Vintage Faith Church of Decatur

Vintage Baptism and Church Service at The River

2009-08-26T22:23:00.001-05:00

We will be having our church service at the river with a baptism to follow on August 30th.

This year we are doing things different.

We will hold our morning service at the river at a new time of 10:30 am. So there will be no service at the church building on this day.

There will be a caravan leaving the church at 9:30 am for those who may not know how to get there.

Maps will be located in mailbox for the remainder of the week or email Pastor Robbie for one. You do NOT have to meet at the church to follow the caravan to attend. You may go directly to Martha's riverhouse if you know how to get there.

The church will provide BBQ from Big Bob's, condiments, drinks and ice. Please plan to bring a sidedish or dessert.

Things to bring:

1. Chairs

2. A dessert or side dish

3. Your fishing pole

4. Your bathing suit. (There's a wonderful dock and playground on the property as well.)

5. Bugspray

6. Sunscreen

Come join in the fun. It will be a great opportunity for fellowship.

If you are interested in being baptized, please contact Pastor Robbie at: Rstofel@msn.com

Directions to Martha Mark's Riverhouse
and Church Service at The River

From: (Church Address) 411 Sherman St SE, Decatur, AL 35601
To: 9779 Poplar Point Rd, Athens, AL 35611-6925 US
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
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A) 411 Sherman St SE, Decatur, AL 35601-3009 US
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    1. Start out going EAST on SHERMAN ST SE toward 6TH AVE
SE/US-31/AL-3. (go 0.1 miles)
    2. Turn LEFT onto 6TH AVE SE/US-31 N/AL-3 N. Continue to follow US-31 N/AL-3 N. (go 8.9 miles)
    3. Turn LEFT onto NUCLEAR PLANT RD/CR-20. (go 6.7 miles)
    4. Turn LEFT onto COWFORD RD/CR-41. (go 0.2 miles)
    5. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto NUCLEAR PLANT RD. (go 2.6mile)
    6. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto SHAW RD. (go 1.6 miles)
    7. Turn LEFT onto POPLAR POINT RD. (go 1.1 miles)
    8. Turn LEFT to stay on POPLAR POINT RD. (go 0.1 miles)
    9. 9779 POPLAR POINT RD is on the RIGHT. (go 0.0 miles)
    >> ESTIMATED TIME: 33 minutes | DISTANCE: 21.28 miles
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B) 9779 Poplar Point Rd, Athens, AL 35611-6925 US
--------------------------------------------------
>> TOTAL ESTIMATED TIME: 33 minutes | DISTANCE: 21.28 miles

The phone number at the river house 729-6635. And Martha's cell if you want 654-2362.

Rstofel@msn.com

2009-08-14T13:21:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends,

There is a new post on my blog http://joeydavis.typepad.com . I began writing on that blog this morning as I was spending time with the Lord and thought you might enjoy what I received. I will return here with what the Lord places on my heart to share.

Hope all are having a great week and hope to see you Sunday. Pastor Robbie's message was awesome last Sunday, so come expecting to receive this Sunday as he pours his heart into every message as usual.

God Bless,

Joey

In The Silence

2009-08-06T08:31:00.003-05:00

Have you ever woke up thinking about how good God is and how unworthy you may feel sometimes to be on the receiving end of His love? As I read over a few verses in Jeremiah this morning, I see the heart of the Father.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,

thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Then you will call upon Me and go pray to Me and I will listen to you.

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me

with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

In the quiet of the morning, I am listening for God. In the still of the day, I am searching with my soul. As I reflect on the last four words from the verses written above, with all your heart, I question my faithfulness and understand His a whole lot better.

These thoughts bring me to the sharing of lyrics from a song by Jason Upton called "In The Silence." There is truth in the words of this song, and I believe all of us have uttered these words once or more in our lives across lips of inconsistency.

In The Silence

Tired of telling You, You have me

When I know you really don't

Tired of telling You I'll follow

When I know I really won't

Cause I'd rather stand here speechless

With no great words to say

If my silence is more truthful

And my ears can hear how to walk in Your ways

In the silence

You are speaking

In the quiet I can feel the fire

And it's burning, burning deeply

Burning all that it is that you desire to be silent, in me

Oh Jesus can You hear me?

My soul is screaming out

And my broken will cries teach me

What Your kingdom is all about

Unite my heart to fear You,

To fear Your holy name

And create a life of worship

In the spirit and truth of Your loving ways

Enjoy more of Jason Upton's music on http://jasonupton.com . Blessings~Joey

From the Threshing Floor, The Breath of God

2009-05-20T09:38:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, I had a good friend of my daughter e-mail me with questions about the threshing floor and its significance in our lives today. I love to see a hunger for the things of God within His word begin to draw His people to a deeper intimacy with Him. So while this is still fresh on my heart, I thought that I would share it with you.

Threshing floors were used in ancient times to separate grain from the chaff. These floors were made of a flat bedrock surface surrounded by a low fieldstone wall, and was elevated for drainage and exposed to the wind for winnowing (as seen in the picture above).

Once stalks of grain were harvested, they were place upon the threshing floor, where a two step process would take place. Step one, a threshing sledge made of wood with rocks or metal spikes on the bottom was pulled by oxen or donkeys over the grain to break down and separate the kernels of grain from the husk and straw. The same process could be achieved by having the oxen or donkey walk over the stalks of grain or beating the stalks with a heavy stick. The second step was to toss, or winnow, the broken stalks into the air with a large forked tool, usually constructed of wood. The wind would then carry the light chaff away while the heavier grain would fall to the threshing floor where then it could be gathered.Because of the need for wind, threshing floors were normally located upon hilltops or open fields, and were often used as landmarks or meeting places.

How do threshing floors apply to you and me today? In relation to the threshing floor, our hearts and souls can be an example of a threshing floor. Our time in prayer can be a threshing floor. Our worship services can be an example of a "threshing floor," where the most treasured things found deep with us are winnowed through, tossed in the air of fellowship with the Father, and only the most treasured things in a holy perspective remain.

Have you ever had a threshing floor experience, where you went to the floor with more than you could truly carry, and by the time that you walked away from fellowship with God the only thing that remained was the cream of the crop which lay at your feet? The breeze that carries away the needless and graciously leaves the needed things in our lives has a holy place within our memories. Think back to when the wind of God blessed your sweaty brow. As my son Malachi calls the wind the breath of God, I am thankful that He is as close as a breath. (2 Samuel 24:18-25, Matt. 3:11-12)~Joey

Ashes To Excellence

2009-05-17T13:40:00.005-05:00

I want to take the time to thank many of you that came to me today with gratitude for the time spent writing here on the church blog. I do enjoy writing, but most of all I enjoy praying for what God wants to share through me to all that visit this blog and believing that what I get within my secret place will lift you up and encourage you throughout the week. My family and I have enjoyed the past several months at Vintage Faith and know that God is doing a great work through the unity of this church. I look forward to getting to know each of you better. If you need anything, you may reach me at potterhouse182@aol.com .~Joey

Do you know what discouragement feels like? It is a feeling that can rob your spirit, soul, and body. It can effect your spirit through struggling to pray, it can attack your soul through a battling in your mind, will, and emotions, and discouragement can even rob you of your physical health. Other words for discourage are dishearten, dispirit, demoralize, dampen one's spirits, dash one's hopes, or even take the wind out of one's sail. I will even attempt to give my own definition of discouragement as "to take an arrow to the heart without loosing one's life."

David's life, found throughout the Old Testament, can be a great example of one man's life having great highs, and great lows. But what I want you to focus on today is how David reacted in 1 Samuel 30 when he was faced with a great low time in his life. I won't ruin the story for you, but will only highlight what David did while feeling abandonment with discouragement. David was greatly distressed, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

I can relate to David and how he felt during this time in his life. Arrows to the heart, wind taken out of your sail while waves crash on the sides of your soul, but then I can recall times that I have risen like Paul after being stoned and left for dead just outside the city. From these personal feelings I leave you with words given to me by our Lord...

Ashes to Excellence

Though I stand in the midst of ashes

A remnant of hope remains within the lowness of my soul.

The edge of my sword, dull as my heart;

My shield as battered as my mind.

Yet,

The spirit of excellence that I have entombed

Cries out from this earthen vessel

To live in the vastness of a resurrected life.

Who am I to restrain the flow

That longs to go beyond the depths of unknown?

Rise, spirit rise!

Joey Davis 2004

Please take the time to leave a comment to these post and let us know how you are and how we can better serve you.~Joey

Incense of Surrendering

2009-05-14T10:03:00.004-05:00

How many of us dream of walking through fields, where fragrant flowers and soft grasses yield easily to our passing? Where the sky is an unforgettable blue, and there is not a cloud of care upon the horizon? I have had times when life's journey gave off an incredible incense that could not be imitated, nor recreated. For example, the fragrance that each child of mine had when I first held their tiny face to mine for the first time. Each child beautifully different and forever memorable. There are times, such as these, that bring smiles to our faces when they are thought upon.

Also, there are times throughout life's journey that seem difficult and devastating. It is during these times when the words of Paul echo through my mind and come to me as a gentle breeze to a labored heart. Found in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (Amplified Bible), the words of Paul can be your own...

...we possess this precious treasure {the divine Light of the Gospel} in {frail. human} vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves.

We are hedged in {pressed} on every side {troubled and oppressed in every way}, but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;

We are pursued {persecuted and hard driven}, but not deserted {to stand alone}; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;

Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the {resurrection} life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death. (verses 7-11)

...Therefore we do not become discouraged {utterly spiritless, exhausted, and wearied out through fear}. Though our outer man is {progressively} decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being {progressively} renewed day after day.

For our light, momentary affliction {this slight distress of the passing hour} is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory {beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!}

Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal {brief and fleeting}, but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. (verses 16-18)

I encourage you today to cleave to the words written by the Apostle Paul and lived out by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. Allow your life to release an incense of surrendering as you cast all your cares upon the One that cares for you. Always remember, you are never alone...never. ~Joey

One

2009-05-13T08:24:00.007-05:00

I chose this picture to bring a smile to your face today and also to share one of the greatest desires of God for our lives. Throughout the Bible, high priority is given to the subject of spiritual unity. For example, just before His death, Jesus prayed fervently to His Father that His followers would be brought to complete unity-like the relationship He has with His Father. The Book of Acts documents how this wonderful relationship between brothers and sisters in Christ came into being after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. True spiritual unity flows from the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God's people.

Listen to the words of David as he reveals the splendor of unity...

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments.

It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing-

Life forevermore.

From the words of Charles Jefferson come this, "The living stones have no abiding life, unless built into the walls of a growing temple." Truly we must not lose our desire to grow the body of Christ, but in doing so we must never forget to embrace one heart at a time. Our compassion can cover many with words of affirmation, but to stop and look someone in the eye, listen with intent to the words that are coming from their soul, and affirm one that you hear those words and that you care is truly fulfilling the work that Christ called us to do. Though found in the throng of so many, it only took one to seize the attentiveness of Jesus' heart. Whether it was the life of blind Batimaeus, the woman with the flow of blood, or Zaccaeus perched in a tree to see the passing Messiah, Jesus always had and always will have time for one.

Jesus' time was nearing the end with His disciples, and the cross, death, resurrection, and ascension of His life was coming to a dramatic climax. Before this emotional time took place, Jesus' prayer for His believers was that God would make them one.

"I do not pray for these (disciples) alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;

"that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; That they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

"I in them, and You in Me; That they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.~ John 17:20-23

Let our prayer also be the prayer that Jesus prayed for us, "Make us one, Lord!"

Blessings, Joey

Workers for Feb thru April 2009

2009-02-01T19:03:00.001-06:00

February 8, 2009

Nursery - Shirley Davenport

Children's Church - Brandi Curnel

Hospitality - Kathy Delancey, Bonnie Prestwood

Cleaning - Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

February 15, 2009

Nursery - Suzanne Townson

Children's Church - Linda Curnel

Hospitality - no one signed up

Cleaning - Virginia McCullar, Claire Fuller

February 22, 2009

Nursery - Glenda Motes/Cinda Wales

Children's Church - Shirley Davenport

Hospitality - Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

Cleaning - Virginia McCullar, Claire Fuller

March 1

Nursery - Shirley Davenport

Children's Church - no one signed up

Hospitality - Linda & Brandi Curnel, Virginia McCullar

Cleaning - Renea Hadavi

March 8

Nursery - Mechelle Beck & Christina Miller

Children's Church - Leslie Frost

Hospitality - Patti & Gus Walker, Deb & Rick Barnett

Cleaning - Renea Hadavi

March 15

Nursery - Cindy Gibson & Ginger Johns

Children's Church -no one signed up

Hospitality - Cindy Gibson, Trilby McCullar & Ginger Johns

Cleaning - no one signed up

March 22

Nursery - Suzanne Townson

Children's Church - Shirley Davenport

Hospitality - Ben Grimm & Katy Hargrove

Cleaning - no one signed up

March 29

Nursery - no one signed up

Children's Church - no one signed up

Hospitality - Niemeiers, Gowers, Nana

Cleaning - Lacys, Millers & Becks

April 5

Nursery - list passed around only went thru 3/29

Children's Church - list passed around only went thru 3/29

Hospitality - list passed around only went thru 3/29

Cleaning - Lacys, Millers & Becks

Five Marks Of a Missional Church:

2009-02-01T16:37:00.001-06:00

To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom
To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To seek to transform unjust structures of society
To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain the life of the earth

Prayer

2008-12-10T22:03:00.001-06:00

Anthropomorphic
The recognition or perception of human qualities in a divine being such as God.

Why the big word and definition? We are all humans with many hurts, anxieties, fears and needs. We all have someone that we love who needs our prayers; maybe for healing, for addiction recovery, for love, financial woes, comfort for a lost love one, or a broken marriage. So how do we approach God with out prayer requests? Sometimes we mess up in prayer because we assume we know God’s will because something makes sense to us. We assume that God is like us and thinks like us. We assume there is only one right answer to a specific prayer and we “assume” that would be God’s will. Our shortcoming is that we only have limited information about any given situation and the outcome of future action on that situation. God’s understanding is unlimited. How an event or situation in our lives plays out in history or our lives is something that only God knows. God may have purposes far beyond what we could imagine. So God may not do something simply because we determined it must be His will.

