Consecration!

I’m excited about October. I’ve always loved the Autumn season. The change is evident; leaves progress to yellow….orange….red…..brown. They make their way to the ground as the seasons change. I love the feeling in the air and the way in which our behavior is altered – more clothes worn, more coffee sipped, and more thoughts pondered.

Every leaf that hits the ground cycles through a change. Change is good. It creates a platform for the new; that which has not been experienced.

Consecration is like that. It is the dedication to a special purpose or service, usually spiritual. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with that which is sacred or holy.” Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and when consecrated there is usually something that is circumscribed. In other words, “a circle is drawn”. Boundaries are set; boundaries which cannot be crossed. When we consecrate ourselves today, it may mean the simple boundary imposed upon a daily routine. It may be “I will not use a cell phone this week.” I know what you’re thinking – “Now that’s really spiritual!” Well, you would be surprised how much time and allegiance we give to such niceties. Some might consecrate themselves by laying aside a meal or two, but “my phone?”

Others might impose a boundary that creates an atmosphere for a deeper seeking of the Lord – “I will pray for at least 30 minutes a day before I leave my bedroom.” Consecration can take many forms. Remember it’s your personal act of dedication to that which is sacred.

You find your niche in God’s call to consecration in this season of your life. You may not turn yellow to orange to brown and die literally, but you will put to death some flesh in your life and make room for the new!

Join us in consecration this October 10-17th!

What do you give a 27 year old for his birthday?

Our first-born son turned 27 on September 3^rd.  Seems like a long time ago.  I can remember the excitement of weekly child-birth classes, listening to others stories about what to expect, and then finally getting all the uncertainties answered with the final words in wee hours of the morning – “You need to get to the hospital as quickly as you can.”

It was “come on let’s go” when we hung up the phone from Dr. Baker’s council.  We grabbed the pre-packed bag and hit the road.  We arrived at Chowan Hospital and for several hours moved closer to the birth of a son.  After the 4 o’clock hour in the afternoon of that third day of September, we saw Joshua for the first time. 

It seems quite strange that this Labor Day weekend would mean his 27^th. What do you get a son whose 27?  Undergarments, socks, or toiletries?   Guitar strings, a gift card, or a shirt he may not wear?  Joy suggested the perfect gift – a personal visit from his pop.

I searched the net and found the best price on Tuesday morning.  Tuesday afternoon I hit the road and spent the night with our second-born, Abigail Ruth.  We shared a meal at a Jamaican cuisine in the Capital city and, as the sun rose on Wednesday morning, I made haste to Raleigh Durham International.

My plane touched down in the afternoon, I caught a ride with a Seattle pastor, and positioned myself behind Joshua’s desk at his University job site.  Within two minutes of my sitting he rounded the corner. Surprised?  Oh yes!  He showed me several shades of red and smiled bigger than life.

We began a 3-day gift of sharing time with each other.  It came real easy – heart to heart conversations, meals shared, and reflections of all the time that had passed so quickly since that day in ’83.  I even found the courage to say something that I had long-wanted to say, “I’m sorry for the lack of times like this in the early years.” I felt that was needed. He didn’t seem to agree, but I saw it as part of my gift.

Why do we miss the things that are most-important sometime?  Why do we misplace priority? Why do we…..?  Well, I don’t know why, but I know that even when your son is 27 a hike in the mountains is in order.  Talkin’ over a cheeseburger, or taking a walk out on the waterfront pier before our last night’s clock strikes midnight seems to work well too.

The kind of gift that’s wrapped in love is the easiest one to purchase, yet the hardest one for us to give – time that is.  We closed our last night with Josh sitting on the sofa strummin’ his 6-string and singing songs about relationship.

Happy Birthday Josh!  Thanks for the gift.

Build the Bridge!

It's makes the connection from one place to another -  the bridge!  Without the bridge you are not able to move from one place to another; to cross over. I believe that God's desire is that we build a bridge from what we have to offer at Carpenter's Shop Church to the community and the region in which we serve.

July's time of ministry with Bill Moore was a clarion call for me to revisit the efforts of the "glory days" for our church -- the early years of our new century.  From 2001 to 2003 Carpenter's Shop moved with tremendous momentum toward raising up leaders and planting churches.  It was an incredible time in our history and today we see the fruit of that momentum played out in the ministries of Upper Room in Gatesville, El taller del Carpintero in Winton, and Inner Banks in South Mills. 

