Glory to God

I had one of the most powerful spiritual experiences last night of my life. It all revolved around a fifth and sixth grade football team I have been helping to coach since back in August. When asked to help coach the team I made one request. I asked to be able to lead the team in devotions and prayer after every practice and before every game.

We finished the regular season with one loss and are playing in the championship game later today. I am so proud of these boys. When we started practicing temperatures soared as high as 105. In the past three months the boys have endured grueling workouts to test the mind as well as the body. They have flipped tractor tires, pushed sleds, endured wall sits, six inches, DeFranco complexes, planks, pushups, bear crawls and gushers. Gushers are running from sideline to sideline back and forth four times under a preset time.

When we finished our last practice on Thursday all the boys cut their times in half running gushers since we started the season. They have a mind to work but that is not the point of this.

About three weeks into the season we began breaking our pregame huddles and ended our practices with the chant, “GLORY TO GOD!” A few weeks ago we added a little twist. We start with a whisper and then gradually get louder ending our chant by jumping up and down and shouting, “GLORY TO GOD!” It is more than a chant. We have talked for weeks about playing for the glory of God. That has meant giving God our best and understanding the truth this whole season has not been about us but is about making much of God.

This all takes me back to last night. We gathered the boys on the eve of the championship game for an end of the year party. God put in my heart a couple of weeks ago to gather the boys on Friday night before the big game for two things. We ate and played but the main purpose of the evening was to watch the movie “Facing the Giants.” That movie is about a team who learned to play for the glory of God. The purpose of the evening was to inspire the boys and to remind them whom we play for.

Fascinated the boys were drawn into the movie. They were pretty pumped when it ended. I told them to get their shoes on and to join me outside in a circle. In the past this has not been good news for the boys. While circled around me we did some challenging exercises. I had other plans on this Friday night.

Once they got in the circle I told them we were going to do the most important exercise of the season. I told them we were going to call out to God in prayer. Those wonderful little athletes prayed one after the other. Their prayers were marked by maturity. Several told God they wanted to praise Him if we won and if we lost. Many of the boys prayed for our opponents. Some prayed against fear and others asked God for strength to keep getting up after getting hit.

I drank in that moment wanting it forever etched on my mind. I remember the breeze picking up several times as we made our way around that circle praying. I recall some of the prayers and echoing my agreement. The last boy to pray was my son. I will never forget that moment. When they finished I gathered them in tight and reminded them the next time we would break our huddle with that chant would be under the Saturday night lights at the Bridgeport Bulls High School Stadium.

We all bent over and in a whisper and started saying, “Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God.” By the time we got to the third one we raised our voices. At five times we jumped up and down and shouted our theme, “GLORY TO GOD! GLORY TO GOD! GLORY TO GOD!” The echoes drifted through the woods and across open pastures wafting up to God as a prayer and resolution.

That scene will be replayed in my mind for a long time to come. Over and over again I will relive it. You see, these boys have really bought into that truth. The team we are playing tomorrow is from Jacksboro. They have not been beaten all year long. They are the only team to have beaten us. They have not even been tested in a game this year. They are big, fast, and very physical. Our two teams have been the best in the league all year long but when we played them they dominated us.

Since that game back in the second week of the season our guys have been focused. We have studied the scriptures. We have prayed through injuries and illnesses. We have pointed all the focus of our team to God.

I intentionally wrote this before the game not knowing the outcome. I think God is up to something with these boys. I do not know who will win or what the final score will be. Honestly, in the bigger scheme it does not matter. These boys have already learned valuable life lessons. When a parent from an opposing team made a racist comment to our right guard after a game he calmly looked at this parent and commented, “I am praying for you.” That is character.

These young men have learned to push their bodies and minds past limitations and barriers they thought were impossible to surpass. They have come to know God. Some of these boys never go to church, so we had a little church after every practice and before every game. I am proud to be associated with these young players.

I have told them I would not pray God help us win because He has followers in Jacksboro on the other team too. One of our guys prayed that very thing last night. I do not know who will get the championship later tonight. I can tell you one thing for sure. The Paradise Black team will play for the glory of God.

Sitting with the Savior

Just a short note to let you know you can order my new book online at xulonpress.com/bookstore. Type in the name of the book "Sitting with the Savior." The book is selling for $15.99. I hope the Lord uses the book in your life. Please spread the word. I want to publicly thank Beverly Mills for the countless hours of work she put in on this book project. I could not have done it without her. She is such a blessing and while we both give God the glory for the book I want to thank and acknowledge what a blessing she is to me. She is a true kindred spirit and I am grateful God moved her to partner with me on cover design, editing, and content. Beverly I love you and thank God for you and your heart for the King of Kings and expanding His Kingdom.