What if we become discouraged in our prayer requests? God tells us to give our concerns to Him. Even as the situation becomes bleak, “cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” When things look out of control and everything seems to be falling apart, God can keep us together and give us peace in the midst of everything. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

We have a great body of believers at Vintage Faith who I know believe in the power of prayer. Let the body pray together in bringing certain requests before the Lord and we will see miracles happen.

Upcoming Schedule:

2008-11-15T12:14:00.001-06:00

Week of Nov. 23, 2008

Children's Church - Dusty Cato, Whitney Cato

Nursery - Mary-Ashley/Kevin Cato

Cleaning - Kathy Winton, Kathy Delancy, Prestwoods

Hospitality - Any Patterson

Week of Nov. 30

Children's Church - Shirley Davenport

Nursery - Cindy Gibson & Ginger Johns

Cleaning - Kathy Winton, Kathy Delancy, Prestwoods

Hospitality - Cindy Gibson & Ginger Johns

Week of Dec. 7

Children's Church - Brandi Curnel

Nursery - Shirley Davenport

Cleaning - Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

Hospitality - Trilby McCullar

Week of Dec. 14

Children's Church - Renee Miller

Nursery - Suzanne Towson

Cleaning - Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

Hospitality -Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana, Deb & Rick Barnett

Week of Dec. 21

Children's Church - Shirley Davenport

Nursery - Janet Betts

Cleaning - Virginia McCullar & Clara Fuller

Hospitality - Gus & Patty Walker

Week of Dec. 28

Children's Church - Leslie Frost

Nursery - Cinda Wales & Glenda Motes

Cleaning - Virginia McCullar & Clara Fuller

Hospitality - NO ONE SIGNED UP

Week of Jan. 4, 2009

Children's Church NO ONE SIGNED

Nursery - Shirley Davenport

Cleaning - Wallers, Katy Hargrove, Ben Grimm

Hospitality - Amy Patterson

Week of Jan 11, 2009

Children's Church - Shirley Davenport

Nursery - Kathy Winton & Kathy Delancy

Cleaning - Wallers, Katy Hargrove, Ben Grimm

Hospitality - Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

Week of Jan. 18, 2009

Children's Church - Pam Thomas

Nursery - Debra Lacy & Christina Miller

Cleaning - Lacys, Becks & Millers

Hospitality - Linda Curnel & Brandi Curnel

Additional cleaning info

Week of Jan. 25

Cleaning - Lacy's, Becks & Millers

Week of Feb. 1

Cleaning - Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

Week of Feb. 8

Cleaning, Gowers, Niemeiers, Nana

So Grateful

2008-10-30T22:17:00.001-05:00

Hi Robbie,

When I left church last Sunday, my heart was bursting with pride.

For CCC we had 3 huge bags of bread and 3 bags of canned and boxed food.

For Hope Place we had $950 of Walmart cards donated from 5% of our quarterly offerings and a big box of greeting card donated by Amy Patterson.

One coat, one jacket, and a sack full of warm flannel clothes for the homeless and 3 more cell phones for the battered women and elderly to use as emergency contacts.

On top of that, what Renee Hadavi told us in church about the troubled teenagers you are reaching through your writing class. Those young people are tough to reach, given their upbringing and environment. I think you have hit on a way to reach them.

I think our little church is making a difference in our community. I am so proud to be a part of Vintage Faith Church.

Cinda

Parable of the Wedding Feast

2008-10-19T12:28:00.000-05:00

The Hard Sayings of Jesus
“For many are called, but few are chosen."
The parable of the wedding feast
Matt 22:2-14 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, "Behold, I have made ready my dinner. My oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!"‘ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and he sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen."
(v 2-3) The first invitation is refused. (The Unwilling)
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come.
The analogy that Jesus is giving- God first sent out his servants, the Prophets to invite guests to this wedding; they were to bid them, that is, preach, and preach only faith in Christ. But those invited did not come; they were the Jews, to whom the Prophets were sent, they would not hear nor receive those sent to them.
The King, who prepared the marriage feast, is our heavenly Father. The bridegroom is his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The bride is the Christian Church, we and the whole world, in so far as we believe.

(v 4-7) The second invitation is refused. (The Uninvited)
Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding."’ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm; another to his business; and the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.
This signifies our honor; it is a great hindrance that we do not think of Christ and believe in him; we fear we must suffer shame and become dishonored, and we do not believe that God can protect us from shame and preserve us in honor.
These are those who went to their spheres of business, that is, they fall with their hearts into their worldly affairs, into avarice, and when they should cleave to the Word, they worry lest they perish and their stomachs fail them; they do not trust God to sustain them.
The third class are the worst, they are the high, wise and prudent, the exalted spirits, they not only despise but martyr and destroy the servants; in order to retain their own honor and praise, in order to be something. They were the Pharisees and scribes, who put to death both Christ and his Apostles, as their fathers did the Prophets. These are much worse than the first and second classes, who, although they despised and rejected the invitation, yet then went away and neither condemned nor destroyed the servants.
But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."
That happened to the Jews through the Romans under Titus and Vespasian, who burned Jerusalem to the ground, to its very foundation. Hence this came to pass when God totally destroyed and burned to the ground the synagogue at Jerusalem, he entirely abandoned faith, scattered the people hither and thither, so that none remained together and they were robbed both of their priesthood and of their kingdom; so that there is not now a poorer, a more miserable and forsaken people on the earth than the Jews.

(v 8-10) The third invitation.
"Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests."
Hence they went out into the highways, namely, to us heathen, and gathered us together from the ends of the world into a congregation, in which are good and bad.
(v 11-13) The man without a wedding garment. (The Unready)
"But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
This will take place on the Day of Judgment, when the King will let himself be seen.
So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are called, but few are chosen."
Then he will find one, not only a single person, but a large company not clothed with a wedding garment, that is, with faith. These are pious people, much better than the foregoing; for you must consider them the ones who have heard and understood the Gospel, yet they cleaved to certain works and did not creep entirely into Christ; like the foolish virgins, who had no oil, that is, no faith.
a. This is an accurate portrayal of God’s judgment on the Jews, especially the Jewish leaders, who rejected His two invitations to accept the Messiah. Jesus brought the first invitation Himself, and the apostles brought the second invitation in the Book of Acts.
b. This parable demonstrates that the indifferent and the antagonist toward the gospel share the same fate; neither made it to the feast. Whether one chooses to ignore God or is openly antagonistic towards Him, the end result is the same.
c. The bad were invited to the feast, but they did not remain bad. They were made fit for the feast by the king’s garments.
d. This parable, as pointed and direct as it was, had no effect on the sin-hardened hearts of these religious leaders.
1. Is there a wedding feast that Christians are going to attend?

Rev 19:7-9 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints. Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'

2. In vs. 8 it says that those originally invited didn't deserve to come. Upon what basis didn't they deserve to come?
3. How would you feel if you invited your friends to your wedding, but they refused and even insulted you directly?
4. Was it the king's responsibility to tell the guests to dress appropriately for a wedding?
5. How should you dress for a wedding?
6. How should we dress for Christ's wedding?
'I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness...' (Isaiah 61:10)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Gal 3:26-27
7. Should Christ have to tell us this explicitly?
8. What happens if we show up to his wedding not dressed appropriately?

Saltless Salt

2008-09-20T17:32:00.001-05:00

Mark 9:50-‘Salt is good; but if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? So, be full of goodness. And have peace with each other."

Salt is important in the New Testament, and for all Christians. Besides this text, there are other important passages. Matt 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

Luke 14:34 "Salt is good; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall it be made salty again?
Col 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.

Why is salt so important, what does it mean? Especially when we live in an age where people are being told they need to have less salt, in an age of salt substitutes, and no salt diets. Many things can be said, salt is a seasoning, salt has been used as money throughout the world, and there are many expressions about salt – an old salt, rub salt in the wound, not worth his salt, we salt things away and we salt things down. Of all of the properties of salt, the one central to understanding what the Bible has to say about salt, is that salt preserves. In other words, when we talk about salt, we are talking about its ability to save things.

Jesus wants us to be people of character - people who are holy, righteous, pure and redemptive in a world that is none of those things. Two clear commands -- to be at peace and to have a godly influence on those around us -- are made without equivocation. Obedience to these two important commands is needed so very much in the divided and worldly state in which believers in Jesus now find themselves.

Directions to Baptism

2008-09-10T17:59:00.001-05:00

Directions

1. Go toward Athens on Hwy 31 to NUCLEAR PLANT RD

2. Take a left onto Nuclear Plant Rd. toward BETHLEHEM

RD—go 1.0 mi

3. Turn on COWFORD RD—go 0.2 mi

Then bear back to right, which becomes

NUCLEAR PLANT RD—go 2.6 mi

4. NUCLEAR PLANT RD becomes SHAW RD—go 1.6 mi

5. Turn on POPLAR POINT RD—go 1.1 mi

The Cursing of the Fig Tree

2008-09-06T09:45:00.001-05:00

Mark 11:14-Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Bethany to Jerusalem and seeing a fig tree in the distance, Jesus approached the tree hoping to find any fruit on it for He was hungry. When He approached it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the time for figs.

In the life of a fig tree, leaves begin to appear towards the end of March. In about a week the whole tree is coated with leaves and in conjunction with this, small knobs appear that are the forerunners of the figs. Jesus said that this tree had none of the small knobs which were often eaten by peasants and others when hungry. So Jesus cursed the tree and said, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again". Why would Jesus curse a tree?

They traveled on to Jerusalem and went to the temple, where Jesus began turning tables over of the money changers. [You've all heard this story]. And He said, "My House shall be called a House of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a robbers den". And when Jesus and His disciples traveled out of Jerusalem, the disciples noticed that the fig tree had withered from the roots up.

This message was meant for the Jews who had defiled the temple and put money over prayer. The very same Jews that Moses had led out of Egypt and that Joshua had led victoriously into Canaan. Through the years, three temples stood in the same spot where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac; Solomon's, Zerubbable's and Herod's. None of which survived, but were replaced by the Doom of the Rock Mosque, the Muslim sanctuary which stands to this day in Jerusalem. The fig tree had represented Jerusalem and God had cursed His people for not producing fruit and not recognizing the Savior. Luke 19:43-44- For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44 and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize “the time of your visitation”.

The Hard Sayings of Jesus

2008-08-18T21:04:00.001-05:00

Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Jesus said this during the blessings or Beatitudes in the latter part of the Sermon on the Mount. He says this right after His declaration in verse 28; But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. We are here taught, that there is such a thing as heart-adultery, adulterous thoughts and dispositions. Whosoever looketh on a woman (not only another man's wife, as some would have it, but any woman), to
lust after her, has committed adultery with her in his heart.

In this first attempt of teaching the hard sayings of Jesus, I would like to let this saying be commented on by anyone who would like to give their interpretation of verse 29. You can read from any version that you have. Comments are welcome.

Understanding the Bible

2008-08-11T08:25:00.002-05:00

The Bible at times can seem complicated and difficult to grasp what God is actually trying to communicate to us. We should not feel intimidated or ashamed if we don’t fully understand the Bible, for in fact, scholars and theologians have been wrestling with the meaning of Biblical scripture for centuries. With that in mind, Robbie has asked Mark Timm and me to begin a series on “The Hard Sayings of Jesus”.

We’re still trying to feel out an approach on how to present this to the congregation. It will most likely be through the church blog with a notification to everyone that a new topic has been posted.

Choices By Pat Patterson

2008-07-21T17:57:00.001-05:00

The entire book of Joshua is a detailed look at Israel entering into Canaan, the Promised Land and conquering all the nations that were living there. It was God’s plan for the Israelites to destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan because they worshiped idols and false gods and God knew that the Israelites might be tempted to follow these false teachings. They were to worship the one true God of Israel.

Joshua 23: 7-8 - And lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.

Joshua 23: 9-13- For the Lord has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations; these that remain among you; and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

We live in a world today that is full of snares and traps and we are surrounded by false doctrines and teachers of false gods. But we have the choice to live for God. Joshua 24:15- But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

The choice is clear but not ever easy. Choose you this day whom you will follow; the world or our Lord.

The wages of Sin

2008-07-07T17:28:00.002-05:00

Joshua chapter 6 depicts the conquest of Jericho and the first of many victories in the new land. There was, however, something hanging over the heads of the Israelites. The sin of one man caused the Israelites to lose their next battle at Ai. Joshua 6:17- And the city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. 18-But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, lest you covet them and take some of the things under the ban, so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.

God told Joshua to destroy Jericho but to not take any of the spoils of war. One man, Achan, from the tribe of Judah did so and caused Israel to lose the battle of Ai. Joshua 7:11- Israel has sinned and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them, and they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. 12- Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.

Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan and his family and all that he had taken during the fall of Jericho. Joshua 7:25- And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

Fortunately for the believer, our sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Concrete Faith

2008-06-18T18:18:00.001-05:00

Ever wonder if God is still working in your life and why it seems that everything is so complicated and difficult to solve? Consider the Israelites and their first victory in the land of Canaan:
2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted [a] to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute [b] and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury."
20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Heb 11:1- Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days.

The city of Jericho was taken by God's strategy. No situation is too great for the Lord to handle and no problem is too much for Him to solve. Keep the faith that God will handle all of your problems.

Israel's Spiritual Experiences by Pat Patterson

2008-04-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

As we study the history of Israel, we find major geographical locations that mark spiritual experiences for the nation.

Egypt – Egypt was the place of death and bondage from which Israel was delivered. They were first delivered from the Angel of death by putting the blood of the lamb over their doorposts during the first Passover and then from bondage by the power of God who opened the Red Sea and took them across safely.

