BearPastor

Back in the Saddle

2010-09-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! After 12 weeks today is my first day back in the office. Staff members have been introducing themselves to me all day long! I'm grateful because I've forgotten some of their names! Not really but it is good to be back. Over the past 12 weeks I have worshipped in over a dozen different churches, written five chapters on what I anticipate will be about a 10-12 chapter book, I have spent a lot of time listening to God and what I believe is His plan for the next several years for our church and I have spent a lot of time recharging my life and recommitting myself to what God has for me and our church. I am so grateful to our personnel committee and to our entire church for giving me this opportunity. It came at a time when I really needed it and I believe it will be of benefit to me and to the church for years to come. I plan to spend the next several months telling you about the last twelve weeks in many different ways including sermons and just one on one.

This past weekend Tami, Alyssa and I traveled to Stillwater Oklahoma to watch Ryan suit up for his first Oklahoma State Football game. The day was great as we watched him participate in the "walk" where the football team walks about three blocks to the stadium with thousands of fans lining the path. We watched him run onto the field with 60,000 fans cheering them on and probably the coolest part of the day for me was when we were waiting for him to come out of the locker room after the game. As he came out a boy who looked to be about seven years of age asked Ryan for his autograph. Now that was cool!!!

Today is Ryan's 21st birthday. Hard to believe it was 21 years ago today when God blessed us with a perfect baby boy that has grown into a man of God. I'm proud of Ryan for so many different reasons. The fact that he plays football for a Division 1 football program is not even near the top of the list. The fact that he has become a Godly man who cares for others and who works hard to earn everything he gets is at the top of the list. I'm thankful for a church that helped Tami and I raise him and shape him into the man he is today. I'm thankful for a wife and mother that has loved him and molded him into the caring man he is today. I'm thankful for coaches and Sunday School teachers, friends and family members that have helped us lead Ryan into adulthood. I told him today he is now a man, no longer a boy, he has earned the right to be called a man and I am blessed to be his father.

Happy Birthday Ryan! I Love You and I'm proud of the man you have become!

"It's Time!"

2010-08-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I visited Mark Campbell and his wife Alesia in Edmond Oklahoma. Mark and Alesia moved to Edmond from Denton about eight years ago. Mark was on the search committee that called me to First Baptist thirteen years ago. Not too long after I arrived in Denton Mark and Bob Modlin convinced me it would be a good idea to go to Colorado and hike up Long's Peak one of fifty-two 14,000 foot peaks in the state. It was an experience I have never forgotten!

Mark and Alesia joined Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond when they moved there eight years ago. Mark was working in the pharmaceutical industry at the time. About a year ago Henderson Hills convinced Mark to serve on their ministry staff. Mark is the director of their Ministries of Jesus a wonderful ministry of the church that provides medical, and dental care as well as counseling and recovery ministry. I was overwhelmed at what they are doing there to help thousands in their city and most importantly introducing them to Jesus Christ.

The reason I visited Henderson Hills this weekend was to see the Campbells and to learn about the ministry Mark oversees but also to visit with their pastor. Eight years ago Henderson Hills was in many ways where First Baptist Denton is today. They had purchased land and were planning to move their facilities to that land. It has now been about five years since they moved. I was able to gain some great insight into the process they went through to make that happen. It was good to hear from someone who has been right where we are and is now on the other side of that process.

For the first time in years I'm actually still watching the Rangers this late in the season! It looks like they are going to make the playoffs for the first time in a long time. If you have been keeping up with the Rangers you know their theme this year is "Its Time!" I would agree, it's time for the Rangers to do something other than just play 162 games and then go play golf. All Summer long as I have heard those advertisements on television and at the few games I have attended I have thought that needs to be the theme of First Baptist Church. "It's Time" for us to move toward the future God has for us as a church.

I'm looking forward to being back with you on September 19th and moving toward that future that God has for us as a church.

Don't miss Dr. Wayne Blankenship this coming Sunday. He is a significant part of the wonderful history of First Baptist Denton and I know you are going to enjoy hearing him preach.

BACK TO SCHOOL

2010-08-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

This is a year of "lasts" at the Williams house. It's really already begun and today was a major one. For the past sixteen years I have taken a picture of Ryan or Alyssa or both of them at the front door on the first day of school. I asked Tami last night if we had all of those pictures and she assured me we do although I wasn't totally convinced! This morning I did if for the last time. Of course it was just Alyssa although we have threatened to drive to Stillwater and take Ryan's picture at the front door of his Frat house! Today marks the last first day of school at the Williams' house. Hard to believe really, but another one of those last milestones has arrived.

Some of the "lasts" that await us throughout this year I'm looking forward to. Like the last Cheerleader car wash that took place a couple of weeks ago! Others I'm not really looking forward to like the picture this morning. Of course they are all a part of life and the transitions that take place along the way. I'm proud of Alyssa and all she has accomplished and I hope she has a great senior year at Ryan High School.

I went to Grace Pointe church yesterday right here in Denton. Grace Pointe was started about five years ago by my friend David Smith who was pastor of FBC Corinth for 9 years. The church meets in the former Heroes Party space on Mayhill road. David is a great pastor and is leading a growing church here in Denton.

Next Sunday I will be at the Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. I will be staying with Mark and Alesia Campbell, former members of First Denton. Mark is now on staff at Henderson Hills. I'm especially excited about visiting this church and spending some time with their pastor and staff because about 8 years ago they were right where we are today as a church. They have since relocated their entire church facility and are growing and ministering in their city. I'm looking forward to hearing how they did it!

I'm doing some more writing this week and beginning to prepare for the sermon series I will begin on September 19th "Heroes for Today." Thanks for your prayers. I'm looking forward to seeing you on September 19th, don't miss that day at First Baptist!

Only Four Weeks to Go

2010-08-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

     Just four weeks from this Sunday I will be back in the pulpit at First Baptist! It's been a great journey for me and I'm so thankful for the First Baptist Family for allowing me to take it.
     The last two Sundays have been ones of great contrast for me. On Sunday August 8th Tami and I were in Memphis, Tennessee. We attended two churches on Sunday morning. The first was Germantown Baptist Church. We were there for the second Sunday of their new pastor's ministry there. We then went to the 11:00 service at Bellevue Baptist Church. If you are not familiar with Bellevue this is the church that Dr. Adrian Rodgers was pastor of for 32 years. The street out in front of the church is now named after him! Do you think they would ever change Malone street to Williams Avenue!? I doubt it! Anyway it is one of the great churches of America. Over 5000 were in worship that morning. We had a great time visiting with the pastor and his family and then I had the opportunity to meet with him on Monday. It was a great trip and I learned some valuable things that I believe we can use in ministry here in Denton.
     I said the last two Sundays involved contrast. Yesterday Ryan and I attended worship in one of our country churches here in Denton county. There were about 40 people in the worship service. As I sat in that service with the memory of being with thousands the week earlier my primary thought was it doesn't matter the size of the room or the number of people, you can worship our great God wherever you are. Those 40 people in that country church, without all the modern technology and professionalism of the larger church, worshiped God just as fervently and enthusiastically. By the way the pastor, who is a friend of mine delivered a great message as well. He has been there for 14 years! He truly is a devoted pastor and preacher.
     This week I will be doing some more writing and also praying more about God's vision for First Baptist. I'm really getting excited about what God is telling me about the future of First Baptist. I'll share more about that in the weeks and months to come. Thank you for your prayers I"m praying for you!

