unlikelyclay.com

If you watch football, you know the most important things in the fourth quarter are the score and how much time is left on the clock.  Our church year runs from July 1 to June 30.  June is our fourth quarter.  Before time runs out, let’s check the score:

• Through 51 Sundays, 70 people have professed faith in Jesus and have been baptized!
• Attendance in worship has moved up 4% in the last 12 months.
•  Bible Community attendance has moved up 7% this past year.  This is a great trend – groups are growing faster than worship!
• Giving to our ministry budget is 5% more than last year – and this in a year when the economy is not strong!  We did face difficult financial conditions this year, but thanks to the wise leadership of Mark Partin, our Administrative Pastor, and our Stewardship Team, we have devised a good strategy to meet the financial challenges.
• We are $3,000 shy of reaching $800,000 in gifts to Build on the Rock.  We completed the first phase, renovating the Student Building.  The second phase is under way – the clearing of the parking lot and the construction of a covered drop off.  We expect to complete this project (if the weather holds) by the beginning of school.  These 70 extra spaces will allow 154 more people to have a paved parking surface.
• After two and half years of searching, God brought Todd Fleming to our staff to serve as Education/Discipleship Pastor.
• The people of ADBC have stepped up to fill more volunteer roles than ever before.  You are truly going and sharing your gifts, your resources, and your story as never before.
• We had to say goodbye to Clay and Terrica Smith as this church year ends.  Clay brought to our staff great gifts and passion.  But the good news is God has someone in mind for us who will help us take our next step.
• We have an urgent need to find the right people for the Associate Pastor -Preschool and Associate Pastor – Technical Ministries positions.  The preschool position will help us continue the developing of preschool leaders and the building of an effective ministry for preschoolers and their parents.  The Technical position will help us enlist and train more volunteers so that we can have a solid video production to put on our local cable channel and on our web-site.
• Ranny Haselden being with our team was such a golden time – even if it was shortened by his health concerns.  Ranny is one of God’s true gentleman.  He showed us the value of gentleness and compassion.

I give our great God thanks for making this a winning year at ADBC!  I am glad as the clock runs down, you all are on the team.

If you watch football, you know the most important things in the fourth quarter are the score and how much time is left on the clock.  Our church year runs from July 1 to June 30.  June is our fourth quarter.  Before time runs out, let’s check the score:

• Through 51 Sundays, 70 people have professed faith in Jesus and have been baptized!
• Attendance in worship has moved up 4% in the last 12 months.
•  Bible Community attendance has moved up 7% this past year.  This is a great trend – groups are growing faster than worship!
• Giving to our ministry budget is 5% more than last year – and this in a year when the economy is not strong!  We did face difficult financial conditions this year, but thanks to the wise leadership of Mark Partin, our Administrative Pastor, and our Stewardship Team, we have devised a good strategy to meet the financial challenges.
• We are $3,000 shy of reaching $800,000 in gifts to Build on the Rock.  We completed the first phase, renovating the Student Building.  The second phase is under way – the clearing of the parking lot and the construction of a covered drop off.  We expect to complete this project (if the weather holds) by the beginning of school.  These 70 extra spaces will allow 154 more people to have a paved parking surface.
• After two and half years of searching, God brought Todd Fleming to our staff to serve as Education/Discipleship Pastor.
• The people of ADBC have stepped up to fill more volunteer roles than ever before.  You are truly going and sharing your gifts, your resources, and your story as never before.
• We had to say goodbye to Clay and Terrica Smith as this church year ends.  Clay brought to our staff great gifts and passion.  But the good news is God has someone in mind for us who will help us take our next step.
• We have an urgent need to find the right people for the Associate Pastor -Preschool and Associate Pastor – Technical Ministries positions.  The preschool position will help us continue the developing of preschool leaders and the building of an effective ministry for preschoolers and their parents.  The Technical position will help us enlist and train more volunteers so that we can have a solid video production to put on our local cable channel and on our web-site.
• Ranny Haselden being with our team was such a golden time – even if it was shortened by his health concerns.  Ranny is one of God’s true gentleman.  He showed us the value of gentleness and compassion.

I give our great God thanks for making this a winning year at ADBC!  I am glad as the clock runs down, you all are on the team.

What a great day!  Clay did a great job talking to us about peace.  I appreciated how he shared with his personal struggle as he wrestled with the decision to take a new position at Shandon - and how it came down to praying until he felt a sense of peace.

Clay made reference to the fact that he talked through the decision with me.  My conviction is that if one our ministers is really sensing God leading him to another position of service, I want to help and have honest conversation.  After all, if God is really moving in a situation, shouldn’t we trust that God is also working in our lives and at ADBC?  I really value the trust and honesty we have in our staff leadership.

Great to see a son and step-father take their next step and declare their faith in Jesus through baptism.

I had chance to visit with the New Balance Bible Community Group today.  A great BCG group of young married couples - that values supporting each other and sharing the life and faith journey together.

Eric also got me up leading music during Xtreme Kids.  It was high energy and made me wish I was 10 again - for many reasons!!

Plus great attendance - we’re running about 150 people more this summer over last - makes me wonder what’s ahead for the fall.

I love ADBC - you are a great church!

I was challenged by a man I respect very much to re-analyze my personal mission.  I wrote a personal mission statement about 10 years ago, but like everything, I needed to re-examine my life and my values.

As I have thought about it, at the core of my being I believe in grace.  I want the mission of my life to reflect that deep value.

When I shared this with my  friend, he then asked me, who do you know that lives a life of grace?

Good question.  Who do you know that lives a life of grace?  I’d like to know - send me a comment please!