The wilderness – Israel’s wilderness experience depicts believers who live in unbelief and disobedience and don’t enter into the rest and riches of the inheritance in Christ. Just like at Kadesh Barnea (mentioned last week), believers come to a crisis but refuse to obey the Lord and claim His will for their lives. They are delivered from Egypt, but Egypt is still in their hearts; and like the Israelites, they have a desire to go back to the old life. What an analogy of the Christian life, where we have been saved and yet do not claim all that Christ has promised us. Just as God told Joshua that He would conquer all their enemies in the new land of Canaan, we have the promise that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, Phil 4:13.

Canaan – Canaan represents the Christian life as it ought to be; conflict and victory, faith and obedience, spiritual riches and rest. It’s like trusting Jesus Christ, our Joshua, to lead us from victory to victory. When Israel was in Egypt, the enemy was around them, making their lives miserable. When they crossed the Red Sea, they put the enemy behind them. And when they crossed the Jordon River, they saw new enemies before them, and conquered these enemies by faith.

This week - Claim the riches of the inheritance in Christ- Eph 1:3 -We are blessed in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Believe that God is going before us in our battles- Eph 6:10-11. Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. --Pat

Joshua- God's Servant by Pat Patterson

2008-04-10T13:46:00.000-05:00

When we think about God’s promise to give the Nation of Israel the Promise Land, we might think back on when God promised this to Abraham or Moses. After all, it was Abraham whom God first told about the land for the Israelites and it was Moses who led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. But as we begin our study in the book of Joshua, we find that God had other plans for a deliverer. Joshua will accomplish God’s promise to the Israelites. Let’s look at the man Joshua.

Joshua the slave - Joshua was born into slavery in Egypt and was given the name Hoshea, meaning “salvation”. Moses later changed it to Joshua which means “salvation”, which is the Hebrew name for “Jesus”. Growing up in Egypt, Joshua witnessed all the signs and wonders that God performed and knew that Jehovah was a God of power who would care for his people.

Joshua the soldier - The first official recorded act of Joshua in scripture is his military defeat of the Amalekites when they attacked Israel about two months after their exodus from Egypt. It has been speculated that Joshua was so successful in his first battle because he received early training with the Egyptian Army while in captivity but later turned down a military promotion so that he might identify with his people and server the Lord. (Possible but not documented in scripture) Remember that Moses had turned down a high position in Pharaoh’s palace even though he received his education there.

Joshua the servant – In Exodus 24:13, Joshua is called Moses’ servant. This meant that Joshua was now an official assistant to the leader of Israel. He accompanied Moses to Mount Sinai and went with him when he judged the people for making the golden calf. One of Joshua’s’ responsibilities was guarding a special tent that Moses had set up outside the camp to meet with God. Joshua was not only a soldier but also a worshiper and knew how to live in the presence of God. He was jealous not only for the glory of God but also the authority of Moses.

Joshua the spy - Joshua was chosen to be one of the twelve men sent in to spy out the land of Canaan. Joshua and Caleb reported back that Israel should trust God and go in and take possession of the land. The other ten spies said that Israel was not strong enough to overwhelm the enemy. Sadly, the people listened to the ten faithless spies. This unbelief that God could not meet their needs in overthrowing their enemies cost them forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Remember the name of Kadesh Barnea which was on the edge of the Promise Land where Israel doubted the power of God to fulfill what He had promised them and think of the years of blessings wasted because of the lack of faith.

Joshua the successor – Throughout the wilderness journey, God had been preparing Joshua for his ministry as successor to Moses. We find that God was not going to let Moses cross into the Promise Land but that he should charge Joshua with leading the Israelites across the Jordon into Canaan. Duet 3:27-28, (27) Go to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west and north and south and east, and see it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordon. (28) But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go across at the head of this people and he shall give them as an inheritance the land which you will see.

God’s word to Joshua was “Be strong!” Josh:6-7, and this is His Word to us today.

Follow the Leader- Thursday May 8, 2008

2008-03-30T13:46:00.008-05:00

Joshua 1:5-6 “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” God had commissioned Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Before Joshua could succeed, he needed to have support from his officers.

The officers encouraged him by assuring him of their complete obedience. Joshua 1:16and they answered Joshua, saying “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us, we will go."

The officers encouraged Joshua by praying for him (v. 17). “Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you: only may The Lord thy God be with you, as He was with Moses.”

The officers encouraged Joshua by reminding him of the Word of God (v. 18) “Be strong and courageous.” They repeated the words that God had earlier spoken to Joshua. “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.” Eph. 6:10.

Today and every day let us make a commitment to pray for Robbie’s ministry and leadership. Pray that God will make him strong and courageous and bless his ministry at Vintage Faith. Pray also for his "officers", Don, Jim and Vernon.

A Walk of Faith

2008-03-30T13:46:00.007-05:00

During most of the year, the Jordan River was about one hundred feet wide; but during the spring flood season, the river overflowed the banks and became a mile wide. This is the very river that God had told Joshua to cross in order to get into the Promised Land of Canaan.

Remember when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, a picture of believers being delivered from sin? Moses lifted his rod to the sea and the wind began to blow and the waters parted. God’s power opened the Red Sea and the people crossed over on dry ground.

God’s plan for the Israelites to cross the Jordan was different. He instructed the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant before the people into the Jordan. This time as soon as the priests stepped into the river, the water stopped flowing and stood like a wall twenty miles upstream. It was not the obedient arm of a leader (like Moses) that opened the waters, but it was the obedient feet of the people trusting in God.

When we step out by faith (Joshua 1:3) and “get our feet wet”, we are more likely to make progress in living for Christ and serving Him. Remember that the crossing of the Red Sea is a picture of the unbeliever being delivered from sin and the crossing of the Jordan is the picture of the believer claiming the inheritance in Christ.

God With Us

2008-03-30T13:46:00.005-05:00

Joshua 1:5- God said, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you”. God had given a similar promise to Jacob (Gen. 28:15) and Moses had repeated God’s promise to Joshua.

Joshua had been commanded to go into the land of Canaan and claim it for the Israelites on faith that God was with them, Josh 1:9, “Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. As we look back on last week’s devotional, we need to claim “our” Canaan and all the promises that God has given us through Jesus. God’s Word gives us the assurance the He is always with us. Matt 1:23 says that Jesus is called Immanuel, which means “God with us” and in Matt 28:20, Jesus told the disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.

If we are to conquer the enemy and claim our inheritance in Christ, we must have spiritual strength and courage. Ephesians 6:10, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His Might”.

A New Beginning by Pat Patterson

2008-03-30T13:46:00.003-05:00

This is the first of many weekly devotionals leading up to a lesson I will do in Robbie's absence in the May-June timeframe. It is a study of the Book of Joshua and God's promise to bring the Israelites into the Promise Land.

God had promised to give the Israelites the Land of Canaan since the time of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and now Joshua. The Book of Joshua is a tremendous story of how God’s people finally accepted that which had been promised to them for so many years.

There are many truths in the Book of Joshua that apply to Christians today. As we have conquered death through the acceptance of the Blood of Christ, we too must go into the land that God has promised us and do as the Israelites did, claim what is given us.

The first step toward winning that battle and claiming our inheritance is to let God encourage us and then for us to encourage others. “See, the Lord has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” Deuteronomy 1:21.

As we progress through the Book of Joshua, we will find God’s truths for this victory. --Pat Patterson

Christmas Open House Pictures

2008-01-14T18:59:00.001-06:00

New Schedules

2007-12-29T23:11:00.001-06:00

Cleaning:

Week of January 6th - Niemeiers, Gowers

Week of January 20th - The 2 Kathys & Renea Hadavi

Week of February 3rd- The Lacy's, Becks, Millers

Week of February 17th - The 2 Kathys & Renea Hadavi

Week of March 2nd- Wallers

Week of March 16th - Niemeiers, Gowers

Week of March 30th -

Nursery Workers:

December 2nd - Deb Lacy, Michelle Beck

December 16th - Suzanne Townson & Martha Marks

December 23rd - Renee Miller

December 30th - Cindy Gibson, Ginger Johns

January 6th - Michelle Beck

January 13th - Candice, Linda Curnel, and Shirley Davenport

January 20th - Debra Lacy & Christina Miller

January 27th -

Children's Church Workers:

December 2nd - Jill Stofel

December 16th - Pam Thomas

December 23rd - Leslie & Connor Frost

December 30th - Shirley Davenport

January 6th - Suzanne Townson

January 13th - Leslie & Connor Frost

January 20th - Kaye Waller

Hospitality:

December 2nd - Gowers & Niemiers

December 16th - Gus & Patti Walker

December 23rd - Wallers & Frosts

December 30th - Cindy Gibson & Ginger Johns

January 6th - Shirley Davenport & the Deasons

January 13th - Gowers & Niemiers

January 20th - Linda Curnel, Virginbia McCullar, Amy Patterson

January 27th - Leslie Frost, Patti & Gus Walker, Trilby McCullar

February 3rd - Rick & Debbie Barnett

Church Schedules

2007-10-05T17:27:00.001-05:00

Cleaning:

Week of Sept. 30th - The 2 Kathys

Week of October 14th - Pat & Amy Patterson, Tim & Jackie

Week of October 28th - Wallers

Week of November 11th - Niemeiers, Gowers

Week of November 25 - Lee & Bonnie, Pam Thomas

Week of December 9th - The Lacy's, Becks, Millers

Nursery Workers:

October 7th - Deb Lacy, Michelle Beck

October 14th - Cindy Gibson, Ginger Johns

October 21st - Suzanne Townson

October 28th - Helen Walker, Pam Thomas

November 4th - Leslie Frost and Conner Frost

November 11th - Helen Walker, Renee Miller

November 18th -

Children's Church Workers:

October 7th - Pam Thomas

October 14th - Kaye waller

October 21st - Leslie Frost

October 28th -

November 4th -

November 11th - Suzanne Townson

November 18th - Amy Patterson

November 25th -

Hospitality:

October 7th - Gus & Patti Walker, Kathy Fincher

October 14th - Cindy Gibson, Ginger Johns

October 21st - Leslie Frost, Linda Gower

October 28th - Amy Patterson, Jackie and Tim

November 4th - Gowers, Niemeiers

November 11th - Linda Curnel, Virginia McCullar

November 18th - The 2 Kathys, Wallers

November 25th - Trilby McCullar, Renee Miller

Super September Meeting

2007-09-12T20:58:00.000-05:00

Wanted to let everyone that the potluck and the meeting tonight was superb. Thanks to everyone who came out and shared this night with us. The food was diverse and great! We made some significant progress. We discussed finances and the overall direction of Vintage Faith. I will do a complete podcast in the near future to update everyone about the meeting.

Cleaning Crew Schedule for August Thru September 2007

2007-08-11T18:20:00.000-05:00

Week of August 20th--Gowers/Niemeiers/Nana
Week of September 3rd--The Two Kathys
Week of September 17th--Lacys/Millers/Becks

Hospitality Crew for August Thru September 2007

2007-08-11T18:15:00.000-05:00

August 12th--Amy Patterson
August 19th--T. Craig, J. Patterson & Patti and Gus Walker
August 26th--Trilby McCullar
September 2nd--Cindy Gibson/Ginger Johns
September 9th--Leslie Frost
September 16th--Gowers/Niemeier
September 23rd--Kathy D./Kathy W.
September 30th--Amy Patterson/Wallers

Children's Church Workers for August thru September

2007-08-11T18:10:00.000-05:00

August 12th--Martha Marks
August 19th--Helen Waters/Pam Thomas
August 26th--Suzanne Townson
September 2nd--Kaye Waller
September 9th--Leslie Frost
September 16th--Michelle Beck/Christina Miller
September 23rd--Jill Stofel

Psalm 142

2007-07-31T06:32:00.001-05:00

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

1 I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

2 I pour out my complaint before him;
before him I tell my trouble.

3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
       it is you who know my way.
       In the path where I walk
       men have hidden a snare for me.

4 Look to my right and see;
       no one is concerned for me.
       I have no refuge;
       no one cares for my life.

5 I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living."

6 Listen to my cry,
       for I am in desperate need;
       rescue me from those who pursue me,
       for they are too strong for me.

7 Set me free from my prison,
       that I may praise your name.
       Then the righteous will gather about me
       because of your goodness to me.

What is Vintage Faith Church?

2007-07-28T17:30:00.001-05:00

When I put the concept of Vintage Faith Church together some years ago, I pictured a church where people and faith were like an antique store—a little quaint and a little damaged. I wanted faith to be simple as a concept but not easy like cheap grace. I wanted to gather people who felt cracked and broken but also felt redeemable, because we should never remain damaged, but become—like a fine piece of furniture—restored.

So Vintage Faith seemed an apt name for such a church, and I’d heard of a church in California with this name, and I investigated their beliefs and teachings and liked what I read. Also Charles Edward Jefferson’s, The Building of the Church, also influenced me. I wanted the type of church Jefferson discussed in his Yale Lectures on Preaching, so I put my own twist on the concept and birthed Vintage Faith Church of Decatur.

To understand Vintage Faith Church of Decatur, think about God browsing an antique store. What would he be looking for? He looks for the hearts that long to be restored. Then he picks us up and rolls us around in his huge hand, inspecting the cracks and the nicks, admiring his handiwork. Then he purchases us by the blood of his Son, knowing he has the method to restore us. This is our hope. This is our faith.

But God dislikes an antique shop made up of over-priced and over-rated people. The same thing that makes us pass over items in an antique store. No one likes fancy items with fancy prices. We want to restore something to its original value. And what we forget about church attendance and worshipping God is that God isn’t looking for the fancy believer with a fancy price. He’s looking for the damaged ones who are in need of his restoring love. Think of Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

Luke 18:9-14 - “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Then Jesus said, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So God likes the man or woman who knows they are broken and in need of help. But we walk into our churches like the Pharisee and snub our noses at the poor, broken people, thinking, I’m better than them. God has never been impressed with people who name their own price. He loves those who stand at a distance, feeling unworthy. He always tells them to come closer. So this is my prayer for you this morning—Come as you are and come closer.

