Special Guest Post from Dr. Terry Dorsett, Missionary in Vermont

Note from Big D Bentley: I remember some of the guys I went to school with or knew while I was in Florida seemed to only be looking for the biggest churches and the largest budgets. I always knew one day we would be back in Vermont–or New England somewhere and God was preparing us.  I’m blessed in that my wife has a good job that provides us with insurance and additional income, but I have always been willing to be a “tent-maker” if God called us to that. And what a tremendous joy to be serving where the need is so great.

Terry Dorsett has been a friend and colleague in ministry to many serving in Vermont and throughout New England.  His experience and passion inspire me in a sometimes difficult location to stay the course.  Thanks Terry for your constant encouragement and sharing with us.  -Dave

Dr. Terry Dorsett serves as a church planting missionary with the North American Mission Board of the SBC. He has a passion for helping young people discover a meaningful faith and then become leaders in sharing that faith with others.

(Link to Terry’s Blog: http://thoughtsfromdrt.blogspot.com/)

I Do Not Want to Be Bivocational!!!!

“But I don’t want to be bivocational.” That was the declaration of a young man whom I recently talked to. He was nearing graduation from seminary and felt led to do ministry in a lesser reached area of the nation. Vermont, which is the least churched state in America, definitely fits the bill for being lesser reached. As the Vermont director for the efforts of my denomination, I have plenty of openings in which he could fulfill his calling to a lesser reached area. But when he found out that most evangelical churches in Vermont have less than 100 people in worship on a typical Sunday morning and that few could sustain a fully-funded pastor, he was discouraged.

I can certainly understand his frustration. After all, he had invested a significant amount of time and money in seven years of schooling in order to gain his Master of Divinity degree from an accredited seminary. In any other field, such an investment of time and money would likely produce a lucrative career. But if a person feels a calling to ministry, and wants to do that ministry outside the Bible belt, the likelihood of finding a fully-funded position drops significantly.

Young people who enter the ministry today are simply going to have to come to grips with the reality that most of them will spend a portion of their career in a bivocational situation. For those who may not be familiar with that term, it simply means that the minister must work a second job in addition to serving a church. It does not mean that the minister is “part-time,” it simply means his ministry position is not fully-funded and therefore he must find additional income from some other source.

The reasons that people want to avoid this situation are numerous, but the most obvious is that it is a lot of hard work. Balancing two jobs and a family is a challenge. Pastoral burn-out among bivocational pastors is notoriously high. Unfortunately, bivocational ministry is a reality that is not going away anytime soon. Both the current economic situation in the nation, as well as the giving trends of younger generations, indicate that churches will continue to struggle to fully-fund pastoral positions for some time.

However, just because there are challenges to bivocational ministry does not mean that such situations should be viewed in a negative light. There are actually a number of advantages that bivocational pastors have over their fully-funded counterparts. Before dismissing bivocational ministry, pastors should consider these advantages:

1. Bivocational pastors are not as dependent on the church for their financial support as fully-funded pastors. This relieves them of the stress of what might happen to their families if they were dismissed from the churches they serve. In some situations, bivocational pastors actually have more personal resources than fully-funded pastors because they have two sources of income.

2. Bivocational pastors often find more opportunities to witness to the lost than fully-funded pastors because they spend more time with non-Christians through their secular employment.

3. Bivocational pastors seldom live in a “pious bubble” that only church people inhabit. Their secular employment requires them to interact with and understand better the needs of non-Christians. Therefore, they frequently feel they relate to the people in their congregations better than fully-funded pastors because they “work” just like the laypeople do. These frequent interactions and the increased sense of relating to laypeople often help bivocational pastors have more realistic sermon illustrations and greater credibility in the pulpit.

4. Bivocational pastors have the ability to serve a larger number of churches because they can serve churches that cannot fully-fund pastors. They also get to experience the joy of allowing churches to fund other needed ministries instead of so much of the churches’ funding going to support their own salaries.

5. Bivocational pastors feel they are better able to encourage the churches they serve to create a culture of the laity using their gifts and the laity devoting more time for ministry since there were no fully-funded pastors “paid” to do “everything” for congregations. Most bivocational pastors feel this creates healthy churches over the long term, though it sometimes creates more stress in the short term.

6. Bivocational pastors often feel it is easier to teach about financial stewardship and/or to solicit contributions from church members. This is because so little of the churches’ funds are spent on the pastors’ salaries that the pastors asking for money is not perceived as being “self-serving.”

7. Bivocational pastors frequently express that they feel more dependent on the Holy Spirit in their sermon preparation and less dependent on their formal theological training or on their elocution or research skills. This greater sense of dependence on the Spirit is perceived as a positive thing by most bivocational pastors. It is interesting to note that the bivocational pastors who expressed this the most strongly had often previously served larger churches in which they had been fully-funded.