The Dog Days of Summer

2010-08-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Can you believe how hot it is? I played golf yesterday with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicholas and Gary Player, better known as Jim Cupstid, Jim Radar and Richard Corley! You talk about hot! But we had a great time together.

It really is the dog days of summer but school is about to begin and that means a new church year as well!
Mark Caswell, our Student Minister will be preaching the next three Sundays getting you ready for the beginning of that new church year. Mark is a tremendous speaker and I know you are going to be blessed by his messages.

Other than golf, I've had a great week. I met with Dr. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas today and had a great conversation with him. It was good to hear how God is blessing that church with a sort of rebirth of buildings and ministries. Dr. Jeffress helped me to see a lot of similarities between First Denton and First Dallas that I think will help us as we move into the next 5-7 years.

I visited First Presbyterian Church of Dallas and Incarnate Episcopalian Church this past Sunday. I had never been to either of those denominations. Both services were enjoyable and gave me a different perspective of worship.

This weekend I will be traveling to Memphis, Tennessee. On Sunday I will visit the great Bellvue Baptist Church and Germantown Baptist as well. On Monday I will meet with Dr. Steve Gaines the pastor who followed Adrian Rodgers at Bellvue.

I'll be back in town on Tuesday and plan to do some more writing the rest of the week.
I hope you are staying cool, don't miss Mark Caswell's message this coming Sunday.

HALFWAY POINT

2010-07-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it! We have reached the halfway point of the sabbatical. In some respects it has gone by really fast but in others it has begun to slow down a great deal. I can honestly say after almost six weeks now I have begun to really relax. I can't thank you enough for allowing me this time at this point in my life. It has proven to be an even greater blessing than I anticipated.

Yesterday I visited Bent Tree Bible Fellowship and Prestonwood Baptist Church. These two great churches are right across the street from each other so it was very easy for me to attend both services. They are both doing great things both at home and around the world. I was especially impressed with Bent Tree's missions ministry. They have sent over 470 people on 45 different mission trips around the world this year! I enjoyed their worship service as well. Quite different from what we are accustomed to at First Denton but a great experience. I have been to Prestonwood many times in the past and enjoyed their worship as well. Dr. Robert Sloan president of Houston Baptist University was the speaker. The only negative about visiting these churches in the summer is that so many of their senior pastors are not there! But I still enjoyed both services yesterday.

This week I'm going to be doing a little local "traveling." Tuesday I'm going to a Baylor function in Ft. Worth and Thursday Tami and I are taking Alyssa on a college visit. The rest of the time I will be doing some more writing and reading. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and thank you for the prayer cards. I am reading several every day, it is a highlight of my morning to read your wonderful notes. Have a great week!

First Baptist Dallas

2010-07-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Tami, Ryan and I had the opportunity to worship at First Baptist Church in Dallas yesterday. It was the first time I have been to a service there in over thirty years. I have been to luncheons in the past few years but not to a service. Our motivation for going yesterday was to hear their pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress and to hear Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy the real life parents portrayed in the movie The Blind Side. We went to the 9:30 service which is the second of three and is held in what they call CenterStage as opposed to their historic sanctuary.

The Tuohy's only spoke for about 10 minutes but I was impressed and inspired by their message. It was simple, make a difference in someones life. You may not be able to adopt a 6'6" 320lb African American teenager but you can make a difference in someones life every day. They have written a book "In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving." I'll warn you it's not a book about Michael Oher and their experiences with him, instead its a book about their lives and how they have tried to make a difference. They were also featured on the cover of the USA Weekend magazine that came in the Sunday paper. In that article they list 21 ways you can make a difference in someones life. Sounds like what a church should be to me! Making a difference in the lives of people. Let me challenge you this week to make a difference in someones life. It doesn't have to be a huge thing, just something simple that will make their day a little easier.

This week I will be doing some more writing and spending time with God seeking His will for our church in the next 5-7 years. I'm already getting excited about some of the things I believe He is beginning to reveal to me. Please pray with me for God's vision, direction and plan for First Baptist Church. Stay cool and have a great week!

Getting Down to Business!

2010-07-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

After traveling for two weeks and getting things in order last week I'm excited about getting down to the business of writing this week. I will be spending most of my time organizing and beginning the process of working on my book idea. Many of you have asked what the book is going to be about. The answer is the Family. You might remember I did a series on the family about two years ago. My plan is to take that series, and expand upon it.

I visited two churches this past Sunday. I went to mass at the Catholic church and I went to a United Methodist Church. Both were certainly different from what I am accustomed to at First Baptist but both had elements that helped me to worship and experience God in new ways. I was somewhat surprised at the similarity of the two, although the Catholic church was a bit more liturgical and formal there were certainly those elements in the Methodist service as well. I managed to slip in and out at the Catholic church unnoticed but not the Methodist! I saw several people I knew and got some confused looks which made it even more fun.

I know you are going to enjoy hearing Dr. Randall Everett this coming Sunday. Dr. Everett has led our Baptist General Convention of Texas for over a year now and has brought great leadership in a time of great change and challenge in denominational life. Don't miss Dr. Everett this Sunday!

Home at Last

2010-07-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

Tami and I arrived home Sunday night hoping to see the Denton fireworks only to find they were on Saturday night! Thankfully some people in our neighborhood ignored the ban on fireworks in the city of Denton and we had a pretty good show.

After two weeks of travel it's good to be home. Tami and I had a great time getting away together for the first time in many years! I highly recommend parents that you take a trip without kids whenever possible, it will bless your life!

For the remainder of the this week I will be getting ready to speak at Mini-Camp at Camp Copass. For the past several years this has been something I look forward to with great anticipation. I will also begin this week to work on my book. I hope to at least begin to get my thoughts together to begin researching and putting together what I hope to accomplish. I'm also looking forward to spending time in prayer seeking God's vision for FBCD in the years to come.

Thank you for your prayers for safety during my travel. I won't be traveling again for a few weeks. Pray this week that God will give guidance and wisdom as I begin to study and pray for your First and Second graders as they attend mini-camp.

Back From Haiti

2010-06-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

It was good to be back in Denton after seven days in Haiti. I can personally testify that the earthquake damage is even worse than you have seen and heard on television. Tens of thousands of people are living in tent cities across Port Au Prince, hundreds of buildings are piles of rubble and the Haitian people say the death toll is closer to 300,000 rather than the 200,000 we have heard. In the midst of that destruction our team made a difference in the lives of several people. They worked in the orphanage, cleared about four feet of rubble from a destroyed houses foundation so it can now be built back and brought a great deal of encouragement to Jacob and Claudette Bernard. Our team of 23 was fantastic. Not a word of complaining about cold showers or food they are not accustomed to. We were blessed to be staying in the moutainous area this time. I never thought I would need a blanket at night in Haiti but I did several nights! Each and every adult and high school student worked extemely hard each day and as a result came back changed. Many are already looking forward to a return trip. John Hinchey will be talking about the trip on a Wednesday night at WEBS in the near future.
Tami and I are on an anniversary celebration trip this week. Next week I will begin visiting churches. I will let you know how it goes then.

