Big D Bentleys Random Ramblings

Christian By Birth - Baptist By Choice

2011-04-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Christian By Birth – Baptist By Choice

I thought I might take the next several BLOG postings and share a little more about myself and why I am who I am and where I am. I hope you will find these next few BLOG postings both informative and inspiring.

I am a Christian by Birth. (Rebirth that is)

No, that doesn’t mean that I was born a Christian, but rather I was “born again” a Christian. There was a time in my life that I knew about Jesus, but had not allowed Him into my Life. I was religious, but I didn’t have a relationship with Him.

Here’s a Bit of My Story

I had grown up going to church. By the time I was in my early teens I could easily recite most of the readings and sing most of the hymns of our church from memory. I really enjoyed church and all the things that were related to church. I loved hearing and learning about God and Jesus and the characters of the Bible. I liked the people at church. Most of them were much older, but I had a lot of respect for them. Much of my family attended the church—and still does. It was a comfortable and inviting place and I liked being there as often as I could be.

As much as I loved going to church and being in church I was beginning to feel a disconnect in my life between the things I was encountering in my world and what I was hearing on Sunday in church. It was becoming a real struggle, and I was gradually slipping into behaviors that were not good. I was skipping school, becoming rebellious at home, and headed down a pretty dark path. When I would try to stop I only ended up further frustrated.

I wasn’t robbing banks or knocking over liquor stores. I hadn’t fallen prey to illicit drugs or heavy drinking. By all appearance I probably looked like a pretty good kid on the outside. Inside, however was a different story. The first few years of Junior High and High School really took a toll on me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but years later I would recognize that I was struggling with depression and deep feelings of guilt and frustration.

The time came when I couldn’t find peace, comfort, happiness anywhere with just three exceptions. The church where I had grown up hearing about God, youth events and retreats held throughout the year, and finally the summer church camp that I attended each year. As these events came and went I would experience the build of excitement and enthusiasm leading up to the event, and then the eventual let down as the event ended and life returned to normal.

Something big in my life was missing. I knew it, but I didn’t know what it was. It couldn’t possibly be God because I was doing all the God stuff, it just wasn’t making a difference. It wasn’t having any lasting effect. The depression and discouragement sank in deeper and deeper.

In addition to struggling with the things I mentioned I was also feeling more and more like I was disappointing everyone around me. My grades were suffering and I was skipping school. I was becoming argumentative at home. Guys who had been my friends moved on to other things. It seemed like even my dog didn’t want anything to do with me.

The breaking point came for me when the girl that I had really—I mean really liked—turned out to only be interested in me because of one of the guys I had been friends with. I had really believed that she liked me, and when she went with him and left me in the dust it was more than I knew how to handle. I have had low times since then, but I believe there had not been any time in my life where I was as low as that moment.

In that moment I had no one and nothing. I had nothing, and at that moment believed with all my heart that I was worthless, useless, and totally unloved. I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to go to church. I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to be…

Where I grew up there was a bridge over the railroad tracks—for those who know my home town it was the Herrick Street Bridge just across from the what used to be St. John’s School. I had delivered papers in that area for a couple years and I liked the bridge. It was old and rusted, had been burned a time or two, but it had character. As I sat on the little bridge over the creek in front of my house, tears burning my eyes, that bridge flashed in my mind. So I got up from where I had sat and walked to Herrick Street. I had more determination in that moment for what I purposed then I had mustered up for anything in a long time.

I got to the bridge and climbed up the iron structure to the highest point on the bridge. I don’t know how far it was from the top to the ground below, but I was pretty sure it was sufficient. I sat there for a long time—an hour or more—thinking about a lot of things. My mind swirled with the multitude of people I had let down, the many ways I had failed, and the love that I knew I would never experience. Years later I would watch Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life have a similar “Bridge Experience.” This was my George Bailey bridge experience, and there wasn’t a “Clarence” there talking me out of it. I was resolved that the best thing—really the only thing I could do is jump from that bridge. People might be sad for a while, but in a short while they would all be fine and better off for it.

I can’t explain what happened next any other way then to say God broke through in my life. At that time and in that place, amid all the despondency and grief I was feeling, God moved in my broken heart. It was as if God were saying that—even though no one else would love me (ofcourse I know that was never the truth, but couldn’t see it at that point) He would always love me and had always loved me.

That brief passing thought gave me enough strength and hope to come down from that bridge and go one more day. I got out my GOOD NEWS BIBLE and read. I read the Gospel of John, Acts, and I didn’t stop until I hit Romans chapter five verse eight. That verse then and still today defined for me what God’s love really means.

Romans 5:8 – But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!

I might have disappointed everyone around me. But God loved me even when I was a sinner, and the sacrifice of Christ occurred for me, and for everyone, even though we were sinful and unworthy. It’s not now or ever because of our worth or merit, but because of the depth of God’s unconditional and unbelievable love for us.

There was not preacher or evangelist there. There was not Gospel tract or specific prayer. There was not trumpet fanfare or chorus of angels (that I could hear). Just me, bowing my head and turning my heart and life over into the hands of this God who had shown me the depth of His love. That night my life changed.

Terms like “born-again” and “saved” hadn’t yet entered my vocabulary. What I knew then and still know now, is that God had given His Son, Jesus, for me as a gift of Love. From that point on the songs that we sang took on a new and deeper meaning. The words of the Bible really did relate to my life. What the pastor said had an impact on me personally. Later on I would understand with great depth two scriptures that reflect

2 Corinthians 5:17
¹⁷Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

Ephesians 2:1-5 (HCSB)
¹And you were dead in your trespasses and sins ²in which you previously walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient.
³We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also. ⁴But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,
⁵made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved!

I had known what it felt like to be dead…heart dead…soul dead…spirit dead. Now I was made alive again. I had been resuscitated in this new life with Christ. I was born into this world on my original birthday, but I had now been born into life and out of this world through Christ.

Stay Tuned, There’s More to Come.

Christian By Birth – Baptist By Choice (Part 2)

What Happened Next -

So you have read the story of how I became a believer in Christ. (See my earlier blog posting with this same title.) The next part of the journey includes some of the struggles that shaped my journey in the early days.

God Begins Moving Me in His Direction

From the beginning I was excited about what I had discovered in this new relationship with God. I wanted everyone to know about it, and I tended to go “overboard” with some of my family and friends. I struggled with figuring out why not everyone was as excited to know God as I was. As a result it strained relationships in a variety of areas in my life. But, something told me that I was going to be telling people about God for the rest of my life.

Delmar, New York – God Rang My Bell

You know how people can remember where they were when significant events took place. The assassination of John F. Kennedy. The explosion of the shuttle in January 1986. A sunny Tuesday morning on September 11, 2001. The exact dates and times might become blurred over time, but where they were and what they were doing is forever etched in their mind.

For me, one of those pivotal memories was at the Delmar United Methodist Church during a youth retreat with our district youth ministry. It was a big event, and one of the first that our church youth group had participated in for some time. I don’t remember how many kids were there, what the lessons were, what activities we participated in. I don’t remember much of the details. What I do remember is a young lady who was there crying in a stair well.

She was a senior in high school, a couple years older than me. I walked past and caught sight of her out of the corner of my eye. Weird that she would be crying here all alone at this great event. I kept walking a few steps, but felt strangely pulled back to her. It was an incredibly uncomfortable thing for me, but I went back and asked what was wrong. She looked up and then unloaded. Her boyfriend…her parents…her grades…everything. I mean I got the jumbo-sized portion of her troubles. Then she said, “I just want to kill myself.”

Have you ever had someone unexpectedly stomp on the brakes and send you hurtling forward. That’s what that moment was like for me. I knew that pain and sorrow and heart-break. She stood up, looking very determined, and she started up the stairs. I followed behind not sure what the heck I was going to do. She turned around as we neared the top of the stairs and said, “Just leave me alone.”

I replied, “I can’t. I can’t let you do this.”

She reached for the exit door that lead onto the roof and I lunged at her and held on. I hollered down the stairs to a couple people I saw passing for help, but they ignored me. Even one of the other adult youth leaders only gave us a passing glance as I struggled to keep her from going onto the roof. I pleaded with her to stay inside and talk. Fortunately, while I was younger I was also stronger, and probably in my panic was running on heavy doses of adrenaline.

She gave in and came back in and sat down continuing her crying. I don’t know how long I sat there listening to her, but it was probably not as long as it seemed. Eventually she calmed down as we sat on the stairs. People passed by and took little interest in us as we talked there. When she finally laughed a little I felt pretty secure that the worst was over. A little while later her youth leader came by and she went with him to join the group. For several minutes I sat on the stairs. I started to shake—I know now that was a latent reaction to the very stressful situation I had been in. However, as stressful as that situation had been, moments later I would be confronted with an even scarier and more stressful situation.

Is God Calling?

I wrote earlier that I didn’t remember what the lessons were at the Delmar event. I was referring to what the speakers or leaders were teaching the group. I do, however, remember what the lesson was that I was being taught. God put before me a brochure with the title on it, “Is God Calling?” It was information about how God calls people into the ministry and what to do if you think God is calling you. When I picked that up and read it I immediately sensed that God was saying “This is what I want for you” in my heart. I realized at that moment in that location that God was calling me to be a minister!

To say God got my attention would be an understatement. It was as though someone pulled the fire alarm in my life. I was flooded with a mix of terror and excitement. I felt at once overjoyed and overwhelmed. I knew so little at that time about God and how He worked, and I understood even less.

Mixed Responses

I got mixed responses from the people I started sharing my revelation with. Some people—mostly church people and some family—were proud, happy, supportive of my decision to enter ministry. Reaction from others in my family and from friends outside of the church was often the opposite. Some of them would just laugh, mention something that I had done or said that proved I couldn’t possibly be a minister. Others would just scoff at the idea and, in essence, tell me that I needed to get a real job.

Two people, however, were very supportive and in review I owe much of my ultimate decision to follow-through on God’s calling to these men. Chester “Chet” Vanderbilt and Ralph Thompson. It wouldn’t be until years later that I would fully grasp the impact these men had in those early years, but I can never express the gratitude I feel for their encouragement and support in those begin steps. Ralph encouraged me to attend a Lay Speaker’s course with him where I became one of the youngest certified Lay Speakers in our denomination. Chet took me to conference meetings spending hours on the road and encouraging me in following through on serving God in the church.

The support of these faithful men was crucial and enabled me to stay the course in some pretty difficult and challenging stages of my adolescent life. At the same time it would also make the shift in my life over the years of my early adulthood some of the most heartrending and difficult I have ever faced.

(to be continued)

Christian by Birth–Baptist By Choice (Part 3)

Could God Have Made a Mistake?

To this point you have read -

§ How I was searching for something in my life that I was missing.

§ How I Began a Relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ

§ How God got my Attention and began calling me into Ministry

If you have not read these earlier stories it would be a good idea to go back and read that before you read this one. You will understand better by reading those earlier experiences.