Last week was an opportunity for me to scroll back in my ministry mind and ask what it was that moved us to that place.  Ultimately, we know the Holy Spirit led us and equipped us to accomplish His design for us.  Has he completed all that He desires?  Certainly not!  Does He still long for us to touch our Jerusalem and beyond with His presence? Absolutely!

Bill Moore challenged me to think about those "divine moments" and desire them deeply again.  I remembered the "bridge events" that we did in those days.  There were times we bagged groceries and delivered them to the cars for customers at local grocery stores. There were times when we changed oil for the widows and the single parent moms.  Put quite simply, we served the people of this town with amazing effect.  In one year, we gave away 13 tractor-trailor loads of produce.  We served!

Dino Rizzo, Pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Lousiana recently wrote a book called "Servolution" which I had the pleasure to read.  "Servolution" is the call to the body of Christ to start a revolution through serving; hence "servolution".  Healing Place has moved from a single campus of a few hundred to multi-campuses with numbers to 10,000.  God has ignited the church through service.  Bill reminded us that it's "service" not "serve us". 

I am calling each of us to revisit the spirit of what we knew in those days of momentum. I am committed to building a bridge from Carpenter's Shop Church to our community and ulitmately to our region.  We can do  it!  We will do it.  Get yourselves ready, we are going to touch our community with the love of God in a fresh and exciting way.  Together, we can build the bridge!

"Red, White, and Blue Jean Day!"

Here we are in 2010 and guess what day the 4th falls on this time?  You're right!  Sunday. This Sunday is July 4th!  I was thinking today about America's celebration and how it's celebrated in the lives of many Americans today.

My mind wandered back to 1974....yep!.....the year that I graduated from Perquimans County High School.  I remembered the Monte Carlo - one of Chevy's hot cars of that era.  I well remember how they capitalized on the summer past time of baseball and the smoke-filled backyards of America's grillers as they stoked up the fire and added some "hot dogs".  And I had to do a search on youtube and it was there - the famous jingle..."Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and Chrevolet!"

In case you forgot, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rYXmWY9HY4 .  It's a catchy tune that grows on ya.! It's a tune that always causes me to think of America.  The 4th will be a time firecrackers and bottle rockets, waving the red, white, and blue, and of course, grilling some "Ball Park" hotdogs (those are my fav).

But what do we do since it's Sunday?  We worship!  Psalms 33:12a says, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD...".  Before you plan your Sunday events for the 4th, make sure that you begin the day with worship -- declare the Lord's worth!   Join us for "Red, White, and Blue Jean Day" at CSC.  Put your jeans on, find a red shirt or a white one and join us for an awesome time of praise and worship and the Word of God  at CSC at 9:00 AM!

You'll be on your way in no time to the festivities that you plan for the day.  Jesus said, "Seek first, the kingdom of God..." in Matthew 6:33.  Let's do it!  Plan your 4th with the Lord and join us in the main sanctuary for some musical fireworks with Pastor Brandon Crawford and the team.  Then, hear the message of the week as I bring "Stressed or Blessed" series to a close - "God's Answer to Fearing the Future" .  Share this special service with your friends and invite someone to celebrate the 4th with you. 

Worship at CSC, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, Baseball in the yard, and some Fireworks -- sounds like a great 4th to me!

"I lift my hands in the sanctuary..."

June is here!  Seems like just days ago, we were saying January is here!  Time flies by so swiftly.  I'm reminded of the admonition from Paul in Ephesians 5:16...."redeem the time, because the days are evil." We must make the most of each day we are afforded. We each have the same -- 86,400 seconds click off of each...one by one.

The days of our Project 110 sure clicked by quickly.  Before we knew it, it was May 31st. And while we were not successful in completing our goal of the $110,000.00 in 110 days, we were successful in getting off to a good start.  Those funds will be utilized to attack the needs of carpet, pew covering, technical changes, and lighting enhancement. 

"Well, Pastor....aren't you discouraged?" one might ask.  No, I'm not.  In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said.."For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  We spend our money on our motivation; that which is in our heart.  I'm sure if you polled each individual family in our church you would find that there are some that have made improvements to their own personal homes (carpet, furnishings, flowers, painting, etc.).  We do that because we have a heart to do it.  I'm simply convinced that when our heart catches the heart of what our leadership desires to accomplish, then we will experience a fresh new look for CSC!

While it is so true that the church is really the people, it is also true that Scripture bears out a very serious conviction on God's part as to the quality and condition of his House.  I would encourage you to read the Old Testament foundation of just the level of importance that is placed on the temple and its furnishings.