What a Send Off!

2010-06-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

When I planned my sabbatical leave I knew I didn't want to miss Vacation Bible School. In twenty-one years as a pastor and several years before that I have never missed VBS. I'm so glad I didn't again this year. It was a fantastic week with hundreds of kids and workers. The greatest number was 42, that's the number of kids that made professions of faith on Wednesday morning, the highlight of the week for me. This year Chris Barfield brought some great new ideas. One of which was my favorite. At family night Brad Cockrell and I baptized 11 of those kids! I now have a new highlight of the week!

This morning 23 of us left for Haiti. We will be there until Saturday June 26th. Please pray for safety and opportunities to share Jesus with the people there. I won't be able to post until I return so I will get back with you next Saturday.

Proud Dad

2010-05-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Most parents say they are proud of their kids and for good reason. But I promise you there is no one more proud of their kids that me. Recently they have both done things to continue to make me proud.

Ryan just this week completed his sophomore year at Oklahoma State University. He has earned almost 70 hours of credit and has maintained a good GPA. He is on track to receive his degree in four years! Which I really need him to do because his sister starts college in just over a year! While going to school and making good grades Ryan has also walked on to the OSU football team. This past February for the third time he went to the tryout and made it! He did spring football with the team and will be on the roster this Fall. It's his tenacity and never give up attitude that I am especially proud of. Even if he never plays a down in a game he has accomplished a great deal and I believe that trait will take him far in life.

Alyssa will finish her Junior year at Ryan High School in just a few weeks. This coming Friday she and I are going to Baylor for an official visit for her. This July she will make application to Baylor and in just 15 months hopefully she will be a Bear! I can't wait for her to fall in love with Baylor as I did 27 years ago! She already has 6 hours of college credit and will earn some more her senior year. For the fourth time Alyssa tried out for and made the cheer leading squad at Ryan. Next year she will be the captain of the varsity squad! Her leadership skills are great and I'm looking forward to watching her lead and encourage the other girls this next year. And by the way that makes me the "Cheerleader Captain Daddy!" That's a role I am proud to have.

Well as you can see I have a lot to be proud of and those are just a few of the reasons I'm proud of my kids!

Elves Shelves 2009

2009-12-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

What started about 5 years ago with our Children's Minister Christy Butler learning about a few families that needed help at Christmas has grown into what we call Elves Shelves. I was so proud of the family of First Baptist last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Over 500 people gave their time as volunteers during those three days to distribute toys to 577 families representing over 1300 children right here in Denton! And hundreds more brought toys over the past several months as well.

I'm proud of what First Baptist has done over the last decade in missions. We have sent hundreds of people all over the world on mission trips and we plan to send hundreds more in the years to come. But missions begins right here at home. In the first message of our Christmas series yesterday I used the verse from John 15:12 "My command is this: Love each other as I loved you." That is exactly what you did this past week. you loved the needy of Denton as Christ loves you.

As I worked Friday morning as a volunteer at Elves Shelves I had the privilege of being at the "exit" door where the parents left the building with a bag full of toys for their children. Over and over I heard things like "thank you for making our Christmas special." "My kids would not have had Christmas without this." "God bless you for giving to us." It was a joy for me to see smiles on the faces of people who seldom have much to smile about. It helped remind me of what Christmas is all about.

Brad Cockrell was our staff liason to Elves Shelves this year and he did a great job. Jane Naugher, Brenda Eckel, Tracy Lau, and Mary Tickner were our "head elves" but there were so many more that gave of their time not only the past couple of weeks but all year long. Elves Shelves is now a year round ministry at First Baptist. So if you are interested in being a part of next year's ministry the first meeting is this coming Thursday December 10th!

Can the Family Survive?

2009-10-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

The family is in trouble in America in 2009. The signs are all around us. I came across 15 signs recently that confirm the family is in dire need of resusitation in America. 1. 60% of children born in the 1990's have lived in single parent homes at least part of their childhood. 2. 1/4 of girls and 1/10 of boys have been sexually abused. 3. 3 out of 5 teens have tried illegal drugs. 4. 10% of adolescent boys and 18% of girls have attempted suicide. 5. 72% of teens have sex by their senior year in high school. 6. Boys on average are 13.3 years of age, girls 14.6 years of age when they lose their virginity. 7. 1 million girls, that's 1 in 10 under age 20 become pregnant every year. 8. 40% of 14 years old girls beocme pregnant at least once before age 20. 9. 2.5 million new cases of adolescent sexually transmitted diseases are reported every year. 10. 9 of 10 have tried alcohol by their senior year and 39% get drunk at least once every two weeks. 11. 72% of adolescent murders are from fatherless homes. 12. 70% of all long term prison inmates come from fatherless homes. 13. 25 million children grow up in a home without a dad. 14. 40% of adults have no contact with children. 15. The average mother spends less than 17 minutes a day, and fathers less than 7 minutes a day with their teenage children. The family is broken and if we dont' "fix" it, things are only going to get worse.

How do we "fix" it? By going back to the original intent of the family. God designed the family as a man and a woman bringing children into the world. Teaching them the things of the world and then sending them out into that world to live and to start the process all over again. That's is how God first designed the family and put it into place in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunatley satan came along one day and changed all of that. He tempted man to take things into their own hands and now in 2009 the family is in the mess it's in.

Now don't get me wrong the family is not dead. There are great examples of what the family is supposed to look like all around us. There are some who are still fulfilling God's original plan and are raising children to follow in their footsteps. There are no perfect families but there are millions of families in Amercia who with God's help are raising their children and teaching them to continue to be the family as God designed it.

I believe God wants you to have a family that honors Him and that meets your needs as well. The family certainly looks different than ever before. We have the traditional family with a husband and wife and children. But we also have single adult families with children and without. Each of them have their own unique strengths and weaknesses and each meet the needs of those involved in different ways.

I believe it is the responsibility of the church to build families that thrive. To equip husbands and wives to have marraiges that stand the test of time, that survive through the storms of life. It is the church's responsibility to teach parents how to raise their children to be responsibile adults and raise their own children. All of the answers for how to do that are found in the Bible. God doesn't leave us out in the cold and ignorant on how to have a family that thrives. Instead the Bible is full of tools and principles that will help you to have the kind of family that "makes it" in 2009.

On Sunday mornings in October and November we are learning some of those Biblical principles. "Buiilding Families that Thrive" is our theme. We are spending four weeks on marriage and three weeks on parenting. If you live in the Denton area I invite you to join us on Sunday morning at 9:30 or 11:00 if you don't go to our website at http://www.firstdenton.org/ and you can listen to these messages about the family.

As the family goes, so goes our country. If the family is thriviing our nation will as well. But as long as the family is not what it was intended to be our country never will be either. Let's put the family back where it was created to be, at the very center of our lives and our community. We can do that if we listen and follow the principles found in God's Word!

Is "Winning" the Most Important Thing?