The thing is that I was still a teenager, and as most of you will remember looking back, and others will know because you are right in the middle of those experiences, being a teenager comes with a variety of challenges and trouble. Some of the choices that I made, even after God’s call to me, were not what most would consider very godly. There are some people out there that could probably provide you with a laundry list—a dirty laundry list—of my misdeeds and mistakes. I was then—and still at times—prompted to wonder if God had made a mistake in choosing to call me to ministry.

See, to that point the only minister I had really known was our former pastor, Rev. Thomas Riston. He was an older man with a booming bass voice who wore robes on Sunday and those pastor shirts with the white thing in the front. He had been our minister for most of my life. I believed that the hierarchy was God…Jesus…then Rev. Riston. I believed there was no way I could live up to that kind of expectation if that was what it meant to be a minister. I had only known our current minister, following Rev. Riston’s retirement, for a short time. He was a younger man, David Lockwood, and he wasn’t quite as “holy” as Rev. Riston, but he still wore robes, and with his beard he looked more like those pictures we see of Jesus.

Ultimately, the people I knew who were ministers and my choices, actions, and thoughts all seemed to declare that I was delusional to think that the Lord would seriously be interested in having me as a minister. He must have made a mistake. He loved me, and He had forgiven me of my sins, and continued to as I confessed them to him, I was sure of that, but I wasn’t—nor would I ever be—holy enough to be Reverend Bentley.

It gets Colder when you are Stepping away from the Fire

So, I stepped back from the fire. I still believed that God wanted me to be a pastor, but I wasn’t sure how…when…or where. Perhaps when I was older with grey hair—like most of those I knew in ministry. I didn’t think it was going to be anytime soon. So, I put following God on hold.

Thing is, I guess God didn’t get the memo. He kept calling and leading and moving in my life. He started revealing different things that He was doing in my life. Things like a developing love for reading, the ability to write, and a blossoming love for music. He started really stretching me in areas of my life and peeling back some of the protective layers I had been hiding under.

Then There Was Her…and I Moved Back a Little Closer to the Fire

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on how I met the woman who would become my wife—that will be a story for a different series. Suffice it to say that I had no idea how meeting this fiery brown-eyed girl at a youth retreat was going to impact my life.

She seemed to know from the moment we got together (June 25, 1985) who I was and what I was going to be. She will tell how she could see us in ministry together even way back then. For the next three years and one week—that’s when we married—we were wrapped up in each other’s lives. When I would falter and fail her faith and strength upheld me and kept me going.

Married at such a young age, there were many challenges, but we did our best to keep church as a priority and stay involved. Work schedules and the other stresses of life brought new difficulties into our lives which made this more difficult. We both kept the thought of ministry in the “back of our minds,” but for the time being we had work, bill, and all the things that flood into the lives of newly weds.

Changes of Address

My mom lamented once about the number of entries she had for me in her address book because we moved so often in those early years. In the first few years of our marriage and family we lived in 8 different places. One of those moves was back to the town I grew up in, and by default back to the church I grew up in.

(Oh…I just realized I never told you that shortly after Andie and I got together I moved up to her home town in Vermont. It’s hard to keep up when I don’t give you the details.)

It’s this move back home that leads to the next big transition and challenge in my life and God’s call. It would also be the time in my life where some of the most significant—and at times painful—choices of my life would be made.

(to be continued)

Christian by Birth–Baptist by Choice (Part 4)

It’s Amazing How God’s Word Makes Things Clearer

Moving back home and returning to the church where I grew up was at once comforting and disconcerting. I love that church (I mean still to this day) , and they were there in some very formative times in my life. At the same time I was struggling with truths that I read in the Scriptures and the directions of not just the church, but the denomination as a whole.

When we arrived we got deeply involved in the ministry of the church, and it was great for a while. There was a young man there who was the pastor and he and I had a number of good discussions. One of these discussions would, without my realizing, set the course for a major shift in my life in the next few years.

I was still struggling with whether God could seriously be calling me to ministry. My wife and I had two wonderful children, and we—like most young families—had our fair share of struggles. Looking back I see how the Lord was moving us in His plan—but at the time I totally unaware of it. In fact, I had settled that I would be a good church member and teach high school English. When I started attending college that was my intention. Beginning college really seemed to help me settle on the course I HAD CHOSEN for my life.

At the same time I was starting college I was also seeking how my relationship with the Lord was going to function. Determined at this point that ministry wasn’t a reality, I struggled to make the best of my life of compromise. At the same time there was an aching and hunger in my life that I couldn’t figure out. I thought I was doing all the right stuff, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing the most important thing.

Our marriage was ok, but it wasn’t awesome. It wasn’t what I knew it could be, but I didn’t really know why. We went to church every Sunday, taught Sunday School, sang in worship, did all the “church” stuff. Occasionally I got to fill-in when the minister was away. We were immersed in church as much as possible, but we were spiritually dry.

Almost a decade earlier I had been given a Bible as a gift by Rev. Jasper Steele. He gave it to me after completing the Lay Speaker Course, commenting that I had been one of the youngest to be certified. He had also told me that he was proud of the choice I made to follow God’s calling in my life. I was honored, and it was (and still is) something that I treasure.

Unfortunately that Bible had spent most of the past several years on my shelf. But now, in desperation and out of hunger I took it and started reading. I had read a lot of the Bible in bits and pieces…passages here and there, but never cover to cover. This time I was determined to do that. I began with the Gospel of John and read from there to the end and then restarted at Genesis.

I had anticipated it taking me months to completely read through. What shocked me then—and still—is that once I started I couldn’t stop. I read through the entire Bible in about eight days. I stayed up long after everyone else went to bed and got up before anyone else just to read the Bible. To this day I will pull that Bible down and read from it when I sense that I’m getting that “dryness” in my spirit. It’s not some radically different translation or super-special version. It’s a reminder of how I found that amazing soul-satisfaction in those pages. It’s marked, written, and worn, but I love it, and I love what that time meant.

Now, as soul-satisfying as those hours and days in the Bible were for me, they also opened up some pretty uncomfortable things for me, and forced me to wrestle and struggle with areas in my life, marriage, parenting, and church that I had not had to face because I was largely ignorant before God’s Word started bringing clarity into my world, and more specifically my world-view. The way I saw things to that point was being challenged by what I read.

When I asked my pastor about this I received what to this date has been among the most heart-breaking of things I’ve ever heard. He basically replied that the Bible had been written so long ago that much of it didn’t apply any longer to life in the world. Something inside of me cringed—and still cringes—at that thought. If the Bible doesn’t apply, then the promises that we claim can’t be trusted.

As I voiced my concern to other people they essentially gave me a kind of knowing nod and assumed I would “come out of the phase.” It’s been twenty years, and by God’s grace and in the power of His spirit I pray I will never “come out of this phase!”

Moving Again

Through a series of turning points and trials Andie and I sought whatever it was that we were missing in our marriage, in our spirits, in our lives. In a surprise decision and move we packed up everything we owned, which wasn’t very much, loaded it into the back of an Overnite Freight Truck and sent it ahead of us from Rensselaer, New York to Clarksburg, West Virginia. A move away from our family and all that was familiar, we would later discover was a move into the cadence of the Holy Spirit as God drew us into the greatest adventure of our lives.

We left the expanse and comfort of my grandmother’s three bedroom house and moved our family of four into a—tiny would be a very generous description—one bedroom apartment on top of a garage. Even the address sounded a little fishy at first. 122 1/2 Tuna Street. Looking back across the years, however, those few years in that tiny apartment were some of the best years in the life of our little family. I wouldn’t trade them for anything, and often wish we could return to the simplicity of our little home.

Learn why in the next edition. (to be continued…)

Christian By Birth–Baptist By Choice (Part 5)

Backing up a Few Steps

I realized after posting the last entry that I had forgotten to include an important aspect and detail of where my life had returned to. See, in the frustration that I had been struggling with in my marriage, family, search, and the soul-hunger of my Christian life I had returned to doing the religious things and focusing on the ritual and routine of things. In part I think this was out of comfort, and also in response to the conflict I was feeling.

Sometimes doing Spiritual things is like taking medicine that tastes bad. I had to do it, but I didn’t have to like it. In the confusion over how to reconcile the point of view of the church and people who had been key in my spiritual and what I had read in the Bible In my frustration I was becoming increasingly irritable and aggravated.

I was taking a lot out on Andie. A big part of our move from New York to West Virginia was out of her desperation for something more and better in our life together. She pretty much told me that we were going to move there or we were going to go our separate ways. I have never regretted choosing to go with her and know that this move really helped to save our marriage and our family.

Slowing Down and Settling In

Things in West Virginia moved slower. The pace of life that I had been living was difficult to change from. I remember walking with my dad up a sidewalk in town one day and he stopped, looked me in the eyes and said, “Boy, you need to slow down.”

He wasn’t just talking about how fast I was racing up the sidewalk. I needed to slow down and really notice and appreciate the things around me. Looking back now I know that part of the race I was running and the speed I was living at was an effort to bury that internal spiritual conflict I had been facing. Everything was an effort to cover up the call in my life so I didn’t have to respond to it, and I could just live my own life.

We started attending a Southern Baptist Church. Andie will tell you in her life story that on the first Sunday we were there she learned more about the Bible then in all of her life to that point. They had Sunday school…FOR ADULTS!! We attended class and then worship. In that first church service the pastor, Ed Taylor—to this day a very important person in my life, preached from the Bible. He didn’t refer to it as if it were some ancient literary text, but as if what it said was directly relevant in life right then.

We left church that day with a mix of emotions and feelings. Well, actually, I left that way, Andie had her mind made up on that very first Sunday. She wanted to be part of that church. I struggled because I felt a sense of loyalty to the denomination I had grown up in. I attempted to get connected with a different church a few times, but nothing compared to what I had experienced in that single service in the Baptist church.

One day Ed, the pastor, called me up and invited me to lunch with him. We ate at a little restaurant in Nutter Fort. We talked a lot about what life had been like. I felt very comfortable with him. I told him some about my earlier struggles, and how I had been wrestling with the possibility that God had called me to ministry. I can’t remember the details of the conversation or the meal, but what I do remember is how Ed prayed with me and for me. As when he had been preaching on that Sunday we visited the church, there was something uncommon in the way he prayed. It occurred to me that his connection with the Lord was something very real and vital to him. What he had I wanted to experience. I was “sold” at that point, but little did I know it was going to get really real in a big way in a short time.

The Best Choice and The Hardest Realization

As always, music was a big part of our lives, and in church. We got involved pretty quickly with the choir and singing specials in worship. It was great, and everyone was very warm and welcoming. We felt incredibly loved and accepted by people who barely knew us. We would go home from church talking about the service. Then we went back to Sunday night service and came home again talking about all we had learned and liked about the day. Later in the week we attended the Wednesday night service which was for prayer and Bible study. We thought we had been immersed in the activities and things at church before. We didn’t have a clue. When we told people how often we were at the church they would look at us like we were crazy. We loved it.

