Britton Christian Church

Hi Everyone,

In Israel there are two main bodies of water. In the north of the country there is the Sea of Galilee and in the south there is the Dead Sea. God has given us one of His most powerful lessons without ever uttering a word…if we will only pay attention to these two bodies of water.

The Sea of Galilee is blessed with the waters that flow from Mount Hermon and the surrounding area. As a result, the Sea of Galilee is full of fish and surrounded by lush vegetation of every kind. All kinds of wildlife come down to the water to quench their thirst.

You have all heard of the Jordan River. Well, up until a few years ago, the Jordan River carried water from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea in the south. Because of the water needs of the nation a dam was built to stop the outflow of the water.

In the south there are wadis, low places between the hills, that carry rainwater into the Dead Sea, but the Dead Sea doesn’t “give” its water to any river or stream. All of the water that flows into the Dead Sea is “held” onto. As a result, the Sea is dead. There is no life that can live in its waters. The salt content is so high that you can’t sail a boat on its waters without the hull being eaten up by the minerals. Our guide told us that you can’t swim very long in the waters of the Dead Sea or it will eat your swimming suit right off of you. I don’t know if he was telling us the truth or not, but none of us tested his theory.

What a great lesson for us is found in these two bodies of water. When God chose Abram, He told him, 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2 NIV) Did you catch that? God was going to bless Abram so that he might be a blessing to others.

In the New Testament, Jesus said, 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38 NIV) Give, give freely, give laviously, and without thought of what you will miss, and God will give to you. When others disappoint you and fail you, give forgiveness with the same measure that you would like for God to forgive you. When others are in need come to their assistance without thinking about the time you will have to give up and then watch how God provides for you when your time of need comes around.

There are great lessons to be learned from God’s creation. We had the opportunity to swim in the waters of both bodies of water. I could stay in the Sea of Galilee all day long. It’s waters are refreshing and relaxing. I stayed in the Dead Sea for about 15 minutes before I had to get out. The waters of the Dead Sea are like the people I know who are selfish and self-serving…they are hard to be around.

Hi Everyone,

You cannot imagine the beauty of the Promised Land. I might need to qualify that statement. If you go south of Jerusalem you will run into a harsh desert. It is rocky, barren, and immense. Our guide told us that the whole land use to look like the region south of Jerusalem. The famous writer, Mark Twain, once visited Israel. In his book, Innocents Abroad, written in 1867, he wrote about the region around the Sea of Galilee with these words.

“… A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds… a silent mournful expanse…. a desolation…. we never saw a human being on the whole route…. hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”

If Mark Twain were to visit Israel today, 140 years later, he would be shocked. The land is blossoming at every turn. The Israelis have planted 300 million trees in the past 60 years. Water is at a premium in Israel because not much rain falls, but the Israelis have developed “drip irrigation” methods of watering their crops and vegetation. The farmers of Israel produce more than 3 million tons of fruit and vegetables each year.
God had told His people long ago not to cut down the trees of the land. Deuteronomy 20:19 says,

19 When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees of the field people, that you should besiege them? (Deuteronomy 20:19 NIV)

Through years of battles, being invaded by enemy armies, and neglect the “land flowing with milk and honey” was turned into a desert. God reminded His people in Isaiah 35 that it would not always be this way, God would restore what had been destroyed. Isaiah writes,

1The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah 35:1-2 NIV)

As we traveled throughout the Promised Land we were able to see evidence of God’s faithfulness right before our eyes. The beauty and splendor of the fields, the rich colors of the flowers, and the millions of trees speak to the faithfulness of our God!

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,

I took this picture while I was at Petra. It was hot, sooo hot, and there were camels everywhere giving people rides out of the canyon. I was so thirsty that I bet I drank 5 galloons of water on the trip. I was watching some of our people get on board a camel when one of them pulled a water bottle out and proceeded to try and give one of the camels a drink. She didn’t need to try very hard. The camel snatched the water bottle from her hand and…well, you can see the results. The whole incident reminded me of a story.

