From the Pastor
S. James Bachmann, Jr.
Senior Pastor
November/December 2008
Brett Favre comes to town this Sunday. For you non-sports enthusiasts he's the quarterback of the New York Jets and destined for the NFL Hall of Fame. Most of his career was spent with the Green Bay Packers where he set numerous records and led his team to one Super Bowl championship.
What I find very interesting however is that coming out of high school only one college offered him a scholarship: Southern Mississippi. A little research reveals a similar story for other current NFL quarterbacks. Curt Warner (Arizona) walked on at Northern Iowa. No one offered Drew Brees (New Orleans) a scholarship either.
Obviously the college recruiters aren't omniscient. Neither are the professionals. Question: of whom did Don Shula, former coach of the Miami Dolphins, last coach to lead his team to an unbeaten season (1972), and immensely respected NFL guru, say, "You just can't expect a young guy that hasn't had a lot of experience in the NFL to come in and dominate"? Answer: Tom Brady. Shula made those comments to the Boston Globe in 2001. Brady had been fourth on the New England Patriots depth chart. Injuries forced him into the starting role. By the end of the season he had led his team to the Super Bowl championship and garnered the Super Bowl MVP award for himself. Since then he has led the Patriots to three more Super Bowls, two of which they won.
No one is omniscient. As we approach Thanksgiving and then Christmas we do well to remember Someone Else that was overlooked: our Savior. There was no room for Him at the inn. The world in its wisdom did not know Him. He came to His own and they did not receive Him. They accused Him of being a blasphemous, demon-possessed man and nailed Him to a cross in spite of all His signs, wonders, and beneficial miracles.
The angel said, "He will be great," but no one listened. He shone brighter than all the angels heaven can boast. Today He shines brighter than our brightest stars. He is great and He alone is worthy of our worship.
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas,
Pastor Jim
October 2008
$2.99! It was October 16 and I couldn't wait to tell Kristen the price of gas!
It's little consolation though for so many who have seen their retirement accounts lose so much in recent days.
But there's always a silver lining. In this case it likely exposed our chief idol: money. We've put our security in our money and suddenly our world has been shaken.
The Bible has more to say about money than any other subject. For example: "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
But did we ever really think thieves would "break in and steal?" And who are those thieves anyway: the mortgage industry, oil tycoons, Wall Street, Congress, etc.? The truth is that our own changing morality may be the biggest culprit. Too often we have coveted and demanded things that God has not yet equipped us to enjoy. Ken Blackwell of the Family Research Council in Washington says that "We have become a culture addicted to instant gratification and a fixation on the material. Increasingly, concepts such as duty, self-denial, hard work, delayed gratification, and patience have been swept away."
Further concern comes from our financial office telling me an amazing number of our church members have not donated a single cent to the church over the last three months! Don't worry: I don't know who you are and don't want to know. God always seems to provide and like the widow's oil we always seem to have just enough.
The bigger point is this: do you think God is trying to tell us something? “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty.” [Proverbs 11:24]
He that has ears to hear let him hear. And let him seek first God’s unshakeable kingdom knowing that God will take care of the rest.
September 2008
I know the calendar says “September” but it sure feels like a new year.
With this “new year” comes our final “hardcopy” newsletter. Hereafter our website and Sunday bulletins will be your information source. Right now I’m not sure if my “From the Pastor” column will quietly fade into obscurity or still appear each month on the website.
So what better time to write about new beginnings? In this “new year” we will finally enter our new sanctuary! Work is steadily progressing and sometime next spring we will move in. Were it not for a delay in the window frames we might even have made it by the end of this calendar year.
Nonetheless, it will be here soon enough. And we’ll be tempted to think, “we’ve made it;” “we’ve arrived;” “now we can rest.” But that would be wrong. Instead, it will be time for new energy and commitment to serving our Lord and His people. My prayer is that the Lord will give us more than a new sanctuary. May He also give us a new love of worship, a new appreciation for His church, a new hunger for righteousness, a new zeal for His glory, a new yearning to see His kingdom come, a new passion to spread the gospel far and wide, and a new vision for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship.
I was reading the “Religion Calendar” in our local newspaper recently and was struck by one announcement: “August 30, Celebrating The Vision! A benefit concert to raise funds in support of the vision God has given the Rev. (I won’t mention her name), 6-8 p.m., I.T. Creswell School for the Arts, Cost $7.00”
Years ago God gave us a vision too. It has cost much more than $7.00 apiece! Let’s remember that it was a vision for much more than a beautiful sanctuary. May God fulfill the vision by making us into a beautiful church, His gorgeous bride in fact, without spot or blemish, in love with Him and eager to serve Him everywhere!
Happy September,
Pastor Jim
August 2008
I blew it again this morning! “Ignorance is bliss,” they say, and perhaps I need to take “them” at their word.
The last five or six Mondays I have made the same mistake: I have asked our financial secretary, “How was the offering yesterday?” Each time I wished I hadn’t asked.
I’m starting to understand why John Wesley once said, “The last part of a man to be converted is his wallet.”
Long ago churches and charities learned to live with diminished giving in the summer. People are traveling and schedules are irregular is the standard explanation. And we are told to be of good cheer because December is not far off.
But on the other hand we generally remember to pay our bills in a timely manner. Should churches be content to accept things as they are? Are our offerings supposed to be “firstfruits” or “lastfruits?” Maybe we should push back a little and remember Paul’s words, “On the first day of the week let each of you lay something aside...” Evidently the Apostle was a believer in regular, systematic giving as part of worship.
Systematic giving enables the church to give systematically too. We aren’t forced to temporarily withhold our contributions to missionaries, church plants, seminaries, and denominational agencies. Further, systematic giving is usually an indication of systematic worship. We are more apt to give when we are consistently present in worship, honoring the natural rhythm God has established for our lives.
I’m going to keep asking my question each Monday morning. One of these days I’ll be glad I asked, hopefully sometime before December!
Happy August,
Pastor Jim