Then, one weekend a couple months after we started, Andie was invited to attend a choir workshop with our choir director, Lisa. It was an overnight trip. Loving music and worship as she did it wasn’t a hard choice to make. The only thing that would keep her from going is that it was a sixty dollar trip and we had absolutely no money. I made a decision, and it was a choice that I had no way of knowing would have a significant impact on the rest of our marriage and life together. In the town there was a place that paid for plasma. A half hour of time and I could walk out with twenty five dollars. So, without letting Andie know I went and got together the money for her trip so she could go. When I gave her the money she was ecstatic.

The significance of that weekend has never been lost in my memory. She went on the trip and while there Lisa asked her whether she had ever asked Jesus Christ to be the Lord of her life. Well, as I’ve shared, we did all the religious stuff. She, like me had grown up in church, but she realized that weekend that she had never really come to that place of faith in Christ. Lisa prayed with her and Andie was saved in the motel room that weekend.

When Andie returned home with the news of her salvation I was grateful, but at the same time something in me was really disturbed. People she told were very excited for her, praising the Lord for her decision. I was all these things as well, but there was a nagging sorrow that I was harboring in my heart. I realized that this woman who I was deeply in love with, and had been together with for six years by this point, had not really been a child of God. The thought that continued to come into my heart was that she could have died anywhere along the way and she would have been separated for me and from the Lord forever.

Over the next few weeks I wrestled with and prayed over all of this. I returned back to God’s word and read it again—feasting on it as I had before. I stayed up until the wee hours of the night. I wept in prayer some of these nights. My heart was broken, and at some point of the course of these times of reading and praying I confessed my rebellion against God in running from His call in my life. I gave up fighting and committed to the Lord that I would go wherever He wanted me to go and do whatever He asked of me.

We will Abandon it All for the Sake of the Call

A couple weeks later Andie and I were baptized together and embarked on an amazing adventure as together we surrendered to ministry and God’s call in our lives. We knew we would be in ministry together, and we were going to always be a team in ministry. Over the next two years God would chisel…mold…sharpen…stretch and solidify our faith in Him.

Christian By Birth–Baptist By Choice (Part 6)

It Was Simply the Best of Times

Do you know how you can sometimes look back on life and say that those were the best of times. Those years in that tiny apartment were some of what I consider the best years of our lives. We had nearly nothing, but we were extremely content with the Lord and with each other. The things that the world around us places such enormous value and importance on meant nothing to us, and we were happy. It didn’t mean things were easy, but in the difficulties we faced, incredibly, we had incredible peace.

In addition to each other we had been adopted into an amazing church family. To this day many of those people I consider dear and close friends. Even though the years and following God’s call in our lives has put miles between us they continue to be precious in our hearts.

People like Doug Murray who spent countless hours keeping my car running and charged me nothing more than the fellowship of time spent together. Although there was a lunch, I recall, once at a pizza place, that produced some memorable conversation and chuckles. Then there was also one of the funniest of memories we share when my wife found a bag of soiled undergarments and, wanting to be helpful, secretly laundered and folded them, then returned them to him. He is probably still laughing about getting those nice, bleached white, underpants that he had been using as shop rags in the garage.

There are dozens of names and faces that I remember with great fondness. We were only there for a few short years, but the lessons and love we experienced at Freedom Southern Baptist Church in Nutter Fort built the foundation for our lives in ministry.

Another benefit was that I spent a lot of time talking with and serving along side of the pastor. We made visits, went to lunch, studied scripture, and occasionally I would fill-in for him to preach. Our families played games together and watched movies. The more I got to experience the closer I became to following Christ in ministry.

Pastors are People Too

More than anything, getting to know Ed and his family (the good, the bad, and the…well you get the picture) made me realize that serving Christ and being a minister wasn’t about whether I was perfect or worthy, it was about the fact that Christ was worthy of my service, and through His death and resurrection I had been made perfect. Unlike my perception of the ministers I had known before Ed was real…he had bad days sometimes; he and his wife squabbled at times; His kids weren’t perfect—almost, but just shy (right Sam and Amy). We grew close, and God in His grace and wisdom would keep us close for the next several years.

Stretching and Seeking and Growing

One of the things that God did shortly after we surrendered to ministry was to lead us in starting a weekly ministry at a nursing home. We would go every Saturday morning and lead the residents in singing and I would share a message. It gave me a chance to stretch my ministry wings, and it provided an opportunity to study, prepare, and preach sermons every week.

We had many opportunities to have our faith tested and stretched. To be honest there were times when our faith was shaken. The interesting thing about that was that when my faith was struggling Andie’s seemed the strongest, and when she was struggling my faith was greater. We were learning to depend on Him and on each other.

God provided for us in simple, yet miraculous ways. With very little of our own we were incredibly dependent on God. One day when we were not sure how we would eat or pay our rent a surprise package was delivered to our door with enough groceries for a week or two and a check that was exactly what we needed for our rent. Another time I was about to check out at the grocery store when one of the men from the church and his son got in line with me and told me that the Lord had told them to pay for my groceries. It was incredible because we were having to choose between food to eat or gas for our car.

The simplicity of those days is something I continually long for, but I know that they were days of preparation. In the Scripture there is a story of God telling Elijah to go and stay out in the wilderness at the Brook of Cherith. God miraculously provided for Elijah’s needs there, and I just imagine that being a time of preparation in his life for the things God had in store for him. (1 Kings 17.2-4)

If you had told me at that point what the next fifteen years would hold I might have turned and run like a scalded dog, or told you that you were crazy. It’s for that reason that God doesn’t give us all the details, He simply calls us to follow Him. If we will trust Him and follow Him we can live the adventure with Him. I can’t imagine now, looking back, ever wanting to miss this journey, potholes, curves, and all.

More to Come Soon

I will take you on the adventure of moving yet again as we kept following God in the next step on our journey in the next post. He’s about to show us again that He has a strange sense of humor and that He is sovereign over all things, and worthy of our obedience and worship.

Keep Checking In

God, I’ll Go Anywhere…Anywhere but Florida that is.

The more opportunities God provided for me to preach and teach the more I became aware of my need for continued schooling. As I prayed and searched through this with my pastor and my wife one choice became the clear front runner. Clear Creek Bible College in Pineville, KY. I liked everything about the school and had heard good things about it. Everything I found about it made it the logical choice. So we started the process of applying and getting ready to go.

At the same time there was another college that I had become aware of as well. It was a solid college and I liked almost everything about it as well. Almost… See there was a slight problem. Location…location…location. I didn’t like the location. Most people I knew wanted to live in Florida to escape the winter’s cold and snow. I , on the other hand, had spent all the time I ever wanted to in Florida years ago. In fact, shortly after that I had determined that I would never go back to Florida. (Did you know that God has a sense of humor…and sometimes I don’t think it’s very funny.)

As much as I didn’t want to go to Florida, God continued to bring Florida Baptist Theological College into my heart. This small college in the panhandle of Florida had a lot going for it. A little while before I had actually been able to meet the president of the college as he taught a study in West Virginia. Even though it was in Florida it had appeal. Andie and I decided to apply there as well. Secretly I was still holding out for Kentucky.

Within a few weeks we had our answer from FBTC. In an AMAZING confirmation, Ed, my pastor and closest friend and his family were also moving to attend FBTC and complete his degree. In spring of that year I got to help him and his family move and spend a few weeks in Graceville getting to know the area and the school. By the time I boarded the Greyhound to come home I knew without a doubt that we were Florida-bound.

It still amazes me to think about how God confirmed this path over and over again once we made the final decision. We were being totally crazy, but it was alright. We didn’t have jobs waiting for us…we didn’t have any kind of savings to rely on…the money we were able to put together and the scholarship I had been offered for the summer term would allow us a little over a month of living. Beyond that it was completely up to God. It was at once terrifying and exhilarating.

Loving and well-meaning people tried really hard to talk us out of it. Fellow believers pulled me aside to tell me how nuts all this was. But every time there was a negative comment or remark something inside of us grew even stronger and more determined. God kept bringing me back to Genesis 12 where He called Abram to follow him to an undisclosed place. He never promised that it would be an easy road to travel, just that he would be with him and would bless him. I claimed that promise as my own…If I would follow Him then God would bless.

On June 15, 1994, in a green 1976 Buick Electra and towing a 12 foot U-Haul trailer that contained all we owned our little family of four pulled out of the parking lot of the church, waving good-bye to our family and friends and headed south. I am convinced that angels surrounded our car. For example, the trailer hitch was only inches off the ground as we pulled out that evening, but we only dragged a couple of times pulling into or out of service stations.

God was calling…we were following…and it was thrilling.

Classes…Comrades…and Choices

We arrived in Florida in the late evening of the following day. We drove to the town of Chipley and got a room in a motel where my wife encountered some of the insects of Florida for the first time. I think she did finally fall asleep, but it was out of exhaustion not comfort. The next day we went to our new home and unloaded all of our many wonderful possessions into the student housing. It was not much, but it was home, and we were loving it.

I mentioned that my friend and pastor had already moved down before us. He was serving as pastor of a church there. So we had supper with him and his family that night. it was nice being together. I realize that God had been incredibly merciful in allowing things to happen the way they did and in keeping us close with Ed and his family. Many people have come and gone in our lives over the years, but Ed, Suzanne, and their children will always be very precious to us.

Classes began for the summer term on the following Monday, so we had to move quick in unpacking (not that we had much to unpack) and getting settled in. In addition there was the job-hunting that had to be done…we were going to have to eat and pay rent just like before, so someone needed a job. Grocery shopping introduced us to Piggly Wiggly…I only include that ‘cause it’s fun to say. My son was introduced to Florida Fire Ants when he sat down on an ant mound and was covered with the vicious critters.

I was reminded of how difficult college could be too. The summer term was a crammed together semester. The amount of work you would normally take a full semester to accomplish now had to be done in five weeks. I took a full load too—12 hours—because that was how I received the scholarship that covered our rent that first month. So I was in class from early morning until mid afternoon, and then I was locked in my room for hours of reading and homework. Before when a paper had to be written I would have a couple of weeks to put it together, now that was truncated to days. However, as difficult as it was academically, we were riding a spiritual high that just can’t be described. Knowing we were following the Lord was incredible.

Ironically, two weeks after I started classes in Florida I received my acceptance letter from the college in Kentucky. Needless to say, we stayed where we were.

In one of my classes I met and became friends with a fellow Vermonter. Glenn Hatch had been transplanted by God for school at FBTC and would be graduating soon and returning to Vermont as a church planter and manager of a radio station. He lived in Dothan, Alabama which was just above the Florida line and was serving as an interim pastor of a church a little over an hour away. We hit it off quick. My wife and I connected with Glenn and his wife.

A few weeks after we met, and about a month after we had started at the school Glenn asked if I would like to consider becoming pastor of the church where he was interim because he would soon be graduating. You could have knocked me over with a feather. There was no way that I was ready for something like that. Those old feelings of insecurity leapt on me from the past. Gulping hard and putting on a brave front I said, sure. I put together a quick resume’ and gave it to him to take to the church. I really didn’t think I would hear anything more about it.

