Life is full of choices. Each choice bears a consequence. Life and its choices can create a war for our affections. As a Christian, we understand that our decisions describe our character. What are we to do?  How are we to live?  Will anyone see? Will anyone know?  Disaster comes when we fail to rehearse the consequences of our decisions. When in doubt what to choose – choose the cross – it’s always the better choice. Take a moment to click on a view this cool short clip. 

Keeping informed is a personal responsibility. We live in the wake of Katrina and Rita. While the images and memories of those storms fade over time, nearly three years ago to the week we’re seeing what could become a potentially devastating storm develop. In a matter of days, Gustav will be in the Gulf of Mexico becoming a threat to the Gulf States.

Please make every effort to stay informed as to the storm’s progress. Check with local news outlets and online resources for up to the minute information and warnings. These storms are not to be taken lightly. If you are called to evacuate, follow the directive to evacuate. Be smart and remove yourself from harm’s way.

Some have asked if we’ll become a shelter again.  If called upon by the American Red Cross, we stand ready to serve our community and those in need.  We’re prepared, we’re experienced, and we’re willing to meet the needs. If called upon, please be one of the first to volunteer and to serve sacrificially.  

I realize times like these create a greater anxiousness within, that’s understandable, somewhat expected, and only natural. So what can you do?  Pray, help others, stay informed, make necessary preparation, and do what you can do.  The most important action is to trust the Lord. He is definitely faithful and trustworthy. He will care for you, strengthen you, and provide for you.

Summerfest08 is now history. What a great day!  I want to thank everyone who came out and supported the festival this year. Bicentennial Park was a great venue for our event. The Baytown Sun published a nice editorial on promoting Summerfest and then wrote a great follow-up article, too.  Take a moment to read them, they’re both good. You couldn’t have asked for better weather after the rainy week we’d had; it was hot Saturday. I also want to thank the Memorial members who stayed after the event to take down tents, clean up the park, and empty the trash.  Your help was greatly appreciated. There are a lot of stories to be told about Summerfest08.  I’m sure you’ll a few in the days ahead. God did some neat stuff on Saturday in the park.

Several people called to inquire about the vote on Sunday. We voted on naming Alan Beck as Associate Pastor, Minister of Education and Senior Adults. This would call for Alan to assume an additional administrative role to his current responsibilities.  We also voted on the proposed Sunday evening schedule change to no longer offer a regular Sunday evening service.  Both proposals passed at 99 percent and 75 percent respectively. 

I discovered this article the other day which was previously published a year ago entitled Sunday Night Slump. It addresses the issue of declining Sunday evening church attendance and how people are coping and transitioning. I found it to be an interesting article and trust you will, too. When you read the piece, observe the various denominations struggling with lower Sunday night attendance.  Also, notice the different strategies employed to a couple of the churches noted in the article. I think we can all relate to something in the article. It's certainly worth the read.

Our discussion about authentic faith in a post modern context kicked off last Sunday.  This coming Sunday, I'll begin talking about how to draw the lines of authentic Christian living in this current culture. What do I mean by this? The discussion will focus on a couple of Biblical principles for living objective truth in a subjective truth world. The Salt and Light Principle is one of those we'll elaborate on this Sunday. Jesus as recorded in Matthew 5:13-16 said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  (NIV) You are that salt and light to make a difference someone else's life.

This Sunday, I begin a new series called Proof: Authentic Faith in a Postmodern Context. This series will ask some hard questions and at the same time attempt to address them. How can I live an authentic Christian faith in the postmodern world? How can I live in such a way as to engage people with Christ and a frame work of objective truth? How can I relate in such a way that I’m culturally relevant? Where do I draw the lines in life? How can I live an authentic faith without hypocrisy? How can I be most effective in this thing called “evangelism” in today’s society?   

We must ask these questions and many more? Our goal must be to embrace this community for Christ!  It’s been said that we’re just a generation or two behind Europe. This video clip is a sobering reminder.  Don't miss the statistics at the beginning.

Join us Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at the North Campus or at 10:45 a.m. at the Sterling Campus. These next several Sundays may very well be the most profound and life changing of your Christian life.