To know God in his holiness is to know ourselves as sinners. This is the simplistic teaching of Vintage Faith Church. Understand this, and you’ve become a member of a damaged group of people, crying out, “God have mercy on us, sinners.”

Vintage Faith Update July 25th 2007

2007-07-25T22:56:00.001-05:00

Weekly Podcast from Pastor Robbie

MP3 File

Comments About Vintage Faith

2007-07-25T22:47:00.001-05:00

I really love our church. Steve and I feel so at ease at Vintage. Its definitely home for us. We love you all. --Cindy Gibson

Vintage Faith Update 7-16-07

2007-07-17T00:22:00.001-05:00

Some thoughts on Vintage Faith

MP3 File

Vintage Faith Update 7-16-07

2007-07-17T00:20:00.001-05:00

MP3 File

Hospitality Crew

2007-07-03T06:51:00.000-05:00

July 8th--The Wallers & Pattersons
July 15th--T. Craig, J. Patterson & Gowers
July 22nd--L. Frost & Niemeiers
July 29th--(We need someone)--email Pastor Robbie
August 5th--Gowers & Niemeiers

Cleaning Crew Schedule

2007-07-03T06:39:00.000-05:00

Week of July 9th--The Wallers & Kathy W. & Kathy D.
Week of July 23rd--Lee & Bonnie Prestwood & Jill Stofel
Week of August 6th--We need someone (email Pastor Robbie)
Week of August 20th--The Gowers & Niemeiers & Nana
Week of September 3rd--We need someone (email Pastor Robbie)

Children's Church Worker Schedule

2007-07-03T06:31:00.000-05:00

July 15th--Kaye Waller
July 22nd--Leslie Frost
July 29th--We need a worker (email Leslie Frost)
August 5th--Leslie Frost
August 12--We need a worker (email Leslie Frost)

Team Captains for Meals to Sick and Bereaved Families of Vintage Faith

2007-06-14T16:05:00.001-05:00

Renee Miller (353-2997) has agreed to coordinate the teams that provide meals for sick and bereaved families in our church. It's been determined that in most cases only one meal will need to be provided. Renee will make a determination of the need.

Robbie will contact Renee when a need arises. Renee will contact the team captain that is next in line to provide a meal (see below). The captains will contact their team members to organize the meal.

Here are the team captains:
Kathy DeLancey- 350-5727
Nancy Niemeier - 350-7600
Amy Patterson - 355-0378
Bonnie Prestwood - 308-2781

I want to thank all of you are willing to serve.
Jim Waller
Deacon

The Cleanup Duties for Cleaning Church

2007-06-12T20:45:00.002-05:00

Bathrooms
1. Clean Toilets
2. Clean Sinks
3. Empty Trash
4. Check Soap, Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
5. Sweep Floors
6. Mop Floors

Sanctuary and Vestibule
1. Wipe Pews
2. Dust Window Sills and Top of Woodwork
3. Dust Alter
4. Dust and check Prayer Room.
5. Dust Window Sills in Vestibule
6. Dust Table and Straighten Items on Table
7. Vacuum Carpet
8. Dust Mop Hardwood Floors
9. Mop Vestibule Floor

Downstairs
1. Wipe all tables.
2. Dust Window Sills.
3. Dust Mop/Sweep Floor
4. Mop Floor
5. Empty Trash

Kitchen
1. Wipe All Counter Tops
2. Wash and Dry Any Dishes and Put Them Away
3. Clean Sink
4. Check Refrigerators and Remove Any Old or Expired Food.
5. Empty Trash

Nursery Area
1. Dust Window Sills
2. Wipe Down Furniture
3. Sweep And Mop.

Comments on Sunday's Service 4-22-07

2007-04-22T22:47:00.001-05:00

Gabcast! Sunday Rants #1

Click on the blue bar at the lefthand side at bottom of player.

Whatever Happened to the Holy Spirit?

2007-04-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

(Disclaimer: This is in no way an exhaustive study on the subject of the work of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully this will lead you to continue your study of this subject or raise some questions.)

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Part One—4-22-07

I think when we talk about the Holy Spirit—as we have for the past few weeks—we have a tendency to think emotionally about the Holy Spirit or intellectually about the Holy Spirit, which is wrong. So how do we experience the Holy Spirit?

1 Corinthians 2:9-14 (NCV)
9 But as it is written in the Scriptures:

“No one has ever seen this,
and no one has ever heard about it.
No one has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those
who love him.” Isaiah 64:4

10 But God has shown us these things through the Spirit. The Spirit searches out all things, even the deep secrets of God. 11 Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person’s spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has given us. 13 And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit. And so we explain spiritual truths to spiritual people. 14 A person who does not have the Spirit does not accept the truths that come from the Spirit of God. That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be judged to be true by the Spirit.

But Paul is really speaking here about the truths that have been revealed for the first time in the NT. Men could never have arrived at these truths through scientific investigations or philosophical inquiries. The human mind, left to itself, could never discover the wonderful mysteries which were made known at the beginning of the gospel era. Human reason is totally inadequate to find the truth of God.

Only a person’s spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts.

We call this intuition. And women tend to have a better handle on this than men. Why? Because men tend to be more rational than women.

Men are always trying to understand things in rational terms. But this morning you didn't hear praise and worship with your eye, because God did not give you your eye to hear with. He gave you your eye for vision, not hearing. If there was a beautiful sunset, you wouldn't enjoy it with your ear, because God did not give you your ear to hear sunsets.

Take for instance, this one guy I met in the program who I had to counsel. He was a hit man for the circus. That’s what he told me.

Now what do you do with that information if you’re counseling him? He never really thought he’d find God. He had “MOM” crudely tattooed on his knuckles. He had a tear drop tattoo at the side of one eye. I’m not in a gang, but I think that’s the gang sign for redneck.

He knew how to use his eyes to stare you down if he needed to. He did this in group counseling sessions. He was the best I’d ever seen. And we had this little exercise that got dubbed the “black hole,” because it made a man feel as if he’d been tossed into a deep, dank, lonely hole. They all hated it. Because I would go around the circle looking for the one guy God wanted in the hot seat for the night.

And it always seemed as if God never wanted Hank in the “black hole.” But the person who was selected at random by me was gently interrogated until he knew that solitary confinement of the psyche in public was hard to give. For they’d breakdown and tell about their problems, while others started throwing in their two-cents worth about his progress.

These guys were ruthless. But no one, I mean, not even me. We were all afraid of him. We all had visions of this guy breaking into our homes a year later when he was out and we were at home in our beds. We pictured him pulling out a pistol with a silencer, and poof! The bullet would make up for everything we’d done to him.

We could picture him operating the Tilt-a-Whirl. We could see him tearing tickets and checking safety bars, and then grabbing that long lever, knocking the ride in gear. We could see him being slipped a piece of paper by the manager of the fair. We could see his teardrop wrinkle up, as he tried to make out that name of the next guy put on his hit list. And when we looked at Hank in this light, then we stayed away from him.

Then it happened. I was talking to someone about how Jill wanted some carpet put down in this makeshift bedroom that we’d fashioned in her parent’s basement, and I asked a staff person, “Do you know anybody that lays carpet?”

And, suddenly, I heard this deep voice, and I turned to find “Hank, the Hit Man” standing there, and he said, “I can lay carpet.”

In that moment it was a choice between hundreds of dollars to get the carpet laid or it was a free ride on the back of a hit man. So I had two seconds to respond, so I said, “Okay, then we’ll do it the day after tomorrow.”

Problem solved. Then I realized I had a deeper problem. I had to go home and tell Jill that the “Hit Man” was coming to lay carpet.

“You think he’ll leave the program someday and come over here and kill us?” she asked.

And on our way to my house so he could lay some carpet for me, he pointed at an interstate bridge where I-65 splinters off into I-440. He pointed to where the underside of the bridge met the crude earth and said, “That’s where I usually sleep when I pass through Nashville.”

He was being friendly, as friendly as a hit man can be.

And I can’t tell you how relieved I was once we moved from the basement and into the hidden world. I no longer have to worry about his pocked face at the door of the basement. And how stupid can you be to invite a hit man to your house to lay carpet? It is completely void of intuition.

Take Jill for instance, she would have said no. Did say no, but I couldn’t reverse my actions by this point. Telling a hit man that you didn’t trust him enough to take him to your house after inviting him may have pissed him off. It may have been worse than the first missed intuition.

So this thing of the Spirit is about what you feel in your gut. But most of the time, we go after the Spirit with our emotions or after it with our intellect, but capturing the Spirit of God is spiritual.

I say all of that to say, you cannot understand God’s spirit with your mind. He did not give you your intellect to apprehend him. The Spirit of a man is what he gave us to apprehend divine things.

Isaiah 55:9 (NCV)
9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

So just as women’s thoughts are higher than men’s thoughts, so are God’s thoughts even higher than women’s thoughts.

It’s clear that the mind doesn’t apprehend the spirit, so I wanted you to know this before we jump into our next study on whether or not miracles, tongues, and healing is for today or did it all pass away with the First Century Church.

And I think this is a problem in Decatur. We have tons of churches, but we are only reaching a fraction of the population, because we are all fixation on some aspect of the Holy Spirit and fighting for our pet-doctrines. And I think you see this more with the Holy Spirit than you do with God, the Father and God, the Son.

As a church on the whole in America, we are fixated on the Holy Spirit more than God, the Father or God, the Son.

Take this week for instance when the director of nursing introduced me to a patient by telling the patient I was a pastor. And the first thing she said was not what do you believe about the cross or what do you believe about creation or what do you believe about the Resurrection or about the End Times, she said, “Do y’all speak in tongues as an evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?”

Now you are very interested in my answer, aren’t you? Well, I’m going to refrain unto the end of this study, because I want you to make up your own mind about, since it is such a fixation, then let’s go ahead and get straight in our own minds what we believe.

Remember a few weeks ago I told you would look at the

1. The identity of the Holy Spirit
2. The work of the Holy Spirit

The first thing to understand about the Holy Spirit is that He is a person, and as this person he is part of the Trinity that makes up the Godhead—God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. That’s what we call the Trinity.

So the Trinity that makes up the Godhead is much the same. No matter what you call God, He doesn’t change. He is the same person. He is God, the Father, God the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. Three persons in one.

Think of water. It’s made up of the same substance, but there are three different forms of water. You have water—ice—and steam. Is it still water when it is ice?

So you see the Trinity is the Godhead.
2.The work of the Holy Spirit

One of the early works of the Holy Spirit was to bring the church age into existence.

Acts 1:6-9 (NKJV)
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

I think what we get confused about these days, is what the power of the Holy Spirit is supposed to do in our life. Sometimes we think of the Holy Spirit as magic.

Story about the boy kicking me at DGW.

A lot of churches believe the power of the Holy Spirit is what we are supposed to receive every Sunday at church by the administration of the Spirit’s gifts, which are:

The Revelatory or Word Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-12 (NKJV)
12 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

1 Corinthians 12:28-13:1 (NKJV)
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Ephesians 4:11
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, nfor the 5edifying of othe body of Christ

This is the list that has always been in question when we think about the First Century Church still being in existence today. You’ll hear people talking all the time about the power of the Holy Spirit and nine times out of ten the heated debate about the work of the Holy Spirit will center around this list.

So why are they in the Bible if they are not for the church today?

That’s what we are going to explore for a couple of weeks, and today we are going to start with what’s called the cessation position. Now how do they explain what happened at Pentecost? They say Pentecost was a part of the salvation-historical structure of the Book of Acts.

Acts 2:1-5 (NKJV)
2 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The best way to look at this is to see what the Cessationist are saying against charismatic believers.

Cessationist View believes what happened at Pentecost is a package deal.

Acts 2:32 (NIV
32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

This is the package deal, meaning the pouring out of the Holy Spirit was for the first century only.

Jesus’ death
Jesus’ Resurrection
Jesus’ ascension to heaven
Jesus’ reception of the Holy Spirit

It’s a non-repeatable, once for all event. It puts the Holy Spirit in a salvation-historical model.

It’s like this, I did a funeral one time where two doves were going to be set free at the gravesite after I finished the prayer. And this intrigued me, so while everyone was gathering around the gravesite, I had a few minutes to talk with the guy who owned the doves. He said they would circle the graveyard two times, and then fly home. He guaranteed it.

And this is what this view does with the Holy Spirit. It makes the Holy Spirit predictable, because all of the miracles and word prophecies were for bringing the church into being. It belongs to the period of the foundation for the church.

For futhering reading:
Are Miraculous Gifts for Today? (4 Views) by Zondervan

Notes on the Rueben Syndrome - 2-11-07

2007-02-14T13:00:00.000-06:00

Paul Harvey tells the story about some airline baggage handlers who retrieved an animal carrier in the luggage bay of an airliner . . . But the dog in it was dead.

So with visions of lawsuits dancing on the page beneath the letterheads of lawyers they informed the woman who owned the dog that, by accident, the dog was mis-sent to another destination. The airline promised they would locate the dog and return it to her house.

Then they disposed of the dead dog and went out to find a dog just like it, and they found one. So an airline baggage handler put the substitute dog in the animal carrier with the woman’s name and address on it and delivered it to her front door.

She took one look and said, “That's not my dog! My dog is dead; I was bringing it home for burial.” The reason we struggle with decisions at a point of transition is because we can’t tell false light from true light. And reading Scripture will help you understand the difference, so you can get a sense of direction for your life when you're a lost traveler.

Reuben was much like the airlines. He tried to correct something that didn't need correcting. He tried to rescue Joseph when there was no possible way he could have. And whatever he felt when he discovered the empty pit, then it’s the same thing we feel when we realize that our plans have been botched.

Joseph experienced the bottom of the empty pit and Reuben experienced the pit from above. It's what I call the Reuben Syndrome.

The Reuben Syndrome is what we experience when we try to help someone out of the pits.

No matter who you are, you will be above the pit helping someone at sometime in your life. life is built that way. We go down to the pit, and then we watch from above as others go down in the pit.