Andie, in the mean-time had been able to find a job with a local day-care. She would be starting the next week. We could see the plan coming together right in front of our eyes. She would work at the day-care, and the kids could attend there as well. I would focus on school. That seemed like a really good plan. It had my stamp of approval.

And then my pastor and friend preached a message that…well, let’s just say it was a good thing that he is my friend and I love him. On Sunday morning he preached out of the book of Ruth about the famines that drive us from God’s plan for us. It was a really good sermon. I still have the notes I took. I liked the sermon, until my wife told me that she felt like God was telling her through that message that she was not supposed to take the job at the day-care because He had another plan for providing for us, if we would trust Him. I didn’t hear any of that in the sermon, and I thought I was listening pretty good.

As she told me this I pictured a few things. I pictured our food cupboard that, aside from a couple cans of pork and beans, was virtually empty. I pictured our bank account that looked a lot like the cupboard. At this point I had already been doing any printing I needed to for homework at the library or a friends computer because we were out of ink and couldn’t afford it. I knew in my heart that there was no way God could be telling her not to take that job—which she was scheduled to start the next day.

We argued, discussed, debated, figured, and tried to stretch my limited mind around this, but it wasn’t happening. I couldn’t see it working and I certainly hadn’t heard anything that crazy. I mean, this was the PERFECT job. She loved kids, our kids could attend with her, it was just two blocks away from the college. We could not have designed a more perfect scenario if we had tried. How could it be God’s will to pass that up when He had to be the one who put it together so perfectly.

Without reaching any sort of agreement we made our way back to church Sunday night. Ed was continuing his message from Sunday morning in his series on Ruth. I listened carefully, if not even a little cautiously. He spoke again about the things that move us from the place of God to the place away from God. He shared about how subtly these things happen and how gradually the drift occurs. In that message that night I heard what Andie had that morning. We went home from church Sunday night and she called her soon to be employer to tell her that she could not take the job.

That phone call was easily as difficult to make and surrender to as the whole move from West Virginia to Florida had been. We were both wondering what God had in store for us, because that just didn’t make any sense, but we both knew we had heard from the Lord, and He was going to take care of everything.

DON’T MISS THIS NEXT PART…

Fifteen – that’s 15 – minutes later the phone rang and James Gachet, the chairman of the search committee of Clio Baptist Church in Clio Alabama called to set up a meeting with me and the committee because they wanted to talk to me about becoming their pastor. Over the next two and a half years God would provide for us in incredible was as I served that church as pastor. I am convinced—and no one will ever change my mind on this—that our following the Lord in turning down that job was rewarded by the opportunity to become pastor of that church.

Clio Baptist Church, Clio, Alabama

(to be continued)

2011-03-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Appointment for a Check-Up

Posted on April 1, 2011 by bigdbentley

Gleaning Lessons from Life

This morning Andie had an appointment at the doctors for a physical and check-up. Don’t worry, everything is fine. It was just a regularly scheduled appointment. At the appointment she had all the standard information recorded. Blood-pressure, weight, height, etc. She was given some counsel and advice by the doctor. There are some follow-up things scheduled now, blood tests and such. Later on there is another appointment already scheduled to come back to the doctor for follow-up.

Well, as usual, I got to thinking while I was waiting in the lobby for her about this process and the lesson we can learn from this as believers for our spiritual appointments.

The Appointments are Regularly Scheduled

We weren’t surprised by this, it was on the calendar. We planned for it days in advance. In our case it meant Andie had to arrange for coverage for her classes and plan on transportation. (Which was me driving her).

Our appointments with the Lord need to be regularly scheduled. They should be something that is a routine in our life. Ideally I believe these appointments should come around every morning—early in the morning. As with the appointment we had this morning, we should plan ahead. For instance, Andie likes reading her Bible in the bed when she wakes up, so she makes sure that it is in the bed room where she can get it and get back into bed—where I bring her coffee. I, on the other hand, prefer to be in a chair or at the table, so I put my Bible (and any other things I might be using, like journals, notebooks, etc) by the chair where I’ll be sitting. The more we make this a routine in our lives the easier and more comfortable it will become.

These Appointments are for a Purpose

Sometimes, I have to confess, that my quiet time has been little more then fulfilling something that I “have to do.” It’s like taking medicine that doesn’t taste very good…I take it because I have to, but because I necessarily want to. If we’re honest that’s probably something we have all experienced at times. Thankfully, those times are few and far between. The majority of these quiet time appointments have been amazingly rewarding and fulfilling for me.

It’s because God has a purpose in these quiet appointments each morning. I mean, how silly would it be to go to an appointment with your physician and have the doctor tell you that he doesn’t really have any reason for you to be there, he just needed to fill a quota of appointments. That would be frustrating and probably push you to find another doctor. God has a purpose for you in His appointments.

Consider the Reasons for the Physical

Checking the vitals (B.P. Pulse, etc)

Getting Guidance about things to watch for and start or stop doing

Evaluating Progress in things that were discussed earlier

Setting a course for what is needed coming up (blood tests, imaging, etc)

God wants us to check in with Him each morning. He knows what’s going on in our lives and what’s coming up before long. He wants to offer guidance through His Word, prayer, and the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

One of the benefits of journaling (which I honestly am not great at) is that it aides us in evaluating our progress and how we’re working through things in our life. And it also enables us to set a course for things that are coming up. When we see something looming on the horizon of life we are able to bring that to the Lord and discover that He already is working things out for us.

Now, make sure that you listen to. The doctor always tells us something that we would do well to heed. In our quiet time we need to sometimes “be quiet.”

You Need to Keep the Appointments

The first winter we were back in Vermont we had our family doctor in Rutland. We really liked them. The only problem was that it seemed inevitable that if we had an appointment scheduled with them we were sure to get a snow storm. Eventually we got a letter from them stating that if we continued missing appointments we would not be able to be patients there any longer.

Thankfully, God isn’t going to take you off the “patient list.” He just wants you to keep your appointment with Him because He has something special planned for you, and He doesn’t want you to miss it. Keep the appointment. Make it a priority for your morning.

Talk to Others about Your Appointment

One last thought that I had. We always tell people about our doctor’s appointments. People wonder how things went, and we tell them. If something comes up that concerns us we share that with family and friends. So, let’s talk to the people who are closest to us about our appointments with the Lord. Tell people what you read, heard, or experienced while you were keeping your appointment with the Lord.

Have a Blessed Appointment In the Morning…and Let Me know How it Goes!

Let's Get Ready to Rumble - Reality of the War

2011-03-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

If we aren't careful we can come to the place where the concept and idea of Spiritual Warfare is reserved for Hollywierd and Science Fiction. I assure you, the battle is real, and the cost and casualties are fact. Today we'll be reminded of that as we continue looking at the battle and our enemy in the war.

Where is God When Life Stinks?

2010-10-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Where is God When Life Stinks?

Pastor Dave Bentley

Thought-Provoking Discussions

I have just had some very thought-provoking discussions with some young ladies in our youth group. The topic ranged to a variety of things, but in the end it came to rest on this subject, “Where is God when life stinks?” It’s a challenging question that beckons us far beyond “In the beginning God created…” and beneath the surface of “God is love…” to the place where we find that even “Jesus wept.”

I have looked up a variety of references on sorrow and suffering, and initially intended to focus on Job for this, but then something caught my eye, or more appropriately my heart. The surprising story of a wounded warrior who struggled with the same questions I was being asked today.

A Desperate Cry and Uncomfortable Question

Listen to this: “My tears have been my meat day and night, while

they continually say unto me, where is thy God?”

(Psalm 42.3)

Could there ever be a more desperate cry? Who is this that God would seemingly abandon? Surely this must be a person of little faith, perhaps not even a believer at all.

Actually this is the heart-rending cry of David. David, the giant killing warrior and shepherd-king of Israel. David, the “man after God’s own heart.” David, the musician responsible for incredible songs of praise. How can this man, so blessed and used by God come to a place in his life that these are the words that drip from his pen?

I don’t even pretend that I will be able to adequately answer this challenge, but I hope that some of what I can share in insight will inspire and instruct and lead those who will tread out into the deeper places to search and find the riches that await those willing to trust God—even in times of sorrow and suffering.

I wish I could…

I wish I could tell you that once you become a follower of God you won’t ever have to worry about suffering and sorrow again. Fact is many have heard such misleading promises only to find themselves broken in the wake of the reality of life. When I first became a follower of Christ I expected that my life was going to get better…get easier…get awesome. Then I was smacked on the forehead with real life. I was disheartened to discover that life actually seemed to get harder.

The first clue for us should be the experiences of the followers of God throughout history. Job is only one of the many faithful followers who faced suffering in spite of their righteousness and faithfulness. Here’s a quick list of people who come to mind who suffered even though they were faithful.

Joseph – sold into slavery by his brothers and later imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.

· Moses – Hiding out in the dessert for forty years as a shepherd when once he had walked the halls of the house of pharaoh.

· David – His own son ursurped the throne and attempted to have him killed.

What about in the New Testament

· Mary and Martha lost their brother Lazarus (even though he was returned to them four days later)

· All the disciples except John were killed for following Jesus.

· Philip, a man full of the Spirit, was stoned to death for his faith.

· Paul would be killed in Rome for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ

· And, let’s not forget that Jesus himself suffered and died on the cross in a horrific execution for following the will of God.

Then there are the numerous believers throughout history since the days of the Bible who have suffered…who have face unspeakable sorrow…who have even died even though they were faithful followers of Jesus Christ, servants of the most high God.

God is Good…All the Time

We say that with almost a sing-song sound in our voice. For sometime we were in a church where we would say this phrase in a form of recitation. One person would say, “God is Good all the time” and the rest would then echo, “All the time God is Good.” And I know that I believed that then and I believe it now. But that means that God is good…when it’s sunny and when it’s raining. God is good when I’m up and when I’m down. God is good when life is great and when life isn’t so great.

There’s a song that has come to mean a lot to me. Each time we sing it I am at once encouraged and challenged. My faith is stretched by the honesty of the lyrics. The song is “Blessed by Your Name” written by Matt Redman. It’s lyrics challenge us to bless the name of the Lord when the streams of abundance flow as well as on the road marked with suffering. To be able to praise Him when we are found in the dessert place…the wilderness as easily as when the suns shining down. (I would encourage you to look up the lyrics and song and listen to it if you can.)

The lesson in that song, and the lesson in Scripture is that God is…and God is good all the time. It’s not a question, and it’s not based on our circumstances or experiences. God is…and God is Good. Because of that we can bless His name and praise Him, no matter what.

God is There…All the Time

Another important lesson for us to grasp is that God is THERE all the time. Here’s an interesting experience from Scripture…think about this…

Matthew 8:23-27
²³As He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
²⁴Suddenly, a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves. But He was sleeping.
²⁵So the disciples came and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save [us]! We’re going to die!”
²⁶But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.
²⁷The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?—even the winds and the sea obey Him!” [HCSB]

Did you notice that Jesus was right there. He didn’t keep the storm from coming, He was with them through the storm. The storm was severe and apparently life-threatening, even though these were His closest associates. He doesn’t promise that we won’t face storms and hardship. He assures us of His presence in the midst of the storm. God is there…all the time.

