Lord, I Need You

Great song from Matt Maher.  Feeling it a little more today than normal.  The enemy is trying to keep me down.  Just shows how much I need God.

Lord, I come, I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

Without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are, Lord, I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

Teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You

Every hour I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

My one defense, my righteousness

Oh God, how I need You

Pastor Randy

Back to School

Well, another summer is done for me.  I go back to school tomorrow for teacher in-service training.  Then, one week later, the students arrive.  While I am always sad that summer vacation has to end, I also enter this new school year with great anticipation of God doing a great work.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, every member of my family is undergoing some sort of transition or change this year.  Mine is moving back to 8th grade and becoming a department head.  As I've been working through some pre-planning, I believe God is already working on me first even before the students arrive at school.  I'm excited about what He's showing me.  There's still much to do, but I'm trusting Him to do something beyond my imagination this year.

This year I will have the pleasure of teaching most of the same students I taught last year.  I'm sure some of them aren't completely happy about that fact.  But I hope to lead them well in learning about Algebra and the God who made it.  I will miss working with the 7th grade team this year, but I'm also excited about working with the 8th grade team.  I am very thankful to be able to work in the ministry of NRCA.

The message today at Summit Church was awesome, as usual.  Some of the notes I took certainly apply to how I want to approach this year.  They include the following:

- Desire to live a life that matters for eternity.
- We can't make God move in our lives, but we can make room for Him to move.
- The best I can offer God in my own strength is a filthy rag.
- We cannot manipulate God, but we can trust Him.
- Grab hold of Jesus and don't let Him go.

That last one is good...grab hold of Jesus and don't let Him go.  The only way I see that God can do something beyond my imagination is if I let go and get out of the way.  I desire to let go of my plans, my desires, my will, and grab hold of what He has for me.  And not let go.  I pray that will be my focus for this school year.  I need to get out of the way.  He is more than able to make this a great year, for me and my students.  Grab hold of Him and don't let go.

Mr. B.

Transitions & A God Who Is Bigger

It's 5:45am on a Thursday morning, and I'm up earlier than usual at my computer.  You may say that's not really that early to be up on a Thursday, but remember, I'm on summer vacation.  Somehow I think I'm violating some unwritten teacher rule about being up before sunrise during the summer.

I couldn't sleep well last night for a variety of reasons.  Megan had to avoid a potential accident on Capital Blvd on her way home from rehearsal last night.  Some crazy guy driving south in a north-bound lane.  God was protecting her and helped her avoid what could have been a bad accident.  There are some other things on my mind right now, and I guess all that stress led me to talk in my sleep last night.  I dreamed that someone was trying to press in the walls of our bedroom, and I had to do something about it.  If you want to hear more stories about my talking (and the ocassional walking) in my sleep, see Felicia for more details.

As I sit here early this morning and reflect on all this, I realized (not for the first time) that our family is in the midst of a year of transitions.  All six of us are either in the middle of a transition or about to go through one in the next month or so.  For our family, 2013 will always be remembered for the transitions we endured.  I pray it will also be known for the work of God in our lives.  Here are some of the transitions I'm talking about:

Felicia - she started a new job in a new division in state gov't in January.  While she's getting integrated well after seven months, she's still learning and getting up to speed.  She's also experiencing a transition with a new writing project that was published just recently.

Megan - she graduated from NC State in May and is looking for full-time employment.  Megan has to make a tough transition - she's no longer a student for the first time in her life.  Being an adult takes on a lot of new meaning when you leave college.

Kelsey - she starts her sophomore year in college this Fall, but at a new school.  She has transferred to the College at Southeastern, leaving UNC-CH behind.  I'd say that's a pretty big transition, going from Carolina to Southeastern.  But God is able.

Daniel - he starts high school this Fall at NRCA.  I see God doing so much in his life.  This will be a big year for Daniel, a lot different than middle school.

Matt - he starts middle school this Fall at NRCA.  One of the biggest transitions a student makes is going from elementary to middle school.  Matt has his work cut out for him this year.