Eager to Share the Gospel

After an early morning leg work out I was delayed in going into the local café for breakfast by severe thunderstorms. We had a deluge so I camped out on the back porch to watch it rain. I love to watch it rain. Something about the rain relaxes me and brings solace to my soul.

I arrived at the café about an hour later than I normally do. That suited me fine since the crowds had moved out and I had the place to myself to reflect and write in my journal.

While writing down a prayer I became burdened for a man in our church searching for spiritual answers. I no more than became burdened for him than he walked into the café with his sick daughter. We exchanged pleasantries and I continued to pray God would open a door to talk to him about Jesus.

I got up and went to his table to talk to him about his son accepting Christ and wanting to follow in baptism. The man told me his spiritual background and that he had never been baptized. For the next several minutes I explained the gospel message to him and the meaning behind baptism.

His daughter’s doctor’s appointment kept us from talking further but he told me he did want to talk more.

Not long after he left I had the chance to witness to a lady I have been developing a friendship with for the past two months. I have witnessed to her on several other occasions but today we had several uninterrupted minutes. She promised me she would turn her heart to Jesus and let me know when she did.

What a great way to start the day. I am not ashamed of the gospel. The substitutionary death and victorious resurrection of our Lord is the hope people are looking for. I am reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans 1:14-17. “ I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians; both to the wise and the foolish. So I am eager to preach the good news to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew and also to the Greek.”

I feel an obligation to make the good news known to people who have lived their lives in spiritual darkness. I have a God placed burden on my heart to share the good news of Jesus Christ in Paradise and Wise County. There is an ache in my soul for those headed for eternal destruction without a relationship with Jesus Christ. I cannot sit on the sidelines and say nothing. There is a burden on my heart to do something. I have to take the initiative in turning conversations to spiritual matters. This is not just something to think about on Sundays. The burden to reach out to lost souls weighs on me continually. Does it weigh on you as well?

Paul said, “I am eager to preach the gospel.” I am eager to share. Today I could have chosen to remain in my seat over my breakfast and writing in my journal. I know a divine appointment when I see one. If I had gone to breakfast at my normal time chances are I would have already left the café before this man entered. I know I would not have had the time to witness to other friend. God orchestrated both meetings and even as I write this, the gospel message is working in both hearts.

I have confidence that God through the Holy Spirit takes the gospel message and penetrates the hardest hearts. I am thankful that it is the power of God for salvation. People hear the message that Jesus became man to dwell on earth. They hear He lived a sinless life so He could take our punishment on Himself. He endured the wrath of God for us so His righteousness could be transmuted onto us. This is a message of hope and God backs up the message with the power to transform hearts.

I recently read where over ninety five percent of Christians have never told anyone the good news about Jesus. After getting to share this message twice in the span of less than thirty minutes early on in the day has adrenaline pumping through my veins. I am pumped. This is what being in ministry is all about.

I hope you feel a burden from God for someone today. I hope you are living this day eager for the opportunity to talk about Christ. I also hope you are convinced only Jesus through the gosp

Country Living

Paradise is not a large community. It used to be a lot smaller. It is 5:44 a.m. I just stepped outside the RV to view the sky for signs of approaching thunderstorms from the west. I was greeted by the sound of a crowing rooster from one of the neighbor’s houses. It suddenly dawned on me for the past few months the sight outside the front door of the RV are rows of round bales of hay. I am definitely in the country. There are no gated communities in Paradise and residential areas do not even have curbs. Most people have gravel for a driveway.

You can still find fresh farm eggs in town. Cows are a familiar sight along with buffaloes if you drive down the right road. Horses abound and it not unusual to see stray dogs strutting about. We used to have a dog roaming around town nick named “Mayor.” He wondered the streets with no home loved by all.

I like living in smaller towns and enjoy country living. In a bit I will take Tanner to early morning practice and Taylor and I will hit the weight room. Yesterday, Turner and I enjoyed a day at the Fort Worth Zoo for his field trip. I sat on a bench with one of the men from our church after Tucker’s basketball practice enjoying a visit. He is the first person I baptized at Faith Community Church.

Later this morning I will eat breakfast at the Finish Line Café. I will see the same older men seated at the same table drinking coffee like they have been doing for years. I will see the same familiar patrons seated at their same tables. I hope to get my usual table in the back corner where I write and read over breakfast. I jokingly call that place my office.

