Sully's Place

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T08:22:00.002-05:00

The New Year is upon us. Many people set goals or resolutions for this year and I am not sure what you might have done but here is what I want for 2012:

Continued good health for my family, a healthy son born soon, Continued growth in Christ for myself and family. For our church to catch a vision for lost people.

That is a short list but what I want for everyone.

I pray your new year brings God's blessings as you do God's work.

PS Happy 19th anniversary to the Greatest Wife in the world....Tina Sullivan

New Sermon Series

2011-06-06T10:44:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we started a series on Ecclesisastes. Solomon has so much wisdom for all of us. He has already lived a life of excess and tells us the results so the rest of us really have no excuse.

Be Satisfied
A study of Ecclesiastes
Matthew Sullivan
Shoals Christian Church

June 5th Is life Worth Living?
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3

June 12th Looking for Meaning
Ecclesiastes 1:1-18

July 3rd Looking for Fulfillment
Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

July 10th Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

July 17th Life isn’t fair
Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

July 31st Who are you Robbing?
Ecclesiastes 5:1-20

August 7th Staring at a Dead End
Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

August 14th What’s better than Wisdom?
Ecclesiastes 7:1-29

August 21st Think About it?
Ecclesiastes 8:1-17

August 28th How to meet the final enemy
Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

September 4th Folly is foolish
Ecclesiastes 10:1-20

September 11th In Conclusion
Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:14

Just Plain Bob

2011-05-01T16:46:00.002-04:00

My heart, like many others, has been saddened this week at the news that a preacher, teacher, Mentor, and friend, Bob Lowery has come to the end of his journey. I first met him as the minister at the Villa Grove Christian Church when I presided at the funeral of Marilyn's, Bob's wife, Grandmother. I was intimidated when he walked in. My first thought was Dr.Lowery should be preaching this funeral. Afterwards he shook my hand and thanked me for my ministry to the family.

However, it was not long before Dr. Lowery became Bob. I soon found out that this man who's passion was teaching God's word, was just a man. He was humble and grateful that God would allow him the privilege of teaching and preaching His word.

Now, several years later I have the privilege to do the same thing at Louisville Bible College. Every lesson I work on, every student I try and help, every time I read a book for the second time I am impacted by this man who will forever live on in me and in so many other grateful students.

Bob, I love you and thank God for what you have done in my life. As so many leave, my question is always the same. Who will step up? I know we will and that is when Bob will be forever honored.

Low Expectations

2011-01-13T21:35:00.001-05:00

Over the last few years I have made a decision about Churches. Our Expectations of the people that sit in the pew is too low. In most churches, membership requires little more than a public declaration of faith and a quick trip through the baptistery. After meeting these requirements, members hear vague notions about being involved in stewardship, discipleship, and service.

But usually, there are no consequences for members who rarely attend or participate in anything. The Rotary will kick you out if you don’t attend meetings or pay your dues, but many churches won’t even communicate specific expectations, much less establish consequences if those expectations are not met.

Perhaps we are cheating church members.

We assume that most church members won’t evangelize, so we’re happy to stick with the very few who understand the mandate.

We assume that most church members will not get involved in a demanding Bible study, so we water down our teaching to appeal to the masses.

We assume that many church members will never tithe or give of their time in service to the community for the glory of our King, so we budget accordingly.

At best, we hope that people will act on our suggestions.

Our churches don’t know what they’re missing:

The thrill of leading someone to Christ.

The excitement of discovering God within the pages of his Word.

The satisfaction of making an impact in the community in the name of Christ.

The joy of giving cheerfully to the local church.

The higher the demands, the higher the payoff.

As Christians, we tell a Story much more engaging than any TV show. We live in a fallen world where the stakes are much higher than any board game. Our expectations should be high because of the transformational power of the gospel.

Perhaps we should stop designing worship services, discipleship programs, and youth events for the “average Christian” (aka – the Christian we don’t expect anything out of). Instead, let’s refocus on our church covenants and clearly communicate the expectations for being a disciple in the kingdom of God.

We receive little because we expect little. And church leaders, church members, and especially a lost world – we all miss out because of our low expectations.

Happy Anniversary

2011-01-02T20:41:00.000-05:00

18 years ago today I married Kristina Grace Willhite. We now have 3 great kids and a awesome life together.

I love you Tina.

Happy Birthday Robert

2010-12-19T07:51:00.001-05:00

Today is Robert's 9th Bday....have a great day Robert we love you

Celebrate Christmas?

2010-12-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

Some Christians believe that any association with Christmas is wrong.
I want to share some thoughts this morning about Christians and Christmas that I’ve wanted to share all my life.
Why do people, especially Christians, oppose Christmas when you would think we are the ones who would celebrate it most of all?
Usually the objections sound like this;

1. THE WHOLE CHRISTMAS SEASON SMACKS WITH PAGANISM- we do not know the date or year Jesus was born. Most Christians celebrate December 25 but the Eastern Orthodox celebrates Christmas January 6 and the Armenian Church celebrates Christmas January 19th. Even in Christendom there is not agreement of the day Jesus was born.
How did December 25th get chosen? Well in the early days of the church the pagans had winter solstice. It was a season of partying, drunkenness, and orgies. The Bishops in the 4th century wanted to change that so December 25th was the height of the solstice so they bishops converted it and made it a Christ Mass. That is why the church began in celebrate December 25th as the Birth of Christ.
It is a fact that many of the trappings of Christmas like Trees, wreaths, and gifts actually have their origin in pagan customs. That is why some people say we shouldn’t celebrate Christmas because it smacks of paganism. The reality is those things have long been forgotten and they carry no significance for people today.
Now if you are going to be consistent about that logic I should preach “Ladies, don’t wear earrings.” Because pagans wore them on their ears to ward off false Gods and if you wear them you believe in idols too.
Meat sacrificed to idols- some still believed in idols and wouldn’t eat the meat. Paul said if you don’t believe in idols and don’t think about it go ahead and eat the meat there is nothing wrong with it. I don’t think about false gods when I put up a tree or wrap gifts and if you don’t go ahead and celebrate.
It is true much of the origin of Christmas came out of Paganism. Let me remind you, when God looked down to choose a day for his son to be born there were not any clean days to choose. Their whole world was pagan that is why we needed Jesus. They were all dirty days.

2. NO COMMAND IN THE BIBLE TO CELEBRATE JESUS BIRTH- True. Just because something is not expressly commanded in the bible doesn’t mean it is forbidden. Why is this argument never made about thanksgiving or Mother’s Day? There is no command in the bible to take a day out of the year and honor our mothers.
Did you know that God never commanded the feast of Purim that is celebrated in Esther 9 when the people defeated the evil Mordecai? But the Jews still celebrated it and so did Jesus.
God never commanded the feast of dedications in John 10. Started during the Maccabes. Jesus in John 10 is in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Dedication.
The idea that you can’t have a celebration because God didn’t command it doesn’t carry weight in the bible.

3. THINK ABOUT JESUS’ BIRTH MORE THAN JUST ONCE A DAY- DUH!!! When God commanded Passover he didn’t say think about it once a year and the rest of the year forget about it. God wants us to think about what he has done all year long, but he realizes there is value in taking a specific time of year and rekindle in your heart the joy of what God has done for you in a specific deed and that is why God gave us the specific feast and that is why we celebrate holidays.

4. CHRISTMAS HAS BEEN DISTORTED BY MATERIALISM AND SECULARISM- Of course it has. Why should we be surprised that Satan would try to pervert a celebration as significant as Christmas? Realize that only valuable things ever get counterfeited.
Has anyone ever come up to you and said; “You want to see my stash of brown paper bags?” We don’t counterfeit paper bags. But, have you ever seen a counterfeit diamond? Have you ever seen a counterfeit Christian?
We only counterfeit the things that are valuable.
So why should we be surprised that something as powerful and wonderful as the birth of Christ would get counterfeited by the devil?

It seems that the churches responsibility is to keep Christmas a converted holiday. Refuse all efforts to squeeze Christ out of Christmas. Bottom line is Romans 14:5-6a; “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers everyday alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.” So my word to you is, if you are going to celebrate Christmas keep Christ in it.

