WHY PREACH A RECOVERY SERIES THIS SUMMER?

It never dawned on me that someone would really wonder why a pastor would preach/teach a summer sermon series on recovery. I believed anyone in our church family would “get it”. I have built my entire ministry around reaching out to the hurting, the broken, etc. I have a Biblical belief that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Your sin, little as it may be and my sin, big as it may be, both were a part of nailing Jesus to the tree. We are just as helpless to free ourselves of sin as any “addict”. This is a deep biblical, theological truth. It takes just as much grace to save you and me as it does to save one who is struggling with hurts, habits or hang ups. It might take a little extra work for those who live in denial that they have hurts, habits and hang ups. So, for those who might not understand why preach and teach on recovery on a Sunday morning when we have Celebrate Recovery on Sunday night, let me try to shed some light.

First a biblical/theological reason: Preaching on recovery is what Jesus did. 

Luke 4: 14-30 is considered by most to be Jesus first public sermon…his inaugural sermon if you would. He could have chosen deep theological topics like the Sovereignty of God or an explanation of the Trinity. But…he didn’t. He chose recovery. He said the Spirit of the Lord was on him and had anointed him to preach good news. Take a look at how Jesus described that Good News: addressed to the poor; proclaimed freedom for the prisoner; and recovery of sight for the blind; to release the oppressed. Sounds to me like Jesus had a recovery sermon in mind. He had enough topics for a summer series. That was just his first sermon. Perhaps his greatest sermon is The Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5, 6 and 7 are a full out effort of recovery. To preach/teach like Jesus somehow a pastor must include recovery, the sermon topic most often chosen by our Lord.

Now, the response of the people was interesting. “The people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips” (vs 22) Interesting that the people who were hurting, neglected, marginalized, oppressed, in bondage with hurts, habits and hang-ups loved his teaching. They noticed and benefited from his gracious words. They were amazed. On the other hand, the real religious people…not so much. They wanted to run him out of town and tried to kill him. Wow…apparently they really did not like recovery sermons, seeing people recover or acknowledging their brokenness.

Jesus said, in what could be considered his life mission statement: The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Sounds like a recovery mission, doesn’t it? His first sermon a recovery sermon and his life verse a recovery statement. I am trying to choose Jesus as my model on the way I teach and the topics I preach on. I am not saying it is the only way. I am saying I think it was Jesus’ way and I want it to be my way.

See you this Sunday when I teach what the Word of God says about making changes. You can’t go deeper, you can’t be a fully devoted follower, you can’t be sound theologically without making changes. You want to be a better spouse, parent, employer, employee, disciple? Then you will love this message Sunday about making changes.

Pastor Tom

WE ARE ENGAGED AND THE WEDDING DATE IS CLOSE!

I am kind of old school when it comes to recruiting staff members. I like to use the analogy of “dating, engagement and marriage”. When we start the process of looking at dozens of resumes…we call that dating. We can call them, ask questions, and exchange information, finding out interesting things about the prospective staff person. They, of course, can be talking with other churches as God has led them. After all…we are just dating. At this stage, they usually do not come to visit the church campus, meet the staff or leadership. We are just trying to find out if we like each other enough to go on a second date.

Neale and I read dozens of resumes and called a lot of people. We both were much energized when we talked to one in particular. We went on a “second date” and then a “third”. We were so impressed and pleased we invited this one down to visit the church campus; join us in a staff meeting, and to be interviewed by my “Friday Preacher Buddies”. I have been meeting with this group every Friday for over 25 years. We have helped interview many staff members for each other. We then set up a meeting with this prospect and a group of our leaders. Everyone gave a resounding yes and green light to move forward. Every group he met with was wonderfully impressed.

So now…the engagement period. It is hard to pop the question but it had to be asked. He is coming from a much larger church family so I was not certain how we could do in matching his salary needs and requirements. By the way, several that we interviewed were quite concerned with the cost of living in the Charleston area and James Island in particular. Once I knew we could afford to get married, we pressed on. At this point, we cut off all communication with any other prospective staff members. We are now all in with Scott.

Just a week ago, we had the last official meeting for the remaining members of our leadership team to meet Scott and Lori. Again, everyone loved them both. So, here we go…James Island Baptist Church family just got engaged to a new staff member.

Scott and Lori Blasingame currently live in Rock Hill, SC where Scott serves on staff at First Baptist Church, Rock Hill. Lori is a school teacher. Just today, we got news that she was offered and now has a teaching job here in Charleston! That answered one of two major prayer concerns. The second prayer request is that they will sell their house and find a home here in our area.

Next week, I will give you the particulars about Scott and his background. As for now…I am so excited and can’t wait for him to get on board. Scott should be here, in full swing by the first of August. Perhaps a little earlier if their house sells and they find a place here. You know where my prayers will be focused!

Congratulations JIBC, I can’t wait for you to meet Scott and Lori.

See you this Sunday at the Anniversary Celebration.