The Summerfest08 BBQ Fundraiser on was a great success Tuesday. Nearly 500 meals were served for lunch and dinner combined. I really appreciate your support of the fundraiser. We’re just a matter of 10 days out until the big event. With over 50 exhibitors, games for the kids, fun stuff for students, and the best music in town – it’s an event you don’t want to miss. The stage goes live at 2:00 p.m. and continues until 11:00 p.m.  Our own North Campus Band will play at 3:00 p.m. There is no admission for Summerfest08. Stop by Bicentennial Park on Saturday, August 23^rd anytime after 2:00 p.m. Parking is available at Lee College or along Market Street. You can park at any of the church parking lots and walk a few blocks over to the festival.

The FEAR series concludes this Sunday with exploring the fear of failure. I thought this short video would be a good introduction to the topic.  Sometimes we view failure as defeat when in fact it is often the opening of a new chapter in life. I hope you'll join me for The Fear of Failure this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (North Campus) or 10:45 a.m. (Sterling Campus).

It is good to be home. We had a great time in New York City on our last family vacation before Katey goes off to college in a few weeks. I loved watching the kids in the city; this was a first for Angie and Chris.  Katey had been a couple of times before. It's a big place and even bigger through small eyes. There was much to see and do in a short period of time. We did the Grayline Tour around Manhattan. Chris had bubble tea in Chinatown. There was shopping and cheese cake at Carnegie Deli. We saw the former site of the World Trade Center and took a tour of Liberty Island. The girls went to Hairspray and the guys went to a Mets game.  We went from morning until night each and every day. We didn't get back to Baytown until midnight Wednesday. 

Among the trip memories of New York, two very distinct thoughts remain in my mind.  The singing of the Star Spangled Banner, our national anthem at Shea Stadium (see picture above) is the first. It wasn't about the vocalist, but the attitude and patriotism of the spectators.  There was a moving presence of authentic patriotism and pride for our county. The people sang and applauded differently in Shea Stadium than at other sporting events I've been to recently. Maybe that's because 9/11 wasn't something that happened in someone else's backyard, it happened in theirs.  The skyline of their city is a constant reminder of the very real threat of radical Islamic terrorism that our country faces each and every day. These people knew people or knew people that knew people who died on September 11, 2001.

Our family attended the Brooklyn Tabernacle on Sunday afternoon to hear the choir in concert. As usual, you must arrive early to get a good seat. We sat near our regular spot - the second section back from the platform next to the sound booth. While waiting for the service to begin, I noticed a gentleman I've seen every time I'm been to the Tabernacle. I don’t know his name, but I know his actions. He has a mobility issue and walks with a limp.  Yet, before every service he walks around the worship center handing out peppermints.  Do you remember mom telling you not to take candy from strangers?  Well, you don't have to worry with this guy.  It's his ministry, walking around blessing people with a mint.  This may sound small, but it's big. Ministry comes in all shapes and sizes. Together we make up this thing called the church.  Each one has a role and function within the body to make a difference.

Like I said earlier, it's good to be home. I missed my church family and I’m looking forward to being with them on Sunday. 

There is a Town Hall Meeting scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 10^th for the purpose of a congregation discussion regarding our Sunday evening programming as well as our enhanced evangelism strategy. I hope you'll make a concerted effort to attend this dialogue opportunity.  We have the opportunity to further develop our strengths while providing additional resources for creative venues of ministry and influence.

Here are the basics as it pertains to the proposed schedule changes.  These changes relate primarily to the Sterling Campus. Sunday night activities as we now have them would discontinue on the Sterling Campus.  Wednesday evening programming would be enhanced with additional offerings.  A Family Night Supper would be made available at a nominal cost per meal with a maximum cost per family.  Our ministry to children would be enhanced by offering both childrens music (choirs) and missions.  Prayer Meeting, discipleship classes, and rehearsals would all continue on Wednesday.

While our organized FAITH Evangelism program would discontinue, our efforts to reach out to our guests and event attendees would not. The small group experience is vital to a congregation's success. Contact through the existing structure of Sunday School will be emphasized with additional contacts by staff and ministry leadership.  The primary contacts will be through letter, phone, voice, and email.  Personal visits will be made with an advanced appointment.

Our biggest shift in evangelism is an intentional effort to reach out to non-church attenders. These are the vast numbers of Baytown area residents that do not attend a local church. Our new effort can be summarized in providing training and support for members of Memorial Baptist Church to intentionally establish and maintain relationships with non-church attenders for the purpose of introducing them to Christ through authentic and transparent living. I'm keenly interested in the individuals we would never get through our doors with programming and advertising.

This is a somewhat simplistic overview of the changes.  We'll discuss some additional reasons for these transitions in the days to come.