8. Bivocational pastors sometimes say that being bivocational gives them valid excuses not to attend denominational meetings that they perceived as irrelevant, uninteresting, and/or promoting things that are not helpful to their own ministry. This does not mean they never attend meetings, but that their bivocational status makes them feel more comfortable attending only the meetings that they perceive as being more applicable to their situation. If those same pastors had been fully-funded, they would have felt a greater obligation to attend meetings that they did not think would be beneficial anyway.

While bivocational ministry has many challenges, it also has many advantages. Learning what the advantages are can help bivocational pastors, or those considering bivocational ministry, feel better about their ministry. When bivocational pastors feel more confident about their roles, they tend to be more effective in their ministries. Churches and denominational leaders need to look for ways to help bivocational pastors celebrate the advantages of bivocational ministries since it is a growing reality in North American church life.

——————————————————————————————-

Terry Dorsett serves as the Director of the Green Mountain Baptist Association and is the bivocational pastor of Faith Community Church in Barre, VT. He is the author of Developing Leadership Teams in the Bivocational Church, as well as numerous church growth articles, and is a frequent contributor to Baptist Press. His blog, Next Generation Evangelistic Network, is read by over 1500 people a month.

Do you have too many irons and not enough fire?

We love to be busy.  It helps us feel productive and like we are an asset.  Whether we are busy with family things…work things…school things…church things…sports things…hobby things…whatever things…being busy means we’re needed and accomplishing something.

Years ago—too many for me to want to admit—I worked for Burger King in Rutland, Vermont.  They had a pretty simple unwritten policy…stay busy.  Even if there was nothing to do there was something to do.  During slow periods of business we were to be cleaning, sweeping, stocking, organizing…we were to be doing something other than just waiting for customers.  Sometimes we were busy just for the sake of being busy.  That kind of busy-ness can be frustrating.

Most of the busy-ness of life today is productive busy-ness and we gain a sense of significance and accomplishment from it.  We believe that what we are doing matters and it is making a difference.  Teachers, for instance, are among the busiest people I know.  They put in a full day in the classroom and then spend a significant amount of time at home getting prepped for the next day.  In the end their investment of time and effort should translate into educated children.

Every segment of life has opportunities for us to be busy…and sometimes too busy.

The Problem of Busy-Ness

There are real problems that are evident when people are overly busy.  Consider these:

• Burn-out
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Neglect
• Malnutrition

These are some of the conditions that we see increasing today as work-loads increase and opportunities for rest and down-time decrease.  Families struggle and often pay the price for our “industriousness.”  We try to justify ourselves by declaring we are so busy to provide for them, but what if what they really need is the one thing that our busy-ness takes from them.  Ourselves.

Before proceeding check out this video by Casting Crowns

 

What Does our Busy-ness Mean Spiritually

Being overly busy can also be a hindrance to our relationship with God.  Let’s face it, often the first thing we let go of in the crush of life is our grip on God.  We start skipping prayer and quiet times and we pour more and more of ourselves into other pursuits.  We find ourselves exhausted, tired, spent, and have nothing left to give to the One who gave us everything.

We start letting go of the commitments and calling that God has placed in our lives, again justifying it the whole time to quell the conviction and guilt we feel through it. 

• It’s for the kids
• I’ll get more involved later
• It’s not for very long
• God will understand
• No one else is having to do all I do

Whatever phrase or excuse fits best, they all say the same thing—something we would never say aloud.

“GOD ISN’T THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO ME.”

Does that seem harsh?  Certainly that’s not the message you intended, right?  But, that’s exactly what we’ve declared.  These things I’m involved in…good as they might be…have replaced God as the center of attention and affection in my life. 

What Can I do?

So, what can I do to change this situation?  Mind you, none of these come easy, especially if we have a tendency to be “busy” people.

• Learn the hardest word to say – “NO.”
• Sometimes we just have to say no to things…even good things, so that we can focus our attention and affection on the best things—the God things.
• Learn the hardest practice of life – Let Go
• Like saying “no” to opportunities that are offered to us, letting go of some of what we are already involved in can be difficult, but we have to measure the amount of our attention and affection these pursuits are sapping from God in our life.
• Learn to take “Time Out” daily
• Somewhere in every day we need to get some time away from the noise, the activity, the busy-ness, and get our focus right.  Let me share an experience from Scripture that illustrates this.

Take a moment and read Joshua 9:1-15  <–Click here to see it online

take note of verse 14…

¹⁴ Then the men [of Israel] took some of their provisions,

 but did not seek the Lord’s counsel.

Isn’t it strange that after all that they had experienced and seen these leaders didn’t take the few moments it would have taken to consult the Lord about this?  Were then too busy?  Too arrogant?  Too deceived? 

Fact is, if we don’t pause to consult God because we are too busy for Him then we are going to eventually wind up in a mess.  Overloaded and underprepared…like “Pedro” here.