Pastor Tom

EMANUEL: THE UNTOLD STORY FO THE VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF THE CHARLESTON CHURCH SHOOTING

The premier for the families of the victims and survivors will be this Saturday, June 15 at the Gaillard Center. I am asking our church family to be in prayer for this event. Just the story of how this movie came to be is a great story of the work of God. Particularly, pray this Saturday between 6 - 9 p.m. for the premier showing time. Ask for God’s protection as well as open hearts to the message of Grace and Forgiveness. Pray for an awakening of grace through forgiveness in Jesus Christ and the impact of the Gospel of every man, woman and child. Pray for the time coming when this documentary will be released to local theaters. 

The objectives of the movie are as follows:

• To provide an evening to honor the survivors, family members and victims of the Emanuel 9 and Emanuel AME Church.

• To inaugurate the Emmanuel Documentary to the Nation from Charleston

• To declare the narrative of Gospel grace and hope from Charleston

For all those who are NBA fans, you might find it interesting the Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, currently in the NBA finals, is one of the producers and helped to finance this grace project. Craig Tuck, the Executive Director of the Charleston Baptist Association has been actively involved in planning this event. I am always amazed and grateful for the way God touches individuals to be a part of His Kingdom work.

So much of the world watched when the tragedy happed at Mother Emanuel Church. Other parts of the country would have been consumed in riots, looting, burning and chaos. God’s grace allowed a city to come together and see forgiveness at a depth seldom seen. Trust me when I say the world is full of people who would like to deny and change that message. What they cannot deny (the mighty power of God and the incredible power of grace and forgiveness), they will try to stain, question, change or re-write. So pray. Think about how you might make an impact when this movie hits the local theaters. Is it possible we could pray about who we might invite to see the movie with us, then go out for a meal and have a conversation about the movie? Well there you go…another amazing grace moment.

Pastor Tom

BREAKING THE CHAINS OF HURTS, HABITS AND HANG-UPS

Isaiah 33:2 says “O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” This is a good verse to meditate on. It fits well into so many times of our lives. We desperately need the grace of God. We long for Him…even if our longing fools us into thinking we are longing for something else. You know…looking for love in all the wrong places; thinking someone or something will actually fill what my heart craves. I need His strength…not just my own. If my own strength could keep me out of trouble and avoid being entangled in all my hurts, habits and hang-ups…then I would not need Him. But I do, I so desperately do.

I think many of us…really all of us…share this kind of need. For the next eight weeks I will be teaching a series on “BREAKING THE CHAINS OF HURTS, HABITS AND HANG-UPS”. This is a Celebrate Recovery series that applies to so many of us in so many situations. Do not be too quick to think you do not need recovery. The old saying is true…you are either in recovery or in denial. Most people in Celebrate Recovery are not there for alcohol and drugs. They are struggling with grief, mental health issues, broken relationships, PTSD, drama, sexual addictions, pornography, food issues, etc. Don’t get me wrong, we also have many who attend because of addictions and struggles with alcohol and drugs. I have no doubt that all of us have someone in our family struggling with one or more of these issues. Most of us have friends whose lives are in “times of distress” as Isaiah said.

Here is what I am praying for. I am asking the Lord to make us advocates/ ambassadors of Celebrate Recovery. First, we have given out invite cards the past two weeks. We prayed that our Father would direct us to the very persons who need to receive the information on the CR Invite card. Second, I am encouraging all JIBC members to make a commitment to attend Celebrate Recovery one or two times. This is not my sneaky way of getting you to attend CR. It is my direct way of saying you can be a better advocate/ambassador for Celebrate Recovery if you have been and actually seen how it works. Join us at 5:30 for the Fellowship Meal; then stay for the Celebration service from 6:30-7:10. After that, you would be welcomed to visit one of the support groups. Third, pray for Celebrate Recovery. It truly is one of the JIBC missions that takes the light of Christ to the dark places of the world.

Good Lord willing, see you Sunday when we talk about “Where to get help when you are hurt.”

Pastor Tom

PRAYING FOR THE POTENTIAL ASSOCIATE PASTOR

I have already mentioned how close we believe we are to calling a new Associate Pastor. The process has been long and very thorough. It started with a resume (we received over 50 and considered and made contact with perhaps a dozen); a phone call to confirm continued interest; a skype interview between the candidate, Neale and myself that lasted for 1 ½ hours; the prospect visited with the staff during a staff meeting and lunch since this is the primary group he will work with; he was interviewed by my pastor buddies, a practice we have had for many years; at a separate date, he met with a group of leaders at JIBC for a lunch interview; that evening he met with the elders and more leaders, along with his wife; he and his wife spent an afternoon with Janie and I for a tour of the island and an evening meal; he passed background and financial background checks; and he received great reviews from all his references. 

That is about a thorough as I know how to be…and it is not finished yet. We are planning, maybe even before you read this, to invite all of our Connection Group Leaders and Ministry Team leaders to a meet and greet. You can tell we believe he is the right candidate. I know the old saying “the proof is in the pudding”. And I agree, only time and a look backwards will confirm that this was a very good hire. I am praying and having Daring Faith that it is. I really believe the decision has been made. Now we are just dotting the “i’s” and crossing the “t’s” so to speak.