Everything Happens for A Reason? (Part 1)

2010-08-12T11:48:00.000-04:00

There is a spiritual urban legend that has gone around for years. If you have been in Church or been around church in your life you have heard it and when you hear it you will say, "That's not an urban legend. That's true, I have proof." This urban legend is one that usually comes up in the midst of a tragedy, a difficult time, a death or a loss, a breakup or a divorce. Like have you ever had something bad happen to you and people come up to you, and they're well intentioned, they mean good, they're trying to be helpful, and they say things like:

- God must be up to something.

- God doesn't make mistakes.

- You must be very special for God to trust you with this.

- Won't it be great to see how God uses this?

- Isn't it good to know that everything happens for a reason?

Basically each of these statements contain this Urban Legend: Everything happens for a reason. Now on the surface that sounds good, doesn't it. It's supposed to bring comfort when bad things happen. Actually, that's usually when we hear this statement. Your dad dies: Everything happens for a reason. Your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you: Everything happens for a reason. Your dog runs away: Everything happens for a reason. But is that really true? Does everything really happen for a reason? Now, in one sense, when people say these things to us they are absolutely right. No matter what happens, God is in control. He is the King of the universe. He's a good God.

But that in no way, shape or form means that he's the direct cause of everything that happens. It doesn't mean that everything that happens in our lives is something that he wants to happen. It certainly doesn't mean that everything that he allows to happen is good.

Think about it: God did not cause Satan to rebel. God did not cause Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. God did not cause David to sleep with Bathsheba. God did not force the Roman soldiers to kill Jesus. Or think about this: When the Nazi's killed 6 million Jews, did that happen for a reason? When the Tsunami killed 150,000 Indonesians, did that happen for a reason? Did 9/11 happen for a reason?

Let's make it more personal. Did you're parents getting a divorce happen for a reason? Did your breakup with your boyfriend or girlfriend happen for a reason? Did the abuse that happened to you when you were a kid happen for a reason? Was God behind all of that? Does everything that happens happen for a reason?

Many of you are thinking of Romans 8:28 rignt now. This is a verse that is used in funerals, or when tragedy strikes, to bring comfort to those who are suffering. But does it really say that everything happens for a reason?

No verse gets misquoted more often when it comes to trying to make sense out of life's trials. Christians and non Christians who have a nodding acquaintance with the Bible quote it more than all the other verses combined. It's the favorite proof text for the everything-is-good-if-you-wait-long-enough crowd. It's plastered on coffee mugs, posters, greeting cards, and all kinds of Jesus junk.

But Romans 8:28 doesn't say or mean what most people think it does. In fact, as we're going to see, it doesn't even apply to a large percentage of those who turn to it for comfort.

The verse in KJV says: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." THe KJV is more confusing that accurate. The verse does not say that everything is good but that God works in all things.

This promise for a specific kind of person. It's a person who's supposed to meet two important criteria. What are they? They are to be someone who (1) Loves God, and (2) has been called according to his purpose. Now who is that? Who are those people?

Jesus is pretty clear about what a person who loves God is. Look at this verse in John 14:15, this is Jesus talking: If you love me, you will obey what I command. So you tell me, what characterizes somebody who loves God? Obedience. So first, this verse applies to those who are obedient, because that's what it means to love God. Second, that phrase, who have been called according to his purpose, refers to those people who have become followers or disciples of Jesus.That leaves out a lot of people. That may leave you out. It leaves out the person you work with who has no interest in spiritual things but just found out she had her third miscarriage. God loves her, yes. God has a preferred future for her if and when she turns to Jesus. But Romans 8:28 has nothing to say to her present heartache. These conditions also leave out the really nice guy who lives next door to you, who you've been trying to witness to, you've been inviting him to church, who lost his job a month ago and may have to foreclose on his house. When you tell him that God must have something better for him, it might make both him and you feel better, but it's wishful thinking. God doesn't promise that to those who aren't followers of Jesus, no matter how nice they are. Some Christians are even left out of this. Like, if you are living in deliberate disobedience to God in some area of your life, God doesn't promise that he's going to step in and fix the mess that your disobedience has created.

Larry Osborne talks of a time when he was meeting with the parents of a Pregnant Teen. They wanted to know how to best handle the situation. At one point they said, "We're not sure why God let this happen, but it is good to know he has a reason." Well unless we're dealing with another virgin birth God didn't have anything to do with it.

He tells of a former drug addict friend of his. He was now a Christian but was struggling with the symptoms of Hepatitis C. The onslaught of his disease is not a good thing. It is not God's blessing in disguise. It is the tragic consequences of past actions. Actions he regret, actions he has been forgiven for but ones he is paying for.

There is beauty and promise in Romans 8:28, but it's not that everything that happens to us is good and is from God. It's that no matter what happens to us or how bad things get that God's ultimate and eternal purposes won't be foiled. And for those who love God, who are obedient to him, and who have been called according to his purpose, God can take tragedy and bad things and overcome them.

Spiritual Urban Legends

2010-06-15T09:33:00.004-04:00

Over the last weeks at Church we have been trying to debunk some popular Urban Legends that we as Christians believe even though there is not proof of any of them being biblical.

Spiritual Urban Legends are just like secular urban legends. It is a belief, story, assumption, or truism that gets passed around as fact. It most cases the source is a friend, a Sunday school class, a Bible study, a devotional, a book, or even a sermon. They sound plausible, come from a reputable source and they are often accepted without question and then quickly passed on. Then they take on a life of their own. They become almost impossible to refute because “everyone” knows their true. Anyone who dares to write them off is dead spiritually speaking or they lack faith or they are liberal.

The first here is "Faith can Fix Anything" The word on the street is that faith is a potent mixture of intellectual and emotional self-control that when properly harnessed can literally change outcomes through positive thinking and clear visualization. It is why people say they are successful. It is why when our team is down five runs with two outs in the ninth inning we’re not supposed to think negatively. WE are supposed visualize a big inning.

One myth that comes from these legends is that if you have enough faith then you can be successful in life.
There’s a group of well know TV type preachers that say that faith is really a positive mental outlook that has the power to change our reality.
They include Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, Morris Cerello, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, and a number of others.
I only mention their names because they’re on the public airwaves, their books are bestsellers, and they influence a lot of people.

If I say something publicly obviously it’s up for scrutiny. The same is true for these guys.
Here’s a basic synopsis of their teaching:
1. God creates by using His faith through the power of spoken words.

2. Man is a "little god" capable of creating in the same fashion as did God.

3. Man, through faith-filled words, creates or causes to come to pass that which is spoken. Thus by one's spoken words health/healing and wealth/prosperity are created.

The bottom line is that if you just have enough faith you can fix your whole life. No more sickness, financial problems, or family problems.
Have faith, say the right words, and your whole life will all work out the way you want it to. The myth is that everything will be OK if you just have enough faith. Not necessarily faith in anything of substance, just kind of a generic faith in faith. Have faith that life will always work out and your positive attitude will be a self-fulfilling wish. Unfortunately, this kind of hopeful thinking has nothing in common with what the Bible calls faith. The Bible defines faith this way, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." This is the only place in the New Testament where we’re give a definition of faith. You might say it’s more a description of the characteristics of faith.

Faith is the firm ground we stand on because it’s based on what God has promised us.
Faith isn’t nebulous, it’s not uncertain, it’s not what ever you want it to be, it’s the present essence of a future reality. So faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We know that Faith is what pleases God. You have to believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him. You want to please God there is only one way and that is Faith. But can faith fix everything.

So then, if I have real faith in God will He fix all my problems? Can I create my own reality by positive thinking?

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again.

There’s some people in the Bible who had some great victories over what seemed like impossible odds. Their stories are compelling. Their true. There’s so many lessons we can learn from them. We don’t have time to look at each of these individuals in detail but lets just look at what happened to one, Gideon.
Gideon was a military commander in Israel around 1250 BC. T
he country had been invaded by the Midianites. God says, Gideon, you’re my man to drive the Midianites out. Gideon said, “Who am I? I’m a nobody.” God said, “That’s the point. This one’s going to be all about Me,” and just so there was no mistake he whittled down Gideon’s army from 32,000 men to 300 men. Gideon’s men were outfitted with only two weapons, trumpets and pitchers with torches inside. They surrounded the Midianite camp and on cue all broke their pitchers, held up their torches and blew their trumpets. Judges 7:22 says, When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp.
The Midianites were routed and God got all the glory. Theres plenty of accounts like that in the Bible. Sometimes I think we make the mistake of only teaching those kinds stories to our kids.