So, take an inventory.  Are there things that you are not doing in the kingdom because you are so involved and busy with other things?  Ask, “what difference will this effort and endeavor make when I’m gone from this world?” 

Invest in the eternal…in the kingdom…and let your attention and affection be on God.

Need a simple formula to follow?  Here’s what I strive for:

• 1st Place in My Life – God, Jesus, and the things of the Spirit and Kingdom
• 2nd Place in My Life – Family (My wife and then my kids)
• 3rd Place in My Life and Beyond – I sincerely believe that if these two are in their right place the rest will fall into place and I won’t have to worry or wonder about what my priorities are.

Blessings,

Big D

We’re in the Battle of our Lives…so…check today’s Video Devo!

Can This Be Said of You?

• “Something is different about you.”
• “You sure have changed.”
• “What happened to make you so different?”
• “Why don’t you do what you used to do?”

Change…difference…alterations…  Can these things be said about you since your relationship with the Lord began?

Relationships change us.  We know this is a fact.  When I was single I lived as a single person.  When I married my life changed.  My relationship with my wife changed my behaviors and activities.  Fact is, if married people don’t change when that relationship starts they probably won’t be married for long.  Because, relationships are supposed to change us.  

So, why is it that so many people claim to have a relationship with God, but feel like they don’t have to experience any changes in their lives?  True, for some the changes might be slight, but still there.  For others the changes will be drastic and dramatic, real life changes.  Sometimes these changes happen incredibly fast, and other times they occur over periods of time, but there is still change visible.

Think about how marriage or even dating relationships change us:

• We stop “seeing,” “hanging out,” dating other people.
• We begin spending significant amounts of time with one person specifically
• We start wanting to make this person happy, pleased, comfortable, content with us.
• We change the places we go and the events we attend (Stop some and start others)
• We alter our language and the way we talk, the things we say
• We change the choices we make in a variety of categories

See, things change.  Think for a moment of what you have changed because of a relationship you have/had with a bf/gf/spouse.  What changed?  What stayed the same?  Did any of these lead to conflict?

Our Relationship with God Changes Us

God meets us right where we are, with all of our wounds, baggage, sin.  But He doesn’t want us to stay there.  He works in our lives and He’s giving us what is needed for change, but we have to be willing.  For some changes it means we have to release some things, possibly things that have been very important to us before.  For other changes it means taking on some things that we wouldn’t have been willing to do before.

Why make these changes?  We change because of the relationship.  Relationships change us.  Problem is that we don’t like to change.  So, with God it becomes easy to make excuses.  We find ourselves tolerating things in our lives that we shouldn’t.  We excuse out actions and behaviors with a flippant, “That’s just how God made me” when we should be saying, “God, forgive me.”  None of us are immune to this, and the culture and community we live it makes it far more acceptable to compromise then to commit and change.

Need some proof?

• The divorce rate in society is only slightly higher than in the Christian community.
• Adultery rates among believers is incredibly high
• The crimes of child molestation and abuse within the church are staggering.
• Reports of Christian men sucked into the lure of pornography are shameful
• Drug and alcohol addiction and abuse among the church mirrors the lost

Now, don’t hear me say that if you are engaged in these behaviors you shouldn’t be in the church.  If we are sincere about Christ’s purpose for the church we will recognize it as a hospital for the sin-sick and not simply a display case for the divine.  We are here precisely because these issues exist and God wants to change lives.   It’s just time that we stop making excuses and justification for our own sinful behaviors and we start bringing them to the cross.

Today is the NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER (always the first Thursday of May).  My custom is to read the passage of Scripture from 2 Chronicles where Solomon has completed the temple and is dedicating it to the Lord.  It was in this reading today that God pricked my heart about this in a very familiar passage.

2 Chronicles 7:14
¹⁴ and My people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

As in that day with Solomon, God had done all that was needed to experience incredible blessings and benefits with this vital relationship with Him.  It was all up to the people to respond and to turn from their evil…wicked…selfish and self-serving…ways and return to Him. 

The same is true right now.  We need to choose to stop making excuses and start moving toward change.  When we start to hear comments like I listed at the beginning of this article we will know we’re on the right track.  People around us…closest to us…should recognize that something is different about us, that we are changing.  They might not understand it, and they might not like it, but they should see it.  In addition, these changes should point them all in one direction—the cross.

So, what about the change in your life?  Is it there?  Do people notice it?  Have you chosen instead to make excuses?  “This is just who I am.”  Jesus gave His life so that you could have a changed life.  Claim it…receive it…and live it

In closing check out this video by one of my all-time favorite Christian artists.

 

Until the next time…

God Bless you in the Change!

 

by: Pastor Dave “Big D” Bentley

You might not know this about me, I have been a closet Dancing with the Stars fan for the past four seasons.  My wife “forced” me to watch through a season with her a while back and since then, while I don’t often admit it so publicly, I have been hooked.  I like almost everything about the show.  The banter with the judges, the performances, the laughter, the frustration, the epic atmosphere.  Like most fans of the program I have people I like, and people I think should be “voted off the island.”

