and discipleship training are offered but met with poor participation, baptisms are on decline and even more specifically professions of faith are on decline, and yet people are making plans as to what they will do next year.

Let me make an obvious confession...the Day of the Lord is at hand! Pastor are you predicting the day when Jesus will return? No, not the day, but I am predicting His return and it will be a day like the one we live in now. Jesus said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of No-e (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that No-e entered into the ark." (Matt. 24:36-38)

The days of Noah were days of apathy. Yes we are living in the Age of Apathy. God forgive us.

Pastor Shannon

Our president made a recent announcement, confession, or apology...I am not sure how the watching world received it or how the president intended for them to receive it. Mr. Obama said recently, "One of the great strengths of the United States is … we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

Let me first agree with our president. America is not a Christian nation. No, in fact America is far from being a Christian nation. You can take a cursory glance at our nation today and you quickly discover that we are not a Christian nation. We are most certainly moving away from any hint of Christian conviction. And our own professed Christian president publicly apologized for any hint of a Christian persuasion in this nation. Interesting to say the least!

Now let me disagree with our president. If we are "...a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values" what ideas and which set of values "bind" us? If we know morally what is right and wrong, is that Christian, Judaism, or Muslim? Who decides? If we have in common some basic convictions as a nation, where did they come from? I am inclined to confess that we are no longer bound by common ideals and values.

I am a Christian, and our nation is not driven by Christian ideals and values. Else, we would not kill innocent children. We would not take the freedoms of one class of citizen and give them to another class without the other class doing what they ought to do to be in the class from which they receive that which is not theirs. If we were a Christian nation, we would promote bigger God and small government. If we were a Christian nation, we would not allow terroists to violate our freedoms without punishment. If we were a Christian nation, we would "value" life, liberty, and justice. If we were a Christian nation we would not apologize to the world for being a Christian nation.

Let me say with full fervor that I have no idea where this nation is headed, but I am confident that we are not headed in the direction of promoting the Christian faith. We no longer value what we once valued. You see, this nation at one time made no apology for having shared values. Once upon time, the people of this nation responded out of moral conviction. And that moral conviction came from the basic tenets espoused in a Judeo-Christian confession. So long morality!