I believe the key to following Jesus is to be willing to take your next step.  The next step may be to embrace the healing power of God’s love and grace into your life.  It may be to step up to the challenge of serving or giving or sharing your story.  It may be to let go of something or someone you love.
Churches have next steps.  Over the past three years at ADBC, one of our next steps has been to build a strong leadership team – in the ministerial realm and in the volunteer realm.  God has blest our church with some exceptional leaders.
Now, God is moving Clay and Terrica Smith to their own next step.  Their obedience creates for us our own next step, a step of letting go of people we love.
There is godly irony, I suppose, in the fact that Clay is going to Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia.  It is no secret that Shandon is a mentor church for us and their pastor, Dick Lincoln, is a mentor of mine.  But no two churches are alike.  In the past three years, we have learned some things as a church and a staff team that Clay will carry with him to Shandon.  Hopefully this will be a small repayment for the graciousness that Shandon and Dick Lincoln have shown us through the years.
God’s next step for us is to recognize that we are a church that has much to give – let us be confident that God will provide the right leaders for the next leg of the journey.
Join me in praying God’s best for Clay, Terrica, and Madison as they make this move.  I hope you will be here Sunday as Clay preaches and we honor him in all three services.  But join me also in celebrating that God knows what we have to give and who we need – and He is already making provision for our next steps with Him.

Between going to the beach with six teens, coming back and trying to get ready to preach on Father’s Day, starting a trip to Florida and having truck trouble in Savannah, and then coaching staff through some difficult times, I keep forgetting to BLOG!

So, here’s what’s been going on in my world.

My son, Abram, graduated from High School - did a great job on his valedictorian address.  It was a moment of incredible pride for me!

The heat at graduation was overwhelming.  Both my daughters passed out.  I learned something significant about being a Dad, though.  I learned that when my children are in trouble I want to be be where they are.  It taught me fresh and new about the love of my heavenly Father.

The beach was great - Gina and I had lots of time to walk, talk, and just be.  Saw a couple of movies, I exercised my love for her by going shopping.  God did design us all for rest!

Father’s Day - My prayer Sunday was really a leading from the Spirit - to give thanks for my Dad, who died when I was a baby; to give thanks for my step-father, who has taught me so much about duty, honor, and giving; and to give thanks for my children, who have made me a Dad, and who humble me by doing so well in their faith.  And of course, I gave my heavenly Father thanks for all He has done for me - giving me love, grace, forgiveness and blessings. 

Attendance was unbelievable, by the way.  One thousand on the nose on Father’s Day - we’ve never done that before!

I have made the trip to Florida dozens of times - and never had any trouble.  But my truck died on me at the bottom of an exit ramp in Savannah.  I got it cranked again, but decided it was time to head back to Sumter.  I made it home - and it was a fairly simple fix - replace a vacum hose.  Isn’t it amazing how God wants to help us fix our lives - and so often, it’s a simple fix.  Just pull over, and let Him work

We are Myrtle Beach celebrating graduation with my son and his friends - so the posts will be few until the end of the week.

BUT Sunday was a great day.  My thanks to Abram Smith and Kathy Harris who helped with me with my first Catalyst chemistry illustration!

I came out for lunch today and saw a bluebird in my truck!  I had left the windows down because of the heat.  The bluebird had evidently wandered in and couldn’t find her way out.  She (he?) had panicked, and left little bluebird reminders of her presence all over the interior.

I rolled down the windows helpfully, but she was frightened and hid behind a seat belt.

I went to the other side of the truck, opened the door, but she still wouldn’t fly away.  Her head was behind the seat belt, but her body was plain to see.  So I gently took her tiny body between my fingers, and set her on the ground - and away she flew!

People get stuck too.  We fly into places and get trapped.  Well meaning people may open the windows wider, but we have a way of getting stuck.  We need a hand of grace to set us free

Aren’t you glad God has such a hand?

Reading the David stories and now moving into the Solomon stories I am intrigued by the lists of names that appear, as in 1 Kings 4.  Why are these included?  Here’s my thoughts:  God knows that nothing is accomplished without leadership.  Moreover, it is the quality of the leaders under the top leader that makes a difference.  David’s struggles in his kingdom really begin when Joab takes over more of the leadership of the army and Joab - corrupt, opportunistic Joab - is allowed to set more of the values.  Solomon assembles as a solid team - but I love how the end of 1 Kings 4 characterizes him - he was a man that had breadth and depth in his wisdom. 

Solomon is also wise enough to make an ally of King Hiram of Tyre (Lebanon).  Hiram is able to trade with Solomon to get what Solomon doesn’t have.  No leader has everything he needs.  He needs strong, resourced allies to help.

Pslam 119: 17-24 - over and over this Psalm extols the one who is in the word of God.  I love verse 18 - open my eyes that I may see the wonderful things in your law.  A great prayer to pray before you read the Bible.

Luke 1:39-56 - This song of Mary’s - known to some as the Magnificat - Praises God.  But notice the first part of the passage - Mary went immediately to find someone who had a similar experience to her, to Elizabeth, who also was experiencing a super natural pregnancy.  When God calls you, find a mentor as soon as possible.

Ephesians 2:1-10 - I really felt led to change the pronouns in this passage.  It helped it come alive to me:

I by nature was an object of the wrath.  But God has great love and mercy and made me alive in Christ Jesus even though I was dead in treaspasses.  By grace I have been saved.  I will be raised up to sit with him in heaven, so I will see the incomparable riches of His grace.  By grace I have been saved - not by works, so I cannot boast.  God prepared good works in advance for me to do

We had a planning session for our September Message series.  It’s called First Family - and it’s based on Adam and Eve and the struggles their family went through.  This series will be great!  I’m convinced that building strong families is one of God’s missions for the church in North America. 

We will need your involvement along the way - so be on the look out!