God is Trustworthy…all the Time

We started by reading part of David’s soul lament in the beginning, but listen to what else he says in that same psalm: Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. (Ps. 42.11b)

This is an incredible step of faith and trust. To find hope in the midst of the trials of life. To find strength to praise even when you are enduring the suffering and sorrow. Because of his hope David literally declares that

In spite of the turmoil…I will praise Him

In spite of the pain…I will praise him

In spite of the doubts…I will praise Him

David had known many difficulties over the course of his life. He had been in mortal danger numerous times. Yet, through all of these trials and hardships he maintained his relationship with the Lord, his Shepherd. He knew well the valley of the shadow, but he also had encountered the green meadows beside quiet waters. (Ps. 23) Because of these experiences and encounters with the Lord, David knew, and we can too, that God is trustworthy…all the time.

Where is God when Life Stinks?

The question doesn’t get any easier to answer, but I pray that the circumstances of life will become easier to bear, with faith and trust in God. Because, Satan will still whisper, “Where is your God now?” Those around us are observing us to see if we will walk what we talk, especially when life throws us a curve ball. But, let’s think about some of those ancient friends who experienced suffering and hardship.

While Joseph was sitting in that dark prison God was at work planning a way for his escape. No, God didn’t forget him. God didn’t forsake him. God knew where he was. And in God’s own perfect time he came on the scene.

Remember Moses? Stranded by the Red Sea with nowhere to run. Where was God? Oh, He was getting ready to implement his plans! You know the story, the waters departed and the people of Israel walked over to the other side on dry ground!

Remember Mary and Martha? They called for Jesus to come, but he just ignored their request. But just when they thought all hope was gone, Jesus came on the scene. For you see, even death cannot stop Jesus. For He is the resurrection and the life!

Remember the disciples? Just when it seemed all hope was gone. Just when they thought they were going to sink to the bottom of that raging sea, Jesus came walking upon the water.

Where was Jesus? Oh, He was aware that death had taken Lazarus. He was aware the storm was about to destroy the disciple’s boat. He was aware that Joseph was in that Egyptian jail. He was aware that Job lost all he had and was sitting in agony scrapping the boils on his body. And He is aware what you are facing today! He is aware what you are going through.

So, when Satan sneers at you and with sulfur ridden breaths hisses, “Where is your God now?” You take a breath and state with faith and hope…real hope…that God is right where He has always been. Right here with me, even in the midst of this trial and hardship. He is as good, as presents, and as trustworthy as He always has been. Just like when everything was going great, God is good. Just like when it felt like I was walking hand in hand with Him, God is here. Just like when it seemed life couldn’t be any better, God is trustworthy.

Sure, at times our feelings tell us that God is millions of miles away. At times we seem to be galaxies removed. But, take a look at what Job stated at one point, even after he had lost everything and was being accused by even his friends of having brought it all on himself. “Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” (Job 23.10) God knows…He is aware…nothing escapes His sight. He is as near as the air around you, as the breath you take when you inhale. That’s close…that’s intimate…that’s our God.

God Knows All About You

What a comfort to have this assurance, God knows. He knows all your pain and anxieties. He is aware of your loneliness. He sees the trials you face each and every day. He knows about your family troubles. He knows about your finances. He knows about your heartbreak. He knows how you feel inside, really he does!

He is still as Good…still as Present…still as Trustworthy as He has ever been.

2010-10-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Where’s the Beef?

I got a magazine from the college I attended recently with a note about the president’s address earlier this fall that was done in a series of three chapel talks based on the old Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” commercials. If you remember those ad, Clara Peller would repeatedly ask “where’s the beef” when she lifted the fluffy bun top off the burgers of various fast food companies. The problem was that they might look real good with those nice fluffy buns, but the real substance was lacking.

In the series of messages there was a challenge to be more than just “fluffy bun believers” but to really be “beefy believers.” In other words, bring substance into our lives.

Here are the three areas of substance that we need to focus in on.

1. Beef-Up in the area of Love

The people around us expect that we are going to be different. We are commanded time and time again in scripture to be people of love, even to the extent that we would express love to our enemies. However, sometimes it is hard to see whether or not we even love our own family let alone those who are against us. We need to “beef-up” our love for…

· One Another

· The Lost

· The Hurting

· Our Enemies

As one of those old “camp-fire” songs I used to sing so often says, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

2. Beef-Up in the Area of Service

The meat of our lives is expressed in our service. How we respond to the needs around us will show the substance of who we are. Jesus did what needed to be done, even when it was hard, unpopular, and unappreciated. We need to stop whining…stop making excuses…and get engaged in serving. There are so many needs, we don’t have time to sit back and complain. Let the world see the servant in you…Jesus as He touches lives through you.

3. Beef-Up in the Area of Worship

Worship unashamed. This is more than just showing up to church on Sunday at 10. It’s letting worship, praise, and appreciation flow in your life. It’s learning to give thanks—even in difficult circumstances. See, “fluffy-bun-believers” are all there for the music, preaching, and good feeling Sunday service…but real “beefed-up believers” learn to live a life where worship is real substance. They can say, with Job who had lost so much, “I know that my Redeemer lives!” They can shout “Praise the Lord!” as the hordes converge on them. They can whisper a prayer of thanks for the broken road they are on. They can sing “Blessed be your name” on roads marked with suffering and in the dessert place.

So there are three key ares – Love, Service, Worship—where we as believers could use some real substance…the beef of our lives. Look beneath the fluffy buns of our life…do you see beef, or are you wondering with those around you, where’s the beef.

What do you do if you find that you are more Fluff than Beef?

First, confess that, because it is not God’s will for you. Agree with God that you are not where you know He wants you to be in these areas. Step one in any road to recovery is to admit there is a problem.

Second, commit to turning from where you are to where He wants you to be. This is accomplished by seeking Him in Bible reading/study, prayer, worship, and service. Yes, as you do the things He’s asking you to do you will be continually getting closer to Him.

Third, recognize where you are so that when you begin to slip from time to time—and you will—you will be more aware of it and able to respond by getting back on track.

People around us are wondering, “Where’s the Beef?” They are looking—and longing—for the substance of what and who we are as followers of Jesus Christ. They are expecting us to be different and to offer them a better way then what the rest of the world offers. We can, but it means we need to “Beef-Up” as believers. So, let’s bulk up on what matters and let the substance be visible beyond the fluff.

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

(Dr. Thomas Kinchen is president of The Baptist College of Florida)

A Book to Help the Bi-Vocational Pastor

2010-09-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who is a church planting missionary in Vermont. He encourages pastors already in the ministry and also mentors young men who are just starting out in ministry. One of the things he tells them is that most likely they will have to work a second job in order to provide for their families. This is often referred to as bivocational ministry. Very few pastors want to be bivocational. It is hard to work two jobs, but this is the reality that many pastors will face in ministry.

Regardless of how pastors and/or church attendees may feel about bivocational ministry, it is a growing practice in North American church life. Patricia Chang is a research professor at Boston College and has studied many denominations and written extensively about clergy issues. Chang has done extensive research on how bivocational ministry is impacting American denominations of all sizes and theological persuasions. In a major study published in the Pulpit and Pew journal of Duke University, Chang concludes that "the majority of congregations in the United States are small, with fewer than 100 regular members, and cannot typically afford their own pastor." This results in a growing need for more bivocational pastors every year.

My friend in Vermont wanted to help pastors who have to work two jobs, so he wrote a book entitled, Developing Leadership Teams in the Bivocational Church. This book helps both the pastor and the lay leaders understand the importance of sharing leadership in the church. He has been using these principles in churches in Vermont for several years. It has worked very well. I think it work will for other churches too. I want to encourage you to consider buying the book, which is available at Amazon.com and a variety of other online retailers. You can also request it at most Christian bookstores.

THE OTHER SIDE OF MARRIAGE

2010-07-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

The Other Side of Marriage

As I write this my wife and I are celebrating our twenty-second year of marriage together. In addition, as I write this I am playing the part of nurse, house keeper, and waiter for her as she recovers from surgery. This is what I think of when I say the other side of marriage. See, the vows we took 22 years ago encouraged us to be faithful to one another in times of prosperity, health, good times, and we enjoy those times together. The other side of those life circumstances are times of want, sickness, and bad times. It went like something like this:

“I vow that I will love, honor, and cherish you for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until death do us part.”

Let’s face it…we all love the positive sides of those life circumstances, but the “other side” is always there lurking in the shadows. We bask in the times of prosperity, but there are moments when prosperity gives way to poverty. We relish times of good health, but illness, surgery, physical weakness come and challenge us. We enjoy the good times that life offers us, but there are difficult and stressful times that enter our experience as well.

The other sides of marriage have left many broken and wrecked on the rocks of hardship. Facing difficulty brings stressors into a relationship that can unbraid even the tightest of knots. Facing these times of trial with patience, understanding, and most of all an over-covering love are critical if the union is to survive the throes of life.

So, for my anniversary (and her birthday) my gift to her is the continuation of the love I vowed to give her so long ago. Today as I bring her lunch, clean the house, offer her Advil, and do whatever else is needed, I’m fulfilling my part of the other side of our marriage. It may seem like it’s the lesser side, but I have learned something else about these “other sides.” It’s in these moments together that our love has grown stronger and we have grown closer. In 22 years we have faced a variety of “other sides” and because we have made the choice to cling to each other through them all we have ended up closer and stronger.

Quiet Time on a Lawn Mower

2010-06-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

This morning I was out mowing the lawn and praying. It takes a couple hours so it's a good time to pray. As I rode up around the church I prayed for the church. I prayed for each person who is a part of the family. I prayed for the leadership. I prayed for people who are coming to be part of the family. I prayed for the remaining work to be done on the building. I prayed for the changes we are going to be making and for the restoration of our connection and unity in the community of faith.

Mowing around the youth building I prayed for Tammy, for those who work with her, and for the youth. I prayed for the students in our community who do not know the Lord. I prayed for wisdom and discernment to reach them.

As I mowed around the playground I prayed for the kids and for the Sunday school. I prayed for God to send workers to come along side of those who are currently serving in that ministry. I prayed for the many families in our community who do not know the Lord yet. I prayed for the kids who will be out of school in a couple weeks to have a safe and enjoyable summer vacation.

As I mowed around the parsonage I prayed for my family. I prayed for my marriage and my wife. I prayed for God to keep us in His care and protection and placed a hedge around us to keep the enemy from us.

Mowing among the trees and over the roots I prayed for the many adults who through the years have been the strength and roots of the church. I prayed for them to know how much they are appreciated and for God to provide them with stength and ability to continue serving according to His purpose.

