"The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do."

- A.W. Tozer

Thanks to everybody who showed up to help at today's work day. We were able to get quite a bit accomplished! Let's just say that we have some folks in the church who know how to handle a shovel!

As you can see from the two pictures I am posting (click on them for a larger view), one of the projects was to build a storage shed to house our lawn equipment. We didn't get quite finished before the thunderstorms started, but it shouldn't take too long to finish it up.

While one of the crews was busy swinging hammers, another crew was busy moving dirt! They worked in the back area between the gym and youth center, moving dirt from one end to the other so that when it rains, the water will drain away from the buildings. They also completely reworked most of the guttering and downspouts. It's going to be a huge improvement long term.

A third crew tackled several landscaping jobs, including mulching around the church sign as well as sprucing up the flower garden along the educational building. It looks outstanding! I'm especially indebted to Mark's overall leadership and planning. He had all the materials ready to go, the jobs organized, so all we had to do was show up and get right to work. He's a foreman extraordinaire! Thanks again to all of you came out to help!

Henry County Schools recognized 29 outstanding high school seniors and the teachers who inspired them Thursday night at the seventh annual Academic Excellence Awards banquet. Read more here.

Congratulations to Jon Dove for receiving one of the awards, and to Don Bredamus for being one of the teachers recognized for inspiring one of these outstanding seniors!

It's time to dust off the old ball glove and cleats! Tim and I attended the information meeting at Temple Baptist this past Monday night and found out that the tournament to open the season starts TONIGHT!

So we've been emailing and phoning all week to let all the players know. If you'd like to come out and cheer us on, we play at 6:00 pm. All the games are played at Temple Baptist Church.

Being that the opening chapter of Titus is specifically addressed to elders, it's one that I've read, studied, and even taught on numerous times. But in reading through it again this morning, several things jumped out at me:

• 1:11 - An essential part of loving the flock is protecting it - the word translated "silenced" means "to close the mouth by means of a muzzle or a gag"
• 1:13 - Sometimes that protection involves a stern rebuke
• 1:16 - One of the strongest evidences for salvation is whether we walk the walk, not just talk the talk
• 2:7 - My life (example) and teaching are inseparable - I'm still meditating on the word "dignified" (NASB - 'majesty, gravity, dignified seriousness') with reference to the responsibility associated with teaching
• 2:11-12 - The new birth will always be evidenced by the new life - or as Spurgeon used to say, "The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul."

As a side note. . . let me plug one of my new favorite blogs to make my blogroll: Stuff Christians Like. It has been rapidly growing in popularity in the blogosphere because of the off the wall, zany sense of humor of the author. However, today he tackled a very serious subject – Letting Porn Win. And in light of Titus 2:11ff, it could not be any more relevant. It's one of the most insightful responses on the issue I've ever read, and I commend it to you highly.

I love our worship team at Christ's Church, they just keep getting better and better. But I ran across a clip that I've got to show to Mark. Even though he already has an excellent process in place for people who are interested in joining the team, this clip will really help him nail down any future questions that might come up about when and how to add new members to the worship band. Read More...

I goofed up my blog's RSS feed during the move today, so if you were a previous subscriber, you will need to replace the former bookmark with the new feed.

While reading through Paul's epistles to young pastor Timothy, I was struck by the repeated emphasis Paul places on the role of our conscience and it's connection with faith:

• The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith. (I Tim. 1:5)

• Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. (I Tim. 1:19)

• They (referring to deacons) must be committed to the revealed truths of the Christian faith and must live with a clear conscience. (I Timothy 3:9)

• Timothy, I thank God for you. He is the God I serve with a clear conscience. (II Tim. 1:3)

Wow, I just read a killer post from David Foster entitled, Thank God Christianity Doesn't Rely on Proof. Here's a keeper: “I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. Not because the facts of my faith have been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, but because, in addition to the ways God has revealed Himself and given me reasons to believe, something happened on the inside of me.”

Amen indeed! I think the reason his post resonated so strongly with me is his strong assertion that everything eventually gets back to the necessity of faith. Do we need to study? Yes! Think? Deeply! Question? Without question! Even wrestle with doubt on occasion? Absolutely! But just remember. . . you simply cannot sidestep the issue of faith.

And by "faith," we're not talking about a leap in the dark –– faith is not a leap in the dark, it is a step of trust in the Light. Or, as the Scripture puts it: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

I realize that that continues to be a tripping point for many. But be that as it may, we will never (on this side of eternity) get it all figured out. As David so eloquently expressed it, "If you're waiting for proof and facts beyond the shadow of a doubt, you're never going to get them. Faith doesn't work that way." Well said! As I'm fond of saying, the minute the finite (man) gets his finger on the Infinite (God), the Infinite is no longer Infinite.

The pathway of faith will always include mysteries that simply belong to God.