Sunday School lessons are full of these wonderful accounts of God miraculously answering prayer and everybody living happily ever after. Then our kids got a little older and they see that those aren’t the norm and they begin to doubt that what they were taught was true after all.

We need to give them the whole story. Don’t stop in the middle of verse 35 or you’ll get an unrealistic picture. Because we have enough faith doesn’t mean that we won’t have heartaches, sorrows, and disappointments in our lives.

Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
For every one in the Bible who was brought back from the dead millions have died. One guy was delivered from the mouths of lions but tens of thousands of others met their death by the lions.

I’m excited about the promise that I’m going to heaven when I die because Jesus Christ paid for my sins. And when I do it will be great to talk to Gideon, and Barak, and David.

No question about it. But there’s another bunch of men and women that I’m even more anxious to meet. That’s the others. The others who didn’t get the miraculous deliverance. The others who remained faithful to the point of death. The others who didn’t give up on God because He didn’t do life their way. Sometimes God rescues people who are on the brink of death. Sometimes He miraculously heals people. Sometimes He straightens out the hard stuff in a person’s life and it all works out the way the wanted it to.

But those are the exceptions not the rule. The exceptions are there to remind us that God’s very much alive and well but then we’re called to live by faith. Faith may not fix all of our problems but there’s some things faith will do.
Faith will connect us to God. John 1:12-13 “12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[a] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.”

Notice how clear the Bible is. If we’re going to be connected to God, if we’re going to be His children, born in His family we need to receive Him. The way we do that is to believe in His name. It’s by faith. The words “believe” and “faith” are used 500 times in the Bible. There are 150 verses in the New Testament that say salvation is by faith.

We come to God by faith, we connect to God by faith, and we please God by faith.
So faith may not fix all our problems but it connects us to God and number two, it guides us through life.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding:
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
God and His truth will guide us. We’ll know what to do and what not to do. We’ll know how to respond even when life doesn’t play out the way we would have ordered it.
Are you a person of faith today? If it’s a biblical faith you’re not going to believe that you’ll always be healthy, wealthy, and happy in life. But you will believe that God not only exists, but He’s active in our world and in our lives doing what He knows is best for eternity.

2010-02-18T12:01:00.002-05:00

Isaiah Charles Sullivan is here. He was born last night at 9:12 and Weighed 8 lbs and 7 ounces. He was 21.5 inches long. He is perfect

Best Video Ever

2010-02-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

Snow Cartoon

2010-02-17T10:08:00.001-05:00

Love this Calvin and Hobbes snow cartoon. Thanks for the inspiration Wade

This Says it all

2010-02-04T12:54:00.001-05:00

This sign knows as much as the teachers on TV do

Internal Auditing

2010-02-04T10:31:00.003-05:00

Did you hear about the IRS worker who was given notice that he was being laid off and who then mailed twenty good friends large, undeserved tax refund checks? Or did you hear about the hospital administrator, about to lose his job, who reduced the bills of several prominent patients by several thousand dollars? Or how about the just-fired defense contractor who changed five-hundred-dollar screw orders to five dollars? Each made many new friends as a result and thereby received several new job offers.
I don’t know if those events ever really happened. But they are somewhat parallel to a story Jesus once told. It’s found in Luke 16:1-13.

When you read our Lord’s sermons and parables, you are struck with the fact that He had a great deal to say about material wealth. He ministered to people who, for the most part, were poor and who thought that acquiring more wealth was the solution to all their problems. Jesus was not blind to the needs of the poor, and by His example and teaching, He encouraged His followers to share what they had with others. The early church was a fellowship of people who willingly shared their possessions with the less fortunate (Acts 2:44–47; 4:33–37).

Craig Blomberg says "Of all of Jesus’ parables, this is probably the most puzzling. It is certainly the one on which more scholarly ink has been spilled than any other. It deals with one of Jesus’ favorite themes—the right uses of riches. But that, too, makes it particularly difficult to preach on in the twenty-first-century Western world, in which so many Christian leaders who talk about money simply harangue their listeners for more, abuse the Scriptures’ teaching on the topic, or (precisely because of others’ abuse) think that finances are not a topic to be discussed in public at all. Jesus avoided the twin dangers of abuse and silence. Approximately one-fifth of all his teaching was about money matters. And so, despite the difficulty of the passage, despite the possible unpopularity of the theme, it’s one we dare not run away from." I agree

Now first we need to understand the story. This man is a steward. The Stewards task was to manage what belonged to another. Trustworthiness is the essential characteristic needed. Apparently this man wasn’t very good at his job. He wasn’t dishonest just not very responsible. The word wasted in the text is the same word used of the Prodigal son in Luke 15. He did not know how to manage money well and the owner was taking a hit for letting this man have the job. So the master says I am going to fire you so make an account for your successor.

The Point of the parable is God knows whether or not you care about eternal riches or temporary riches by how you use money.

Three critical warnings Jesus gives us about money:
Money is a Tool (8-9)- 8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwelling. Jesus sees money as a God that demands our allegiance. He does not tell us to disdain money but to capture money, subdue it and to use money for kingdom purposes. We need to examine our objectives that we have for money. What are we using our money to do?

Money is a Trust- 10"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?”

God owns everything. Good stewards must understand that what he manages he does not own.
Have you ever heard ________ _________ died a millionaire.The Bible says that is wrong. Nobody dies a millionaire. You die like you were born, with nothing.

Money is a Test (13) 13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” You cannot serve two masters. Serve money and do other things. But not money and God. Money is a test of your ultimate allegiance. Here is where the people of the world are wiser than us. They only serve one God. Mammon. We try to serve them both.

Are you ready for my accounting of your Stewardship? So who is your master? I hope and pray that it is God, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that an objective outsider, say an accountant, could recognize that fact if he or she were to examine your family budget, your checkbook ledger, and your credit card statements, particularly in comparison with your average non-Christian neighbor. We have recovery groups for people struggling with addictions of all different kinds. We have accountability groups for people who are not addicted but need fellow believers to keep them on the right track with respect to sex or alcohol or eating. Perhaps we need to begin to add to our recovery and accountability groups people who will ask us the hard questions about our expenditures, about our shopping, about how much we don’t really need to have. That would free up enormous resources for kingdom work. That would truly make us shrewd stewards.

Happy Birthday Jonathan

2010-02-03T11:25:00.000-05:00

Today our oldest son Jonathan is 11 years old. Just in time for Isaiah to make his arrival.

The Fool Test

2010-01-27T15:03:00.002-05:00

When a disaster strikes people begin to look at their lives in a different perspective. The earth quake in Haiti has seen this. We begin to count our blessings and see what is really important. Jesus said, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Several times people have expressed that “I have lost everything, but I am still alive.” Morris Womack “The search for meaning in life is all too often tied up in the worldly possessions.” “Almost everything you have can be taken away from you; only that which is within you is secure.” Our hope in Christ, our faith, the way we manage our lives, how we view what we have are all great determinants of what life is really about for each of us.

In Luke 12 Jesus tells the story of the "Rich Fool." As he is teaching he is interuppted by a man wanting Jesus to mediate an inheritance dispute between brothers. Jesus has no desire to be involved in this. He knows the real problem between these brothers is greed and no answer he can give will cure that.

He tells the story about a man who has a great harvest and needs to build more barns to hold all his crop.Then he can take it easy and just relax. However, he does not know that he will die later that night and will not be able to enjoy his wealth. Jesus ask the question, "Who gets all this stuff now" (Obviously my translation).

Because he was unprepared Christ calls him a fool, and he was. When you read this story ask yourself these questions. The answer will let you know whether or not you are a fool as well.