I heard a story one time about a young guy who wanted to know Jesus in an intimate way. He had gone to church for years, but never really felt “close” to the Lord. He listened to others talk about the strength they gained from their “walk” with the Lord and he wondered why they seemed to be able to talk about Jesus like He was their best friend instead of a stained-glass saint? The young man heard about an old guy who lived down by the river who was a spiritual giant. Many people around the city had met with the old man and all had come away blown away by his insight from God’s Word. The young man decided that he would go and visit the man.

The young man followed the directions to the man’s house down by the river. When he arrived he saw what looked more like an old shed instead of a house. He knocked on the door and the old man answered. He had long gray hair and a big smile. The young man introduced himself and asked if he could talk to him about Jesus. The man swung his arm wide and said, “Come on in.” They talked for a few minutes and then the young man said, “I want to know Jesus as my best friend, but I don’t know what to do?” The old man smiled and said, “Follow me.”

They walked out the front door of the man’s house and down to the river. The old man walked straight into the river…fully clothed. He turned around and the young man was still on the bank of the river. He said, “Come on in. Come on. Come on.” The young man, hesitatingly stepped into the river and approached the old man. He walked within an arms reach of the old man when the old man said, “Do you really want to know Jesus?” The kid said, “I do.” The old man grabbed him with both hands and plunged his head under water. He held him until the young man began to struggle to come up for air, but he couldn’t. Age is deceiving–the old man was Samson strong. Finally, while the kid was fighting like crazy to come up the old man released him. Gasping for air he yelled, “What are you doing?” The old man said, “You told me you wanted to know Jesus–to really know Jesus.” The kid yelled, gasping for air, “What does that have to do with you nearly drowning me?” The man said, “How bad did you want a breath of air while I was holding you under the water?” The kid said, “More than anything. I thought I was going to drown.” The old man said, “When you want to know Jesus like you wanted that breath of air, only then will you know Jesus as your best friend.” He turned around, walked out of the river, and went home, leaving the kid standing in the river.

How bad do you want to know Jesus? I’m not talking about a Sunday morning kind of faith. I’m talking about really knowing Jesus, walking with Him, consulting Him about everything, crying on His shoulder when life is tough, thanking Him for everything that comes your way. How thirsty are you for that kind of relationship with the Savior?

Hi Everyone,

It was so good to be back in church with you today. It was an amazing two weeks in Israel, but Dorothy is right, “There is no place like home.”

I had a tough time posting to the webpage the last few days that we were in Israel because they wanted an arm and a leg to buy internet time. I’m just too much of a tightwad I guess. The last few days in Israel were amazing as we visited Jericho, Masada, En Gedi, and our last stop of the trip was into Jordan to see Petra. Two of those places, Jericho and En Gedi, were spots that I didn’t get to visit two years ago when I was in Israel, but they were spots I had a great desire to visit.

Jericho is a Palestinian/Moslem city under the Palestinian Authority. There are no Jews or Christians living in the city and there is a fence surrounding the city with Israeli police guarding it. Jericho is located in the West Bank. I had a great desire to teach Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan there because of the current situation going on with the Israelis and Palestinians. There are deep feelings between those two groups, but no worse than the feelings that were present in Jesus’ day between the Samaritans and the Jews.

In Luke 10, an “expert in the Law” tried to trap Jesus by asking Him, “Who is my neighbor?” The Jewish teacher knew who his neighbor was from Leviticus 19, but he didn’t want to “love his neighbor as he loved himself.” When he asked Jesus the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus told him a story about a man who was beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the road to Jericho. Two men, a priest and a Levite came by the man, but they passed him by. Then another man passed by on the road and saw the man who had been beaten and left for dead. This man was a Samaritan, a hated Samaritan. He stopped, bandaged up his wounds, and put him on his own donkey before he took him to an inn and paid for him to be cared for. Jesus asked, “Who was the neighbor?” The man said, “The one who showed mercy.” He couldn’t even say “Samaritan.”