Mowing in the back field I prayed for our community in general. There are so many needs in the community, and so many struggles that are being faced by so many. I prayed for the strength and resources we need to truly connect with our community for the cause of Christ.

One of the things I like about mowing is you can look and see that you have accomplished something. I felt like I had, not just in the grass, but in that quiet time with God. Part of that time of prayer was my surrendering of the "ME" in the ministry, and my repentance of the "ME" in my life. It's not about "ME." It's about HIM. It's not even about "US." It's about THEM. More on that in the weeks to come.

Thank you Lord for growing grass and further opportunities to accomplish something with you.

When You are Angry...Wait!

2010-05-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY…WAIT!

Proverbs 14:17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil devices is hated. (NASB)

Something that I have learned the hard way is that the best response to something when I am angry is to wait. It’s not what I want to do. It isn’t what comes naturally. My first reaction is to charge ahead…to defend myself…to deal harshly with whatever or whoever has brought that anger to bear. I have hurt and been hurt as a result of this reaction to anger. But, anger is a part of life…at least a part of my life…so what should we do when we are angry.

Well, this morning I picked up a little book that I had purchased last week for use in the devotionals on our upcoming Wednesday nights when we resume our fellowship suppers. It’s called Proverbs to Live By. The first verse I read was Proverbs 14.17. In some ways it was a lot like a slap in the face.

The thing that immediately stood out to me was that the result of angry actions is foolishness. My experience bears that out. In fact…now that I think about it…when I respond in anger to something I realize now that it makes me look foolish. So, this may be on one of those issues where I need to take my own advice…practice what I preach.

First – Pause and Pray

Frequently the last thing we do is the first thing we should. Wait for a time…whatever the length of time might be…and pray. Ask God to help you with your anger.

Second – Relax and Refrain

Anger is a form of stress—a form of anxiety. The thing that would often prove most helpful is for us to pause and let that tension release before we react. Like a rubber band that is stretched to its maximum length the stress has to be relaxed before it snaps.

Third – Live and Love

We are commanded to love one another by the Lord Jesus Christ. A key element in that love is forgiving people who may offend or hurt us. Live and Love means let life go on. In my experience I have found that anger overshadows so much of life and hides love. We need to be willing to let life proceed and love be shown.

Quick…Slow…Slow

I don’t remember who said it, but I heard once about a couple who had made a commitment early in life never to go to bed angry. The wife said that for the decades of their marriage they kept that promise to each other. They never went to bed angry, but a few times they stayed up several days in a row. Regardless of how sincere you are, you will have to face anger at times. James offers us some sage advice to conclude our thoughts today.

James 1:19
…Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

Did you notice, there is only one thing we are asked to do quickly, that is listen. Everything else is a call to slow down. So, I would encourage you as well. Slow down…wait…let it breath. But, respond to anger in an appropriate way so that you avoid letting the “sun go down on your anger.”

When you are angry…wait.

Our Scar Tissue Issue

2010-05-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Our Scar Tissue Issue

Who we are today is a direct result of our past.
We all have scars and wounds from the words and actions of others and from our own failures and mistakes. But for the Christ-follower this is not the end of the story. I tend to be very good at taking an inventory of my failures and mistakes, probably because I'm so well aware of them, but those same failures and mistakes have been part of what has shaped who I am.

The other part, and the great aspect of this, is what God through His Word and His Spirit has been able to do with these scars. As Ed Young states, "the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to remake us into new creations, these scars from the past become stepping stones to spiritual maturity."

Here are my expanded thoughts on ten key elements Young shares with us from God's word and my experience that can help transform our "Scar Tissue Issue" into a "Pathway to Power and Purpose."

I am Created
We are not a mistake of nature, some haphazardly thrown together combination of elements that crawled out of the primordial muck...God created us...and therefore He put thought and design into us.
For we are God's workmanship. Ephesians 2:10

I am Chosen
God made the choice to redeem us. It's not as if God is strolling along through eternity and looks down at us and says, "I guess you will have to do." He knew us--including our Scar Tissue Issue--and He made the choice for us.
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you...1 Timothy 1:4

I am Protected
We just finished up studying the Prayer of Jabez in our Tuesday night Life Application Community, and the final aspect of the prayer prior to God's answering it was a request for God's protection. God places us in the palm of His hand. He allows things in our lives that shape us and mold us, but ultimately we are protected...remember there is more that what we see, experience, and know in the here and now...there is ETERNITY, and we are kept for that in Christ.
Protect me as you would the pupil of your eye. Psalm 17:8 (NLT)

I am Complete
Wow, do I need to be reminded of that from time to time. See, I have this problem of starting a project and getting either distracted or discouraged in it and moving on to another thing while leaving that one incomplete. I'm so glad that God is not discouraged or distracted while working on me. He provides all that is needed as it is needed, and while I'm still a work in progress He promises to complete the good work He is doing in me.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3

I am Victorious
It doesn't "FEEL" that way all the time in my life. But, that is where feeling and faith collide. My feelings often tell me one thing, but faith is not based on feelings, and I can trust by faith what my feelings vehemently deny. That I am victorious in Christ. There are many verses that can reassure us of this, so get in God's Word and learn the difference between what your feeling tell you and what God's Word shows you.
In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37

I am Called
The term "Called" is used so often of those who have become vocational ministers that we might lose sight of the fact that all...ALL...believers are called. Called to live for Christ. Called to serve according to our gifts which He has given us. Called to be vessels of light bearing His message. Called to fulfill His purpose and plan for our lives individually and as part of His body, the church. We wonder why we are on this planet, the answer is, WE ARE HERE FOR HIM. He called us for a reason.
God has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace...2 Timothy 1:9

I am Forgiven
The most damaging Scar Tissue Issue I face is the reality of the sin in my past. In an instant an image, a thought, a sound from ages past can produce such immense feelings of guilt and shame that it might seem like I had just committed the offense. I have to be reminded that God has forgiven every sin. As we confess it He is FAITHFUL and JUST to FORGIVE. Learning to "Live Forgiven" is a life-long process, but trust the Lord. Take God at His word when it comes to forgiveness, and...LIVE FORGIVEN.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1

I am Free
Slavery is a difficult concept for us to grasp in the age of democracy and liberty. What we know of it usually comes from history books and movies. However, slavery is very real, and is as prevalent today as it ever was, it is just that we don't recognize it for what it is. See, today the masters over the slaves are things like...DRUG ADDICTION... SEXUAL ABUSE...GREED...SELF GRATIFICATION...DEPRESSION...etc. We are enslaved by SIN. What God has offered us is FREEDOM from enslavement. We no longer have to follow the whim of our former master if we will yield to the will of God.
Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

I am Loved
Everyone wants to know that they are loved. We want to know that someone values us and desires us, and wants to be with us. There is no love like the love that God offers us in Christ Jesus. However, we tend to seek the tangible...the gratifying...the common forms of love and neglect the greatness of real love found in God. Find that love and live in that love and you will find the real foundation for all the other loves you experience.
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

I am Accepted!
That well known invitation hymn says, "Just as I am without one plea." That's how God receives us. God accepts us. We don't have to clean up perfectly, or make everything right before He will accept us--in fact we can't. It requires what only He can offer to accomplish it. Then He works with us to begin to bring about transformation and change as He shapes us and forms us according to His plan for us. Again, my human tendancy is to TRY...try to do better...try to be better...try to earn it...but I can't. God's plan is not that I TRY but rather that I TRUST. He knows even better than I myself know what my SCAR TISSUE ISSUE is, and He accepts me in spite of it.
But God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5.8

So...
Our SCAR TISSUE ISSUE might seem very different from other people around us, but the reality is that we all have them. I encourage you today to let God be God, even with the scars of your past. See what He can do through the transformational power of the Spirit of God and in the power and strength found in the Word of God. I've given you a few verses this morning, but there are more...many more. Let God speak to you through them.

Praying for you...please pray for me.

Blessings,
Pastor Dave

The Wise Man's Foolishness

2010-01-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

Robbed of a Blessing

I have often made jokes about how Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I would chuckle and kid about how a man, no matter how wise, could endure living with that many women when living with one woman is a full-time obligation. (Albeit a good obligation that I am happy to experience with the woman I am blessed to dwell with.) I may still joke about it from time to time, but I have a more somber outlook on it today because I have been forced to see how this arrangement robbed these women of a blessing.

Here’s one of the Scripture passages about Solomon’s many wifes and concubines.

1 Kings 11:1-3

King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh's daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women from the nations that the LORD had told the Israelites about, "Do not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will turn you away from Me to their gods." Solomon was deeply attached to these women and loved them. He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and they turned his heart away from the LORD.

As I have studied and read this passage in the past my focus has always been on the “wise man’s foolishness” and how Solomon’s decision to fill his life with all these women “turned his heart from the Lord.” That is a tragic consequence of trying to satisfy the drives and lusts of the human experience in ungodly ways. Human efforts to do anything like this will almost always lead to a “turning away.”

However, I’m beginning to think that an even greater consequence and tragedy lies hidden beneath the image of the man with many wives. The greater tragedy may well be that these thousand or so women never had the opportunity to know the intimacy and deep love of a committed marriage relationship and were treated more like, as one commentator said, “currency to be bartered and traded with.”

Of these multiple wives I believe that God allowed it, but God didn’t permit it. It was not God’s intention for a man to have more than one wife. It’s surprising that even the Godly men of our heritage didn’t seem to heed that, but having looked over the Scriptures it is clear that God’s desire from the very start was that one man would unite with one woman for a lifetime. In the simplest of images we see this in the fact that in the very beginning God merely created one woman for the one man.

So, back to the women who were robbed of the blessing. These women did not have the opportunity to experience the intimacy of knowing and being fully known with a man whose heart and life were devoted to them. Since God intended for this relationship to be an image of His relationship with His people we can surmise that His desire is for a singular devotion to be experienced between the participants in the relationship. When a man has more then one place to devote his heart he has a real heart problem. While the man might be seen as some sort of stud or applauded for his prowess, the collateral damage of his exploits are the half-filled hearts of the women in his life.

I’m challenged by this realization to consider very carefully whether I have divided my devotion with my wife. Of course, there are not 999 other women in my household. I go back to my earlier chuckle, what man could really handle that. However, there might be other things in my life—career, hobbies, past-times—that I might engage in that prevent my wife from experiencing the blessing that is rightfully hers, that of an intimate and deep love with one man who is devoted to her. Peter reminds us that she is our co-heir in grace, therefore she is neither beneath us nor above us, rather she is beside us as a partner in life.

1 Peter 3.7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with understanding of their weaker nature yet showing them honor as co-heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Solomon is credited as being the wisest of men, and that’s true. But in all of his wisdom we see incredible folly as well. If the wisest of all men can’t keep from falling into foolishness what hope is there for us. I would offer you some of Solomon’s wisest words as counsel. Our hope is that we keep our eyes and hearts focused on God. Solomon penned this after an extended search for meaning in life.

Ecclesiastes 12.13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity.