How do you respond to the wealthy farmer’s dilemma? Here was a man who had a problem with too much wealth! If we say, “I certainly wish I had that problem!” we may be revealing covetousness in our hearts. If suddenly you inherited a great deal of wealth, would it create a problem for you? Or would you simply praise God and ask Him what He wanted you to do with it?

How do you respond to the decisions of the rich man? Are you saying, “Now that is shrewd business! Save and have it ready for the future!” But Jesus saw selfishness in all that this man did (note the eleven personal pronouns), and He said the man was a fool. The world’s philosophy is “Take care of Number One!” But Jesus does not endorse that philosophy.

How do you respond to the farmer’s desires? Are you saying, “This is the life! The man has success, satisfaction, and security! What more could he want?” But Jesus did not see this farmer enjoying life; He saw him facing death! Wealth cannot keep us alive when our time comes to die, nor can it buy back the opportunities we missed while we were thinking of ourselves and ignoring God and others.

Finally, how do you respond to the death of the boastful farmer? We are prone to say, “Too bad this fellow died just when he had everything going for him! How tragic that he could not finish his great plans.” But the greatest tragedy is not what the man left behind but what lay before him: eternity without God! The man lived without God and died without God, and his wealth was but an incident in his life. God is not impressed with our money.

ARE YOU A FOOL?

Follower

2010-01-21T09:21:00.000-05:00

This week we are speaking about what it takes to be a Follower.

Follower
Luke 9:23
The Bible tells us in Luke 9:23, “If anyone would come after me he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” In the Gospel Jesus says “believe in me” 5 times, he says “follow me” about 20. He offers us live but calls us to die. So the question to ask yourself is straightforward: “Are you a completely committed follower of Jesus?” Many of us think of ourselves as followers but when we are standing in front of God, the truth may be that we are just a fan. In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”In Matthew 7 there are several questions that need to be addressed when determining if you are a follower:

Question 1: Do you live out what you say you believe? (Matthew 7:21)

We are saved by faith in Christ, but it is important to realize that faith without works is dead. Faith is not something to simply be confessed through the mouth, it must be confessed through our lives.

Question 2: Do you measure yourself as a follower by the good things you have done? (Matthew 7:22).

Placing confidence in works of righteousness leads to a life of simply following the rules instead of knowing and following Christ.

Question 3: Do you Know Jesus? (Matthew 7:23).

Jesus says that it all comes down to this: Do you know Jesus? Does he have your heart? Is He everything to you? Do you invest more in this relationship than in any other relationship? Have you confused knowing about Jesus with actually knowing Jesus?

What is keeping you from being a completely committed follower? Many of us settle for being a fan.

There is so much we overlook from the invitation of Luke 9:23. When Jesus said to take up a cross, it sounded completely different to the First Century Christian who had seen hundreds of people hanging bloody and naked along the dusty roads of Palestine. When Jesus said, “Follow Me,” those First Century Christians had an exact understanding of what he meant. Today, Jesus is still concerned with those who commit to doing what he asks. This is the mark of a follower.

Does God Hate Haiti?

2010-01-15T07:57:00.000-05:00

Does God Hate Haiti?

Pat Robertson is Wrong as usual. Earthquakes happen because we live in a fallen world and they will happen until Jesus returns, which this was not a sign of. Thanks Al for this great article

Committed

2010-01-13T10:09:00.002-05:00

I was a big fan of Herschel Walker, running back for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. He was the man. “There Goes Herschel There Goes Herschel.” Then he did something I had never heard of. He left school early. He left after his JR year not to enter the NFL draft but the USFL Draft. Some guy named Donald Trump Gave him quite a bit of money. Being young at the time I was not as interested at that point in UGA. I was a fan of the Bulldogs but not really that committed.

I was a fair weather fan. Many of my friends in College were the same way with the Bulls. They win the big games with MJ we love them. He leaves the team retools not so much.

It is our commitment that determines whether or not we are a fan of Jesus or a Follower. Jesus Calls us to Carry a Cross. Followers pick it up and go where told. Fans leave it and find something easier to do.

This week at Shoals We will discuss what our committment is like to Christ. Are we a Fan or a Follower?

Monday Monday

2010-01-11T10:46:00.002-05:00

We had a great weekend at Church. Attendance was down a bit but it was better than I expected with the cold weather.

The church gave Tina a baby shower yesterday. We got a lot of great presents and once again was shown what a great church family we have. Robert started basketball Saturday at the YMCA. It was fun to watch the kids learn as they played.

Hope everyone has a great week.

Convicted

2010-01-05T11:30:00.002-05:00

Kyle Idleman, who preaches at the Southeast Christian Church, preached a series on Defining your relationship with Christ. As I listened to him talking about really being a Follower as opposed to a Fan it convicted me. Over the next few weeks we will have this same "dicussion" here at Shoals.

Not preaching Kyle's sermon but the idea needs to be presented to all Christians. "Am I a fan or Am I really a Follower?"

Monday Monday

2010-01-04T10:21:00.001-05:00

We had a great service yesterday here at Shoals. Even though it was only 4 degrees people came out for worship. The day ended the best it can with two people being baptized.

Now onto a long week. Sermonizing, meetings, buying basketball shoes for Robert and getting him to practice. Thursday is our Faculty Meeting at LBC. I am really excited about our coming semester.

Hope you have a great week as well.

Matthew

Happy Holidays...it is not a big deal...get over it

2009-12-16T21:12:00.000-05:00

I know the word I use is quite provocative. It is not cool to use Holidays in our midst. In the last year we have been told about the War on Christmas. John Gibson and O'Reilly have told us about the Culture vacuum and that Christians are being fought on all sides. I do agree that there is a a culture war and we must do our part I am not sure about the war on Christmas. My guess is the Christmas being spoken of is not what Christ came into the world for. Greed and Materialism is not Christmas. Christ is Christmas. God in the Flesh coming to earth born of a virgin who was killed and bodily rose again is what Christmas is about. So I am not sure we should really care what a clerk at Target or Walmart tells us when we check out. Because I bet the Christmas their is not a Christmas worth fighting for.

Preaching

2009-12-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

I am often asked the above question. Is it hard? Well imagine writing a term paper every week. Usually mine are about 15 pages. It takes about 25 hours to write a good sermon. Then there is Sunday School, Sunday night. Trying to visit people that are sick and shut in. Pick up orders, order supplies..etc. Here is a very dated but good quote about what it is like to be a preacher

"This is the claim I make for a good theology of preaching—that it introduces order into the chaos of a mans ministry. He is lost in the thicket and tangle of crisscrossing paths and dense undergrowth. A dozen major responsibilities tug at his sleeve, this way and that. Administrator, educator, counselor, prophet, pastor, social worker, maybe custodian, secretary, copier, plumber, carpenter, and husband and parent—on the side he is expected to be many things, indeed even wants to be. But there are definite limits to his time and energy and physical composure. He would like to be all things to all men, but there are times when he feels the need of saying, ‘this one thing I do.’ And the one thing claiming precedence over all the others, demanding to stand at the center, because it has been the distinctive, necessary task of the ministry in every age, is the matter of proclamation. Nothing else will substitute for it. Its priority is absolute. It alone is capable of bringing to heel the multitudinous and variegated duties which yip and yap at the minister’s coattail like mutts of hell wherever he goes.”

OOOPS

2009-12-02T13:53:00.002-05:00

Monday Monday

2009-11-30T09:30:00.002-05:00

I trust everyone gad a great Thanksgiving. I got to spend time with my parents over part of last week which was great. We spent Thanksgiving day with Tina's parents and brother and his family. Got to see my neice and nephew. Spent Saturday night in Greenwood with my wonderful wife and do some Christmas Shopping. The Bulldawgs upset the Jackets and I turned 40. WHEW!!!!

Hope everyone has a great week. Starting a Christmas Series this week. Now to get motivated..lol

Appreciation

2009-10-26T09:31:00.003-04:00

I love to be appreciated don't you? I love to know that someone is thinking of me and loves me. My wife loves me and my kids love me. I am a very lucky man.

Yesterday the love the church here at Shoals has for me and my family was reaffirmed. Rowena Tripp wrote a song for the choir to sing about our family and we were given a wonderful gift.