It was a blessing for me to teach the parable and to address some of the problems that people have with other people. I told those present that some black folks are taught not to trust white folks, white folks are taught not to trust black folks, and the list goes on. The divisions that we face in our own society are not just racial, they are economic, educational, political, and religious as well. We convince ourselves that others are not “worthy” or our time. We convince ourselves that others are out of the reach of the gracious grasp of our King. We build fences like the one around Jericho to keep people at arms distance from us, but Jesus came to tear down walls and fences.

As we were leaving Jericho that day one of the young men with me said, “I don’t know about all of the politics of this place.” I said, “Jesus’ story isn’t about politics, it is about people.” We need to let the politicians deal with the politics so that we can focus our energy on loving people–all people.

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,

Today was our last day in Jerusalem. I remember the day that we arrived, four days ago, when we were all so excited and full of great anticipation about what we would see and experience during our time here in the Holy City. I think I can say with no hesitation–none of us has been disappointed! From spending time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane to visiting the Garden Tomb, from walking through the City of David to driving through the Kidron Valley, from standing on the Temple Mount and thinking about the magnificent Temple Herod built to walking through Yad Vashem and thinking about the countless Jewish lives that were destroyed in the Holocaust–this has been such a moving journey. Oh, I almost forgot about seeing the Hebrew McDonald’s…go figure.

Today, we began our day by going to the ancient City of David. More than 3,000 years ago David and his men conquered the Canaanite city of Jebus and made it the capital city of the united tribes of Israel. The excavations that are taking place in the City of David are so exciting. There are problems that the Israeli’s are having to deal with since they don’t own all of the land that they really need to continue to dig. They could buy the land but the owners will not sell.

After we went through the City of David we went through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. I think everyone who went through the ancient water channel used to bring water into the city walls was amazed and thrilled that they made the journey. It is truly remarkable to think that Hezekiah’s men tunneled through that rocky mountain so that they could bring water into the city–a brilliant move so that Israel’s enemies couldn’t cut off their water during times of war.

At the end of Hezekiah’s Tunnel is a pool, the Pool of Siloam. This was the location of the great story of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind. You can read about the story in John 9. The man, who was born blind, was the topic of discussion for Jesus’ disciples one day. They wanted to know who sinned to cause the man to be born blind–was his mom and dad or was it his sin that caused him to be blind? Jesus said, “Neither. This has happened so that the power of God might be displayed in his life.” Jesus went beyond talking about the man’s ailment, Jesus made a mixture of spit and dirt and put it on the man’s eyes. Then he told the man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam, the very place where we were standing today. What a blessing!

After our visit to the Pool of Siloam we went to visit the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is the place where both Solomon’s Temple and Herod’s Temple stood for many years, Herod’s Temple until it was destroyed in 70 A.D. There has been no Temple for the Jewish people since that time. The Moslems have control of the Temple Mount now and they have two mosques which set on top of the Temple Mount. I’m sure you have seen the golden dome mosque, the Dome of the Rock, on television before.

The Temple Mount is a strange place. Israeli police have authority and we were checked by Israeli security before we were ever given permission to enter the Temple Mount. Yet, the Moslems have the power over what can and cannot take place on the Temple Mount. We were told that we could not take our Bibles up on the Mount, nor could we pray. We did see some folks who were turned away from entering because they had a Hebrew Bible with them.

We have been so blessed to be in Jerusalem at this time. We’ve been able to see the original scroll of Isaiah in the Shrine of the Book. It has not been on display for the past forty years! We are here during the celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday and the time of their celebration for the 40th year since the reunification of Jerusalem, since the war of 1967. This is a historic time and we are here.

