Read the Bible For Life

"Only 16% of churchgoers read the Bible daily and 25% of churchgoers don't read the Bible at all." When I read this quote from George Guthrie of the Ryan Center at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, my heart ached. Not just because 3 out 4 of those sitting in our church don't read God's Word, but mostly from the ache I had for my own drought of not reading God's Word that dotted my early Christian life.

For some weeks I have been looking at this material. I remember growing up how my Sunday School teachers taught us the books of the Bible and all the different literary styles contained in the Bible. It wasn't until recently that I developed an appreciation for just reading God's Word. Jan & I read through the Bible each year as a couple. (Those hard to pronounce names in the Old Testament don't get any easier to say.)

• 25 million copies of the Bible are sold in the US annually
• 9 out of 10 homes in the US have a Bible
• More than 400 million copies of all or part of the Bible are distributed through Bibles societies each year

A LifeWay research study tells us that daily Bible reading is the number 1 predictor of spiritual maturity and yet only 16% of church goers read their Bibles daily. On a pew of 6 people, only one person reads their Bible daily.

I trust that you lead your family to be better than average when it comes to reading God's Word.

Neckties Required!

A man dying of thirst walked through the desert. As he stumbled over a sand dune, he was greeted by a man selling ties. The dehydrated man begged for water, but the salesperson said he only had ties. In frustration and anger, the thirsty man continued his journey for survival.

Within an hour he reached an isolated restaurant in the middle of the desert. At first he thought he was seeing a mirage; but as he drew closer, he knew the restaurant was real.

He felt ecstatic. He ran for the door, but a security guard stopped him and denied him entry into the restaurant. "I'm sorry," said the guard, "but to eat in here you must have a necktie."

I read this cute story and thought about ways God grows the His Kingdom and His church. Recently we started an Outreach Strategy to connect guests and prospects to Anderson Mill Baptist Church. Outreach is rather simple, but often overlooked. It's like the necktie in the story. It may not seem relevant in the beginning, but without outreach nobody profits. Our Outreach Strategy:

• Demonstrates that we really are a friendly church.
  
• Helps everyone to attach a name to a face.
  
• Allows our church to extend a timely "Thank You for being our guest."
  
• Gives us an opportunity to share His story, the gospel.
  

Already, several AMBC members are helping our guests to connect with God and His church. You can join us. Just comment on this blog and we'll contact you about orientation. If everyone would be involved once a month, His church will grow.

Marriage Mentoring

This year AMBC allocated budget support for our first in-house Marriage Enrichment Conference. On August 26-27, 2011, Dr. Scott Floyd and his wife will be our guests for this exciting event. (More on this later.) As part of this conference and in line with our Milestones strategy, we will offer marriage mentors to those attending the conference.

Who are mentors? "Mentoring involves life-to-life exchanges that help others discover and pursue their passions and sort out their priorities." David Stoddard¹ Mentors are couples who model life, help mentorees set and keep goals and challenge and encourage couples in their journey.

Why do we sometimes need mentors? Jan & I were remodeling our home in Alvin several years back. One delivery truck was loaded with lumber and supplies. As the truck backed into our driveway, the weight was too much and the truck sank in the soft clay soil just off the drive. It wasn't going anywhere without help. Jan was keeping a toddler at the time and he was watching all this take place. The driver came to the door and told us. "I need to call Bobby." Bobby was the dispatcher at the lumberyard. Our small toddler friend heard this and commented, "I sure hope Bobby has a tractor." Like tractors, mentors can help keep the relationship moving. Whether we have slowed down or come to a complete stop, we may need a little help to get out of the clay and back on firm ground.

Who might profit from a mentoring relationship? Anyone can. Whether we are preparing for, repairing or trying to maximize our marriage, mentors can be the short term guide for the journey.

If you are interested in looking into having a mentor in your marriage, sign up today for the Marriage Enrichment Conference. Click on the stack of cups to register.