We love Shoals and will serve here as long as God gives us opportunity. I hope my friends felt that as well. I have many great friends who are serving God in churches and I want you guys to know I love and appreciate all of you.

Monday Monday

2009-10-19T12:30:00.003-04:00

Had a great day at Church yesterday. We have one baptism and a very good crowd. Looking forward to fall break this week. Me and the boys are going to hang out together on Wednesday and hopefully we will have a fun day on Friday.

We had a great Revival last week with Mike Kjeergard and I wish I could be at the GA camp meeting this week. Three of my students will be speaking.

Have a great week. Starting a new sermon series this week pray that it goes well.

Monday, Monday

2009-10-12T09:02:00.002-04:00

Our Revival got off to a great start yesterday here at Shoals. Mike Kjergaard did a great job and I am really enjoying the fellowship. Today we are eating lunch with a great couple, Mike and Kathy Harker, and then off to Boggs Lake for 9 holes of golf with some good friends.

This will be a great week. The Mitchell family will be here tonight thru Wednesday and tomorrow will be our study group meeting and Wed possibly lunch with another good friend. Then to top it all off I get to do my favorite thing on Thursday...TEACH at LBC.

Have a great week...I know I will

He is Coming

2009-10-07T18:59:00.003-04:00

It is official. Isaiah Charles Sullivan will make his apperance around Feb. 27th. We are very excited and can't wait.

Three boys, going to be a fun house

Yes he is here to save the world

2009-10-01T17:57:00.001-04:00

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Yeah I kind of do...

2009-09-29T15:39:00.001-04:00

Monday Monday

2009-09-28T13:21:00.002-04:00

What a great weekend. Tina and I went to Evansville to look for Baby Furniture. We bought a few items and I prices furniture. WOW!!!!!! It has been sometime since I needed to do this.

We are looking at getting a crib that will eventually transform into a full size bed.

Good day at church yesterday and we had a good time playing volleyball last night during Family fun night.

This proves to be a long but a good week.

Flood

2009-09-25T13:46:00.002-04:00

MY home state of GA has had some incredible rain lately. My brother is a LT in his a fire station in Douglas County and he and others worked all Night pulling people out of the water. I found this pic and had to post it. Props to whoever did it.

Good Stuff

2009-09-23T22:01:00.002-04:00

I love music. I can listen to almost anything. I can listen to the Rolling Stones and turn around and listen to a country song.

As far as "Christian Music" my taste is as fluctuating. However, I still remember the roots and love the Cathedral Quartet. This is one of the best they ever did">

2009-09-10T07:29:00.001-04:00

Went to th Dr. yesterday. We heard the babies heartbeat. We go back October 7th to find out if the baby is a boy or girl.

Men's Retreat

2009-08-28T10:13:00.002-04:00

Today i am Leaving for the Men's Retreat at the Whitewater Christian Camp in Vevay, IN. I am really exicted about the opportunity to preach the next two days.

I know they have been preparing for a good while and I even had one man from the area call me on the phone to pray with me. I was not here and he left his prayer on the answering machine. Outstanding!!!!!

I hope to tell you soon how it went.

Also, we have begun our new school year at Louisville Bible College. I love that place. They are training people for Christian service.

Hope to talk to you again soon

The Northmen

2009-08-03T17:33:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe that it is August Already. Tomorrow Wade Allen and I are leaving to speak at the Northmen Men's Clinic. I am excited but nervous about it. I am looking forward to seeing some friends and hearing some good preaching.

Last week was the Hillsboro Family Camp and my family enjoyed the time together. I took the Louisville Bible College Booth and enjoyed representing the College. Maybe I can do more of that in the future.

Hope to blog later

2009-07-10T09:47:00.001-04:00

In Memory of George Trueblood

So Long....the dynasty is over.

2009-06-03T21:19:00.002-04:00

Well it is over. Today the Atlanta Braves released the last pitcher of its dominant 90's staff, Tom Glavine. I Still remember the Playoffs of 1991 watching this guy come from nowhere it seemed to dominate that season and many to follow.

I only got to see him pitch once, last year in Cincinnati. We will miss you Tommy and thanks for the memories.

I will always remember game 6 1995 World Series.

Monday Monday

2009-05-18T08:14:00.003-04:00

Today is the last Monday of the school year here in Shoals. I am not sure who is more excited, the students or the teachers. We had a busy weekend with Saturday being our annual Gas Buy Down here in town. For two hours our church paid .50 cent for each gallon sold. So for two hours gas was $1.79 instead of $2.29.

I am very proud of the way our church wants to serve this community. Yesterday we had 114 in services. I spoke on the urban legend "Living together will prepare us for marriage." It seemed to go over quite well.

Hope you all have a good week.

Vision, indifference, or Complacency

2009-05-12T22:48:00.002-04:00

That is the question that I find myself asking lately. As change is made you always expect to feel some push back, I have friends that can testify to that. However, what if no push back happens at all. Is it because that a group of people have a grand vision? Is it because they are indifferent or am I not paying enough attention.

Am I complacent and somewhat bored? Do I need a new challenge? What form will that Challenge take? Can one become too comfortable? Does no problems mean good things are no one is paying attention.

I am just wondering. Maybe this is normal, maybe it is not. Maybe it is the Lord, maybe it is not.

Anyone have any ideas?

Monday Monday

2009-05-11T09:12:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Mother's day yesterday. We began a new series here at Shoals called Suburban Legends. It is a series that I noticed that Southeast did last year. I am adding to and taking a way some of the titles but I preached from Proverbs 31 yesterday about appreciating our moms.

We had a great day at Church. We had 134 in attendance and the service was really good.

I was also honored to attend graduation at Louisville Bible College Saturday and was pleased to learn I had been moved from instructor to Assitant Professor, pretty cool.

Have a great week.

Waiting

2009-05-05T08:39:00.002-04:00

I hate waiting. It drives me crazy to have to wait on anything or anyone. I know it is about being patient.

That does not work well for being a Christian. For being a Christian is a discipline in waiting. Waiting for the Lord to return. Christianity is about the All ready and the Not yet.

Already we have won a victory but not yet. Already we share in a meal, but not yet.

It is the not yet I get tired of waiting on. I want it all now but I have to wait on God's Timing and God's timing is always perfect.

As I say this here I am waiting again. Waiting on something I have no control over and I am growing more impatient on waiting on a person than I should be waiting on the Lord.

Why? R u like this?

Great Day

2009-04-13T13:28:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we had a great day at Church. We had 157 in attendance which was a record for my time here in Shoals.

Our young people sang a special yesterday as we as our ladies and both did wonderful. We had our annual Sunrise Service yesterday and breakfast. Ronnie McKibben, Keith Albright and all their crew as always did a stand up job.

Now what will happen this Sunday?

Also a shout out to my good friends Darrel and Mark for breaking the thousand barrier at the Christian Church of Jasper

Handling Adversity

2009-04-08T11:44:00.002-04:00

I have a friend who has had some real adversity lately. It has been so refreshing to watch him use the Lord, his friends, and his own resolve to see it through.

It made me wonder how would I handle adversity. How should we? God never promised that he would wipe every tear from our eye on this earth but would one day.

I am proud of my friend, he has shown how a Christian should act even when times seem very bad.

I hope I will honor the Lord by doing the same thing.

Tuesday not Monday

2009-04-07T09:11:00.002-04:00

We had another great weekend at Shoals. We used our projection System for the second week. Things have gone rather smoothly with everything thus far. I am very excited about staying and working with the church here. They are really wanting to grow and expand their influence in the world.

I am sad to see Dr Terry Peer leave Louisvlle Bible College as Academic Dean. He is a great leader and the church where he serves will be lucky to have him.

Blessings to all my fellow preachers who will be speaking of the wonder of the resurrection this coming Sunday.

Spring Break

2009-03-24T16:24:00.004-04:00

This week is our spring break. Both of my boys are enjoying the time off. Tomorrow we are going to the Indianapolis Children's Museum to see the new Star Wars the Clone Wars Exhibit.

Robert is a Star Wars nut and he is very excited. Then we pick up my mom at the airport and she is going to spend a few days with us.