There is something that I find disappointing, and it was highlighted again last night for me in the elimination broadcast.  I wasn’t surprised with the person who went home—Kendra Wilkinson just didn’t have the heart as far as I could tell for the ball room.  What disappointed me was that Chelsea Kane could be in jeopardy of departing the program.

 

I think that Chelsea is the best contestant and shows the most promise for bringing home the mirror ball trophy at the close of the season.  Problem is that it doesn’t really seem to matter what I think, or who I believe is the best.  The decision is up to the general public who votes each week on their choice for the best, and the judges who score the dancers based on technical merit and entertainment.  Even so, I couldn’t believe that Chelsea was left standing beside the soon to be departed Kendra last night as one of the options to be sent packing. 

In the four seasons I’ve watched I have had this experience every season, and sometimes watched in agony as someone I believed should have gone all the way instead, because they lacked the votes they walked away.  I have yet to see my favorite go the distance and win, although with Kelly Osborne and Bristol Palin I have at least had my horse “show” in the competition.

Thing is, as my wife points out to me frequently, I really can’t complain because, as much as I might enjoy the program or be a fan of one of the celebs, I don’t usually vote.  Since whether or not the dancer remains on the program is based in large part on the votes received I am doing a disservice to my favorite by not picking up the phone at the end of Monday nights show and casting my ballot (however many we’re allowed) for them.  So, next Monday night I intend to do my duty and fulfill my responsibility to my favorite duo of dancers and vote.

    (I’m not even going to bring up American Idol which my wifestarted me watching this year and I have since boycotted with the ouster of Pia—who I didn’t vote for either.)

So, what’s my point?

Wouldn’t it be awful if life were like these programs.  We had to perform to a certain standard in order to get a good score from the judges, and we were dependent on the votes of others who would cast a ballot for us based on…well who knows what really.  As long as we scored high enough and got enough votes eventually we could make it into heaven.  Life would be frustrating and exhausting, and we would never have any sense of security or worth.  Sadly, there are many people living life just like that.  They follow some sort of spiritual “check-list” to make sure they have everything in order.  They place their lists of accomplishments and deeds on the altar before God in an effort to—if at all possible—gain His favor.  They base their existence here and their admittance into heaven on what they can do and give to win the highest score.

 

The flip side is that you just come to a point where you don’t care and you can’t be bothered to try anymore.  That is equally as heart-breaking. 

There is another option, a greater option.  It’s known as Grace.  In a book I read years ago called GRACE WALK it recounted the futile efforts to earn God’s favor and the fact that God’s Favor (His Grace) is ours for the asking if we will receive Him by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9
⁸ For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast.

This removes all of the effort of attaining God’s favor from our shoulders, and allows us to focus on discovering what His purpose and intention is for our lives.  See, that passage is followed with this:

Ephesians 2:10
¹⁰ For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

God has a plan specifically tailored for our lives, and purpose that is designed to fit us perfectly.  Discovering and fulfilling that isn’t about getting a high score from the judge, or winning a big enough fan-base to keep us on the program one more week, it is about being who we were created to be.

Next Monday I’ll be watching DWTS (see I’ve even learned the lingo for the show) and I intend to vote at the end of the show as often as I am allowed for my favorite couple.  But I’ll leave each day grateful that there are no numbers appearing on the bottom of my life that people need to call to cast a vote to keep me, and that my Father in Heaven doesn’t hold a numbered paddle in his hand that could mean I score to low to gain His approval.  I am approved through the death and resurrection of the one who gave it all and did it all so that I could live. 

Let me close with these incredibly reassuring words from Scripture:

Romans 8:31-39
³¹ What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He did not even spare His own Son, but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?
³³ Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies. ³⁴ Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the One who died, but even more, has been raised; He also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: Because of You we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered. ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us.
³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Be Blessed…And Dance Without Fear in Christ!

How important can shoes really be?  Well, most women would tell you that they are extremely important and in great quantity and variety.  Paul would say that one pair of shoes is most important, the “footwear of the preparation of the Gospel of peace.”  Take a look at today’s VIDEO DEVO as we continue contemplating the Believer’s Battles.

Sermon Outline from Sunday’s Message (May 1, 2011)

I think at some point after we become followers of Christ we become Christianized in a way that insulates us and makes us forget just how “crazy” the claims of Christianity are. This month I want us to revisit some of the stories the in Scripture that before we came to know Jesus would make us declare, THAT’S JUST CRAZY. I hope that we will refocus a little on the people we are trying to share this “insanity” with in our family and community.

“That’s Just Crazy!”

The Craziest Lover Ever!

Hosea 3:1-3 (HCSB)
¹ Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”
² So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and five bushels of barley.
³ I said to her, “You must live with me many days. Don’t be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.”