And then there's me, too.  So many transitions for me this year.  It started with a move out of a church ministry position, and I continue to wait on the Lord for that.  I also will be moving to teach Algebra I in 8th grade at NRCA, while also transitioning to some new roles on the middle school team.  Our entire family is also transitioning to a new church, which brings additional things to think about and decisions to make.

Wow!  That's a lot of transitions.  And how funny that all of us are going through our own individually and a few more as a family.  But as I reflect on all this again this morning, I'm also reminded how big my God is.  Scripture is filled with encouragement that God is not surprised by our circumstances.  It tells us that nothing is too difficult for God.  He is able and already working in today's circumstances, with a perfect view of what tomorrow will bring.  The Bible tells us that God always keeps His promises.  What an awesome comfort that is!

I may not know what tomorrow holds.  I may not understand why God allows things to happen the way He does.  I may not know how today's circumstances will work out.  But I trust in a God who knows me better than I know myself.  He is able.  The words of the song by that name always comfort and assure me:

He is able, more than able, to accomplish what concerns me today
He is able, more than able, to handle anything that comes my way
He is able, more than able, to do much more than I could ever dream
He is able, more than able, to make me what He wants me to be

When I reflect on those lyrics, I'm also reminded of the passage from Ephesians 3:20-21:

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.

Pastor Randy

Ministry Update

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for my family and me.  We appreciate you and your prayers more than I can say.  It's been a while since my last post, so I thought I'd give a brief update on where we are right now.  I continue to desire your prayers as I seek to know God's plan for us.

As you may know, we left Wakefield Baptist Church at the end of February.  We continue to miss seeing and worshipping with our Wakefield family.  Shortly after leaving Wakefield, the Lord brought several ministry opportunities to me for consideration.  I began discussions and some interviews with a few churches in the area for ministries with music and students.  All of these ministries were bi-vocational, similar to the ones I have been serving in for about 15 years.  As I prayed and considered each opportunity, God drew me closer to Himself through the process.  But in His wisdom, none of the opportunities were the right place of service for me.  I am thankful for His work in me through this process.  I continue to wait on Him to lead in placing me in the ministry He desires.

At the same time, God has been working in other ways that are exciting.  My commitment to North Raleigh Christian Academy is unchanged.  I continue to see God working there, and He has blessed me richly in this ministry.  God has opened up some new opportunities for me at NRCA this fall.  I will be teaching Algebra I in 8th grade this year.  While I'm sad to be leaving the 7th grade team, I'm also looking forward to moving into a new challenge.  And I get to teach the same students again as last year.  This is a great chance to continue to reinforce God's truth to them and develop even closer relationships with them.  In addition, I will be serving as the math department head and 8th grade-level lead this fall.  I accepted these roles with great humility, knowing that I will be relying on the teams I work closely with for our mutual success for God's glory.  I praise God for allowing me to step into these new roles.  I pray I lead in them for Him alone.

While we wait to see how God works in church ministry, our family has been visiting The Summit Church.  We have been visiting often since we left Wakefield.  We love it there and are seriously considering joining the church soon.  God has used this time to refresh us and give us great instruction from His Word.  Plus, we have been able to attend Summit as a family, especially while the girls are home for the summer.

In addition, our family continues to grow in the Lord and in the changes He's bringing our way.  Not only with ministry for me.  Felicia is enjoying her job at DHHS and just returned recently from the writer's conference.  She is excited about how God is using her writing.  Megan has graduated from NC State and is enjoying her new jobs.  Kelsey also has two jobs this summer to earn college money, which will be spent at the College at Southeastern this fall.  Daniel is about to enter high school, which he is very excited about.  Matt is entering middle school this year, and he gets an extra year before getting me as his math teacher.  I am blessed beyond imagination by my family.  God is working in great ways.

I am both blessed and challenged as I look to the future.  Blessed by the many ways God is working and providing for me and my family.  Blessed by the new opportunities He is bringing my way.  Challenged as I wait to see what His plan is in ministry.  But God is good in all things.  I know His way is always best.  Thanks again for your continued prayers for our family.