2009-08-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know I am a competitive person. I like to win. It doesn't matter if I'm playing ping pong on the patio, cards in the kitchen, softball at the park or my "team" is playing on the football field or any other sport. I like to win and I like to be around winners. Sometimes my competitive nature takes over and I make a fool of myself. Thankfully those occasions have become less frequent as I have aged! But the point is I like to win. I think you should always play within the rules, respect your opponent but you should do what you can to win. When my kids were growing up I very seldom if ever "let them win." I wanted them to work for it and earn the win so they would feel good about themselves and what they had accomplished.

Having said all of that I was not really surprised but a little saddened when I read two articles in Sports Illustrated last week. I just recently subscribed to Sports Illustrated once again. For 25 years I have been a Newsweek subscriber, but last month I canceled that subscription and used my refund for a year of SI! Not sure what that will do for me, but it's already given me a blog idea so it must have been a good choice. Back to the stories. One was about Michael Vick and the other about Rick Pitino. As you know Michael Vick spent time in prison for dog fighting, was recently released and now is playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, who by the way I cannot stand! Rick Pitino is the head basketball coach of the Louisville Cardinals who had a sexual encounter with a woman in a restaurant a few years ago. She became pregnant with his child (she says) and he gave her $3000 for medical insurance with which she says she had an abortion.

Both articles detail the pasts of these two men and both went on to say that their past "indiscretions" should have no bearing on their roles as player and coach. The articles said as long as they WIN it doesn't matter what they do outside of their respective athletic endeavors. One fan was quoted as saying the first time Michael Vick scores a touchdown in an Eagles' game all will be forgiven. Another fan said that if Louisville beats Kentucky this year no one cares what Rick Pitino does in his personal time.

From someone who is an competitive as anyone you will ever encounter I say those articles are WRONG! It does matter what people do in all areas of their lives. Both of those men are role models to the young athletes and coaches or our country. Winning is important but it's not the most important thing. Who wins the Super Bowl and the NCAA Basketball Championship this year will soon be a distant memory but Rick Pitino's wife and kids will have to live with his "indiscretion" the rest of their lives.

Winning is fun and winning is important but how we lead our kids to live their lives is much more important. Let me know if you agree or not.

Sweet Sixteen

2009-07-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

The day finally arrived last Monday, June 29, 2009. Alyssa, my youngest child and only daughter, turned 16 years of age. We celebrated all week long. We went to dinner on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and lunch on Saturday all to celebrate her birthday. She left for Jamaica on Sunday morning or I'm sure we would still be celebrating this week.

In some ways I couldn't wait for her to turn 16. For the last couple of years it seems that Tami and I have spent an increasing number of hours taking her places and picking her up. When her brother left for college last Fall it seemed to multiply. So from that point of view I'm glad she can now get in the car herself and drive to her destination and back home. On the other hand I'm sad that my little girl is no longer a little girl. Tami and I know from experience that once they get their drivers liscense everything changes. With more freedom and opportunity they need us less and less. As I said in my last blog I will miss taking her to school this coming Fall. I will even miss taking her to events and other things all across town. I will miss our conversations in the car and her "need" of me.

But while I will miss those things I'm thrilled at the young lady she is becoming. Tami and I are very proud that she is spending part of her Summer on a mission trip to Jamaica. She left last Sunday morning and was thrilled that she was "leaving the country without either of us," something even her big brother has never done! I know that she will love on the children there and be a great asset to the team.

When she gets back she will take her first "college class" this Summer. Hard to believe they can earn college credit before they even begin their Junior year in high school! This Fall she will be on the sidelines with the VARSITY Ryan Raiders cheerleaders! They told me it all happens too fast, I believe it now!

Happy birthday Alyssa. I love you and am proud of the Godly young lady you are becoming!

The Little Transitions of Life

2009-06-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

For some 15 years now I have been doing the same thing every day of the school year. My job has always been to take my kids to school. It's been an event that I have thoroughly enjoyed for the last decade and a half. In the early years it was a time to talk and find out what they were anticipating for the day. As they grew older and became teenagers it was more a time of silence or listening to the radio. Neither of my kids are really "morning people" so the past few years they haven't been real big on conversation at 8:00 in the morning!

I can still remember the first time I dropped Ryan off at day care in China Spring, Texas. He was about three years old and up to that point in his life Tami had been a stay at home Mom, but I was going back to school to get my doctorate and she needed to work for "tuition" money. I cried all the way to the church that day! After I finished the degree Alyssa was born and Tami was again a stay at home Mom.

When Ryan began preschool in Pleasanton I took him to school. When he went to Kindergarten and First Grade in Pleasanton I took him to school. When we moved to Denton and he started second grade I took him to school. You get the point! Alyssa joined our trips when Ryan was in third grade and for a few years I took them together. Then Ryan moved on to Middle School and the trips were separate again. I took Ryan to Ryan High school for the last time in September of 2005 when he got his driver's license. But I have still been taking Alyssa since then.

For the past couple of years Alyssa and I would listen to WBAP on the way to school. She got to know the personalities on that station and we had some fun with that. But she sort of "grew out of that" last year and it has been KSCS or The Wolf since then. But one thing has never changed in 15 years at least for Alyssa. When we arrived at the school before she would get out of the car she would lean over to my side of the car for a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. Even at 15 she still did it!

I have known it was coming all year long. The last time I would take one of my kids to school. The last time we would ride together in silence or me asking questions and getting really short answers. The last time to listen to a favorite song together on the way. The last time for her to lean over for a quick hug and a kiss. I knew it was coming and this week it did. I took a kid to school for the last time! Alyssa will get her driver's license at the end of June and when school starts back in August she will drive herself to school.

In some ways I'm really sad. Its the end of an era, one of those little transitions in life that we all experience. I'm certainly excited to see my kids grow up and begin new things but I have to admit I'm going to miss those morning rides to school, the conversations, the songs on the radio, and most of all I'm going to miss the hugs and the kisses. But at least we still have her at home for two more years before the next little transition!

What would you do if you knew you had one month to live?

2009-04-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

That is the question the people of First Baptist Church Denton are asking themselves every day for the next 30 days. If some how you knew that you only had one month to live how would you live your life? It's a very clarifying question and a question that most of us cannot answer on the spur of the moment. It takes some time to think through it and really come up with an answer that reflects how we feel and what is most important to us.

Unfortunately most people don't get that one month "warning" before they die. Instead death comes unexpectedly or suddenly to most. However the reason we are asking that question every day for 30 days is not because we expect to be dead in one month, quite the opposite we expect to live many more years on this earth. The reason we ask that question is we want to be "fully alive" for however many more days God gives us here on this earth.

If you think about it we don't really get to choose many things. We didn't get to choose who our parents are, we didn't' get to choose when we were born or where we were born. We certainly don't get to choose when we die. Most tombstones have two dates and a dash. The date of the person's birth and the date of their death, the dash in between represents the time they were alive here on this earth. The one thing we do have a say in is what we do with our dash. We get to decide how we will spend the time we have here on this earth. We can choose to waste our dash or we can choose to live it with passion and purpose. That is why we are asking that question for 30 days. Because if we begin to live like we were dying then we will really learn how to live.