I am preaching on the Lord's Supper this week. I am enjoying the study and it is opening up some wonderful truths.

Thanks for Checking

2009-03-24T16:23:00.003-04:00

I was told I had not blogged in a while so Here I Go: BLOG. How is that Darrel.

National Preaching Summit

2009-03-09T08:27:00.001-04:00

Today several of my friends and myself are heading off to the National Preaching Summit. This is one of the great blessings of my year. Outside of time with my family it is the best thing I do most of the year.

I always come away refreshed and motivated for another year of ministry. Plus we have a great time.

Happy Bday Jonathan

2009-02-03T06:42:00.002-05:00

Today our oldest son Jonathan is ten years old. This is very hard to believe and is making me feel very old. Last night we went to O'Charleys to celebrate. That is his favorite place to eat.

Monday Monday

2009-02-02T09:24:00.004-05:00

Well it is Monday again. It is nice to be out of the house and back at a normal pace of work. We had a good day at Church yesterday and I finished my Stewardship sermon on giving.

Looking forward to getting back to LBC this week and I very proud of my brother.

There is a new Christian Movie coming out in May called "Help My Child is Missing." Mark and his agency, Consumed Artist, are in charge of publicity. This is an incredible opportunity for him, so please pray for him.

Service is the only way

2009-02-02T09:14:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we had our annual Ministry Team Fair. We encouraged people to find a ministry in our church and begin to serve there. I spent the last week iced and snowed in for a couple of days and really began thinking about it.

WE live in a world that hass the motto, “Do whatever you must to conquer gravity” Up is the direction of greatness. Many people think the word privilege and the word serving should not be in the same sentence. When you think of someone who is privileged you think of someone who has servants not someone who needs to be a servant. We live in a world that says to be privileged is to be on the way up to be over others.
In our culture we use words like upscale, up and coming, upwardly mobile, upper class. Compare those to words like down and out, downscale, down hill, and down hearted.

But then the most intriguing man whoever walked this earth comes along. A man who could have chosen the view from the top had he wanted it, and Jesus of Nazareth chose a downward path.
In this radical counter culture kingdom that he formed he said downward mobility is the path of greatness. In Christ’s Church the noblest honor of all is the privilege of serving. The roll of servant is the highest calling in the kingdom of God. There is no role in the kingdom of God that the role of servant.

There are many job descriptions in the body of Christ but there is only one role and that role is servant. The reason this needs to be talked about is because the body of Christ can only function well when everyone of us understand that our main task in the Church is to be servants. It seems to be there are some who want the benefits of being in the body but not the responsibility of being a servant. That should not be surprising because it is human nature. Human nature is to want the benefit without the effort.

We want the benefit withoug the effort. There are some in the church who want the church to be everything the bible says the church is supposed to be for them but not through them.

I have had many calls from people about the church over the years. The call I usually get is What can you church do for us? I have never been asked “How can we serve Jesus at your Church?”

Are you one of those Christians who won’t minster but expect ministry? Or are you following Jesus to greatness on the path of downward mobility.

What a game

2009-02-02T07:36:00.003-05:00

Last night was a fantastic game. I really enjoyed watching it and it was a blast to have Robert getting into it with me. We are missing our 5th day of school in a row today. We, along with most of Indiana, was snowed and iced in most of last week but even with all that snow and ice we were able to muster 92 for church.

Looking forward to a great week. I am starting a sermon series on 1 Corinthians this week. Any ideas let me know.

Monday Monday

2009-01-26T16:07:00.002-05:00

Well it is another Monday and a busy week has started. Yesterday was the last sermon in our stewardship. This Sunday is our minstry team sign up.
This has been a tough but good week. This coming week some rough weather is heading our way. We are under a winter storm warning. Several inches of ice and snow are headed our way.
Also, I started facebook this week. It has been a real blast to reconnect with some old friends.

Monday Monday

2009-01-19T11:02:00.003-05:00

Well we woke up to about two inches of snow this morning. It was great! We had a good day at Church yesterday. I am currently preaching a series of sermons on leadership. It seems to be going really well. Yesterday we spoke about the Standard of giving found in the scripture.

Watched the Steelers win a great game yesterday. I am pulling for them to win the Super Bowl. My brother was a huge fan of them growing up.

MASADA

2009-01-15T08:31:00.005-05:00

On our trip to Israel we explored the fortress of Masada. It was orginally a fortress built by King Herod for him to flee in case of a Coup. He was paranoid beyond belief.

After the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 many of those who escaped fled to Masada. They stood the Romans for about two years until they finally scaled the mountain and when the Romans entered they found mass suicide. The Jewish Zealots had killed their own families and each other leaving one man to kill himself. The only real writings about Masada is from Josephus Flavius.

School Daze

2009-01-15T08:02:00.003-05:00

Today is the day I head back to Louisville Bible College to start another Semester. I am teaching James and 2 Corinthians.

Looking forward to the semester.

Reflections on Preaching

2009-01-13T12:38:00.001-05:00

Props to Wade on his Preaching post recently. It made me think how do I describe myself to others.I found this Quote and thought it was a dated but good description for the life of a Preacher.

“This is the claim I make for a good theology of preaching—that it introduces order into the chaos of a mans ministry. He is lost in the thicket and tangle of crisscrossing paths and dense undergrowth. A dozen major responsibilities tug at his sleeve, this way and that. Administrator, educator, counselor, prophet, pastor, social worker, maybe custodian, secretary, mimeographer, plumber, carpenter, and husband and parent—on the side he is expected to be many things, indeed even wants to be. But there are definite limits to his time and energy and physical composure. He would like to be all things to all men, but there are times when he feels the need of saying, ‘this one thing I do.’ And the one thing claiming precedence over all the others, demanding to stand at the center, because it has been the distinctive, necessary task of the ministry in every age, is the matter of proclamation. Nothing else will substitute for it. Its priority is absolute. It alone is capable of bringing to heel the multitudinous and variegated duties which yip and yap at the minister’s coattail like mutts of hell wherever he goes.”

Location Domination

2009-01-10T12:18:00.003-05:00

Well it has happened again. Oklahoma Choked and Florida brought home another National Championship to the SEC. Shock Shock. I would want to see USC and FLA play. Not sure who would win but what a game.

The only thing I agree with Obama about is the need for a playoff. Maybe after we become socialist we can pool our resources and have one.

Me and the Pilgrims

2009-01-08T19:38:00.001-05:00

Here is the group that I went to Israel with. They were a great group.

Back Back Back

2009-01-08T11:26:00.002-05:00

Last Night I returned home from Israel. In the future I hope to have pictures to show you and some info. Even though the conflict is going on our group so no evidence of it. We felt 100% safe the whole time.

Thanks for the prayers!

My Favorite Christmas Story

2008-12-25T15:17:00.004-05:00

A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then a nother sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

(Revelation 12:1-6)

Ice Ice Baby

2008-12-23T16:41:00.003-05:00

Well it is finally here. It only took our local weather people three times to actually get something right. The ice is here. Hopefully it won't keep us from our Christmas plans. We are already postponing our trip a day so hopefully it will actually warm up like they say it will.

Off on a trip of a lifetime

2008-12-22T14:44:00.002-05:00

Well on Saturday I will be leaving for chicago on a trip that will ultimately take me to Israel.

I am going to be gone December 27-January 7. I am looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to walk where Jesus walked. I hope to be able to blog from there some and share some pics.

All I want

2008-12-22T10:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas is coming this week and I always have to answer the question, "What do you want for Christmas?" I never really know. I love the Office TV show and got season 4 on DVD for my Birthday. My parents and In-laws always give money for the most part which goes for my addiction to books.

But the truth is I have what I want. I have a beautiful and loving wife, two great kids, a wonderful set of parents and a awesome brother.

I have fantastic In-laws all around and have some of the best friends you can have.

On top of that I have a wonderful church family that has generously given money so that I can go to Israel next week. They even gave enough for a round trip (HAHA).

So I have what I want. More than I deserve. What do you want?