So what should you do if you find yourself in Reuben's situation?

1. DON'T BLAME YOURSELF.

The hardest thing to do when we experience the Reuben Syndrome is to not blame ourselves.

Reuben was called away by some duty, some other thing needed his presence. Maybe his wife had a baby. Maybe his child was in a little league tournament. Maybe there was a lost sheep, and he had to leave the 100 sheep to find the lost one. Who knows?
But it was the worst possible situation for Joseph. Wherever he went and whatever he did, it made him miss a very important part of his brother’s life.

Genesis 37:1-11
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,
13 and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them."
"Very well," he replied.
14 So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"
16 He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"
17 "They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.' " So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
19 "Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other. 20 "Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said. 22 "Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the richly ornamented robe he was wearing- 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.
28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels [b] of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?"

Rueben blamed himself. If he'd only been there, he could've saved his brother. Whenever we look back into the pit of a family member’s despair and feel hopeless to help, we will feel guilty. The Reuben Syndrome will always make us feel like we should have done more.

The cry of the Reuben Syndrome is "If I had only done this, then maybe…"

2. DON'T RESCUE, BUT SUPPORT.

On Tuesday, Mike one of the clinical psych counselors, who used to a be a preacher, asked me if I’d help out in the group class for the adolescents. So I did. I followed him to the gym, where he spread out a sheet on the gym floor and made all thirteen teens stand on it. The object of the exercise was to flip the sheet over to the other side while all thirteen remained standing on the single bed sheet. If one stepped off, then they had to start over again.

You should have seen the chaos. And there was a black girl, a poor black girl. Slightly overweight, wearing scrubs. the hospital had given her and a pair of dress shoes she wore in with her. No socks. The same girl who needed underwear, and I remembered seeing a brand new pair. When I found them they were a size 6, but the nurse believed they would stretch. That was Saturday. Now it is Tuesday. She still had them on.

And here she is on the edge of the sheet, barely on the edge of the sheet as the teens folded and doubled and tried everything. Then my girl stepped off ever so slightly, and I called the infraction. They had to start over. My girl started crying. It was too much for her. She started scrubbing the top of her head with her hands. She didn’t want to get back in the game. Then the teens called for her, and they stuck her safely in the middle. They secured her spot in the exercise.

All was well, then they started holding their noses or sticking their faces off in their shirts. They said it smells. They laughed. They called out to each other. Then someone else stepped off and my girl was back in the same shape. She was crying. She wanted out of the exercise. But I hugged her. I told her that this was something that she needed to do. "You have toi do this," I said. "You have to get back in there. Don’t quit. I know about quitting. You need to take your spot."

This is what I dealt with—have dealt with, will continue to deal with. Because I have a hard time when the game gets tough and people are heckling me or calling me out. So I knew she had to stay in that game. And she did. She completed that step, but soon we had to call time, and they never figured out the sheet exercise.

Reuben’s intentions were good, and his plan was a wise one, but it was not successful. God often blasts the designs that are formed for the good of His people, not because he hates them, but because the whole work is not accomplished. God intends to accomplish his purposes in Joseph by first putting him through a few exercises.

He was not only brought into a stressful atmosphere, but was kept there until God trained him the way he wanted Joseph. He knew the task before Joseph. He knew the best leaders are sometimes the fallen leaders. Those leaders who know what it’s like, not leaders who have read it in a book.

But have felt it deep inside their soul, have rolled it over and mulled it over and felt the pain of it. Leaders like this can lead yopu out of the pit because they know the way out, they know the severity. It was not by Reuben that Joseph was to be delivered.

That's a hard one to learn. Talk about Justin not wanting my help.

3. Never Give Up!

There had to come a point when Rueben was told by his brothers about selling Joseph into slavery. They sold him for 20 pieces of silver, which was what a handicap slave sold for in those days. Can you imagine the look on Joseph’s face when he heard the price. When he realized that he was valued very much by his brothers.

And he could have gotten down. He could have been angry. He could have gotten back at them when he had the chance sometime after that. But he didn’t. He knew in his heart how much he was worth. He knew. He knew he could never give up on himself, and somehow Rueben had to say the samething. He had to say, “My brother, Joseph is strong. He will survive.”

Comments on Devotional

2007-02-14T07:15:00.000-06:00

Pastor Robbie,

I am so glad you sent this to me. I cant tell you how much it encouraged me tonight. Jason is currently in the states for a class, the boys and I are here alone. I had been feeling so lonely this week but especially today. Reading your devotional really helped.

Thank you so much and Happy Valentine's Day!

Whitney

ps. the boys are now in bed and I think I will have some chocolate :)

*********

Hey Robbie, Thanks for the devotional. I really liked Vintage Faith church when I was able to attend over the Christmas break. So far, I have visited a million churches here in St. Louis and I can't find one that I really like. Maybe I'm being too picky, who knows? But when I step into your church, my focus is 100% on God. I guess some people just have a way of reaching out to folks, and you and my grandmother are the only people that seem to have that effect on me. I've actually dusted off my Bible and started reading Ecclesiastes. what a great book. So, thank you. There is something that I am curious about. I remember that you used to tape your sermons and post them on the Hickory Hills church website to listen to. Are you able to do that now at Vintage Faith? It was awesome to be able to hear your sermons weekly when I was away at school. If you aren't able to do that it is ok because I know that it probably takes a lot of time and work to keep it up. Anyways, really just wanted to say hi and stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to Decatur soon and visit again. Take care!!
-david lang

What to Do If You Are Lonely This Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T06:55:00.000-06:00

Loneliness beckons as a frigid moon above a bare tree. The train’s whistle at midnight. Loneliness greets an empty house. We feel it when we hear Blues on the radio with no one in the passenger seat. It’s being a single parent, an only child. Loneliness crosses every life, and it will cross yours.

Maybe it’s raining all over the world and you are the only one getting wet. But don’t let these days shape your attitude. God never meant for us to be alone. But lonely people fill the earth. You will pass them in your car tomorrow or see them on the subway train. Faces staring from craters of despair.

When the heaviness of being lonely gets too much to bear, don’t turn inward upon yourself. When everything within you screams for you to isolate yourself from a world that seems so happy and full of companionship you so crave, don’t do it.

Don’t give up. You will find the one meant for you, if you don’t grow weary in waiting. Everyone works with the spade of time. You are not alone in your waiting. Tomorrow may be your day. Then waiting finishes its work and loneliness passes you by.

Today, more than any other day, you will have to:

Fight the gloomy outlook.

Learned helplessness is the giving-up reaction, the quitting response that follows from the belief that whatever you do, it doesn't matter. It believes, "I will always be single."

Michael Seligman, in his book, Learned Optimism, states, "People who give up easily believe the causes of the bad events that happen to them are permanent. People who resist hopelessness believe that the causes of bad events are temporary."

Your loneliness is only temporary, so make a promise to God that you're going to look for the good in your life today. Then go eat some chocolate! You deserve it!

************************************************************************************

* This past Sunday at Vintage Faith, we had a record attendance of 65!

Would love to see you at Vintage Faith Church of Decatur!

Comments on Sunday, February 4th's Service

2007-02-07T09:58:00.000-06:00

Robbie,
Just wanted to let you know that your sermon Sunday was GREAT! It generated some deep thought as well as conversation with me and several friends. I am so proud of our church, it just keeps getting better.

Kathy Winton

--
Robbie, i have thought about your sermon all week so far, I have really try to apply the concepts you showed us to my life. I had given a co-worker a red folder about Vintage Faith back when we were meeting in your living room. She came up to me yesterday and said she saw our sign on the church building, she had the red folder in her hand and asked many questions. She is coming to visit this Sunday. I am so happy, finally someone I invited is coming. This week has been a blessing so far, thanks for giving/showing us the strength and faith it takes to live this life.

Leslie Frost
--

Hey Robbie, I agree with Kathy, I thought your message Sunday was great and I think you always have sermons that get us really thinking. Thank you for answering Gods call and returning to the pulpit. I always come out of Church feeling like I can take on anything that is facing me. I’m praying for you, Jill and the girls. Tell Jill we miss her. Don Lacy

Sermon Notes on February 4th, 2007

2007-02-07T09:25:00.000-06:00

When Life Is In the Pits

There is the story about a bunch of fellows in the Korean War. They had a houseboy that they hired to take care of their things. They took advantage of him. They would put Vaseline on the stove so when he went to turn it on in the morning there would be grease all over his fingers. They'd put little water buckets over the door so that when he opened the door water would go all over him.

They would nail his shoes to the floor so that when he got up in the morning he couldn't move. Finally it grew where one of them couldn't live with the guilt of what they were doing, and one Christmas time they called him in and said, "Look we're sorry. We're never going to do that again."

The houseboy said, "Oh, no more sticky on stove?"
“No, no more sticky on stove.”
"No, more water on door?"
No . . . no more water on door.
"No more nail shoes to floor?"
"No. . . . more nail shoes to floor."
"Okay, no more spit in soup.”

In a passive mood, you can just spit in soup."

But today we are going to see the tale of nine brothers who took anger to the next step. They plotted to kill their brother, but—as it would turn out—Joseph spent some time in a dark and dry place, a place that became like a door opening upon a new world, a foreign place miles from the lonely hill country. And tonight our story starts on that lonely hill outside Dothan where the brothers were keeping watch over their father’s flock.

Genesis 37:18
18 When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes the dreamer!” they said. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”

21 But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. 22 “Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.

23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. 24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother? His blood would just give us a guilty conscience. 27 Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother—our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed. 28 So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces[c] of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt.

29 Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”

Anger is an emotional response to being unjustly humiliated. It involves a loss of self-esteem. The angry person feels outraged at what has been done to him/her and seeks to punish the perpetrator of the injustice.

Vengeance, rather than justice is sought. The angry person is carried away by the emotion and usually behaves in ways which can only be considered excessive.

But before we get into this thing called anger, I want to give you a pop quiz to see how much know.

Okay? All right. I'm going to start with some nicknames and work our way toward this thing called anger.

Just some warm up questions first, so let's see how do.

When someone is bright, quick, or energetic, we nickname that person - pistol. We say, "She's a pistol."

When someone does crazy, zany things, we say, "He's a mess," we say.

When someone can't be believed, we say, "He's a blow-hard."

When someone is eccentric or odd, we say, "He’s a Jim Waller."
Okay now that I've warmed you, here is the final exam.

When someone has a temper, we say, “He's a hothead. He’s a Jeff Gordon.”

Well, all nine of Joseph’s brothers seemed to be hotheads. They made decisions based on their emotions. Was Joseph’s dreams that awful? Did he deserve a pit?

There is a bad side to anger, and one writer puts it like this:

If you stop and think about this for a moment, we don’t think like this about other emotions. Nobody says. “I’ve been holding joy in for years.”

I hear funny stories and I’ve been repressing laughter and joy has been building up inside of me and the joy dam is about to burst and it’s going to spew all over the place.

Therapist don’t say to their clients, “Your not in touch with your gratitude.

You’ve been bottling up the gratitude inside you and it’s just not healthy. It’s going to just come spilling out. You’re going to be just thanking people you don’t even know.”

Therapist don't say this.

And all anger is not alike. There is:

1. Passive-aggressive anger - anger that works its vengeance on the sly.

It spits in other people's soup. It gets back in ways that aren't visible to the person its anger is directed toward.

2. Temper - it is a natural disposition toward anger.

This type of anger becomes a curse in the home because this is where it is mostly played out.
3. Ventilators - people who cannot hold in anger. They blow it out.

The problem with ventilating is that it feels good, and what they have found is that when people ventilate by screaming things, or hitting things, it feels powerful to them.

Thus it reinforces that need to express power. For you see expressing anger a lot of times is just another way to express our lack of power over our lives.

Why should he have a better future? This made them mad enough to conspire to kill him.

This began a series of suddens that kept adding twists to the death plot.

1. They suddenly thought about killing Joseph.
2. Then the sudden idea to throw him in a pit instead of shedding his blood.
3. Then the sudden absence of Reuben.
4. The sudden appearance of the Ishmaelite traveling salesman who were on their way to Egypt to sell their wares.
5. Then the sudden idea of another brother named Judah to sell Joseph to this band of salesmen.

We have all of these twists and turns. So let’s slow the story down and see what is in the white spaces. Because between verse 24 and 25 there’s a lot that happened.

So let me give you three things to do if you fall into a pit:

1. When you fall into a pit, you need to accept the initial fall.

Genesis 37:24-25
24 Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.”

Whenever something bad happens to us, we tend to spend a lot of energy, not correcting the problem, but ruminating why we fell into the pit in the first place. It’s good to have an understanding about the initial fall into a pit. But don’t waste a lot of time regretting, ruminating, or beating yourself up over it.

We can bet that Joseph didn’t think about his dreams when he fell into that pit. He didn’t say, “Okay, my dreams are over.” It’s easy to get disillusioned. The first thing we think about is revenge. Then maybe indifference.

2. When you fall into a pit, you need to decide what you are going to believe about your adversity.

Genesis 42:2121 Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”

Adversity—Belief—Consequence—Determination

What you believe about your pit is what will determine the future. And only you can determine what that belief will be. You don’t have control over your adversities, but you do have control over what you believe about your adversity.

Take a deck of cards and deal two hands to two people. See who wins. Then ask the loser how it feels to be the loser. Then give the loser a second chance by giving them extra cards until they get the winning hand. Then see what the previous winner does about this.

At the point of adversity, you have to go ahead and accept adversity once there’s nothing else you can do about it. Divorce. Job loss. Whatever. Put it behind you. If you don’t, then you spend so much time in the past that the future starts snowballing you. Because when you fall into a pit, the suddens began to hit you. New twists in your story began to appear.

And one thing that kid said was, “I’m out of control.” I said, “You’re out of control because you are trying to abandon yourself.”

This was his negative solution to his life that was being hit with the snowball of suddens. It will make you feel out of control. It’s the negative solution.

Think about Legion.