Hi Everyone,
I know you are probably thinking, “Mike says the same thing every day.” You are right! Each day is amazing! We are seeing sights and gaining understanding into God’s Word that is mind-boggling. Let me tell you what we’ve done today.

We began our day in the Old City. We had the great opportunity to take a tour under the Western Wall. When they show the Western Wall on television it is always a small place, about 30 yards long where you see the Jews praying. Originally, Herod’s wall was 180 feet tall and 1500 feet long on the western side. We were able to go on a special tour of the excavations taking place underground, under the Moslem Quarter in the Old City. This was such an amazing opportunity for us because the Israeli authorities are taking reservations three months in advance for these tours. When we got down underground we saw stones that were cut by King Herod the Great’s workers that were unbelievably big. There is only one crane in Israel today which can lift these huge stones. It was such a blessing for us to see what has been done and what is taking place even now as the excavations continue. I can tell you this–King Herod had some crazy building skills!

From the Western Wall we went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum here in Jerusalem. I had been here two years ago, but I have to tell you that I was worn out by the time we finished our two hour tour. There are many video screens with survivors of the Holocaust telling their story. When you realize that they were little kids when they watched their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, taken away from them–it is almost too much to drink in.

We left the Holocaust Museum and made our way to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in the world. For some time now not too many tourists venture into Bethlehem since it is in the West Bank. I had heard that most Christian tours of the Holy Land leave Bethlehem out of the program, but I wanted our people to see the area where Jesus was born. I also wanted our people to see the Church of the Nativity.

Helena, Emperor Constantine’s mother, had the church built about 400 A.D. There is a large mosaic tile floor that is the original floor laid more than 1600 years ago. The Church is really interesting because today there are Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian monasteries that are housed right next to the church.

While we were in the Church of the Nativity we were given the opportunity to go down underneath the church and visit the cave where Jerome translated the Hebrew and Greek Bibles into Latin. Jerome also wrote many commentaries on the books of the Bible and was a powerful apologist for the faith. Needless to say, it was a huge day for the BCC crew!

Tomorrow is going to be so full we are going to have to begin our day early once again. We are scheduled to go to Caiaphas’ House, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and even more. I had better get a good nights rest.

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,

It’s almost 6 am here in Jerusalem and almost 10 pm where you are, if you are in Ok City. We had a truly remarkable experience yesterday that stayed with me during the night. I hate that I didn’t get much sleep, but middle of the night worship going on in my mind was something amazing! Yesterday afternoon we went to the Pool of Bethesda where, for many years, “the lame, blind, and paralyzed,” would gather by the pool. Basically, those with no hope in society congregated at the side of the pool to spend their days. They gathered there because many believed that the angel of the Lord would stir the waters and when that happened the first one in the water would be healed.

John 5 tells us that there was a particular man there one day who had been sitting beside the pool for 38 years. 38 YEARS! As we sat by the ancient pool I read the Scripture to our group and asked them, “Do you really think that after 38 years the man had any hope of being healed? Do you think he woke up that morning and said, ‘Today is the day! I can feel it in my bones!!’” I don’t think so. I think he had given up all hope, but that he continued to go to the Pool of Bethesda each day because that was his routine, those were his friends, and that was his social network.

Well, on this particular day Jesus showed up at the Pool and healed the man. The man didn’t go looking for Jesus–Jesus came looking for him. When Jesus showed up at the pool the man didn’t say, “Jesus, Son of God, please me!” Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” Jesus came looking for the man in need and He met his need.

What a great lesson for us. I told our group sitting by the Pool of Bethesday, “We all are needy people. We can’t fix our situations any more than the man could get himself into the water. We can trust the Lord to meet us at our point of need and lead us through.” What a blessing it is to be able to study God’s Word right in the place where these events took place.

