Camp Focus...

This past week I had the great privilege of leading worship at Camp Focus in Panama City, FL. It was a great time of rejuvenation for me, Andra, Jessica and Seth as we experienced God in a very refreshing way. The speaker was Dean Folks from Columbus, OH and he nailed down the need to put on the armor of God. His preaching was very relevant and his heart for God was evident to all. He explained God’s Word in a very clear and concise manner and challenged us all to live a real life of true commitment to the Lord. Our times of worship got better as the week continued and by Thursday we were worshipping as friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ.

A great plus from the week is I got to spend time with dear friends from Nettleton Baptist Church in Jonesboro, AK. The youth pastor, Craig Miller, was in our youth ministry when we served at Nettleton Baptist and he had everything very organized and well thought out. His heart for enabling and empowering youth to live for Christ is the driving force behind everything he does and the camp showed that kind of heart. I appreciate the fellowship with them and pray that God will use the decisions for salvation, rededication and Christian service to impact the world for Christ.

Camp Focus was also fun for me as I got to use my keyboard and guitar to lead worship. I started out a little rusty, but felt better as the week went on. There is nothing like leading people to worship God in Spirit and Truth and see lives changed for eternity. I appreciate Tommy and Allison filling the gap here on Wednesday and Sunday, and it was good to be back at Scotts Hill this past Sunday.

The words Camp Focus say a lot. We need to stay focused on God this summer and keep our eyes looking to Him for power and direction. I’m thankful God never takes a summer vacation, even though He rested on the seventh day. Of course, it was after creating the heavens and the earth! May our times of rest be offensive as we refresh to serve even more effectively in the days ahead. Until He comes, lets find ourselves focused on serving the Lord.

So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it. Philippians 3:15-16

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

buried the treasure? (part II)

The last point that jumped out at me from last week’s story is that true wealth is not something that is acquired by stealing or cheating. The measure of our wealth is always found in who we are, not what we have. If those people who were saved from their homeless condition could have seen all that took place to get to the point of helping them, the whole thing could have really taught them a good lesson about their wealth. History is a good teacher, and great new visions many times come from clear sighted people who look and learn from their past mistakes and successes. The following story illustrates how we sometimes are not willing to learn from those mistakes…and thus our attitude is soured.

A man and his ten-year-old son were on a fishing trip miles from home. At the boy's insistence, they decided to attend the Sunday worship service at a small rural church. As they walked back to their car after the service, the father was filled with complaints. "The service was too long," he lamented. "The sermon was boring and the singing was off key." Finally the boy said, "Daddy, I thought it was pretty good for a dime."

Last week’s story helps us realize that true wealth from God is not something we can keep to ourselves, if we truly realize what Christ did for us in acquiring that wealth. If we are always just dipping our toes in the pool of service, we will always think the water is just too cold. The end result will be a life that is giving God our leftovers. So the treasure remains buried and the wealth is not shared. Sounds selfish, doesn’t it? It is! When we live in this misery of having everything to give, but yet giving nothing we almost explode and we can’t understand why. So we complain, critique, and check out! We think, “Wow, I’m just not getting anything out of church.” When the reality is, we are not giving anything back either. Fatal formula! Doomed for failure. Now the treasure has almost no worth to us or anyone else because we have begun to qualify it, instead of just sharing it. Big mistake. Just give it away. Serve God and trust Him, the keeper of the treasure. He will bless you for it!

We need to remember we didn’t do anything to get our eternal inheritance. We received Christ and He gave us new life. New attitudes. New priorities. The power and the inheritance come through God’s power. We are the weakest part of this whole equation and the numbers will never add up for us to receive anything except what is given by God through Jesus Christ. We are the homeless and God has the home. He gives us this wealth called salvation freely. Not free for Him, but free for us. We must realize that we carry Him around in us. His life changing salvation starts a process that causes us to become more like Him, thus seeing the world as He sees it. We want to give because so much has been given to us. That attitude of wanting to give haunts us until we dig up the treasure and put it to good use. His use.

We know that this salvation is not something we should ever cover up or hide. It is something given to us so we can give it to others. That way they can experience it and live a life changed because of it. You have a treasure. If you have buried it, dig it up and share the wealth. The wealth of the world is eroding as I write this, but the wealth of Christ in your life is renewing every day and getting more and more powerful. Let the discovery of this treasure be something all can experience and receive. Don’t give God your leftovers. Give Him the first fruits of everything you are.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

buried the treasure? (part I)

When I was a little boy I saw a TV show about a guy who had a bank. He was just about to be arrested by the police, so he went out and buried the money in a field. The police arrested him and took him to prison, and after twenty years, he got a parole. The first thing he did was travel back to the location he had buried the money. To his dismay, a large building had been built on it and his money was gone. Or so he thought. He started asking around town about the history of the building and found out that a homeless man had been sleeping in the very field he had buried the money. The man apparently had dug a trench to get out of the wind and discovered the buried money. He took it to the authorities and they said if no one claimed the money, it was his. No one claimed it. He built a great business with the money he had found and became very successful. The shining moment for him was when he bought the field and built a beautiful new building that hired homeless people and helped them get back on their feet. Wow. What a story.