Hosea 14:1-4 (HCSB)
¹ Israel, return to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your sin. ² Take words [of repentance] with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him: “Forgive all [our] sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips. ³ Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim: Our gods! to the work of our hands. For the fatherless receives compassion in You.” ⁴ I will heal their apostasy; I will freely love them, for My anger will have turned from him.

THE DEPTH OF GOD’S CRAZY LOVE (1)

· God Does Not Need Us –

o What do we have to offer him?

o What do we have that he needs from us?

o Our Very Best cannot measure up.

· God Wants us…He Desires Us…He Loves Us!

· And His Love is Steadfast and Faithful Even when we Are not

THE COST OF GOD’S CRAZY LOVE (2)

A. The cost to Hosea

1. The Exorbitant Price of a Slave

2. Imagine the things running through Gomer’s mind with Hosea’s bid (revenge, subjection)

B. The cost to Christ was the cross at Calvary

1. When he should have been ruling from a throne he was bleeding on a cross

2. When he could have been judging he was weeping “Father forgive”

3. When he could have demanded allegiance he merely asked for a relationship.

THE EFFECTS OF GOD’S CRAZY LOVE (3)

· What Difference Does this Crazy Love Make in My Life?

· For Hosea and Gomer:

“You must live with me many days. Don’t be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.”

· Gomer’s Commitment (live with me many days)

· Gomer’s Purity (don’t be promiscuous – leave that old way of life)

· Gomer’s Relationship (I will be faithful toward you)

· What Would Gomer’s Response Be?

THE HOPE OF GOD’S CRAZY LOVE (14.2-4 and following)

A. In spite of our disobedience – God Loves

B. In spite of our unfaithfulness – God loves

C. In spite of our disrespect and irreverence – God loves

His Love Brings:

Healing, Refreshing, Renewal, Revival, Provision, Guidance, Protection, and Forgiveness

THE INVITATION OF GOD’S CRAZY LOVE (14.1)

Israel, RETURN to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled in your sin

è Forest Gump – He Never Stops Loving Jenny

The Invitation to All of Us…

è In spite of Failure – Return

è In spite of Unfaithfulness – Return

è In spite of Filthiness – Return

è In spite of Wandering – Return

àIllustration of the runaway in Sao Palo Brazil (No matter what you have done…come home)

 

Coutnry Song: HURRRY HOME – Jason Michael Carroll

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWEI8Y91dQ0&feature=fvwrel

He’s been sitting by the phone since she left
But it’s time for work and he just can’t be late
So he grabs his old guitar and he plays a couple bars on the machine
And then he softly sings
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done I still love you
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been you can still come home
And honey if it’s you we’ve got a lot of making up to do
And I can’t hug you on the phone, so hurry home
Well, the message light was blinking when he got back
It was an old friend calling ’cause he just heard the news
He said man, I hope you find her
If I see her I’ll remind her that her dad is worried and want her to know
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done I still love you
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been you can still come home
And honey if it’s you we’ve got a lot of making up to do
[ From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/jason-michael-carroll-lyrics/hurry-home-lyrics.html ]
And I can’t hug you on the phone so hurry home
Well, the days dragged by without a word from her
And it looked like she might not be coming back
People said man, don’t you think it’s time to take that old message off
He said no, you never know when she might call
She was just outside a bar in New York City
Her so-called friends had left her all alone
She was scared he wouldn’t want her
But she dialed up that old number and let it ring
And then she heard him sing
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done I still love you
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been you can still come home
And honey if it’s you we’ve got a lot of making up to do
And I can’t hug you on the phone so hurry home
He walked in just in time to hear her say
Dad, I’m on my way

Security Check-Point

This past Saturday I went up to the Southern State Correctional Facility to visit one of the guys who has come to our church and is now being housed there.  I have to be honest, it’s not my favorite place to visit.  I remember the first time I went to visit at a prison in Clio, Alabama and hearing that incredibly sobering sound of the gates closing behind me and sealing me in.  I would have rather been anyplace else other than there.  So, there is a measure of anxiety that accompanies visits like these.

The process is pretty simple here, much different then I remember it being in Alabama.  I entered through the main door and got a locker for everything I had in my possession.  Honestly, I had forgotten I was carrying my Leatherman tool—the guard reminded me in a gentle but firm fashion that I wouldn’t need to bring that with me the next time.  Once everything is in the locker I took off my shoes and passed through the metal detector—which invariably goes off every time I go through one.  The guard checked the inside of my shoes—a thankless task—and then scanned over me with the detector wand thing.  It didn’t find anything so I had passed the process to this point. 

After putting on my shoes I moved to the next and most important level of clearance.  At the visitor check in desk there is a book.  It’s a simple white binder with several pages of inmate information.  Each inmate has to fill out forms for who will be allowed in to see them.  If your name is not in the book you can’t be allowed in.  After scanning through for a few seconds the guard found my name and I was allowed in to see the inmate. 

