A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing You praise
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
In my heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
In my heart, my soul, I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise
From the inside out, O my soul cries out
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Staycation
So, as a result of our plans getting changed, we are doing a Bridges staycation this weekend. It's still a relaxing time so far, and we've gotten to do pretty much whatever we wanted to do.
We enjoyed a great service at Open Door Baptist Church this morning. And a wonderful NRCA family bought our entire family lunch at Moe's. We're now preparing to watch a couple of movies at home, assuming Redbox participates. It's being difficult right now.
This has served as a reminder to take some time off every so often. For family time as well as to rest. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Pastor Randy
We enjoyed a great service at Open Door Baptist Church this morning. And a wonderful NRCA family bought our entire family lunch at Moe's. We're now preparing to watch a couple of movies at home, assuming Redbox participates. It's being difficult right now.
This has served as a reminder to take some time off every so often. For family time as well as to rest. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Pastor Randy
Friday, September 2, 2011
Everybody is Different
As a teacher, I get to see many interesting things in class and around school. One of the most interesting things is to observe how God has made all my students differently. Over my six years in teaching, I've noticed that God knows best how to blend people together, from different backgrounds and with different gifts.
Take today, for example. I'm giving my first test of the school year. As I watch the students take the test, I see some who are very detailed in how they approach it. They are neat and organized, check their work carefully, and stay focused right until the end. Then there are others who are a little more laid back in their approach. They work through the test, but their work is not as organized. They are familiar with the material, but they are looking to finish quickly and move on to something they would rather be doing. And there are a few who seem to get distracted during the test. You can just look at their face and wonder what they're thinking about at that moment. Fortunately, the distraction usually only lasts a couple of minutes, then they are on their way back to working through the test.
All of these students should do well on this test today. Most of the material was a review of what was covered last year. However as the material gets more difficult, each student will need to focus more and more on the task at hand. That's part of what I must teach them this year. We can't only focus on math concepts, we must also develop good study habits that will translate to success in the future. For this class and others they will take. And we will learn this together with God guiding us all the way.
The Christian life isn't much different. God made all of us with different qualities and characteristics. We all have things we do better than others, or things that we enjoy more than others. But God has a way of blending that all together, particularly for believers who are united by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, even if we aren't united in other ways. In addition, God uses those gifts and talents He's given us to prepare us for the tests we all face each day. Good study habits for the believer, in God's Word and through prayer, will prepare us for those tests as well as living a holy life unto Him.
May I continue to be a good student of the Lord. And a good teacher that leads other to know Him more.
Pastor Randy
Take today, for example. I'm giving my first test of the school year. As I watch the students take the test, I see some who are very detailed in how they approach it. They are neat and organized, check their work carefully, and stay focused right until the end. Then there are others who are a little more laid back in their approach. They work through the test, but their work is not as organized. They are familiar with the material, but they are looking to finish quickly and move on to something they would rather be doing. And there are a few who seem to get distracted during the test. You can just look at their face and wonder what they're thinking about at that moment. Fortunately, the distraction usually only lasts a couple of minutes, then they are on their way back to working through the test.
All of these students should do well on this test today. Most of the material was a review of what was covered last year. However as the material gets more difficult, each student will need to focus more and more on the task at hand. That's part of what I must teach them this year. We can't only focus on math concepts, we must also develop good study habits that will translate to success in the future. For this class and others they will take. And we will learn this together with God guiding us all the way.
The Christian life isn't much different. God made all of us with different qualities and characteristics. We all have things we do better than others, or things that we enjoy more than others. But God has a way of blending that all together, particularly for believers who are united by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, even if we aren't united in other ways. In addition, God uses those gifts and talents He's given us to prepare us for the tests we all face each day. Good study habits for the believer, in God's Word and through prayer, will prepare us for those tests as well as living a holy life unto Him.
May I continue to be a good student of the Lord. And a good teacher that leads other to know Him more.
Pastor Randy
Monday, July 11, 2011
Something You Don't Normally See
I must confess that I don't follow baseball that much. In fact, I was just thinking the other day that I don't recognize most of the names of the players anymore. I can remember the names of some from the past, names of men that are either in the hall of fame or will be one day.