If you knew you only had one month to live I bet you would want to spend time with family and friends. You would probably want to restore any relationships that were not what you wanted them to be. If you are a believer in Christ you would probably want to tell some of your closest friends how they can know Him as well. If you had one month to live you would probably want to do those things and more. So the question we need to answer is this: why don't we go ahead and do those things now? Why don't we live our lives like we only had one month left to live.

That's what we are going to be exploring for the next six weeks or so at First Baptist Church Denton. Go to www.fbcd.net to find out more about the One Month to Live challenge and how you can get involved and how you can begin to live life to the fullest with no regrets!

Everyone Loves an Underdog

2009-03-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Whether it be in sports or politics or just about anything, everybody loves an underdog. That is why I have had several phone calls and e-mails this afternoon. My "underdog" Baylor Bears men's basketball team "upset" the number one team in the Big 12 tournament - the Kansas Jayhawks. Although its not the first time Baylor has beaten Kansas it is the first time in a long time and certainly on the biggest stage.

Baylor's men's team started the season with great expectations. After making their first trip to the NCAA tournament in "forever" last year they were expected to finish in the top half of the Big 12. Instead they finished in 9th place losing their final regular season game to Nebraska of all people. In Nebraska Basketball is just something to do to stay warm until Spring football starts! But when the tournament started on Wednesday the Bears got a second shot at the Cornhuskers and put it on them winning by 16. Next up the mighty Jayhawks. Safe to say no one in the country with even a little knowledge of college basketball gave my Bears a chance. Yours truely included!

But the underdogs got after Kansas from the start. I'm eating lunch at On the Border and a friends says Baylor is up by about 10 in the first half. My thought - it's early, lets see if it continues. To be honest I then forgot about the game, went back to the office and about an hour later Drew Null comes into my office and asks if I heard about my Bears! They won! they blew a 17 point lead but they hung on to win! It's not exactly the second coming of the Miracle on the Brazos, but the Longhorns just won so we will see what happens on Friday night!

I'm not making any reservations for the big dance yet, but it is fun to see the underdog come through on ocassion, especially when its your team. I guess that's what March madness is all about! Wish we could get some of that madness in Waco in the Fall!

SNOW DAY!

2009-01-27T12:49:00.001-08:00

It is Tuesday afternoon January 27th. If you are reading this on that day or soon after you know that most of Denton is shut down because of an "expected" ice storm! I can remember as a kid hoping that every day in January and February would be a snow day because that meant NO SCHOOL! Now as an adult I really don't like Snow Days, but I will admit, as a pastor, I like them a whole lot more during the week than on weekends! If they don't' interrupt Sunday worship and other activities I can tolerate them a whole lot easier! I am amazed at how quickly bad weather can shut things down in North Texas and how quick we are to cancel everything that's happening. I'm convinced my staff at First Baptist Church is still like I was as a kid, they hope for a snow day, and since I'm the only one in the office today I guess the proof is in the pudding!

On days like this where schedules are interrupted, things don't get done like we hoped and everything comes to a halt we at least have the opportunity to catch up on some things. I spoke to a mother of three in our church this afternoon and she said they were using today to catch up on homework at their house. Great idea! My wife and daughter went to the mall instead! Regardless of what you do with a day like today it is a reminder that everything doesn't always go as planned. The older I get the more I realize that's OK. It's OK to have a day that doesn't go as planned or a day where everything is turned upside down. After all God is still in control and you will most likely have tomorrow to get the things done that you had hoped to do today.

So have fun on the SNOW DAYS of life although the worst part about this one is: there is no snow to go out and play in!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

Tami, Ryan, Alyssa and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas. This is our 11th Christmas in Denton. Ryan was eight and Alyssa was 4 that first Christmas in 1997. They are now 19 and 15 and Denton is the only home they remember. We have been blessed to live in Denton and to be a part of First Baptist Church these 11 plus years. As a young pastor I did not want to move from church to church and come to the end of my ministry and have a list of a dozen churches that I had pastored. I prayed that God would put me somewhere and leave me and give my kids the opportunity to go to one school and be able to call that place home. God has given me and my family that gift and this Christmas I am grateful for that gift.

As I write this afternoon it's the day before the day before Christmas! As I think about what will take place over the next 48 hours I'm excited about it all. Most all of it revolves around tradition at the Williams' house. We will begin our Christmas celebration by going to the Christmas Eve service tomorrow night. It will be a time of Christmas Carols, the Lord's Supper, Candlelight and most importantly sharing the moment with our church family. We will then go home and have a special time as a family. We will read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and we will read the classic Christmas book "The Night Before Christmas." Ryan and Alyssa will open one present that night before bed, they know what's inside! They always get new pajama's on Christmas Eve!

Christmas morning we will get up and open presents. We are so blessed to be able to give gifts to one another, more than any of us really need. Tami loves buying Christmas and she always goes overboard and I always get on to her, but I'm thankful that God gives us the means to do that. After we open our gifts and our stockings we will eat Sausage balls for breakfast (my favorite part!) We started a new tradition a few years ago of staying home on Christmas day and inviting whoever wants to come for Christmas lunch. My parents, my sister and her family and the Cole and Beth Sciba family are joining us this year. We will eat too much "fried turkey" and everything else and just enjoy being together on such a great day.

We won't get to see Tami's parents until after Christmas this year. Tami's Dad is in the hospital being treated for an infection. We pray that he gets well soon and gets to go home soon after Christmas.

My wish for you this Christmas is that you will enjoy family and friends, that you will get what you want and be able to give what you want as well. I hope you will be as blessed as I am by a church family, friends, and most of all your family as you celebrate Christmas this year!

Merry Christmas!

Elves Shelves

2008-12-11T12:06:00.001-08:00

For several years First Baptist Church Denton has helped numerous families at Christmas time. We would hear about families in need of help and different people in the church would "adopt" these families and provide toys for the kids, food and sometimes clothes. Usually we would help a couple of dozen families every year. Last year our Children's Pastor, Christy Butler, came up with the idea of Elves Shelves to try and help even more families.

The idea behind Elves Shelves is that parents come to the church and "shop" for toys for their children for Christmas. They are allowed to choose a certain number of toys for each child and then they give the toys to the children at Christmas. Last year we used a small classroom in the church and gave out toys over several days. We gave away several thousand toys and helped several hundred families. Then at the beginning of 2008 we began to make plans for this Christmas. About two dozen people became a part of the Elves Shelves planning team led by Christy Butler. They worked the entire year to make plans for this year's event. All year long they collected toys and money and signed up volunteers to work at the shopping days. Those days began last night and I can't tell you what an unbelievable expereince is has been already.

I am so proud of the people of First Baptist Church. They have given thousands of toys and thousands of dollars to buy even more toys. This year our entire gymnasium is full of toys for children of all ages. On Wedensday night the first families came to shop. 52 families who are a part of FBCD came to shop for their kids. Today dozens more have already come. We have over 1000 children registered to recieve toys this Christmas. Dozens of people from First Baptist are there greeting the people as they come in, helping them shop, and just showing them the love of Jesus.

