By Ronald Long
This week after the football game we’ll be having a Fifth Quarter here at the FBC Fellowship Hall. Bring your friends to have a good time of hanging out, eating food, and playing games! Stick around until 10:30 pm for some drawings. We’ll open the doors at 9:00 pm and wrap up right at 10:45 pm so everyone can get home in time for curfew.
Invite your friends and I’ll see you there!
By Ronald Long
To be a Jew in exile and learn that after roughly 100 years of returning groups that there is still no wall around Jerusalem must have been hard news to hear. Perhaps that's why Nehemiah spent so much time in prayer and fasting when he heard.
Why was having a wall such a big deal? Remember that in ancient times, a wall meant a lot more than privacy: it meant protection. To learn that the place of his fathers was still in disrepair and open to attack had to have been a serious blow.
After a time of reflection (roughly four months), Nehemiah had within his heart the desire to go and oversee the rebuilding of this city. Was it because Nehemiah was a caring person? Was it because he was an expert builder? Was it because Nehemiah wanted to be recognized as a great leader? I think Nehemiah tells us why he had this passion: He knew God was faithful to keep His promises. The promise? "...if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name."
For the month of August we're going to be looking at how Nehemiah's actions reflect our own when it comes to waking up and hearing the voice of God in our lives. I hope you'll join us here at FBC on Wednesday nights @ 6 p.m.! See you here.
By Ronald Long
Imputed
What does it mean?
Why does it matter?
How could understanding one word change everything you know about Christianity?
These are the questions we're going to tackle at this year's youth VBS. I can't wait to see you all there! This next week we'll meet Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 6-8pm. Each night we'll be hanging out at a different house. Below is a list of the houses and directions to each.
Each one has a pool which means everyone can bring a swimsuit and swim (girls need a one peice or a dark t-shirt over a two peice). You don't have to swim though, we'll have plenty of other things to do. We'll have Bible study starting at 7:00 pm.
Bring a Bible, a pen, and a FRIEND! I can't wait to see everyone there.
Monday - The Henderson's
600 Hidden Hills
Lexington, TN 38351
Tuesday - The Hollis'
505 Pine Lake Rd
Lexington, TN 38351
Thursday - The Earl's
65 Oak Crest St
Lexington, TN 38351
Friday - The Ulerick's
76 Farmington Cove
Lexington, TN 38351
By Ronald Long
I have really enjoyed getting to know the other youth ministers in this area. Jason and Andy are two really great guys. It's been such a blessing to get to know them and share ministry stories with them.
Jason has the advantage of being a little older than us. He's seen life (even lived overseas and farmed goats!) and had experiences that Andy and I are waiting to have. He's the father of two girls which earns him points in anybody's book. He also wears the double hat of minister or youth and music. He's a great guy who'll tell it like it is to his youth, volunteers, parents, congregation, guy passing by on the street... I've really valued getting to know him and see what his life has taught him.
Andy is the opposite of Jason. He's a little younger than Jason, but has been doing youth minsitry for longer than either of us. He also wears two hats at Sand Ridge: Associate Pastor and Student Pastor. He's been at three different churches which gives him a little more "know how" and experience in dealing with parents and congregations. I've really liked seeing how he's a "get it done" kind of guy when it comes to ministry. He's been chugging along with his students, trying to figure out the best way to minsiter to his group. He, like Jason, has more life experience than me so it's great to hear him talk about where he's been and what he's been up to. He's also well connected when it comes to other youth minsiters and ministers in gerenal.
Me? I get to be in the bottom rung: youngest and least experience. Being on the bottom has it's advantages. You get to learn from the other guys and what they've already been through. It helps to not make their mistakes (or to learn what they did when they made your mistakes) and get through with their advice. Like I said, I've really valued getting to know these two guys and minister with them. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them more!
By Ronald Long
As C.S. Lewis described in his books "The Chronicles of Narnia," the shadowlands were the partial world we live in before eternity.
Today for some reason I feel the difference more than ever between the world in which we live and the longing for the world that is to come. I so desperately wish to be home. Not my house on Britt Rd, not even the place my parents live in Madison. I want to be in Heaven with my maker. I desire to be in His presence. That would mean no more tears, no more pain, and praise God no more sin.