¹
The Complete Guide to Mentoring. Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. Zondervan, 2005. Page 28

More Helpful

In 1979, our hometown of Alvin, TX was devastated by a flood. Some reports put the rainfall in 24 hours at 48 inches. Our home was flooded with 5+ feet of water. Everything below that mark was ruined. My parents were on their way back from vacation, and I met my Dad at our home. As he and I saw the damage, I made the remark to him, "I know just how you feel." He stopped in mid-stride, turned and looked at me and replied, "No son. I don't think you know how I feel."

He was right. My words, though meant to comfort, could have been stated in a more helpful way.

I was in a hospital about 4 weeks ago as my Father lay dying. Again, I heard words of comfort from so many. Many of these words proved to be more helpful to me than ones I might have said if the circumstances were switched. Friends' words were tempered with wisdom and true sorrow. Words like "I'm so sorry this happened," rather than "It happened for the best." Or "I can only imagine how you've coped," soothed the heart better than "Be strong and you'll get through it."

Words are sometimes used to help others know we care, but the greatest expression of care came from friends just being there. These were not offering words but they were giving of themselves and their time. They just sat with me and other family members.

I hope I'm a little more perceptive and a lot more helpful than I was in 1979.

Go to church and preserve your marriage!

I've been reading a recent article "The Christian Divorce Rate Myth (what you've heard is wrong)". We've heard that the divorce rate among Christians is the same as in the general population. There are things that will act to lower the divorce rate for Christians. One, which the article noted, was being connected and active in a local church. It isn't enough just to attend once in a while. We must put church as a regular in our weekly schedule. Faith does matter. Do your family a favor- go to church and invite others to join you.

Watch for details concerning our Marriage Conference 2011.

The Worth of Jesus

Years ago, Maurice Wright, a British farmer, bought a large painting at a neighborhood auction for less than $4 and stored it in his barn. After it collected cobwebs for several years, Wright's accountants noticed the painting and wondered if it was worth anything.

The farmer's accountant took a color picture of the painting and sent the picture to Christy's, a respected London auction firm. Surprisingly, he learned that the painting was the work of Thomas Daniell, a highly acclaimed 19th century artist.

Art critics had been aware of the existence of a missing 1808 Daniell, but its whereabouts had been a mystery for more than a century. Wright sold the painting at an auction for more than $90,000.

Imaging finding something that valuable in a barn!

Over 2000 years ago, Wise Men discovered a priceless treasure in a manger. They lavished their gifts and admiration on the baby Jesus. It was unlikely that the long awaited Messiah would be discovered laying in a manger, but there He was. Here lay the most precious gift ever to arrive on the earth.

When looking for that "perfect" gift for loved ones this Christmas, consider Jesus. Tell loved ones about the most costly, yet free gift ever found. Offer the eternal gift of life this Christmas season.

Good Friday is the Christian's "Veterans Day"

We remember. The veterans who served us through their many selfless sacrifices. One such veteran enlisted in February 1942 into a war that would end 3 1/2 years later. His trip begins in Dallas and Brownwood, Texas. He had to cut short his education at Texas A & I in Kingsville to serve his country. While at Brownwood he helped two friends, Kirby & Slim. They hadn't made it to high school so they needed help writing letters home. All Kirby & Slim knew was hard work on the shrimp boats. September came and the veteran was riding the rails to Fort Dix, NJ. A week long trip and then onto a South African banana boat headed to Birmingham, England. Three weeks packed like sardines, they dodged German submarines. 120 ships heading across the North Atlantic.

All they knew was that they were there to stop the evil that had already swept Europe. They weren't ready to lay down their life for family, friends and country, but they did their best to prepare themselves for this possibility.

Almost 2000 years ago another prepared to lay down His life for everyone. The day is Friday and the darkness of the world would soon signal the death of this lone Man. What our service veterans did for us closely parallels what Jesus did for us on the cross. We own much to those fallen soldiers but we owe everything to Jesus. Freedom comes with a cost that can only be satisfied through humility of mind and thoughts about others. That was Jesus' way. He left us the memory of His life to give us the life that we enjoy today.

Whether World Wars, conflicts or operations, there will always be a time to remember those who made our life possible today. Don't waste their sacrifice. Don't ignore the life of our Lord Jesus.

Oh, the "veteran"? He's my Dad. Thanks Dad. Perhaps more later on his experiences.

A special thanks to Amber Magness for her interview with my Father.