Seven or eight years ago I decided that I would hunt for a good full-length school play for our high school to perform.  I really didn’t anticipate that merely finding one would be a problem–but a problem it was! What I found was that high school plays with any modicum of morality were few and far between; in fact, I couldn’t find any that I liked at all.  So with pen in hand and quite a few midnight hours to burn, I embarked upon writing one myself. To my surprise it was well-received and our kids did a fantastic job performing it.

That was 6 plays ago… Each year I’ve taken the time to write a full-length play/musical. Most have been comedies (with a serious twist in each), and all have been a pleasure to be a part of. On May 14 and 15, the teens will be performing my original play entitled Guilty! The play Guilty! is the story of a futuristic family caught in the throes of a government that has banned the practice of true religion. Through a unique set of circumstances the father of the Henderson family is arrested for participating with this religious group–even though his participation was coincidental and his commitment to Christianity non-existent.

The play climaxes with a courtroom trial in which Daniel Henderson is tried for being a Christian. The circumstantial evidence is strong, but the defense wields a strong counter-argument. Ironically, in being found not guilty of his crime, Daniel sees himself as being guilty of another much greater crime–rejecting Christ. His ensuing courtroom “testimony” changes his life forever.

Why don’t you join us on Thursday or Friday night and get the details. I promise you’ll be intrigued by the plot and inspired by some great music! (And besides, we need the money.)

admin random drama, guilty, play

This past Friday night and Saturday morning I had the opportunity to preach at the “Carolinas Youth Conference” with my good friend Steve Roberson, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN. (www.calvaryredbank.org) Pastor Tony Bazen of the Promised Land Baptist Church (www.promisedlandbaptist.citymax.com) hosts the conference each year and does a tremendous job. The program and facilities were great, and the Lord certainly met with us in a wonderful way.

On Friday night I preached a very serious salvation message. I truly believe that a good number of professing Christians need to examine themselves with respect to their salvation. (The Lord believed this too! Matt. 7:21-23) A number of teens were saved Friday night, and we all sensed a moving of God’s Spirit in the invitation. Pastor Bazen shared a remarkable testimony with me about his own daughter receiving Christ as Savior! Truly there is no greater joy than to know that our children our walking in truth…

Spending time with Bro. Steve was a delight as well. His ability to connect with teenagers–especially considering how OLD he is–is amazing. His messages were right on target, and God blessed in a special way.

Because the conference was in close proximity to Greenville, SC, I chose to fly into the Greenville airport and visit with three of our own college students attending BJU. I shared lunch with Lauren and went on the grand tour with her–kind of strange being known simply as “Lauren’s pastor”! Later that Friday, I spent some time with Ali and Scott Buhr at Ali’s off campus “palatial spread”!  In fact, Scott joined me for the youth conference. I treasured the time we spent together and know that God has incredible plans for his future.

Important clarification: Although I spent two days in the heart of Carolina country, I did not allow myself to be swayed in any way from my ardent support of our UCONN Huskies! (BTW, Red Sox just completed their three game sweep of the Yankees… what a blessing!)

admin Out and About Out and About, Preaching

The air conditioners were running full blast this Sunday at Harvest Baptist Church for two reasons: (1) many bodies in a confined space create heat, and (2) the weather finally received the memo that it has been spring for a month already! In the comfort of our air-conditioned auditorium, God blessed us again with some wonderful services.

Following some great music (excellent job by the mixed trio), in the morning I continued preaching a series of messages entitled “Deliverance–Let the Journey Begin” derived from the first third of the book of Exodus. This particular message was entitled “Showdown” and dealt with Moses’ second appearance before Pharaoh. All of us come to “showdown times” in our lives and, like a David with Goliath or an Elijah on Mt. Carmel, these showdown moments tend to define us. As always you can hear the message yourself by visiting www.harvestbaptist.info and clicking on the media tab. The messages typically take a week or two to be posted.

The Sunday evening service is my favorite of the week! It is the time when “the family” gets together. The music and special drama by the teens were an incredible blessing. Other than hearing it sung by Ron Hamilton himself, I don’t think I’ve heard a better performance of “Rejoice in the Lord” than that done by Troy and Shari. Thanks, you two. 

I preached a message on Sunday night entitled “Fighting Phariseeism” with Luke 11:37-54 as my text. After he invited Jesus to a meal in his home, a Pharisee viewed Christ condescendingly for having not washed His hands according to the man-made ceremonial tradition. In response to this condescension, Jesus spoke some pointed words about Phariseeism.

In the first place, He exposed his attitude.   Many times we have trouble seeing ourselves and tend to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. Of course Jesus sees our very motives and has the unique ability to expose them. He exposed the Pharisees as those who possessed a preoccupation with the external (vv 39-44). Satisfied with a form of religion that appeared sparkling clean to onlookers, their inner parts were corrupted with greed and wickedness. Pharisees also possess a passion for exaltation (v. 43). They love to occupy important positions; they desire to be recognized for their lofty status and to be greeted as prominent leaders. Condemningly, Jesus labeled these hypocrites as those who were poisonous in their example (v. 44). Like an unmarked grave over which a person might inadvertantly walk and thereby be defiled, these Pharisees were poisonous leaders who defiled their unwitting followers with their proud and twisted approach to serving God.