Though influences from the big city have made their way into Wise County, for the most part Paradise is a charming place to live. It is big news we are about to get a donut shop. Bigger news that just a few months ago we got a Subway and recently a dry cleaning business came to town.

I enjoy the scenic drives with rolling hills cluttered with trees. With recent rains things have really greened up around here. I love the school system in Paradise. The teachers love the students. The administrators or well qualified and work diligently to ensure our children get the best education. The coaches care more than just about wins and losses but care about the character of the young men and young women they coach. For the most part Paradise is a close-knit community.

The churches often work together to serve the community. Egos are kept in check as we all realize each church serves a purpose.

Paradise may not be a large community but that does not mean it is not a busy community. Calendars are filled with all sorts of activities. It is a great place to live and to raise your family. The pace of life in Paradise is slower than the metroplex. While driving home yesterday from the Fort Worth Zoo I mused on how thankful I am I do not have to live in that rat race. It is busy in Paradise but generally the pace of life is slower and more casual.

I go to an old fashioned barber in downtown Bridgeport where they still using shaving cream and a straight razor to shave your neck and around your ears. People still go in there to just sit and visit. Kind of reminds me of Floyd’s Barber Shop in Mayberry from the Andy Griffith show.

The most enjoyable part about country living is the relationships. I love running into familiar faces at the post office, café, ball games, while waiting in line to get the boys after school, and on field trips. Relationships enrich life. I have been fortunate to have spent my entire ministry in smaller communities. I have served in places like Hudson, Burke, Rochelle, Spring Creek, Seminole, and of course Paradise.

Today as you go about your day and if you happen to enjoy country living in a smaller community why not thank God for it. As you encounter people you know and care for through out the day why not thank God for them and tell them how grateful you are to know them. Let me start by saying I am thankful for a bunch of people who walked out on a limb with me to start Faith Community Church. I am thankful for the testimonies of the numerous people I have talked to who told me they prayed, believed, and hoped God would draw my family back to this community.

I have served many wonderful churches. FBC Paradise and FBC Seminole touched Brenda and at a soul level. How thankful we are for the years we spent there and for the people we have come to know and love in those churches. Our lives are the richer for knowing those people. God has used them to bless our lives in profounder ways than I can put into words.

Though I am still seated in this RV writing another blog with the pitter- patter of rain beginning to fall on the roof I am extremely contented. I am a blessed man. I am contented to spend my remaining days and ministry in small communities where my family enjoys country living. [Phil 4:11] “…I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am…”

The Wounded Heart

I have encountered many people in the past few days with wounded hearts. Some feel unloved and unwanted. Others have had the rug snatched out from under them. A few are beaten up by careless and thoughtless words. The old childhood saying is not true, “Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me.”

Many are walking around the community with wounded hearts. Children get wounded by parents and caregivers. These are supposed to be the people who love, nurture and protect. At times these very people do not encourage the child but constantly point out their faults. That child will carry those wounds on into adulthood and likely into marriage and parenting. If they do not find healing and wholeness they will likely pass on those same wounds to their own children. The cycle keeps repeating itself.

Many spouses endure loveless marriages where love is not expressed and respect is not given. Harsh words, critical looks, and cruel treatment are endured. Many cry silent tears nobody but God sees. They wonder what happened between standing before the preacher saying, “I do,” and the wounded heart they live with.

Widowers and widows endure the lingering days of loneliness with holes in their hearts where the love of their lives used to fill that hole. Day in and day out they try to get on with life but at times the grief overwhelms them as they sink in a puddle of tears. Nobody seems to care or remembers. While life moves on these wounded hearts are stuck in the rut of grief they cannot get out of.

Critical people verbally assassinate others constantly. If you serve in a high profile job and you happen to be the target of their venom more wounds occur. School administrators, teachers, coaches, ministers, politicians and bosses all get their share of undeserved criticism from time to time. While they press on at work the wounds are deep. Many of these wounded hearts begin to feel like nobody can be trusted. They retreat into a private world insulated from those that can cause further damage.

There are even some that feel wounded, betrayed, and abandoned by God. Questions abound such as: “Why?” “How could you have let this happen?” “What have I done to deserve this?” “Do you not care?” “Why don’t you do something?”

Some hearts are wounded because they have been betrayed. Love and trust were extended and then trampled on. These wounded hearts are left picking up the pieces of their broken hearts and broken spirits vowing they will never trust again.

