The theme of our Fall Program is "What's So Amazing About Grace?" We have enjoyed four wonderful Sunday's and we are very excited about what the Lord is going to do in the next two weeks.
This past weekend, the grace of God was revealed to our church family in a myriad of ways. Evangelist Otis Duhart was our guest speaker. Bro. Duhart's life is an great testimony of God's grace. As a former Florida State University football player, his life "from football to faith" could only be directed by a loving, gracious, Heavenly Father. On Friday night Bro. Otis preached at a Youth Rally held at our church and fifteen young people experienced God's grace when they accepted Christ as their personal Saviour. In yesterday morning's service five precious people walked the aisle to receive Christ, and once again, the grace of God was abundant.
During the morning service my in-laws, Reub & Evelyn Ewert, gave a testimony about what God's grace means to them. Mrs. Ewert is battling Alzheimer's Disease, and our church family has witnessed God's grace in a very real way in their lives and in their marriage.
Last night Tommy & Sara Dennis lost their baby. Space will not permit me to share how God's grace was manifested in their family in the past several days. It has been amazing to watch.
I'm glad that God's grace is at work in my life and I'm thankful that I'm in a place where His grace is revealed on a regular basis. I don't want to take that for granted.
Pastor Rick Finley's Blog
Monday, September 19, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Power of Words
This morning I was reading in Proverbs 6 and I was captivated by what I read in verse 2. "Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth..." For someone who makes their living talking, that's a pretty scary thought! It is critical that we realize the power of our words. Scripture has much to say about our mouth, our lips and the words that come from them. Here are just a few thoughts I shared with our staff this morning concerning our words.
1. Be careful WHAT you say.
It is important that we understand, some things are better left unsaid. I learned a long time ago that if it doesn't need to be said, don't say it. We should thoughtfully and prayerfully weigh the words that we speak. Once a word is spoken, it can never be retracted.
2. Be careful HOW you say it.
It is quite possible to say the right thing, but to say it in the wrong way. Our tone of voice, facial expression and body language can cause the right words to be received in the wrong way. I oftentimes tell preachers, "You can preach hard without being hard." Learn to temper your words with grace.
3. Be careful WHO you say it to.
When speaking, we should consider our audience. If it is something that we want held in confidence, that will greatly limit the number of people to whom we will be able to speak. If we are going to speak correctively, we should make sure that the person to whom we are speaking is within our area of judgment.
4. Be careful WHEN you say it.
It is possible to say the right thing, to the right person, at the wrong time. I oftentimes warn husbands and wives about the timing of their speech. I believe that our speech should be calculated. Is my heart in the right condition for me to say this? What is the spirit of the person to whom I am about to speak? These are questions that we should consider before we open our mouths.
These are just a few thoughts concerning our speech. Scripture tells us that the power of death and life are in the tongue. Be mindful of how you use your words in the lives of other people. One day you and I will give an account to God for the words that we speak. It's a sobering thought.
1. Be careful WHAT you say.
It is important that we understand, some things are better left unsaid. I learned a long time ago that if it doesn't need to be said, don't say it. We should thoughtfully and prayerfully weigh the words that we speak. Once a word is spoken, it can never be retracted.
2. Be careful HOW you say it.
It is quite possible to say the right thing, but to say it in the wrong way. Our tone of voice, facial expression and body language can cause the right words to be received in the wrong way. I oftentimes tell preachers, "You can preach hard without being hard." Learn to temper your words with grace.
3. Be careful WHO you say it to.
When speaking, we should consider our audience. If it is something that we want held in confidence, that will greatly limit the number of people to whom we will be able to speak. If we are going to speak correctively, we should make sure that the person to whom we are speaking is within our area of judgment.
4. Be careful WHEN you say it.
It is possible to say the right thing, to the right person, at the wrong time. I oftentimes warn husbands and wives about the timing of their speech. I believe that our speech should be calculated. Is my heart in the right condition for me to say this? What is the spirit of the person to whom I am about to speak? These are questions that we should consider before we open our mouths.
These are just a few thoughts concerning our speech. Scripture tells us that the power of death and life are in the tongue. Be mindful of how you use your words in the lives of other people. One day you and I will give an account to God for the words that we speak. It's a sobering thought.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
What Is Your Maintenance Plan?
A couple of months ago our church voted to purchase a new car for me to drive. Up until then I was driving my 2000 Chevy truck with 250,000 miles on it. I am very blessed to pastor a church where the folks attempt to express their love for their pastor in tangible ways. I don't ever want to take that for granted.
Today I took our 2010 Taurus to the dealership for service. I've already driven 7,500 miles and according to the owner's manual, the car was due for service. As I looked at the manual, I found that Ford has a very detailed maintenance plan. It covers everything. Simply put, regular maintenance will extend the life of the automobile and enhance it's operation. The service manager recommended, "the works."