The idea of gift giving began on that first Christmas 2000 years ago. We often credit the wise men for being the ones to create gift giving. But in reality they were the second ones to give. The first giver was God Himself. He gave His son Jesus that first Christmas and it is because of that we give today. I am proud to be a part of what is happening at First Baptist Denton this year. Proud of a church that even in tough economic times is willing to help those in need.

As you celebrate Christmas with your family and friends this year I hope you will find a way to follow the example of Jesus and GIVE to someone in need. With all the things happening in our country today, it won't be hard to find someone in need. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Season this year.

Vote 2008

2008-10-23T08:08:00.001-07:00

Without a doubt the 2008 election will go down as one of the most historic elections ever in the United States. Regardless of who wins we will have a first, either the first African American president in our history or the first female Vice-President in our history. By the time election day rolls around chances are we will know just about everything there is to know about each of the candidates, from how much money has been spent on their clothes to who their friends are and have been for their entire lives. We certainly live in the information age and there is no lack of information about all of the candidates. Depending on what network news you watch you can get the "slant" you want toward which ever candidate you prefer. You can watch the talk shows on television or listen on the radio and hear every conceivable "side" of the issues. With all of this information and all of the polls that will tell you this candidate is winning in one state or that one is ahead in another state we have been bombarded for months now. But what it all comes down to is what you do when you got the the polls on November 4th or during early voting and you get to decide whom you want to elect as the next president of the greatest country in the world. You get to decide whom you will cast your ballot for. I know your vote is only one of millions but it's your vote and nobody can tell you how to cast it. They can give you their opinions and they can try and influence you but you get to decide.

Let me share with you what will help me decide whom I will vote for when I go during early voting. I will vote for the candidate that most closely holds the beliefs that I hold dearly. I cannot get past the issue of LIFE when I vote. I feel so strongly about the sanctity of LIFE, especially of the unborn that I will vote for the candidate that shares my belief in this area. I will vote for the candidate that will work to reduce the influence of government in our lives. I very firmly believe that God created the government and that it should be respected and followed but I don't believe that the governement is the answer to all our problems, I believe we as the people can better solve our problems. I will vote for the candidate that will reduce the tax burden on our citizens. I believe in hard work and earning your own way. I believe that when the Bible says "if a man will not work he will not eat," that means we are to work for what we have and I believe we shouldn't have to give any more of it to the government than is absolutely necessary. I will vote for the candidate that will work to promote family in our country. Family as God defined it, one man and one woman committed to each other for life raising their children to love God and follow His teachings. I am a "beliefs" voter and a "conscience" voter. I will vote for the candidate that I believe most closely shares my beliefs and my conscience as a citizen of the United States and most importantly as a believer in Jesus Christ.

Notice I didn't tell you who I will vote for. Of course I realize that you can probably read between the lines and make a pretty edcuated guess, but the point is I'm going to vote for the person I believe shares my beliefs and convictions and I urge you to do the same. That is our responsibility as citizens of these United States and as believers in Jesus Christ.

What A Wild Weekend

2008-10-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

It was one of those wild weekends for me and my teams. The weekend began on a sour note as my beloved Ryan Raiders lost to the Lake Dallas Falcons on a last minute touchdown. The Raiders are now 4-2 having lost two games by a combined 7 points! The weekend ended on another sour note as my Dallas Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals 30-24. But the inbetween time was fantastic. When I was a kid I wanted to be a Texas Longhorn. Although my allegiances have changed since then I ALWAYS pull for the Longhorns to beat the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry. Wow! What a game it was on Saturday! In the meantime my number one team, the Baylor Bears were beating Iowa State. Then my new team the Oklahoma State Cowboys (You know the Bible says "where your treasure is there your heart will be also." Alot of my treasure is in Stillwater now!) beat the third ranked team in the nation the Missouri Tigers on national television. It certainly didn't break my heart that Chase Daniel of Southlake Carroll fame, threw the interception that sealed it for OKState. So it was a great weekend and a not so good weekend for me and my favorite teams.

Next Saturday we will be traveling to Stillwater for OSU Homecoming. They say it's the biggest Homecoming in the nation so I'm looking forward to experiencing it all. I'm still insulted that OSU picked Baylor to be their homecoming game and I really hate it that their first loss will come after beating the number three team in the nation! But that's life!

There are so many things more important in life that football! I'll admit I love football and football players and coaches. The game and the people who coach and play it helped to shape my teenage years and hopefully I have been able to help shape some of those teenagers over the past several years as a pastor and chaplain. Some probably think I talk too much about football but I believe it is a game that brings people together and can bring a great deal of joy to people's lives. Just visit any college campus in the Fall or any high school field on a Friday night and you will see what I mean!

Our country certainly faces some very difficult problems right now. With the economy in a downfall and the presidential election just a few weeks away, these are scary days. But here is what I know - God is still in control! In the midst of chaos, football wins and losses, God is still in control. He is the rock that we can stand on even in the most difficult of times. No matter how your football teams did last week, no matter what your financial situation, I hope you will put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and let Him be your rock through all of life!

The Dreaded Day Arrives!

2008-08-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, the day I have known was coming finally arrived. To be honest I had very mixed emotions about the day. One the one hand I was excited on the other I was not looking forward to it. I had been told for months what a hard day it would be. Many who have gone before me told me of their experience and warned me about what was coming. So I counted down the days until Friday August 15th arrived. The day we took Ryan to college.

We left the house about 7:30 A.M. and headed north on I35. We made our way through Gainesville, crossed the Red River into "foreign" country. We held our noses as we went through Norman, then through OK City and Edmond. We made the right turn onto Hwy 51 and pulled into Stillwater about 11:00 A.M. We drove straight to the SAE house, Ryan's home for at least the next three years of his college experience. It was much different than the last time we were there. Cars were everywhere and people were all over the front lawn. We quickly found Ryan's room and after I wrote my first check for college, making my wallet much lighter! we moved him into his room. He's in the newer part of the house in a room with three other guys. One from OK, one from Kansas and one from Southlake, Texas. His sister was not real happy about him living with someone from Southlake, but that's another story.

After lunch with the rest of the new students and their families, and a quick trip to Wal Mart to stock his mini-fridge, the most dreaded moment of the day arrived, it was time for Tami, Alyssa and me to leave. Ryan walked out to the parking lot with us, we hugged and said our goodbyes got into the car and drove off leaving him behind. I have to admit, I did much better than I thought I would, I felt a few tears coming but I managed to fight them off, knowing Alyssa would make fun of me. Tami did remarkably well too! A few tears and a little trouble saying those goodbyes but all in all we handled it well.

It's only been three days since we left him in Stillwater so it sort of seems like he is gone to camp right now. I imagine that come Friday of this week when he doesn't come home reality will probably sink in a little more. I do miss him already and I know I will continue to. But! I know that I left in Stillwater last Friday one of the finest young men on the face of this earth. A young man that loves the Lord, makes good decisions for an 18 year old, is confident in his abilities and knows where he is heading. I left a young man that has already made me proud and I know will continue to in the days to come. I left a young man that has been given a firm foundation of faith, right and wrong, and a sense of putting others before himself. I left a young man that I can't wait to see how he grows and matures and becomes the man of God he was created to be.