Does God have a word for those reading this with wounded hearts? “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” [Ps 34:18] Is your heart broken and wounded as you read this? Let this truth sink in. God is near to you. Call out to Him. Pour out your soul to Him. Offer Him your wounded heart. He is available and accessible.

If you are living life with a crushed heart and a broken spirit He offers two things for you. He is near and He saves. The word saves means He delivers, He preserves, He rescues, and He restores.

I grew up with a wounded heart. Verbal abuse. Physical abuse. Lies and deception from my very own family abounded. I lived seventeen years of my life with a wounded heart. Jesus took that wounded heart and through His love, grace, and tender mercies He made me whole. That same heart has been wounded numerous times since then. I have always found God near and always experienced His deliverance from bitterness and rescue from destruction. He rescued me from eternal damnation and from a life of hatred and retaliation. O reader offer to Him your wounded heart. Let Him put it back together and bring the healing of salvation and restoration through a relationship with Him.

I cannot spare you the wounds in your heart. They come to us all. I can point you to the only One that heal the wounds, restores the soul, and that can put your life back together. He is my best friend Jesus.

Getting Back in the Flow

Some of you may have noticed I have not written a blog in nearly a month. I have been battling writer’s block. I know in part it is due to exerting my energies into starting Faith Community Church. God has blessed our new church in ways that have been humbling and astounding. We have come so far in only three short months.

For some reason I could not write. Multiple times I opened a word document and stared at the screen watching the cursor blink. A few times I forced out a few sentences but ended up deleting them in disgust. No matter what I experienced from day to day I could not find any inspiration to write. The desire was still there but the inspiration would not come.

I would go to bed night after night feeling guilty like I was letting all of you readers down. I know many of you have checked this site repeatedly hoping for some inspiration, wondering how the Edwards family and the new church were doing, and possibly hoping to hear a message from the Lord. I felt the pressure to write something but honestly had nothing to write.

We have experienced thunderstorms, high winds, football and more football, but none of this inspired me to write.

This past Monday I went into the local library and found an isolated corner. While in there I cried out to God to inspire me to write again. I pleaded with God for anointing and inspiration. I did not feel anything. Nothing magical or mystical transpired.

Instead I sent an email to a publisher I met about nine months ago. He learned about me through a mutual friend and offered to take me to lunch while we still lived in Seminole. During lunch he told me about his publishing ministry and immediately my interests were peaked. In the months following our meeting he gave me a writing assignment. He asked me to write a book giving advice to young men entering the ministry.

I started the book back in the spring of 2011 but once we discerned the Lord calling us to start Faith Community Church and moving, the book got put on the back burner. That is where it has sat for the past six months.

While sitting in the library I sent this man an email telling him I had not forgotten about the book but felt stuck in writer’s block. I assured him I wanted to not only finish the book but to have him mentor me in writing. He is the kind of man I have been praying God would bring me into relationship with for years.

I opened the manuscript and began reading. Next thing I knew I started writing a new chapter. One chapter turned into two and then three. I sent them all in to the publisher. He made suggestions and I kept writing. Three chapters turned into six new chapters as I kept feeling inspired with the desire to write and finish this book. Yesterday I finished the book before lunch. What a sense of relief and accomplishment. The title of the book is Shepherd My Sheep.

Now begins the not so fun part. I have to reread the rough draft and rewrite certain parts of the book to put the best book possible forward. Though this is my least favorite part of the writing process it is one of the most valuable to the writing process. God wants excellence and so we press forward to tweak the manuscript.

On top of this my newest book, Sitting with the Savior, is scheduled for release before Christmas. I just finalized the front cover and the book is in the process of publication even as I write this. I should receive a sample copy before Thanksgiving. I will schedule several book signings in Paradise, Lufkin, on the campus of Howard Payne and Seminole.

All of this to say I am so grateful to God for allowing me to get back in the flow once again to write. Look forward to regular blog entries between now and the end of the year. I am thankful each of you come to this site and read what the Lord gives me. I see you as the reader as extended flock to love, nurture, and minister to through the written word. Thank you for your prayers.

For a long time I have believed God wants to do more with my writing ministry. I remember very well the early days of this blog and watching as a few people came to this site. With excitement I remember the benchmarks of surpassing one hundred hits, five hundred, and a thousand. I thanked God the day we went over ten thousand and today we are approaching thirty thousand.

I could not do this on my own. A servant of our Lord back in Seminole takes what I write, comes up with a picture to capture the essence of the blog and then posts them. Thank you Tim. I could not do this without you. I pray in the days ahead I keep you pretty busy as God gets me back in