The positive solution is to be proactive. Anticipate the future. They say people who live in the past will struggle with what to do with their future. They get stuck. People who live in the future are the ones who struggle with the past. They are always deny, covering up, moving forward to keep with dealing with the past. This is what that kid is doing. He is running from past by living in the moment that carries him to the next step.

3. When you fall into a pit, you need to decide what you are going to do in the future. What are the consequences?

Genesis 50:20
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Set up some kind of consequence. Make a contract. Let both parties know what is expected. I use this with my girls when they get in trouble. I make them sign a contract with me that lists the actions or behavior they should abstain from, and then the consequences if they break the contract. This is way they bear the burden of the consequences. They can’t tell us parents that we are ridged or cruel. They knew. They disobeyed. They suffer the consequences.

Charles E. Jefferson's Influence

2006-12-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

Pastor Robbie Stofel on how Charles E. Jefferson influenced Vintage Faith: The church is changing. No one is denying the impact of postmodernism. There’s a revolution taking place. Some call it a “post-seeker-sensitive” approach to ministry; others call it “vintage Christianity.” It’s a raw form of first century worship of Christ. Worship that has been missing in “seeker-sensitive” churches. It’s a return to the simple faith once delivered to the saints and from this crucible of longing for authenticity, emerges the vintage faith.

In 1910, beginning the period known as “high modernism,” Charles E. Jefferson, pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle in New York City, gave the Yale Lectures on Preaching. In past lectures, the art of preaching had been the focus, but now modernism threatened the church. Jefferson said in the first lecture that men were turning their back on entering the ministry because modernity deemed the church “anemic and likely to collapse.” It was fast becoming an age of doubt and modern theology and standing against the grain, Jefferson focused his lecture series on building of the church. Fed up with pulpit bullies and the talk of the church being a dead institution, Jefferson delivered tantalizing lectures on the vintage church. He titled one lecture, “The Church Building Idea in the New Testament.” He said in this lecture, “What a transformation there will be in public worship, what a revolution in many a disciple’s life, and what a reformation in the conduct of many congregations, when once the idea is firmly grasped that all the followers of Jesus, both in the pulpit and in the pew, have the heaven-appointed mission to build the church.”

Jefferson’s great success as a preacher was due to his high regard for the church. He often stated, “I would rather be the pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle than hold any other position on earth.” He believed in the mission of the local church. He longed to empower it. He rallied all of his energy around making the church a body of believers on a mission.

I first learned about Jefferson in Warren Wiersbe’s Walking with the Giants, and I soon purchased a copy of Building the Church. Now I have most of Jefferson’s books in my library, and I often turn to them for encouragement and sage advice. Never have I been disappointed. It’s like panning for gold. Nuggets abound. He was the master of applying the Bible to practical issues of life.

Jefferson’s Yale Lectures are a blueprint to revolutionize the church, bringing it back to its mission in the world. Wiersbe writes in Walking with the Giants, “The Building of the Church is easily one of the finest books to come out of the Yale Lectures series, and its message is greatly needed today.” I agree with Wiersbe. This is why I wanted to update this book. The church needs Jefferson. We need a blueprint for building the Emerging Church, and he offers one. (To read more go to our website: www.vintagefaithchurch.com

Shooting For the Stars

2006-10-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

God took Abraham outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” (Genesis 15:5).

If God took you out and showed you the stars, what would he say? Would he say what he said to Abraham? Would he say he’s going to give you children as numerous as the stars? We would be afraid to look up. Nobody wants that many children. Maybe the old woman in the shoe would be happy with this arrangement. But most of us would settle for our American average number of children—2.5. And Abraham only wanted one child. This would be plenty for him. So why did God tell Abraham that his descendents would be numerous as the stars?

Face it, God is a little on the extravagant side. He sees much greater possibilities. He sees many when we see few. And the curse of every life is to set limits. We limit our possibilities by saying, “I could never do that.” Humans want to settle. We want to set boundaries, which—in and of themselves—are not bad. But we can never set limits to God’s vision of possibilities for us. We can’t suppress his great love. But we try. We say, “I’m not worthy. You don’t know what I’ve done.” To say this is to believe we somehow control the way God responds to us, but we don’t. Ask the Prodigal Son.

God is the God of possibility. So don’t settle for a less stressful job, when God is offering you the job of your dreams. God isn’t bound by our limits. So open yourself to new possibilities. Hope for change. Ask yourself why you’re limiting yourself to a life of drudgery, to a job with no passion, to a faith that can’t believe for answers. Rethink your gloom. Rethink what isn’t working in your life. Be a little extravagant in your possibilities. Shoot for the stars! God does.

2006-10-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

Exciting Youth Service—October 15th

We’re having a youth service on October 15th! Adam Hannah will be sharing with us during the service about his plans and heart for youth ministry. Then Pastor Robbie will also give a short message. The youth group will begin on October 18th. The first meeting will start at 6:30 PM and will meet at Pastor Robbie’s house.

Women’s Study Group—Beginning Wednesday, October 4th

Beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 4, for about 6 weeks, Kaye Waller will be hosting a women's group based on a series called “Has Anyone Seen My Mind?” (Do The Pressures of Life Ever Make You Feel Like You’re Going Crazy?)

It is open to all women, so bring a friend. NO homework! The time is from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Bring your favorite snack / drink, notebook, etc. I am hoping we will have A LOT OF FUN learning.

Call Kaye @ 355-6679 (h) or 345-6679 (c) for directions to her house. If you run a little later than 6:00 pm, that’s ok. Kaye’s goal is to get in a good hour of learning, so it’ll start around 6:15 pm.

Vintage Faith Update 8-8-06

2006-08-12T10:44:00.000-05:00

Great news, everyone!! We've been given permission to use the church building next to Fort Decatur for the same price we've been paying Hospice. We will have all the details at church this Sunday, August 13th. It will be our last service at Hospice.

We are planning to have our first service in the new location on August 20th. This is when we've planned our All-For-One service with a baptism to follow that afternoon.

I'd like for everyone who attends Vintage Faith to make a pledge to be at our new location on August 20th. We want to get everyone together on the same Sunday so we can all be behind our church in prayer and unity. So if you attend Vintage Faith make no other plans for August 20th at 10:00 AM. I want you to cancel all other plans of laziness and despondency so you can be with us. If you are exhausted after a long work week, we'll provide a cot for you.

Don't let your church down. We need you!

2006-08-06T20:19:00.000-05:00

Vintage Faith Church Update 8-06-06

To listen click the small triangle on the left of the player above.

2006-08-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

Vintage Faith Church is Moving to a New Location!

I've got some bad news that is really good news. We have lost our lease at the Hospice building. We have to be out by the end of August. The 27th will be our last Sunday.

This comes as a blow. But I've seen this happen before at my old church. We lost our lease, and then found a ten times better situation behind the local mall. So I see this as God taking us to the next step. We were about to outgrow that building in a couple of months anyway. So I'm not despondent, but excited to see what God is going to do.

Our first step will be contacting the congregation that meets at the old Catholic church to see if they would be interested in sharing space with us. We could do an early service. Maybe 9:30 to 10:30. Something like that. So I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime everyone be in prayer. Ask God to open the right door. We've been led by God from the very start, and I know that he will lead us now. We only need to trust him.

If you have any ideas, please contact one of us.

Pastor Robbie Stofel - vintagefaithchurch.com
Jim Waller – 355-6679
Don Lacy – 773-0406 or lacy2358@bellsouth.net

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All For One Service

We're having an All-For-One Sunday service on August 20th. I'd like for everyone who attends Vintage Faith to make a pledge to be there on August 20th. We want to get everyone together on the same Sunday so we can all be behind our church in prayer and unity.

So if you attend Vintage Faith make no other plans for August 20th at 10:00 AM. I want you to cancel all other plans of laziness and despondency so you can be with us. If you are exhausted after a long work week, we'll provide a cot for you.

Don't let your church down. We need you!

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Church Fellowship and Baptism at 4:00 pm August 20th

Plan to attend our church wide fellowship and baptism at 4:00 p.m. at Martha Mark’s river house on the Tennessee River. You will be getting updates over the next few weeks on how you can be involved and bring food. We are in need of a large grill if anyone has one. If anyone is interested in being baptized, please contact Pastor

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Sermon Series

We've started a new sermon series, "All the Mountains of the Bible." We'll be studying what I call a manmade mountain--The Tower of Babel. If you remember, this is where God confused their work by language barriers. Before the Tower of Babel there was only one language. So come and learn how all of this happened.

Church Update 6-30-06

2006-06-30T10:29:00.000-05:00

Hey, Everyone,

I wanted to update you on a few things the deacons--Jim Waller and Don Lacy--and I are working on. Last night we met and went over the church's proposed constitution, line-by-line. We've made some slight changes and will be presenting it to everyone soon. Then we'll announce a business meeting. We're shooting to have the proposed constitution to you in two weeks. So stay tuned.

We also discussed the budget and will be presenting it to you at the the same time as the constitution for your approval. We believe we are making headway on the foundation of the church we will need to continue our growth. So let's keep crawling. One day soon we will walk.

I'm starting a new sermon series this Sunday called, "All the Mountains of the Bible." We'll be studying the significance of each mountain in the Bible. It seems that everything of significance happened on a mountain. This Sunday we're discussing Mount Ararat, the mountain where Noah's ark came to rest after the Flood. You won't believe what happened!

BTW, Jill told me this afternoon that someone found the remains of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat. She heard it on Good Morning America, which was kind of cool since I'd planned on doing it this Sunday. Here's a link to read more about that discovery: Noah's Ark

So look forward to seeing you Sunday. I know some of you will be on vacation this week, so have a safe trip.

After Service Thoughts 5-28-06

2006-05-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

There are times when you know God is speaking through someone, and this past Sunday God spoke through Don Lacy, our Vietnam Vet. We all knew it too. Our eyes proved it. We cried when he spoke.

He made us feel blessed to live in a country where men and women like Don Lacy have served, not for glory, but for freedom—our freedom. The freedom I have to share this with you—the freedom to say what I please about our Lord who also served, not for glory, but for our freedom from sin and death. May we never forget what Don shared about Him.

Thank you, Don. You blessed us. You proved to us that the best men cry when it comes to the freedom we have in Christ.

Update About Sunday's Service 5-21-06

2006-05-18T15:06:00.000-05:00

Hello, Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I will be speaking this week, even though I told some of you that I was going out of town, but I'm not going until after the service. I have to be in Charlotte by 7:00 PM Sunday night, and I will lose an hour due to the eastern time zone. But I think I can make it if I leave promptly after the service. So I'm looking forward to another great service Sunday. I'm really pumped about what God is doing in our midst. The answered prayer of Jim Waller's friend and the many ways that God is ministering to us through the prayer room and the vintage service have me renewed and excited about being back in the pulpit.

See you Sunday at 10:00 AM! Bring a friend.
Pastor Robbie

First Service Afterthoughts

2006-05-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

Today felt natural, felt vintage in the way we were all together once again. It’s been over a year since speaking in a Sunday service. I wasn’t sure if I’d remember everything I’d prepared in my sermon, everything I’d been practicing in my basement from 6:30–8:00 a.m. Down here whispering so I wouldn’t wake Jill Jr. and Sr., whispering it because I wanted to remember every word, to work hard and get it right for you. And, of course, the way it goes when God is involved, you never say it the same way you’ve whispered it in the basement between drinks of morning coffee. Because most of the time, which is the best time, God speaks something different, something you could never plan for, something more.

I want our church to be a place where you can encounter God—a sacred place. We all need this, even when we can’t really say what it is we want. It’s just a hunger. Something we can’t find any other place. We need a place to connect to a higher love, a greater power to overcome our problems. And I was serious about us asking God what He wants, instead of telling God what we expect from Him because we believe we are righteous enough and have earned the right to be comfortable and numb.

Instead of telling God what we need or expect, let’s live this week based on one question that we must ask again and again—“God, what do you want from me?”

For some we may experience an uneasy silence, and this is okay. But don’t stop asking. Stay at it, because we don’t want to fall back into a pattern of selfishness where we expect manna from heaven, because, darn it, that’s what God is for and that’s why I’m here—to be made comfortable and kept happy at His expense. There’s more than this. And below is my prayer for you this week. It’s a passage out of Colossians. Take a moment and read over it. You could even plug in the name of a loved one, the way I did in parenthesis, and pray for them.

“We have not stopped praying for (Vintage Faith) you and asking God to fill (the church) you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that (Vintage Faith) you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that (Vintage Faith) you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified (Vintage Faith) you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:9-14).

Preaching As a Profession

2006-05-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Preaching is an art form. It’s a hands-on profession. The basics come first, like learning how to choose a text and arrange thoughts. Then we learn how to modulate our voice and pause. We learn how to awaken a conscience, but remember that it will take some time.

Henry Ward Beecher believes pastors should give themselves ten years to learn how to be a minister. So begin your apprenticeship. Beecher says, “If you’ve been ministering for six years, then give yourself four more to become a master minister. If two years are under your belt, then broaden the goal to include eight more years. Then decide if you want to change professions.”

Listen to Beecher’s advice more than the hecklers in your head and the critic in the pew. Make a plan to be steady and true for ten years. Then you can question your calling, but not until then.

Vintage Faith's First Sunday Service

2006-04-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

On May 7th at 10:00 AM, Vintage Faith Church is having its first Sunday service at the Hospice of the Valley's building on Johnston St. in downtown Decatur. Look for our logo on building. Casual dress. Great music. Inspirational teaching.
www.vintagefaithchurch.com

Fake Blood and the Da Vinci Code

2006-04-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

When we were in early teens, a bunch of us boys in Green Acres subdivision in Franklin, Tennessee thought it would be cool to steal Mrs. Erwin's scarecrow she had in a rocking chair on her front porch. We had plans for the lifeless dummy. We wanted to make it look real by squirting it with ketchup. We'd seen fake blood when the wrestlers out of Nashville put on a match at a school.

