Mt. Gilead Baptist Church

As April begins this week, our church will be observing the season of prayer for North American missions. This is an emphasis Southern Baptists have had for longer than I can remember. It is during this time that we focus on what used to be called “home missions” by learning about missionaries in North America and how they are impacting their world for Christ. At the same time, we receive an offering that is specifically directed toward North American missions. The offering is named for Annie Armstrong, who was a driving force in Southern Baptist mission work. It was Armstrong who was, I believe, the first corresponding secretary for what came to be known as WMU. To further educate Southern Baptists about the need for missions and the needs of missionaries, she ultimately began the offering we receive at Christmas for International missions. She named it for one of Southern Baptists’ most notable early missionary, Lottie Moon.

The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions gives us an opportunity to increase our support of many different mission endeavors through the North American continent. Please read the handout that tells about 8 SBC missionaries and their ministries. Then give as generously as you can. Together we can reach North America for Christ.

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

The response a person makes to a tragedy says much about the character of that person. The same is true for a nation. This week marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of NASA’s Challenger disaster. I was living in Kentucky at the time, and I remember that I had been out that morning, and on the way home heard about the explosion of the space shuttle. The rest of the day was spent watching the video footage as it was played on the networks over and over. Soon after the explosion, any hope that the space travelers might have survived was dashed. The nation went into mourning for these brave men and women, including Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first teacher in space.

In the aftermath of the explosion, there were inquiries and investigations, revamping of the protocols for launching future shuttle missions, and a very close look at the place of civilians in space travel. But despite the loss, there was renewed commitment to the role of the space program, and the shuttle program, in the life of the United States. Changes were made in design that made the vehicle safer. And in time, the shuttle flew again.

All of us face tragedy. All of us are affected by the bad things that happen to us. But when we have the strength of character to go beyond the tragedy, learning from it, but determined not to be ruled by it, we are able to move on in strength and determination. We who belong to Christ have His presence and His strength in our lives, and the presence of His Holy Spirit to carry us on. Let us depend on and trust in Him.

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

A few week back, Dr. E. Gordon Gee, President of The Ohio State University, weighed in on the issue of whether smaller universities, such as Boise State and TCU, were really qualified to play with the big boys in those coveted BCS bowl games that start on New Year’s Day and continue for over a week until the National Championship. You probably remember Dr. Gee speaking of the above named schools as like playing “The Little Sisters of the Poor.” By virtue of the fact that TCU had a perfect record, they were chosen to play in the Rose Bowl, the Granddaddy of Them All, against Big Ten powerhouse, Wisconsin. And the Little Sister won the ball game!

Now, on its face, this is a great David and Goliath story where the decided underdog was able to prevail and bring victory to his side. And there is a good lesson in that. But I want to look at it a little differently. During a post-game interview on the field, the quarterback for Texas Christian University quoted I Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may exalt you in due time.” That HE may exalt you. The TCU quarterback was making the point that they weren’t playing for their own glory, but for God’s. And when the time is right, God would exalt them. So it is for all believers. Our lives are to be lived for the purpose of glorifying God, not seeking reward. Jesus’ parable of the talents illustrates this well. The servant who received the one talent missed the point. He wasn’t to worry about what he received. Instead, he was to use it. And so we must use our lives to honor and glorify God, and leave the exalting to Him.

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

Last Sunday we began our celebration of Advent by lighting the first of the candles in the Advent Wreath. That first candle is the candle of the prophets of the the Old Testament through whom God gave the promise of His Messiah Who would save the people from their sins, Who would heal them, and Who would bring healing and justice to His people.

When we mention God’s prophets or prophecy, our thoughts automatically turn to prediction or forecast. But while these are obviously part of the prophetic message, there is more to it. These men were speaking for God, and were bringing God’s message to His people. In that sense, we certainly have prophets among us today. Those who proclaim, “This is what the Lord says,” are standing in the same tradition of the Hebrew prophets of old.

Sometimes the message is not an easy one to hear. Sometimes we must be reminded of our sin and be called to repentance and confession. We still need to hear the promises of God, many of which have already been fulfilled, but many which still await their coming to pass. When God speaks, we must listen, and we must obey.

Remember the message of the angel: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Lawrence

I found this little poem in the November issue of the Seniors on Center newsletter. It gave me a laugh, and I thought you might like it, too. So, with apologies to Clement C. Moore, here is “‘Twas the Night of Thanksgiving.” There wasn’t an author listed, but if anyone knows who it might be, I’ll gladly give them credit.

‘Twas the Night of Thanksgiving

‘Twas Thanksgiving night, I just couldn’t sleep.
I tried counting backwards. I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Until all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees …
“Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, please!”

