Pastor James’ Blog

IT’S TRUE — you did see “PASTOR JAMES” coming out of the Silver Dollar Club on East Street tonight. HEY – even better than that – you saw me coming out of there TWICE!  Yes – you can quote me on that!  Tonight at the beginning of the Fall Festival I wished that we had enough hot dogs for me to be able to carry a tray of them to the little club down the street and give to them as a way of connecting with the patrons there.  No preaching, no high pressure. Just a gift to let them know that we care.  Sure enough the ladies in the snack shack assured me that we had PLENTY of hot dogs and they fixed a tray of them up for me to carry down there!!  Well – the first time I went in with a tray load of hot dogs they were stunned.  It was a blessing to see their faces when I told them I was from the new church down the street and that we were having a fall festival and just wanted to share some hot dogs with them to bless them. One lady tried to pay me for them and I told her I couldn’t let her pay me for them or it would rob us of the blessing. They all thanked us and were nice. At the end of the fall festival we took another tray load of hot dogs to them and they were just as nice and very appreciative of the gift. NOT ONE BAD ATTITUDE, NOT ONE BAD WORD.  They were a little stunned but we had the chance to talk and even invite some of them to come join us one Sunday.  I know – “you shouldn’t go in there” – but if I remember correctly – isn’t that the type place Jesus went? Hmmm…if you are going to gossip PLEASE GET IT RIGHT –  YOU DID SEE “Pastor James” coming out of the Silver Dollar – with a smile on his face and a prayer on his heart.  Pray for and love people – Jesus did!

Pastor James

What a great night!  The Shiloh Ladies Ministry and the Shiloh Church Family really outdid themselves tonight at Life House!  They thought of everything!   Lots of prayer, time, work and heart for souls went into this big event and gospel seeds were spread all over College Hill.  WOW!  To put it conservatively – we think we easily ministered to 250 people. Someone else thought it was closer to 300. God knows the number –  all I know is that the gym area of our building was overflowing most of the night. Games, hot dogs, sno cones, popcorn, hugs, smiles and laughter were all over the building. We had the chance to meet, greet, speak to and try to connect with people of all ages and walks of life.  We believe that we were able to make some great contacts for the Lord tonight.  God is so good!  To be honest – I sure hope Bro. Todd (Pastor at Shiloh) doesn’t want to get too much out of his people this weekend because they worked themselves to the bone! THANK YOU Shiloh for putting the 2008 Fall Festival on for us at Life House. Thank you for allowing us to have a very small part of the night but also allowing our people to try to minister to and connect with all who came in the building.  We are going to see fruit spring up in the weeks and months ahead because you worked so hard!   I know everyone is tired tonight but i’ll guess that they will sleep contentedly because they know they did their best for the Lord. THANKS AGAIN!   We have some of the best partner churches of any mission anywhere. We are blessed!  WE love you all – Pastor James

At Life House we believe in prayer. We believe that God desires for us to share our hearts with Him and then trust Him to answer according to His will and His timing.  Here are a couple of requests that are on my heart.

1. Pray for the Fall Festival this coming Friday night.  Thanks to the Shiloh Baptist Women’s Ministry we are going to be able to have a “halloween alternative” for the kids in our community. Pray that we will be able to share God’s love with them and be able to show them that they are always welcome at Life House if they are needing or searching for a church home. Pray that we can sow salvation seeds. Pray that someone might come to know the Lord even during this event. 

2. Continue to pray with us as we search for:  A Black Associate Pastor,  Black Musicians, Praise Team Members and a Youth Pastor.  God has the right people out there – so pray that He will lead our paths to cross so that we might work together in this mission to reach College Hill and Texarkana.  If we are to continue to grow as a multi-ethnic church plant then we must have people of color in leadership with us. The community will know we are a serious multi-ethnic church plant only when the leadership of the church reflects that too.  Pray!  I know God is already getting the heart of those He desires to serve with us ready to join this ministry.  Pray that I will have wisdom in this search.  Pastor James

If you haven’t – then please don’t forget to pray and VOTE!  The election this year is crucial.  We may not agree with everything either of the candidates stand for but it’s important that we seek God’s face and then vote for the person who we feel will lead America to a more godly future.  Neither of the candidates has all of the “bells and whistles” that I wish one of them possessed but surely one leans more toward the Bible, God, Family, Patriotism, Security and Stability. Surely one of them possesses the qualities we need to lead America and keep her safe in these perilous times. PRAY and GO VOTE! It’s your American duty and it’s your Christian privilege.   Pastor James