Jackie Fargo, Koko B. Ware, ToJo Yamamoto, and Jerry Lawler would always bust open a few skulls as we sat at the edge of the bleachers anticipating blood. When it happened, when blood trickled down the face of a wrestler, we'd cheer for more. We'd jump to our feet and put each other in headlocks or throw our own phony punches, laughing and forgetting our own lives were so screwed up.

And once the blood was let, they'd mingle it with sweat and sling it around, trying to shake the bogus cobwebs from their heads. So we knew what fake blood looked like. We knew it made the girls squeamish. We thought it would make our stolen dummy look real. So we drug it behind the dumpster at Jewell's Market at the edge of the neighborhood, and we bought ketchup and soaked our dummy with fake blood.

Smug in our blood letting ability, we took the bloody dummy to the bridge that led through the neighborhood and laid him in the middle of the road. Then we hid in the bushes and watched like the producers of Candid Camera or Punk'd.

We wanted to see horror on faces. We wanted them to believe they'd nearly killed an already dead man. I can remember how my heart raced while I remained hidden and watched. It was exhilarating to watch cars approaching, wondering what would be the reaction.

Some slowed and swerved before gassing back to the neighborhood speed limit, which caused us to yell at their taillights, "Hey! You about ran over a man here!" Others stopped and rolled down their windows and quickly realized they'd been snookered by a dummy covered with ketchup. This hurt us. Even though Mrs. Erwin's scarecrow-dummy wasn't that realistic, we felt our fake blood was convincing.

A lot of people see the body and blood of Christ as a dead body with fake blood. No reason to stop and think twice. No resurrection. No eternal life caused by his blood. And if the new movie based on the Da Vinci Code book says anything, then it says, "Let us throw out a dead Jesus with fake blood. Let us remake him in our own image. For Jesus is not divine. He's a prophet, a good teacher, but not God."

Sad to say but there are many who are slamming on their brakes and falling for the movie's claim. Others are rolling slowly past with their windows down, while Dan Brown, the Da Vinci Code author and others like him are hidden in the bushes, loving the impact of their dead Jesus with fake blood.

Regrettably, all of us must consider the movie's claim that Jesus wasn't divine, that he wasn't a savior at all, but part of a conspiracy that the church has covered up. They believe inside Da Vinci's painting lies the truth in codes.

Maybe our reaction should be like one man who saw our dead-dummy with fake blood and stopped one humid night as the creek flowed below the bridge, as we hid in the bushes. He got out of his car and yelled, "Hey, you bunch of morons! This doesn't even look real from a block away." We didn't throw rocks or come out of hiding. We breathed through our noses and watched as he kicked the dummy off the bridge and into the creek, and then climbed inside his car and motored away.

So, come on, people. Who are these guys kidding with their dead Jesus covered in fake blood? Jesus was more than a prophet, more than a good man. He was God of very God. He was the real Son of God with divinity coursing through his veins. Without his death and shed blood there would be no remittance of sins. Without divinity, Jesus would be just a mere man who came to say, "Everyone must get better. Everyone must live holier lives to get to heaven."

But anyone who has tried to be holy for more than an hour knows it can't fully be done. We don't need a great teacher, which Jesus clearly was. We don't need a prophet to tell us to live holier lives, which Jesus clearly taught. Because to stop here makes everything depend on us. What are the consequences if the Da Vinci Code is right about Jesus being only a great teacher without divinity? Those who believe this will have to stand before God on the merits of their own strength. Am I good enough? Did I live a righteous life? Did I observe Christ's teachings rigidly? Did I sacrifice my life to follow these teachings? Was I good enough? And of course, there is a lot of ambiguity and chance, a roll of the dice with tremendous odds.

What are the consequences if I am wrong about Jesus' divinity? I will stand in line with everyone else to find out if I was good enough. What are the consequences if I'm right? Eternal life based upon the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. I'm not on trial before God. Christ is. And He conquered death and the grave for me. I live on the basis of Christ's death.You have to think about this, because this is the choice that Dan Brown's, The Da Vinci Code claims. It has nothing to do with how it interprets history. It has everything to do with how you interpret Jesus in history.

Their history debacle is a smokescreen meant to throw you off the trail of grace. Without grace, we are bumbling idiots with no hope. Who can keep the whole Law? Of course, the answer is no one. This is why we need a Savior who makes us holy by his death on a cross. Because anything less is a dead-dummy with fake blood.

(For further reading on this subject, see the second chapter in my new book, God, How Much Longer? Click link to buy: http://snipurl.com/pqxx).

Map to Vintage Faith-411 Sherman St SE

2006-04-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

(Click for larger image)Service time is 10 a.m. Sunday
411 Sherman St. in Southeast Decatur--Next to Fort Decatur and behind the Episcopal Church

Vintage Faith Church Communion Service

2006-04-13T18:35:00.000-05:00

Here are a few things to pass on to anyone interested in coming to Vintage Faith's Easter sunset service at 5:30 PM Sunday afternoon at the Tennessee River. We will set sail at 6:00 PM sharp.

1. Children are welcome. Children 12 and under need to bring their own life preserver and MUST keep it on at all times while on board--that's the law. Also parents must be responsible for their children.

2. Everyone must wear slip resistant, rubber sole shoes, tennis shoes are fine.

3. We are docked at River Marina in Decatur (just across the Hudson Bridge on Highway 31) come all the way around by The Hard Dock Cafe. It's the large house boat with the blue stripes.

4. Everyone please bring your favorite beverage (soft drinks, tea, punch) and a food item. We will have bottled water, coffee, ice, paper plates, napkins, and cups.

5. Call Tim and leave him a message at 351-8679. If someone isn't sure until Saturday, that's okay, but just inform us as soon as possible. We can handle about 40 people, and we don't have a clue--at this moment--how many will attend.

If anyone has an amplifier, or a "Mr. Microphone" or something similar we could use, it would be extremely helpful.

We also will need 45 gallons of gas. We have 4, five gallon containers that we can use.

Thanks much,
Jackie Patterson, Tim Craig

April 5th 2006--Role of a Pastor

2006-04-05T22:21:00.000-05:00

April 5th, 2006
The Role of the Church and Its Pastor

I lost a car a week ago. Sloan drove off in it. But before she did, she personalized it. She put a Dave Matthews Band decal on the back. It looks like a nude dancer. But it wasn't until she put water and soap in a bucket and washed it that I knew something significant had happened, because whatever a teen cleans in this world is of value to them.

So in the last flicker of sixteen candles, Jill took my truck and Sloan took Jill's car, leaving me a pedestrian, a walker, a person on foot. And I can't describe to you the feeling I had when I walked out the first time to go somewhere and was met by an empty driveway.

So please watch out for me. I might be grumbling to myself and walk right out in front of you, and always remember that I have the right away.

And when it comes to leading the church, it becomes confusing about who has the right of way. Who yields to whom? There are several assumptions we make:

1. We yield all control to the expert pastor and sit passively by while he
dominates the church.

We can look across Christendom and choose those dominated by one man. What he says goes and what goes is what he says.

Usually he has a list of dos and don'ts of his church. The bylaws are stacked in his favor. He demands every member to tithe and keeps a record of all those who don't.

He runs the church like it's his business, and those who adhere to his rule and reign are his chosen ones.

When he divides up his pastoral duties, they hold the favorite spots. And some people like this because of the attention they get.

Then there are those who love the fringes because it doesn't cost anything on the back row of the church. Slip in late, slip out early.

Jill and I went to a wedding one time and we're seven minutes late to discover that the doors had been locked. We couldnâ€™t get in.

No church locks it's doors literally, but the dictator slams them shut from the pulpit. He blows a cold blast of spiritual damnation. He chastises his people on the fringes until they either give in to the guilt or leave because they feel like there time is up.

And there are those who use the church. They're are those who believe the pastor is the hired gun, that he is a dispenser of religious services, that he is a civil servant. Both are wrong. Both are the extreme opposites. Nobody wants a pulpit pope, nor do we want hired gun.

2. Then there's the church that binds and gags the pastor.

The power group in the church sets rules and standards for the pastor. The big money givers hold a short leash on the pastor. He preaches their doctrines. He pleases their people.

Their tithes to the church dupes them into believing that they know how to best use the Lord's money that just a moment before the offering their money belonged to them and after the offering it still does.

But who wants to attend a church where the body of Christ has its dictators who see fit to leave the majority in the dark? They want the people to tithe sacrificially and serve the way they do without ever questioning their authority.

The only thing worse than a pulpit pope is an inner-click of power holders, who believe they are smarter than the rest of God's people and therefore should be trusted.

Usually people of this caliber make huge assumptions about what God wants for his church. They make their plans and ask God to bless them, which is the direct opposite. They believe they should make plans and assumptions then involve God.

I had this happen to me just last week in another situation. But it comes with a little bit of good news. I'm no longer a pedestrian. I have a car.

It's a hand-me-down. Someone graciously gave it to me when she bought a new car. Blair is an official car owner. My name doesn't appear anywhere on the bill, thank God.

But I did the research for her. I called around to find her the best deal on a VW Jetta Value Edition. And Richard answered the phone. He told me he only needed to sell four more cars to receive a bonus. He was mine.

Plus, I knew that VW had a great college graduate program. No credit history, no problem. You just couldn't have bad credit. Plus, they pay the first payment for you.

Yeah, pretty good, huh? So I went for it. I gave Richard the required information. He said he would run Blair's credit history and call me back. He did. It was a bingo all the way, so Blair and I went to pick it up this past Friday.

When we got to Volkswagen of Huntsville, Richard had it sitting on the showroom floor. Heads-up play for a former baseball trainer at the University of Alabama.

And it was sharp and Richard gave her a tour of the features. It had this cool key that closed like a switch blade and with a touch of a button it shot out. He used it to pop the trunk and Blair was all smiles.

And we moved over into Richard's glass office while he printed a copy of Blair's graduation certificate.

Then he said he'd go get Stan, the financial man, and while Stan finished things up, he'd go fill up her car with gas. A thirty dollar value. Free. Just for buying a car!

And while he was gone, Blair and I looked over our shoulders at the platinum gray Jetta sitting there in it's last new car moment, and we made comments, bad comments about the old Honda Civic that Blair calls Nemo, because she knocked off one of the side view mirrors, which made it look like it only had one fin.

I commented on the Michelin tires that should never give her the same problems Nemo gave her. Once a tire blew and she went sailing into the median of I-65 and stopped just before entering traffic going the opposite way.

Then Blair would point the key chain thing at me and act like she'd just pulled a switch blade on me.

After a couple of moments like this, Richard returned with Stan, the financial man, who wore a sweater without sleeves. Very astute. Older man with a few nugget rings of excellence on his fingers.

"This is Stan, our credit expert," Richard said.

We went through a round of hi, how-are-yous. Then Stan said, "Well, we have a small glich. We overlooked something very important to the graduate program. You can have no credit, but you can't have bad credit."

Then he pulled out a piece of paper and shoved it toward Blair. "You are two months behind on your student loan."

What!? This was my reaction. Blair sat solemn. I said, "Shoot, I thought it got deferred."

Then Richard said, "It was my oversight. I just missed it when checking the credit. But this can be fixed simply. All you have to do is have a co-signer, and if your father will sign, then this will be all cleared up, and we'll be all set."

Then Stan said real quick, "That is if you have good credit, Mr. Stofel."

And Blair, wanting to get the car on her own, would not let me sign. Blair stood and did a Bree Vandercamp, off Desperate Housewives.

She stood and took a breath like Bree. Then she said, "Thank you for your time. I guess I'll come back when I have my student loan situation taken care of."

Then she plunked the switchblade key down on the glass table with a clunk and said, "Let's go, Dad."

So I stood to outstretched hands. I shook both and followed Blair out the door, and once outside I called after her.

She said, "Don't talk to me."
I said, "Blair, they said they'd have to check with their credit department tomorrow. So they're going to do it. It's just too late today to do that." I sped up, trying to catch up with her.

But she sped up and said, "Don't talk to me."
We got in the truck and drove home from Huntsville in complete silence.

When we got home, Richard called and said he just happened to get someone at Volkswagen credit on the phone, and they said there shouldn't be any problem. So come back and get the car in the morning.

Sure, there was probably an oversight. I don't think they set me up until the end.

But maybe, back in Stan's office, he exposed the ugly little mark to Richard. Maybe they pursed their lips and scratched their car selling wisdom and said, "Well, you know, if she had a co-signer this would clear it up. What does the father look like? Think he has the money to do it?"

Who knows what transpired back in that office where deals have gone through and deals have failed like ours? But it's safe to say that they had it all figured out in their minds. They had the upper control. They had a father over the emotional barrel. He'd do it. He'd do it for a girl who just graduated college. "Sure, he will," they said.

But it didn't happen like they planned.
They should have said, "Blair, take the car home. Drive it until Monday, and we'll get this straightened out," which is what eventually happened.

Then Blair could have gone from there. But they made a huge assumption.

Now these car salesmen were out for the money, but somewhere inside their motives they truly wanted what was best for the customer. They just made the assumption that they knew what was best.

And I don't think the inner-click of power realizes that they have the church and the pastor on a short leash. They truly think that they are doing the best thing for everyone.

And we can sit here tonight and make assumptions about how we think this church should go, but let us not make wrong assumptions.

The assumption of common sense, of emotion, of tradition, of reason. Whether we know it or not we fall back on these assumptions during a crisis.

Common Sense says, "Well, all she needs is a co-signer."
Emotion says, "Her father will not let this deal go bad."
Tradition says, "Let's do it the way we always do it."
Reason says, "Well, let's see how to work this out using every possible avenue."

Reason sounds good in theory. But does reason always speak the truth?

What assumptions are we making right now about our lives, our church?
1. That we'll find a building.
2. That finding a building will solve some of our problems.
3. That things will be different than the last church we were involved in.

How do you know these things will happen?

What is the difference between faith and assumption?

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

What is assumption? Something that is believed to be true without proof.

We make assumptions all the time. But we can never assume anything because if we do, then we are making the agenda. We go into the future with an expectation, expecting a certain thing to happen.