Last night several of us went to the Incredible Pizza Company in Pasadena by our own free will.  Taking Chris and Angie, we joined Bryce, Ashlyn, and Noah Briscoe.  As we made our way from the parking lot to the entrance, I saw what I thought was a familiar face only to discover it wasn't the person I thought. We all exchanged pleasantries.  This lady and her son had been to the Incredible Pizza Company and were now on their way to the car. To make a long story short, she offered coupons for each of the children.  She explained how we could double coupon and further reduce admission and meal cost. We thanked her and made our way to the entrance.  Once inside, we placed the coupons on the counter. The clerk arranged the coupons and then stated he was going to work a little magic. Each child received a loaded game card ($16.00).  As we were reaching for our wallets to pay, we were informed that we didn't owe anything.  "You got to be kidding me," I thought. Is there a catch to this?  We were told to have a nice evening and enjoy. We all ate and played for free!  Now that's a cheap night out.  So, here's my thought - watch out for angels bearing coupons; you never know.  I'd sort of dismissed the effectiveness of the coupons we handed in the parking lot and yet it created for us an opportunity for a free night out.  What a deal and a blessing in disguise! Thank you coupon bearing angel!

I'm excited to let you know about the Craig Kendrick family. They'll occupy the Mission and Refuge House beginning August 15, 2008.  Craig and his wife serve as International Mission Board (SBC) career missionaries in France. While they're on stateside assignment, they'll be promoting Western Europe mission work.  They'll be available to us for a number of venues and opportunities as we explore and support missions. The Kendricks have five children ranging in age from 2 years to 11 years of age.  One of their children is a special needs child.  Our proximity to Texas Children's Hospital will be a benefit for them. We only have a few weeks to get ready for the Kendrick Family.  Please keep informed as to how you can help encourage, minister, and acclimate this missionary family as they arrive in Baytown. I'm really looking forward to their arrival. 

The Summerfest08 BBQ Fundraiser is Tuesday, August 12, 2008.  Lunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and dinner is served from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 per meal and are available in the church office and prior to and following services at both campuses.  You'll get a hearty portion of BBQ brisket, sausage, potato salad, baked beans, onions, pickles, and bread. Gene Smith is our caterer and is well known throughout our community. Your meal can be picked up at the 621 Building at 621 Sterling Street, Baytown, Texas 77520. If you order 20 or more meals, those meals can be delivered to your place of business. Just indicate the delivery option when you order your tickets. We need your help to make the BBQ a grand success.  Summerfest08 is a family friendly Christian event to be held at Bicentennial Park on Saturday, August 23, 2008.  Over 3,000 people attended last year's Summerfest on the parking lot of the San Jacinto Mall.  There'll be fun, food, music, and games for the entire family. It's a great opportunity for you to invite friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to a positive family friendly event. There is no admission to Summerfest08.  Proceeds will benefit a select number of social service organizations in our community. To find out more about Summerfest08 visit www.summerfest08.net.

Watch the video. It is a story about adoption – a noble love giving hope and a future. I’m struck by the finding place; a child discarded in a trash can. God had a plan for this  abandoned life. Being found, he was given a chance to live. It’s a moving and amazing story.

I’m reminded that while there are those who will discard you in this life, God never abandons you. He knows your address and has a plan for your life. God doesn’t throw away an experience either, but uses it to tell the story of His miraculous love. God’s plans are bigger than our plans and His reach is bigger than ours. In case you doubt, God knows exactly where you are right now. You’ve not escaped His notice or attention. That’s God!  

On another note, I believe in adoption. I support a birth mother’s decision to make a plan of adoption. It is the ultimate act of love; it is the choice to give life. Our family is the recipient of one birth mother’s plan and for that I am thankful.

I received an email forward from Jean Stoerner quoting Barack Obama about the spiritual status of our country. I quickly checked a couple of websites to verify its content. I thought I'd put up the video of the statement. Why does this revelation shock so many people?  Is it really "new" news? We've been saying all along that the future of the American church is in jeopardy.  Look around Baytown; only a relatively small percentage of our community even attends church.  Does it really take someone like Barack Obama, a presidential hopeful, to shock us into this reality? 

So what's the church to do?  Where do we go from here?  I realize things will get worse before Jesus returns, but it doesn't mean I have to give up either. We're commanded to work until He comes.  As long as there is breath in this body, there will be a passion to reach people for Christ. That's why we must invest our time, talents, and energies into reaching people through relevant and intentional ministry.  Time is of the essence and souls hang in the balance.