I wish the youth we minister to here would see the difference between the world in which they and I live and the world of promise. I wish homework, sports, girlfriends, boyfriends, popularity, and everything else would be put into its rightful place: somewhere towards the bottom. How little these things will matter in eternity!
God help me and give me the strength to live here in this land until you call me home. God enable me to communicate my dissatisfaction with this life and help it to be understood by the ears it falls on.
I know God has purpose in keeping me here. I understand quite well that I am to fulfill whatever God has for me on this Earth. I hope that I can humbly meet every challenge He allows to come my way. I pray that those around me would understand that this world is not the best God has to offer us.
This is not our home! Praise God.
By Ronald Long
Thank you all for your messages of support. I still can't believe this is all real. I've spent the last 26 hours convincing myself that I am no smarter than God and that He knows what He's doing.
My father passed away yesterday, March 5th at around 6 am. The doctors aren't sure what happened. It may have been a heart attack or a complication with a blood clot, which he was prone to. Mom found him and rushed him to the hospital, but dad had already entered into eternity.
I have been so blessed to share so many wonderful experiences with my dad. We added onto the house, He did Bekah and I's wedding, he preached my ordination, he even helped us put down a tile floor in our house. There was very little dad wouldn't try to build. He even left mom with half a finished bathroom. That was our dad, always working on another project. He loved to work.
The names of all the people my dad had a life changing affect on could never be written down on earthly paper. Through his service to several churches as pastor, the Alabama Baptist Convention as Discipleship Training Director, and two associations as Director of Missions dad touched countless lives, but especially us, his family. We never had to doubt whether our dad loved us. He told us every chance he got.
Heaven has never seemed so real to me. This is what our faith is all about. Dad is done with his earthly life. None of us would have wanted him to begin eternity this soon. I rest in knowing that my dad is more alive right now than he has ever been. My dad, praise our Lord Jesus Christ, can now stand in the presence of his creator. In a way I'm jealous. In a very different way, I miss him so much and would do anything to hear his voice again.
The visitation will be Saturday at Berryhill Funeral Home in Huntsville from 5-8 pm. The funeral will be at FBC Madison in Madison, AL at 2 pm. All who knew him are welcome to come and share your stories of him with us.
Thank you again for your prayers and support. We will need them even more in the upcoming months.
By Ronald Long
So I just got off the phone with James "Mitch" Mitchell. He used to be the chaplain for the Tennessee Volunteer football team. For three years he had that position. Now he calls Raleigh, NC home and is going to do the same job at Duke University.
Some of you may know that he's going to come and talk with us at our Day of Champions this year at FBC. Every year we reach out to the area's athletes and invite them to our church. This is my second year to be a part of this exciting event.
I feel like I've been swamped with March 1st for the last month. I've driven to every Middle School and High School in the county. I've delivered posters and shook hands with secretaries and coaches alike. I even got stuck in the mud trying to find my way back from Bargerton Elementary to Lexington (it's harder than you think!).
At any rate, I can't wait to see God work through this one day. My prayer isn't just that we hear some great stories from Mitch, but also that we'll be changed by them. I pray that some athletes and students come to know the Lord through his example and his walk. I pray that I will be challenged in my own faith.
I also pray that you'll come. I can't wait to see you this Sunday for Day of Champions!
It was a quick blip on the screen this Sunday, but I'm so excited about Disciple Now this year! Preparing for last year's "Define" was one of the most rewarding things I've undertaken here at FBC. Most of our Sunday School and River's Edge teachers would agree that you learn so much by getting ready for a lesson. I certainly benefited by preparing for the weekend! So last year we went through the attributes of God with some help from A.W. Tozer's Knowledge of the Holy, an awesome book I recommend.
This year, we'll be taking a journey through Proverbs and exploring how this book affects our daily lives. I've got two books heading my way: Proverbs (The Crossway Classic Commentary Series) by Bridges and How to Read Proverbs by Longman.
The exciting thing is at this point, I'm not sure where our journey will take us, but I look forward to starting out! Be in prayer as we prepare for another great weekend of exploring God's word and fellowshipping together as the youth of FBC Lexington.
I married one brilliant cookie. For everyone who knows her wild side, sit down and chat with her sometime about tough issues and just wait for the wisdom that's inside her mind.