At this juncture in the message, a lawyer (an expert in the Mosaic law) intoned his disapproval: “By condemning the Pharisees, you are also rebuking us!” Jesus couldn’t have agreed more readily. His assessment of the situation was correct–Christ was rebuking them as well. In fact, Jesus (and for those of you who are outline-challenged, this is the second main point!) expanded his assessment. In three pointed ways, Jesus expanded upon the assessment of this lawyer.

Jesus rebuked the lawyers because they burdened men but were disobedient personally (v. 46). Their multifarious man-made laws were a heavy burden upon those on whom they were imposed, but they were not burdensome at all to the lawyers because they didn’t apply the rules to themselves! They expected of others what they were unwilling to do themselves. Additionally, the lawyers built mausoleums but despised the prophets for whom they were building them (vv. 47-51). They made a pretense of honoring their rich religious heritage when in fact they were simply children of a long line of men who rejected the prophets and their messages. Indeed, they would reject the ultimate Prophet Himself–the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, Jesus demonstrated that these lawyers tended to blur the message and deceive the people (v. 52). Not only were they living in self delusion with disregard to the key of knowledge (Scripture) available to them, but also they were hindering their followers from ever understanding the true focus of Scripture–the Lord! (John 5:39).

Unfortunately, these religious Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers refused to see themselves (vv. 53-54). Instead they sought to discredit the messenger, a daunting task when one considers that the messenger was the Lord Himself. May each of us determine to look inward and eradicate even the smallest cells of an ever-encroaching Phariseeism.

admin Sunday Review Preaching, sermon, Sunday Review

What a joy it was for me to spend some time with our senior class in NYC over the past couple of days! We have a great bunch in the senior class this year, and I’m so privileged to have a part in their lives.  Actually the “New York tradition” began last year when I was invited by my good friend, Pastor Ray Cazis, to preach at the International Baptist Church and Bible college (www.ibc-ny.org). I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and invited the senior class to join me.

In a whirlwind of activity that began late Wednesday morning when we departed New Kensington for NYC and ended with our arrival back in New Kensington in the middle of the night on Friday (Saturday morning), we managed to squeeze in 5 sermons and a whole lot of sightseeing.

I had the privilege to preach to the incredibly exciting Brooklyn congregation at the International Baptist Church. Firsthand I witnessed the wonderful spirit of this truly international church. The folks were more than friendly, obviously possessing a genuine heart for God and the ministry. We even learned to eat pizza “New York style” after the evening service.

On Thursday morning, after I preached the chapel service at the International Baptist College, our group traveled to downtown Manhattan under the able tour guidance of Pastor Cazis. We ascended the Empire State Building, whisked through Times Square, browsed Rockefeller Center, inspected Ground Zero, and shared the road with a billion taxi cabs! One of the highlights included our teens professionally bargaining their way to some impressive deals in Chinatown. At the end of the day the “head check” revealed we hadn’t lost anybody–although we had lost a considerable amount of energy!     

Following a much needed night of rest, I spoke one last time to the college students after which we loaded the van to travel back to New Kensington by way of Mount Union, PA.  There I preached two messages for a youth conference Friday night. Other than arriving late due to (you probably guessed it) New York traffic, the youth rally proved to be a smashing success. Pastor Jeff Winstead and Brother Ken Patterson lead a first-class youth conference every year–and I mean first-class. Our group agreed that the decorations, music, skits, and virtually every detail of the conference was top notch. We listened to the Patterson girls’ new music CD on the trip home.  (Thanks, girls!)  

The best part about any trip though is arriving home! We laid the heads on the pillows for 3 or 4 hours and then attended men’s prayer breakfast this morning followed by an exciting time of soulwinning and visitation. What a life! And tomorrow is the Lord’s Day… Doesn’t get much better than that. Blessings to all of you!

admin Out and About New York, Out and About, Preaching, Youth Conference

In a former life I had the opportunity to teach literature for a short time. While I readily admit that I am far from an authority, I will also admit to a love for classic literature and poetry. With David, Moses, and our Lord, I am in good company as a poet although, of course, somewhat inferior to them in my quality of writing!

Years ago I gave my students an assignment to write a Shakespearean sonnet, a specific kind of poem comprising exactly fourteen lines. For those of you who are real nerds, you’ll remember that each line is to be written in iambic pentameter (5 iambic feet per line), and that the rhyme scheme for the sonnet is to be in the “ABABCDCDEFEFGG” format. Along with my students, I gave it a whirl. Because the sonnet deals with the crucifixion, I thought this would be an appropriate time to share it with you.

 

“Before Thy Death”

Before Thy death a tree would also die,

Be cut and taken from the forest glen

To serve the evil purposes that lie

Well hidden in the hearts of sinful men. 

 

Before Thy death a tree its leaves had lost

When hewn down from the pleasant place it grew.

The shame of losing beauty was a cost

The pain of which You more distinctly knew.

   

Before Thy death a tree was stripped of all

It had to give. Degraded utterly,

A piece of wood it was, until Your call

To save our race transformed the worthless tree.

 

Upon that tree of death You bore our sins,

And in that death, ’tis true, new life begins!

admin Devotional Thoughts cross, devotion, Devotional Thoughts, poem, poetry, sonnet, tree