We got up from our Bible study time and walked about 20 yards to one of the most amazing churches in the world. Not amazing because of it’s architecture or beauty, but because of its acoustics. In The Church of St. Anne there is no teaching or talking allowed–only singing. When we walked in there was a group of believers from Slovakia already singing. Actually it was one man, Jozef, I later found out. Jozef was singing “Ave Maria” and it sounded like Pavoratti! He sang about 3 stanzas of the song and all of us were moved to tears. The tone and reverb in the ancient limestone church was absolutely amazing. I’ve posted a picture of Jozef and Pat Trompeter, our own Pavoratti, for you to see.

After the Slovakians finished singing the BCC crew took their place in the pews and we sang like you’ve never heard singing before. There were people in our group who actually came up to me after we finished and said, “You sounded good.” You know that those must be some amazing acoustics to pull that off!

Seriously, it was such a moving moment for us to lift our voices together and sing, “Amazing Grace,” “I Love The Lord,” and “He is Lord!” I wish you could have all been there.

Hi Everyone,

We arrived in Jerusalem yesterday afternoon. We went to Mount Scopus, overlooking the city, and then to the Garden of Gethsemane. What an amazing way to enter into the Holy City! While we were in the Garden we looked out over the Kidron Valley where Jesus walked with His disciples after they shared the last supper together. They sang a hymn on their way across the Valley and to the Garden. I read from God’s Word to those who are with us. In Luke 22 we read where Jesus “as usual” went to the Garden. The Garden and the Mount of Olives were places where Jesus was able to retreat, to get away from the crowds and the pressures of life, and spend time with the Father. On the night in which Jesus was betrayed, the Garden became a place of agony as Jesus prayed and drops of blood poured from His forehead.

Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.” What a blessing it was for us to realize that for our own lives, when we go through agonizing trials and heartbreaking experiences, there is a place where we can go to find peace and to experience the presence of God.

Shalom!
We spent our second day traveling throughout the Holy Land today. Before the day began I woke up and spent time reading God’s Word on the Sea of Galilee. How about this shot! How would you like to wake up to a scene like this every day?

After breakfast we took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to the Museum of the Ancient Boat. You can see Doug and Kathy Hall standing at the entrance to the museum in the picture I’ve posted. There is a marvelous fishing boat from the first century that has been found and preserved in the museum. It’s probably not one of the boats that Jesus sailed in, although it could be, but at the very least it is similar to those used by Jesus and the disciples. I had been to the museum when I was in Israel two years ago and everything was pretty much the same, except for the fact that the man who discovered the boat submerged in the mud was at the exhibit answering questions and taking pictures with folks. It was really awesome!!

After we left the museum we headed to the far north of Israel, to the area where the tribe of Dan migrated from the coast. The excavations that have taken place in Tel Dan are really remarkable. We were able to see Canaanite gates that archeologists have unearthed from the time of Abraham. You can see Nick and Peggy Duncan standing in front of these ancient city gates in the picture I’ve posted.

I was so blessed to have the opportunity to teach from God’s Word about the life of Jeroboam. It is one of the saddest stories in all of the Bible, but it has great application and relevance for us living today.

Jeroboam was a humble, faithful servant of King Solomon. He was not “in line” to be King, he had no aspirations to be King, he was just doing his job when God sent the prophet to let him know that he would be the first king of the northern kingdom. God would rip the kingdom from Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, because of the waywardness of the hearts of the people. When the “United Kingdom” split in two, Jeroboam was the first king of the northern kingdom. God promised him that He would give him an enduring kingdom like He had given David, if Jeroboam was simply follow God’s statutes and commands. You can read the story in 1 Kings 11-14.

Jeroboam began to think for himself, consult his advisers, and came to the conclusion that if his people traveled all the way to Jerusalem to visit the Temple they may never travel that long 100 mile journey back to the north so he built two alternative worship centers, came up with his own priests who were not Levites, and built two golden calves, one for the worship center in Dan and one for Bethel in the southern part of the northern kingdom. Needless to say, God didn’t order Jeroboam to do these things. As a result of Jeroboam’s disobedience he has been largely forgotten rather than having an enduring Kingdom like King David. I urged our folks not to forget the lesson of King Jeroboam. We must be faithful to God. The trials that we face are real just like the possibility Jeroboam faced of losing his citizens, but we must not compromise–we can trust Him.