Dont’ forget to FALL BACK this Sunday ONE HOUR or you will be late for church.  I have always hated time change – I wish they would just pick one and leave it but since it’s something we seemingly have no control over – do it! LOL  Just wanted to remind anyone who might be reading while I was thinking about it.   Pastor James

If all goes as planned I will be traveling to Bentonville this afternoon to attend the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Annual Meeting on Tuesday & Wednesday.  I will be home in time for Open Gym and Life Groups on Wednesday.  Thursday I will get stuff done around the church and in the evening do my Weight Watchers Groups.  Friday I am supposed to substitute teach and Friday night is our joint Fall Festival at Life House with Shiloh Church (the Ladies Ministry is putting it on and we are helping – THANKS LADIES!).  Saturday morning early we will be getting up early and heading to Mississippi.  We are making a little “detour” and going on to Laurel where we used to live and pastor to eat lunch or supper with some of our dear friends there and then back to Jackson, Mississippi that night. On Sunday we will be with the Raymond Road Church to preach in the morning service, meet with committees during the afternoon and present the vision, mission and ect of Life House Church and answer questions in the evening service. This church is praying about a possible partnership with us.  Then Sunday night head back to Texarkana and get up early Monday because I have some substitute jobs next week.  Pray for us as we seek to get these things accomplished this week.  I won’t be blogging much at all so hang in there I will be back!  Take care and work hard to tell a few people about Jesus this week!   Pastor James

Life House experienced a great day today. God is soooo good!  This morning we had a great attendance and had one middle aged lady saved! Praise the Lord! God continues to bless week by week.  We continue to have repeat visitors as well as first time visitors. We even had a family (parents are a mixed couple) come to church today. They stated that they lived in one of the housing areas that we held our Traveling Kidz Bible Club in last week. AMEN!  They really seemed to enjoy the service.  Keep praying as we seek to share Jesus with those in our target area. God has great plans to save souls and build a church that is missions minded for Him in our area. 

Tonight I had the blessing of being with the First Baptist Church of Fouke, AR family. Bro. & Sis. Johnny Jones are doing a great job leading this church towards growth. Pray for them.  They are one of our partner churches and we certainly appreciate their support, prayers and love for souls.  It was a blessing to be with them. It was also a blessing to be able to see their love for their pastor as they had a fellowship for him complete with cake and money tree as a way to show their love for him during Pastor Appreciation Month. Pray for this good church as they seek to reach Fouke for Jesus.

   I hope all of you had a great day and that this week will be filled with opportunities to tell someone about Jesus.  Thanks for reading our blog.  Pastor James

Dr. Emil Turner (Executive Director for our Arkansas Baptist State Convention) posts blogs also and I love reading them.  Here is one that might touch you.  Hope you “get it”  – it was a sermon for me!  Enjoy!!

“Granny Grouch”
Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008
< go back

Granny Grouch was at the counter.  I didn’t much care, I only wanted my pizza and Pepsi and I’d get out of her way.   The mall food court was the only place I felt like eating after a long day and I just wanted to get my food, eat it, and go watch the LSU football game in the hotel room.  The elderly lady working at the pizza joint acted like my order was an imposition.  One word, gruff answers, refusing to make eye contact, heavy sighs, all communicated “go away”.  Granny Grouch.

I stood there tolerating it, when an African-American teenage girl came to the counter.  “How much for a refill on my Pepsi?” she asked, holding out a beat-up Pepsi cup.  “Free”, growled GG from behind the counter.  “Oh, thank you” said the teenager, “you are the nicest lady in this mall”.  Granny Grouch suddenly melted.  “Aren’t you nice”, she responded, “This old cup is all beat up, let me get you a fresh one”.  You could literally see the change.  Then the elderly pizza lady and the teenage girl chatted about how busy their days had been, and the young lady went off drinking a free Pepsi.

I have heard a lot of good sermons.  I know some “big name” preachers.  But I have never seen more effective encouragement than the African-American teenager offered to the elderly lady working the pizza counter.  I don’t know the spiritual condition of either person, but I know encouragement when I see it.

The teenage girl could tell that the lady waiting on her was grouchy, just as surely as I could tell it.  But she chose to encourage the lady.  Scripture tells us to encourage one another.  Too often we respond to folks “in kind”, or we do as I was doing—noticing the surliness and feeling spiritually superior because I could recognize it.  If I really wanted to be spiritual, I might have even prayed for her.  But the younger lady did something.  She applied Hebrews 3:13: “encourage one another”….  