Robert Edward Sullivan

2008-12-19T16:47:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe that my son Robert is seven years old today. He was only three months old when we moved here to Shoals. Time flies and it worries me. He was very excited this morning when he got he Clone War Movie on DVD.

Another Monday

2008-12-08T13:19:00.003-05:00

Well it is Monday again. Had a good weekend. Went to Indy with Tina and got home last night. Today is my last excel class at LBC. Working on another behind the music sermon for Sunday, "O Little Town of Bethelehem."

Busy week but looking forward to it.

Hark The herald Angels Sing

2008-11-30T17:51:00.002-05:00

Today at Church we started a series on Christmas Carols entitled "Behind the Music." I started with Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

It seemed to go over really well. Props to Mike Luke and Bob Russell for the help. HAHA!

We also had a sad day. We lost a dear member of our church early this morning as Jane Davis went home to be with the Lord. She will be missed very much by all of us.

Hope you had a good holiday. My brother and his family came as well as Tinas family. It was great although my kids have had strep. They are feeling better and now we go on to a new week.

One More Year

2008-11-28T17:54:00.002-05:00

Well I turned 39 today. One more year until the big 4-0. I am so lucky. I got to see my brother and his family and Tina's mom and dad her bro and his family. I have the best nieces and nephews anywhere. I missed my mom and dad but got to talk to them on the phone today. They are the best. I am blessed with great friends and a great church to serve.

I also have a great wife and two awesome kids. SO no complaints as I get older.

Matt

Happy Birthday

2008-11-15T21:47:00.001-05:00

Just a quick shoutout to my brother Mark who is 37 today.

Love you man

Bad Start and Congrats

2008-11-14T06:20:00.001-05:00

Woke up this morning to no hot water. Tina told me last night about it. Having to call M and M today.

Congratulations to my Brother In Law Danny he and my Sister In Law Christy Bought their first House yesterday.

Best Bugs Bunny Cartoon Ever

2008-11-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

Great Cartoon

2008-11-12T22:28:00.004-05:00

This is a Great Cartoon he is saying "Uh Oh"

2008-11-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

Remember how we got there? Good Solid Principles. When we forget them things never go well.

What A Night

2008-11-08T19:21:00.006-05:00

Last Night Tina and I went with her brother Danny and his wife Christy to see Third Day. We had a blast and got to meet the band backstage. Thanks to my Brother Mark for hooking us up with the tickets and to the keyboard player Scotty for his help.

That is Tina and I with Scotty.

The Day After

2008-11-05T06:13:00.007-05:00

Something happened this morning. I Woke up at 5AM this morning as usual and took a shower. The water was hot, my coffee pot worked just fine, TV worked and my bible said the same words it did yesterday.

Politically my voice was heard locally but my voice was drowned out nationally. My voice is always heard spiritually by my Heavenly Father. I was disappointed with the election results last night. However, God was still God this morning. I still have a great wife and two fantastic kids. I have a wonderful family great parents and in laws, two brothers and two sisters (in laws and such included), and great friends.

This morning I will continue to try to lead young men and women in ministry, lead the Shoals Church to a greater relationship with Christ, and lead the lost to the Lamb that was Slain. And nothing and no one can change that.

My good friend Wade has some awesome thoughts this morning read his blog as well.

http://wadeallen.blogspot.com/

Appreciation

2008-10-28T11:54:00.002-04:00

It is nice to feel needed and loved. This past Sunday the church honored me and my family for our service to the church. People gave us cards and gift cards.

This church is great. The people here love us and we love them. I look forward to many more years here.

Tina couldn't be there. I came home from the Camp Meeting and Tina was sick and now Jonathan and Robert have it today.

Hope you all have a great week!

PS Camp MTG was great. I really enjoyed seeing my parents and many good friends.

Georgia Camp Meeting

2008-10-21T16:25:00.001-04:00

I leave tomorrow for the Georgia Camp Meeting. I am speaking this year and I am very excited about it. I get to see my parents and get to hear one of my favorite preachers Johnny Pressley.

Hope to give you a report from the Camp.

Monday, Monday

2008-10-13T14:21:00.003-04:00

It is Monday here in Southern IN. HAHA. We had a good weekend here. We had great Sunday Morning with my son Robert helping lead singing. We had to get him a shirt and tie he insisted.

Our son Jonathan and the rest of the youth opened our services with two specials and then one of our young ladies came forward and was immersed for the remission of her sins.

Last night we had annual Hay ride at the home of one of our Elders Keith Albright. He and his wife Mary are always willing to host the church for anything and we appreciate their generosity.

Last night was my second Sunday night at the Christian Church of Jasper taking them through the book of Revelation. I am really enjoying the opportunity to teach this wonderful book in other places.

This Thursday and Friday is our Annual Fall break at school. Friday we are heading to the Newport Aquarium for the day.

Have a great week

Hi all

2008-10-10T15:58:00.002-04:00

Hope you have a great weekend. We are looking forward to this Sunday. Our son Robert is helping lead singing. He is 6 years old.

Jesus Made in America

2008-10-07T16:12:00.004-04:00

I am in the process of reading the book Jesus Made in America. It looks at how we as Christians has shaped Jesus to fit our own personal mold. We all do that. We have all declawed the Lion of Judah. We have all made Jesus like Mr Rogers and turned him into our XL buddy. It is a good read and I am really getting alot out of it.
I found out about the book on Dr Robert Lowery's Website and was intrigued by this post.

"As I reflected on the title and as we celebrate our independence, I must remind myself that Jesus is not a Savior dressed in red, white and blue.
He is a Savior who brought freedom, a freedom purchased at a terrible price–the shedding of innocent blood.
He is a Savior who established a Kingdom that knows no bounds–a kingdom that draws from every tribe, language, nation, and people.
He is a Savior who welcomes people from all cultures.
He is a Savior who expects his people to be both cross-cultural and counter-cultural.
He is a Savior who demands that we pledge allegiance to the Lamb.
He is a Savior whose commands supersede all others.
He is a Savior who cannot be kidnapped by any political power or party.
He is a Savior who reigns not from any country–the United States of America or Israel, for examples–but a Savior who reigns from heaven above.
He is a Savior who is dressed in white and he invites his followers to be dressed the same. "

I agree with that.

Very Funny and Very real

2008-09-23T11:25:00.001-04:00

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Saw this on I monk. It is great and sad at the same time

Isn't She The Cutest

2008-09-19T09:24:00.000-04:00

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This is my niece Mia. She is the cutest is she not.

Greatest Video Ever

2008-09-17T11:13:00.000-04:00

Revival

2008-09-17T11:10:00.002-04:00

This weekend is our annual revival here at Shoals. Our Evangelist is my dad Tony Sullivan and our Song Evangelists are Art Bush and Steve Foster. We are looking forward to an incredible weekend. Not only good preaching and singing but getting to see my mom and dad for a few days.

It has been very busy few weeks here in Shoals. If you are close by come by and visit us.

Awesome

2008-09-04T12:05:00.001-04:00

Wow

2008-09-04T10:48:00.002-04:00

Sarah Palin was fantastic last night. Every Lefty Feminist in the US is stewing in their jealousy. She has it all and didn't need Gloria or Hillary for any of it.

Could it be they are wrong. Of course they are. Always have been always will be. McCain Vetted her well and now they are paying the price.

Good Weekend

2008-09-02T15:41:00.002-04:00

This weekend went very well:
We had a good crowd in Church Sunday. One of our couples, Gene and Eldean Sherfick, celebrated their 60Th wedding anniversary. After our service Tina and I along with Brian and Cassie self went to the Christian Church of Jasper where my friend Darrel Land preaches. The church service was great and the youth minister Ryan did a great job preaching.

We spent Monday with Bob and Evelyn, my in laws and had a good lazy day. We grilled out and just rested, except for Bob, Tina always has something for him to do (poor Guy).

We got to eat supper Saturday Night with our good friends Wade and Stephanie Allen.

Good Job John

2008-08-29T13:37:00.003-04:00

Sarah Palin is a great pick for John McCain. A great surprise for all of us and really threw a curve ball to the Democrats and to all of us.