Even though I don't follow the game much anymore, I do still enjoy going to the ballpark when I can. There's something about watching a game live that totally beats watching it on TV. I've been blessed to visit several MLB ballparks, most special to me being Wrigley Field many years ago.
Anyway, if you follow baseball at all, you know that Derek Jeter of the NY Yankees just hit his 3,000th hit this week. Derek's hit was extra special because he hit a home run to push him over the top of this important goal. But what has made this event even more noticeable is the story surrounding the fan who caught the ball - Christian Lopez.
According to news reports, Christian returned the ball to Jeter the same night he caught it. Rather than keep the ball and sell it to the highest bidder, he returned it. After all, it certainly belonged to Jeter. Some reports even said that the Yankees managment asked Christian how much he wanted for the ball. There are more stories than I can count from the past of how people have taken opportunities like this to cash in big. In fact, some reports estimate that Christian could have received hundreds of thousands of dollars for the ball. Many baseball fans have taken the chance to call this move unwise. Why not sell it and cash in?
The Yankees also showed some class in this event by offering Christian several balls, bats & jerseys signed by Jeter. They also offered Christian and his family some sweet seats for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.
But I think the award for class clearly goes to Christian Lopez. Way to go for going against the culture and what the world would say is right to truly do something unusual. It reminds me that as Christians, we are to be people that say & do things that are not always consistent with the world we live in. We do that because we love God and desire to follow His leading in our lives. In a similar way, we will often be told we are different, strange, weird, offensive, intolerant, etc. But obedience is always the goal.
I pray for more "Christian's" in the world. Those who are willing to stand up and do what's right, even when the world doesn't understand.
Pastor Randy
Even though I don't follow the game much anymore, I do still enjoy going to the ballpark when I can. There's something about watching a game live that totally beats watching it on TV. I've been blessed to visit several MLB ballparks, most special to me being Wrigley Field many years ago.
Anyway, if you follow baseball at all, you know that Derek Jeter of the NY Yankees just hit his 3,000th hit this week. Derek's hit was extra special because he hit a home run to push him over the top of this important goal. But what has made this event even more noticeable is the story surrounding the fan who caught the ball - Christian Lopez.
According to news reports, Christian returned the ball to Jeter the same night he caught it. Rather than keep the ball and sell it to the highest bidder, he returned it. After all, it certainly belonged to Jeter. Some reports even said that the Yankees managment asked Christian how much he wanted for the ball. There are more stories than I can count from the past of how people have taken opportunities like this to cash in big. In fact, some reports estimate that Christian could have received hundreds of thousands of dollars for the ball. Many baseball fans have taken the chance to call this move unwise. Why not sell it and cash in?
The Yankees also showed some class in this event by offering Christian several balls, bats & jerseys signed by Jeter. They also offered Christian and his family some sweet seats for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.
But I think the award for class clearly goes to Christian Lopez. Way to go for going against the culture and what the world would say is right to truly do something unusual. It reminds me that as Christians, we are to be people that say & do things that are not always consistent with the world we live in. We do that because we love God and desire to follow His leading in our lives. In a similar way, we will often be told we are different, strange, weird, offensive, intolerant, etc. But obedience is always the goal.
I pray for more "Christian's" in the world. Those who are willing to stand up and do what's right, even when the world doesn't understand.
Pastor Randy
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Body Piercings.....and Religious Freedom
Please allow me to get on my soap box for a moment.......
This last school year, there was a story about a Clayton High School student who wore a nose stud to school, which clearly violated the school dress code. The school suspended her four times for failing to remove the nose stud, and her family contacted the ACLU, who filed a lawsuit against the county school system. The girl apparently belongs to the Church of Body Modification, a little-known group that encourages piercings and tattoos as a path to spiritual enlightenment, according to the N&O.
This week, the school system settled the case with the ACLU. The school system agreed to rewrite it's policies to allow exceptions to be made in cases like these. They also have to pay $15,000 in court costs and fees for the ACLU. And the student's record will be wiped clean of this incident and the suspensions.