Don’t settle for feeling spiritual, instead, behave biblically.  Encourage one another.

Dr. Emil Turner – Executive Director of Arkansas Baptist State Convention

With yesterday being my birthday I received some calls that I almost expected and several I didn’t!  Isn’t it a blessing that over the years of ministry and life that there are some people that really have the gift of edification and encouragement?  I received calls and birthday wishes yesterday from my kids and in-laws, my folks and Cindy’s Dad, a sister-in-law and some aunts. I also was blessed when people from my present ministry/ church called and some even posted comments/birthday wishes on this blog space.  It’s a great blessing to pastor and work with  a group of people that love their pastor and wife and show it. Many of them even went out of their way to show us their love during October for “Pastor Appreciation Month”.  Now for the trip through time.  I received calls yesterday from several people from other churches I have pastored through the years wishing me happy birthday, telling me that they are praying for Cindy and I and the new ministry and etc. .  What a blessing to have people in your lives that love, show it and through the years don’t forget you!  More people than I could ever count have crossed our paths through the years in the churches i’ve pastored, revivals I’ve done and ministries I’ve been involved in and many many many of those touched our lives in BIG ways.  My mind goes back to the verse in Philippians where the Word of God records Paul when speaking about his relationship with those in Philippi: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you…” .  I thank God for the many people who have come into our lives over the years who have “walked the walk” and “talked the talk”.  Many times you only hear about “church problems” or the FEW in a church who try to “run the church or run the pastor”. You hardly ever get to hear about those who are REAL. Those who are genuine. Those who, although not perfect, love the Lord with all their heart, seek to be a blessing to their church by being faithful and helpful, and love their pastor and his family and seek to show it.  THOSE are the heroe’s of the local church. The people who are faithful, loving, witnesses. They are “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding” in the work. They are the ones that realize that the church isn’t perfect, the pastor and family aren’t perfect but love both and show it just the same.  You know the more I type this blog this morning the more blessed I feel!!!   THANK GOD for those of you who have sown so many seeds in our lives and hearts – good seeds that we will never forget.  For those through the years (and their haven’t been many)  who have actively sown seeds of discord, gossip, strife, envy, bitterness and ect…it’s best to forgive, forget and move on.  It’s best to just love those types of people anyway because most of the time they aren’t even happy with themselves – much less their church family or their pastors family. Those kinds of people have been “thorns” in the life of their church and every pastor they’ve ever had – for years!  They have a real spiritual problem and nothing you or I do or say is going to change their actions or attitude – except pray for them.   I am so thankful for good memories and for GREAT friends!  Thanks family and friends for  being there in the good times and even sometimes the “not so good”  times!!  We love you — and you know who you are!  LOL   Have a blessed day – I WILL!  Pastor James

Today is my (UGH!!) 47th birthday.  Isn’t it surprising how time really does change your perspective on life?  I can remember a day when I couldn’t wait for my birthday to get here because of the things I was going to “get”.  Now? Hmm…as long as I woke up, my wife is happy and in good health, my family is happy,  healthy and serving the Lord and we are all following God’s will for our lives – i’m GREAT!  Now,  don’t get me wrong…I still enjoy people remembering my birthday and saying “Happy Birthday” but life is so much more than “what am I gonna get?”.  of it.  As a matter of fact Cindy and I have learned that “LESS IS MORE” as you get older.  One of my dreams (and I am totally serious)  is to build one of those “Tiny Tumbleweed Houses” someday. You know,  the kind that is ULTRA SMALL. See their website:  http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/enesti/ .  (This is the one I dream of! LOL)  Nothing would please me more than to be able to build one of those tiny houses on a small lot and call it home.  Why? Because LESS IS MORE.  Life is too short to be cumbered about with so much STUFF!  As I write this I am reminded that today starts the day that Cindy’s folks “STUFF” is going to be sold at an estate sale today and tomorrow.  Things that they have accumulated for 50 years. Things that no one really wanted when it was all said and done.  It’s sad,  but as a family we all remember that our relationships through the years with Memaw & Papaw wasn’t about the STUFF. It was about love. It was about relationships. It was about laughter and hugs.  You don’t have to have everything to be happy.  Hmm…am I getting old or does time really change alot of things?  Give that some thought!   Pastor James