Time is Ticking

Time is ticking for all of us. While we are young we think we have all the time in the world. As we age and look back over the span of our lives we wonder where all the time went. We are given the same amount of time on any given day. The question I am pondering today is how to make the most of the time entrusted to us.

So much of our time is predetermined. The student has to attend so many years of school in order to graduate. The worker must put in a day’s labor to earn a day’s pay. Though the job may change work takes us a good deal of our lives. No matter how high a person’s energy level, we all require sleep. Granted some get by on less than others but we all have to have sleep to survive. This takes more time.

This does not include the time it takes shower or bathe. Time is needed to get dressed, to eat, and to clean the house, mow the yard, and wash the clothes. There has to be time to grocery shop. The student athlete must, not only, attend class, do homework, but also practice before and after school and then there are games to play.

Ps 90 has a great deal to say about time. First, the psalmist says we may live to be seventy or eighty years old. As we look back over our life spans we will see a great deal of labor. I know people who work seven days a week. They never take a day off and their bodies never get to rest. I know people who work all day and then come home to work more at night. In the process spouses and children get neglected.

I know I am a borderline workaholic. If I were not married and did not have children and I would work more. There are always sermons to be studied, books and blogs to write, people to minister to, events to plan, and a church to lead. No matter how hard any of us work there will always be more work to do. That is part of the curse of Adam and Eve’s sin. Even when we finally get caught up the vicious cycle of labor starts all over again.

I write this on Monday morning. Sundays I expend myself preaching, teaching, and leading. By Sunday night I am exhausted. When morning came this morning I did not want to get out of bed. In the back of mind is the fact that I have to prepare a midweek message as well and preparing another Sunday message. These things keep coming back around. It is kind of like having multiple research papers due every week for the rest of your life.

You mow the yard and the grass grows again. You wash the dishes and they the sink is filled with dirty ones after the meal. You wash the clothes and they get soiled again. You sweep the floor and it gets tracked up again. You change the oil in the car and before you know it times flies by until you have to do it again.

The other thing Ps 90 says about getting older is not only can we look back on all the labor at the end of our lives but we also are able to look back on all the sorrow. Who reading this has not experienced your fair share of sorrows. From declining health, to broken marriages, lost jobs, cancer, rebellious children, to tragic and premature deaths life is filled with sorrows. Fractured family relationships add sorrow on top of sorrow. Frayed friendships deepen the pain of the soul.

We can learn something else about time and life. Even if we live long enough to grow old too soon life is gone. There is an ending point to life for all of us. I think of it often. How long will I live? What is that appointed moment of the time line when my days will expire? For most people it comes sooner than we think.

Reading this can sound depressing but that is not my intention nor the Psalmist’s point. Here is what he wrote in [Ps 90:12] “So teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.” The point is not to take life for granted but live wisely.

I know of no other way to do that than to live in fellowship with the God that created us. Living this way is living your life with purpose. You are not just marking time. God has a purpose for our lives. There is great value and meaning in that for us. There are things we were put on this earth to do. So do them for the glory of your Maker. While you are doing those things, enjoy God on the journey.

Enjoy God? Yes. Enjoy Him. This is a foreign concept for many of you. You have been taught to fear Him, obey Him, and to serve Him but not to enjoy Him. Enjoy living your life with Him. Slow down in devotions. Linger with Him longer. Walk with in at the beginning of the day. Talk to Him more often. Enjoy Him.

One last thing, to live wisely means to enjoy the people God put in your life. For me that includes my wife and kids. I get to enjoy friendships built over the years. I get to enjoy the people from past congregations I have served and the people of Faith Community Church where I currently serve.

Enjoying God and enjoying family and friends is about as sweet as life can get. You will notice I said nothing about riches, possessions, and successes. None of these things matter at the end of life. At the end it will come back to our relationship with God and our relationships with others. Live wisely for the time is ticking on us all.

Still Growing

I have seen the Lord do many things. What I see Him doing at Faith Community Church is astounding. Today we topped the one hundred mark for the first time setting a new attendance record for us of one hundred twelve on our fifth Sunday. I am still amazed.