Men, let’s not rob our wives of the blessing of a relationship like God intends us to experience together. A life and love that mirror the relationship of God with His people. A man with a divided heart is a man with a real heart problem.

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

Merry What??

2009-11-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

(Pastor Dave’s Holiday Rant – Read On, You Might Be Surprised)

OK…It irritates me that in our politically correct society we end up with retailers, who will make the bulk of their annual revenue in the next four weeks, avoiding the use of the word Christmas in their advertising and in-store propaganda. I would like to be greeted at Walmart by a smiling employee saying, “Merry Christmas.” I would like the cashier, who I have just received a receipt that eclipses my height to say more than, “Happy Holidays.” I would like to see advertising from the many stores who will spend billions over the Thanksgiving weekend to get you to step into their store that reminds people of what this holiday is really about, the greatest gift ever give, Jesus.

However, there’s a really good reason why I won’t hear and see these Christmas sentiments this year. It’s not really about being politically correct. It’s not really about corporations and advertisers being anti-Christmas. It’s not because the greeter at the Walmart entrance has been warned about possibly losing his job because he could offend someone who is not a Christian. Would you like to know what this real reason for all of this is?

People don’t believe in Jesus.

I know, mind-blowing isn’t it. People don’t believe in Jesus. If the reason for the season is the birth of Jesus, and people don’t believe in Jesus, then for them it is little more than another holiday, albeit the biggest holiday of the year.

Now, here’s the rub for me. Christian organizations are rallying to the cause of the word Christmas. Buttons, banners, bumper stickers, billboards, and boycotts are showing up everywhere to try and push companies into focusing their ads and store displays on the word Christmas. If a retailer doesn’t use the word Christmas in their ads, with their employee greetings, throughout their store then they are to be shunned.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a committed Christ follower. I believe that Jesus Christ and His miraculous birth are what this time of year is all about. If there is not one card that comes in the mail, one present under my tree, one meal with friends and family I will still be content with knowing Jesus Christ is my greatest gift. My concern is that we are spending a lot of time trying to get people to say Christmas and have forgotten to invest ourselves in sharing the Christ of Christmas with them. We want the greeter at the door to wish us a Merry Christmas, but walk by without any concern for whether or not she knows the Lord Jesus Christ personally. The waiter at the Olive Garden may not have a clue who Jesus is, but he better tell me Merry Christmas as I sign my credit card slip or I will cut his tip.

Here’s what I would suggest. Let’s stop making our focus whether or not the retail industry and its millions of employees with give a passing nod to the word Christ in saying Christmas and start instead focusing on whether or not we have done our part in sharing with them the miraculous and life changing person of Christ. For some, you might be bold enough to talk about Jesus right there on the spot with the. For others maybe a tract or a card will be your way of sharing. Regardless of what your method is, I encourage you to commit to it.

Oh, and one more thing. When you are out and about during the Christmas season set a higher standard. When someone runs into you with a cart overflowing with bargains because they were racing to grab that last premium item off the shelf, respond in such a way that they will be left shaking their head and muttering to themselves about how strange you are because you didn’t do what one might normally do, but you responded as Christ would. Be Christian at Christmas.

Oh….and have a Merry Christmas

Dave “Big D” Bentley

dabent1988@yahoo.com

A Nice Piece of Jewelery

2009-09-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

"So I'll Cherish the Old Rugged Cross"

It was a really nice necklace. The cross dangling from the necklace was white and attracted attention. It could have been a sign of faith. It might have been an indication of a life changed by a relationship with God. It could have been a symbol of something different in contrast to the people of the current culture.

Or it could simply be a different piece of jewelery cast about the neck of a pop superstar. Unfortunately, the later is the case as the necklace dangled from Madonna's neck while she squirmed, danced, and sang. I am pretty sure that the necklace meant little more to her than any other bobble she could have worn.

My question for you this week is this - what does it mean to you? The cross....what does it mean? What impact has the cross had in your life personally? Is it something that you put up and take down...put on and take off...display for some and hide from others? Let me share with you what the cross means to me.

The Cross Reminds me of my Guilt

Were it not for my sin...my guilt there would have been no need for the cross. I suppose that if I was unaware of my need for the cross because of my guilt I could see it as little more than a nice piece of jewelry. But I know my guilt. I know the depth of the fall in my life. I know that I could blame no one else for my circumstance. I needed the cross. I need the cross. One of my favorite hymns says it this way:

"I've wandered far away from God, but now I'm coming home.

The paths fo sin too long I've trod, now I'm coming home."

Possibly you wonder why someone would want to be reminded of their guilt, let me explain. It's not that I want to remember all I've done wrong and all the pain and sorrow my actions have caused. What I'm reminded of is the depth of my guilt in relation to the depth of God's Love. Because...

The Cross Reminds me of Christ's Precious Price

While we were living in West Virginia we really fell on some difficult financial times. We were struggling to make it week to week. Buy groceries for our little family of four was hard, and the cost was great, but we had to eat. I remember one day getting ready to check out at the grocery store with our basket of groceries when our friend and deacon, Cliff Tolosa, approached me in the line. He and his son got in line in front of me and began unloading my buggy. The explanation he gave, "The Lord told them they needed to buy these groceries." They paid the price for me, and I have never forgotten their kindness.

My guilt, my sin, required someone to step up and pay the price. Romans 6.23 tells me that the price for my sin is death. If no one stepped into the gap for me then I would be required to pay that price myself. The depth of God's love and the wonder of His compassion is shown in that even in the midst of my rebellion and sin He sent Jesus Christ to the cross on my behalf. (Romans 5.8)

First Peter reminds us of the precious price paid for our redemption. And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. [1 Peter 1.17-19 NASB]

The Cross Reminds me of My Eternal Destiny

The cross is like a dividing post on the pathway of my life. There was a time when I was on the approaching side of the cross. In that place I was lost and without hope. I was walking a pathway of death and destruction.

In His love God brought me to the cross. When I realized my need for salvation God was there to grant it to me. Now I live on the eternal side of the cross where I walk with the Lord everyday and I look forward to eternal life in heaven. I can look back to the time when I trusted Jesus Christ and remember that in that moment my life was forever changed.

The Cross Reminds me of My Opportunity and Responsibility

Finally, the cross, whether I'm wearing it on a chain on my neck. in a patch on my shirt, or I'm bowing before it in worship and adoration, reminds me of the opportunity and responsibility that God has left in my hands. I have the privilege of sharing the love of Jesus with people who don't know Him. Years ago God used a song in my life to grip my heart, the words are like this:

"Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim 'til all the world adore His sacred Name"

Lifting the cross indicates that we need to live a life that displays Jesus for the world around us.

The Cross is More than an Accessory

For Madonna and countless others the cross around their neck is an accessory. For me the cross is the symbol of the most important aspect of my life.

Years ago a patrolman walking a beat in a big city noticed a young lad seated and crying on the curb ourside a candy store. When he asked he learned that the little boy had moved to town just a short while ago and was lost. He didn't know his address, phone number, or any information that would have been helpful. The officer began listing nearby landmarks to see if any of them sparked the child's memory. The school...the park...the library...the firehouse...but the child didn't have any idea where any of those places were. He was about to give in and bring the child to the police station when he spied the steeple of the church. He asked the young boy if he lived near the church and the boy's eyes got wide with excitement. "Yes!" he exclaimed, "I live near the big cross. If you can get me to the cross then I'll be home!"

That's the unheard cry of every person on the planet. For them to find their way home they need to be brought to the cross.

Lift High The Cross!

Blessings,

Pastor Dave

Pastor Dave's AWANA Openning Night Report - PHEW!

2009-09-17T11:30:00.000-07:00

Pastor Dave's Opening Night Report from AWANA
"PHEW!!!"
What an incredibly busy, yet undeniably rewarding week this has been. I just put the finishing touches on the message for Sunday - back to the Cracks in the Sidewalk series - and the powerpoint is in the capable hands of Arrall. I have only got to finish the bulletin (unless there is someone out there interested in taking that little task over--call me.) It's a real feeling of accomplishment as I look back on the past few days, and I'm kinda basking a little right now in the warmth (btw it's 55 degrees outside for you folks in Florida) of the Lord.

PASTOR DAVE'S AWANA REPORT -
THE GREAT ADVENTURE
Last night we had an incredible openning night for AWANA. Many kids came, several for the first time. We had a total of about 63 here. I say about because it's incredibly hard to count children, but we had at least that many, and probably more. In addition we had several new volunteers working with us. I believe the Wednesday night move is going to be a good move. God has given me a vision of more than 150 kids in AWANA before the end of this year...He hasn't given me a vision of how, just that if we are faithful in sharing His Word with these kids and their families we will reach beyond our wildest dreams. It's fitting that our theme this year is "THE GREAT ADVENTURE" because that's what this year will be. We will be stretched and challenged in ways we never dreamed, and we will see things happen that we cannot explain other than to confess that God is doing God-sized things here.

WELCOME ABOARD AND WELCOME BACK
Welcome to our new workers: Arrall Austin, Dianne Crystal, Rick and Priscilla Williams, Tammy Farmer, Al and Diane Dube, Teresa Vanacor, and Brian Morris. Welcome back: Pat Kilburn, Pat Kilburn (that's not a typo), Heather Aldridge (soon to be Kilburn), Phylis Condon, Michele Davis, John Yaffee and Kim Meyer, and ofcourse Dave and Andie Bentley. In addition we must not forget that Terri is leading the cubbies on Sunday night and she's a real key to the success and effectiveness of the AWANA ministry. (BTW - if you are available she could really use some help in her club too.)

I GUESS YOU HAD TO BE THERE
Some highlights from the night - I wish I had a video of these things.

-Tammy and Michele were eating with the kids when they realized that all the kids in the fellowship hall were part of the 24/7 youth ministry. Their eyes and faces showed a total amazement and I will never forget their expressions. Ask them to tell you what they thought at that precise moment. I laugh even as I write this...oh the joy!

-Rick Williams, a new member to the team, is driving one of the busses for us. (Thank God!!!) He was a little nervous at the beginning of the evening, but did excellent. Mike Steiner, my youth assistant on the bus last year was an asset to him in delivering the kids home last night. I can't tell you how much I appreciate Rick--and Big Pat last year--in their willingness to drive because it would be so much more difficult with just one bus running.

-Phylis is leading the Sparks part of AWANAs without any help and could really use some. She had eight young children in there last night I believe and needs people to come and just help the kids as they learn their Bible verses. Last night a new member in her class, Serenity, said the first part of John 3.16 to me. I can't express how much that moment means to me.

-Dianne Crystal and Priscilla Williams, two more of our new team members, put together a great Mexican feast for us. I don't think anyone really knew how many hungry kids God was going to send our way, but thank God He prepared and provided through the willingness of these ladies.

PRAY ABOUT THESE THINGS
It really was a great night, and things went incredbly smoothly for a first night. I would ask you to join us in praying for the following:

-More Workers to come and help. Andie can help plug you in where you are most needed and best fit. (Let me say that there were several workers who would normally be here last night that were not able to be with us, and we are really looking forward to their return.)