We will complete the tasks as quickly as possible.  Our encouragement to you is to continue giving at the level that you desire.  You may give in any amount.  We are thankful for each contribution toward the goal.

In the meantime, some have asked as to the time frame in which we remain in the Family Life Center. 

Shortly, we will announce the Sunday that we plan to make the trek back to the CSC Sanctuary.  My hope is that we can, at least, accomplish the cosmetic needs of carpet and seat repair this month.  That will be a major step and we can move on total rennovation as funds become available.

Again, thank you so much for all the gifts that have been given.  And thank you for being a part of this congregation of beleivers.  I'm looking forward to a return to the sanctuary.  I think I'll go in singing!  I can hear it now...."I lift my hands in the sanctuary....I lift my hands to give Him the glory....I lift my hands to give Him the praise....and I will praise Him for the rest of my days....yes I will praise Him for the rest of my days!"  

It will be so fulfilling to walk in and worship feeling that you had a personal attachment to the improvement of God's House.  That's what happens when you put your heart in it.  

Dot to Dot!

Hey, remember when you were a kid and finally able to take the crayon and actually make it look like something other than lines going in the wrong direction?  You connected the dots!  It was so much fun seeing the picture come to life as you marked from 1 to 2 to 3 and all the way to the end!  The result of your connection revealed purpose; making it all complete.  And you felt good about it!

Can you see that principle in the church today?  You and I are  dots; individuals who all needed our lives transformed by the power of the cross.  Once we come into relationship with Christ and His church we then begin the life process of disicpleship -- becoming more like Him as we submit ourselves to be a learner; a student of His teachings.

It's so important for us to connect with other believers on this journey.  Our own personal connection helps us to find purpose and value in Kingdom work.  We join with others who find their purpose and value.  Together we create a beautiful picture of God's intention. Ephesians 2:19-22 states, "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

As we are joined together we rise to become all that God desires for us individually.  As this happens to each of us we come together to form His purpose collectively.  It's a process.  Paul said that we are "being built".  The dots are forming one by one by one.  We are being transformed into God's intention.  It's beautiful!  It now makes sense.  We are not isolated.  We are a part and the picture of our lives is now clear. 

I enjoy connection.  I love feeling like I belong.  My purpose connects with yours and others and together we are complete.  I encourage you to stay connected.  Get involved in the ministry opportunities for service and nurture.  You too will experience the fulfillment of God's intention in your life.  Let it happen...dot to dot.

Get You Some Sunday Clothes, Easter’s Comin’!

We are swiftly approaching the High Holy Day for Christians – Easter. It’s the holiday where the resurrection of Christ is celebrated. It’s also the Sunday of the year when folk flock to the local house of worship to “pay their dues”. Sadly that’s what many feel they are doing. Have you heard the story of the local pastor who stood in the pulpit on Easter Sunday and said to the congregation, “Let me take this opportunity to welcome you to our church today. And for so many of you, I would also like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!” It is sad, but true that many only grace the doors of the Lord’s house on those two very important days that mark our faith.


I’m always reminded of Paul’s words to the Church at Rome when he declared in Chapter 12 that “our reasonable service” (KJV), or “our spiritual act of worship” (NIV) is to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing unto the Lord.” It goes far deeper than a couple of trips to the church annually with “them Sunday clothes” on.


I read recently an excerpt from Win Arn’s book “Planting Growing Churches” that 80 – 85% of American churches are on the downside of the church life cycle. In other words, they are declining rather than growing. That seems quite different from the Acts 3 report that “the Lord added to their number daily, those who were being saved.”


Arn also reports that 3500 to 4500 churches close each year, resulting in an average of 72 houses of worship in America closing their doors each week. What is going on? Why is this happening? I think the answer is quite simple. Once you define what the church is in reality you can answer the question – it’s people. Remember, the little stanza that I wrote about in my second book, “All Dressed Up And No Place To Go”? – “This is the church, this is the steeple; open the doors and see all the people.” Grandma Phillips taught me that as a kid as she cupped her aged hands to teach us on the back pew just before the preacher came out with his ministry team.


People are the church. People are the problem. We need a revival among the church at large in this nation that results in the rise of evangelism on the part of every one of us. The perpetual plan of God is that the Kingdom of God advance through the proclamation of the gospel. Preach Jesus, reach people, teach them to fulfill God’s plan for their life and His kingdom! Now clothe yourself with the righteousness of Christ and get busy!!! Happy Easter!