We had several new families come visit us this Sunday. I had the chance to talk to many of these families. One told me they had been looking for a church for a long time and felt like they found one. The room keeps filling up more and more.

It is exciting to see what the Lord is doing in this community. Not only is the Lord growing our church, but as I left after our service I noticed all the church parking lots in town seemed full today. God is not just growing Faith Community Church but He is growing His kingdom all over the place.

We have set our launch date for our Grand Opening service for October 16^th. We are shooting to have over 300 in attendance in that service, which means our attendance must triple over the next six weeks. This is not something we can do but something God can do. [Jn 15:7-8]

We will start having Sunday School classes on September 11. I remind you all of this challenge as we meet in a school cafeteria. We still do not have teachers indentified and placed for all our classes. Our focus is on reaching people and not on seeking permanent facilities at this point. We will have to be flexible and creative in the weeks and months ahead. I am amazed as the Lord continues to draw people who had either fallen away from church or never been involved in church in the first place. It is exciting to see God draw people not only to church but also to His saving grace. Two students were saved this past Wednesday night.

So much has happened in such a short time we have had to accelerate all our plans. This makes me laugh because God had other plans all along. He willed for this church to exist and He is making a way for it week after week. I really am astounded by how the Lord keeps drawing people here.

I know a great deal of our growth is in direct answer to prayer from all of our prayer partners. I have a list of prayer partners I try to send an update to weekly. If you would like to join that prayer partner list send me your name and email address and I will send you updates as well and how you can pray for us more specifically. My email address is pastorfaithcommunity@gmail.com.

God has done all of this without the first bit of advertising. We are going to begin our advertisements in the upcoming weeks asking God to continue to draw new people to come. In some ways I feel guilty. I have read stories of other church planters who prayed, labored, advertised and had nobody show up on their launch Sunday. There have been other church planters who labored for years and never saw the kind of attendance God has blessed us with. There are many church planters who prayed and labored only to see the church and their dreams die as the church disbanded. I have been on that side of church planting and it devastated me. That is why this is so astounding to see growing the church.

I do not know why God chose to bless this church. I do not know why God chose me to lead this new church. I am humbled by the growth. My focus is not on the numbers. I am more excited by the people who show up for our Sunday night prayer meetings. We have had as many as a dozen families show up for them. God is doing exceedingly more abundantly than we can ask or think. [Eph 3:20] He called us to follow Him and we obeyed. He has blessed those steps of faith in dramatic and tangible ways. We are beholding a miracle in the making each Sunday. For those of you who keep praying for us thank you. Your prayers are definitely making a difference. Please keep them coming.

We still have not seen any movement on selling our house in Seminole. We are in a holding pattern on finding a house here due to this issue. We could still use your prayers for God to move this mountain and our learning to be content and patient in our present circumstances. It will happen in His timing. Like [I Thess 5:18] states we will give God thanks in everything for this is His will.

I cannot tell you how much we value your continued prayers. We hope to increase our prayer partners. Without you we would not have seen the Lord do all He has done in five short weeks.

We Will Follow

Eddie opened the worship service with the Chris Tomlin song, “I Will Follow”. That is the primary song God used to get me where I am today along with multiple scriptures. I kept saying to the Lord, “We did follow you. We are following you as a family, as a new church, and we will continue to follow you.”

God used Eddie in a powerful way. It is so easy to take things for granted like having music at church. Eddie’s infectious attitude has already been a great encouragement to me. I am looking forward to our working together for a long time.

Our youth ministry continues to grow. We had a little over a dozen the first week and twenty this past Wednesday night. We only had one girl. Imagine that scene with nineteen boys and one freshman girl.

Though the attendance did not double for the third consecutive week we still increased. We had more new families. We almost topped the one hundred mark for the first time and fully expect to do so this week. It is hard to imagine what the Lord has done in only three weeks.

Brenda and the boys have transitioned into life back in Paradise. The boys are now enrolled in school. Part of us are living with a friend and supporter of Faith Community Church. Taylor and I are now living in the RV though it has been moved to the same location as the rest of our family. This part of life is challenging.