His position will be Associate Pastor of Connection Groups, Ministry Teams and Administration. Susan Warren is praying as hard as anyone I know that this prospect accepts the position and comes quickly. Susan has been great in helping me keep up with the multitude of task that needs to be handled. Please do not think Susan will be sad to see the Associate come, she will rise up and call him blessed! Now he can work on my “other duties as assigned” list. Susan Warren… thank you for stepping up to help lead in so many areas during our transition time. I look forward to our schedules returning to normal so I can just overwhelm you with stuff as I used to do …not the extra ordinary kind of overwhelming! You are the best, thank you.

If all goes well, maybe, the Associate will be able to wrap up things at his current church by the first of August. With a little extra blessing, maybe he can visit some in July. Please pray for his wife. She is looking for a job in the area of school administration. If for some reason that is not available, she will hope to get a job teaching.

I love it when a plan of God comes together. He gets the credit, the glory and we get the blessings! What a great God we serve.

Pastor Tom

THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER

The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 suspense movie based on a Tom Clancy novel. It starred Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. A Soviet sub commander decides to defect to the United States with the new Soviet submarine. It is quite the suspense movie and it was made before the current Russian collusion fiasco!

I have sometimes felt the search for the Associate Pastor was as intense and suspenseful as The Hunt for Red October. There has never been a straight line in the process. We have been close and then nothing. We have filtered resumes and interviewed prospects. We have made dozens of follow up calls and letters to references. Did I mention we have been close and then nothing! The good thing is we are blessed to claim Romans 8:28. We do believe that God is working all things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose in Christ Jesus. We also truly believe the old adage: it is better to want it and not have it than to have it and not want it. Let the people say “Amen”. Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that we are blessed with on a regular basis. We are in the process of setting up a second meeting with what we believe is an excellent prospect. He has already come to meet the staff and by the time you read this, will have already met with a group of leaders. That is what we call “serious dating”! We will keep you in the loop when it is time for the big old family meeting!

Just a reminder of the position we are looking to fill. The title we have chosen is Associate Pastor of Connection Groups/Discipleship and Ministry Team Administrator. Years ago, Susan Warren started out with us as our Leader of Small Groups. When she shifted over to Minister of Outreach (and all things Tom assigns!), we shifted small groups over to former staff member, Sean Rheaume. Now, the primary responsibility of the Associate Pastor will be to lead our Connection Group and ministry teams.

Now, a final two words that might help clarify this “hunt for Red October”. First, Susan will continue in her role as Mission Director. She will gladly hand off a few areas of ministry she has graciously and effectively led. Ministries like the Safety Team and Greeters. No change for Susan’s role except to give her a well deserved breather from all the Pastor Tom assignments. Second, the position is strictly an Associate Pastor position. There is not plan for succession or for this potential staff person to be the next pastor. Please let that idea go. It was a good idea worth considering. It is not longer in any way a part of our thinking and/or process.

I am so looking forward to having a person in this position. I many ways, it will be a first for me to have this position. I am praying it will be everything I am hoping and much more. To God be the glory.

Pastor Tom

WE ARE GETTING CLOSE

We have two very big and very exciting changes that are getting closer and closer to being a reality. It has been a long wait on both of these anticipated blessings. So let’s talk about them both.

As I type this article, there is the wonderful sound of construction going on. I really do mean wonderful. During staff meeting I said: “That my friends is the sound of progress!” Sheet rock is going in today. The inside framing that was just for protection will be coming down so they can complete the details of sheet rocking. So, this Sunday, you will be able to see inside the entrance…but YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE IT TO ENTER OR EXIT JUST YET. As the old Andrea Crouch song says…”Soon and very soon!” We are planning a day of celebration when it all gets ready. Maybe, just maybe by the church anniversary Sunday…maybe? Someone asked when the restrooms would be renovated. It is only money…right. So far, by God’s grace, we have been able to basically pay as we go. We have incurred no debt in all the renovations. Thank you for giving and giving so generously. The next thing on the agenda will be the Library/Conference room renovation. The cost of the elevator was not just a financial cost. It ended up costing us four rooms. The elevator project totally took up Marty’s office. So he moved upstairs into a smaller, empty Sunday School room. The third room lost is where the elevator goes upstairs. That room was a casualty of the elevator as well. The fourth room, the library/conference room, would be the office for the Associate Pastor. By faith, by Daring Faith, it will be worth it all.

The second blessing getting closer and closer is the calling of our Associate Pastor. We are now on our fourth meeting with him. This is a serious as it gets and we do believe he is the one God has led us to call. We still have one more official meeting with our Connection Group leaders and all of our Ministry Team leaders. Pray for his wife as she will be seeking a job as a school teacher/administrator here in Charleston. (Romans 8:28)

It is all very exciting and it is really starting to come together. More news as we get closer and closer.

Pastor Tom