Over this weekend she had two thoughts I’d like to share with you: As ministers, or small group leaders, or even in your own personal Bible study, how many of us have posed the question: “What does this verse mean to me?” If you read a chapter in Proverbs a day you would have come across this verse:
Proverbs 26: 11 As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
When you ask what this means to you, in the end you are the one who gives this verse meaning. If it doesn't mean anything to you, then the verse isn't useful. That’s not why we read Scripture. We read so that the meaning God has already given to the verse can be applied to our lives. We don’t get to say what a verse means; God through the author of that particular verse has already done that. It is our job to find out what a verse means for us.
Yes, it’s just one word different, but that word makes a huge difference. Practice asking yourself and other what a verse means for you and I believe you will find personal application instead of personal interpretation. Secondly, are there any psychology buffs reading? If so, this chart will look familiar:
This is called Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The basic premise is that a person starts at the bottom, and once those needs are satisfied a person is able to move up the next level. A person who cannot find food and water cannot move up to the next level of safety, and so on. The very top of the pyramid is the chief end of a person, so says Maslow. Not so says the Christian! Once a person self-actualizes (or reaches the top) in reality they should not find comfort, but a haunting dissatisfaction. When we reach the top of the chart, we find how little we actually have, and how great our God is. We should see how desperately we need Him to complete us, and how we can never find wholeness without Him.
I praise God for being such a magnificent God, and for blessing my life with my wonderful bride.
11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
working wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand
and the earth swallowed them.
13 "In your unfailing love you will lead
the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble…
18 The LORD will reign
for ever and ever."
Exodus 15:11-18
By Ronald Long
I've got to be honest: this entire trip to Birmingham, AL with these great students was one of the more tiring things I've done in awhile. The entire weekend had me exhausted. Today has been a day of recuperation and I am thankful for this Sabbath.
I don't really understand why this strong passion in my heart is for teenagers to know and understand God. Sometimes I feel like everything that means youth ministry gets under my skin. The speaker’s jokes, though I know they can be a bridge to some youth in the room, kept me biting my lip over and over again. The band, well I'm beginning to understand an observation from a fellow youth worker: "Have you ever noticed how most of our praise songs are about praising us praising God?"
At any rate, the relationships and ministry our volunteers were able to form with the students on the five hour ride there and the five hour ride back made the whole weekend worth it.
Still, I wonder how beneficial a trip of our own would be for our group. Perhaps since this is the last Student Life tour, we might begin to look into having our own retreat next year. Much prayer is needed on this subject and I would appreciate your prayers for us as we venture forth from here.
By Ronald Long
It feels so great to be back in the groove of things around here. Missing one week for school can really throw a person for a loop! I love getting to talk with the youth on Wednesday nights, it's a great opportunity to just hang out.
Tomorrow we load up our bus and head down to Birmingham, AL for Student Life. Last year was such a blessing, I'm very excited to be taking another group.
Lives can change in the short span of a weekend. Experience God with sucha large group of people is a different experience than what we have here every week. Sometimes the difference is what causes us to take a closer look at our lives. I pray that this weekend these students will take that second look.
I'm so glad to be a part of this ministry. The students here are the best around.
Proverbs 20:18Make plans by seeking advice;
if you wage war, obtain guidance.
When I think about youth ministry, sometimes war is an adequate analogy. Trenches are dug, bomb shells are dropped, and sometimes it feels like the enemy is coming from all sides.
This last week at Southern Seminary was a wonderful experience. I got to sit down with some really awesome guys and just talk youth ministry. We got to plan, to dream, and talk about waging war. We got some good news from others fighting in the trenches too. As it turns out not every youth who ever attended church is dropping as soon as they graduate. In reality, someone who did some really great research found that in the SBC, if a church has a tenured youth minister, conservative beliefs, and a great, age-graded youth program, a youth who is involved in middle and high school will stay involved. That's good news for those of us planning the battles.
Not a chance to celebrate a sound victory yet, however. That means we who minister to youth need to commit to a church, really plan out what we're doing, and constantly check on the youth who are not showing up.
I'm feeling challenged after that class. I feel refreshed. I also feel very fortunate to have such great volunteers and a great church to serve at. Out of the planning room then, and back to the trenches!