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

Throughout the United States, this week is collection week for Operation Christmas Child. As you know, this is an outgrowth of Samaritan’s Purse, a ministry founded and directed by Franklin Graham. His idea was to collect gifts for poverty-stricken children around the world that would fit into a shoebox. These shoebox gifts would then be distributed to children who otherwise would not have any kind of celebration of Christmas. Along with the gift of the filled shoebox. there would be an explanation of God’s love and of Jesus’ provision for the forgiveness of our sin. In this way the children would learn why these boxes came from America, and what the true meaning and importance of Christmas is.

I don’t know how many years we have been filling shoeboxes here at MGBC. But it seems to never get old, does it? It’s always exciting to imagine where your shoebox will go, and who will be opening it. And there really is no knowing, this side of heaven, what the impact of that gift will be, and how many people will be touched. We’ll be getting our shoeboxes to the collection place on Thursday or Friday, so you have until Wednesday to get them to church. Pray for the child who will receive your box.

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

It’s coming! We are in the middle of the build-up to “The Holidays”. From now until the end of the year, we will be bombarded with ads that tell us if we want to truly enjoy “The Season” we have to buy and give … well, you fill in the blank. We also will be assured that the real message and importance of “The Holidays” is family. So, if we have our families around us, it can’t get any better than that.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m no Scrooge. I like to give gifts. Come to think of it, I like to get gifts, too. And it is really satisfying to gather around a table, or a roaring fire, or in the living room with family. But are these really what “The Holidays” are all about? I don’t think so, not at their foundation. Thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks to God for His bounty and provision. It had its genesis with the Pilgrims of Massachusetts after they had survived a terrible winter, and they gave thanks with their Native American friends who had helped them. Christmas is the celebration of the coming of the Messiah, God’s Son. This ultimate expression of God’s love for His human creatures would culminate in His death on the cross and His resurrection. And we can have eternal life and heaven because of Jesus’ sacrificial payment of our sin debt.

What I’m trying to say is that “The Holidays” have, at their very foundation, God! Without God there would be no “Holidays”. That day in November and that day at the end of December would be just like any other day. Let’s not forget that. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever!

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

The weather has been noticeably cooler the last several days. Much of the harvest is finished. The leaves have changed into their autumn colors. Soon, the trees will stand stark against the winter sky and the hint of snow will be in the air. The time for growing is past for this year, and for the next few months, the earth will rest as it prepares for the coming of warm weather next spring.

The need for rest is an important concept for us to understand. Just as God made the earth to benefit from the rest of autumn and winter, so we, too, need rest from time to time. We can take a cue from the example of Jesus. The Gospel writers tell us of the frequent times Jesus went out into the hills to be alone with the Father and to pray. We, too, need times to get alone with the Father. It helps to prepare us for our service to Him, and also serves as a time to hear from the Lord as He reveals to us the assignments He has for us.

Perhaps this week, you might want to spend some extra time with the Lord, to rest in His arms, and to hear from Him.

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

On this third Sunday of October we are only two weeks and change from Election Day. Here in Ohio there is much at stake, and the airwaves, newspapers, and mailboxes are filled with campaign material from the candidates. They are all wanting your vote, and hoping to persuade you to cast your ballot in their favor if you haven’t already decided upon the candidate(s) you support. What makes this time of year so tiresome is the kind of political ads that are out there. With few exceptions, candidates of both parties are more bent on running down the other guy than on telling you what their stance is, or what they will try to do to help fix the challenges we have. If we believe all the ads, no one is telling the truth.

This all reminds me of what Jesus said in the Sermon On the Mount about taking oaths. We ought to tell the truth so that when we say something, no one has to wonder if it is accurate. It also reminds me of what my Mom used to tell us kids when we were young and wanted to tattle on each other: “If you can’t say something good about someone else, don’t say anything at all.” Sometimes I think if politicians followed that advice, they wouldn’t have much to say. And maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing!

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence

I suspect that when many people think of Christianity, the word “don’t” comes to mind. “Don’t do this.” “Don’t do that.” “Don’t have any fun, or enjoy life.” Isn’t it sad that followers of the One Who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly are seen as stern, lifeless people who want the world to be as dull and drab a place as they can make it? Of course, we know that that particular view is as false as it can be. True, there are Christians who are against everything. But you’ll find that in any segment of the world’s population.

Sometimes we forget that Jesus often went to feasts and parties, and often ate with those called “sinners” by the “righteous” people of His day. Christianity is not a legalistic system of rules and regulations. In a way, it would be easier if it were, because we would always know where we stood. But Jesus calls us to follow Him, and to have a righteousness greater than simply following a list of rules. But what an adventure it is to follow Christ! He takes us where we would never go on our own. He equips us and provisions us for the journey, and He walks with us every step of the way. What joy it is to follow Him!

I hope you have a great week. I plan to.

Blessings, Pastor Lawrence