Archives for January 2022

This weekend I preached six times if you count my talk at Jackson Christian Elementary, four messages for a Men’s Retreat at Bambi Lake near Roscommon, and my Sunday morning message at Bethel. That is my definition of a wonderful weekend. Most of my pastoral duties are delightful. Sometimes they are heavy, hard, and sad, but usually they are delightful.

When I finished my last session on Saturday night up at Bambi Lake I checked my weather app and discovered that if I drove home in the morning I would be driving through a heavy snowfall. I put my things in my backpack, drove to the nearest McDonalds for a couple ice coffees and headed for home. I crawled into my warm bed next to Lois at about 2:00 a.m. So, as you can imagine, I indulged in a little nap Sunday afternoon.

Bambi Lake was delightful. Mic Schatz directs the camp and he is also the lead singer of the band. His son was in the band and a fine group of young men who were really gifted musicians and church planters. They listened attentively to my messages and took notes and laughed and cried and nodded in all the right places. It was powerfully encouraging to be with fine young men who are eager to serve the Lord. There was a pastor there who was 87–my Dad’s age. He put his arm around me a prayed a blessing over me that lingered in my heart for hours after I left.

A great group of men gathered there from around Michigan. The sessions were lively and the men were attentive and kind. My room was very comfortable and the snow fell covering the campgrounds with a layer of pure and beautiful whiteness.

I made some wonderful, new Christian friends and enjoyed hours of conversation around round tables and over good food. I noticed that cookie table was never empty all weekend. The men were interested in my books. I came home with about a half-dozen left.

When I left the camp it was already late and night and the roads that far north were snow-covered. Traffic was light, only an occasional truck pulling a snow machine trailer passed me heading south. Prayer came easy to me. My heart was so full and thankful. I asked the Lord for safety on the trip home and good fellowship with Him and he answered my prayer.

My mother used to sing a sweet old song, “To be used of God to sing, to speak, to pray. To be used of God to show someone the way. I long so much to feel the touch of his consuming fire. To be used of God is my desire.”

In the dark, quiet hours driving down the spine of Michigan in the night I felt, if in just a small way, I was used of God. I hope I spoke faithfully. I hope I listened well. I hope I was used of God to encourage other men to follow Him, to trust Him, to love Him. He is worthy and wonderful and nothing else really matters.

Bittersweet Farm

January 23, 2022

He was in his 90s and he had been in the church since we was converted at 14. I went to visit him at his humble home in Flat Rock. I wanted him to tell me his story. I wanted to know him and be a good pastor to him. He showed me his place and told me the story of each tree. The twin giant white pines in front of the place came home in a bucket from a church camp up north where he had helped dig the original drain field for the sceptic.

He said, “I went to church before I came to ours.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but once I came to our church I started to really understand the Bible and what God did for me and what God expects of me.”

“How did that happen?” I asked.

“Well, when I got to Sunday school the teacher did something I have never seen before. He stood up to teach and taught from an open Bible. When I went to youth group the leader taught from an open Bible. Every Sunday I noticed everyone carried a Bible and the pastor spoke plainly from an open Bible. Soon I was saved and baptized and I had my one Bible and I began to read it. Everything was base on the Bible and everyone who taught taught from an open Bible.”

Bethel is a church of Baptist heritage. It is a Baptist Church, but more than the baptist heritage, Bethel is a Bible-Church, A Bible-preaching, Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church.

We have classes and groups and prayer partners, mens and ladies Bible studies. We have Sunday School classes, a children’s club, a youth group. We have camps and retreats and in all of them the main feature is Bible-teaching. We ask, “What does the Bible say?” “What does the Bible mean?” “What does the Bible mean to me?”

That is what it is all about. We try to make it plain who God is, what he has done for us, and what he expects of us. All this happens before an open Bible.

You should keep that in mind as you decide you priorities for the new year. What place will the Bible have? Take a few minutes and read Psalm 119 or if you are pressed for time read Psalm 19 and give some thought to the place of good Bible-teaching in your life.

Maybe when you are in your 90’s you will smile and say, “Bible-teaching made all the difference in my life.”

We all aspire to the fulness of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, but the means God uses will always involve the Word of God.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” (Psalm 19:7–12, ESV)