It was a dreaded day for me, a tough day but an exciting day none the less.

Now if we can just find somewhere for Alyssa to go!!!!!!

A Bright Orange Shirt

2008-06-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

This past Monday and Tuesday Ryan and I spent a couple of days at his home for the next four years - Oklahoma State University. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that a member of my family will be living in Oklahoma instead of Texas! After all the comments I have made from the pulpit about Oklahoma over the past eleven years I guess I'm getting my payback.

We were at OSU for orientation and registration. It was sort of the culmination of the past 18 months or so of Ryan deciding where he would go to college. He started out looking at OSU, then changed to Texas A&M with a little bit of Texas Tech thrown in for good measure. But when all was said and done he chose OSU. I did make him apply to Baylor and he was accepted rather quickly, but I failed in getting him to follow his mothers example and mine by going there. I was resigned to the fact that Ryan would be the one to choose his school and I can honestly say I had decided I would be happy for him whatever his decision. But I will say that last Friday as we were decorating the house and backyard for his graduation party, with all kinds of Orange things I was a little glad I was not putting up maroon!

We do have some Aggie things around the house because his mother jumped the gun at Christmas time and bought some of those gosh awful things. But not me! I told Ryan I was not buying anything that wasn't green until he was certain of where he was going. Last Tuesday when he came out of registration with his official OSU student ID card in hand I said let's go to the spirit shop. Less than 15 minutes after he got the card I bought my first and second orange shirts! Bright, slap you in the face, orange mind you. I bought an orange polo shirt with OSU on the chest and a t-shirt that says OSU Dad. I will proudly wear them both over the next four years any and every weekend of the year except for the Saturday in October of this year when they play Baylor! OSU even had the audacity to schedule Baylor for their homecoming! I will be there that Saturday hoping that Ryan's first homecoming is a great one except for the outcome of the game!

Tami and I are very proud of Ryan and all that he has accomplished during his high school years. We are very excited for him as he gets ready to go off to OSU. I've been told how hard it's going to be about the second week in August when we drop him off in Stillwater and drive away for the first time. I know its true and I'm not looking forward to it, but I am excited for him and for the experiences he will have while there. Most of all I'm proud of the young man he has become and the great things he will do in life. I am and will always be his biggest fan and cheerleader and I will proudly wear that bright orange shirt on many occasions and tell everyone that my son is an OSU Cowboy!

Spring Has Sprung!

2008-04-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of the year. (I think I say that same thing about every season of the year!) This is my favorite time because I love trees and plants and shrubs and flowers and this is the time of the year when all of it is blooming and getting green again. This year I decided to do an upgrade on my yard. We have lived in our house for 2 and 1/2 years and while I have done a lot of yard work it was time to move from a "C" yard and flower beds to an "A" yard and flowerbeds.

George, I don't know his last name, put a business card on my mailbox back in the winter. He must have noticed my yard needed some help. George does stone work for flowerbeds and other outdoor creations. I had George come over last November and give me an estimate. I put it off through the winter but when Spring came I started to get the fever and I called George again. He was ready to work so he came back over and we talked about price. I kept adding things and he kept adding things until finally I said ENOUGH and we agreed on the work to be done. George walked all week, except for the one day it rained. By the end of the week he was done. Now it was my turn to plant my plants and my begonias. Did I mention my wife loves begonias? I planted 20 flats of begonias. You may or may not know that there are 18 plants in a flat. You do the math! Finally last Friday I was done! The plants are all in and the flowers all planted and I have my "A" yard, at least I like to think it's an A yard.

My back is just about healed enough that I can walk straight up again! It's going to be a great Spring and Summer watching it all grow and seeing the colors and the beauty of it all. The greatest thing about all of it though is that it reminds me of the greatness of our God. He is the one that created the beauty and brings the New Life. I hope you are having a great Spring enjoying the New Life God has for you.

Where are the Heroes?

2008-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday night I watched the NBA All-Star weekend events from New Orleans, Louisiana. NBA All-Star weekend is filled with great events that ends with the worst basketball game of the year where there is absolutely no defense played whatsoever. I could care less about the game but I do like watching the three point shootout and especially the slam dunk contest. I will admit that in recent years the slam dunk contest has become just a repeat of the year before and I had somewhat lost interest. But this one was unbelievable. Dwight Howard is the 6'11" 265 pound power foward of the Orlando Magic. This guy put on a show. At 6'11" he's already closer to the rim than most people but his jumping ability puts him in another deminision. His dunks were creative and spectacular. Definitely worth a search of the video if you missed it on Saturday night.

No doubt millions of young boys were watching the events of the weekend and now millions will try to imitate his dunks on their 6 foot goals in the backyard. All of them will want to be Dwight Howard just like my generation wanted to be Dr. J 25 years ago.

Athletes have become the heroes of our day. We have made them such by the ridiculous salaries we pay them to play games. Jason Kidd has been rumored to be coming to the Dallas Mavericks in a trade. Jason Kidd makes $19 million a year and is scheduled to make $21 million next year. Jason Kidd's salary this year would fund the entire budget of my church for over 5 years! That includes all of the expenses we incure including supporting missionaries, paying the salaries of over 100 people, building costs, ministry budgets, helping people in need and dozens of other things. Don't get me wrong I'm all for Jason Kidd making however much money he can. If that is what he can demand for his services, more power to him. That is the power of Capitalism in action.

But the thing that bothers me is that we have created a culture in which our young people look to these high paid athletes to find their heroes. Most athletes make pretty good role models. For every athlete that gets arrested for bad conduct there are a dozen who give of themselves to help people in the community and present themselves in a honorble way. But we need to point our kids to the real heroes. Men like Justin Monschke who lost his life fighting for his country in Iraq in October 2007. Or men like Shane Kizer, a Denton Police officer pictured in the Denton Record Chronicle comforting a young boy whose father had kidnapped him and brought him to Denton.

These men and women are the real heroes our young people need to want to be like. They don't make millions of dollars like the athletes, they don't play in front of millions of fans and get mobbed every time they go out in public. Instead they make our world a safer and better place to live in. Let's point out kids to the real heroes of our day!

Six Months to Major Change

2008-02-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

It has just been in the last few weeks that it has hit me. In six months there will be a major change at the Williams household. Sometime in the first couple of weeks of August this year, Ryan Taylor Williams will no longer be a full time resident at the Williams' house. On June 6th of this year Ryan will graduate from Billy Ryan High School and in August he will be off to college, hopefully at Texas A&M University. Now I know that millions of fathers have done this before me and most if not all have survived. But yours truely has never done this!

A couple of weeks ago Tami and I were lying in bed talking and I said to her, you know that in seven months he's going to be gone. She said what? I said you know that in seven months Ryan will be gone! She said, "I don't want to talk about it." So we didn't! Needless to say Tami and I are not looking forward with great anticipation to that day. But while we are not looking forward to it we are quite proud of the transition that will take place.