While we have seen God bless the church in extraordinary ways we have not seen our mountains move as far as housing. I have not had one phone call from an interested buyer on our house in Seminole in four weeks. Not one. Brenda has a lead on a job but she has still not interviewed for the job yet. What little money we have set back will be quickly consumed if the house does not sell. We are hoping to use that money on the down payment for another house. God already knows. His provision is not limited however He chooses to lead us.

I know Brenda and I have been praying. I know FBC Seminole has been praying. I know Faith Community Church has been praying. Many of you that read this blog are praying as well. We will just have to trust God to see how all of this works out. God holds the keys and for whatever reason He has chosen to delay in giving us the answer we have all sought.

Regardless of how difficult this part of the transition has been, hear this loud and clear. We will still follow the Lord. We will not turn back. I hate this especially for Brenda. Our course is set and our gaze is resolute. We will not quit. This church must be built. We are witnessing a miracle in the making. God knows our needs and in His time we know He will intervene. Until then we must keep praying and believing to see these mountains moved.

We knew following the Lord to do this would not be easy. We knew there would be numerous challenges. We counted the cost before ever moving. My office space consists of a table at the local café, time at the public library and seated at a small dining table in the RV. All of these challenges are but stepping-stones to a greater miracle. God is building a new testimony here. Will the Edwards still follow when every details does not fall into place as quickly as we would like. We love Jesus more than our comfort and the easy path. We will continue to follow.

The Edwards continue to follow the call of God. Faith Community Church continues to follow God though things have progressed much faster than we anticipated. FBC Seminole continues to follow God as they transition into finding a new pastor. Each day is filled with challenges and adventure. God is sovereign over both. Will all of us continue to follow God regardless of where His call leads? I wish the path for our lives was easier but regardless following Him is the choice for me and my house. What about you? Will you follow Him when He calls?

He Did it Again

After our first full week at Faith Community Church we were all giddy with excitement as we moved to the Jr. High Cafeteria for our second Sunday after outgrowing the day care last week. Mind you we still did not have music but expectations were high. We arrived early to set up chairs. We set up around forty-five but soon that proved not enough.

People kept coming. Some I did not know. Many who do not have a church home. Some that had not been in church for a long while. We added another row of chairs, and then another row, and another one after that. God doubled the attendance from our first Sunday yesterday. He did it again.

It is hard for me to put into words all the emotions I felt as I watched people keep coming in. Family after family walked in and grabbed chairs. The large room felt comfortably full. I preached from [I Thess 1:1-5] and [Acts 17:1-10]. Paul planted the church at Thessanolica. We will take a journey through the book of I Thessalonians for the next several weeks.

Not just that. God added a family who are experienced and gifted in leading worship. The Lord knew our need for worship and brought someone to meet it. Hopefully by next Sunday we will be able to add music to our growing church. This is another evidence of God at work building His church.

I am awed by the things God is doing. I thought I had a plan in place to begin small in a Bible study format and train people for the journey ahead. I did not plan to really go public with our services until December and January. God blew my plans out of the water. He has something else in mind and I am trying to follow.

We had eleven families show up at our Sunday night prayer meeting last night. Eleven families gathering for prayer and fellowship. I have not seen anything like that in all my years of ministry. People know our Sunday nights are devoted to prayer. Those prayer meetings are the foundation on which Faith Community Church is being built. Our children and teenagers prayed. Our adults prayed. I love watching God at work uniting families, hearts, and giving us a clear purpose for planting this church.

God exceeded my expectations two Sundays in a row. Two times in two weeks He has assembled a crowd who hunger for the word. Also for the second Sunday in a row we had a family show up late thinking the services started at eleven rather than ten. They assure us they will be back next week. This is all happening without one note of music. I miss Sean Decker and the anointed worship at FBC Seminole. We have families attending services from Paradise, Bridgeport, and Springtown. God is building a miracle church and I am humbled He chose me to be a part of all this.

Along with the growth come growing pains. We will continue to seek the counsel of God on how to deal with issues like children’s ministry, nursery, finding teachers for our Connection Classes and as I mentioned getting our worship ministry up and going..

I should not be surprised God did it again. He astounds people all the time. Much prayer has been put into Faith Community Church. Much more prayer will follow. People are prying all over the state. I am so humbled God is working the way He is working. What a joy to get a front row seat to see His powerful hand move.

