Some Thoughts on Being at FBC Wimberley for Ten Years

This month marks my ten year anniversary at First Baptist Church, Wimberley. It was around the summer of 1997 that I began praying earnestly for God to move me to another church, one where I could be a full time minister of music, rather than continuing in the combination position of music and youth minister, which I had done for 13 years. There was a 2 year period in which I taught middle school and served as a part-time music minister, but if I had continued doing that I would have probably suffered a nervous breakdown, not because of the church work, but because I was never called to teach in a middle school environment. Leslie knew it too, but she let me experience it to find out for myself that full time ministry was God's ultimate call on my life.

Anyone who knows me very well realizes that I love living in central Texas and wouldn't desire to live anywhere else. As a matter of fact, there was a time when I served on the mission field. Well, it was at a church in Wichita Falls, but it felt like a mission field, because I was over 300 miles away from the family and friends that I knew in central Texas. Ten years ago, Leslie's parents and my parents lived in San Antonio, but I also had relatives in Austin; so I prayed that God would move me to a church either in San Antonio or Austin, where I could be close to home. I never would have imagined that God would have planted me right in between these two great cities! But this is exactly what happened. I'm reminded of the scripture verse many of us know by memory. But I really like how the New Living Translation puts it:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

There was a path that God wanted me to take, and it led right to First Baptist, Wimberley. What a wonderful journey it has been. When I came to the church, we were having two traditional Sunday services. And now we have two very different services, contemporary and traditional, or whatever labels you want to put on them. The beautiful thing is that we worship the same true and living God in both settings, and that we are one in the Spirit.

Eight or nine years ago, a friend asked me what I thought God had in store for me in the future. I simply told him I would like to remain at First Baptist Wimberley as long as possible, loving the people here, and growing with them. He just said "that's awesome." The friend I'm referring to is Cole Phillips, former student minister here, who is now the pastor of the Connection Church in Kyle.

In my ten years here I can remember being the sole ministerial staff member twice. They were short times, to be sure, but challenging. You see, I've never thought of myself as a great leader. I'm much more comfortable in the 2nd or 3rd chair position of church leadership. And let me say that I am so happy to be working alongside the wonderful staff that we now have here at FBC! Our pastor is a man with a lot of vision, and a lot of great ideas for this church. It's a pleasure to work under his leadership. And what a great time to be celebrating ten years, because didn't we just break ground at the corner of Ranch Road 12 and Winters Mill Parkway!

There are a lot of volunteers in this church who help me, in both the music and senior adult ministries. And if I tried to name them, I would surely leave some people out. So let me just say that there's no way I could have ever stayed here this long without their support and encouragement. I feel that way about our congregation, as well. I have been overwhelmed at the love and encouragement that this church family has extended to my family through the years. Earlier this year you allowed me to take a two month sabattical, for which I'm grateful. It was such a blessing to be able to worship the Lord in many different congregations, without having to be the one in charge of planning the services.

Finally, let me say thanks for putting up with me all this time. It's been an honor to serve here. And I want to thank my faithful and supportive wife, Leslie, who has traveled with me on this wonderful journey. Our children were very young when we moved here. This has been a wonderful community to raise a family. As for our church, it's the desire of my heart that we continue to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18), and that we strive to always be making a difference in the community and in the world. I echo the words of the German music composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, who used to sign his manuscripts "Soli Deo Gloria" - "To God alone be the Glory."

King's Fair 2007

Every year our children's ministry puts on a community-wide event called King's Fair, which is a Halloween alternative. Everyone had a wonderful time. I was Robin Hood, and, for the record, I wasn't wearing tights. These pictures show myself, as well as Justin, Faith, and some of their friends.

It seemed like people from all over the community were at the King's Fair. It was very well organized by our children's minister, Amy Wagner, and KDO Director, Amber Messenger. So congratulations to these two wonderful people on our church staff. The rest of our staff was there too.

It's wonderful to see how a lot of our church members come together for this event every year. It takes a lot of people to put this on. So, a big thank you goes out to all of you who helped. My wife says I like to play "dress up." So, as you can see, I was in my element.