Pastor Randy

Real or Fake?

I love the fact that I get to serve at a Christian school.  Not only do I get to teach math, but more importantly I get to weave Scripture into everything I do in class.  This past week was no exception.

I read part of Ephesians 4 in class, specifically highlighting vv. 11-15.  In the context, Paul reminds us that we are taught the Word of God for several reasons:  the equipping of the saints, the work of the ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ, the unity of the faith, the knowledge of Jesus, the growth to a perfect man in the fullness of Christ, and more.  I focused on v. 14, which tells us we grow in the Word so we will not remain as children, tossed about by false doctrine and the tricks of men.  Rather, because of the Word, we are able to speak the truth in love and grow up in all things in Christ.

I shared with my students that the only way they can trust what they are hearing is to filter it through the Bible.  I gave several examples of this, including the movie "Catch Me If You Can".  The story is about Frank Abignale, Jr., a true story about a man who made counterfeit checks and stole money from several companies.  He was eventually arrested and served time in prison.  However when he had served his time, he was hired by the FBI to help with identifying conterfeit checks.  In fact, he was so good at his job that someone asked him about it, wondering how he got so good at spotting fake checks.  Frank's response was that he had studied real checks so much that it was easy to spot the fake ones.

My message to my students was simple:  you'll only know truth if you've studied the only truth so well that you can easily spot something that's fake.  There are too many things in this world that sound almost like biblical truth, but they fall short in some way.  Some fall short in a big way, usually in terms of their view of Jesus Christ.  The only way you can know for sure is to line it up against God's Word.  If it fails the comparison test, then it's a fake.

I saw this revealed again this morning.  I've been able occasionally to watch some preaching on TV on Sunday mornings before church.  Today, I watched two TV preachers.  One was Dr. David Jeremiah, and I can tell you I trust his teaching.  He did an awesome job today with Philippians 2.  Then I watched another TV preacher, who's name I will not use, but he is a very popular preacher of a very large church.  The second preacher largely encouraged his congregation in the complete opposite direction of what I believe the Bible teaches about serving one another and relationships.  The first guy preached on how Jesus was the ultimate example of a servant, coming to earth as the God man.  The second guy preached on how we should cut off those people who drain us and we should focus on our own destiny, using no Scripture to back up his words.

God does not want us to be confused.  That's one reason we have the Bible.  It's our textbook for life.  But more than that, it is truth.  I encourage you to apply Frank Abignale, Jr.'s idea to the Christian realm.  Know the Word of God so well that you can easily spot what is fake.  Let the Holy Spirit affirm it in your heart and give you the power to live it in your life.

Pastor Randy

ACC Basketball Tourney Picks

Ok, here you go.  My ACC Tournament picks for this year.  Enjoy.


Thursday's Games:

GA Tech over Boston College
NCSU over VA Tech
Wake Forest over Maryland
Florida State over Clemson (sorry Mrs. Lilly)

Friday's Games (assumes my picks win on Thursday):

Miami over GA Tech
NCSU over Virginia
Duke over Wake Forest
UNC over Florida State

Saturday's Games (assumes my picks win on Friday):

NCSU over Miami
UNC over Duke

Sunday's Game (assumes my picks win on Saturday):

NCSU over UNC

Yes, I know I'm an NC State fan.  If I set that aside for a moment, my second choice would be UNC.  Not because I like them that much, but if it turns out to be Duke vs. UNC on Saturday, I think UNC wins the game.  They have a lot to make up for after the last game between these two teams.

Just my opinion.  That and a dollar will buy you a Snickers bar at the grocery store.

God is Sovereign

Sovereign in the mountain air
Sovereign on the ocean floor
With me in the calm
With me in the storm
Sovereign in my greatest joy
Sovereign in my deepest cry
With me in the dark
With me at the dawn

In Your everlasting arms
All the pieces of my life
From beginning to the end I can trust You
In Your never-failing love
You work everything for good
God whatever comes my way I will trust You

All my hopes all I need
Held in Your hands
All my life all of me
Held in Your hands
All my fears all my dreams
Held in Your hands

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