I know God is the one doing it. It has nothing to do with me. I am blessed and excited to follow the Lord on this journey. I am making an offer on a house today by faith. I long to say, “He did it again” selling my house and providing the Edwards with our third miracle house. If God moves you to pray and believe with us we are praying for these specific things: 1. Our house to sell in Seminole at 2112 NW Ave B. 2. For miracle down payment money 3. For Brenda to find a job in Decatur. 4. For God to close the deal on our miracle house.

He will do it again. I have been away from Brenda and three of our boys for the longest stretch ever. This makes day nineteen. They are planning on moving here by this coming weekend. We still do have a place secured. I am praying and working on it. I am still living in the RV and Taylor is still sharing the room with his friend Jarrett. We are both ready to see the rest of our family and to get in our own place to live. Making the offer on the house is the last thing I know to do in stepping out on faith to prove to God I trust Him. I left the loving and supportive flock at Seminole along with their bountiful compensation. I left my family behind to begin the work of starting this church. As much as I know how I have obeyed following the Lord.

Any day now I will say, “He did it again!” He will sell my house in Seminole even though the market is depressed. He will sell my house there and provide me with a house here. Doors that have been shut will be opened because I keep asking, seeking, and knocking and [Matt 7:7-8] assures me God will intervene. What a delight to serve a powerful miracle working God.

I have wondered why He has delayed this long but I think it is only to set the stage set to bring more glory to Himself. Nothing is too hard for Him. [Luke 1:37] All things are possible with Him. [Matt 19:26] No mountain can stand in the way of what God has purposed. [Mark 11:23=24]. I know I am in the will of God and therefore have confidence He will come through. [I Jn 5:14-15] He will rescue my family in this the day of our trouble. [Ps 50:15] He will do it again and I will testify again of His enduring faithfulness.

Never Alone

I wonder how many people on this crowded planet feel alone even though surrounded by multitudes of people. How many eat alone, live alone, go to the movies alone, and sit in church alone. How many never get a phone call, seldom if ever have a visitor, and never feel the warmth of an embrace by a loved one or a friend.

Many people trudge through life without the blessing of sharing life experiences with others. They do not share a good book, recommend a good movie, nor do they get to enjoy a good restaurant with loved ones. Life is lonely. Many are friendless and forsaken. Such people plod through each day dutifully but not necessarily joyfully.

Is there any good news for lonely people? Even in this day of social networking through face book, twitter, text messaging, and email people often feel very disconnected from other people. I ask the question again if there is any good news for people who feel alone.

There is a God, a divine being who promises to never leave or forsake His people. For the wayward soul I exhort you to turn to God and find a Father who loves and comforts. For the believer who feels alone I challenge you to embrace and enjoy the love of your Redeemer. He promises He will be with you always to end of the age. [Matt 28:20] There will never be a day when He will not be there with you and with me. The truth is because of that fact we are never alone.

Let that sink in. We are never alone. When we are depressed God is present offering comfort and hope. When we are overwhelmed and feel we have no one to turn to God is there to lift our burdens. [Ps 55:22] When we are financially destitute and feel we have no one to come to our aid, God offers His helping hand. [Ps 50:15] We are never alone. If we choose sin to compensate with loneliness He is there to convict us. He is there to chastise us and draw us back to repentance. He is there.

We are not alone. The solider who has surrendered to Christ is not alone on the battlefield. The follower of Jesus who owns a business is not alone when making financial and leadership decisions. The pastor who has poured his soul out in prayer and preaching is not alone. The elderly saint who long ago bid farewell to a spouse is not alone while fighting through their private grief.

This truth comforts me. God is with us watching, loving, empowering, and offering His help to endure life and loneliness. We may feel alone. We may convince ourselves nobody cares. We may believe nobody will come to our rescue in the day of trouble. God is there. God cares. God intervenes to save the day. God will not abandon His children.

Press on people. Press on for you are not alone. Comfort your souls for God is watching and waiting. We as His people are never alone. Turn to Him. Enjoy Him. Embrace Him. Call out to Him.