Science lovers poke fun at reckoning of Earth's age

I read an article in the Austin American Statesman today. Here's a link to it on the web. The first few lines immediately caught my attention:

They drank a blue-green concoction called Noah's Floodwaters Punch. They ate a Flat Earth Cake, a gentle poke at the Bible's description of the planet's shape. They listened to scienfific talks about the age of the earth.

Just who were these people? It was a gathering at Bookpeople, one of the local Austin bookstores. This meeting was held by the Center for Inquiry, a nonreligious organization that has had an Austin chapter for nearly a year.

This event was

an opportunity for those who disagree with creationism to have their say. In the always controversial process of deciding what Texas' science textbooks say, he said, "A lot of people representing the science view don't always have a forum."

Alright, is anyone going to correct the Austin American Statesman? It's one thing to report about events like this, but let's be accurate. The article says that the people at this meeting were eating a Flat Earth Cake, poking fun at just how "non-scientific" the Bible is in describing the earth. But just where does the Bible describe the earth as being flat?

From the website clarifyingchristianity.com, we learn that

The Bible described the shape of the earth centuries before people thought that the earth was spherical.

Isaiah 40:22
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

The word translated “circle” here is the Hebrew word chuwg which is also translated “circuit,” or “compass” (depending on the context). That is, it indicates something spherical, rounded, or arched—not something that is flat or square.

The book of Isaiah was written sometime between 740 and 680 BC. This is at least 300 years before Aristotle suggested that the earth might be a sphere in his book On the Heavens.

This brings up an important historical note related to this topic. Many people are aware of the conflict between Galileo and the Roman Catholic Pope, Paul V. After publishing A Dialogue on the Two Principal Systems of the World, Galileo was summoned to Rome, where he was forced to renounce his findings. (At that time, “theologians” of the Roman Catholic Church maintained that the Earth was the center of the universe, and to assert otherwise was deemed heretical.)

We could not find any place in the Bible that claims that the Earth is flat, or that it is the center of the universe. History shows that this conflict, which took place at the time of the Inquisition, was part of a power struggle. As a result, scientific and biblical knowledge became casualties—an effect we still feel to this day.

The article also says they were celebrating Earth's birthday, a satire on the belief held by some creationists that the Earth was created on Oct. 23, 4004 B.C., an idea attributed to the 17th-century Anglican Archbishop James Ussher.

It's true James Ussher came worked out a system in which he "figured out" the age of the earth, based on his reckoning of the time statements in the Bible. But this was one man's view. I can't think of anyone who actually takes his dating of the earth seriously, Creationist or otherwise. And people need to know that among Creationists, there are those who are "old earthers" and "young earther," depending on whether they believe the days of Genesis 1 are literal 24 hour periods, or epochs of time.

I don't usually talk about science vs religion kinds of things in this blog, but the article caught my attention. Therefore, I felt compelled to write.

Man of La Mancha

Recently I played the part of the Padre in the Broadway Musical Man of La Mancha. The play ran from September 21 through October 14 at the Wimberley Playhouse, the theater of the Wimberley Players. This was my first production with them, and it was a lot of fun. The director, LeRoy Nienow, of Austin, Texas, is definitely a pro. I was impressed how he thought through every detail with great precision. He was able to get a large cast and crew of people to work together for the common goal of accomplishing something wonderful for our community and surrounding area. David Bisett (on the right in the picture) played Don Quixote. It was a joy to work him and all the others in this cast and crew. Click here to see some backstage photos.

The Daily Audio Bible

I have to recommend something I found out about recently. It's Brian Hardin's Daily Audio Bible. Brian is a Nashville, TN, based record producer, photographer, graphic designer and author. You know, one of those Renaissance men of our own time. Anyway, for the last couple of years, he's recorded the entire Bible on a daily podcast. You can either listen online, or download the entire year to iTunes. Each day has about 25 minutes of a Bible reading, as well as some comments and prayers by Brian himself. Interestingly, he varies his reading by switching between various English Bible translations on a weekly basis. So if you're used to reading one translation of the Bible, as I am with the NIV, it's a fresh experience to hear Holy Scripture in different versions.