As I left the Ford dealership I thought about my spiritual maintenance plan. My "owner's manual", the Bible, gives detailed instructions as to how I can extend my spiritual life and enhance my spiritual performance. Reading the Word, praying, confessing my sins, attending church on a consistent basis, etc. are all things that are needed if I'm going to optimize the new life that God put in me almost 33 years ago. I hope you have a scheduled maintenance plan for your spiritual life. It may not be convenient, but it certainly is necessary.
Today I took our 2010 Taurus to the dealership for service. I've already driven 7,500 miles and according to the owner's manual, the car was due for service. As I looked at the manual, I found that Ford has a very detailed maintenance plan. It covers everything. Simply put, regular maintenance will extend the life of the automobile and enhance it's operation. The service manager recommended, "the works."
As I left the Ford dealership I thought about my spiritual maintenance plan. My "owner's manual", the Bible, gives detailed instructions as to how I can extend my spiritual life and enhance my spiritual performance. Reading the Word, praying, confessing my sins, attending church on a consistent basis, etc. are all things that are needed if I'm going to optimize the new life that God put in me almost 33 years ago. I hope you have a scheduled maintenance plan for your spiritual life. It may not be convenient, but it certainly is necessary.
Monday, July 18, 2011
"It's Just A Youth Conference"
This week a group of our teens from Fellowship Baptist-Durham are attending the National Youth Conference at First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana. This is one of many youth conferences that are held each year in churches around the country. There are dozens of them. We even host our own Youth Conference in April of each year.
Right about now you might be thinking: "It's just a Youth Conference." I understand why you might feel that way, but let me tell you a story. In 1978 an eighteen year old teenager attended a Youth Conference with a small group from his church. He and the other teens traveled almost 900 miles in a caravan of cars in order to participate in the meeting. On Thursday night of the conference this young man walked the aisle and surrendered his life to serve the Lord. It was just another decision, not unlike tens of thousands of decisions that are made by young people at camps, revivals and conferences each year.
The difference, in this case, was that the young man was me. At a Youth Conference in Hammond, Indiana in July of 1978 God turned my life upside down. I came to the conference as recent high school graduate with little or no direction in my life. I left that conference with a vision of what the Lord wanted to do with my life. Thirty-three years later lives are still being impacted because of that one decision that one young man made at one Youth Conference!
Please join me in praying that this week's conference would not be "just another Youth Conference." Ask God to bless our teens, as well as the thousands of other teens from around the country. Pray that the Spirit of God would have freedom and that the Word of God would be preached with great power. There is no way of knowing what God might do in this week's conference. There is no way of knowing whose life might be changed.
Right about now you might be thinking: "It's just a Youth Conference." I understand why you might feel that way, but let me tell you a story. In 1978 an eighteen year old teenager attended a Youth Conference with a small group from his church. He and the other teens traveled almost 900 miles in a caravan of cars in order to participate in the meeting. On Thursday night of the conference this young man walked the aisle and surrendered his life to serve the Lord. It was just another decision, not unlike tens of thousands of decisions that are made by young people at camps, revivals and conferences each year.
The difference, in this case, was that the young man was me. At a Youth Conference in Hammond, Indiana in July of 1978 God turned my life upside down. I came to the conference as recent high school graduate with little or no direction in my life. I left that conference with a vision of what the Lord wanted to do with my life. Thirty-three years later lives are still being impacted because of that one decision that one young man made at one Youth Conference!
Please join me in praying that this week's conference would not be "just another Youth Conference." Ask God to bless our teens, as well as the thousands of other teens from around the country. Pray that the Spirit of God would have freedom and that the Word of God would be preached with great power. There is no way of knowing what God might do in this week's conference. There is no way of knowing whose life might be changed.
Monday, July 11, 2011
A Blessing of Summertime
If you've been around me much at all you know that Summer isn't my favorite season of the year. I love Spring and Fall, and I tolerate Summer. It's not that I hate the hot weather and the high humidity. It's not that I don't like the longer days. It's not that I abhor the "critters" that creep and crawl at this particular time of the year. (Yes, I did kill a Copperhead in my driveway last week). The thing that I don't like about summer is the mindset that so many people have about their Christian service. It's like the months of June, July and August are one, big vacation from Christian responsibility! There isn't a service during the summertime when we don't have many of our folks out of town. There is hardly a day during the summertime when our entire staff is at work. It seems that every day someone is somewhere other than in the office. I hate it!
However, there is one thing that I really like about Summer. I love the fact that many of our college kids are at home. As I sat on the platform last night and scanned the congregation, I saw more than a dozen young adults who will only be here for about another month. In late August or early September they will return to college somewhere in America to pursue their dreams and follow the will of God.