It happens all the time, doesn't it? We dream of a big life and live a small one. Then we get depressed because we feel slighted, ripped off, robbed. Then we blame God.

So it is our assumptions that we have to learn to live without.

But you say, "We have to have a plan." Sure, that's common sense and reasoning, which is good. When in total doubt do what makes sense. That's my motto. But when we are living by faith, it may contradict common sense and reasoning.

Making an assumption means that we have worked out the plan in our own minds, right down to the finest detail.

Proverbs 20:24 "A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

Making an assumption means we refuse to allow God to direct our steps. How do you do that? We begin to listen to the voices of the world and criticism more than we do the voice of God.

What if Noah had listened to the men of his day that made fun of an old man building a ship hundreds of miles from a body of water?

Business professors conducted a study with a group of monkeys. It's a vivid story of failure. They placed four monkeys in a room with a tall pole in the center. Suspended from the top of the pole was a bunch of bananas.

One of the hungry monkeys started climbing the pole to get something to eat, but just as he reached out to grab a banana, the experimenters blasted him with cold water.

Squealing, the monkey scampered down the pole and abandoned his attempt to feed himself. Each monkey made a similar attempt and was drenched with cold water. After attempting a few more times, they finally gave up.

The researchers then removed one of the monkeys from the room and replaced him with a new monkey. As the newcomer began to climb the pole to get the bananas, the other three monkeys, who'd tried but failed, grabbed him and pulled him down to the ground. It was a brave act of rescue.

So after the new monkey tried to climb the pole several times and was dragged down by the others, he too gave up and never attempted to climb the pole again.

Then the researchers replaced the original monkeys, one by one, and each time a new monkey attempted to get the bananas, the other monkeys would drag him down before he could reach them.

In time, the room contained only new monkeys who had never received a cold shower, who'd never even attempted to climb the pole for bananas, but none of them knew why.

Life can become this experiment. They lived by assumptions, which are believing in something without having proof. We stop looking up, but we really don't know why.

Faith on the other hand says we have hope. Did the monkeys have hope? No, they stopped hoping in getting the bananas down. Assumptions are void of hope, in theory.

When we listen to or make decisions based on human potential and advice, we become like these monkeys. We never attempt great things for God.

What we do most of the time is to do what Richard and Stan, the financial man, tried to do to Blair. They appealed to the father's sentiment. "He'll buy the car. But sometimes sentiment doesnâ€™t change the fatherâ€™s pocketbook. It remains empty.

And what churches do a lot of times, and what we do as individuals, is try to manipulate God by appealing to His sentiment.

"Well, how can a good God allow that to happen?" We are appealing to or trying to manipulate the Father's sentiment to get what we want. But sometimes the Father has different plans.

Think of the three guys who risked their lives to get David water while they fought the Philistines.

David said in their hearing,

2 Samuel 23:15-17 - "David longed for water and said, 'Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!'"

16 So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD.

17 "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.

Man, you talking about a serious assumption. That was a risk. The appeal to David's sentiment backfired, because they failed to factor in David's belief.

They made a plan, executed its steps, reached the goal, then offered it to David for God only knows why.

Was it a desire to advance in the army? Was it loyality? But the shocking thing about the episode was how David reacted.

We can think we are doing great things for the Lord, when in actuality we are doing them for our own pleasure or rewards.

Motive is the power behind faith. It's the reason we hope. We hope for things not seen because we have a motive. But who ever has pure motives?

We are motivated by our desires. That's why we make assumptions. We desire something, and we get motivated to make it happen, even if it involves God.

Isn't this the reason we get God involved? We think he can help us get what we want. Right?

Maybe you desire something tonight. You may even be motivated to go for it. Motive influences our choices. I had this kid today at DG west. He faked passing out. Hit the dirt between buildings. He had a motive, but he made the wrong assumption.

Desire + motive = assumption
David's desire + his men's motives = a botched assumption
God's desire + our motives = botched assumption
God's desire + His motives = His plan

And you can plug this into every formula of your life:
Our marriage + my desires + my motives = botched assumption
Vintage Faith + our desires + our motives = botched assumption
Vintage Faith + God's desires + His motives + God's plan

Now you see the huge challenge before us. How do you live a life based on this formula?

We must continually check our motives. The way we do this is by asking ourselves why we feel motivated to do it? Will it make us comfortable? What's in this for me?

We have to return repeatedly to those three things we spoke of the first week:

1. Worship
2. Love
3. Making disciples

The way to tell when we are missing God is when we make assumptions and reality proves otherwise.

(Below is my message at a communion service for Vintage Faith Church 3/29/06)

2006-04-04T08:03:00.000-05:00

Service for Vintage Faith Church 3/29/06

Last Thursday, Sloan, my youngest daughter, turned sixteen. Sheâ€™s an adult. She will have to get a job. She might even have to pay taxes. She will have to save lives this summer at Point Mallardâ€™s wave pool, and it all makes a father sad.

His little girl-last little girl-is growing up. And when your child turns sixteen itâ€™s the last time youâ€™ll drive and the last time theyâ€™ll need your signature, until they get married and want you to help with their bills. And I hated to obey this sad moment and take her to get her driverâ€™s license. But Iâ€™d promised I would. But I never realized how hard it would be.

When we got up last Thursday, some one had taken my little girl and left me one that was bubbly and appreciativeâ€”all in the same moment. It was actually scary. The thought of being an official driver made her giddy.

"Let's go, Dad," she said with a pop tart in her hand. "Let's move it!"
I said, "Give an old man a moment. Iâ€™ve got to have my pot of coffee."

I don't face the world without my Starbucks coffee. Ever. Plus, it was only 8:00 AM, and I had a half a pot left to drink.

"Dad, we've got to go," she said. "You promised."

And I had promised, so I did, and we got there about 8:30 AM. The place was loaded with people. It looked like a crowded phone boothâ€”arms and legs of people everywhere. And we learned that they take forty names and that's it for the day, the guard behind the security check point told us so.

"You have to be kidding," I said.
Sloan said, "Dad, I told you."

Don't you hate to be wrong? So I asked, "Can you take the test somewhere else?"

"Yeah, you can take it in Cullman, Athens, or Moulton. And I'd probably go to Moulton," the security guard said.

So off to Moulton we went with Sloan whining and crying. "I'm not going to get my license today, am I?"

"Oh, yeah, we'll get them," I promised.

At Moulton's courthouse we beeped through the little security check twice and there wasn't a guard. We yelled, "Hey, we're beeping out here." No one came, so we just went to the basement and found the driver license examiner who told us he was full also.

Now we've moved from tears to all out drama. "This is the worse birthday of my life," she said.

And this is when it all flashed before me. Someday when Sloan takes her own kids to get their license, sheâ€™ll tell them, "When I was sixteen, I didnâ€™t even get to take my driverâ€™s license. My father, your papa," sheâ€™ll say, â€œhad to drink his pot of coffee before we could go get mine, and by the time we got there the list was full.â€�

They'll ask, "And you didn't get your driverâ€™s license on your birthday? You had to wait? What do you mean full, like they only had one simulator?"

"Honey, this was back in the day when you really had to drive the car. You kids got it made these days. We had to drive around the block with an examiner sitting beside us with a clip board while we did a three-point turn."

"You did?" they'll say. "Your father must have been mean. Did he do it on purpose?"

Well, what father wants to be remembered like that? So when we got home, I got on the internet and found every driverâ€™s examination place in 100 mile radius.

Athens-full
Cullman-full
Hartselle-full
Huntsville-full
Birmingham-full

Then we hit pay dirt in the small town of Double Springs. I called and the lady at the Double Springs Community Center said, "Yeah, she's here today."

"Is she full?"
"No, I don't think so she's out doing two road tests right now."
"Great, we'll be right there."

Hope eternal. Redemption in Double Springs. And it was a long haul to Double Springs. And we found the community Center and the examinerâ€™s office was a little hole in the wall in the back of the center.

We walked in and she said, â€œDo you have every item listed on the sign in the window?â€� She was a no nonsense kind of examinerâ€”in her uniform with the stripe down the leg. Real fancy.

Then she barked, â€œYou got to have a parent.â€�

Now I couldâ€™ve taken that in a couple of ways:
1. As a compliment
2. As an accusation, like you know, â€œYou must be the poor, pitiful accuse for a father.â€�

I took it the first way, and said, â€œIâ€™m her parent.â€�

After she looked at Sloanâ€™s permit and SS card, she said, â€œDecatur! What are yâ€™all doing here? Yâ€™all come all the way from Decatur?â€�

I said,â€� Yeah, they were full. Then we went to Moulton and they were full. I promised her that Iâ€™d take her to get her license on her birthday.â€�

I thought this would bring some admiration. A father going the extra mile to make a birthday wish come true.

But she said, â€œWell, I hope she can drive.â€�
Sloan shot back, â€œI can.â€�

So off they go into the heart of Double Springs while I leaned against the wall outside the community center. When I asked if I could go, she said, â€œNope, you canâ€™t go.â€�

And I canâ€™t describe to you the feeling I had watching her drive away with some one besides me in the car, and it seemed like forever before they popped over the rise.

And there they were like a Nazi officer and an orphaned childâ€”the woman with her clip board and stern face, and Sloan with her birthday face and the steering wheel.

They parked in front of me and the driverâ€™s test Nazi got out and I said in a jovial tone, â€œHowâ€™d she do?â€�

â€œWell, she did pretty good. She messed up on one thing.â€�

Then she started drawing me a diagram of a red light with a turning lane that veered off to the right. â€œInstead of taking the turning lane, she went to the red-light and made a sharp turn. So didnâ€™t pass today. You can only take it once a day. Maybe tomorrow.â€� Then she pranced off, leaving us standing there in shock.

I wanted to yell, â€œYou could have a little bit of compassion. You Nazi! You stinking road test flunky!â€�

We get in the car and drive off. Sloan is not crying. Iâ€™m speechless and we ride this way for about five miles. Then I got mad. I told Sloan that the woman would have flunked her, no matter what. â€œShe didnâ€™t want you to pass that test,â€� I said.

And we raged all the way home. I told her it was a bad idea to go to Double Springs and apologized, and she said, â€œDad, itâ€™s not your fault. I was the one who flunked the test.â€�

Of course I was off the hook. No longer did I have to worry about being slandered in front of her future kids and my future grandkids. Iâ€™d fulfilled my promise. Sloan had no one to blame but herself.

Tonight we sit here and have no one to blame about our guilt before God but ourselves. We have made choices. Some bad. Some good. But God fulfilled his promise to us. He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, and if anyone believes on him they will not surely die.

Jesus has driven everyone of us to Double Springs, to the Cross. Christ went the extra mile. And the beauty of being a Christian is that we will never have to experience or fall into the hands of the examiner Nazi.

Because Christ took the test for us. He passed a new law. â€œFor God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal lifeâ€� (John 3:16).

The beauty of being a Christian is that Christ changed everything. No longer does passing the test to get into heaven depend on our human effort. It depends on our belief in Christâ€™s work on the cross.

And tonight as we partake of communion, you donâ€™t have to take a holiness test before you can partake. Everyone in this room would fail. Because the moment you make communion about yourself, then itâ€™s the moment you fall into the hands of the Nazi devil who is going to flunk you no matter what.

So tonight is not a test of our holiness, but of our faith, of our response to the one who took the test for us. Itâ€™s about the one who abolished the law and made a new one.

So tonight is a response to this great love of God. If we all asked for a license to be in heaven tonight, Christ wouldnâ€™t say something similar to the driver examination woman, â€œI hope you can be holy.â€�

The maker of heaven and earth would say, â€œIâ€™ll give you your license based on my holiness skills, not yours. Believe on me and you will always pass the holiness test.â€�

So tonight communion is about Him, not us. Yes, we come to this table with our sins ever before us, but we donâ€™t make them a barrier. We ask for help with our sin. We ask for Christâ€™s strength.

2006-03-30T10:47:00.000-06:00

George Barran from Gateway called back. He said the owners are not interested in leasing any of the property he didn't think. In fact, another church has approached him about that already. But he will ask them to make sure. I told him to keep us in mind in case they do decide to lease. There is a Youth Center that backs up to the stone church that selling for $264,000. It would make great office buildings but it doesnt have the church look. He said to call him if we want to do a walk-through.

Here's a link to the stone church downtown that we talked about in our meeting last night.

http://snipurl.com/of1j

2006-03-24T21:20:00.000-06:00

Vintage Faith Church of Decatur
Mission Statement

"What is a Church?"

The Church is a body of believers who witness to the "hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). It's an emerging church proclaiming the heart of Jesus as He reached out to a shady prostitute who washed His feet with her tears (Luke 7:44). He did not yell, "Away from Me, you worker on the corner!" He did not see a label. He saw a human heart reaching out. And He gently and lovingly allowed her to honor Him. And in honoring Him, she poured out all of her sinâ€”every trick she ever turned.

Forgiveness is in the heart of Christ. And this encounter with Jesus may very well be the greatest example of the church ever portrayedâ€”sins forgiven and washed away. Heart mended, instead of judged. Tears genuine, not contrived. No dry singing. No dull sermon. It was truth and honesty in weakness and devotion at the feet of Christ.

Religion is what's leftover when love and honesty walk out the door. It makes the church a religious center where fake people assemble to worship a plastic god. This type of church exists to meet the needs of the church consumer by providing services of excellence, for excellence sake. And the church becomes the last place to fall on your knees in weakness before Him. But the church is not a "place to have your needs met." Rather, it is a growing organism where people learn how to share in God's grace and witness to the hope of eternal life.

It's a group of believers showing fallen humans where to encounter the living Christ. Because He is the Lamb that was slain. May we never stop falling at His feet because the world tells us we should. . . . May we all find our rest here.

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:3-7).

Vintage Faith Church Update for March 23, 2006

2006-03-23T21:45:00.000-06:00

Click play to listen to update.

2006-03-23T18:39:00.000-06:00

Now's the Time! We have officially started Vintage Faith Church in Decatur, Alabama!