The process brought to mind the day that is coming when we will appear before the Lord at the Great White Throne.  See this Scripture:

Revelation 20:11-15
¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. ¹² I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. ¹³ Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. ¹⁴ Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (HCSB)

On that day, we’re informed, there will be one book that matters above all books.  THE BOOK OF LIFE.  In this book is written the names of those who have entered into that faith relationship with God through Christ.  Those whose names are found in the Book of Life will enter into eternal life in heaven.  Those whose names are absent from the book of life will be cast into eternal condemnation.  It matters whether your name is there. 

Think about the places where your name needs to appear for admittance

• Reservation List
• Hotel Room List
• Party Invitation List
• Appointment List

How do you get your name on these lists?  You make a call or answer an invitation.  That’s also how you get your name on the list in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  He has invited you to come to Him, but you have to respond to that invitation by faith.  When you make that choice to follow Christ your name is penned in indelible ink in the Book of Life and it can never be erased. (Rev. 3.5)

So, I have to ask in closing, is your name on the list?  Have you answered the invitation of the Lord Jesus into that faith relationship?  If not, make a call right now and get that reservation set.  Pray the following prayer or something similar in faith, believe, and live with Jesus as Lord of your life.

Lord, I answer your invitation to eternal life right now.  I know I’m not invited because of who I am because alone I am lost, a sinner without hope.  But through your death on the cross I am invited to become your child.  I believe in Jesus and all that He has done for me.  I come today in response to your invitation to come to you.  I want to live my life here and hereafter with you as Lord over my life.  Grant that my name be written in your book forever and help me walk with you and live with you everyday.  Thank you for the assurance of heaven, and for your presence in my life.  AMEN

• Made that your prayer today?  Please share that information.  I want to know and rejoice with you, and so do many others. 
• Still not sure, check out one of the following resources for more information.
• www.findithere.com
• www.needhim.com
• email me: dabent1988@yahoo.com
• Call (800) Need-Him

It is the greatest and most important decision you will ever make in your life. 

Many Blessings!

Big D

That’s My Story and I’m Stickin’ to It

So, over these eight postings you’ve had a chance to get to know a little of what’s behind me in my experience—where I’ve come from.  In the twenty years that I’ve been a Southern Baptist and involved in ministry I’ve lived the adventure of a lifetime.  Some of what I have endured has been very difficult and there have been nights of weeping and praying that have seen me through.  Other times I didn’t believe it could ever get better than it was only to be proven wrong time after time. 

Obviously there are many more things I could write about, but I want to close this series out now with a few final thoughts.  I’m sure more and more of my life will be shared as I write, since I find some of the richest lessons come from my own experiences.

Christian By Birth

The difference in my life is and has always been Jesus Christ.  Having a relationship with God through faith made all the difference.  Walking with Him I have found hope, strength, joy, and most of all love.  I can’t even conceive of my life without Him.  This same life is available to anyone who would become a follower of Christ.  It’s as simple as these three steps of faith.

• Come to Him – He invites all who are willing to come to Him
• Believe in Him – Faith is believing what can’t be seen, trusting what can’t be touched.
• Live with Him – Each and every day faith is what sustains me.  Live with Him daily.

I would love to tell you more about how you can begin this relationship of faith and to help you walk through the daily steps of living with Jesus Christ.  Just get in touch with me by email or visit Find It Here to learn more about it.  I assure you it will be the best and greatest decision of your life.  I’m not saying it makes life easier or your circumstances better.  I’m saying that for the first time you will know what real life can be, and you will truly live. 

Baptist by Choice

People ask me all the time why I am a Baptist.  Having grown up in a different denomination, what made me change.  I hope I’ve revealed a little of that through these writings.  I also hope that I have not lead anyone to believe that I am disrespecting or dismissing the church where I grew up.  I love that church and the denomination.  I pray for them all the time, and hope that they will be a light in the darkness and lead people to faith in Christ.  Every church in every denomination has the potential—and the responsibility—to proclaim the Gospel to the world.

For me the decision to become a Baptist was based on a few simple criteria or statements of faith that I adhere to.  This isn’t as fancy as some of the more eloquent statements or creeds that I’ve read, this is just what I believe and why I am Southern Baptist.

• I Believe that God is the creator and Sustainer of Everything
• I Believe that God is Three in One (Father, Son, Spirit)
• I Believe that Jesus Christ was, is, and will always be.
• He was born of a virgin through the Holy Spirit, just as Scripture states
• He became the supreme and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of mankind on the cross
• He rose after three days, resurrected from the grave
• He will come again and receive all who have believed into eternal life
• I Believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to Salvation. 
• Forgiveness of our Sins is only found in Christ
• No one is immune to the effects of Sin in our lives
• No one is removed from the reach of Salvation in Christ
• Salvation is offered freely to all who will come to Christ and believe.
• I Believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is Without Error
• It was given to us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
• It is as applicable and relevant today as it was when it was given.
• I believe that its teachings hold the key to experiencing the life God intends for us
• I Believe that the Church has a Commission from Christ to Proclaim the Gospel to the world, beginning in our homes and communities and stretching around the globe..until the whole world hears.