At the end of several of the podcasts, he will feature a spoken testimony from someone who has called in. Some of the comments are quite beautiful because they're made by broken people who came across the podcast, gave it a listen, and were greatly encouraged, as a result of listening. Anyone can call the phone number listed on his website to offer a comment or make a prayer request. Think about it: Making a prayer request on this website, or calling one in, insures that potentially tens of thousands of people will pray for your specific requests. Wow! That's a lot of prayer.

So give the Daily Audio Bible a listen. Click here and start listening! It will strengthen you and your walk with Christ.

A Block of Salt

The following is a Children's Devotional I have prepared to give in couple of days as part of the chapel service at St. Stephens Episcopal School:

Does anyone know what I have here? That’s right, it’s a saltshaker, which reminds of a story in the Bible. In Genesis 19, God sends two angels to warn Lot and his family to get out of the city of Sodom, for God was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The people of these cities were very wicked, and God’s judgment was about to fall on them.

The instructions the angels gave Lot were clear: “Run for your lives! Don’t even look back.” At first, Lot just stood there. As wicked as the city was, he was still strangely attached to it. But the Bible says that “the Lord wanted to save Him. So the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.

When they were safely out of the city, “the Lord sent burning sulfur down like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah. He destroyed those cities and everyone who lived in them, as well as their land and trees and grass that grew there.” And then something horrible happened. Lot’s wife looked back at the city and “was turned into a block of salt.”

Remember the instructions the angels gave: “Run for you lives! Don’t even look back.” When God says something, he means it. Let Lot’s wife serve as an example for us. When you have left a lifestyle of sin and unrighteousness, don’t look back, as enticing as it might seem. Keep going forward with God, with eyes of faith to follow Him, no matter where He leads.

God will bless your faith and trust in Him. Why would we want to held back by something the book of Hebrews calls “the sin that so easily besets us?” On one occasion, Jesus told a woman to “go and leave your life of sin.” But Jesus would never ask us to leave something unless He fills that empty place with something that is so much greater: a life of joy, purpose, and fulfillment, which is rooted in Him, the source of eternal life.

West Texas Trip

Recently I took a group of senior adults to West Texas. How exciting is that!!?? When you say "West Texas" that "covers a lot of ground." But we visited one of the most beautiful regions in the entire state. I'm speaking of the Fort Davis/Big Bend area. We had about 25 people in our group, including our church members and their friends and relatives. OK, I have to be honest for a moment. I took this group of seniors out to this region because I went with my family a few years ago and loved it. I figured if we had such a wonderful time out there, why shouldn't others?

The most memorable part of the trip was probably the Star Party we attended at the McDonald Observatory. If you've never been to the Observatory, let me encourage you to go as soon as you can. It's a guided tour through the night sky. And the people directing the tour are thorough experts. The following day we went back for a solar viewing to see what was happening on our nearest star, the Sun. Of course, we were watching a live telescope view of the sun that was filtered and showing on a screen in an auditorium. Afterall, we weren't stupid enough to actually look at the sun!

We also viewed the Marfa lights. These are strange and defy description. But no trip to this region would be complete without a viewing of these mysterious lights! We arrived just before sunset and it took about 45 minutes before their was any activity. But then the lights "came on." Unfortunately, a haze in the sky prevented us from seeing them more brightly. For history, we visited the Fort Davis National Historic Site. Buffalo soldiers figured prominently here in the latter part of the 19th century. They protected settlers from Apache and Comanche raids.

Visiting Big Bend National Park was an optional side trip. Ten of us went there one afternoon. I guided them straight to the Chisos Mountain Basin, where they were treated to some of the most scenic views in all of Texas. The mountains out there, rising from the desert, are majestic and awe-inspiring.

We stayed three nights at the Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park, taking up 13 rooms. The Indian Lodge is a unique structure that was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of the Roosevelt administration, as part of the "New Deal." Since it was built, several additional rooms have been constructed. But the additions were built to look like the original hotel. All of our state parks owe a great deal of thanks to members of the CCC for building the original state park buildings and structures that we have come to love and admire today.

Leslie had to work during this trip, but I was glad my children could go. It was particulary gratifying to hear the seniors commenting on how well behaved and friendly my children were. So, all in all, we had a wonderful time out in West Texas. I know I organized this trip for a large group of people, but gosh, it kinda felt like a vacation too!