What really got me was the comment in the N&O from the ACLU: "We are very happy...because the policy is changed and protects the religious rights of students and their parents...". Here's the problem with all of this. First, the school ultimately gave in and settled because they do not have the money to fight this battle in court any longer. Clearly the ACLU has plenty of money and resources to carry this out to completion to serve their agenda.
Second, the ACLU is also one of the leaders in threatening school systems for saying prayers, using the name of Jesus Christ, or using any other sort of "religious" language in school graduation ceremonies. In fact, recent stories have confirmed that they and others believe this language and activity forces religious views on others. In effect, they are restricting the ability of students who want to affirm their religious views from doing so, consistent with their rights as Americans.
I'm getting very tired of the double standard that exists in our culture. It's systematic of the relativism and tolerance that we face every day all around us. But I'm also reminded that the Bible tells us that if they persecuted Christ, then we can expect no less. I wonder what would happen if a Christian student wore a Jesus t-shirt to school, or wanted to pray during recess with a few other Christian students, or maybe wore a cross nose stud to school. I already know of situations much like this in the past that were not well received, all under the idea of "separation of church and state". There's a Greek word for that....baloney!
Christians must stand for what is right, what honors God. There are times that might require direct protest. But most of all, it requires a growing trust in the Lord and obedience to His Word. Ultimately this isn't my fight, it's God's. He expects my obedience, and by His power, I will strive to give Him that every day. We must let Him fight our adversaries, and trust Him to bring the best results consistent with His will.
Our job is to live a faithful witness for the King. As I've calmed down a little while writing this, I'm reminded of two verses that keep me sane when I read stories like this:
1 Cor. 11:1 - Paul says, "imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
Ps. 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."
Lord, teach me to trust You in everything. Show me the fights to fight, while always trusting Your strength. And let my testimony be used by You to draw all men to Yourself.
Pastor Randy
This last school year, there was a story about a Clayton High School student who wore a nose stud to school, which clearly violated the school dress code. The school suspended her four times for failing to remove the nose stud, and her family contacted the ACLU, who filed a lawsuit against the county school system. The girl apparently belongs to the Church of Body Modification, a little-known group that encourages piercings and tattoos as a path to spiritual enlightenment, according to the N&O.
This week, the school system settled the case with the ACLU. The school system agreed to rewrite it's policies to allow exceptions to be made in cases like these. They also have to pay $15,000 in court costs and fees for the ACLU. And the student's record will be wiped clean of this incident and the suspensions.
What really got me was the comment in the N&O from the ACLU: "We are very happy...because the policy is changed and protects the religious rights of students and their parents...". Here's the problem with all of this. First, the school ultimately gave in and settled because they do not have the money to fight this battle in court any longer. Clearly the ACLU has plenty of money and resources to carry this out to completion to serve their agenda.
Second, the ACLU is also one of the leaders in threatening school systems for saying prayers, using the name of Jesus Christ, or using any other sort of "religious" language in school graduation ceremonies. In fact, recent stories have confirmed that they and others believe this language and activity forces religious views on others. In effect, they are restricting the ability of students who want to affirm their religious views from doing so, consistent with their rights as Americans.
I'm getting very tired of the double standard that exists in our culture. It's systematic of the relativism and tolerance that we face every day all around us. But I'm also reminded that the Bible tells us that if they persecuted Christ, then we can expect no less. I wonder what would happen if a Christian student wore a Jesus t-shirt to school, or wanted to pray during recess with a few other Christian students, or maybe wore a cross nose stud to school. I already know of situations much like this in the past that were not well received, all under the idea of "separation of church and state". There's a Greek word for that....baloney!
Christians must stand for what is right, what honors God. There are times that might require direct protest. But most of all, it requires a growing trust in the Lord and obedience to His Word. Ultimately this isn't my fight, it's God's. He expects my obedience, and by His power, I will strive to give Him that every day. We must let Him fight our adversaries, and trust Him to bring the best results consistent with His will.
Our job is to live a faithful witness for the King. As I've calmed down a little while writing this, I'm reminded of two verses that keep me sane when I read stories like this:
1 Cor. 11:1 - Paul says, "imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
Ps. 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."