Obviously there is much more, but these are some of the foundational elements of faith for me.  If you would like to learn more about the beliefs of Southern Baptists you can get in touch with me or look online at THE BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE.

Like Sands Through the Hourglass So are the Days of our Lives

I love serving the Lord in my life.  It’s been the greatest reward I could ever imagine.  Financially we don’t have much.  In the eyes of much of the world we are probably miserable failures.  But I look forward to the hope that is before me in Christ, that one day I will hear my Lord say to me, “Well done good and faithful servant.  Enter into your rest.”  The rest of the world may jeer and laugh, it will all be worth it in the end.

Each day that comes brings a new adventure and new opportunities as well as challenges.  Each day come with trials that stretch my faith and blessings that strengthen my faith.  If I had it all to do over again I am sure there are things I would like to change and do differently, but I wouldn’t want to change anything if it would in anyway interfere with the faith I’ve found, or my relationship with the Lord I love and who loves me so amazingly.  As the great theologian Garth Brooks sang, “I could’ve missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.”  My life with the Lord, my wife, kids, and now grandkids, is a dance I would never want to miss. 

Thanks for Taking the Time to Read My Story.

Watch for Future Postings from BigDBentley

• Dave Bentley – dabent1988@yahoo.com
• Precision Valley Baptist Church – www.pv-bc.org

God, I’ll Go Anywhere…Anywhere but Florida that is.

The more opportunities God provided for me to preach and teach the more I became aware of my need for continued schooling.  As I prayed and searched through this with my pastor and my wife one choice became the clear front runner.  Clear Creek Bible College in Pineville, KY.  I liked everything about the school and had heard good things about it.  Everything I found about it made it the logical choice.  So we started the process of applying and getting ready to go.

At the same time there was another college that I had become aware of as well.  It was a solid college and I liked almost everything about it as well.  Almost…  See there was a slight problem.  Location…location…location.  I didn’t like the location.  Most people I knew wanted to live in Florida to escape the winter’s cold and snow.  I , on the other hand, had spent all the time I ever wanted to in Florida years ago.  In fact, shortly after that I had determined that I would never go back to Florida.  (Did you know that God has a sense of humor…and sometimes I don’t think it’s very funny.)

As much as I didn’t want to go to Florida, God continued to bring Florida Baptist Theological College into my heart.  This small college in the panhandle of Florida had a lot going for it.  A little while before I had actually been able to meet the president of the college as he taught a study in West Virginia.  Even though it was in Florida it had appeal.  Andie and I decided to apply there as well.  Secretly I was still holding out for Kentucky.

Within a few weeks we had our answer from FBTC.  In an AMAZING confirmation, Ed, my pastor and closest friend and his family were also moving to attend FBTC and complete his degree.  In spring of that year I got to help him and his family move and spend a few weeks in Graceville getting to know the area and the school.  By the time I boarded the Greyhound to come home I knew without a doubt that we were Florida-bound.

It still amazes me to think about how God confirmed this path over and over again once we made the final decision.  We were being totally crazy, but it was alright.  We didn’t have jobs waiting for us…we didn’t have any kind of savings to rely on…the money we were able to put together and the scholarship I had been offered for the summer term would allow us a little over a month of living.  Beyond that it was completely up to God.  It was at once terrifying and exhilarating.

Loving and well-meaning people tried really hard to talk us out of it.  Fellow believers pulled me aside to tell me how nuts all this was.  But every time there was a negative comment or remark something inside of us grew even stronger and more determined.  God kept bringing me back to Genesis 12 where He called Abram to follow him to an undisclosed place.  He never promised that it would be an easy road to travel, just that he would be with him and would bless him.  I claimed that promise as my own…If I would follow Him then God would bless. 

On June 15, 1994, in a green 1976 Buick Electra and towing a 12 foot U-Haul trailer that contained all we owned our little family of four pulled out of the parking lot of the church, waving good-bye to our family and friends and headed south.  I am convinced that angels surrounded our car.  For example, the trailer hitch was only inches off the ground as we pulled out that evening, but we only dragged a couple of times pulling into or out of service stations. 

God was calling…we were following…and it was thrilling.

Classes…Comrades…and Choices

We arrived in Florida in the late evening of the following day.  We drove to the town of Chipley and got a room in a motel where my wife encountered some of the insects of Florida for the first time.  I think she did finally fall asleep, but it was out of exhaustion not comfort.  The next day we went to our new home and unloaded all of our many wonderful possessions into the student housing.  It was not much, but it was home, and we were loving it.