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,
It was a full day today as we spent time in Caesarea, Megiddo, and Mt. Carmel where Elijah took on the false prophets of Baal. I’ve included a picture of Elijah’s statue on top of Mt. Carmel, Paul and Emma Trimble in front of the amphitheatre in Caesarea, and Robert Bradford standing in the entry way to the amphitheatre. I’d share more but I’m bushed.

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,
We’ve been planning, praying, and preparing for the journey of a lifetime for almost one year now. It is hard to believe that in just four more days we will be on the plane and heading to the Holy Land. I can remember having lunch with Dr. Norman Neaves last summer and sharing our stories of our visit to Israel when he asked me, “Have you ever thought of taking a group yourself?” I said, “Not really. Our church is small and going to Israel is expensive–I don’t think we could get enough people to make the trip.” Dr. Neaves said, “You’d be surprised. You should give it a try.” I never dreamed that 47 people would come forward and make the commitment to spend twelve days in Israel together.

We will leave Oklahoma City early Monday morning and hit the ground Tuesday in Tel Aviv. From there we will spend three nights on the Sea of Galilee and visit sites like Caesarea, the first Gentile convert was baptized, Mt. Carmel, where Elijah had the showdown with the false prophets of Baal, Capernaum, where Jesus performed the majority of His miracles, spend time baptizing folks in the Jordan River, and much more. Then we will head to the Holy City of Jerusalem where we will spend time in the Garden of Gethsemane, walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, visit the City of David, pray at the Western Wall, visit the Temple Mount, and much more. When we leave Jersualem we will head south to Masada, the Dead Sea, visit En Gedi where David was on the run from Saul, and go to Jordan where we will visit Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is going to be an amazing trip–truly the Journey of a Lifetime!

I want to ask all of you who read this blog to keep us in your prayers. I have been praying, for all of those who will travel with me, that this will be more than a vacation or sight-seeing tour, but that the Lord will transform our hearts while we are walking where Jesus walked. I will have seven opportunities to teach from God’s Word at various sights and it is my prayer that these lessons from God’s Word will minister to our people in a powerful way so that they will never read God’s Word the same way again.

Thanks for your prayers, and for all of you who have signed-up to make the trip with me, I hope that you are half as excited as I am to be going to the Holy Land. During the next few days before we leave I want to encourage you to check out the postings under the heading, “BCC Trip to Israel.” It will get you pumped.

In His Steps,
Mike

Hi Everyone,
There is a special group of guys who make our occasional BCC breakfast get-togethers super special! Just last Sunday we had a special event to honor our 2008 Graduates and Teachers and once again the “PK Breakfast Crew” worked their magic. Thanks guys for all of your hard work in whipping up the best breakfast in town!

In His Steps,
Mike

It was an amazing morning at BCC! We want to congratulate all of those who are part of the Class of 2008!

Today is “Mother’s Day” and there is such a need today to highlight the indispensable role of mothers in the lives of children. In the past few decades there has been a radical shift in how women and men view the role and importance of mothers. There was a day when society greatly valued the role of motherhood. Women were praised for the sacrifices they made in order that they could invest their hearts and lives into molding and shaping their children. Men appreciated the time and energy that their wives spent in doing things that were often unappreciated by their children. That day has largely passed.

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Today, we are moving into a new section of our study of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. Paul is going to share with us some of the best news you will ever hear in your life.