Three things jump out at me when I think about the irony of this story. I will talk about the first 2 this week. First of all, the thief cared about the possession of something that is fleeting at best. Money. He cared about and craved it so much that he reduced himself to stealing. When he got caught he had buried the money, and was willing to spend the twenty years wishing for the day he would be free to go dig it up. He was willing to be imprisoned to get the money. But to his dismay, the money was gone. Bad move, after bad move, and the end result is a whole lot of nothing. Second of all, someone else discovered the money buried in the ground. A total stranger happened upon the buried wealth. This was a person who would put it to good use because of his deep appreciation for his life circumstances. Being a homeless man, he never forgot those who were like him. He wanted to share the wealth, not just give away the money. He made a way for people to grow from the money, not just receive it.

I will talk about the last point and continue the rest of this encouraging word next week -- you don’t want to miss it!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body, For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you...Therefore we do not lose heart. Thought outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  2 Corinthians 4:7-12, 16

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

our response to God through worship...

Worship is our response to God's revelation of who He is and what He has done.

God reveals Himself to us through many avenues including His Word, prayer, fellowship with other believers and personal and corporate worship. Our worship of Him is our response to God’s response. That kind of worship is direct and enabling for each of us as we draw closer to God’s plan and purpose for our life through that intimate interaction with the Living God. If you don’t see anyone responding to God in worship, one might wonder if they are in a responding mode. A mode that includes opening our hearts to His Word and His presence is one that draws us closer to Him so He can show us His ways.

I have been in worship services that were just that -- service times set aside to sing and listen to a preacher preach. I have also been in worship services where God’s presence through song and word made a huge impact right there, right then, and lives were changed forever. I think it is important for us to come ready to worship the Lord with hungry hearts and thirsty souls, ready to see Him as others worship right there with us. If you come ready, He will not send you away empty. If you come expecting nothing, you may get just that!

How do you prepare your heart for worship? Don’t wait for Sunday to come around to worship the Lord. Worship Him throughout the whole week. Spend time with Him in His Word, in prayer and in song. Live a life of worship. A life that is worshipping Him through service to your family, your friends, your neighbors and your local church is a life of worship. Be active as you center your attention on Him first and foremost. If you will do that, you will be ready for corporate worship and our worship services will be intense and life changing.

Get in the Word today and allow God to mold you and let your response be one of sacrifice and love as you fall more in love with the One who gave it all for you. Remember, God is our audience. Respond to Him and see how much He will light up your life and refresh your heart.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

walk a mile in these shoes...

Have you ever noticed how many different shoes there are in this world? You go by a shoe store and they have numerous brands and a variety of styles to pick from. But one thing I have noticed is when I go inside to pick out some shoes, I usually only find one or two pair that really interest me enough to purchase them. When I look in the window, I’m thinking of all the shoes I would buy if I just had a little more cash. The truth is I’m only liking maybe two pair, and one of them is probably not gonna make the cut. Why? Because when it comes down to the cost of something and actually giving out money you have earned, you are a little more picky about what you want to invest in.

When God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to this earth and take on the form of a man, he came and walked, breathed and really lived here. He saw the cost of what was before Him, and with all that He could have done, He chose to pick us, to give us new life. He could have done anything, but He chose to redeem you and me. He not only bought the shoes but He walked in them, and left a set of footprints as examples for us all about how to live. John the Baptist knew what kind of man Jesus was when He said that one was coming and he (John the Baptist) wasn’t able to carry his shoes, much less wear them. Matthew 3:11"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” John couldn’t wear those shoes, but he wasn’t supposed to. He was supposed to do everything he could with the ones he had on his feet. He wore the pair God gave him and dedicated himself to the Maker of the shoes.

Christ offers us a chance to put on the shoes of a servant every day and live a life of commitment that will impact the kingdom. Trouble is, we have a lot of choices for serving, but we have to actually choose the one that we are willing and fitted to wear. It’s called finding your place in God’s service by allowing Him to use you through the unique way, or shoe size, He has created for you. He has a footprint that is unique and made just for you. It’s up to you to discern where you are best fitted, and then pour your life into serving Christ in that area. It will probably be an area of ministry that is less glamorous than most, but your humble service will be rewarded by God. Ephesians 4:11 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” If He equips us, then we have the best equipment we need. Use it. In other words, pick the shoes and wear them. He has a pair waiting just for you. Go ahead. Take a few steps. Walk a few feet. Walk a mile. Oh, just walk the rest of your life. The shoes are fresh every day and just waiting for you to put them on.


The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Are you The Hub or The Club?

A couple of weeks ago I was reading about one of the major plagues in the modern church -- guess what it was? Gossip! A person who is a gossip is defined in Webster’s as a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts about others. The word gossip is defined as casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. Both uses of the word smack of trouble, and trouble it is. It is trouble for the person sharing it because it is sin. It is trouble for the one being shared about because it is information that is being told to hurt or discredit.