I mentioned that my friend and pastor had already moved down before us.  He was serving as pastor of a church there.  So we had supper with him and his family that night.  it was nice being together.  I realize that God had been incredibly merciful in allowing things to happen the way they did and in keeping us close with Ed and his family.  Many people have come and gone in our lives over the years, but Ed, Suzanne, and their children will always be very precious to us. 

Classes began for the summer term on the following Monday, so we had to move quick in unpacking (not that we had much to unpack) and getting settled in.  In addition there was the job-hunting that had to be done…we were going to have to eat and pay rent just like before, so someone needed a job.  Grocery shopping introduced us to Piggly Wiggly…I only include that ‘cause it’s fun to say.  My son was introduced to Florida Fire Ants when he sat down on an ant mound and was covered with the vicious critters. 

I was reminded of how difficult college could be too.  The summer term was a crammed together semester.  The amount of work you would normally take a full semester to accomplish now had to be done in five weeks.  I took a full load too—12 hours—because that was how I received the scholarship that covered our rent that first month.  So I was in class from early morning until mid afternoon, and then I was locked in my room for hours of reading and homework.  Before when a paper had to be written I would have a couple of weeks to put it together, now that was truncated to days.  However, as difficult as it was academically, we were riding a spiritual high that just can’t be described.  Knowing we were following the Lord was incredible. 

Ironically, two weeks after I started classes in Florida I received my acceptance letter from the college in Kentucky.  Needless to say, we stayed where we were.

In one of my classes I met and became friends with a fellow Vermonter.  Glenn Hatch had been transplanted by God for school at FBTC and would be graduating soon and returning to Vermont as a church planter and manager of a radio station.  He lived in Dothan, Alabama which was just above the Florida line and was serving as an interim pastor of a church a little over an hour away.  We hit it off quick.  My wife and I connected with Glenn and his wife. 

A few weeks after we met, and about a month after we had started at the school Glenn asked if I would like to consider becoming pastor of the church where he was interim because he would soon be graduating.  You could have knocked me over with a feather.  There was no way that I was ready for something like that.  Those old feelings of insecurity leapt on me from the past.  Gulping hard and putting on a brave front I said, sure.  I put together a quick resume’ and gave it to him to take to the church.  I really didn’t think I would hear anything more about it.

Andie, in the mean-time had been able to find a job with a local day-care.  She would be starting the next week.  We could see the plan coming together right in front of our eyes.  She would work at the day-care, and the kids could attend there as well.  I would focus on school.  That seemed like a really good plan.  It had my stamp of approval.

And then my pastor and friend preached a message that…well, let’s just say it was a good thing that he is my friend and I love him.  On Sunday morning he preached out of the book of Ruth about the famines that drive us from God’s plan for us.  It was a really good sermon.  I still have the notes I took.  I liked the sermon, until my wife told me that she felt like God was telling her through that message that she was not supposed to take the job at the day-care because He had another plan for providing for us, if we would trust Him.  I didn’t hear any of that in the sermon, and I thought I was listening pretty good. 

As she told me this I pictured a few things.  I pictured our food cupboard that, aside from a couple cans of pork and beans, was virtually empty.  I pictured our bank account that looked a lot like the cupboard.  At this point I had already been doing any printing I needed to for homework at the library or a friends computer because we were out of ink and couldn’t afford it.  I knew in my heart that there was no way God could be telling her not to take that job—which she was scheduled to start the next day.

We argued, discussed, debated, figured, and tried to stretch my limited mind around this, but it wasn’t happening.  I couldn’t see it working and I certainly hadn’t heard anything that crazy.  I mean, this was the PERFECT job.  She loved kids, our kids could attend with her, it was just two blocks away from the college.  We could not have designed a more perfect scenario if we had tried.  How could it be God’s will to pass that up when He had to be the one who put it together so perfectly.

Without reaching any sort of agreement we made our way back to church Sunday night.  Ed was continuing his message from Sunday morning in his series on Ruth.  I listened carefully, if not even a little cautiously.  He spoke again about the things that move us from the place of God to the place away from God.  He shared about how subtly these things happen and how gradually the drift occurs.  In that message that night I heard what Andie had that morning.  We went home from church Sunday night and she called her soon to be employer to tell her that she could not take the job. 

That phone call was easily as difficult to make and surrender to as the whole move from West Virginia to Florida had been.  We were both wondering what God had in store for us, because that just didn’t make any sense, but we both knew we had heard from the Lord, and He was going to take care of everything.

DON’T MISS THIS NEXT PART…

Fifteen – that’s 15 – minutes later the phone rang and James Gachet, the chairman of the search committee of Clio Baptist Church in Clio Alabama called to set up a meeting with me and the committee because they wanted to talk to me about becoming their pastor.  Over the next two and a half years God would provide for us in incredible was as I served that church as pastor.  I am convinced—and no one will ever change my mind on this—that our following the Lord in turning down that job was rewarded by the opportunity to become pastor of that church. 

Clio Baptist Church, Clio, Alabama

(to be continued)