I love it when our college "kids" are home! God has given us some outstanding young men and women in our church, and many of those folks are somewhere else nine months out of the year. During the summertime when they are at home, I love having them actively involved in church. They have such a fervent spirit and for the most part, they're pretty excited about life. They are a blessing to their pastor.
I hope that you'll enjoy the time that we have with our college kids. Let them know that you're glad they're home. Convey to them that you are proud of their accomplishments. Pray that God will provide the much needed finances that will be necessary for them to return to school in the fall. Enjoy them while you can because in just a matter of weeks, they'll be gone.
However, there is one thing that I really like about Summer. I love the fact that many of our college kids are at home. As I sat on the platform last night and scanned the congregation, I saw more than a dozen young adults who will only be here for about another month. In late August or early September they will return to college somewhere in America to pursue their dreams and follow the will of God.
I love it when our college "kids" are home! God has given us some outstanding young men and women in our church, and many of those folks are somewhere else nine months out of the year. During the summertime when they are at home, I love having them actively involved in church. They have such a fervent spirit and for the most part, they're pretty excited about life. They are a blessing to their pastor.
I hope that you'll enjoy the time that we have with our college kids. Let them know that you're glad they're home. Convey to them that you are proud of their accomplishments. Pray that God will provide the much needed finances that will be necessary for them to return to school in the fall. Enjoy them while you can because in just a matter of weeks, they'll be gone.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Does Busyness = Spirituality?
What a busy time this is for my family and our ministry. Last week we hosted 200+ teens for our 19th Annual Teen Camp in Hillsville, VA. I left camp on Thursday night and arrived home at 2:00 AM on Friday. On Friday night we had a wedding rehearsal and on Saturday at 11:00 AM my youngest daughter, Karissa, was married to Caleb Ray in a beautiful ceremony at our church. Sunday was an exciting day at FBC-Durham and on Monday our 9th Annual Eagle Basketball Clinic got underway. Our varsity cheerleaders returned from Cheer Camp in Gatlinburg on Wednesday night and the week-end is fast approaching. It never seems to stop.
There was a time when I thought that being busy was an good sign that you were spiritual. I hate to admit it but I was ignorant. Let me share just a few thoughts with you about this matter of busyness and spirituality.
1. It's good to be busy.
I believe that it is good to be busy. Idleness is a dangerous state that Satan oftentimes uses to destroy people. This is especially true with young people. Here at FBC-Durham we try to keep our kids busy because we believe that it is healthy for them.
2. We should be busy doing good things.
Satan would love to get me busy doing wrong things. We live in a very busy society. People are constantly "on the run" and life is lived at a fevered pitch. Let me challenge you to look at your schedule. What occupies the majority of your time? Are you spending your life for that which is eternal?
3. In spite of the busyness of your life, take time to stop and spend time with God.
We can get so busy serving God that we don't ever spend any time with Him! It is vital that you stop and spend time with the Creator. In Psalms 46:10 we read, "Be still, and know that I am God..." There is a God in Heaven who longs to be with you. You offer Him something that no one else can give to Him. Don't become so pre-occupied with the busyness of life that you neglect the one who gave life to you.
Don't get me wrong, I love being busy! When I'm not busy I feel out of my element. However, busyness doesn't necessarily mean that you are spiritual. Learn to balance out the hectic pace of life with moments of calmness and communion.
There was a time when I thought that being busy was an good sign that you were spiritual. I hate to admit it but I was ignorant. Let me share just a few thoughts with you about this matter of busyness and spirituality.
1. It's good to be busy.
I believe that it is good to be busy. Idleness is a dangerous state that Satan oftentimes uses to destroy people. This is especially true with young people. Here at FBC-Durham we try to keep our kids busy because we believe that it is healthy for them.
2. We should be busy doing good things.
Satan would love to get me busy doing wrong things. We live in a very busy society. People are constantly "on the run" and life is lived at a fevered pitch. Let me challenge you to look at your schedule. What occupies the majority of your time? Are you spending your life for that which is eternal?
3. In spite of the busyness of your life, take time to stop and spend time with God.
We can get so busy serving God that we don't ever spend any time with Him! It is vital that you stop and spend time with the Creator. In Psalms 46:10 we read, "Be still, and know that I am God..." There is a God in Heaven who longs to be with you. You offer Him something that no one else can give to Him. Don't become so pre-occupied with the busyness of life that you neglect the one who gave life to you.
Don't get me wrong, I love being busy! When I'm not busy I feel out of my element. However, busyness doesn't necessarily mean that you are spiritual. Learn to balance out the hectic pace of life with moments of calmness and communion.
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