What is the source of gossip? Usually it is unfulfilled people trying to lift themselves up at the expense of someone else. They may be unfulfilled about how they perceive themselves and/or unfulfilled in their relationship with the Lord. What seems so small and unimportant in gossip is huge in the impact it can have after going to the second source, and then the third, and so on. Information gets left out and information is added and suddenly the whole thing is out of control. Look at what just a few scriptures in Proverbs tells us about the effects of gossip…

Proverbs 11:13

A gossip betrays a confidence,but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Proverbs 16:28

A perverse man stirs up dissension,and a gossip separates close friends.

Proverbs 18:8

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.

Proverbs 20:19

A gossip betrays a confidence;so avoid a man who talks too much.

Proverbs 26:20

Without wood a fire goes out;without gossip a quarrel dies down.

John wrote in his third letter, “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.” It all comes down to pride. It is pride that causes us to want to be first. There is only one first and His name is Jesus. Keep him first and all the other things fall into place.

Keep in mind that Scripture is not silent to this great problem WE ALL deal with on a daily basis. Now, what do we do to stem the tide of gossip? Be The Club! You know, The Club that you put on your steering wheel to keep someone from stealing your car. They get in and cannot turn the wheel, and when you cannot turn the wheel, you cannot drive the car in any direction but straight. Be The Club on gossip and lock it up. Don’t let the enemy drive your car -- stop any gossip from going through you. When the gossip car stops, the gossip stops. On the other hand, don’t just stop allowing the gossip to go through you. Don’t even entertain it. In other words, don’t be The Hub. The Hub in our computer world is something that receives information and then sends it back out to multiple sources. If The Hub is shut down, the information goes no further. Do not be The Hub, and let others know you are not The Hub. After a while, they will stop trying to get information through you, and we will start to see victories in the war on gossip.

The question to you, and to myself, is are you The Hub or The Club? I want to be The Club. Join with me and help keep me accountable by being a part of The Club that wars against the plague called gossip. The gospel will be better served when we get a handle on gossip.

David Warren

Worship Pastor

sights & smells of our past...

Our God is in heaven doing whatever he wants to do. Their gods are metal and wood, handmade in a basement shop: carved mouths that can't talk, painted eyes that can't see, tin ears that can't hear, molded noses that can't smell, hands that can't grasp, feet that can't walk or run, throats that never utter a sound. Those who make them have become just like them, have become just like the gods they trust.

—Psalm 115:3-8
As we go from season to season, it’s amazing how the change in sights and smells brings back memories from past times. You can almost smell the honeysuckle like when you were 15 years old, or you see the way a tree is bent a certain way and it reminds you of walking on a tree lined roadway when you were just 10. Our memories are fantastic and God has given us great recollection from the past in order to live the abundant life today. The sights and smells of our past can help us reflect on the past and see great hope and balance for life that is God centered and rich.

One of these sights and smells happened to me on Thursday of this past week. We were driving to Florence, AL on our way to Missouri to attend Andra’s niece’s wedding and I had one of those epiphanies. It was one where everything lined up to bring back something from my past. We had just gone across a bridge over the Mississippi River and turned on I-55, when suddenly as I looked at the road ahead, it hit me. I went all the way back to a time when I was 19 years of age driving to my sister’s home to visit during a break at school. It was raining and the fields, the road and the way the sky was heavily clouded brought back a memory so vivid it almost shocked me. As I looked up the road, I remembered this was the trip when I went to my sister’s home for the weekend; not too long after that initial trip I met Andra for the first time. Long gone memories were suddenly there again. I cracked the window and smelled the rain, and the freshness of earlier times suddenly brought balance and peace to me. My heart was stirred. God gave me a treat! No different than when we take a very small break in our schedule to remember a treat for our dog, Mocha. Not too big a deal for us, but very tasty for her.

God has a way of taking the simple things and making us come alive in a different way for “just a moment!” -- little in time but huge in effect. Hopefully our busyness and indifference will never take away those precious little moments that can be experienced again and again through seeing or smelling something. It‘s amazing that God seems to look into our puny little lives and gives us a fresh remembrance of the past. He is able to make it seem as if it happened just yesterday. That’s Abba Father…

As we approach this Sunday in worship, hopefully all of us will get a fresh touch from God that will cause us to remember just how good God is and how much better our lives are with Him. It may be a smell, maybe something you see or maybe it will be a certain song. Whatever it is, live in the moment. Find your balance once again and then long for those memories of God’s grace and love for you to freshen your heart again and again. Remember, God is not distant and unapproachable. In fact, God is very real and very close. He wants to bless us and give us sights and smells that are real, not fake. Don’t trust other gods that have no hope, no heart. Trust God and allow Him to penetrate your heart afresh and anew. Be like Him and see your world change before your very eyes. He is real…

As we think about the upcoming Mother’s Day, I want to say a big thank you to my mother and all she has done for me. I also want to thank Andra for being a Godly example to our children. I also want to thank the Lord for the two new granddaughters he is sending our way in September. I’m already going to thank God for the mothers Natalie and Dana will be. New smells, new sights, new memories. Remember! Don’t forget!

Happy Mother’s Day!

David Warren

Worship Pastor