Seventeen years old to eighty-four...that was the "span of the ages" on Saturday's
Packing Day (3-19-11). It was nothing short of amazing to watch and work alongside this group of 20 people. Everyone jumped in right away and started moving chairs...and boy do we have chairs, and not just ordinary, lightweight, easy-to-stack chairs. No, we have about 490 solid oak, non-stacking chairs, and we needed to move about 300 of them from the 5th and 4th floors of the educational building to the gym. The elder statesman of our troop came up with the old fireman's bucket brigade approach. Well, you can scratch that of the
to do list! I want to shout out a huge "THANK YOU" to those who have been able to come out and help over the last three months.
As I reflect on that morning I am reminded of the post-exiled Jews who, under the leadership of Nehemiah, rebuilt the ruined walls around Jerusalem. They too jumped right in and got the job done no matter what obstacles they faced. Nehemiah wrote of them,
...The people had a mind to work! (Nehemiah 4:6)
Even though God put the task of rebuilding the walls in Nehemiah's heart (cf. 1:12), he realized he could not do the work himself. Why? Well, the task was just too much for one person. He needed help. He understood the old adage, "Many hands make light work." But he also knew that the responsibility of rebuilding needed to be shared by the ones who would enjoy the end result.
We have now had three packing days. We are scheduled to have nine more. The reason for having these once-a-month packing days is because we have about 51,000 sq. ft. of space to inventory and pack up. Yes, it is hard work, but it is also a morning of fun. Come out and put your muscles to use for the glory of God! If you have a mind to work we will find something for you to do.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
In the midst of a building program there is the danger of neglecting ministry. Deacon's meetings, renovation committee meetings, relocation committee meetings, future building plan committee meetings, budget and finance meetings, meetings with builders, and meetings with bankers consume our time. Meetings! Meetings!! And more meetings!!! These are essential and must have a place in our schedule, but if other priorities are neglected then something is wrong. Let me put it this way...Sunday is still on the calendar (every week!), shut-ins still need to be visited, people are still having surgery, suffering hasn't magically gone away, and God still longs for us to talk with Him through prayer.
We often say, "I just don't have the time!" I've used that excuse (and just maybe some reading this have as well), but we must realize that it is an incorrect statement from God's perspective. God has given us all the time we need to do His will. It is just a matter of prioitizing...or re-prioritizing.
Do you understand that Satan doesn't want us to have priorities that puts God first? He wants us to be busy about doing good things so that the best things get neglected. He wants us to get so wrapped up in the process of building (a good thing) so that we spend less time praying and devoting ourselves to God's Word (the best things). I believe it would put a smile on the devil's face if we got lost in planning where the babies, children, students and adults will meet for Sunday school all the while neglecting the very ones we want to put in those rooms.
Paul understood the tyranny of the adversary on our time when he wrote,
Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).
Take note that he wrote, "making the best use of the time." I am trying to ask myself throughout each day as meetings arise and decisions need to be made, "Is this the best use of my time." Let me challenge you to do the same. It also helps me to remember the words of Solomon,
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
Grace & Peace,
Scott
We had a good discussion Sunday night (February 27). I think we were able to answer all the questions everybody has at this point. We will have more family discussions and will need to fine-tune the building. However, I believe we will be able to vote on this Sunday morning with confidence. Remember, we are voting to build at a cost not to exceed $1.5 million, we would borrow up to $500,000, the building will be built by Solsbee Construction Company, and we would borrow the money from First Piedmont Bank in Boiling Springs.
Now can be accomplished in this regard without faith. So, let me encourage you in your faith. Faith is the one godly character trait that is absolutely essential as we move to building. I can't improve on the definition of faith we find in Hebrews:
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Two words that jump off the page are "assurance" and "conviction." Both of these words are descriptive of faith and therefore give us a pretty clear definition. First, faith is assurance. This means that when we exercise our faith we are sure. We are issuing a "guarantee" or "title deed" that we believe what we hope for is really going to happen. Paul wrote something similar to the Romans,
...Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience (Romans 8:24-25).
Second, faith is conviction. F. F. Bruce wrote, "Physical eyesight produces conviction or evidence of visible things; faith is the organ which enables people (like Moses in v. 27) to see the invisible order" (The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 227). The invisible is the spiritual; it is in the realm of God and therefore in the realm of the possible.
Men and women at Calvary Church with good minds and great integrity have prayed, discussed, prayed some more, planned, and come up with a plan we believe is the path for us to follow in order to honor God the best. God has promised to bless His church, and we are going to take God at His word! Faith in God says that we have both the assurance and conviction that God will do what He says He will do.
Grace & Peace,
Scott
Seventeen years old to eighty-four...that was the "span of the ages" on Saturday's Packing Day (3-19-11). It was nothing short of amazing to watch and work alongside this group of 20 people. Everyone jumped in right away and started moving chairs...and boy do we have chairs, and not just ordinary, lightweight, easy-to-stack chairs. No, we have about 490 solid oak, non-stacking chairs, and we needed to move about 300 of them from the 5th and 4th floors of the educational building to the gym. The elder statesman of our troop came up with the old fireman's bucket brigade approach. Well, you can scratch that of the to do list! I want to shout out a huge "THANK YOU" to those who have been able to come out and help over the last three months.