During the past few months, as we have been studying Romans, we have learned some things about ourselves that have been difficult to hear. In Romans 1:18-3:20, we learned that all of humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike, have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. As a result of this we are under the power of sin. Sin separates us from God. Sin is the immovable object in the lives of those who are not in a right relationship with God. Our problem is not only that we sin, but that we are sinners, it is in our very nature to go our own way rather than to seek after God’s ways. Sin is the black hole that draws us like a magnet and we have no power, in and of ourselves, to escape its pull. Those are tough things to hear because we like to believe the best about ourselves. We like to believe that we are basically “good” people at heart. Paul has taught us that our hearts are corrupt, they are dark, and there is absolutely nothing that we can do for ourselves to remedy this horrible reality.

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Hi Everyone,
Last week some of our elementary school kids had the awesome opportunity to go to the Oklahoma State Firefighter’s Museum here in Oklahoma City. The kids had a blast! I want to thank our Children’s Minister, Dana Stevenson, and our Children’s Nursery Coordinator, Kelly Sullins, for coming up with some of the coolest experiences for our kids.

Taking a look at the pictures that were sent to me from this past weekend sparked a thought. I’m convinced that we have the most awesome Children’s Ministry in all of OKC. Dana and Kelly, and all of their many volunteers, pour their lives into so many kids each week. They take the time to come up with awesome Bible studies to teach our children about God’s glorious love and His plan for their lives. They take our children to summer camp at Shiloh Summer Camp where they make memories that will last a lifetime. They’ve planned a week’s worth of off-the-charts fun at Vacation Bible School (did you know this summer’s theme is “God’s Big Back Yard!”) I sho nuf like that! They host “Family Fun Day” for our kids and their parents throughout the year. I am so appreciative of Dana and Kelly and their many volunteers who love on our kids in such a powerful way. You are a blessing!!

I hope that if you have an elementary aged child who is not involved in our Children’s Ministry that you will give Dana Stevenson a call at Britton Christian Church and find out how you can get involved in our summer activities. If you have kids who are involved then I hope you will take the time to make a phone call, give a hug, send a note, or find some way to let Dana and Kelly know how they are blessing you and your children.

Also, if you are looking for a great place to make a difference in someone’s life then volunteering in our Children’s Ministry might be a great fit for you. We have many opportunities to get involved on a weekly basis or in a one-time event like Vacation Bible School.

In His Steps,
Mike

Last week we began our study of Romans 4:13-25 by taking a look at Abraham and Sarah’s journey of faith in the promises of God. I hope you were able to be with us as we walked with Abraham and Sarah through years of trusting God. I shared their story so that we might gain a better understanding of faith. Faith is not what’s comfortable, faith is not some kind of Pollyanna, pie-in-the-sky-easy-believism, and faith is not simply trusting in the evidence before us. Faith is taking God at His Word. Abraham took God at His Word. Even though, when he left his homeland, Abraham didn’t see the land that God had promised, Abraham took God at His Word. Even though Abraham didn’t have any children when God promised him that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars of the sky, Abraham took God at His Word. Even though Abraham had waited 25 years for the child God promised, Abraham took God at His Word.

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As we’ve worked our way through Romans 4 we’ve learned some incredible lessons about the bedrock of the Christian faith: salvation is by grace through faith. God offers His grace and faith receives God’s precious gift. Paul has shown us that salvation does not come by any other means. We might like to think that we can devise our own personalized ways to make things right with God, but God’s Word teaches us that there is only one way to be made right with God. Salvation comes by grace alone and it is received through faith alone.

We have this problem that gets in our way. The problem is that we want to take what works in our relationships with others and overlay that grid over our relationship with God. Hey, if it works with people then surely it will work with God, right? Wrong. Let me give you an example. Paul has taught us, back in the beginning of Romans 4 that salvation could never be achieved through “works.” That is a tough pill for us to swallow because “work” oftentimes works in repairing our relationships doesn’t it? Back in 1980 those famous Motor City theologians, The Spinners, had a #1 hit called, “Working My Way Back To You.” The song must have struck a cord with people because almost thirty years later we are still singing their song. One stanza goes like this:
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