-There are so many needs represented in the children who are part of this. We are so blessed to be able to see the hand of God at work in their lives and in their family lives. I hope that you will join me in praying for God to work in special ways in the lives of the kids and their families.

-There are some specific things that we need as part of this minsitry and the overall ministry of PVBC. The following list is for your prayers and if possible you might be able to help us in providing something on the list.
A new (or in good condition) photo copier
Paper, Toner, and basic Supplies (Andie can help you know what we need)
Two or three people to take on the responsibility of overseeing clean-up and shut down at the end of the night. (This is a little selfish because I would like to get home with Andie before 10 if possible.)
An AWANA secretary to help keep records and assist us in the organizational aspects of the club.
Electricity in the Youth Building. (This is critically important)
Lights outside the building and around the property
There are more things, but let's start with this. The rest may show up later in a "Wish List."

OTHER CHURCHES ARE INVOLVED AS WELL
The primary purpose of AWANA is to help boys and girls come to know, love, and serve the Lord Jesus. We may have some of them become part of our church, and that is wonderful, but our focus is a kingdom focus. Children from other churches attend every week and I hope carry the message home with them and into their churches as well. We have invited, and continue to invite, children and adults from other churches to participate in AWANA.

One Last Thing for your Prayers and Support...
As part of AWANA we are actually part of a world-wide organization. In our area we have a wonderful missionary team, Jeff and Melanie Davis. I've had the opportunity to meet them a couple of times. We are blessed to have them. They assist in forming AWANA ministries in churches throughout Maine, New Hamshire, and Vermont. Just last week I received word that, as with so many things, their finances have really taken a hit. I hope that as one of the many AWANA clubs benefiting from their ministry we might be able to find a way to help them with a gift in the next month or so. For sure I want us to pray for them. I'm hoping to invite them down later this year so they can see what's happening in Springfield--I think they'll be blown away.

In Closing...A Tribute to the Most Important Person in My Life
I want to take just a moment to brag on my wife, please bear with me. I have watched her work herself silly getting ready for AWANAs...in part because I've been working along with her. She puts forth this kind of effort because she's dedicated and driven to seeing children know the Lord. There have been several nights in the past few weeks where it has been after midnight before she would drag herself to bed, and a couple of nights it was almost that late before she left the church building.
I'm not saying this just so I can wave my pompoms as her cheerleader--though I'm proud to do that. I'm telling you this because I want to say publicly--here on the internet where millions can read it--that I am so proud of her and the effort she puts forth. She rarely gets any thanks from me for all that she does as a partner in ministry, but I know that the primary reason that last night went as smoothly as it did was because of the work that she put in over the past weeks leading up.
There's a song that says, "When God made you He must have been thinking about me." No doubt, in His sovereignty God saw the numerous gaps in my life and form fitted Andie to be the perfect companion for me. I am proud and honored to be Andie's husband, and I am grateful that she is my wife.

Blessings,
Pastor Dave

"Cracks in the Sidewalk"
Discovering the things that might trip us up
and learning how God's Grace helps us up.

www.pv-bc.org
Pastor Dave on the Internet
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Life Transitions

2009-09-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

LIFE TRANSITIONS

It's hard to believe where I am today. I don't mean where I am physically located on 09/09/09, but where I am in the course of my life. At age 42 I'm faced with one of the big transitions in life. I'm officially "middle-aged." I'm facing the trials that people my age face. The "empty nest" as the kids move on with their lives. The aches and pains that remind me of my ever increasing limitations. The strain I put my eyes through because I'm too stubborn to go to the eye doctor for glasses.

Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this. But, as I walked this morning and looked at the leaves changing on the trees around the house I began to really contemplate the changes taking place in my life. I think that I can understand a little bit better why some men seem to "twist off" and start racing around in sports cars and chasing after women twenty years younger than they are. I can see how this transition point in life could bring an overwhelming sense of disatisfaction and loss into a fella's life.

Life offers us many transition points.

First day of School
Changing grades
Starting that First Job
Getting that Driver's License
Your First Date
Graduation Day
Wedding Day
Birth of your first child
Your child's first day of school

And so the cycle goes. You watch your child going through all those transition points as they grow and remember with joy, and perhaps some saddness, those moments in your life. There are major transitions and minor transitions, but all of them carry with them the risk of hurt and the potential for reward. Each threshold of change in the course of life challenges us and calls us onward, and we are faced with the temptation--particularly at the transition point where I find myself today--to run back to earlier days and flee the reality of where we find ourself. Hence the sports cars and younger women.

The past few weeks I have been scanning photographs from my younger years into my computer. That's been a bitter-sweet experience. I love looking at the pictures of Andie and me during our dating and early married years. (You can find most of these pictures on my FACEBOOK page) At the same time it seems like I just blinked and woosh time zipped past. These transitions of life don't often come with grace and gentleness...instead it's like the unexpected shove that throws you into the lake. And there you are, stepping through the portal into another life stage. So, the choice is to embrace it...or try in vain to live in denial of it.

The other day I was heading to pick up my best friend and life partner, who after twenty one years of marriage and twenty four years together still gets my heart racing. On the way there I noticed a jet black mint Corvette for sale on the side of the road...I slowed down for a moment to give it the once over...then I just drove on past. I had better things awaiting me.

Your Fellow Traveler on Life's Journey - DB

Let the Blames Begin

2009-08-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

Let the Blames Begin
Pastor Dave Bentley

Several years ago I read an article in NEW MAN magazine under the heading “Good Spousekeeping” that dealt with the issue of blame. It identified blame as sort of a marital perk. If something is not working right in our lives we have someone we can blame it on. For example consider the following:

I go to the doctor and he is concerned about my weight. He scolds me because we have had the same conversation for years now. He tells me once again that I’m over-weight, and if I don’t do something about it I will die because of it. However, I have my response ready. My wife is a great cook, and I love to eat her cooking. Therefore, she is to blame for my obesity and poor health. The doctor is not amused nor swayed by my reasoning in blaming my wife for my circumstance. In fact he gets a little testy and rest of the exam he is increasingly “harsh” with the poking and prodding. To comfort myself I stop off at the ice cream store on the way home. Now my weight is the doctor’s fault as well.

See the circular logic of the blame game.

The Blame Game has been around from the beginning of time. Waaaaay back in the garden there was plenty of blame to go around. Adam blamed Eve…and indirectly blamed God. Eve blamed the serpent. You could literally say that every person on the planet was trying to pass the buck…who cares that there were only two persons on the planet. Point is, blame came naturally to them, and it still comes naturally to us today.

Think for just a moment about the people who often get our blame for things gone awry.
· Our Boss
· Our Employees
· Our Neighbors
· Our Kids
· Our Parents
· Our Spouse
· The Devil
· God

There’s still plenty of blame to go around. However, what has blame ever solved. It didn’t solve anything in the garden, and it doesn’t solve anything now. I assure you that my wife has many things that she could pin the blame on me for. However, in grace, mercy, and love, she chooses instead to grant me forgiveness. I probably could come up with one or two things that I could pin the blame on Andie for, but again I would rather choose to let “love cover a multitude of sins.” [1 Peter 4.8]

Fact is, pointing the finger really accomplishes diddley squat. Consider these effects of blame:
· Blame never affirms, it assaults.
· Blame never solves, it complicates.
· Blame never unites, it separates.
· Blame never forgives, it rejects.
· Blame never forgets, it remembers.
· Blame never builds, it destroys.

Let's admit it -- not until we stop blaming will we start enjoying health and happiness again! Stop the finger pointing in marriage and get back to hand holding. Do not forget you are on the same team. Instead of blaming start forgiving. Chances are you share in the blame anyway.

I hope that you find this information helpful.

But, if not, don’t blame me.

-DB

Fear Factor

2009-08-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

I was almost a fraidy cat once, but I chickened out.

Fear.

"You have nothing to fear but fear itself."
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt

According to Dr. Sydney B. Simon in an article on the Effects of Fear -

Fear is the great paralyzer. It will keep you from making positive changes in your life and thus retard your recovery from depression. Recognize your fears and resolve to overcome them. This is an area in which I believe a therapist can be very helpful.
Fear persuades you to set easier goals and do less than your are capable of.
Fear triggers internal defense systems and fools you into thinking that you have perfectly good reasons not to change.
Fear, especially fear of failure or disappointment, reduces the number of available alternatives or keeps you from pursuing them.
Fear, particularly fear of making mistakes, causes indecisiveness and confusion. It stops you from knowing what you really want.
Fear warps your perception of your life and what you can do to make it better.
Fear keeps you from asking for help when you need it.
Fear keeps you from asserting yourself and persuades you to settle for what you must settle for instead of going after what you want.
To calm your fears, you develop unhealthy habits and behavior problems.
Fear often makes you give up just one step short of your goal.
Fear keeps you from taking risks.
Sidney B. Simon, “Getting Unstuck: Breaking Through Your Barriers To Change,” 1988

Fear can keep us captive in emotional, spiritual, and physical prisons.

Why does fear, which seems like such a small thing, carry such a debilitating power over us? In the past few weeks I've surveyed people and gotten a number of enlightening responses concerning the powerful effect fear has had in their lives, as well as some of their remedies in handling fear. Perhaps some of the best advice that I have received on this is that we need to stop placing so much stock in what we feel and put more emphasis on where our faith is. Our senses don't tell us the whole story. Consider this from Scripture:

2 Kings 6:8-18
8 When the king of Aram was waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.” 9 But the man of God sent [word] to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” 10 Consequently, the king of Israel sent [word] to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly warned the king, so the king would be on his guard. 11 The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.” 13 So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send [men] to capture him.” When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,” 14 he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” 16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike this nation with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to Elisha’s word.

The servants eyes (feelings/senses) told him that they were in trouble. But the reality of faith in One Greater shows us that even when it looks hopeless it is not.

So, the answer to fear is not our feelings but our faith. When the disciples were terrified by the stormy sea the Lord asked, "where is your faith." When the prophet was cowering in a cave ready to give it all up the problem was he was overcome by his feelings and had turned away from his faith.

One of those catchy slogans that appears on church signs and in bulletins sometimes tells us that "If God Calls you To It God will Get you Through it." The fact is that if God calls you to it...He is WITH YOU through it. That's what he told Joshua. Take a look at Joshua chapter 1 and see the number of times the Lord tells him not to fear. Why? Because He would be with him through it all.

Until the Next Time
Be Blessed,
Pastor Dave

Current Events from Ancient History

2009-08-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

I Had a Thought This Morning in my Quiet Time

This morning as I was reading from Joshua I heard God speaking into my life. It occurred to me a few moments later the irony of what was happening.

How many of us seeking information for current events would consult a document written thousands of years prior. Yet, that's what was happening in my life this morning. Words from millenia ago were speaking to my life today. Who can accomplish this but God. What an amazing blessings we have been given, and how often we take for granted the wonder of God's Word.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

So, break the seal and read God's Word today...listen to what God says to you.