Hurricane season is here. Be prepared and stay tuned to local news and weather outlets for the latest in tropical developments. As Hurricane Dolly makes its way into the Gulf this week, I’m reminded of past seasons and the apprehension storms can bring. The best is advice is to be prepared. Take some time this week to inventory your basic supplies and restock. If our area is in the path of a storm, you’ll be able to check our website for updates and concerns of church related interests for membership and guests both prior and post storm depending on power outages. Please make plans now for an exit strategy in the case of an evacuation. Know what you’re taking and where you’re going. Let others know how to contact you in the case of an emergency.

Our facility (ROC – Sterling Campus) is a Red Cross Shelter in the case of an emergency deemed by the Red Cross. If you’re interested in being a volunteer in the case of a disaster, please contact alan@memorialbaytown.com for further information.

Praying for good weather and being prepared…

This was taken from my e-newsletter article this week.

The longer I live the more value I place on relationships. Our God is a relational God. We've been created for a purposeful relationship with Him. We've also been created for relationships with one another. What about Adam? God saw that it wasn't good for Adam to be alone and created Eve as a helpmate. Not only did Adam and Eve work together, they conversed together. God knows and encourages relational maturity. 

In times past, a culture expectation existed which valued relational development. As an amateur societal observer, I believe this value is shifting from community to isolationism.  We're witness to a devaluation of community and a lessening priority on personal relationships. I think this is due in part to the increase of personal work loads, schedules, transient populations, and technology.  Among these aggregate of reasons, you discover a cumulative effect. No single reason, just the combination of several factors. 

Watch the shift in population even in Baytown. We're observing people moving in and out of our community. My neighborhood (Devinwood) is comprised predominately of new residents - people without a history in Baytown. We were the fourth house to be occupied in our neighborhood. The past couple of years, we have observed people coming and going. Within a stones throw of our house, three families which moved in after we did have already picked up stakes and moved on to other communities. The tenure of residency seems to be shortening.

Technology has created a shift from the personal to the impersonal. Emails, online communities such as Facebook and Myspace, and online business environments - though helpful and necessary in today's economy - carry a burden of depersonalizing our relationships. There's something about eye contact, gestures, and mannerisms that complete the task of communication. These are missed in our many impersonal communications venues. There's something to be said about sitting in a room with another person or other people and engaging in conversation.  There's something to be said for personal involvement in the lives of people around us.  As our communities become more transient and our preferred modes of communication increasingly impersonal, I believe people will seek out opportunities to develop significant and meaningful relationships. 

Here's an opportunity for the church.  It's a great place to intentionally develop meaningful relationships. Over the next months, we'll be approaching ways in which we can become intentional about developing friendships with others. People are looking for something personal, they're looking to be noticed, cared for, encouraged, challenged, and loved. We experience all these and more in relationships. 

This week, part two of our FEAR series will address the fear of losing possessions.  What do I mean by this? So many people invest much of life working towards the ownership of stuff.  Once they’ve accumulated some “stuff” there develops an innate fear about losing them.  What happens is life is seen only through the possession of goods.  The possibility of losing theses articles create a fear which fuels a desire to protect these goods at all costs. All of a sudden the things we possessed now take possession of us.

Let me give a word of advice as a sort of preview of Sunday’s message. Stuff shouldn’t define us or control us, that’s God’s task. Money and possessions shouldn’t define you or control you. You are who you are in Christ regardless of what you own. While losing it all may change your life, it doesn’t change who you are inside. Whether you “have it all” or “lose it all” doesn’t really matter. What matters most is who you are in Christ.

So, how do you get past the fear? We’ll talk about that Sunday.

The BGCT ran a story on our North Campus recently. Here’s the link to the story. Their take was more about the merger than anything else, which is cool. I really wanted to focus more on the heart of the Trinity Baptist Church leadership and membership. These are the people who experienced the death of a dream only to allow someone else to birth the vision.  I’m thankful to the former Trinity Baptist Church for allowing God to do something new at 8225 North Highway 146. I’m thankful to Memorial Baptist Church for seeing this as an incredible opportunity to reach our community for Christ.

I hope we’ll see more of these mergers in the future.  Not only for us at Memorial, but for small struggling congregations nearing the point of disbandment. Why not launch a new work on property bought and built by the saints of a generation past?  Why should that location become the next convenient mart and gas station? Why not use that property to reach the next generation for Christ?