Lord, teach me to trust You in everything. Show me the fights to fight, while always trusting Your strength. And let my testimony be used by You to draw all men to Yourself.
Pastor Randy
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The NRCA 7th Grade Team
Another school year is almost in the books. Tomorrow is the "official" last day for teachers. It's been a great year in many ways. I believe that this year's 7th grade students are some of the best I've worked with. Many of them have displayed awesome Christian character throughout the year. Many have worked very hard and will be rewarded for their efforts in the awards program tomorrow at school.
But I think I'll remember this school most for the great team I've had the pleasure to work with. The team includes Bill Cook, Tim Gardner, Chris Rivera, Ioan Oros, and Amy Lilly. I know I'm biased, but I think our team was the best in middle school, and maybe all of NRCA. We complemented each other's strengths and weakness very well. We worked together and helped one another often. We were there to encourage each other when difficulties arose.
I lost count of the number of parents and students who commented favorably about our team and the work that was done this year. And perhaps the most exciting part of this is that we'll all be together again next year. I believe God will continue to do great things through this team.
So, to Bill, Tim, Chris, Ioan & Amy - thanks for a great year. Enjoy your summer. And let's keep our eyes on Jesus as we get the pleasure to do it all again in August.
Pastor Randy (aka, Mr. B.)
But I think I'll remember this school most for the great team I've had the pleasure to work with. The team includes Bill Cook, Tim Gardner, Chris Rivera, Ioan Oros, and Amy Lilly. I know I'm biased, but I think our team was the best in middle school, and maybe all of NRCA. We complemented each other's strengths and weakness very well. We worked together and helped one another often. We were there to encourage each other when difficulties arose.
I lost count of the number of parents and students who commented favorably about our team and the work that was done this year. And perhaps the most exciting part of this is that we'll all be together again next year. I believe God will continue to do great things through this team.
So, to Bill, Tim, Chris, Ioan & Amy - thanks for a great year. Enjoy your summer. And let's keep our eyes on Jesus as we get the pleasure to do it all again in August.
Pastor Randy (aka, Mr. B.)
Monday, May 2, 2011
My Mom
Tomorrow, May 3, 2011, is the seven year anniversary of my Mom's leaving this world to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ. I still miss her, but I am more thankful than ever for her testimony and legacy for the Lord that lives on.
I had a chance to share part of her story with someone today, which reminded me of the anniversary tomorrow. But in light of the events of the last 24 hours, it also reminds me that when we die, we have only two possible destinations - heaven or hell. The Bible is clear - only those who have trusted in Christ will go to heaven. It doesn't matter how many good deeds you've done. It doesn't matter who you know, or who your parents are/were. You can't give enough money to the poor. There isn't an escape clause. We will all face the judgment. Only those covered by the blood of the Lamb will live with God forever.
In many ways I envy my Mom and Dad, who know the joy of sittiing at Jesus' feet, experiencing complete worship that we'll never know here. My day will come, in His time. For now, He has called me to continue fighting the good fight, living and speaking the name of Jesus. And that's just what I'll do. May it be true of me what the Bible says about the early apostles in Acts: that when people saw them, they knew the apostles had been with Jesus.
Pastor Randy
I had a chance to share part of her story with someone today, which reminded me of the anniversary tomorrow. But in light of the events of the last 24 hours, it also reminds me that when we die, we have only two possible destinations - heaven or hell. The Bible is clear - only those who have trusted in Christ will go to heaven. It doesn't matter how many good deeds you've done. It doesn't matter who you know, or who your parents are/were. You can't give enough money to the poor. There isn't an escape clause. We will all face the judgment. Only those covered by the blood of the Lamb will live with God forever.
In many ways I envy my Mom and Dad, who know the joy of sittiing at Jesus' feet, experiencing complete worship that we'll never know here. My day will come, in His time. For now, He has called me to continue fighting the good fight, living and speaking the name of Jesus. And that's just what I'll do. May it be true of me what the Bible says about the early apostles in Acts: that when people saw them, they knew the apostles had been with Jesus.
Pastor Randy
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