Like all of you who are parents, I still remember the day Ryan was born at Baylor hospital in Dallas, Texas. What a great place to be born! I remember how proud I was to go out and tell all our family that I had a son. He was born on Wednesday and that Sunday we watched our first Dallas Cowboys football game together, I don't remember if the Cowboys won or not but I do remember Ryan wore his Cowboys socks! From that day to this one Ryan has been nothing but a blessing to Tami and me.

I remember when Ryan and Alyssa were young, worrying that they might turn out to be "typical Preacher's kids." You know the type, rebellious, hating church because their Dad's work too much and don't pay enough attention to them. Many of them drop out of church the moment they leave home and don't return for years. I had seen examples of that and I was determined not to let that happen with my children. Preachers' kids have it tough, and anyone who is not one has no idea the pressures and expectations put on them. Having said that I am so thankful for First Baptist Church in Pleasanton and especially for over 10 years now First Baptist Church Denton that my children love their church. Never once have I had to tell my children "you are going to church" they have always wanted to, even sometimes when I didn't want to go! In fact when I'm on vacation and we are in town, Tami and I want to visit other churches, but not my kids they want to go to "Their Church." Wow! I couldn't have asked for more than that!

Its' because of the churches that God has privileged me to pastor that Ryan will leave home this August with the strong spiritual foundation he will. It's my prayer he will continue to build upon that foundation for the next four years in college and I firmly believe he will.

Ryan is the finest young man I know. He is intelligent, good-looking, he has a caring heart and a great sense of where he is heading in life. Right now I don't want to think about the change coming this August but I couldn't be more proud and thankful for the Godly young man he has become. We are in for some major change with him leaving home. Those of you who have sent your kids to college know what I'm talking about. We will make the change just like we have others in the past, but I'll be honest with you, I'm really not looking forward to it!

THE AGONY OF DEFEAT

2008-01-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

I can remember growing up watching ABC's Wide World of Sports. At the beginning of the show they played the same intro every week. It talked about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Every time when they said the agony of defeat we saw this ski jumper crashing spectaculary at the end of the ramp. That man was a Slovene ski jumper named Vinko Bogataj. It was during the 1970 World Flying Championship that on his third attempt he felt he was going too fast and tried to slow down but fell and you know the rest. Interestingly enough he only suffered a concussion in the fall.

Last Sunday afternoon those of us who are Dallas Cowboy fans suffered the agony of defeat. With a 13-3 record, the best ever by America's Team, our beloved boys went down to the hated New York Giants and for the second year in a row lost their first playoff game. For me it was the culmination of two years of frustration with my favorite football teams. Two years in a row now my son's team, the Ryan Raiders, have lost in the first round of the playoffs and now the Cowboys have done the same. We won't even mention the Baylor Bears and what they have done the last two years!

A funny thing happened last Monday morning after we all experienced the agony of defeat . . . . the sun came up! That's right, just when we thought the world had come to an end, the sun still came up! It was amazing! I can confirm it first hand I was outside jogging when it happened! The same thing happened on Saturday November 17, 2007 the day after the Ryan Raiders lost in my son's final high school football game! Again I was amazed to see it happen, although not first hand that day!

The older I get the more I come to realize what is really important in life. I still love football. I loved playing it in high school, I love watching it as an adult and for the past four years or so I have loved being invovled with the athletes at Ryan High School, their head coach Joey Florence and especially my son Ryan. But I've come to realize that football teams come and go, championships last for only one year and then we move on. What I have come to realize is that people are what's most imporant in life. Even though the Cowboys lost, my family was still there, my friends were still there and they are worth more than all the championships in the world.

And after all the agony of defeat is not so bad because there's always next year! Go Cowboys!

Peace in the Middle East

2008-01-11T09:13:00.001-08:00

You might not have noticed that President George Bush has been in Israel this week. With the 2008 presidential primaries underway Hillary and Obama, Rudy and McCain, and Huckabee and Romney and all the rest are grabbing most of the headlines. But if you are a keen observer you have heard about the President being in the other holy land (Baylor being the Texas holy land!)

On the front page of the Dallas Morning News today is a picture of President Bush shaking hands with Greek Orthodox clergymen during a visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on Thursday of this week. (I'm going to try and put the picture on here but remember I'm way behind technolotically so I may not get it done!) If you have been to that church as I have you recognize the scene in the background of that picture and you recognize the clergymen and their dress. Each time I have been there I have seen both. When you go to that church you have to go down under where they are standing in the picture to see the traditional site of the birth of Jesus. If you would like to go I'm planning a trip for 2010 so start saving your money now!

President Bush has stated that he wants to have a peace agreement between the Israelies and the Palestenians before his term in office is complete. Of course that means he has about 12 months to get it done. Mark Davis was commenting on this on WBAP radio this morning. He says that any "peace agreement" is meaningless. Just like the one that President Clinton brokered during his days in office and like the one Jimmy Carter got done during his. Davis says until the militant Palestinians are defeated there will be no peace in Israel.

The conflict that we have all observed in the Middle East for decades has been going on for much longer than any of us have been here on this earth. What President Bush and Mark Davis and all the rest need to understand is that conflict began in the womb of a woman named Rebekah thousands of years ago. Two boys, Jacob and Esau fought in the womb and their descendants are still fighting today!

The Bible talks about a time when the antichrist will come and bring peace to the entire world. Peace between Isralies and Palestinians and all the rest. Unfortunately that peace will be relatively short and will be followed by the worst tribulationt he world has ever known. Until that time we may see peace agreements signed by leaders but we will probably not see the "peace in the Middle East" President Bush and others are looking for.

In the meantime we need to make sure we are on the right side. The United States for decades has been on the "right side." Israel has been our friend and ally. While we act as peace makers in the years to come we better make sure we stay on the "right side!"

Let me hear you opinion!

Cowboys 35 Giants 21

Go Cowboys!

First Time Blogger

2008-01-07T14:55:00.000-08:00

Today I come into the age of blogging. My family accuses me of being way behind when it comes to technology. I know enough about computers to do what I need to do in preparing sermons or e-mailing but not much more. I don't have an ipod and they think I know nothing about their's. My cell phone is way out of date but I can make phone calls and answer them. And as of about a month ago I now do text messages as well. I really don't know why they think I'm so far behind!! Today I'm making another step forward by creating my own blog, which by the way except for a little help from my administrative assistant, I did all on my own! So take that family!

I'm going to ease into this blogging thing. At this point I'm not sure what I will put in my blogs or how often I will do so, but I'm sure as with most other things in my life it will evolve over time. I plan to talk some about my family, certainly a lot about my church. I'm certain I will even deal with some things like politics from time to time especially with the presidential race in 2008. While I would not share my political feelings from the pulpit or in the church newsletter or even on our website, this blog is my own and I will share things that I would not share in my role as pastor of First Baptist Church Denton. I'm sure I will talk about sports and my other passions and anything else that hits me on a particular day.

So if you are a seasoned blogger, be patient with me while I figure this thing out and hopefully surprise my family in the process.

I'll be watching the national championship game tonight. Denton's own Hermon Johnson all 6'7" and 356 pounds of him will be playing for LSU. I don't really care who wins tonight but I'm predicting LSU 24 Ohio State 17 While I watch I'll be dreaming of the day when Baylor plays for the national championship! What a dream!