Great Job John. Stole the spotlight from Obama and no one is talking about him. Brilliant

Missing the Beauty

2008-08-26T13:54:00.003-04:00

We are currently doing a survey of the Old Testament in our Sunday Evening Bible study. We were looking at the book of Ezekiel and I was taking them through the beauty of the book. How Ezekiel is trying to tell these captives that there will come a day that will be so much better that what they were experiencing at that time in their history.

I was struck by the beauty of what he told them. It really seems as if Ezekiel and the prophets are talking in materialistic terms at times. But they are not.

This is how we concluded:
Just to say this, it can seem, when you read the Prophets, that they are talking materialistically, just as it can seem in the New Testament as you read about streets of gold in Jerusalem and so on, and you say, “Oh gee, it is all materialistic.” That is a misunderstanding. With Ezekiel, when you read about the supposedly material restoration, like you will get your land back, but it is not the same land. You will get your city back but it is not the same city. You will get your temple back but it is not the same temple. Everything changes. What he is really saying is, “We prophets do give our predictions in what sounds like material terms, land and vineyards and abundance and all that. But if you really examine what we are doing, we are using that as a means of conveying the fact that there is something ahead that we don’t even understand. It is beyond; it is great. You don’t understand it; we don’t understand it. It is something fabulous in the plan of God. We can only describe it from the point of view of the material but that is not really what we are thinking.” If you understand that, you can see it so well in Ezekiel 40-48. It will be like a prism through which you can, also then, suddenly understand what Amos means, for example, when he says, “The days are coming when the person trying to plant his field will tell the person who is still harvesting, 'Would you please get out of the way, I need to plant the crops',” because the harvest will be so abundant that they will go right around to planting time again. That is just crazy in any agricultural society; you do not have harvests like that. It is a way of saying, using material terminology, something great and wonderful is ahead that we do not really have any ability to portray as well as we would like to.

This is what John did. Will Heaven have streets of Gold or is God really Jasper and Carnelian? No but it is just the best way I can think to describe it, John would say.

Sometimes we miss the beauty of the prophets and Revelation because we think they predict the end of the world but they don't and when we realize that the beauty and exictement of what they are really saying can wash over us.

I am back

2008-08-25T11:19:00.001-04:00

Sorry it has been a while since I blogged. I have had a very busy 10-12 days. The last two weeks we have had 125 and 105 in Church. Yesterday we were down a bit but had a great day. We had a nursery shower for our new nursery. It was well attended and many either gave gifts or gave money.

The church has really responded well to some of our changes for the most part. Last week I also started my classes at Louisville Bible College. I go back tonight and Thursday.

I am teaching I II Timothy and Titus in a Satellite Class at Central Christian Church. I am loving all this preaching and teaching.

Hope to get back to you soon.

Traveling Light

2008-08-15T15:34:00.003-04:00

For a few years now I have wrestled with questions. Questions like How can I best serve the Lord? What can our church do to reach the greatest number of people with the gospel, without compromise? I have come to the conclusions that our structures weigh us down.

After thinking over these things I want to make a few statements:

First, I am traveling internationally in December and I have learned through experience and very good advice that the best thing to do is to travel light. I only took one suitcase and a small carry on. I finally decided that the church would do well to do the same. These are just some questions I have.

Why is that so many of are interested in building monuments and not participating in movements? Why so many of us program focused and not people fixated? Are we an organism or organization? Will our churches be led by chairpersons or by co-workers? Will we continue to believe that if a structure is not visible or rigid God just can’t be served or worshipped?

God is not hung up on structures. I think we place so much emphasis our structures because we place so little emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Structures must follow identity and mission but they must be light and flexible to liberate people.

We must be willing to dismantle without regret when something else more suited to the needs of the day comes along. These light and flexible structures can adapt to the changing need. Why are so many of God’s people more interested in keeping things the way we think they have always been rather than realizing that we live in a world different than did our ancestors, even our ancestors of 50 yrs ago? Why do so many cling to ways of doing things that may have been effective in another era but no longer works with reaching people with the gospel?

Would we be willing to give up a 9AM church service if you knew you could reach more people by having that church service at 4PM? Why are so many devoted to certain style of church music or preaching rather than to unceasing worship of God?

Why are so many committed to pleasing people and not ruffling feathers rather than being a people whose core value is pleasing God? We don't want to be a community departing from God’s word but we want to be a community trying to develop in light of biblical truths in order to carry out the great commission.

Is it possible that we as the Restoration Movement have ceased becoming a movement and have become a "church?"

Now a word of warning if you plan on challenging structures:It is dangerous. The greatest threat Jesus faced didn’t come from without but within. The first martyr in the life of the Church did not come at the hands of a Roman Sword but from Jews throwing Stones.

I close with this quote from a very peronal mentor of mine "
May God give us men and women who are alive to the times, who respect the past and yet are not blind to past mistakes or mired in deadly traditionalism, and who eagerly anticipate the future, desiring to go where God is going and already is—all so that people are reached with the gospel of Christ." Are we going to go where God is going and are we going to travel light?

Bother Me

2008-08-13T15:55:00.004-04:00

http://www.myspace.com/consumedartistagency

That is the link to my Brothers new talent agency. Copy and paste it into your browser, it won't work right for some reason.

On it you will find a music video called bother me. It is on the right side of the site just scroll down you will find it. The family on the video is My brother Mark, sister in law Sherry and my neice and nephew Mia and Zach.

Check it out. The site is also linked from the bottom of my blog.

Russia, Georgia, and Jesus

2008-08-12T16:06:00.003-04:00

Well it was inevitable. Some misguided soul would think the return of Jesus is soon because of war in Russia. For years preachers have been trying to decipher when Jesus is coming back. They use very obscure texts and play on them like kids on a jungle gym.

The truth is Jesus is bodily returning to earth one day. When it happens it will be the greatest event in history. However, wars, nor earthquakes, nor oil prices will give us a better idea than we already have. That is no idea. Martin Luther was asked if Jesus came back tomorrow what would you do. "I would plant my garden today." He responded. May we ever be watchful to the sky and not the news when it comes to Christ's return.

Happy Birthday Granny

2008-08-09T15:58:00.001-04:00

Today we are celebrating Tina's grandmother's 85th birtday (it was actually Wed.).

HAPPY BDAY Granny

It Never Gets Old

2008-08-05T11:30:00.002-04:00

WOW What A Day! This Morning was started off with the Baptism of a man in our community. I never tire of hearing the words "I Believe that Jesus is the Christ,the Son of the Living God, and I accept Him as my Savior." Then burying him in the water for the forgiveness of his sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The Last act of a sinful man is one of complete submission. How Great is that.

Now a frustrating question will be asked. "Didn't he join the church?" That is frustrating to me because the decision to become a Christian is not the same as which church to join. Mostly they are made at the same time but they are not the same decision. If he and his wife join our fellowship, she is already immersed, then great. If God can use them elsewhere then that is great as well.

RIP Skip

2008-08-04T09:27:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help be sad this morning as I learned of the death of long time Braves announcer Skip Cary. Skip was a great announcer and did a great job. He was a cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves and I know will be missed greatly.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/08/03/skip_caray_dies.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Above is the story about Skip that appeared at http://ajc.com

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-01T13:05:00.002-04:00

Today is the 20th Anniversary of Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show. This is one of my favoite things to do. I listen in my car or on my computer. I am a member of Rush 24/7 and can see his webcam as well. First thing today President Bush 41 and 43 and Gov. Jeb called in.

I am a conservative in the mold of Rush. Low Tax, small Government, and and no commies, ie Obama.

CONGRATS RUSH

Finally Home for a Lesson on Marriage

2008-08-01T13:01:00.003-04:00

We got home yesterday from the Hillsboro Family Camp. We had to leave a day early because a lady in our congregation passed away and her funeral was this morning. Minnie Brown was 97 and she and her husband Ralph, who died in September of 2006, were married over 70 years.

How do you do that? Well this story should show you how: A lady from our church asked Ralph what kind of pie was his favorite. She was going to bake him one since Minnie couldn't bake anymore. Ralph thought for a minute and told her, "Minnie likes Lemon."

Thinking of the other persons wants, needs, and desires is how. May I have that kind of marriage and may you as well.